SW Realm

(Writer’s Warning: Slice of life, fluff, and a smidge of technobabble. I don't think this'll appeal to everyone, but I wanted to just write something silly. SOOO~ Ye be warned. If you're familiar with the other lil story I wrote called Mornings, these are the same characters. )

I was eight years old when mom and I moved into her neighborhood. My mother had to move due to a new job, and my father was gone...

The moving boxes were still in the driveway when Katrin and her mother made their way from their home next door. As our mothers introduced themselves, they struck up a friendly dialogue with each other. And then they introduced us to each other.

I was a gangly thing, my brown hair being pushed underneath a baseball cap. I was wearing pants and a button down shirt, both a little bit too big for me. Hand me down clothes from older cousins suck.

Katrin was wearing a blue dress, while sporting red-haired pigtails, glasses, and braces. I remember thinking she was a cute looking girl, and my face turned red. I remember her leaning forward and staring at me.

And of course I did what any eight year old boy would do when confronted with such - I had to tell her she had cooties.

She kicked me in the leg and called me an idiot. Once that was out of the way, we decided in our superior eight-year old logic that we should be best friends.

Our first day together was glorious. We climbed trees, ran around and caught bugs. She chased me with a beetle, and I put a frog in her shirt. She kicked me in my shins, I pulled her pigtails. Our mothers scolded us, put us in time out and we spent about a half hour glaring at each other from across the room.

Twenty minutes later we managed to convince our mothers we’d be good, which was just a ploy to get ice cream. We’d never be mean to each other or argue again, we promised.

Five minutes later, we were arguing which was the superior flavor, chocolate or strawberry.

We argued about everything then, just because we could. And I loved it. It was the first time since Dad died that I came out of my shell. Katrin had lost her father much younger than I had, so I think somehow she knew what I was going through.

That evening, Katrin showed me her movie and comic book collection. I dug my SNES from the boxes in the driveway. That’s when we both discovered we had a lot of good things in common, too - we were both big geeks.

Well, I’m the geek, Katrin is a nerd. She had glasses and was good at math. And I think that made her awesome, a girl that liked movies, comic books, and games.

Though at that time it was unheard of to my boy mind, and I found it incredible that I could throw down the geek argument gauntlet. We argued over everything from Star Trek to Star Wars, Batman versus Superman, Mario vs Sonic, and pretty much any classic nerd argument you could think of.

We fell asleep surrounded by comic books, VHS cassettes, controllers, and empty bowls of ice cream. Our moms still have a picture of us somewhere lying next to each other. It’s a picture of Katrin kicking me in her sleep and my hand across her face.

It was the best day I’d had in a long time, and it was when I needed a friend the most. Not only was she my best friend, she rescued me in some ways, giving me an anchor I needed when I could have easily become bitter and angry at the world around me when I was hurting from having to leave my old life behind.

Around her, I could be myself and cut loose. We bantered, argued, laughed and cried together.

And I loved her from the first day I met her.

I’d like to say we fell in love and everything when smoothly, but it was complicated.

Having a crush on your best friend is weird, especially when you realize it in the mists of your teenage years. It’s bad enough to have no experience whatsoever, but it happens while hormones are basically beating you over the head with a stupid stick. And then, fear of losing her because I do something weird, or fear she wouldn’t like me that way…

You know, I could have just asked her, but what’d be the fun in that? So I kept those feelings hidden and tried to chalk them up to me being silly. And we spent lots of time together, until we reached high school.

That’s when we saw less of each other due to classes. We found our own circles of friends, and our own activities. But we kept a close friendship, and spent time together when we could. Then our senior year, things changed.

Katrin had decided as a teenager that she wanted to become a doctor. It was in her blood, her father was a doctor, and her mother had decided to become a nurse after her husband died. They were both good people who cared about others, and Katrin was inspired to help others through those examples. From her junior year onward she poured her time and energies into taking whatever advanced classes or preparation for college she could find.

Despite still living next door, I rarely spent time with her.

That’s when I started feeling… weird. When I was around her I was fine, but when she became a bit of a recluse, I often I thought of her when she wasn’t around. I felt like half of me was missing.

I had a dull ache in my chest remembering how close we were, and it hurt thinking about how we might be going our separate ways. I suppose that’s when I decided I had to make some sort of show that I wanted her to be with me no matter what happened. So I decided that I would ask her out, and take her to dinner.

Well, more like I called her and demanded.

So, one Friday afternoon when we were both seniors in high school, I decided to ask her out. I had stood in front of the phone for what felt like an hour, trying to figure out what I'd say. So I decided with the direct approach. I picked up the phone, and when she answered I immediately asked her.

“Katrin, I’m taking you out to dinner tonight. I’m not taking no for an answer.” I said, trying to go with a nonchalant tone of voice. I realized I failed miserably as I nearly dropped the necklace from my fingers and I scrambled to keep it from falling to the table. That in turn, almost caused me to drop the phone.

Okay, I suck at the direct approach.

I was a bit nervous, alright? I had been planning on this night for awhile. I'd even bought her a gift. It wasn’t the most expensive piece of jewelry, but it was something that I think she'd like. The emerald was her birthstone, after all.

I thought it would suit her – a silver chain with a green emerald gem, set in silver to look like a heart with two angel wings that extended on either side of the gem. I wasn’t sure if it was too much, not enough, or just plain silly. But I wanted to give it to her, and tell her what had been on my mind for a long time.

“Mackie… I’d love to, but I have so much work to do that I can’t.” she sighed over the phone. “I mean, our exams are next week! I have to do the best I can, if I want to start in the advanced courses.”

I stuffed the necklace back into the box and slipped it into my pocket. “You’ve been studying for two years, Kat. You’re studying yourself cross eyed and you’ve been acting weird. You need a break, and I miss you. It’ll only be for a few hours.”

“Oi! I’m the one acting weird? You’re the one with a screw loose, jerk,” Katrin growled. “You and everyone else, I hear it in my sleep! ‘Katrin you have to take some time to rest, you have to take care of yourself, you need to do this, you need to do that, Katrin you’re going to make yourself sick!’ Argh!”

“Wow. You’re actually sleeping, now?”

“Oh blah blah blah… shut up!” she grumbled. “I keep telling everyone I’m fine, but you’re the worst of the bunch!” I heard a thump and a curse. “Ach, Mac! I swear you’re hopeless, every time you go a few days without talking to me you get paranoid I’m going to fall off the face of the earth.”

“You just spilled something didn’t you?” I asked, a grin coming to my lips.

“I DID NOT!” she yelped. “Just… dammit, shut up you jerk! I need to get a towel”

“Pick you up at seven. Wear something casual formal. Something not-girly but girly”

“Now you’re just tryin’ to piss me off. Gods, I hate you Macharin, I swear I’m going to maul you if you keep messing with my head!” she snarled.

“So that’s a yes, then?” I laughed. I was happy, she was starting to sound more like her usual sassy self instead of the tired, worn out persona I’d seen only for a few times in the last month.

I heard a thump, and I heard her yelp. “Okay! Okay! Fine then, but I want steak. I want your wallet to bleed. And I want ice cream after. The good stuff, Macharin!”

“Pfft, my wallet died years ago from taking you to the state fair.”

“Hey! Fair food is awesome. Don’t knock it till you tried it!”

"Butter fried butter, seriously? You're defending that?" I snickered.

"Are you feeding me or not, Mackie?" Katrin huffed.

“Of course I am, that’s the whole point of this. Whatever milady wants, she shall have," I laughed. "I shall fetch thee a cow. I shall carve off a slice and stuff it into your mouth, and we will ride it off into the sunset to the nearest Ben and Jerry’s. But I'm not deep frying it for you.”

There was silence on the phone, and then I heard her snort and start to giggle. There was a long pause. “Wow, that’s just stupid. Thanks, Mackie,” she laughed. “I needed that. You always know how to make me smile.”

I winced at the kiddy nick-name. “See you in an hour and a half, then?” I opened the box and peered at the necklace.

“Yeah, I’ll be ready.”





I showered, and then put on a pair of black dress pants and a blue button down shirt. Standing in front of the bathroom mirror, I peered at my reflection as I ran a hand through my hair.

Was this whole idea of mine too much, or not enough? Why was I so nervous?

I slapped my forehead. I was obviously overthinking this. We’d been out to dinner many times before, but this time I wanted to…

Stop being an idiot Macharin, I thought. She’s your friend no matter what happens, right?

I picked up the box with the necklace in it and slipped it into my pocket. And then I had to take a few deep breaths to stop from hyperventilating.

It was just a piece of jewelry. What was the big deal? No wait, oh gods, it was a piece of jewelry, what was I thinking?

Of course I knew what I was thinking. I was going to ask her to go steady with me. And I wanted something to give to her to mark the occasion. I thought it was stupid, it was dumb, but after finding a necklace with teardrop shaped green gems surrounded by silver, I thought it was elegant enough for her.

Well, if she was interested and it worked out. I felt another wave of panic, and I fought it down. It wasn’t like it would be the end of everything, if it didn’t… right?

“Daniel Michael Macharin!” My mother called out. “Come here, this instant!”

I still cringe when Mom uses my full name. It usually means I’m in trouble.

“I’m hurrying!” I yelled, as I ran towards the door. “Mom, I was going out with Katrin-“

My mother met me at the door, holding my jacket. She was grinning like a Cheshire cat. “So you’re finally going out on a real date with her, hum? Are you going to ask her to finally be your girlfriend?”

I felt frost creep all over me, and then my face erupted into a supernova. “W-what…?” I stammered. “No! Well, yes! Maybe! B-but how in the…?”

“So I find this receipt from the jewelry store lying on the ground, in a bag. I certainly haven’t bought any jewelry. So, a necklace, huh?” she waved the receipt between her fingers, her other hand on her hip.

“I well… I-I was going to tell you about it…” I stammered.

My mom laughed. “Mac, you’re eighteen. I think I did a good job raising you, and Katrin is a great girl. Go out and have fun, but try not to over-complicate anything. Just be you, and I’m sure… well, whatever happens I’m sure if it’s meant to be it will happen,” she said. She reached out and adjusted the collar of my shirt. “You’ve gotten so tall. I’m so proud of you. Your father would be proud of you.”

I felt my eyes water at the thought of my father. I wish he’d been here to see this. I wish I could have asked him for advice, to see my father and mother standing side by side with their arms wrapped around each other while I talked to them about Katrin.

I’m not bitter, but I do miss him. I was fortunate to have my father with me for eight years, and to give me a good role model. I was fortunate enough to have a wise and loving mother, and for her to say my father would be proud of me swelled my chest with pride, but a little sadness over what might have been.

Good God, man, the feels.

“T-thanks,” I laughed. I hugged my Mom. “It’s really just us going out and I’m going to talk to her about what happens after we graduate. I think I got a little ahead of myself there, but if things go well… well, it’d be nice to have something like that to give her.”

“You know, you gave her that bracelet at Christmas last year, and I swear it’s never left her wrist…” my mom said wryly, putting her hand thoughtfully under her chin as she peered up at me.

“That’s different! She’d been eyeing that for months and told everyone about it…” I mumbled.

“Sure,” My mom grinned, her hazel eyes glittering up at me. “Have a good night. Call if you’re late.”

“I will,” I pecked my mom’s cheeked and hugged her, and made my way out the door.





I walked next door around six thirty, and Katrin’s mom opened the door. “Mackie,” she exclaimed, “it’s good to see you… it’s been a week or two!” she said, as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

I loved Renee. Katrin’s mom was just fun to be around. She was a bit excitable at times but never mean, or cruel. Where my mom was pleasant and patient, Katrin’s mother was passionate and warm. They were both nurses at the local hospital, and they’d been close friends since we’d moved into the neighborhood. She’s where Katrin got her wicked sense of humor.

“Thanks Mrs. Hartstrom, I’ve missed you too,” I smiled. “How have you been?”

“I’m tired and cranky honey, so much work to do at the hospital. How’s Charline?”

“Mom’s doing alrightm” I smiled. “She’s been working hard, too. It seems like everyone is lately.”

“I’m going to go visit her in a bit and have a cup of tea, when you two leave. We’re going to get old and cranky if we don’t start finding moments to relax. Not as cranky as my daughter, though,” she grinned at me. “I’m glad you finally drug Kat out of her room. She’s been cooped up all week and she needed her friend,” She leaned forward and grinned as she lowered her voice. “Truth be told, she’s been so downright hostile to everyone I’ve considered barricading her bedroom door and calling an exorcist.”

“I heard that, Mom!” Katrin huffed from the stairwell. She puffed her cheeks as she walked down, her skirt rustled as it swayed back and forth over her hips as she descended the stairs. She was in the process of putting on her last earring, and shaking out her silver bangle bracelet on her right arm. She hopped down the last stair, and walked over to us. “I haven’t been that bad, have I?”

“Sweetie, your head practically rotates if I ask you to take out the garbage.”

Katrin face fell. “Um, I’m sorry Mom. I guess I have been a brat…” Katrin sighed.

“Oh hush, sweetie,” her mother kissed the top of her head and hugged her. She took a step back as she held her daughter out at arm’s length, looking her over.

“How do I look Mom?” Katrin asked, smiling shyly as she tugged down her green blouse.

“Lovely! Mac is practically speechless,” Katrin’s mom laughed. Before I could respond, she reached over and pulled me into the hug. “So, you two are going out on another date, huh?"

“It was Mackie’s idea. I think he’s lonely without me.” Kat grinned at me. “Uh, I wonder, is this date?”

I blushed furiously. “Hey, look at the time, we gotta go, right? We have reservations and all.”

“Fancy!” Katrin giggled. She pecked her mom’s cheek. “Mom, I’ll be back by midnight. I’ll call if I run late or if anything happens.”

“Be good, you two. No funny stuff! I have eyes and ears everywhere, bwahahahah!” Katrin’s mother cackled as she shut the door behind us.

I stopped in the driveway as I heard the door click shut. “Uh, W-what does she mean?” I asked, as we made our way to the car.

“Don’t worry about it,” Katrin smirked. “I’d be more worried about how much I’m going to eat. I’m starving.”

“I will feed you cow, and lots of it,” I nodded sagely.

“Oh, Mac, you know how to sweet talk a girl,” Katrin said, as she batted her eyelashes at me.





“Woo, stuffed!” Katrin pushed away her plate. “You know, this place is nice. The atmosphere is really cool and the food is really good,” she grinned at me. “What’s the special occasion?”

“I wanted… to um…” I hesitated. “Treat you to a nice dinner since you’ve been studying so hard,” I smiled. I inwardly kicked myself for missing an opportunity to talk to her about the whole reason I was dragging her out that night.

I’d never done anything like this before, alright? I wanted to make it special.

She sipped at her drink, and sighed. “I have to admit I’m having a nice time, but it’s distracting me. Finals are next week and I have to do the best I can. We should get going, ice cream and then home.”

“Home, already?” I looked at my watch. It was just past eight-thirty.

“Mackie, I need to study, and eventually I need to pass out. I haven’t slept much in the last week.”

I paid the bill, as Katrin waited for me near the exit. She smiled at me as I walked to her, and then she stifled a yawn.

I frowned. “You almost fell asleep twice on the way over here, Kat. I’m starting to worry about you.”

“I’m fine, really,” she said, “…you should worry about yourself. Have you been studying?” she asked, as we walked to my car.

“Of course,” I lied. I’d been more worried about this night than my studies.

“I can tell you haven’t,” she frowned. “Seriously Mac, what are you going to do with yourself after I leave?”

"When you... leave?" I asked.

She nodded at me, and our eyes locked. I felt the entire world shift around me, and I felt a stabbing pain in my heart. “What do you mean, without you?” I asked.

“Well, I guess it’s a good time to tell you…” she looked to the side, and frowned. “I… decided I’m going to college…”

“Well, yeah.” I said. “I figured that out because of all the studying and talk about finals. You have to do well to get into a good college, right?”

“Yes...” Katrin said. “College… an out of state college, I’m thinking about it…”

I was silent for several moments, trying to find my voice. “Oh…” I managed to say.

“I guess… that means we won’t be seeing much of each other ...if I go.” Katrin said. “I mean, we’ll keep in touch, but we’re going to be going on our separate ways, after all...”

My mouth suddenly felt dry. My hand brushed up against the box the necklace was in, as I fished for my car keys. “Of course we’ll be seeing each other. I mean, it’s not like you’re going to be gone forever!”

Katrin smiled. “Yeah, but Mac, things change. We're going to change, so we should talk about it. You haven’t talked about college or what you’re doing after you graduated. And I'm worried about that, because you don’t apply yourself nearly as much as you should.”

I grimaced, and the reality sat in.

Suddenly everything felt wrong. Katrin had everything planned out, and hell, I didn’t know what I was going to do with myself once I graduated. She’d been working hard because she had a goal for her life. Me, I’d I thought I’d figure it out sooner or later.

Well, later had come unexpectedly.

I sighed. I didn’t want to admit it, but the truth was I didn’t want to put effort into a college until I knew where I was going and what I was doing. “Not all of us are studying ourselves cross-eyed,” I mumbled.

Katrin returned my frown. I could tell I’d hit a sore spot with her when her eyebrow twitched. “Because I want to do something with my life,” she said. “Instead of knocking around getting by day to day, I want it to *mean* something. Why are you all on my case about that? You, Mom… argh!”

I started to feel irritated. I felt like I was ripped apart, like something was being wrested from my grasp and I couldn’t hold onto it. “What’s the good of life if you’re not living it, being cooped up in a room and going through textbooks and not even coming up to breathe once in a while?”

“Oh, so I can go out on syrupy dates like other airheaded girls?” Katrin growled. “No thank you.”

Ouch, I thought. I guess this wasn’t a real date, then. “Well, I guess I shouldn’t have asked you to dress up then… sorry I ruined our date.”

Katrin blinked. "W-what? W-was this a date? Really?” she asked, her face suddenly turning red.

I wasn’t sure how to answer that. I started to feel irritated, and embarrassed. “Look… a date or not, I think… well, you’re leaving in a couple of months. I guess it doesn’t matter, right?”

“It wasn’t – hey! Macharin, would you stop being stupid?!” Katrin exclaimed from the passenger’s seat, as we both shut the doors of the car. “I’m just saying that when I moved away, I didn’t want to leave you moping about wondering why I wasn’t calling you every day. And I wanted to ask you what you were doing after graduation-“

“You don’t call me every day. Just about every other day, and this is stupid since you live next door! We used to spend time with each other instead of playing phone tag...” I started the car and pulled out onto the highway. “Look, Katrin… to answer your question, I don’t know. I don’t know what I want. I wish I did! Not all of us are so… passionate about our potential career choices!”

“Daniel Michael Macharin! (I winced), if you applied yourself, you could do anything!” Katrin huffed. “I know how smart you are, but you coast by in classes, you don’t pay attention half the time, and I have to practically yell at you to get you to do homework! And that’s stupid because if you took the time to focus, you could go anywhere you wanted, do anything you wanted!”

“Katrin, I thought about college! I don’t know what I’m going to do. College is a commitment! It’s a lot of money, time, and effort I want to make count,” I said. “I mean, I envy you about what you want to do, but I have no idea!”

“Well, that sucks, because if you weren’t busy trying to figure out how to ask me on a date you could figure out what you’re doing with your life and if you…”

I sighed, and gripped the steering wheel hard. “Okay, it was a date, and I wanted to-”

“Mac, LOOK OUT!” Katrin screamed.

I wasn’t sure what happened after that. I remember thing vaguely, like a dream. I remember that as I looked to my right, I saw the headlights of the car that was skidding towards us. I remember feeling some dull thud and I heard Katrin’s voice screaming in my ears. I still feel a chill when I remember that.

That’s the last thing I remember before waking up in the hospital.

Okay, I promise that this isn’t a tragic story - unless you're counting only our first ‘real’ date. So, take a deep breath, and let it out slowly. Good? Let’s continue.

So from what I learned later, the driver of the car that hit us wasn’t paying attention to the road. They had worked a long shift, and they were half awake when they ran the red light. They hit our car in the passenger side rear, and spun us into the median.

It totaled both our cars and banged us up all up pretty bad. Thankfully everyone involved were wearing seatbelts and the air bags kicked in. But the impact was enough to give us concussions and send us to the hospital.

Katrin took the worst of it. Her body hit the passenger side door, and it dislocated and fractured her arm. We were both bruised and banged up and unconscious when the ambulance arrived and took us to the hospital.

I don’t remember anything past the impact. Thankfully we would recover, but we were held for observation for a while.

My first thought as I regained consciousness was Katrin. I didn't know I was in a hospital room, I vaguely remembered the accident. As I struggled to figure out what was going on, my mother put a hand on my chest and tried to calm me. I squeezed her hand, and then proceeded to try and climb out of the bed, still in a hospital gown to find Katrin.

Apparently it wasn’t the first time I’d tried, so eventually when the doctors thought I was coherent enough to see her, they let me have a supervised visit.

I remember seeing her lying in the bed, her right cheek was bruised, and her right arm was in a sling. She never looked at me as I entered the room, she was staring out the window.

I pulled up a chair and sat next to her. For several minutes, I didn’t say anything. I just hug my head and tried to find the right words to say.

I finally looked up to see a tear run down her face as she gazed out.
“Gods, I’m so sorry…” I mumbled.

She remained silent, staring out the window. Her mouth opened and shut, and she sniffled.

“Sorry…” I muttered. “…It’s my fault. I shouldn’t have-“

“If I’d just stayed home…” she said, softly.

“Katrin, I didn’t mean to…” I said.

“I’ve missed the tests. We’re going to be held back, and I’m going to have to…” she said weakly, as she finally looked over at me. "All that work, for nothing… I should have…”

I just sat there, my head bowed.

It was my fault, I reasoned.

I blamed myself for what happened. I remembered gripping the steering wheel, and not paying attention. I was irritated at Katrin’s words. I was upset over the silly date, and I didn’t have a plan of what to do with my life. I should have been more responsible.

If I’d been paying more attention I could have swerved earlier. I should have seen the car coming. I should have been more responsible.

Then Katrin wouldn’t have gotten hurt, and I wouldn’t have screwed up her life.

I should have been more responsible...

“I should have been more responsible…” I mumbled, blinking away tears as I rubbed my face with my arm. “…I shouldn’t have dragged you out while you were trying to study…”

I looked up, and realized she’d fallen asleep. Tears had run down her face, and there was an ugly bruise on the right side of her cheek. I reached out and touched her face, wiping a tear away with my thumb.

I kissed her forehead, and she murmured in her sleep. “I’m sorry…” I mumbled. “…I’ll never do something so stupid again.”

I didn’t get a chance to say anything else. The nurse made me go back to my own room so we could both rest.





We left the hospital after being there for four days, and we had a week after that of not being able to return to school. After some consideration, we were both allowed to take our finals, so we weren’t held back.

I pulled through the finals, and while I didn’t pass with flying colors, I didn’t do so badly either. I applied myself more, feeling like I owed it to Katrin at least.

I’m not sure how she did. When I asked, he tightened her lips and looked away. I wasn’t sure what to say after that so I just hugged her.

And then, she went back to studying. And this time, I let her.

That’s when the wall came between us. And I won’t deny it, it was more my fault than hers. I kept feeling like she must have done terribly on her finals because of the accident. I was worried that her chances of getting into the college she wanted weren’t as good as they should have been.

So I started giving her space. And as time passed, we saw less and less of each other.

When I used to call her on almost a day to day basis, I found myself wondering I should call or not. Then I’d try to call, and I’d find a reason to put the phone back down. Then, she tried calling me, and I would stand over the phone, thinking of a million things I should say. Then the phone would stop ringing, and I couldn’t find anything to say.

Oh, of course we saw each other. We lived next door to each other after all. By that time, I was so awkward that all I could do when she’d talk to me was say hello, try to be pleasant. But somehow or another I just found myself pulling away. I would make an excuse that I had to be somewhere, or I had work to do.

And she would press her lips together and turn her head away, a sad look on her face.

I knew why I did that to her, then. It was guilt. So much studying she did, and I had belittled her for it. Then I had a hair brained notion of trying to drag her out and then… I caused her to miss her opportunity she’d been preparing for all this time.

I had hurt my best friend.

I felt weighed down. I didn’t know what to say, or do. Stupidity on my part, but then again I was basically a teenager dealing with a crush on a childhood friend, whom I thought I’d hurt immensely.

Yeah, I was a total idiot.

And then I decided that the best thing to do was get away for a while.

I decided to take a summer job with an uncle who owned a small plumbing and electrical business. It meant I had to move out of town for a while, and I thought it would help me get my head together and figure out what I wanted to do. Katrin and her mother decided to go on vacation to visit family who lived in the state that Katrin’s potential college choice was located.

That last night before I left to work, I tried to call Katrin. I didn’t get an answer. So I left, feeling like I’d messed up, missed out, and should make myself scarce.




Okay, again - I was stupid. This could have all been settled easier. I admit it, freely.

Between guilt and the fact I was scared stiffness that I’d hurt my best friend, I was worried that anything I did would just make things worse. I was a stupid, stupid kid.

And my uncle picked up on that really quickly.

My uncle Mike is a great guy, and the one thing he taught me while I was working for him was to cultivate options. He'd owned his business for a long time, and despite his rough demeanor he was warm, intelligent and about as real as someone can be.

I spent most of that summer giving me pep talks about life, while he taught me how to work for my hands. I'm no slouch with tools, but I'd never done anything that required the amount of labor and sweat the job required. And I had a lot to learn, and he had a lot to teach.

“Boy,” he’d say, “you gots plenty of time to do somethin’ with yerself, but if you don’t get yerself a proper education you won’t amount to nothing! And yer so damn smart, fixing up my computers and stuff. Do that, do whatever, but DO. SOMETHING,” he bellowed as he slapped his hand on my back.

“I-I will Uncle Mike, I promise.”

“Damn right yer are,” he laughed. “But this summer, yer arse is gonna work until you get those silly notions outta that thick skull of yours, so you can think straight. By then, mebbie you’d have figured somethin’ out.”

I think that’s why he put me through so much back-breaking labor, wanting me to think that working a labor-intensive job was a last-ditch resort. But honestly, I didn’t mind, and it helped keep my mind from wandering.

And work I did. If it required manual labor, crawling through muck, or generally an unpleasant experience, I was the go-to guy on his crew. And I gritted my teeth, and pushed myself through it. And over time, the people I worked with came to respect me because I was busting my tail and did whatever I was asked to do.

While I tried to distance myself from my problems, I was listening when Uncle Mike told me about creating options for myself. I do like to work with my hands, and I do like to build things. I love the act of creation, to make something that is useful for others. So through that job during the summer, I thought about it and decided that was enough to point me in a direction for a career. So I put in the paperwork for several colleges, and on a whim I put one in for the college that Katrin chose.

I didn’t get accepted, but I did manage to get into the state’s university. I took it as an omen, that this was how things were going to be. And I did my best to accept it, thinking that it was time to let Katrin go.

Fate had plans, otherwise.

I called mom with the news. “Oh, that’s wonderful Mackie!”

“T-thanks Mom.” I chuckled into the phone. “How are things there?”

“Oh, you know, the same old hon. Kat and her mom came back yesterday, did you and Kat will be going to the same school?” she asked.

I was so shocked, I nearly dropped the phone. “R-really…? Um, no mom, I haven’t talked to her in a while. How’s she doing?”

“She’s alright, and I heard from her mother last week she’d decided to go to a closer college. Isn’t that nice?”

“Yes but... Mom, she and I haven’t really spoken in a couple of months. I don’t think she’s very happy that she wasn’t able to go to the college she wanted. Besides, when I call she doesn’t answer.”

“Well, she has been on vacation until last week, of course she wouldn’t answer,” my mother said.

I put my head against the wall. "Oi." I mumbled. "Of course..."

Her voice dropped and I heard the earnest tone in her voice. “Macharin. I don't want to intrude on your personal life, and I don’t want to tell you how to run your business. But this problem you have with Katrin… we both know you’d feel better if you’d just talk it out with her.”

“I will Mom… it’s just, I need to find the proper place and time. I just… “ I hit my head against the wall.

“Sweetie, you’ve been friends forever. I know it’s been rough for you, but I wish you’d just talk to her. The accident wasn’t your fault, and I’m sure if Katrin and you would just talk…”

“We will, mom.” I said. “Just give me some time to think?”

“Alright, Macharin… if you need to talk, I’m here. I love you.”

“I love you too Mom,“ I choked, and hung up.

I did try. I picked up the phone, and when I was just about to call, and I just stopped. I just didn’t know what to say. Sorry for ruining your life? And besides, it was late.

It might have helped if either of us had cell phones then, but then land lines were still all the rage. Sure, I could have found a means to get in touch with her, but…

I listened to the dial tone on the receiver, which started to beep when I'd held the receiver too long. Why was I was avoiding her?



A couple of weeks later I had gotten myself set up for my classes. My uncle had pulled a few strings for me, and I found a nice, but very small apartment just off of campus. The last night, before I went back home, he sat down and pulled out a six pack from his fridge. I wasn’t familiar with the label, but he swore it’d put hair on my chest.

“I’m just nineteen,” I grinned.

"Don't play coy with me, son. Yer Dad was a beer hound, I remember him givin' you your first sip when you were twelve," Uncle Mike laughed. "I was there, remember?"

"Well, yes. But I just want to be responsible," I said.

“You drivin? Goin’ anywhere?” he snorted, handing me a long neck bottle.

“I guess I won’t be now,” I laughed.

He laughed with me as we clinked our beer bottles together and I took a long drink, and then promptly sputtered. I guess I wasn't as versed in beer as my father was.

My uncle guffawed, and slapped his leg. “I wanted to see if you could handle a good strong stout! First time drinkin, son?”

“No, sir. I have wine with dinner occasionally when my Mom and I cook something nice, and on special occasions,” I laughed. "I tend to stick with lagers and shandys."

“Ah, well, welcome to the big leauges, Mac," he laoughed. "Not that yer Mom would get too out of sorts, just make sure we'll keep this lil shindig between us. I don’t think you should be drinkin’ underage too often, but hell you're practically a man. I gotten fond of you, kiddo,” my uncle laughed.

I beamed. That honestly meant a lot. You know the earthy, down to earth people that, underneath that rugged exterior, they really have a heart of gold? When you win their trust, it makes you feel like you’re honestly a good person. I needed that, right then.

My uncle made small talk, asking me about college, how things had been, and we reminisced about my father. He talked a little bit about them, and how fond he was of my father and my mother, and how they used to be. And that’s when the topic of women came up. It was inevitable, I suppose.

“Hum, what about that girl next door, her name was Katty, wasn’t it?" he asked.

"Oh, Katrin. Um..." I mumbled.

"I think I met her couple of times while I was visitin’. She’s a nice girl, seemed to like you a lot.”

“Ah, well…” I mumbled. “She’s okay, I think, but we don't date.”

"Ah, that's not what I heard," my uncle said. "I heard ya tried ta date her and you ended up having things go sour 'cuz of your accident."

I nearly spewed beer.

“Hey, it's not that big of a deal." My uncle chuckled. "Well, yer mom seems to think something is wrong with you two. And I know that you’re hurtin’ cuz of that accident. You talk in yer sleep, alot. About her,” my Uncle said.

I froze up. I’d made it a point not to talk too much to anyone about it, and I was surprised at the fact my mother had said anything.

“Uncle Mike, how d-did…?” I sputtered.

“I got curious, and you haven’t exactly hid the fact you got a busted up ticker, kiddo,” he said, shaking his head “I was worried about ya, so I had to wring the story outta yer Mom. Sort of made sense, the way you were mopin' sometimes, and your Mom asked me to keep an eye on you cuz you were a lil down.”

“I… asked her not to. I didn't want special treatment,” I grumbled."I came out here to work to get my mind off of it, while I figured out what to do next."

Mike held up his hand. “Eh, don’t be hard on her. I have dirt on her from when we were kids, so gettin' her to talk wasn't too hard,” he laughed. He peered at me, holding the beer in his hand. "So do you need to talk?"

“I don't know. I’m not sure what to say,” I mumbled.

He grinned. “Well, to her or to me?”

“Both,” I shook my head.

“I swear, yer so dammed serious,” he chuckled. “Don’t get yer underwear in a bunch, Mac. It’ll work out, if it’s meant to.” He squeezed my shoulder. “Yer a good kid. You’ve done a great job over the summer, and I know yer a honest person. But you seem all shook up and distracted.”

“A little, Uncle Mike,” I said. “…maybe a lot.”

He nodded. “I could talk yer ear off, like I've been doin' all summer. But I’d prefer to get to the meat and potatoes of it. So lemme tell ya this - If you thinking that much about this lil girl, get yer ass put back together, kid, and talk to her. I remember her fondly, and I know that she thinks the world o’you. Talking won’t hurt anything, will it?”

“No, I know that, and I know I’m being a stupid kid. I… I guess I’m scared…” I said. “…I keep thinking about that night, and I wake up with car-lights in my dreams. I’m always watching her get hurt, and I knocked her out of her college chances when she’d worked so long and hard. I try to reason with myself, and I can’t stop thinking about it…”

My Uncle took a long drink. “I see, so you tried to numb yerself and not think about it, eh?”

“I guess, Uncle Mike. I’m going home tomorrow, and I was planning on talking to her. I just… having figured out what to say. I don’t want to hurt her again...”

“Kiddo, yer nuts, how is talkin’ to her and telling her what ya said to me gonna hurt her?” he laughed, shaking his head.

“I… really don’t know. I guess I… well, I like her,” I blushed, feeling the beer hit me.

"Is that a bad thing?" my uncle asked.

"I don't know. Dun wanna make her mad at me? Or hate me... or loose her..." I mumbled.

“Well, kiddo that's gonna happen if you keep this up. Eh, I would imagine that you not talkin’ to her all this time, and the dodgin’ each other has been a fair amount of pain, on both of yas."

I frowned, and then nodded. “I’ve been a jackass, I guess…”

"Bah, it's not as bad as you think, Mac. Yer bein’ silly kids, but you should man up and talk to her, instead of feelin’ ashamed n’moping, and guilty."

I fell silent, staring at my beer like I was looking for the answers of the cosmos in the brown bottle I held. "I feel like I messed up, though..."

“Ah, don’t be so hard on yerself. Look, Mac," he said, reaching out and putting his hand on my shoulder again. "I’m not tryin’ to yell atcha, I just want you to take some initiative. I think yer a good kid and you’ve blown’ up yer love life outta proportion. Wanna know the funny thing ‘bout it?”

I shrugged, then nodded.

“It’s the same as I did, yer age. And same yer dad did. Woo, boy, he and yer mom… I tell ya, they were a mess. Now, there's some good stories,” he laughed. "Let me tell you, those two were a riot..."

The rest of the night, my Uncle told me some stories about my parents that were quite …colorful. He wasn’t kidding about having the dirt on my mom part. I swore I would say anything to her or anyone about that time they got caught skinny dipping… um, yeah.





The next morning, we drove home, and he dropped me off at my house. I reached out to shake his hand, and he grabbed at it, and dragged me into a hug. I laughed, and hugged him in return, and thanked him for everything.

“Gawds, I’m gonna miss ya, kiddo,” he laughed, ruffling my hair. “Be good! And give yer mom and hug fer me. And remember what I told ya!”

I smiled, and nodded. “Love ya, Uncle Mike.”

“Love ya too. Yer Dad would be mighty proud of you.”

I stood there, unsure of what to say, but I have the feeling the expression my face was enough for my uncle. He smiled and waved out the window as he drove away.

I’d like to say I went over next door, made a big scene and talked to Kat, and we hit it off. It didn’t quite work that way. She’s already moved away to an apartment near the campus, and her mom was away that weekend helping her set up.

Instead, I spent that last weekend with my Mom. I know she'd been through a lot dealing with me, so I wanted to make my last weekend at home before college with her pleasant. We didn’t talk much about Katrin. Instead we cooked, laughed, and spent time with each other. I’d already had some furniture and essentials moved into my new apartment, so I was ready to go. And soon, it was time to start my new life in college.

I hugged and kissed my mother goodbye, that next morning. “Macharin…” she said. “…call her and talk to her, when you can?”

“I will Mom. I want to get settled, get my classes and books set up, and then when things are all taken care of, I’m going to find her and talk. I promise.”

My mom nodded, and looked relieved. “Good. That’s all I wanted to hear.”

So I made my way to my new life on campus. I started getting everything ready, I made my first classes, and I kept rehearsing some speech I would use when I met Katrin again…

And then, I bumped into her into the student union on campus. It went about as well as you could guess.

“Macharin?” I heard her voice. I dropped the drink I was holding, and immediately grabbed handfuls of napkins to wipe up the spill.

She grabbed a handful of napkins as well, and we both mopped up the spill. I wasn’t sure what to say, so I just focused on the spill. “Sorry…” I muttered.

Katrin sat on her knees, in front of me. She was wearing a light jacket, long sleeved blue shirt, and a pair of tight blue jeans. She looked great, and I felt my face flush. “So you’re really here,” she grinned. “I thought you’d disappeared. Why didn’t you call me? Didn’t your mom tell you I had a cell phone now?”

“Um, I didn’t…” I shook my head. “I didn’t know until about a month ago you were coming here, too.”

Katrin frowned. “Alright. We need to talk. This has gone on long enough, Mackie.”

“Look, I have class in about thirty minutes,” I said. “And don’t call me Mackie out in public, please? It sounds like the name of a cartoon character.”

“It never bothered you before. Mackie, Mackie~” she sing-songed. “Mackie-mick-mac~"

“No, Kit-Kat, I do have class. And believe me, I want to talk,” I said. “I have a cell phone now, too.”

“Then give me your number,” she said, grabbing her own phone. “I’m not letting you dodge me again, and so help me Mac… if you avoid my phone call, I will track you down. Hunt. You. Down.”

"I believe you," I said. She glared at me, and then tucked the phone back into my front shirt pocket after we exchanged numbers. “Kat, look… before you go, I’m really sorry that…” I began.

She poked me in the forehead gently, and smiled. “I really want to have this conversation, but… um, I’m sorry, but I have things to do too, Mac. I’m actually volunteering in the laboratories here. Even gotten to know some of the staff here on campus, they knew my dad,” she said. “Samuel is actually one of the graduate students here, I was having some lunch with him.”

“S-Samuel?” I asked. I glanced to where she had been looking, and a big, blond-haired guy wearing glasses waved back at me, smiling over at us. He seemed a bit older than us, but he carried himself with a cheerfulness I didn’t expect. Too… cheerful.

“Mmhum!” she nodded. I could see where Katrin had left her drink behind, and her book bag. It looked like I’d interrupted their lunch, and I felt… an odd pang in my chest. “Oh, sorry, I didn’t know…” I mumbled. “Ah, um, should get going too.”

She stood in front of me, looking confused. “Wait, Mac…” she said. “…please. This isn’t how I wanted us to end up. I don’t want any more misunderstandings between us!”

I took a deep breath. If I’d missed my chance, then I might as well man up. “I understand. Look, just call me when you have the time, and we’ll talk,” I said. “Your um, friend is waiting on you.”

She grinned at me. “You’re not having another apathetic jealous bout are you?”

I nearly fell over, and I swear the guy grinned even more at us. “No!” I blurted out. “Just feeling a bit awkward, is all. Look, when you get a chance, call me. We’ll figure this out.”

“Good, it's a promise then,” She smiled. “I’ll call you as soon as things settled down,” she smiled at me. She leaned a little closer. “I missed you, you stupid idiot,” she said, and she kissed me on the cheek.

My eyes widened, and I blushed. “Um… I missed you too, dork-face.” I replied.

“See you soon, don’t worry if I don’t call right away, please? And Mackie, pick up the phone this time.”



So she didn’t call, not for another couple of days at least.

When she did, I hesitated. But I resolved myself, it was time. I decided that I’d had enough of the moping and guilt, so whatever happened I was going to talk to her, make things right and we’d go back to being just friends at least.

I just might not like Samuel for a long time, though.

Things didn’t exactly go as planned.

I heard a series of what sounded like fingers being drug along a chalkboard, squeaks, and grunting. I yanked the phone away from my ear and winced. “Cripes!” I exclaimed. “What the hell is that, a hamster being molested by a freight train?”

“OW! DAMMIT..!” Katrin’s voice came faintly through the cellphone. “Macharin, can you hear me?”

“Katrin, that’s you isn’t it?” I put a finger in my ear, trying to hear her voice over the odd sounds. “The reception or something sucks, I can barely hear you. Can you put the phone closer to your face?” I winced again at some odd sounds. “Are you at a party or something?”

I heard another series of squeaks and odd noises. “No, you jerk!” I heard her screech. I winced again, and held the phone out arm’s length. “I’m in the lab on the west end of campus, I need your help!”

“Wait, need… my help?” I blurted. Not very articulate, but I wasn’t expecting that to be our first couple of sentences in a conversation after such a long hiatus. I was expecting to be yelled at, at least.

The yelling didn’t come. “Please…” I heard the fear in her voice. “…before someone else comes, I need you.”

“K-Katrin?” I felt the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

“Please, hurry! You can get in through the side door on the right side of the building, there’s just an electronic lock. Just walk like through like you mean to be there, and no one will bother you. The passcode is 93234. Please…" she begged, “...before someone finds… oh crap!” I heard her yelp.

There was a click and the line went dead.

The drive across campus was about 10 minutes. I made it in five, and I made my way to the side door. That’s when I realized I forgot the code. I was about to panic, and then my phone flared to life, with a text message. “93234 – hurry!”

I felt a sudden flood of relief, and I couldn't help but laugh. Of course she'd remember to text the number to me. At least that meant she wasn't too bad off... right?

I punched in the number, and the door beeped and a light on the keypad glowed green. I stepped into the building, clutching my cellphone.

The door at the end of the hallway was propped open, and I walked into a room that felt like a cross between an office filled with cubicles and big machines that hummed along, the rows of lights flickering in patterns. There was an acrid smell in the air, a metallic tinge that reminded me of wielding fumes.

“Hello?” I called out, peering around the corner of the door. “Katrin, are you in here?”

I could have sworn I heard something squeak, so I moved inside the lab. I half expected some of the facility to walk around the corner. I wasn’t sure if I was allowed in here, but if Katrin had given me the code, perhaps they were expecting me.

I moved in and my ears were filled with the mechanical buzzing from machinery along the sides of the wall, creating a hallway of angry, angular machines whirling and buzzing at each other like a circus of R2-D2 droids on a bender. That would explain the odd noises, at least. I remember wondering how in the world they had the money for all of the machines.

“Katrin?” I called out, as I walked around a corner. No answer. I didn’t hear anyone, and I started to feel a sense of dread. What if there had been some sort of accident, and Katrin was hurt? What if she was somewhere lying on the floor shocked or scorched from some lab experiment gone wrong… or worse?

My overactive imagination took over, and I started to panic. I wanted to talk to her, I didn’t care how or why, but just to know she was safe… what if I was being punished for not talking to her directly a few days ago? What if… she was gone?

I know it was a bit melodramatic, but I guess I was so unnerved by everything was happening that I let it get the better of me. Katrin is a strong, tough person who will only ask for help when she desperately needed it. And the phone call I'd gotten was so unnerving that dark thoughts rushed through my head. I darted around the maze of machines and desks running around like a kid who’d lost their parents in some sort of department store, darting between isles. I frantically looked for any sign of her, calling her name, not getting an answer.

I took a breath, and calmed myself. She sent a text earlier, so her phone was at least still working, and whatever happened meant that she was at least able to text. Having a moment of clear thought, I punched the call-back option on my phone, and I heard the faint jingle of a cellphone ringing.

I turned around the corner of one machine, and followed the sounds. That’s when I saw her pants lying on the floor. The ones I saw her wearing last time I’d seen her.

So, remember that overactive imagination? It suddenly stops, and goes from imagining her lying on the ground hurt, to running around streaking. I hit the cancel button on my phone, and the jingle stopped.

I hit myself with the flat surface of my phone on top of my head, hard. Once the stars cleared from my vision, I forced myself to think straight. Yeah, I deserved it, but then again everything she had to have been wearing was right in front of me.

Her shoes, socks and pants were in a neat pile, and her shirt was a few feet away. Then, I saw a pair of black, lacey underwear strewn over the stool near the table, with a matching bra dangling from the back of the desk.

I reached out, and cautiously took the panties in my hand. I wasn’t sure what I was doing, it all felt surreal. Katrin was… there somewhere, and she had shed her clothing. I mulled the reasons why in my head, trying to wrap my brain around it. “Goodness, I didn’t know she’s wear something like this…” I muttered.

“YER A PERVERTTT!” I heard her voice snarl out. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING WITH MY UNDERWEAR?”

I jumped, nearly falling over, and I threw up my hands in a defensive gesture, her underwear hanging from my right thumb. I looked around for her, but I didn’t see her.

“THE HELL, MACHARIN?” she yelled. “P-PUT DOWN MY P-PANTIES RIGHT NOW!”

I tried to drop her undergarment on the floor, and looked around. “Wait, what’s wrong with your voice? Where are you?”

“Down HERE!” her voice called. “I’m next to my book bag!”

I looked over to the desk, and that’s when I finally noticed her phone. Next to the phone was her book bag. A pile of books rested on the table, one of them opened, with several sheets of loose leaf paper with notes and scrawls written on them. Then, I finally saw her.

Well, I think saw all that was left of her. One arm was crossed over her chest, and her long red hair streamed over her shoulders. Her other hand frantically waved at me, trying to get my attention.

I should mention she was standing on the table in front of me, next to her books. Yes, next to the books. Yes, on the table - small enough that she barely stood taller than the stack of books on the desk.

My brain stopped working properly for a moment, as reality took a screaming nose-dive. I stood there, staring at her. I strained my eyes looking at her, trying to figure out if what I saw was real. I put my palm up to my eyes, gave them a good rub, then blinked at her as I leaned down to get a closer look.

“Heree! HEREE!” she yelled. She started bouncing up and down, waving both her hands frantically to either get my attention or bring me back to my senses.

The gears in my brain started to click again, and move. My first thoughts it produced were that she was real, how is this happening, and wow her breasts are really, really tiny and they're still very bouncy.

“K-Katrin?” I babbled. “You’re so…” I mumbled. I immediately flushed red.

Her first reaction was to grin, her body relaxed and she seemed to breathe in a sigh of relief. “Oh, thank heavens… I thought you didn’t see me…”

“I see you…” I mumbled. “I see a lot of you…” I gulped nervously. “…all of you.”

She blinked, and glanced down at her body. Her mouth dropped open, and her face proceeded to turn various shades of purple and red, until she squealed and ducked behind the books, only her head peeking over. “S-stop gawking and help me!” she squeaked.

“What do I do?” I asked.

“Stop staring!” she yelled.

I whirled my head away. “It’s not my fault! You were trying to get my attention, remember!?” I babbled.

“Okay! OKAY! Just… just p-put down my panties and get my clothes!” she squeaked. She writhed behind the books, clamping her arms over her body to make sure I didn’t get another view.

I twitched, unhooking her lacy underwear from my thumb. She rolled her eyes at me as I leaned down and picked up her clothes, putting them on the counter. Her little mouth dropped when she stared at her giant puddle of clothes.

“I um, don’t… think those will fit anymore,” I mumbled.

Katrin crossed both hands over her chest, her tiny head whirling around as she frantically scanned her now gigantic surroundings. “Oh gods, oh gods… I need something to wear!”

“We need something that you can wrap around yourself…” I suggested.

“A n-napkin!” she pointed towards a roll of paper on a counter.

I reached over, grabbed the roll and set it next to her. I watched as she reached up, and started tearing the paper. When she realized I was getting an eyeful, she ducked behind the books again. “MMMMAACCCCCCHARINNNNN!” she squealed.

“Sorry!” I said, turning my head. I heard the paper rip again, and several squeaks of protests.

“It’s not working! It’s too stiff! And it’s see through! Dammit it’s too big, I can’t cover… AHHH! I need something that isn’t going to fall off!” she cried out.

I nearly bowled over, my heart thudding in my chest at the thought of her wriggling in see-through tissue paper sliding off of her… why the hell, of all times, did my brain have to act like a hormone-fueled drive-in theater, I wondered.

I smacked my forehead again to send my brain the message I was in control. I reached into my shirt pocket, and pulled out a handkerchief. I'm a bit old fashioned, I guess.

“Will this do?” I asked. I looked out from the corner of my eye, trying to give it to her.

“EW!” she squeaked. “Tell me you haven’t used this!”

“For the love of… give me some credit, Katrin!” I grumbled. “You want it or not?”

“Yes, please, gimme!” she tugged it out of my hand. “And don’t you dare look!”

I crossed my arms and turned around, my face steaming. “W-Why would I want to look!?” I huffed.

“I saw that look on your face!” Katrin huffed.

“I don’t think you can blame me, given the circumstances.” I muttered.

“Fine! You can look now!” she called out a few moments later.

She stood on top of the books, and I couldn’t help but blush. She’d fashioned a toga like outfit from the hanky, tying it off at her shoulder. The silky blue and white material spilled around her body, and her pose showed off a little bit of her legs and some thigh. Okay, I was staring, I admit, but mostly because I wanted to make sure she was alright.

I turned around, pulling up the stool so I could sit in front of her, putting my face close to her.

She took a step back, clutching at her new hanky toga. Her face flushed, and her eyes wide. “Mackie…” she mumbled.

“Okay, please – no more yelling. I’m here to help you. So, obvious question… besides being the size of a doll, are you alright?” I asked.

Katrin’s chest heaved, and she flushed red.

“Katrin?” I asked.

She started shaking, clutching her tiny fists. “Besides... being the size of a doll. Isn't that enough?! What do you think?!” she squeaked. “Are y… you…" she stammered, and stared at my face. "W-wow, y-you’re huge…!” her face flushed.

“No, you’re very tiny,” I replied, my own face still beet red.

“I *know* that!” she squeaked. “It’s just, you’re… wow…” she reached out and put a hand on my cheek.

I wasn’t sure what to make of her behavior, in between her seeming terrified and awestruck. “Katrin, what do you need from me?” I asked.

She shook her head. “I- I need your help. Get my clothes and stuff, and put them in my bag. I’m gonna have to get my notes too and figure out why this happened and how long I’m stuck like this.”

“What?” I stared at her. “Shouldn’t we try to get help?”

“No! I can’t let anyone see me like this!” she squeaked. She hopped off the books and started to pull at the pages of notes at her feet.

“Why is that?” I asked.

She huffed, dragging the notes towards me. “It’s complicated! I don’t want to get in trouble and the specimens always returned to normal! I just need to get somewhere safe and figure out how long I’m shrunk!” she squeaked.

“That… makes… no form of sense whatsoever. But what do you mean, you’d get in trouble, for what?”

“I didn’t follow lab protocol, and I got careless, and the stuff got on me, and I think I might have contaminated myself with the nanites… no, I mean I know I got contaminated… and… and…” she put her head in her hands. “…please, just do this for me! If I get caught like this I could get kicked out of this lab, expelled, or worse!”

She shivered, and I reached out, put my finger under her chin. I wasn’t sure what caused me to do that, but she seemed like she was about to cry, and well I wanted to do what I could to calm her. She blinked at me, and her eyes widened. “It’ll be alright. I’m here for you and I’m going to help. Tell me what to do, and I’ll do it.”

She peered back at me, her little green eyes shining with tears. She took a deep breath, and rubbed her face with the back of her hands. “Bwah, ueh… uerhm… get my stuff.” She mumbled. Her face was nearly as red as her hair.

I wasn’t sure why she was acting so oddly, but considering the situation she was in I wasn’t sure how anyone would act. So, I gathered her belongings, folding up her clothes one by one and putting them in her book bag. She skittered off to a corner of the desk, and I heard her grunt. She was pushing books back into her open backpack.

I reached out, and grabbed a stack of papers with typing and scribbled writing on them. “How in the world did you shrink like this?” I asked.

She turned towards me, and was just about to respond when I heard a door open. Footsteps came next, as someone walked towards us.

Katrin eyes widened, and she panicked. She scampered around on the desk, and when she couldn’t find a hiding place to her liking she skittered towards me. “Ahh! Hide me!” she squeaked.

At a loss of what to do, I reached over and wrapped my hand around her. She wriggled in my hand, and I was amazed at how light, and soft she was.

“Mackie! Ooh! Wh-what are you-“ she gasped. She squirmed in my hand, putting her hands around my fingers while her little legs kicked.

“Hiding you!” I said. Though, I wasn’t sure where to put her. In the back of my head, I was still marveling at her soft body, and how interesting it felt to have her squirming in my hand in nothing but a…

The footsteps grew closer, bringing me back to reality. Katrin and I both stared at each other. “Jacket pocket!” she squeaked.

I turned away from the direction of the footsteps, and held open my jacket. Katrin dove in, and the last view I had of her was her little hanky-covered rear and little legs disappearing into my pocket as she curled up into a tight ball. I hoped the bulge in the pocket wasn’t enough to give her away, as I turned around to face whoever had found us.

“Hey! You’re not supposed to be… oh, hello!” he said. “You’re Katrin’s friend, right? Um, you do know you’re not supposed to be in here alone, right?”

“Y-yeah.” I said. “I’m really sorry. She, um… she needed help getting her stuff together. I wondered in here on my own. She doesn’t know I’m here, yet.”

He smiled. “Relax! I’m not some stuffy lab tech. Just make sure you don’t go wandering again without someone.”

“Oh, okay…” I said. It was then I realized I’d seen him before.

His smile widened. “Ah, so you’re Mac? She’s been talking about you the last few days. I’m Samuel, by the way. I was the guy in the union a few days ago, when you dropped your drink,” he smiled, and held out his hand.

“Nice to meet you, Samuel,” I said, shaking his hand.

“Likewise, Katrin says you guys go way back. Talk about fate, huh? Bumping into each other like that?” he looked around, and then at the desk behind me. “Speaking of, where’d she go? I was sure I saw her around here…”

“Um, I think to get her stuff together. I was going to take her back to her apartment?” I offered. “She talked about me?”

Samuel tilted his head, and blinked. “Oh, I didn’t think she’d be here today…” he frowned. “Huh… I could have sworn…” he shook his head. “Oh, and yeah, she talked about you. That you were childhood friends, known each other a long time, you’re like brother and sister and all that. She was really happy to see you”

I blinked. Well, I wasn’t sure what to make about that, and suddenly Katrin squirmed in my pocket. “Oh… I guess so,” I shrugged. “Why do you call it the dungeon?”

“Oh, the lab specimens and experiments, just a nickname for where we keep all the important stuff,” Samuel grinned. “Wow, are you alright? You look like you’re about to pass out.”

“I’ve got a few things I need to talk to Katrin about,” I said. “Just catching up, it’s been awhile.”

Samuel nodded. “Look, Macharin, I hope you didn't get the wrong idea, at the union. I was just having lunch with Katrin. You seem really nervous…”

“A little…” I mumbled. Katrin shifted in my pocket, and I was worried he might have seen her.

“Well, don’t be. You’re welcome here, as long as Katrin is around. She said she was looking forward to talking to you again. It must be nice, to have a friend you’ve known for a-awh…le…” he stammered. His eyes widened, and then he looked like he was about to laugh as his face turned red.

“What’s so…” I looked over to where I’d put Katrin’s bag. In front of her bag were her bra, and panties. Neatly folded up and ready to be put back into her backpack. I cursed under my breath.

Samuel tilted his head at me, trying not to laugh. “Does she… make it a habit of leaving out her um… stuff, out in the open?”

I decided to run with that. “Well, she is a bit messy,” I said. “In fact, you should see her room. It’s like, underwear everywhere.”

I felt a thud from within my jacket, against my chest.

“Well, she is… quite an interesting person, isn’t she?” Samuel laughed.

“I guess…” I mumbled. “I’m sorry, this is awkward…”

I imagined Samuel was trying hard to keep his composure in between the underwear and my panicked expression. He shook his head, and his face softened and he gave a huge, honest grin. “I’m sorry, I just felt like being nice to her friend. I met her about a month or so ago and started showing her around the facilities, here. She seemed like a nice person and I’ve enjoyed her company. I could use all the friends I can get. Grad students, eh, we tend to intimidate newbies,” he chuckled.

“Well, you are a big guy…” I mumbled.

“I’m harmless,” he grinned. “We should find Katrin and see what she’s up to.”

“Well, I was just going to get her stuff together and meet her outside…” I said. I could feel Katrin squirm in my pocket.

“Hum…” Samuel rubbed the back of his head. “That’s odd…”

“I’m sorry.” I said. “It’s been a rough week for all of us, it seems. Maybe she took off somewhere?“

Samuel looked a bit confused. “I thought you said that… you were taking her back to her apartment? Why would she leave without her ride?”

“Well I was supposed to meet... her, I’m… not sure what is… erh, that is…”

“Wow, your face is red. If I interrupted something, I can come back in a few minutes…” Samuel said.

“It’s not like that! I mean, if she was… and I were…”

“We weren’t doing anything!” Katrin yelled from my pocket. Samuel blinked.

I sighed. “Dammit, Katrin, why did you…”

“Oh give it a rest, Macharin!” Katrin yelled as she wiggled out from my pocket. “You suck at lying! Samuel, down here!” she squeaked, leaning out to wave at Samuel.

Samuel looked positively flabbergasted as Katrin peeked out of my pocket. “Oh…” he exclaimed, “Oh, my.”

I wasn’t sure what to do, other than lean forward a little so Katrin could have a better viewpoint at the guy… who was…ogling her. Then I thought better of it, and put my hand protectively around the pocket.

Samuel folded his arms, and leaned back. He looked at Katrin, and then looked at me. And then, he laughed. That wasn’t what I expected.

I wasn’t sure what to say or do, so I just stood there dumbfounded while he started cracking up in front of us. “Oh… Maker…” he laughed. “I thought I’d walked in on you two doing something… erh, I mean, when I saw her underwear… and instead… ahahah… I’m sorry, it’s just…” he sat down on the chair across from us, his face red. “I’m sorry…!” he said, as he covered his mouth his hand, his body convulsing as he tried to compose himself. “I was just about to walk away so Katrin could make herself decent, or something, I thought… hahaha!”

I was starting to get annoyed, but I couldn’t exactly find any reason to be angry from all that was happening around me, they seemed so nonchalant about her being shrunk that everything felt so surreal.

I left the angry exclamations to Katrin. “STOP LAUGHING! THIS IS SERIOUS!” she wailed from my pocket.

“S-sorry,” Samuel gasped, as he rubbed his forehead. “I guess it’s a nervous habit, I wasn't expecting you to... sorry,” he composed himself. “Katrin, you... got contaminated with the nanites...?”

“Wait, what? She’s contaminated?” I asked. “I don’t like that word. It implies she’s contaminated.”

“It doesn’t work like that!” she squeaked. “I’m not going to shrink you through contact!”

“Um, yeah, don’t worry. The nanites in her body are keyed to her now.” Samuel said. “Why were you in the dungeon? And how in the world did you get them on you?”

“It wasn’t my fault!” she squeaked. “Maybe it was a running experiment, I just picked up the guinea pig and maybe I got some stuff on me, I didn’t…”

“Oh my god, you were playing with the lab specimens again?” Samuel coughed, trying to compose himself from his laughing fit. “Katrin, why did you go into the dungeon without me here?”

“You put her around cute fluffy animals?” I groaned. “That’s her kryptonite. You’d never keep her away from those.”

“Yes, well she’s gotten quite attached to one of our test subjects,” Samuel nodded at me.

I couldn’t help but grin, and Katrin kicked me again from my pocket. “Shuddap, Mac!”

“So, you were contaminated with the nanosolution, and then you triggered it,” Samuel rubbed his head. “Oh dear…”

Katrin flailed her arms. “I was wanted to make sure the lil guy was alright! I clean his cages out every week, so what was I supposed to do? Seriously, the whole experiment was mislabeled! Chubby wasn’t supposed to be on the test-group!”

“But you weren’t supposed to be in there, in the first place, if I wasn’t mistaken,” Samuel said.

Katrin sunk down into my pocket. All I could see was the top of her hair and her hands peeking out from over the hem of the pocket. “Y-yeah…” she squeaked. “I’m in trouble, aren’t I?”

Samuel sighed, took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Let me think for a moment, before we jump to conclusions."

I frowned. “I’m more worried about her health. Samuel, is she in any danger? I’m just trying to think rationally here.” I said, as I saw her stare up at me.

“Well, we haven’t had a human trial of this nanite solution before,” Samuel said. “But she’s perfectly healthy. Don't worry, she’ll be fine.”

“See, I told you so!” Katrin grumbled. “What about getting in trouble?”

“Well, professors are going to be pissed that a volunteer got into the dungeon. And, least I not forget, there’s a graduate lab student who’ll have to toss everything out because the experiment is now compromised…”

“Oh, well, who should we apologize to?” I asked.

“Me,” Samuel smiled tiredly. “It’s mostly my experiment.”

“Oh…” I looked down at Katrin. “Oh gods, I’m so sorry Samuel…”

Samuel shook his head. “I should have been more careful… it’s my fault.”

Katrin looked between us, putting her face in her hands. “This can’t be happening! W-what do we do now…?”

Samuel sighed. "To be honest, the worst case scenario is we’re going to get kicked out and not allowed back in. Well, I’m speaking for the both of us. Hell, they might make you take the place of a guinea pig.”

“EEK!” Katrin squeaked, and squirmed in my pocket.

I glared at Samuel. He held up his hands. “Woah, woah, calm down! I said worst case scenario, and I was joking about the guinea pig thing! Honestly, I don’t think the situation is that bad! Really!”

“It’s not that bad? She’s in my pocket, wrapped in a handkerchief, and you’re telling me this isn’t bad?” I growled. “I mean, this is your experiment. Fix it already!”

“Easy, Mac… this is my fault, you know, not his” Katrin called up at me.

“No, um trust me, it’s my fault.” Samuel said. “I was running a special experiment and I should have been more careful.”

“I don’t care whose fault it is, Katrin! Just, someone fix this!” I growled.

Katrin jumped, and Samuel held his hands up. “Calm down, man. I was joking. Sorry, I tend to joke around to try to ease the situation a little...”

“I’m not laughing, am I?” I frowned.

Katrin kicked me again. “Down! HEEL! SIT! STAY!”

I frowned at Samuel. He didn’t break eye contact with me, despite the fact I could tell the guy was trying to keep it together while I yelled at him. He wasn’t scared… he just looked upset, and tired.

Katrin squirmed in my pocket, looking up at me. Her green eyes were wide, staring up at me. I took a deep breath, and shook my head. “Okay, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I yelled at both of you. I’m upset about Katrin and I’m being protective, but that's no excuse. I know what it’s like to get nervous, and you’ve apologized. Let’s just all take a breath and calm down, and I will too,” I sighed.

“Better!” Katrin leaned out, and patted my hand that I’d placed at my pocket to keep her steady.

Samuel nodded. “Macharin, I understand. You both have a right to be angry, I’m to blame here.”

“I went into the lab, when I shouldn’t have!” Katrin huffed. “Why do you keep saying it’s your fault!?”

“Because I should have thought the experiment through better…” Samuel said.

Katrin grumbled. “Just let me take some blame! I don’t want anyone else getting kicked out, other than me!”

“I’d prefer no one got kicked anywhere,” I said. “So, what’s next? You can’t just restore her?”

Samuel held his hand up. “First off, let me assure you that she’s fine, other than being the size of a doll. Eventually the stuff will wear off. It just has to run its course. I just want to reaffirm that.”

“I told you, Mackie, I needed to figure out how long I’d be shrunk…” Katrin squeaked.

“Okay,” I said, taking another deep breath. “How long will she be tiny?”

“It could be a couple of days, could be up to almost a week or so, depending on what triggered it, how much, and how long.”

“So you’ll grow back?” I asked her. She nodded, squeezing my finger. I breathed a sigh of relief.

“Yeah, I’ll grow back. I don’t think it’ll be too long. I just got a bit of the stuff on me…” she said.

“What do you mean, ‘the stuff’?” I asked.

“It’s a nanosolution, a bit of chemical and nano-machinery that enter the bloodstream, saturate the living tissues and it gets into every living cell.” Katrin explained. I could feel her fidgeting in my pocket as we both looked at her.

“I call it the stuff.” Samuel nodded.

“The stuff, the nanite shrinking stuff, yeah, of course” I nodded. “So how does it work?”

For the next ten minutes, Katrin and Samuel tried to explain it to me. I figure I’m a smart guy, and I do have the idea of what nano-machines and scaled down circuitry and engineering works. But when they get to the biological and molecule side of it, I’m clueless. I felt like I was listening to concepts that were so far out there, I had no idea they even existed.

They tried their best, explaining many things, in between math and hand gestures, about every bit of matter having some sort of field around it, that field can be tweaked with the right set of energies, and a nanobot can shuffle off mass and energy to some alternate dimension where up is down and left is right, and people have two heads or… well, at this point I was expecting some robot to bounce in, scream DANGER WILL ROBINSON, and go blasting off again.

“Okay, so basically…” I said, looking down at Katrin… “Little tiny machines are inside you, and they activated and caused her to shrink. And eventually that wears off, and she grows back to normal. I mean, I know what nanomachines are. Sci-fi nerd stuff. I just didn't think they'd gotten that complicated. Did I get all that right?”

“Basically,” Katrin nodded up at me.

“But you aren’t sure exactly how long it takes for it to wear off,” I said. “It depends on some factors like body weight, and the strength of the field itself, and how much stuff you have in your body… right?”

Samuel nodded. “Yeah.”

“I’m surprised this doesn’t happen more often, I guess…” I muttered.

“Well, the nanites do have a few failsafe mechanisms. If the solution isn’t triggered before it wears off, the nanobots lose their initial charge and deactivate.” Samuel looked into my pocket. “Um, so… Katrin, how in the world did you trigger?”

“What’s a trigger?” I asked.

Katrin sunk down into my pocket.

“You have to activate the stuff by a trigger.” Samuel said. “What I mean is a sudden spike in certain chemicals your brain produces naturally. Um… what were you doing when you shrunk?” Samuel asked her.

Katrin peered up, out of my pocket. “I… wasn’t doing anything! I just felt funny, and I SHRUNK!” she sunk into my pocket again.

“But you know enough to know that-“ Samuel began.

“SHUDDAP SAM!” Katrin yelled. Both of us jumped at her shrill little voice. “Please… can I go home, please? This is really embarrassing… please Samuel…” she pleaded.

Katrin leaned out of my pocket, and put a finger to her lips. Samuel frowned, and she gave him her best big-eyed expression she could muster.

It irritated me, here she was sitting in my pocket and she was practically begging Samuel, between her facial expression and the tone of her voice. Samuel finally sighed, and then nodded at her. She breathed a sigh of relief. That exchange confused me. “Katrin?” I asked.

“It doesn’t matter how I triggered!” she yelled. “What matters is, it happened and I have to deal with it!”

“Kat, you’re being irrational,” I grumbled.

“I got the notes, I can figure out the equations from home, and figure out what to do from there. Please…!” she pleaded. “Mac! I told you, it’s fine. The nanites are going to wear off. The stuff has been tested on all the lab animals here. They shrink, they grow back, dozens of times, enough said! If you don’t believe me, you can ask Samuel.”

“It’s true, but again – I haven’t tested these nanites on a human yet,” Samuel sighed. “It was probably the next step, if I could get permission. That’ probably isn’t going to happen now if word of this gets out. I was hoping this would lead to at least some sort of grant or funding.”

“A grant, for… how to shrink hamsters and people?” I asked, boggling.

“They’re guinea pigs, Macharin. This is important research! It has lots of applications. Technology, space travel, overpopulation…” Katrin lectured from my pocket.

“I’d be worried someone would get their hands on this stuff…” I said, somberly. “…and do something bad with it.”

“It’s impractical, honestly. The effect doesn’t last, at least for now,” Samuel said. “Past that, it’s neither economical nor easy to get. The nanites themselves aren’t something you see very day. And the delivery system doesn’t lead itself well to that sort of situation. You have to have physical contact, the nanites tend to run out of power if they’re not put into a host quickly, and at that point, you’re better off investing in… other forms of... ugh, don’t get me started…” Samuel sighed. “I’d like to think things we come up with in a lab or through science can be used in a positive manner, instead of…”

“I get it,” I said quietly. “But for now, really - how much trouble are you two in, if someone finds out?”

“I have no idea, honestly. At the moment I’m just not going to say anything…” Samuel shrugged.

“Oh gods, thank you…” Katrin squeaked.

“…but you have to keep this a secret as well. I don’t want to see either of us thrown out, and… well, let’s just say I have my reasons for keeping this all hush-hush right now,” he sighed.

I frowned. “Look, just hear me out…” Samuel said. “I’m not going to throw anyone under the bus. If something happens, it is my experiment and I need to take responsibility for it.”

“Well, I sort of drug Mackie into this when I called him…” Katrin squeaked.

“Well… you could just turn us in,” Samuel said. "Or just me in..."

“Oh for…” I grumbled. “…no one is going to turn anyone in, then. I'm not heartless!”

“I didn’t think so,” Samuel said. “I don’t want to see either of you get tossed out, either, for being involved. So please, just get her somewhere safe, take care of her and let the nanites wear off, and hopefully we’ll laugh about this sometime later.”

“Still not laughing,” I grumbled.

“Mac, stop being a dork! Alright, look Samuel! You didn’t force me to do anything, and… what if I said I was a willing volunteer?” Katrin said.

Samuel looked thoughtful for a moment. “I’m not sure. Worst that would happen is the ethics police would stone us both, Katrin. I don’t think human experimentation on something like this, without authorization? It might be a hurdle for proper funding and some better facilities, later.”

“Yeah, I understand…“ Katrin sighed. "But I'd be willing to say I'm a volunteer."

Samuel shook his head. “Thank you, both of you. I’m sorry for what happened. And I do have reasons I’ve been keeping all of this research quiet, for the time being. So what I’m going to suggest is, you go with your big guy here, and let him keep an eye on you until you pop back to normal. You trust him, right?”

I blinked, as Katrin looked up at me. “Well, I did call him.”

“Lucky bastard,” Samuel grinned at me. “You think you can manage her for a weekend?”

“Of course not, but I’ll try,” I shrugged.

Samuel laughed. “I like you, Mac. I’m sorry we met under these circumstances,” he said, holding out his hand.

I hesitated, then let out a sigh, and shook his hand. “I’m worried about Katrin, and it’s making me grumpy. I’m sorry for being intimidating. She seems to trust you, and… well, I’ll trust her.”

“Thank you!” Katrin called up. “That makes things a lot easier to deal with.”

“Don’t get me wrong. I’m still irritated, at both of you. But I'm not going to throw my best friend and her friend under a bus,” I frowned.

Katrin stuck her tongue out at me, and I arched an eyebrow at her.

Samuel smiled at her, and then patted my shoulder. “Alright, please be safe. Keep an eye on her and make sure she doesn’t get into too much trouble. If anything changes, she has my number. When this is all over, we'll sit down and have a talk about it, and I'll make amends.”




I hooked Katrin’s bag over my shoulder, as we walked out of the building. “How in the hell do they have experiments like that going on with so little security?” I said aloud.

“It’s more of a personal experiment. I don’t think many people besides us know what the stuff does. Samuel is sort of an uh… strange guy. Nice, though.” Katrin sighed. “Besides, this is small-fry stuff. I mean, think about it - nanites that shrink people, only in certain circumstances? Why waste the money on that, when you can build a death ray and blow up the moon, or something?”

“Um, you guys don’t have a death ray, do you?”

“No. Not that I’m aware of…” Kat chuckled.

I shook my head. “This whole ordeal is kinda surreal.”

There was a brief pause from Katrin, as she shifted in my pocket. “You’re not the one that’s riding in a jacket pocket wearing a scrap of cloth…” she huffed.

“Point made…” I muttered. I opened the door and walked outside, and a blast of cold air shot through me. Unfortunately, the weather had turned even colder, and I felt a spatter of rain on my face. “EEK! It’s cold!” Katrin squeaked, as she crawled further into my pocket.

I wrapped my hand around the pocket, and looked up at the sky. It was getting late, and the clouds seemed to be getting heavier. A downpour was imminent. I zipped up my jacket, trying to keep the warmth in for my little cargo as I hurried to my car before the worst of it arrived. “Okay, Katrin, where am I going?”

“My place!” Katrin squeaked.

“You realize I’m going to have to stay with you until this wears off. You’re alright with me crashing at your apartment?” I asked.

Katrin didn’t say anything, and I opened the door to my car and got in. “Katrin?” I asked

Katrin head peered up from the pocket. “You don’t want to?” she asked, looking up at me, giving me a doe-eyed look.

I reached over to the seatbelt, and started to drag it across, then realized the strap would make its way right over the pocket. “It’s your place, I wanted your permission. You tell me,” I said.

“Not what I asked! If you don’t want to be around me…” she squeaked. “What are you doing? Hey!” she squirmed, as I reached into my jacket pocket and tried to fish her out.

“I don’t want to squish you with the seatbelt, so I’m going to put you on the passenger side, and let you sit in my jacket to keep you from getting tossed anywhere. There’s also a sweatshirt in the back, so I’ll wrap you up in that to keep you from getting too cold.” I reached in, trying to put my hand in a position I could pull her out without harming her.

Instead, I felt my finger slip inside her hanky, and suddenly Katrin’s voice squealed from my pocket. I jerked my hand my hand away, and blushed. Soft…

Katrin writhed out, popping out of the jacket pocket and trying to readjust her makeshift wardrobe. “W-watch where you put your fingers, you giant pervert!” She yelled.

“Well you tell me what to do then!” I grumbled.

“Put your fingers over me, and I’ll grab onto them, and you can pull me from your pocket!” she huffed.

I held my hand out, and she reached out, wrapping her arms around my finger. I pulled her free, and her little legs dangled. “PUT ME IN YOUR HAND BEFORE I FALL YOU IDIOT!” she squeaked.

“What do you think I’m doing!” I grumbled again, as I put my other hand underneath her. She lost her grip and she fell into it. I was surprised at how far her hanky toga billowed out, exposing the curve of leg and hip… right before she ungraciously landed on her rear.

“You jerk!” she squeaked, as she tried to pull herself up to her feet. “Be careful with me!”

“I’m sorry!” I exclaimed. “I figured since I picked you up earlier, I’d just…”

She whirled around in my hand, and puffed her cheeks as she stared at me, retying her hanky at her shoulder. “Don’t get any ideas! Ask first before you manhandle me, unless I like, reach up for you!” she huffed, as she crossed her arms and angrily glared at me, her face flushed bright red. “You got it?” she squeaked, stomping a little foot into the palm of my hand.

Okay, even then I have to admit I found her cute, throwing a temper tantrum while squeaking in my hand. Of course, I was going to make it worse. “Oh, I got it, alright. I got lots of ideas.” I grinned. “I’ll get you a little grass skirt, tiny little coconuts, and put you on the dashboard. No one would be the wiser.”

She snorted, covered her mouth, and then glared up at me.

“Hey, you’re the one that knows how to hula, so it works out…”

She puffed her cheeks. “G…goddammit, Macharin!” she flailed. “This isn’t funny!” she shivered, “And it’s COLD! Why is it so cold!?”

“I guess… it’s hard for you stay warm, I think, at that size,” I gently set my hand down on the passenger seat, and she hopped out. She was shivering, hugging herself, and I shrugged out of my jacket. As she stood there, I made her a little nest, and the second my hands were free she dove into it.

I cranked up the heater on the car. “Okay, look. I’ll stay with you. It’s not that I don’t want to be around you, it’s that I just don’t want to make you feel uncomfortable when you’re vulnerable, that’s all.”

“Mackie that’s silly… I called you, didn’t I?”

Of course, she did. I nodded. “Okay, then. You’ll have to give me directions, Katrin.”

“Turn left out of the parking lot, then at View drive, take another left…” she peeped from the jacket. I started the car, and drove as she gave directions. “It’s been awhile since I went anywhere with you,” she giggled as we pulled up to a stop light.

“It has been, since the…” I fumbled.

“Yeah…” Katrin said.

We both fell silent. I felt sudden anxiety, remembering the accident. It was at an intersection just like this where…

I felt dark memories of bad dreams start to cloud my vision, and I slapped my cheeks with my hands, took a breath. I managed to calm myself. Thankfully it was later in the evening and traffic had died down, so there wasn’t anything to worry about. I looked both ways, making sure no one was coming before I took the left when the light turned green.

“Macharin, “she called from the jacket, “…you looked like you were about to have a meltdown. Are you alright?”

I turned my head, making sure no one was coming, and to keep Katrin from seeing my face. “Me? Oh, I’m fine. Just making sure this wasn’t a dream,” I said. Katrin stared at me, a suspicious look on her face. “I’m more worried about you. How are you doing over there?” I asked.

“Um… I’m still cold,” she grumbled. “And this stupid jacket doesn’t keep warmth.”

“Hey, that’s a nice jacket!”

“It was nicer when you were wearing it. I’m too small to keep it warm,” Katrin huffed.

“Well I can’t wear it right now, the seatbelt… wait, how close are we?” I asked.

“Oh, wait, I can’t see out. Where are we now?” she stood up from the jacket, trying to stare out the passenger window.

“There’s a Burger King on the left.” I said.

“Mmm, burgers... Oh, at the next traffic light, turn right. It’ll be the next set of apartment complexes on the left. They’re called Floral Ridge apartments. I’m in building 209.”

“Floral Ridge? Sounds kinda girly,” I snickered.

“Shuddup, they’re nice apartments,” she grumbled.

The first spatter of rain hit the windshield, and I turned on the wipers. “Dammit!” Katrin squeaked. “Cold, and wet, this is a terrible combination!”

“The jacket is waterproof, so if you stay in my pocket you’ll be fine. Then we’ll get into your apartment and I’m sure we can get you situated there. It’ll be alright, just stay down,” I reached over and grabbed her backpack.

“This sucks this sucks this sucks…” Katrin grumbled. I put my hand over the jacket pocket, and snugged it against my chest. I could feel her shivering as I opened the car door. “209… 209… which door!” I asked.

“Second floor!” she squeaked from my pocket. I hurried up the stairs, and reached out for the door – of course, it was locked.

“Keys!” I exclaimed, trying to fend off the rain from the pocket, while I pulled her backpack from my shoulder.

“In my pants!” she called up. I reached down, trying to shield her pocket from the rain while going through her belongings, my face turning red. “Gods, it’s worse than a purse…” I sighed, digging through her clothing. I felt self-conscious at going through her belongings even despite the situation. You just don’t do that to a lady.

I was also trying not to make a smart ass comment about getting into her pants. This was awkward enough already.

“HEY, STOP STARING AT MY UNDERWEAR!” she yelled.

I jumped, as I dropped the silk bra back into the backpack, fishing out a set of car keys with a Lego R2-D2 keychain attached. “I WAS NOT!” I yelled back.

“Were too!” she yelped back.

“I wasn’t…! Comon, Kat, I’m trying my best here! You practically just left them lying around!”

“I *shrunk* out of them! Not the same thing!”

“You might as well… hey, wait, how the hell did you…? You’re still in my pocket!”

“I felt your heart speed up and you got warmer! WHAT IS WITH YOU TODAY AND PLAYING WITH MY UNDERWEAR?” Katrin yelled from my pocket.

“I was… trying to… sorry? I wasn’t…" I huffed. "You’re screwing with me, aren’t you?

I heard Katrin cackle. With her voice being high pitched it sound like some sort of demented gerbil. I frowned down at the pocket. “You little…”

“Hurry, please! It’s starting to get really cold!”

“Oh, right…” I popped the door open and stepped inside, shivering myself from the rain. “We’re in!” I exclaimed, and set her pack on the floor.

“Turn on the heat!” she yelled. “Quick, before I freeze!”

I flipped on the lights and the heater, and looked around. It was a nice apartment, and rather spacious. The living room and kitchen were separated by a blue and white swirled walk-around countertop. There was a simple dining room table with a potted plant sitting in the center of it, in the kitchen area. To my left there was a hallway that had two doors on opposite sides at the end of the hallway, probably the bedroom and bathroom. The living room was small, but only a sofa and a recliner were in the living room, and an entertainment center pushed into the corner so it wasn’t too cluttered. There were a few potted plants around the apartment, one hanging from the kitchen ceiling over the countertop. A couple of pictures hung on the walls of the living room, one of mountains against a night sky. Another was a wheat field with a sun sinking into the horizon.

It looked simple, but had character. And it smelled floral. It felt… homey.

“Like it?” Katrin asked. “I think Mom and I did a good job picking out everything and decorating. And the kitchen is nice. You still cook, right?”

“Of course I still cook, when I can. I like it, Kat. You have a really nice apartment. It’s really cute,” I grinned.

“If you tell me it’s girly I’m going to punch you,” she huffed, and I felt her bop my chest through the jacket pocket. “Is it warm yet?”

“Almost. We should make you comfortable,” I said.

“Get my notes! I need to figure out how long I’m going to be shrunk. We’ll worry about the details when I know more.”

I fished out the stack of papers she’d had me put into her backpack, and with her instructions I grabbed a pencil, a pad of paper and a calculator. “Okay, put me on the counter, please!” she said, holding her arms out. I held my fingers out to her, and she clung to them as I transferred her from my pocket, to the countertop.

I set her down, and immediately she started hopping around while squealing. “COLD COLD COLD!” she danced. I tried not to laugh, as I scooped her up in my hand.

Katrin pouted as she sat in my hand. With my free hand, I grabbed a clean dish towel and put it over the countertop, and set her on it with her notes in front of her. “Better?” I asked.

“It’s still cold, but not as bad. Now, let me concentrate. Go do something productive! Cook something maybe? But take off your jacket, before you drip water everywhere,” she shooed me away, as she stood on the countertop.

“What do you have for groceries?” I asked.

“Use whatever you find. I haven’t shopped this week but there should be something you can put together. You’re pretty good at that. Now leave me alone, I need to figure this out!” she huffed.

“Jeeze, being shrunk makes you cranky,” I said, hanging my jacket up and returning to the kitchen. I went through her fridge and her cabinets. After fishing out some chicken breasts and pasta sauce and a bag of mixed steam-in-a-bag veggies, I got to work trying to make some form of dinner.

Every so often I’d look over at Katrin. She was punching in numbers on the calculator with her hands, while holding the giant pencil and scribbling on the pad of paper in front of her. I stood watching her, marveling at her. It couldn’t have been easy for her being that tiny and trying to hold a pencil almost as tall as she was, but she was managing nicely. She bent over and the hanky spilled around her waist, and her leg peeked through the fabric. I felt my cheeks heat up.

She turned around, and stared at me, and her own cheeks turned red. “W-what’s that look for?” she asked, her eyebrows narrowing at me suspiciously.

“I found a bottle of red, mind if I use it in the sauce?” I held up the bottle in my hands.

“Sure! Just don’t use too much of it. A bottle of that usually lasts me awhile and I can’t afford to um, drink too… much…” she frowned. She looked down at herself, then at the bottle. “Nevermind, use what you want.”

I smiled, and continued cooking. I dished up the meal, just a simple chicken dish with red sauce mixed with sauteed veggies, and put two plates out on the dining room table.

“NOOOO!” Katrin squealed. “Dammit, no!”

“W-what’s wrong?!” I asked, rushing to where she stood. She gave the calculator a swift kick.

“I’m stuck like this till Monday afternoon!” she wailed.

“So… three days! That’s not too bad, right?” I tried to sound reassuring

“I have a class Monday morning!” she cried out. “I can’t miss class!”

“Gods, Kat, it’s not that big of a deal,” I sighed.

“It’s an advanced class, Mac! It’s not like, entry level whatever where you can goof off! Some of us actually have to pay attention!” she stood up and ran her hands through her hair. “I won’t grow back until 7:18 at night! By then I’ll miss the class, and I’ll be behind!”

“Oh… okay, so we’ll figure something out. Maybe I can sit in the class for you, and you can listen in while in my pocket, or something?” I suggested.

She fell to her knees, and covered her face. “Comon, Katrin. We’ll get some food in you, and it’ll all work out. Okay?” I held my hand out to her, and she peered up at me, her face red. “Please?”

She sniffled, and stepped into my hand. I took her to the table, and set her down. “What… is this?” she asked, peering at the plate of food in front of her.

“Food, it’s not anything special. I did some silly things with the sauce, and added some seasonings to the veggies. It’s noth…”

“No, I mean… how am I supposted to eat this?” she said. Her voice sounded shaky, and she looked up at me. I realized then the stress of the day was finally catching up with her.

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking. I’m kinda making this up as I go along. Maybe if I cut up the chicken in small bites…”

“Mac…” she smiled weakly. “… you gave me an entire plate. I can’t eat all of this… I don’t even know how to go about eating it…” she looked down at her hands, and shook her head.

“We can put it in the fridge and you can eat what you didn’t eat later, right? Katrin, it’ll be alright.”

“Gods, I’m worthless…” she muttered. “...I can’t do anything right.”

I frowned. “Nonsense, you’re perfectly fine, with a little help!” I diced the chicken up, and then ripped apart a small cube into smaller pieces with a fork and knife. I pushed it over to the side of the plate, and did the same with a spear of broccoli. “Utensils…” I mumbled.

“Toothpicks,” she said. “Like chopsticks.”

“Good thinking!” I said cheerfully. “See? You’re still the brains of the outfit, here.”

“Hurmph,” she slumped, mumbling gloomily as she reached over with her makeshift chopsticks. They didn’t work as well as I’d hoped, and she ended up just skewering the food with a toothpick and nibbling on it.

“Katrin… I’m really sorry…” I sighed.

“Humph! You should be. Giving a doll sized girl food that’s bigger than her, what were you thinking?” she muttered, spearing another piece of chicken with her toothpick.

I glared. “Look, it’s not like I played with dolls or anything when I was a kid like you did, how the hell would I know what to do with a doll sized girl?”

“Action figures!” she flailed up at me.

“Not the same thing! I told you, I’m kinda making this up as I go along. Stop being such a brat.”

“I’m *not* being a brat! You’re being an idiot!” she glared up at me. “Every time I look over at you, you have this really stupid look like I’m weird, or… whatever!” she tore into her piece of chicken, her face flushed red and her eyes watering.

I know a breakdown when I see it, and she was long overdue from being tired and stressed. But I was still irritated at her and once we’d started an argument, we both hardly ever backed down.

“I’m not staring at you like you’re weird,” I said, defensively.

“But you said so yourself, I’m weird.”

“No, I said this was surreal. Like, a dream.”

“So, weird then,” she sniffled.

“Oh good God, stop being such a brat! Look, you called *me*. Why didn’t you… just get your lab guy friend to take care of you? He’s the one who shrunk you!”

Katrin threw down her toothpick, and stood up, putting her hands on her hips. “No, I shrunk myself being stupid, and what do you mean, my lab friend? Gods, stop acting like a jealous bonehead!”

“J-jealous?!? Why would I be jealous?! We haven’t talked in months! You’re the one that came up to me in the union, and called me after you had your accident!”

“OF COURSE I CALLED YOU!” she yelled. “WHO ELSE WOULD I’D LET SEE ME LIKE THIS!?” she motioned down at herself.

“Your lab partner, of course,” I growled.

“You’re such a dense moron! Fine! Go home, I’ll call Samuel, and you can go back to being silent and moping about whatever the hell’s been making you act stupid since our accident!”

“I haven’t been acting stupid…” I said, the words trying to stick in my fault. Of course, I knew I had been acting like an idiot. But she didn’t have to be such a brat about it!

“Then what HAVE you been doing?” she stepped forward and put her foot on the plate, staring up at me. “You didn’t even bother really getting in touch with me when you came here. I even called your mom and told her, since I couldn’t get in touch with you. Would it have killed you to call me? Leave a message? ANYTHING?!” she bellowed surprisingly loud for something so tiny. “Macharin! I thought I was your best friend, and you ditched me! What are you so afraid of!?”

“I don’t have to put up with this…” I grumbled, and pushed myself away from the table and sliding my chair backwards. Katrin yelped, and then I realized I’d made a horrible mistake. She lost her balance and fell forward, landing with a splat in the red sauce. She squealed as she tried to push herself up on her hands, and instead she slipped, the sauce going everywhere.

I hesitated. Part of me wanted to walk away and let her stew for a little while to calm down. Another part of me wanted to fish her out and try to help her, but I was afraid I might hurt her. She was so tiny and delicate… and I wasn’t used to having to treat her that way. I stood over her, as she writhed in sauce.

I was just about to reach out when she composed herself enough to pull herself to her hands and knees, and she glared up at me. I thought she was about to start yelling at me again, and I stepped backwards bracing myself for the tongue lashing.

“D-dammit…” Katrin pulled herself out of the sauce. “S- stop staring at me!”

“I’m staring at you because I want to know if I can help you without you biting me.”

“I… just don’t… look at me…” she hiccuped, and looked up at me, her eyes wide. She sat on her knees, then sniffled, then… covered her face and began to sob.

My entire world greyed. “Oh Katrin…” I said, feeling a huge pain in my chest. Call me a chauvinist pig, but a crying woman hurts me. And it hurts immensely more if it’s Katrin. “I didn’t mean to upset you so badly… I’m so sorry…”

“Whyyyy…” she wailed. “…why are we fighting? I don’t want to fight, not like this. I screwed everything up, I shouldn’t have… but I needed… you’re a jerkkk!” she cried out. “…I missed you, y-you dipshit! You ditched me!”

She tried to fling a piece of chicken at me but it failed, and she went back to sobbing. “A-and here you are and I’m yelling at you and you’re pissing me off, but I’m being a bitch… but you’re…” she gasped. “I was so happy to see you, and everything is just messed up since…” she sobbed into her hands, shaking uncontrollably as she babbled.

I reached out and put my finger on her back, and tried to gently sooth her by rubbing her back. A thick layer of red sauce rubbed off onto my finger. “…since the accident." I said.

She stopped sobbing, and nodded while covering her face.

I continued to gently massage her back. "Katrin... we were going to talk, right? Can I stay and help?”

She reached up wrapped her hand around my finger, and I marveled at how delicate and small it felt. “Y-eah… please? I don’t want you to go anywhere.” She began to shake, nearly crying again.

I smiled tiredly, as I continued to rub her back soothingly. “Shhh, don’t worry, I’m not anywhere. We still need to have the talk we were planning to, right? Please… please stop crying. I’m sorry, I’ve been a jerk. I didn’t think about you being so small when I made dinner and I was looking at you, but not because I thought you were weird. I thought…”

She hiccupped, and wiped her cheek, a clump of sauce falling away from her face. “You thought what?”

“I thought honestly of how lucky I was to be able to help you when you needed me. And um, I think… you’re kinda cute like this. Not that I don’t think you’re not cute anyways, but… I um…” I started to lose my train of thought and my face flushed red.

She hiccupped, and wiped her face on her arm, smearing more sauce around. “You think I’m cute, huh?” she giggled.

“Of course I do,” I grinned bashfully.

She looked up at me, and sniffled. “I’m sorry, Mackie. I’m tired and I didn’t realize how stressed out I was. I was being a bit of a-“

“…a handful.” I smiled. “Um, pun not intended. Comon Kat, let’s get you cleaned up.”

“Y-yea… but there’s something I want to show you first,” she sniffled. She looked up at me, and her eyes watered again. “Take me to my bedroom?”

I was a bit surprised at the request, and I kept my mouth shut. I nodded, and she climbed into my hands. Her hanky was saturated with sauce. “Um, how was it, by the way?”

“What?” she craned her neck, looking up at me.

“The sauce, I was wondering… um, if it tasted alright. I haven’t made it in a while.”

She stared up at me, then shook her head, and laughed. She took a smear of sauce from her cheek, and put her finger in her mouth. “Needs more garlic,” she sniffled, and she smiled weakly.

“Probably right, like usual,” I grinned down at her.

I walked into the bedroom. “Katrin, I don’t want to get sauce on your carpet or anything.”

“Just keep me in your hands. Can you flick the light on?” she asked.

I popped the light on, and looked around the room. For the most part, the room looked pretty much as you’d think a girl’s room would. Katrin was a neat person, her bed was properly made with a few stuffed animals resting against the pillow. A teddy bear, a stuffed tribble I’d bought her as a gag (She was the Star Wars fan, as you probably guessed from her keychain), and a plush Tyrannosaurus Rex.

“Cute,” I grinned.

She didn’t respond. “Look at the dresser mirror, please.”

I turned to my right, and I saw her bedroom dresser. It was the one from her house, I recognized, just a classic wooden six drawer dresser with a vanity mirror. I smiled, in the upper corner was the picture of us as kids, lying on top of each other passed out after an ice-cream video game bender. “Found that old pic, huh?”

“Look above it,” she said, her voice dropping lower so I had to strain to hear her, “on the side of the mirror.”

Hanging on the edge of the vanity mirror was a chain, when I reached out to touch it, I saw the necklace that was hanging on the side. A emerald green gem, set in silver. The one I bought for her and was planning on giving it to her, that night.

I thought it’d been lost in the accident. It’d slipped from my mind, or at least jarred loose probably from the impact and whatever happy pills they’d given me for pain. I thought it’d disappeared.

No, I knew where it was. I just didn't think I deserved to see it again, or deserved to give it to her.

Instead, here it was, hanging from Katrin’s mirror in front of me. I suddenly felt very, very awkward. “Oh, um… there it is…” I mumbled. “I um, wondered what happened to it. So you’ve had it all this time, huh?”

There was a long stretch of silence, and I felt my heart racing. Katrin peered up at it, then turned and looked over her shoulder at me. “That night… what were you going to do, really?”

“I was just… going to give you a present… before I...” I stammered.

“Is that the truth, Mac?” she asked. “You were acting really weird that night, like you are right now. Your face is really red and I can feel your pulse speed up.”

“Shrunken lie detector?” I asked, sheepishly grinning.

“Mackie, I had time to think about it since then… you were really worried about what was going to happen to us past graduation.”

I took a deep breath. “Katrin, I…” I looked down at her, and she was still peering up at me. “…we should get you cleaned up before the sauce dries up.”

“I thought we were going to talk about this,” she said. “Isn’t this what we were going to talk about? Why we’ve been avoiding each other for months now?”

I fell silent.

“Mackie, what was the necklace for? Why are you avoiding talking about us?" Katrin sniffled.

“Katrin,I’ll tell you,” I said “I promise… we’ll talk while you’re cleaning up,” I said. “I’m not going to dodge you this time. I just want to choose my words carefully because… I don’t want to mess this up again. It's important,” I said.

“It’s a start… okay. Take me to the bathroom, please.” Katrin smiled.




I stood over the bathroom sink, which I’d run warm water into, with Katrin sitting in my hands peering into the bubbles. “Um, Mackie?” she squeaked, turning over to look at me over her shoulder. Her blush shone through, despite her face being covered with pasta sauce.

“You know, that nickname… ” I asked, my face blushing just as hotly.

“If I go in there like this, I’m going to end up swimming around in soapy tomato soup,” she squeaked.

“If you took off your hanky…” I started, and then my voice faltered. Her eyes widened and her cheeks reddened, and then she looked right into my eyes. I realized what I was implying, and I looked away blushing furiously.

“Oh my God…” she squeaked softly, and a huge grin came to her lips. “You’re really embarrassed about this, aren’t you?”

I stood there, hot under the collar, trying not to make eye contact. Finally, she coughed into her fist. “Mackiiieee!” she grinned. “There’s still a lot of sauce on my body and in my hair. Can you um…” she pointed over to the bathtub.

“You want me to put you in that tub?” I asked, confused.

“No, turn on the water and put me underneath it, and let me rinse off before you put me in the sink. You're going to have to hold me,” she squeaked.

I sat her on the edge of the tub, and turned on the water, making sure it was nice and warm. I reached out to her, brushing my hand against her, and she jumped.

“No, I’m not taking off the hanky,” she smirked, holding it tightly across her chest. Her cheeks were red enough to shine through the tomato sauce once again.

I swallowed hard. “I didn’t say I was… I was going to reach out and pick you up, then hold you under the water so you can rinse. When we get enough off you, we’ll put you over in the sink and you can soak, and we’ll talk.”

“That sounds good,” Katrin said, as she climbed into my cupped hands. I made sure the water stream wasn’t too powerful, and I held my hands just under the stream of water from the bathtub faucet.

She was turned away from me, as she ducked under the water. She ran her hands through her hair, the tomato sauce washing away from her long red-brown hair. I could see her visibly relax. “Mmm, warm…” she sighed.

“How’s the temperature…?” I asked.

“It’s perfect…” she said. The water streamed over her, and she giggled, running her hands over her body. “Sauce everywhere…” she muttered. She reached up and slipped the hanky down her shoulder, undoing the knot.

“Kat, wait, w-what are you…”

She peered over her shoulder, her face red, but her eyes twinkled with mischief. “Y-you’re not seeing anything, are you?”

“Just you…” I stammered.

“I mean, you’re not seeing my chest or other bits, right?”

I turned bright red, and she giggled. “Maccccc! I have to rinse off completely, or I’m just going to get sauce all in the sink! I don’t want bits of sauce floating in the bath. It’d be like… taking a bath in dishwater,” she made a disgusted face. “Ew, nasty.”

“I guess, but what should I do? You’re practically disrobing in front of me!”

“No, just half-disrobing. So that mean's I'm half-naked,” she grinned. She held the cloth open in front of her, sliding it down her shoulders. I felt like I was about to fall over from my heart beating so quickly, and I looked away when she looked at me again.

She giggled. “It’s not that bad, is it?”

“I don’t mean to stare! It’s just… um…” I started to babble.

“Try not to stare too much, please?” she blushed, turning around. She held the hanky open, the water cascading over her shoulders, giving me a view of her bare back. She shivered, and wrapped the hanky back around her, her hands trying to rub off stains. “Wow, it’s really stained up. I’m sorry that I messed up your handkerchief.”

“Don't be silly. I caused you to take a nosedive into tomato sauce. Besides, I’m not worried about that, Kat. I’m worried about you. Are you done?” I asked.

“I still need to rinse my back…” she mumbled. “Could you turn around?”

I started to turn, and she looked up and sighed at me. “I meant your head. I still need the faucet.”

I turned my head, and I felt her wiggling in my hands. I bit my bottom lip. I will not look, I will not look, I repeated to myself mentally.

“M-macharin! Eeek! Eeek!” Katrin squeaked.

“What! What’s wrong?!” I whirled my head back towards her.

She stood there with the hanky loosely wrapped around her body, her hands on her hips, her lips curled up into a smile. “SEE! I knew you’d peek, trying to get an eyeful huh?”

I blushed, as she clutched the wet hanky around her body, it clung to her chest and sides, showing off her soft curves. I shook my head, and glanced away.

Katrin giggled. “Oh my God… Macharin, seriously, were you?” she grinned, leaning forward towards my face.

I looked back at her. She was soaking wet, her hair and hanky clinging to her body. Her eyes were shining and her little full lips were curled up in a smile. My heart melted, and I bit my lip. “Yes, I was… just a little.”

“Is it because I shrunk?” she puffed her cheeks.

“No, I’ve always thought you were cute, big or little.” I said. “Why am I… telling you this?”

“Why didn’t you?” she asked, putting her hand on my thumb. “You’re not intimidated by tiny lil me?”

I rolled my eyes. “No, I was…” I sighed. Well, it’s not like she hadn’t guessed already. I took a deep breath. “I… never really knew what would happen if I just came out and told you how I felt. I didn’t want to screw something up…” my voice trailed off.

“So we’re having that talk now, huh?” Katrin reached out, and put her hand on my cheek. “The one that we should have had that night but the accident…”

I closed my eyes, my heart thudding heavy in my chest, and then I slowly nodded. “Well then, to the sink with you?”

“Yeah, but you’re going to sit and talk with me, right?” I nodded. “Good. I might slip down the drain if I’m not careful,” she giggled.

I was surprised at the jokes she was making about her size. “You’re in a better mood.” I said, cheerfully.

“Yeah, I’m rather enjoying the look on your face, it’s just adorable! You look like blood could come spurting out of your nose at any moment. I must be really cute like this, huh?” She grinned up at me, as I moved her to the sink. I put her on the edge of the sink, and she peered down into the bubbles. “Um, Mac, I need your help getting in. It’s a bit of a drop.”

I slipped my fingers underneath her, and dangled her just over the bubbles, her legs kicking into the foam. She looked over at me, and grinned mischievously.

“Well, maybe you are just a little cuter like this…” I smirked. “It’s like concentrated cuteness. A gravity well of adorable.”

She arched an eyebrow. “Science puns? Just for that…” she turned around, and grabbed the hanky wrapped around her body and started pulling it free. She looked over her shoulder, and smiled at me. “Oops! This thing is just slipping offff~”

My jaw dropped, and she grinned at me. “You’re not…”

She tugged it off gently, and wrapped it around her shoulders, her little curvy rear sitting on the edge of my palm. Looking over her shoulders, she winked and slid into the bubbles.

I stood in disbelief, wondering if what I'd seen actually happened. “You damn tease!” I grumbled, peering into the bubbled where she disappeared.

Her face emerged from a cloud of fluffy white suds, and she wiped her face clear on the handkerchief. She blinked up at me, and then smiled, standing so her upper body snaked out of the bubbles, and she wiped away the suds, leaving her shoulders and face free. The bubbles covered her chest, and clung to her hair. “Mmm, this is nice!” she tossed the hanky onto the sink, and grinned up at me. “You can have this back now, Mackie,’ she giggled. “I’m sorry I spilled tomato sauce on it.”

“There has to be something in the water here. I’m hallucinating,” I huffed, as I ran my hand over my eyes as I fished out the wet handkerchief. “My best friend is doll sized and making the moves on me...”

She giggled, and then swirled around in the sink, carefully making sure the bubbles kept her decent. She leaned forward, crossing her arms on the edge of the sink, looking up at me. “We were going to talk, right?” she said.

“Uh-huh…” I mumbled, sitting down.

“Well, you can start by sitting down and letting me soak for a while without ogling me too much,” Katrin smirked at me.

“R-right,” I mumbled, sitting down and putting my back against the countertop. "Where should I start?"

"I guess where you feel like starting. If you want, you can push the couch in here, and lie on it," Katrin giggled.

"What are you, some sort of therapist? I'm explaining how I feel about you, and you're... wow, you're totally a shrink now, huh?"

Katrin groaned. "I would say I missed the terrible jokes, but sheesh..."

I laughed, and she rolled her eyes. "I'm not asking you about your relationship with your mother. Stop stalling, and talk to me, Mackie. I'm listening."

(MORE FLUFF AND FEELS. LOOKOUT. Just setting it up for uh... well, something. :O)

“…Mackie…” I grumbled, as I sat down. My heart was still thudding in my chest, and it took a second for me to calm down, as I rested my back against the bathroom sink counter. She giggled from overhead, and I shook my head. “I thought this was a serious therapy session, you shouldn't call your clients by pet names.”

“I could use your full name, if you want,” Katrin called from overhead. “DANIEL MICHAEL MACHARIN!” she bellowed.

I winced and ducked my head on instinct.

“See? I already know the look on your face, like you’re expecting someone to come along and scold you,” she said, coyly.

I grumbled, and she giggled above my head. “What’s so funny?” I asked.

“I just thought, another name if you want. How about… Big Mac…” she chortled. “BIG MAC~”

I groaned. “Yeah…? Katrin Anna Heartstrom!”

“That doesn’t work on me. You’ll have to find something else, Big Mac.”

“Oh, wait, I got it. Kit-Kat…” I said. “Oh that’s perfect, Big Mac and Kit Kat.”

“That’s terrible. You should be ashamed,” she snorted, “making fun of a tiny, helpless girl, you giant oaf.”

“Kit Kat, Kit Kat!” I called in a singsong voice.

“Big Mac!” she called back. And we both started laughing.

We fell to silence, and I leaned against the countertop, looking up. I couldn’t see her from my vantage point, but it was probably more helpful to my focus, for the moment. “How long have you felt… weird around me, Mackie?” she asked.

“Weird?” I asked.

“Weird, different, whatever,” she sighed. “When things changed?”

I leaned my head against the counter, and closed my eyes. “For awhile, I think. When we started to spend less time together, probably around… maybe it was sophomore year. No, it was probably the year before that. I think it was a gradual thing. I can’t say when I started having feelings like… you know…”

“Ahhh, right around the time the breast fairy visited me, and your voice started cracking,” I could hear the smirk in her voice.

“Hey! It wasn’t like that!” I frowned. “Honestly? I cared about you ever since we’ve known each other. I mean, honestly cared. I just didn’t think of you in… that way until…”

“Boobs,” Katrin laughed.

I groaned. “That’s not it! Well I did notice you were uh, maturing, but. Kat, it was around the time you decided you were going to become a doctor. You started studying more and more and I started seeing less and less of you.”

She groaned. “I’m eight inches tall and I’m in a sink. There’s significantly less of me now, and you’re seeing more of me.”

I laughed, “Okay, but you know what I mean! Oh, sure, we did stuff together still, but it took more effort. At first it’d be a weekend you were too busy to go out. Then it’d be a week, then a month. It just seemed like I fell out of your life, somehow.”

I heard her shift in the water above my head. “I’m not trying to be judgmental, Katrin. It was just how things happened. I know you were passionate about your studies, Kat. I just started missing you, and I guess it caused me to start thinking about you more and more.”

“I didn’t think you’d miss me that much. You had lots of friends, Mackie. I mean, everyone liked you. I didn’t think you were lonely,” Katrin said, as she splashed in the water.

“Well, you did too. You just … became withdrawn. Especially the last year of school, everyone would ask ‘Hey, where’s Kat, is she stuck in her books again?’”

“I was studying hard, Mac,” Katrin said, and she sounded annoyed.

“Well, you could get stuck in a book now, if you wanted to,” I grinned.

Katrin sent a splash of bubbles and water at me, from overhead. “Don’t make fun of me!” she fumed. “I’m serious! I really had to study hard!”

I sighed. “Kat, I know you did. I started to think about it since the accident,” I shuddered. “I’m sorry if I ever made it seem like I didn’t respect your decision. But I started to miss you, and I was afraid if I stopped trying you’d eventually wouldn’t go anywhere with me at all. I was afraid I was going to lose you. And that’s why I… that night, the necklace, the date, and the accident…” I faltered. Suddenly the tenseness in my chest felt like it was squeezing my voice off.

I felt a wave of nausea and the room seemed to spin. “The accident...” I mumbled.

A few drops of water fell from overhead and into my upturned face, as Katrin face peered over the counter at me. A drop of water hit me right in the eye, and I winced and rubbed my face. “Sorry! I just wanted to see your face. I didn’t mean to splash you. Are you alright?”

“I... hey, don’t lean too far forward!” I said.

“Afraid I’ll fall or that you’ll get a good look?” she smirked.

“I’m being serious, Kat. I’m pouring my guts out here and you’re teasing me,” I grumbled, looking away.

“It’s because you’re cute when you’re blushing,” I felt my cheeks heat up. “Mackie, you want to know something silly?” Katrin asked.

I looked up at her again. “What?” I asked, huffing.

“I loved spending time with you. I always felt like I was dragging you down and sooner or later you’d get bored with me, like everyone else did.”

“That’s just crazy.” I grumbled. “Everyone loved you, and were constantly wondering what happened to you!”

“Well, yeah, mostly because of you. Mac, I never was very social, and the only reason I really had friends was because of you. I mean, you always invited me to do stuff when there was any group activities. No one really ever invited me, I just came along with you.”

“Kat, everyone liked you. I’m not sure why you think they didn’t.”

“Well, yeah, people liked me, we were lucky to have a lot of good people in our lives during school. I’m not trying to say they were negligent or anything,” she sighed, “but there’s a difference between liking someone and having a close, personal relationship. People just flocked to you. You were always funny, witty, and handsome.”

My face flushed at her words, and wasn’t sure what to say to that so I kept silent.

Kat peered down at me, and her face broke into a huge grin. “…yeah, I said it. You’re not the only one that started feeling that way. I started noticing how broad your shoulders were, how tall you were… how strong your arms were when you hugged me,” She blushed, and ducked back behind the edge of the sink.

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.

“Same reasons you didn’t, I guess…” she peeked back over the countertop “…I think?”

I peered up at her, and then nodded slowly. “…I was afraid. Maybe I thought it was taboo. You were my best friend, and I didn’t know how you’d react if I told you. I was worried. Um, how about you?”

Kat pressed her lips together. “Yeah, it was something like that. I thought, perhaps you would have gotten tired of me by then. We’d always be friends, but I didn’t want to hold you back…” she mumbled. “I figured you would eventually find someone else and that'd be that."

"That's just silly, I'd never just treat you like that, even if I had a girlfriend," I sighed.

"I wasn't sure. I mean, good God, Mac, all the girls that kept asking me if we were dating. If I wanted to, I could have been your wingman, erh, woman. You could have had pretty much anyone you wanted.”

“That’s… baloney! I didn’t… look Kat, I wasn’t anything special. I didn’t do any sports teams, I wasn’t captain or valedictorian or grand poo-bah of anything, I just was an average guy, nothing special.”

“That’s stupid, Mac. You’re honest, and genuine, and you care about people. You don’t need titles or any sort of recognition for that, you’re just… you’re just real, you know? I mean, people loved you. You never had anything bad to say about anyone, you made people feel better. You… you just… “

My face flushed, and my heart was thudding. “Hey, wait a second.” I mumbled. “What about you?”

“What about me? I thought we were talking about you. This is your therapy session!”

“It’s mutual. Good God, Kat, everyone always asked where you were, how you were doing. You have a wicked sense of humor and you like to tease people, but you’re always kind to others, and you make everyone around just laugh and brighten up because you’re around. Our friends were disappointed when you weren’t there when we did something together. They never gave up on you, they wanted me to drag you along. Especially the guys!”

“Really? I thought people thought I was stuck up, or something…” Katrin squeaked.

“Please! The guys around me thought you were incredibly hot, and they asked me if we were dating, right after that they were begging me for your number. That was awkward… people telling me I should date you while asking me for your number,” I laughed. “Why didn’t you date anyone, by the way?”

Katrin’s eyes widened, and she slinked behind the countertop. “Oh, no, you have to tell me,” I called up. “Get back here, Kit-Kat!”

“B-Because i-if I was going to date someone… I… it’d been. Y'know, you…” Katrin said.

I leaned forward, putting my arms on my knees, and I looked up. She peered back, from over the edge of the kitchen sink.

“Why didn’t we date, officially, I wonder?” I asked aloud.

“I don’t know!” Katrin yelped. “I mean, we went out together, as friends. Mac, do you know how many times I wanted you to look over at me, when you got your car, when it was just us…” she flushed. “…and tell me it was a date?”

“I… I didn’t know. I thought we always had fun, and I didn’t want to ruin anything. We used to do stuff together all the time, especially after I was old enough to drive. I… what do you think was different about it?” I asked.

“Boob fairies, hormones, peer pressure, I don’t know...” Katrin sighed.

“I mean, you even said you didn’t want to go out on syrupy dates…” I sighed.

She frowned, then her eyes widened. “That night, remember?” I said.

Katrin frowned, then her eyes widened. “I did. I was thinking… other dates, with other guys. I didn’t want to admit…” she frowned. “Oh, Mac, I didn’t mean…”

I nodded. “I didn't make it easy. I was nervous and shy, and I took it the wrong way. Alright then, so let me ask you - that night, the a-accident, you were talking about getting into another college. You said you weren’t going to be around…”

“Mackie, I told you. I thought you were going to get bored of me and that I was going to end up messing something up. I knew I hadn’t been around as much as I was, but I didn’t want you to think I was going to stop being your friend, whatever happened. I was really close to going to an out of state college, but I was also considering doing some work here. Things changed since then, so now I'm getting the general stuff out of the way where it’s cheaper, and starting here.”

“Why didn’t you just say that?” I felt like flailing. “I thought you were all but saying goodbye.”

“I don’t know…” Katrin blushed. “Maybe I wanted to talk to you about what we meant to each other, but I didn’t want to make it weird. Maybe I was waiting on you to take initiative. I guess I wanted you to… I don’t know! I just didn’t know what was going on with us, and how I felt, and how to tell you!” she frowned down at me. “I’m sorry, Mackie. I wanted to know how you felt but didn’t want to just outright tell you why. And I think in between being shy and not saying how I felt outright, I must have complicated everything.”

“No, I was oversensitive and was doing the exact same thing. Instead of just telling you everything…” I sighed. “Guess I should stick with trying to be open and honest? I do suck at lying.”

“Mackie, I want to know…” she sniffled. “…we could have talked earlier, about this. But since then… why did you get all sullen and distant after the accident? You were really acting like a boneheaded dork. I know it wasn’t your fault! Even if it was just a misunderstanding, you could have talked to me about it!”

I closed my eyes. I'd been trying not to think about the accident, but here it was right in front of me. My stomach churned. “I just didn’t want to talk about it…” I shivered. “…I didn’t talk to anyone about it. I didn’t want to think about it…”

“Well, you should. It’s obvious it bothers you. You practically freeze up every time you think about it. You've basically zoned out twice in the last five minutes when we mention it.”

“It’s… it’ really hard to talk about it.” I felt like I was about to faint, and I clutched at my knees. “Y-you’re right, it still bothers me.”

“Mackie?” Katrin asked. “You look like you’re about to be sick…”

I did feel sick, honestly. I took a deep breath and calmed myself enough to continue. “It was my fault. I wasn’t driving defensively. I had my mind on everything but keeping us safe, so I was distracted and I hesitated at the intersection. If I’d been paying more attention, I might have kept us from being hit. And because I insisted you come with me on a night you were studying...”

“Oh Mackie. That’s silly…” she said. “You didn’t know any of that would happen, and even if…!”

I laughed bitterly. “I know it is, but I just… I couldn’t help it. I was afraid I’d screwed up your chances of getting into the college you liked. I thought I’d ruined your life! But it’s worse than that,” I put my head in my hands. “You got hurt. I hurt my best friend!”

“Mackie, you were being thoughtful and generous to me, asking me out when I needed a friend. You didn’t hurt me…” she said, softly.

“I caused you to be hurt,” I said, as I breathed heavily. My chest felt tight, and I leaned forward, feeling dizzy.

“Mackie, what’s wrong?” Katrin little voice squeaked in alarm above my head. “Are you alright?”

I shuddered. “Remembering it, what happened, it gives me panic attacks. I keep having dreams where you’re in the car next to me, and I watch you get terribly hurt. Everything in slow motion, I can see you slamming against the door, hear the impact, feel the glass, see the look on your face…” I shivered.

“Mackie, we never were hurt that bad!” Katrin exclaimed.

“N-no. Y-you hurt your arm.” I gasped. “I got off easy.”

“Macharin?” Katrin asked. I vaguely heard the sound of water sloshing, and I shuddered.

“I- I remember waking up, and when I came to your room in the hospital, you were so worried about not being able to take exams and being held back…” I shuddered. “…you were staring out the window, you looked so sad. You had a cast on your arm, and I thought, I did this to you…”

“Mackie, look at your hands...” Katrin said softly.

I suddenly realized every muscle in my body was tensed. My hands were clutched at my knees, and my knuckles were white as my fingernails dug into the fabric of my pants.

I was in full-blown anxiety attack. I found it hard to breathe, and I could hear my breath coming in ragged gasps.

Katrin kept her voice calm. “Mackie. Look at your hands, and make them relax. Focus on them. Calm down. I'm okay, you're okay. Just breathe for me?” Katrin asked.

I gasped, then took a few quick breaths, then breathed deeply. I shuddered, slowly feeling the tension in my chest lessen. My face had broken out in a sweat.

Katrin leaned over the countertop, her face full of concern. “Mackie, you just had an anxiety attack. Are you alright?"

“No. No I’m not okay. I can’t forgive myself for ever causing you to be hurt. I just… I can’t…” I shuddered.

There was a long silence, and I finally looked up. Katrin peered down at me, soap in her hair.

I felt very self-conscious, wondering if I’d freaked her out.

“Katrin?” I asked.

She smiled at me. “Mackie, you really are a dork. Would you relax, and stop being so silly?”

I blinked. “I’m… silly?”

She nodded. “I know this has been hard on you, but you're being silly. Are you worried I'm mad at you?”

I frowned, then looked over at my hands again, still white knuckled. “A little bit."

"Why? I'm not mad at you," she said.

I leaned forward, putting my head on my knees. "I know that. I just, I feel more ashamed I hurt you...”

“Mackie, I know it was an accident. I know you wouldn't have hurt me unless you couldn't help it. Even then, I was injured but I healed. And, well… I barely remember what was happening when you talked to me.”

I blinked. “You... you didn’t?”

She shook her head. “No. I was so doped up on happy pills I was probably staring out the window looking at the purple unicorns and marmalade clouds. Mackie…” she sighed. “You’ve been avoiding me out of guilt?”

I rubbed my eyes, leaning forward to hide my face from her. I felt incredibly stupid. “That’s about right, I think…”

“Hey, I want to see your face.” Katrin said. I looked up, trying to keep my composure. Katrin beckoned to me, as she slipped back over the sink. “Could you stand up and come here, please?”

I stood up, and turned. Katrin peered up at me, covering her chest with one arm. She was standing in the middle of the sink, the suds around her glistened softly in the light. She beckoned to me with her other hand, her wet skin seemed so soft, and the suds caught on her skin and hair twinkled the light from overhead. Her eyes were glistening as she smiled, and she looked up at me. I felt my eyes water.

“You looked really sad. Hey, Mackie, could you do something for me? Lean a little close, please... put your face close to mine. No snarky comments, please? Do that for me?”

I leaned forward, and she kept motioning towards me until my face was close enough so she could reach out. “There, that’s better…” she smiled, and she held out her right arm, stretching it out from her side, while her left she folded over her chest. “See?”

“Um, what am I looking at?” I asked.

“My arm, dork,” she sheepishly grinned. “I know it’s hard to pry your eyes away from my chest, but this is important.”

My face turned red, and he grinned at me, as I quickly averted my eyes to her arm.

“Mackie, I want you to touch my arm, please,” she gently asked.

I started to protest, and she stared at me until I quieted. “It’s okay. I want you to touch me. I want you to feel my arm, and I want you to feel I’m okay.”

“But you're so tiny...” I mumbled.

“Then be extra gentle,” she smiled.

I gently reached out and touched her right arm with my fingertip. She wrapped her arm over my finger, and gripped and squeezed my inner finger with her tiny fingertips. “Don’t worry, you’re not hurting me,” she said, softly.

I ran my fingertip over her inner arm, and she shivered. I rubbed her shoulder, as gently as I could, and she closed her eyes and smiled quietly “See? It’s all better,” she said, as she reached out and put her hands on my fingertip. "I'm perfectly fine, right?"

“Yeah...” I mumbled sheepishly.

She opened her eyes, little sparks of green shining back at me. “I healed. What about you? It still sounds like you hurt.”

I took a deep breath, blinking my eyes. It felt like her question pierced me. “I-I wasn’t hurt, Katrin, you’re the one I was worried about…”

“And I wasn't supposed to worry about you? You were hurt too. In more ways than one, it seems. Mackie, you really are good-hearted, but really silly sometimes.”

She tugged at my finger, leaning forward and put her nose against mine. I had to cross my eyes to see her. “Silly,” she repeated softly, as rested her head against the ridge of my nose, and held there for a few long moments. I closed my eyes, I didn’t say anything, just staying there, basking in the moment.

“You didn’t know what would happen,” Katrin said, softly. “I know you’re hurting. You look like you’re going to be sick every time I mention the accident. I don’t want you to hurt anymore.”

I felt something like a knot loosen up in my chest, and I shivered, my eyes watering. “Katrin, I…”

“Seeing you hurt makes me hurt, Mackie. If you think I'm mad at you, or you should feel ashamed... well, all this time, I never thought ill of you. I'm missed you, I missed you terribly, and it hurt me because you weren’t there. It hurt me when you left, without saying goodbye. So we've both been hurting, and I don’t want either of us to hurt anymore,“ she sniffled.

I blinked rapidly. The knot in my chest unraveled, being replaced with a tired, dull ache, and I blinked back tears.

Katrin nuzzled her face against mine. “I want this to stop, whatever it takes. I want you to let me forgive you, if you felt like you needed forgiveness. I want you to forgive me, if I ever did anything that made you think that I would think less of you. But mostly, I want you to forgive yourself. I want… need, you back in my life, Mackie. I don’t want anything else from that accident to get in the way of us. So please, I need to hear you say it. I need you to say you know I forgive you.”

I felt the dam burst in my chest, the ache washed away, and I blinked tears.

“I… I’m sorry. I was stupid. I’m sorry,” I choked. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t know…”

“Please…” she whispered, as she stroked my cheek.

“I know you forgive me,” I whispered.

“Mackie…” she whispered. “I need to know you aren't blaming yourself... so say it.”

“I forgive myself… and I hope you know I don’t blame you for anything,” I mumbled, sniffling.

She wiped a tear from my face, and sniffled. Her eyes were bright and watery, but she looked relieved. She smiled, and kissed my nose. “Better?”

I sniffled a bit, and wiped my face with my hand. “B-better.”

She smiled, tears welling in her eyes. “Good. Can we move on, now?”

I nodded quietly.

“Good...” she sniffled. “But you still have this coming.”

She reached out and flicked my nose, I was surprised at the stinging sensation she caused. “What in the world did you ever think I’d hate you for, you dork?!” she fussed.

“Ow!” I held my nose. “I don’t know! Gods, I thought you’d hate me or something and I didn’t want to ever hurt you or ruin anything you worked so hard for.”

“The only way you’d ruin my life is not being part of it, you dork. Don’t you ever forget that, or so help me I'll...”

I remained there for a moment, smiling at her as she fumed at me, the soap playing about her body and her arm still over her chest.

She huffed, sinking into the soap. “What?”

I grinned. “I was just marveling at how cute you are.”

She arched her eyebrows at me, and shook her head as she smiled at me… then she reached down and splashed my face with warm, soapy water.

“Hey!” I exclaimed. “You got soap in my eye!”

She laughed as she splashed me again. “Mackie, you’re silly. If my dream is to help others, I can't turn my back on the ones I love for that. Like my father. He… died of cancer, like your father… and I wanted to…” she shook her head, biting her lip. “…I wanted to…”

We both grew somber for a moment, and she stopped splashing. “I think you can do anything, Katrin, and I know your Dad would be proud of you,” I said.

“Yeah, probably,” she grinned, then her face sobered, and she started to look as if she was about to cry. “But without you around, I just… feel like something is missing… that can’t be right. So can you promise me that you won’t do something that silly again? Next time, so help me I’ll find you and when I do…” she shook her fist at me.

“Okay, okay!” I chuckled. “I promise. In the meantime, how can I make it up to you?”

She nodded. “Well, for starters, I don’t want you moping again, so I’d like to do those things, goals and… um, stuff… with you, in my life, and… um… all that mushy stuff,” she said, wiping her face with the back of her hand.

“Mushy stuff…?” I grinned.

She nodded. “Yeah, like… hey, Mackie?” she asked. “The necklace, what was that for?”

“I was going to give it to you when I asked you to be my uhm… my girlfriend,” I said.

Katrin's eyes widened.

I bit the inside of my mouth. Well, there it was, all out in the open. “Well, I mean, if everything worked out.”

Katrin took a step back, almost slipping in the sink. “So, you were! You were... really going to...”

I nodded. “Um, what would you have said?”

Katrin blinked, and her mouth opened. She sunk into the bubbles, and covered herself. “What would I have said? Seriously..?”

“Well, I mean, I had to ask right?” I said, not sure what her expression meant.

“You… really…” she shook.

I frowned. “Katrin?” I asked.

She burst from the bubbles, flailing her arms. “For cryin' out loud, Mackie, what do you mean what would I have said!? Are you that dense? What have we been talking about this entire time!” she babbled, standing up, her body covered with suds.

“Um, I thought we were talking about us...” I said, not sure if this was an act or if I was somehow being dense again.

“We are!” Katrin huffed, as she threw her arms in the air, sending suds flying in the air.“You can’t be serious! This entire time, I basically all but tol- AHHHH!” she slipped backwards, and she splashed as she fell back into the sink.

“Katrin?” I asked. “Are you okay?”

She burst from the bubbles again, sputtering and still in mid-rant. “PPFT! GOOD FREAKIN GAWD, my brain is the size of a walnut and I’m the one who gets this? I mean… didn’t you hear anything I said? What do you think I’d said…?” Katrin flailed, and water flickered everywhere.

I laughed, as she continued her rant. “…seriously, what would I have said! Of course I’d say yes! It’s it obvious! YES! GOOD LORD ARE YOU DAFT?!”

The bubbles continued to slide off her body, nearly exposing her as she continued to rant, crossing her hand over her breasts as she sunk down into the bubbles as I moved my face closer to hers. “…YOU ARE TOTALLY DENSE, YOU KNWO THAT?! YOU KEPT ME GUESSING FOR YEARS AND THE LAST FEW MONTHS I COULD HAVE THROTTLED YOU FOR NOT CALLING ME, AND I MISSED YOU AND… THIS ENTIRE TIME… WE COULD… have… and… gods you’re so big… And I'm n…”

I leaned down, and kissed the top of her head. I held my lips there for a few moments. Her entire body went rigid “…n…not… eep…” she squeaked. “You. Kissed. Me.”

“Wow, I finally figured out how to stop you in mid-rant.” I laughed. She glared up at me, huffing from underneath her mane of wet, tangled soapy hair. And then an impish smile played upon her lips, as her little green eyes shone bright.

I figured, since it was all out in the open, I wanted to say what had been on my mind for as long as I could remember.

“I love you, Katrin. Always have, since the first day I met you.”

Her head shot up, and her eyes widened. “…belabrble… beah… muh… M…Mackie…” she mumbled.

“Well?” I asked.

“Well... what?” she huffed, her face bright red.

“I need an official answer, so we're on the same page here,” I grinned hugely at her.

Her eyebrow twitched. “Dork! Idiot!” she flailed her arms. I was amazed at how tenaciously the suds clung to her breasts.

“Well?” I asked. “Three little words will do.”

“Gah, of course I do, you dork! I always have! I just... I...” she stammered, then held her hands over her chest as her face burned bright red. “Mackie, I love you too…” she squeaked, as she sunk into the bubbles. “...you giant dork.”

I smiled at her, resting my head on the bathroom sink so she didn’t have to peer up to see me, leaning forward again. “So, it's offical, then, doofus?”

“YES!” she cried out, in both passion and annoyance as she lept forward, bubbles playing around her body as reached up with her hand, put it on my cheek, and pressed her tiny, soft lips to mine.

Her little kiss caught me by surprise. It was sweet, delicate, and I couldn’t help but shiver. She finally pulled away, and looked up at me, her eyes shining.

I wiped away the suds she’d left on my face, grinning like an idiot. “Since the invention of kisses… there have only been five…” I mumbled.

“My dork,” she sniffled, and then laughed. “…this one left them all behind?”

“I think so. True love, and all that,” I wiggled my eyebrows.

“Oh, gods, somehow or another I knew you'd quote that when... we...” Katrin burst into tears, laughing. “Gods, we’re so stupid, aren’t we, getting all worked up over something so silly?” she wiped her eyes, sniffling, and I rubbed her back through the suds with my finger.

“I think... we needed to get it out of our system, I guess...” I murmured.

“Maybe. There's a lot of things I need...” she looked up at me, and her smile widened. “Mackie…?” she asked.

“Yes Kit-kit?” I grinned.

“Wanna wash my back?” she smiled up at me mischievously.

Erh, to anyone out there reading this, I missed posting a part. It's now in the first post. SO if you by chance were wondering how they got into the hospital and how their dinner went, well there you go. Sorry! O.o *flails and poofs*

This kind of story is kinda refreshing, all the fluff is nice after a while. Would love to see this story continue. Keep up the great work!