Chapter Text
The door of her apartment was already unlocked when she got there. Chelsea pulled the key out of the lock and nearly dropped it to the carpet, feeling her heart skip a beat. She stared at the door, waiting for it to swing open from the inside and reveal some kidnapper or serial killer ready to jump at her. Seconds ticked by. Nothing happened.
I forgot to lock it, she told herself, scooping her keys up and gripping the doorknob. That would make it the first time she forgot to lock her door, but a lot was on her mind lately–an incredible secret that she had been carrying day in and day out for the past week. Forgetting to do a simple task wasn’t so outlandish. Besides, this wasn’t the time to go crazy with paranoia.
A wonderful night was promised to her, and she was only stopping by to freshen up and put on something nice. She listened closely to the outside, knowing she would hear the telltale thuds of a giant’s footsteps soon. Not many giants lived near her city, and even less passed through the human residential district. The footsteps would belong to him.
Nothing yet.
Her easy stride and lovely thoughts came to a screeching halt when she found an unfamiliar young woman sitting on her couch.
“Y-You–What, who–” Chelsea’s words were snatched away, leaving her to stammer.
“Relax.” The woman uncrossed her legs and sat forward but didn’t get up.
She wore a dark grey coat and faded blue jeans. She looked about Chelsea’s age. Smooth bronze skin. Waves of dark hair. Striking stone-colored eyes. Pretty. But Chelsea was more worried about the bulky knapsack seated on the other couch cushion. A weapon could easily be stowed away in it. Chelsea swallowed hard as the woman’s dark eyebrows lifted.
“You don’t look relaxed,” the stranger chided. She gave Chelsea a long, appraising look. “Huh. He usually doesn’t go after blondes. Not that it makes a difference to him in the end, anyway.”
“I-I’m–I don’t know what you want, but I’m calling security.” Chelsea stepped back, wary to turn away from the woman.
“If your security is as shitty as your doorman, you’re in a lot of trouble.” She sat back and crossed her long legs again. “Besides, it’s rude to call security on someone who’s trying to help you, Miss Waters.”
Chelsea stopped, breath catching in her throat. She’s in my apartment… Guess it’s not too crazy that she knows my name. “What do you want?” she snapped before the stranger could go on. “What do you mean you’re trying to help me?”
“I was just about to get to that,” she answered flatly. “My name is Maya Pearce. And if you listen to me, I can save you from a whole lotta bullshit. Sit down.” She waved a hand at the adjacent armchair.
Chelsea didn’t move.
“Fine,” the woman sighed. “Tell me… Are you, by any chance, going on a date tonight? I’ll take that look on your face as a ‘yes.’ He’s a giant, isn’t he?”
“Yes, he’s… Yes.” Chelsea glanced away. Did this Maya somehow know Beck’s secret? And if she did, what did she want with him?
“Whatever he’s been telling you, he’s lying.” All traces of snark fled Maya’s features when Chelsea fixed her with a frown. “Let me guess… He says he’s cursed, huh? He’s really a human, but someone or something had it out for him and turned him into a giant. He’s been wandering the country, looking to undo his horrible fate.”
“But how–”
“And he says you’re the only one who can help him,” Maya went on like a steamroller. “According to him, you, or someone you know, has something that can reverse it all. It’s fate that you found each other. You need to give him the object. Then he won’t have to be a giant anymore, and the two of you will live happily ever after.”
Chelsea pursed her lips. Maya had hit the nail right on the head. “Are you, um… An ex or something?”
“Or something,” Maya answered, a smirk crossing her lips. “So, what do you think?”
“I think you need to get the hell out of my apartment before I call the cops.”
“Or you can listen to me and accept the fact that something’s fishy about your giant boyfriend, huh?” Finally, Maya stood up and crossed the living room slowly towards Chelsea. “Don’t trust him. Don’t give him what he wants. Tell him to go away, and that you never want to see his face again.”
“And I should trust you?” Chelsea scoffed. Beck wouldn’t lie to her. He was so kind, so caring…
“I’ve been tracking him. I’ve met with most of the women he’s targeted so far.” Maya stopped a foot away from her, standing half a head taller and bearing down with those stunning eyes. “He moves around a lot. Mostly to cities where there’s little to no giants around. The Credit in his account spikes almost every time he leaves a city. He gets what he wants and never comes back. That’s what’s going to happen to you if you let him use you.”
Chelsea squared her shoulders and shook her head, unwilling to believe a word of it. Maya had to be an ex, coming up with some lie to get her to leave Beck. Then again… Beck’s story was crazy enough to begin with. And Chelsea had purposely blocked out the knowledge of how strange it was that he happened to come across her, someone who happened to be able to get her hands on the amulet that cursed him.
“If you don’t want to believe me here and now, fine,” Maya said after ten long seconds of silence dragged out between them. “Find out for yourself. Try to trip him up. He has an arsenal of different names and stories he uses on girls.” She chuckled. “What’s his name this week?”
“His name is Beck,” Chelsea said stonily.
Maya snorted. “Right. Beck. That’s a new one. Does he still say he’s from Lyles?”
“He’s from Hooksett, and you’re wrong about him.” Chelsea tilted her chin up. “I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, but… He’s good. He’s nice, and he wouldn’t lie to me.”
“Prove it.” There was still patronizing laughter in Maya’s voice. Turning on her heel, she returned to the couch and slung her backpack onto her shoulders. “I’ll be in the lobby when you get back. Go on, go make yourself pretty for him.” A coy smile touched her lips as she backed towards the door. “Not that that’ll be hard.”
~~~
The rumble of giant footfalls outside were noticeable by the time Chelsea was making her way across the lobby of her building. Despite the strange encounter in her apartment, she felt her heart soar a little when the faint shake of the ground came to a stop right outside.
The elation faded just as quickly when she walked by the couches in the lobby. Maya was seated cross-legged on an armchair, swiping at a computer tablet. The young woman looked up long enough to see Chelsea’s break in stride. Wearing a smile that flaunted every ounce of confidence into her claim, Maya lifted a hand and gave a dainty wave with her fingers. Turning her head away with a huff, Chelsea injected her own confidence into her walk as she headed for the front door.
The stony expression on her face dropped the moment she passed the threshold. The residential district was illuminated only lampposts and lit windows. Chelsea wasn’t surprised to see a few faces peeking out at those windows at the sight of a giant crouched by her building. She got a move on quickly; he had told her more than once how uncomfortable he was about his giant height being stared at constantly, like he was some freak show.
A smile lit up Beck’s handsome face the moment he laid eyes on her. His blue-black hair and forest green eyes caught the light in a way that nearly made her swoon on the spot. For the hundredth time since he’d revealed his secret to her, she dreamt about what it would be like when he was human again and they could truly be together.
“Right on time,” his voice rumbled gently.
“Good. I was worried I’d keep you waiting.” Thankfully, her unexpected visitor hadn’t taken too much of her time.
A hand about as tall as her inched in forward, palm-up. Her heart still fluttered as she climbed aboard, her flats sinking a bit into his skin; she had learned early on that it was easier for everyone involved if she wore flats when riding his hand. His fingers curled, and she scooted back against them once she was seated. Her grin widened as the sidewalk disappeared and he stood. A rush that couldn’t be matched.
With careful steps, Beck carried her down the street. All the while, she stared up at him. He watched where he walked, but every so often, his eyes would flit to her and fill her with warmth.
“How was your day?” he inquired, once they were nearly at the outskirts of the district.
“Long,” Chelsea sighed, slumping against his fingers and eliciting a chuckle from him. She gave him a run-down about how boring her meetings were, and that her only escape, lunch, had turned into a meeting as well. He stayed politely quiet, but asked questions that assured her he was listening attentively. She left out the biggest inconvenience of the day: a stranger breaking into her apartment.
With that thought surfacing, Chelsea nearly groaned, and her gaze became more searching. She didn’t believe Maya… How could she? But she knew the thought would never leave her alone until she found out for herself that Beck was true to his word.
“What about you?” she asked, once her venting was at a close. “How was your day?”
There was a pause, and then a massive sigh. “Not much to around here at this size, you know that.” The downcast expression on his face made her regret asking. “Really, all I want to do is avoid everyone.”
“There’s a few giants around the edge of town,” she pointed out.
“But I’m not one of them.” Beck’s footfalls ceased. Chelsea looked around, ever-amazed that he could manage to carry her all the way the fields outside town in such a short amount of time. She looked back up, meeting his gaze in the moonlight when he went on. “I just want to be human again. I want to walk the streets without being afraid of stepping on someone, o-or… You know, just have people stop looking so afraid of me.”
“Beck.” Chelsea straightened up, turning to press her cheek to his index finger tip and raising a hand to smooth against the pad of his thumb. “Everything will be back to normal soon. I promise. You… You don’t deserve this.”
His other hand filled her vision, but she was still able to see the tender smile on his face as a fingertip tapped her cheek and then strayed down her shoulder and arm. “You’re the first one to believe me,” he said quietly. “You’re the kindest person I’ve met since I was cursed.”
Chelsea melted under his soft touch. Incredible that he could so gentle when he hadn’t always been so massive. “You’re going to be fine,” she assured.
He pulled his hand away and gave her a slow, trusting nod. “How are things… You know, with the amulet?”
“This weekend I should get my hands on it.” Chelsea’s heart gave a little leap at the thought. Under other circumstances, she would have never thought about stealing anything, but… He was worth it. Besides, once the curse was broken, they would put that amulet right back where she found it. It would be safer then, drained of its magic. “My mom is letting me go to that party with her associates. She’s thrilled I’m finally showing interest in my future, or something like that. The amulet should be at the mansion, like you said.”
The necklace was a thing of legend, passed through magic-users’ hands and then to unsuspecting victims, according to Beck.
The grin of relief that spread across Beck’s face made Chelsea wonder why she would have even considered that Maya was telling the truth. She was snapped out of that thought when the giant face leaned forward. Holding still, she let his lips gingerly brush against her cheek, soft and sincere. It was a strange sort of kiss, one that would need getting used to. But she wouldn’t need to. He would be human soon, and they could really kiss.
Chelsea kissed his lower lip before he could pull away. His chuckle shook through her gently. He had such a sweet voice, giant or not. Sweet, trustworthy, believable.
“Let’s talk about something else,” she suggested. “No need to worry about the amulet–you know I’ll take care of it.”
“Of course you will.”
Her world shifted as Beck lowered himself onto the field, sitting back. The platform of his hand tilted, and she was carefully let off onto his bent knee. She sat with her legs hanging, facing him. It had made her nervous the first time, sitting like that. But she had never once slipped. He never allowed it.
“Once this is all over, maybe we can visit your hometown.” She paused. “Lyles, right? By the sea.”
“Oh yeah,” he said, shaking his head with a grin. His hand wandered up, a thumb smoothing over her lap and back again. “You’re gonna love it. The way the sun rises over the ocean… I miss it.”
Her heart promptly sank like a stone, but she let out a small laugh. “You said your hometown was in the mountains, silly.”
Something flickered over his fast so quickly that she barely caught it: incredulous surprise. Even when he threw his head back with a self-deprecating smile, she felt like he was scolding himself on the inside. “Y-Yeah! Oh, I mean… Hooksett is my hometown, but I spent my teenage years in Lyles. Didn’t I tell you that?”
He hadn’t. He had never even mentioned Lyles. “That’s rights,” she fibbed. “You did. Guess we both got a little mixed up.” She leaned closer, scrunching up her face as she patted his thumb. It seemed to have gone rigid upon her lap. “Maybe that alchemist did more than turn you into a giant. Watch out, he could’ve screwed with your mind too.”
His hand relaxed as he laughed. His index finger looped around her waist, giving her a gentle squeeze. “I doubt it. But who knows. Alchemists are pretty powerful.”
Chelsea clenched her jaw to hold back a sob. It was all happening so fast. The lies she was catching him in… He wasn’t just relaxed all of a sudden. He was relieved. Relieved that she was still going along with him. Relieved that she was as dumb as she seemed.
She was stiff in his gentle grasp. “Weird how you would say that alchemists are powerful,” she hesitated, “when it was a shaman that put the curse on you, right?”
His green eyes widened, a free hand coming up to push his dark hair back nervously. “N-No, I mean… Yes, it was a shaman. A shaman who’s into alchemy. But come on, who really cares, Chels? Either way, it’s freaky magic–”
“Stop!” Chelsea shoved against his hand, and he pulled it away swiftly. She scowled at his enormous, lying face. She lowered her voice, though it lost none of its intensity. “Put me down, and stay away from me. I never want to see you again.”
His lips parted in surprise at her drastic change in demeanor. The enormous hand inched towards her, but stopped short. “No. L-Look, just let me explain…”
“I said, put me down.” Careful not to slip from his knee, Chelsea dug into her pocket and pulled out her phone. “I’ll call the cops. Those other giants that live around here… They’re always more than happy to help when things get too out of hand.”
Something darkened in the giant’s eyes. Chelsea felt a thrill of fear as she closed her hand tighter on her phone to keep from shaking. Everything he told her was a lie… What was his true nature, then, if not kind and gentle? Was he violent when he didn’t get his way? Maybe Maya had left her to defend herself against a giant that would sooner break her ribs than admit he had been lying. And if he wanted to hurt her, what could she do? They were outside the city. No one could save her.
Those horrifying thoughts came to a panicked halt when his hand closed the distance between them. She gasped, squirming as his fingers closed around her lower half. But he didn’t stand, and he didn’t hold her for very long. Before she knew it, she was on her feet, pointed towards the city.
Knees still trembling, she looked up. There was a tight smile on his face.
With wasting another second in his presence, Chelsea began her walk. At least she hadn’t worn heels. No way in hell she was asking him for a lift back home.
“How’d you figure me out, sweetheart?” His voice carried easily, alluring as ever and all the more infuriating.
Fighting back tears, she didn’t dare turn around. She couldn’t let him see what he’d done to her. She kept walking as she answered. “I got a surprise visitor this evening before you showed up. She’s waiting for me now. Maya Pearce sends her regards, asshole.”
Silence filled the air behind her. He didn’t move. But after a few seconds, she heard him mutter Maya’s name under his breath in recognition, followed by a “holy shit” shortly after.
~~~
It wasn’t until 5AM that Maya left Chelsea’s apartment. Dawn hadn’t yet broken, and the residential district had yet to even stir in the early Sunday morning. Good. Maya felt bad for leaving while Chelsea still slept, but she was interested in getting back to her hotel room and packing up with as little interaction as possible.
Smoothing her hair back with a sigh, she turned a corner on the sidewalk. She stopped in her tracks so quickly that she almost fell over herself.
“It’s about damn time,” a familiar voice rumbled overhead. “What were you doing in there?”
Before she could turn tail and run, the silhouette of a hand swooped down, aiming for her. She braced herself in that split second, but fingers didn’t close around her body like she expected. Instead, he pinched her backpack behind her. She cried out as the straps dug in under her arms and the sidewalk fell out from under her.
“S-Stop!” Maya gasped, fumbling around for her phone. She rose up higher, and gravity made the backpack straps dig in even more painfully. The giant stood, and a glance down at the open space below told her the fall would easily break every bone in her body. She got a hold of her phone, looking straight ahead to see that she was suspended before his smirking face. “I swear, I’ll–”
“You’ll call the cops?” he finished, raising his eyebrows. “Good. Maybe you can explain to them how you’ve been stalking me and my bank account. You may get me locked up, sweetheart, but chances are you’d get your own cell just the same.”
She blanched. He knew someone had hacked his account.
Lowering her at level with his abdomen, the giant turned and began to walk. His other hand came up, shielding her from view. Smart, considering most humans would freak out if they saw one of their own dangling from a giant’s fingers.
Maya groaned, gripping her straps with white knuckles. The fabric was straining, being pushed to its weight limit. The constant swaying of the giant’s gait didn’t help. But fear for what he planned for her won out over the fear of falling. Death had never shown up in his vicinity while she was tracking him, but then again, it didn’t seem like anyone had ever stopped him from getting what he wanted.
After a few minutes of struggling not to slip through her straps, she was swept upwards again. A sharp gasp flew past her lips. One strap finally snapped, and she couldn’t catch herself from sliding out of the other one. She screamed, but her descent lasted only a few feet before she landed on solid concrete. Flat on her back, the wind was knocked cleanly out of her lungs, but she was otherwise unhurt.
Breathing rapidly, she looked to the side. She was a chest-level with the giant, who had a bemused look on his face, still holding her ruined backpack above her between his fingers. She wondered how much effort he would have put into catching her if the strap had broken earlier.
“That could have been bad,” he chuckled derisively.
“Spoken like a true dickweed.” She pushed herself into a seated position and scooted back, surveying her surroundings. They were at the edge of the city, a mostly abandoned district. Which meant she was trapped on the roof of an abandoned building with a giant she had pissed off looking down at her. Her eyes followed her backpack as he pulled his hand away. “Give it back!”
Blinking, he lifted it before his eyes, turning it for his viewing like some trinket. “What’s in here? Equipment? A computer? Something that’s helped you keep at my heels like a puppy? I think I’ll hold on to it for a while.”
Maya promptly stood, boldly taking a few steps closer to the edge of the building. “Why did you bring me here?”
He threw his head back and glanced at the sky, scoffing. That playful spark in his eye was backed by a silent promise that she had messed with the wrong person. “You know damn well why.”
“To catch up?” She crossed her arms, hiding how scared she was. She couldn’t give him the satisfaction. “How’ve you been… What is it now? Beck… Or Victor, Thomas, Reed?” She paused and fixed him with the most triumphant look she could from her position. “Dimitri?”
The large face above her didn’t even look fazed at the mention of his true name. His grin wasn’t even the least bit sheepish. “So, is this revenge?” The hand not holding her backpack appeared suddenly, sliding toward her. She skittered back, but leg-sized digits snaked around behind her, blocking any escape. His eyes didn’t falter. “Is this payback for breaking your little heart into pieces?”
“If only that were it,” she scoffed. A fingertip nudged against her arm. She made a face and elbowed it hard before looking back up at him. Hatred unlike anything she ever felt surged through her bones. “I lost my job because of you.”
True surprise crossed his face, but it was quickly amended with a smirk. “Your own fault, for stealing from a museum.”
“I know. So I’m going to make sure no one else makes the mistake I did.”
This time, his thumb folded close, brushing against her thigh. She kneed it away, and it didn’t return. “Why do you care?” he inquired, looking genuinely curious. “The mistakes they make don’t affect you. You’re wasting your time when you could be looking for another job. What are you getting out of this–my suffering? How poetic.”
Maya cocked her head at him, grinning. “Oh, I did get something out of this. Your target was happy to show me her gratitude. I just got 1,000 Credit in my account and a very pleasant evening.”
He snorted, mock concern in his tone. “Did she pay you before or after your ‘pleasant evening’? The difference there is crucial, Maya.”
She rolled her eyes, refusing to grace his remark with an answer. “The point is, you go on and play your game. Now I’ll play mine.”
The amused expression on his face darkened. It crossed her mind again what he could do to her. It would be child’s play to stop her. His fingers twitched behind her, and she heard his hand slide against the concrete, coming closer to her back again. She flinched, but didn’t look away from his face. Nothing happened for a few long moments, and the silence became deafening.
A yelp stuck in her throat when the hand behind her suddenly flew up. The other one came into view, holding her backpack by its good strap. Relief flooded her features when he set it on the edge of the building. After a wary glance upward, she strode toward her backpack.
Just as she was about to grab it, the giant hand flew up again out of nowhere. She had no time to even jump back, but the fingers weren’t aiming for her. With one fingertip, Dimitri tipped the backpack over the side toward him and let it fall. She heard a distant crash on the sidewalk far below.
Before she could begin to spew curses at him, he leaned down towards her. His lips nearly brushed her cheek. “Your move, sweetheart,” he whispered.
Maya stayed rooted to the spot as the giant turned back onto the cracked road of the empty district. He didn’t look back, while her eyes followed him for a few blocks. But even with her equipment shattered, she wasn’t done. Like she said, he had his game, and now she had hers. He wasn’t going to play fair, but she didn’t expect him to. That would make her victory all the more sweeter.
He was getting a head start, that’s all.