Today was the day Justin had been waiting for. After being trapped for months in Micropolis, Justin would finally see the outside world at his normal size–well, almost. Even after being released from the final regrowth waiting room, he would be a foot or so shy of his full height. Still, it would be a significant improvement over his former size at around a third of an inch tall.

The past week had been a real rollercoaster. After Brooke had successfully defeated and shrunk Jazmin, she left to free Jazmin's other captives–including Ally and Claire. Ally was returned to Micropolis and Justin was elated to see her return unscathed. Claire was able to regrow fairly quickly thanks to being shrunk by the newer choker-type shrinking devices. Once at her normal size, she was quick to return to her work–her primary goal was to reopen the regrowth program properly and allow residents to return to their normal size.

"Justin?" a familiar voice said. Justin looked up to see Claire step into the room. She quickly made eye contact and started walking towards him.

She was no longer the impossibly large giantess gracefully towering over a whole city, yet she still stood much taller than him even now. As she approached, Justin stood up to meet her and realized he still only stood about chest-high to her.

"You've got a call," Claire said with a coy smile. "Tell your girlfriend to call your phone next time." she laughed as she handed her phone over to Justin.

That's right! He'd need a cell phone again–after all there was no way he could've operated it while shrunk. He accepted the phone from Claire which felt more like a small tablet in his smaller hands.

"Thanks, I'll be sure to get right on that." he laughed.

Claire turned her attention to the rest of the room–featuring about a dozen other residents waiting to finish regrowing.

"I'm going to finish my rounds with the other rooms. When I get back I just need to check each of your vitals–then you'll be good to go!" Claire's announcement was met with a mix of cheering and excitement.

Claire spun around to  face Justin and added with a wink, "I'll leave my phone with you–just no peeking through my photos."

As Claire stepped away he looked down at the phone and suddenly realized he was on a video call with Brooke.

"Hey babe!" he said, quickly adjusting the camera to a better angle.

Brooke waved, then asked, "Is Ally with you too?"

Hearing her name, Ally suddenly appeared next to Justin. "Hey, Brooke!"

"I can't wait to see you all tonight! We've got a big party planned." Brooke beamed.

"Is that Justin and Ally?" another familiar voice suddenly echoed from the background–Natasha. Within moments her face appeared on the screen next to Brooke.

Since she had also been shrunk with the newer shrinking tech, Natasha was able to return to her normal size–and her normal life much sooner. She had become close friends with Brooke over the past week.

"Claire's pretty busy here–so I'll be picking you up!" Natasha said excitedly.

"We'll meet you in the lobby!" Justin said.

Shortly after saying their goodbyes, Claire reappeared. As promised, she started taking each of the resident's vitals before releasing them to the outside world. After a few residents, it was finally Justin's turn.

"By the way, Dr. Perkins wants to speak with you before you leave," Claire said as she checked Justin's pulse.

"Oh? Did she mention a reason why?" Justin asked nervously.

Claire shook her head, "No, but if I had to guess she's afraid you're going to quit."

The thought truly had crossed his mind, but perhaps things wouldn't be so bad now that Hank, Katie, and Jazmin were no longer involved. He decided he should at least see what she had to say.

"Okay, you're good to go!" Claire smiled. "Brooke mentioned she's throwing a party, I'll head over as soon as I'm done here!"

__________

"Dr. Perkins, you wanted to see me?" Justin asked tentatively as he pushed open the door to her office.

Rae was sitting at her desk but stood up the moment Justin walked in.

"No need to be so formal, especially after our little adventure. Rae is fine," she laughed. "Please, take a seat." she gestured to the chair in front of her desk.

Justin took a seat on the slightly oversized chair. His current stature made it somewhat awkward to look over the desk at her.

"First, I want you to know I've nullified your original employment contract and prepared a new one. One that doesn't require you to live in Micropolis." Rae said simply.

Justin's confidence that things would be different under Rae's management soared.

"However, there's more." Rae paused with a heavy sigh, "As I'm sure you've heard Micro Cities, inc. is in a lot of trouble. All of Hank's and Jazmin's incorrigible actions are coming to light–especially after that fight broke out in Micropolis. We've already been the target of significant bad press and it's only a matter of time before we see the lawsuits come in."

Rae took another deep breath and stood up. She turned to the window behind her desk and peered out into the starless, rainy night.

"I told a few reporters about my absence. I told them where I had been--and the things I had been through. Since Hank's actions were a breach of our contract, I've retaken full ownership of the company." Rae explained, then turned to face Justin, "But I know that won't be enough. I need to show the world we're making serious changes for the safety of our residents."

Rae walked back towards Justin and sat on the corner of her desk. Justin's eye level was just barely above Rae's short skirt. He did his best to keep his focus on Rae's face.

"That brings me to my next request," Rae explained, "I'd like to offer you a promotion. It's an executive-level role over resident safety and standard of living. You'll have the company's resources at your disposal to implement any technology or policies that you think will improve the lives of our residents."

Justin raised an eyebrow. "That's a pretty big promotion... I'm more of an engineer, I'm not sure I'd be very good for–"

"Don't answer me now," Rae said, leaning forward to place a finger over Justin's lips. "Just... think about it, okay? You already have the week off as PTO, right? I'll make sure it's paid out at the higher salary–just in case you accept. I'm confident you would be great for this role, so please consider my offer."

"I'll... think about it." Justin finally said. Rae sat up and Justin briefly caught a glimpse up Rae's skirt. For just a moment he thought he saw movement between her legs.

Justin realized he was looking and moved his eyes upward to Rae's "I caught you" stare.

"What happened to Hank, Katie, and Jazmin anyway? I assume they're behind bars now." Justin asked, seeking to change the subject.

Rae was briefly stunned by the question but quickly regained her composure. She crossed her legs before explaining.

"By the time the police got there they were nowhere to be found." she shrugged. "Perhaps they managed to escape the bowl--or my breath happened to blow them away. They were so tiny compared to me that it was hard to keep track." Rae's facial expression darkened, "Wherever they are... I'm sure they're paying for what they did."

With a smile, she hopped off the edge of her desk and returned to her seat. For a brief moment, Justin thought he heard a muffled cry come from Rae's backside.

Justin started to speak–but decided not to say anything. If his suspicions were true, perhaps they deserved it–at least for a little while. He'd confirm his suspicions later and challenge her if she took it too far–after he was full-sized, of course.

"Oh! I also gave your girlfriend a gift," Rae added as she took a seat behind her desk, "Even if you don't accept my offer–please keep it as a token of my gratitude. If not for you I'd still be at the mercy of those psychopaths."

"Thanks, I'll give you my decision next week then," Justin said as he got up to leave.

__________

Justin was walking down the stairs toward the lobby when he spotted Natasha and Ally chatting near the door. As he stepped down the final step, Natasha glanced in his direction. Her eyes went wide with excitement as she ran toward Justin and gave him a big hug. In her excitement, she lifted Justin off the ground and pressed his face against her bosom.

"It's so good to see you again, shorty." Natasha teased as she released Justin.

"Ha. Ha." Justin said sarcastically, "Enjoy it while you can. By tomorrow I'll be taller than you—like it should be." Justin laughed.

"We'll see about that," Natasha said with a wink.

Justin got the sinking feeling that Natasha knew something he didn't. Before he could inquire, she changed the subject.

"Come on, we don't want to be late to the party!" Natasha said. "Brooke is sooo excited to meet you for real." she giggled.

The three stepped out into the cold rain. Natasha and Ally quickly ran toward Natasha's car to escape the weather. Meanwhile, Justin stayed behind. He had grown so accustomed to the artificial climate of Micropolis, that the chilling rain made him feel... free.

__________

After arriving at Brooke's apartment, Natasha opened the door and led the way in. As Justin crossed the threshold, he closed the door behind him and looked around.

It was surreal. The once unfathomably large structures that towered over him–bigger than any skyscraper–were little more than regular furniture. No longer staring at the underside of every piece of furniture, he now looked down at what was once a vast landscape–reduced to merely a room. He looked at the dining room table and spotted the centerpiece. Once a towering glass monolith, now was simply a flower vase.

"Hey stranger," Brooke's soft voice brought him back to the present.

"H-hey," he finally managed to say looking up at his girlfriend who stood about a foot taller than him.

"You kinda look like my boyfriend... but that's impossible. He's like this big." She teased, pinching her fingers together. 

They shared a laugh and she came in for a hug and held him tight. After letting go, she grabbed his hand and joined their friends in a night of party games and drinks. Brooke and Justin were the first to retire to the bedroom to properly consummate their relationship.

__________

Justin awoke first. Brooke's naked body lay next to him, her head resting on his chest. Based on typical regrowth projections he was within 5% of his original height. He'd regain the remaining height throughout the day today. He was close enough that he could safely remove his armband. He breathed out a soft sigh of relief. 

He held the still-sleeping Brooke tight. In some ways, he still found it difficult to reconcile the fact that her petite form once dominated the skyline.

Suddenly there was a knock at the door as it slowly creaked open. Brooke awoke to the sound and quickly covered herself with the sheets.

"Morning lovebirds," Natasha's head appeared in the doorway, her hand halfway covering her eyes. Once she saw the couple was properly covered she dropped her hand.

"So? What'd he say?" Natasha quickly added eagerly.

"About what?" Justin asked, bewildered.

Brooke blushed a little then said, "Well Natasha kinda told me about your... escapades."

The color drained from Justin's face. It's not exactly something you'd want your girlfriend to hear. "I can explain! It was before we--"

"It's okay--we weren't official yet," Brooke assured him. "It's just that... It sounded like a lot of fun! Maybe we could try it in a more controlled and... safer environment."

"Try what, exactly?" Justin asked cautiously.

"All of it." Brooke was growing increasingly red. "Like when you, Ally, and Natasha were different sizes. Maybe we could... experiment with new size combinations... with people we trust."

Justin couldn't believe what Brooke was suggesting. After a moment he answered, "Sure, I wouldn't mind giving it a try."

"Really?!" Brooke said excitedly.

She jumped out of bed and took most of the sheet with her. Justin had to think fast as the sheet covering his own nakedness quickly slipped away. He grabbed a pillow to cover himself.

"Dr. Perkins gave me a box of those new shrinking devices–you know the ones that go around your neck. I told her there was no way you'd want to shrink down, but she made me take them anyway!" Brooke was speaking incredibly fast as she rummaged through a box next to her bedside.

She stood up again and faced Justin. She held four brand-new shrinking devices in her hands. She tossed one to Justin, then another to Natasha.

Justin's eyes went wide. "You mean now?"

Brooke nodded as she and Natasha clipped the devices around their neck.

"What's all the commotion?" Ally said as she walked into the room.

"He said yes," Natasha said with giddy excitement to Ally.

"No way? Can I join?" Ally said.

Justin had finished putting the device around his neck. He started to wonder how many people were going to be involved.

"Of course!" Brooke tossed another device to Ally.

"Okay, let's decide what sizes everyone should be," Natasha said. "I think we can all agree...  he's gonna be tiny," she said pointing to Justin.

The girls all mumbled in agreement.

"Wait! Don't I get a say in this?" Justin asked--but it was too late. Brooke had already hit the buttons to start shrinking him.

"Maybe later, sweetie," Brooke said with a wink. "Let's talk in the hallway... I want it to be a surprise."

The three girls stepped into the hallway with giddy excitement and closed the door.

Justin felt himself shrinking again and laid back against his pillow. He felt the choker and noticed there was no lock. He could simply remove the device at any time and stop the shrinking. He grinned to himself. But where's the fun in that?

"This is going to be a very interesting week," Justin said to himself as he laid back in the slowly growing bed.