“Hey Max, c’mon out.” Megan said as she pried an electrical outlet off of the wall, revealing a small empty cavern in the wall. Inside this hollow space, Megan had fashioned a small bunker out of some Tupperware containers and duct tape. Ashley peered inside the makeshift bunker as you began climbing out into the more well-lit space of Megan’s bedroom. 

“Jesus, don’t you guys think this is a bit over the top? I’m your sister, not a supervillain.” Ashely commented with a chuckle. You simply looked up at Megan before turning back to Ashley.

“It’s not you we were worried about.” Megan quickly interjected. 

“Right.” The brunette replied, furrowing her brow and turning her attention back down to her tiny brother. “Well, like I told Megan, Alexis and I are through. You won’t be seeing her ever again.” You looked over at Meg who just nodded her head.

“Well, I mean that’s good to hear. Not that I…” You paused, searching for the right thing to say. “I hope you’re okay.”

“That’s very sweet of you Max. And yes, I’m okay. Everything worked out for the better.” Ashley said lowering a hand for you to climb into. The miniature man hesitated for a moment but you decided that if Meg was going to trust Ashley then you could as well. You stepped up onto the massive fingers and were quickly whisked up into the air. There was something inherently relaxing about being in Ashley’s care. With anyone else trying to pick you up, you found yourself shaking and wobbling from the sudden movement. But with Ashley, the ride up to her face felt as smooth as any elevator ride. There was just some sort of natural connection that you couldn’t replicate with anyone else. 

Finally, your massive platform came to rest directly in front of the face of your titanic sister. You peer into her bright emerald eyes before she flashes the biggest smile that you’ve seen from her in a long, long time. Seeing her expression of pure joy nearly made you melt into a little puddle. You walked over to her thumb and embraced it in a tight hug. 

“It’s so nice to see you smile again. I’ve missed you Ashley. So much.” You say, doing everything you can to keep your composure. The giantess leans in and places a large kiss on the top of your head.

“I missed you too Max. And I’m sorry for everything that came between us. I know I messed a lot of things up. But I’m hoping I can start to make things up to you. To both of you.” She says, looking up at Megan. 

“Well, it’ll be a good start having you around the house again.” You say, letting go of her thumb. You give the digit a look up and down, reminding yourself just how colossal she was. Or actually… how small you are.

“Actually… I’m not going to be staying here. I’m moving out.” She said as her expression suddenly turned sullen. 

“Wait, what?” You’re completely stunned by this revelation. You just got her back into your life and now she’s leaving again? “But why? Where are you going to go?” Ashley turns on her heels and begins to carry you out of the room. She carries you into the kitchen where you are placed on the table between your two sisters. 

For the next half hour Ashley explains everything that occurred with Alexis over the past several days. From the fight, to the shrinking, to showing up here. She also explained that because Alexis had no remaining relatives, Ashley had managed to negotiate with her to acquire the rights to her house in exchange for taking her to an RP shelter. (Although unbeknownst to you, she had actually secured the deal with Dr. Tailford in exchange for agreeing not to dispose of his only daughter.) And ever since the start of the outbreak, the ProTech corporation had been buying up property from those who fell victim to the shrinking disease. Thanks to this and the fact that Alexis’ old house was worth a considerable fortune, Ashley managed to secure a more than respectable paycheck.

“I just don’t see why any of this is even necessary. Can’t we just go back to the way things were?” You ask, desperately trying to manage your frustration. 

“Look Max, this is for the best. You’ve just got to trust me.” Ashley looked over to Megan. “I think we all could use a bit of space to ourselves.” 

You look up at Megan who has been suspiciously quiet throughout this entire discussion. She looks back down at you with an almost pitiful look. You couldn’t believe it. They had both already made up their minds and it didn’t matter at all what you had to say. Feeling completely overwhelmed and disappointed you try your best to swallow your emotions.

“I think I need some time to process all of this.” You turn back to Meg, “Can you take me over to Liz’s? I need a couple days.” Ashley gives you a halfhearted smile before assuring you that she’ll always be there for you. She gives you a kiss on the head before saying goodbye to you and Megan and going to her room to start packing her things.

Meg then carries you back to your room so that you can contact Liz and pack a bag of your own. She steps out of the room to give you a bit of privacy. As she steps back out into the hallway, the young blonde pulls out her cell phone and sends a text to her miniature boyfriend. 

“Tell your mom that you’re coming over. I have something to show you.” The titaness smirks as she looks down and squeezes her toes together. In the silence of the hallway, she can almost hear Alexis scream.