Savior (Patreon)

Lily didn’t know how long she’d been waiting since she had sent her last text, begging for help. Slowly, the morning light of the California sun peeked through her apartment’s windows, dissipating the total darkness she’d been trapped in since her phone died. The reality of her new size hit her once more. Her home had become a vast and unknown expanse that would take her hours to cross. Her mind struggled at the view of her own furniture - simple objects, turned unusable monuments.

After hours shivering in the dark, the sun’s warmth felt good against her bare back. For the first time since she shrunk, Lily felt calm, emptying her head of any thoughts as she watched specks of dust as big as her fingers glimmer in the early light.

Lost in her reverie, the shrunken woman barely paid attention to the distant rumble of an engine slowly getting louder. By the time Lily came back to reality, the gurgling noise echoed loudly around her apartment before finally coming to an abrupt stop. The tiny woman was no expert, but she could recognize the sound of a motorbike

“Lex!” Lily screamed to herself. Her heart jumped in her chest as she stood up for the first time in what felt like hours. Hectically pacing along the length of her smartphone, Lily’s thoughts exploded in her head. Since she had contacted Lex, she hadn’t stopped thinking about whether she had made a mistake or not. She didn’t know her that much, but she was one of the rare persons she had never seen go out of her way to extinguish a shrinky’s life. Panicking as she dwindled a few hours ago, it had seemed like the best solution in order to avoid getting crushed by the first giant she’d encounter.

The soft thuds of footsteps could be heard coming from the complex’s corridor, slowly making their way towards Lily’s front door.

“36? Fucking hell, she didn’t even say. God she’s lucky I didn’t forget…” Lily heard whispering as the footsteps stopped.

Three knocks echoed throughout the seemingly empty apartment. Despite the tiny woman’s screams, no sound reached the door.

“Lily? Lily, you there? Did your dumb ass actually shrink?” Lily heard Lex giggle. The tiny blonde continued to scream, desperately trying to inform the giant that the door was unlocked. Lily knew that it wasn’t her puny voice that got Lex to turn the handle, but she was happy to finally see it move.

“Oh fuck…” Lex whispered under her breath as she slowly opened the door revealing a pretty evening dress bunched up on the hardwood floor. Cautiously, Lex took a step inside before silently closing the door behind her. Silence reigned. “Fuck, you actually shrunk…” the brunette continued to whisper as her eyes started to scan the ground for any sign of a tiny Lily. Slowly walking past a discarded high heel, Lex abruptly stopped, realizing she could step on the hidden shrinky by accident if she moved any further.

Lily’s mind could barely comprehend what she was seeing. Lex, a woman she had spent nights drinking and dancing with, stood taller than any building in the Los Angeles area. Worse, despite her seemingly impossible size, she moved fast. Lily paused as she observed the giant brunette, desperately trying to rationalize that something so big could move so smoothly and quickly. For the first time, the tiny woman felt like every other shrinky did - utterly powerless.

Lex continued to search for any signs that could point to Lily’s location. “Oh fuck, don’t tell me I…” the brunette giggled as she froze in place. Looking behind her, Lex raised her Nike’s soles up to check if she hadn’t already solved Lily’s problem. The white rubber was caked with a thin layer of dust and minuscule blood stains too dark to be recent. “I swear you’re lucky I’m actually giving a shit about finding you Lily.” Lex said to herself as she let go of her foot. The sneaker squeaked as its sole landed back on the hardwood floor. “Wait a minute...” Lex whispered, as she finally spotted Lily’s phone in the living room.

“Yes, here! Lex, right here! Yes, yes, you see me!” Lily screamed at the giant. To the shrinky, it had felt like her friend had looked her straight in the eye, but she knew better than to suppose she had been seen at all yet. Lex’s footsteps fell with heavy thuds sending swift but deep vibrations up her tiny legs. Lily watched in awe as the titaness closed the gap between the entrance and her phone with a few strides. The tiny blonde jumped up and down, screaming as loud as she could to get Lex’s attention. As the giant looked down, a smirk formed on her lips. Lily knew that this time, she had actually seen her.

Lex tried her best to carefully pick Lily’s puny form between her slender fingers without breaking every bone in her body. After years living in a post-shrinking pandemic world, Lex had become quite agile handling the unlucky ones who caught the virus. Despite doing nothing that would threaten Lily, Lex could feel the tiny blonde’s hands and feet struggle against her fingertips. She giggled as the shrinky’s best efforts barely tickled her. Of course, she could imagine how terrifying it was for Lily - trapped in darkness because of a closed hand. Lex’s careful nature during the pandemic was in large part due to imagining how insufferable it would be to be in a shrinky’s position. Lex sat down on the living room’s sofa and dropped the tiny blonde on the wooden coffee table in front of her.

“Did you make a wish? First time being picked up and all.” Lex laughed as she retrieved her phone, her cigarettes and her lighter from her pockets before lounging back. Lily watched in silence as the giant facing her grabbed a cigarette out of the pack and lit it up. A massive cloud of smoke escaped her lips and rose in the air. Lex grabbed the ashtray by the window and laid it next to her on the couch. “Glad you kept that thing around from the last time I was here.” Lex said, pointing with the burning end of her cigarette to the ashtray. “Here, since I know it’s very important for you...” Lex continued, this time with a hint of mischief as she stood back up to open the bay window, letting a cool morning breeze enter the room. The giant sat back down and flicked some ash over the ashtray.

“What’s the point of the window if you put the ashtray on my couch Lex? It’s beige.” Lily asked as loudly as she could, knowing how weak shrinkies’ voices are to normal size people.

“I can remove the ashtray altogether if you want. You’re planning on using that couch again anyway?” Lex jokingly snapped back with a smile. Despite her savior’s humorous tone, the words cut deep into Lily’s pride. She was slowly coming to terms with the fact that her old life was gone forever. That included everything she ever worked for and took care of - beige sofa included. “Actually, I could use your place for the rest of the month. Nice timing shrinking right after paying rent.” Lex continued to tease, dragging on her cigarette. “I stay here to check if your tiny ass doesn’t get eaten by a bug from time to time and when your landlord starts banging on the door, I go back to my place. It’s not as nice as yours, obviously. Though compared to the “rooms” shrinkies live in, you’ll think it’s a damn palace.” Lex laughed, remembering all the nasty places she ever saw shrunken people in.

“Wait. You’re okay with keeping me?” Lily asked, her heart suddenly beating faster as all the terrible scenarios she had imagined faded away from her mind.

“I said I’d come, didn’t I?” Lex asked with a smile.

“I mean… yeah. I just thought…” Lily shyly replied, trying to remember all the terrible things she thought Lex would do after her phone’s battery died.

“That I was kidding? That I’d come, point my finger at you, laugh and bail? That I’d stomp you right here and there?” Lex listed, an eyebrow raised inquisitively.

“Yeah! Kinda. You called me “bug girl” and then my phone died and I didn’t know if you were serious.” Lily breathed out in relief that none of the worst that her imagination came up with would come to fruition.

“Well, you’re a bug now, for all intents and purposes. ‘Girl’ is for people, but I wasn’t sure you had actually caught the damn virus. I took a massive risk and used it anyway - sorry if it’s offensive to your kind.” Lex jokingly explained leaving Lily unable to guess if the giant was serious or not. Enjoying the confusion on the shrinky’s face, Lex let her worry for a bit as she snuffed out her cigarette butt and took another out of the pack. “God it must suck so bad to not be able to tell people to fuck off when they mess with you.” Lex finally broke the silence laughing. Grabbing the lighter on the table, she lit the new cigarette and blew the smoke in Lily’s direction. The shrinky coughed as the massive cloud overwhelmed her senses.

“Goddamnit Lex…” Lily whispered under her breath, coughing till the cloud of smoke finally dissipated. “So that’s it then? I just get to live on?” the tiny blonde asked, still worried fate was overly kind to her.

“‘Live on’ might be an exaggeration. I mean, you aren’t gonna be my precious little pet living in a pretty dollhouse or anything. First cause fuck having you living in a nicer place than I do. Second cause my life ain’t gonna rotate around yours. You should see yourself less as a pet, more like some little vermin roaming around my place. Perhaps making yourself useful sometimes.” Lex replied, musing about the possibilities of having Lily around. The shrinky’s heart dropped a bit hearing Lex’s words.

“I guess indulging you in playing ‘vermin for mistress’ isn’t a high cost for not being crushed, eaten or sold to some shrinky bar.” Lily pondered, her fate’s dreadfulness still filling her mind.

“I never said anything about you calling me ‘Mistress’” Lex replied with a smirk on her lips.

“Out of this whole fucking thing, that’s what your mind fixates on?” Lily snapped back, baffled by her new owner’s focus.

“I didn’t say it. You did. I said you’d basically be some little vermin roaming around my place and you added ‘Mistress’ in there on your own accord.” Lex explained like she would a badly-behaved kid. Lily didn’t know what to say. “Hey, it’s fine by me if you wanna call me that. Like, it has a good ring to it.” Lex continued, leaving her words trail into a suggestion.

“I never said I wanted to call you that!” Lilly shouted back, getting flustered.

“No, but maybe it’s your tiny subconscious talking.” Lex giggled, flicking ash over the ashtray.

“It’s not!” Lily replied angrily, blushing over the nature of the conversation.

“It’s your subconscious, dummy, you couldn’t tell if it was or not. All I’m saying is, you said it. Come on, try it. Say it. Just for shits and giggles.” Lex said mischievously but leaving little room for Lily to dare disobey.

“C’mon Lex, why do you have to mess with me like that?” Lily tried arguing.

“Nah huh. Say it again properly now.” Lex laughed seeing her tiny friend trapped in an inescapable situation.

“Fuck…” Lily whispered to herself. “Come on Mistress Lex, why do you have to mess with me like that?” the shrinky said with as much sarcasm as she could. A cloud of smoke abruptly escaped Lex’s lips as she laughed without restraint. Lily’s burnt red with shame, frustrated by seeing the giant toy with her while unable to do anything about it.

“The great Lily calling me ‘Mistress’. I’m surprised it’s not snowing right now!” Lex continued to laugh. “Oh come on, drop the long face. You’ll have to get used to me fucking around with you. Better you have fun with it or that roach life of yours is gonna feel particularly long. Like, here, look…” Lex started to say before snuffing out her cigarette in the ashtray and bringing her foot over her knee.

Lily watched as the titaness pulled her sneaker off her foot revealing a dirty pink sock beneath it. Lex casually threw her shoe on the sofa, making the ashtray bounce and drop some ash on the pristine light fabric. Sliding her index within the sock, Lex peeled it off quickly before throwing it on the table next to her new toy. As Lex focused on her other foot, Lily approached the sweaty undergarment. She could feel it radiating warmth from a distance.

“Yeah, I didn’t have time to change. I was just getting home when I got your message. It’s your fault for shrinking during the night, bug.” Lex teased the tiny woman who was taking a step back trying to escape the scent of sweat emanating from the discarded sock. Lily stopped her efforts and breathed again as Lex’s second sock landed right behind her, annihilating her chances to breathe fresh air.

“So, as I was saying, you’re gonna have to get used to do shit just cause I said so.” Lex explained as she lit her third cigarette and brought her left foot on the coffee table with a thud bringing Lily to her knees. “Like if I say ‘Hey bug, how about you kiss my foot’, you say?” Lex’s intonation increased an octave hinting Lily to reply.

“Hell the fuck no!” Lily shouted back, trying to get back on her feet. She immediately stumbled down again as Lex’s big toe gently hit her in the chest.

“Wrong answer! Come on, try again” Lex smiled as her eyes locked in her shrinky’s pleading look. “Oh come on, skip the roleplay and just kiss my damn foot, Lily” Lex continued, raising her eyes to the sky.

Lily was slowly starting to understand that Lex wouldn’t let go. It was her twisted way of making the future easier for her. A bit of pain now to avoid a lot later. Resigned, Lily approached the toes facing her and brought her lips on the glistening skin. Above, she could hear Lex giggle as her tiny mouth tickled the giant’s skin.

“See? Here, give it some love there as well.” Lex said teasingly as she raised her toes, bringing Lily’s head between two of them. More strained mentally than physically, Lily kept on kissing, waiting for her new owner to get bored of the novelty. “Ew… You’re a filthy little bug, aren’t you?” The words rang in Lily’s ears, making her shiver from a feeling she refused to associate with pleasure. Between the massive toes, Lily could see Lex’s satisfied smile as she smugly dragged on her cigarette. “Oh we’re gonna have fun! You can stop now by the way. You get the point.” Lex casually said as her foot retreated below the table, leaving a thin trail of sweaty condensation on the dark wood.

“At least Stacy’s feet would have been clean.” Lily muttered under her breath just loudly enough for Lex to hear the jab.

“Yup! You would have popped like a tiny grape under clean feet. Come on, admit it. Calling me was the best decision you could have made. Even calling the shrinky hotline would have been worse. You hear the scary stories about those creeps doing the rounds collecting shrinkies all the time. I’m no savior, but I’m still the next best thing.” Lex joked, bringing a hint of a smile on Lily’s face.

“Sure, whatever you say…” Lily mumbled, knowing very well Lex was right.

“Nah huh… Let that sluttly subconscious of yours express itself.” Lex replied with a smirk.

“Sure, whatever you say, Mistress Lex.” Lily replied loudly and clearly, raising her eyes to the sky.

“That's the idea! I might get bored of you someday, but that? Not a fucking chance…” Lex sighed as she snuffed out her last cigarette.

I knew when I made Doubt that I'd have to make a worthy follow up to the ideas it brought. Plus, since Lex was involved, it was the perfect opportunity to show more of her actively interacting with a shrinky.

I rarely include foot worship in my work because of how 3D feet look. However, after spending a very long time fine-tuning Lex's, I felt they were good enough to play a big role in this new piece.

As always, I hope you enjoy this new artwork and story (I think it's my longest yet, I'm tired of typing) :D