How can she possibly stay focused? She suddenly covers her face and accidentally thumps her head against the lampstand.
Adrian looks up. “What’s up, Mira?”
“Nothing! Just a small headache,” she blurts out.
“Are you okay? Is the side effect still hitting you?”
“No, it’s nothing. Don't mind me.”
"Do you want to head to bed already?
Her brain is still spacing out—maybe she really did inhale too many mushroom spores. She isn't sleepy, but she can't seem to stay focused on anything. Finally, she nods.
The library sits right next to the stargazing room, and after Adrian’s two strikes, she is already settled on the massive bed, watching the rain pour over the glass ceiling in the dim light.
"Adrian, can we talk?"
Adrian is half-sitting on the bed. "About what?"
"Nothing special," Mira says. "Just... bedtime talk..."
Mira turns to him, gesturing toward the pillow right next to her. She doesn’t quite know why she wants him so close. Maybe it is the emotional warmth that has grown from being cared for all evening, maybe the comfort of his presence, maybe the way her hazy thoughts keep drifting toward him, or the deep sense of safety she feels whenever he is near. She cannot separate one feeling from another. All she knows is that the distance between them suddenly feels wrong.
Adrian moves to join her, reclining his massive frame against the headboard. As he settles his head onto his pillow, his giant form dwarfs her completely. To Mira, he looks like a titan at rest; his shoulder rises like a high wall, and his features become a landscape of sharp, handsome angles in the dim light. She looks up at the rain pouring onto the glass ceiling, her head still feeling a bit hazy.
"How was your day?" Mira asks.
"Setting up an advanced cognitive security system and an emotion-related AI interface for some clients," Adrian says. "Signed off on some funding, followed up on lab research, and picked up your laptop and the tracking vest."
Mira lifts her head a bit, surprised he is actually sharing his day with her. "Is it okay to tell me all that?"
"General info is harmless," Adrian replies.
"What makes you the happiest?"
Adrian smiles, glancing sideways at her. "Rescuing a fairy," he says. "Watching her sleepwalk, hearing her talk in her sleep, and seeing her play magic with the air. Watching the rain on the same bed with her. Telling her how my day went while looking closely at her pink cheeks, her silver hair, and her pouty face.”
Mira feels a rush of heat that has nothing to do with the "drunk" side effect of the spores. She quickly pulls the edge of her tiny blanket up to her nose, trying to hide the deepening crimson of her cheeks. Hearing him list those things—especially the part about her talking in her sleep—makes her want to vanish into the mattress. She steals a glance at him from over the hem of the blanket. He is still looking at her, his expression unusually relaxed.
Mira hesitates, her curiosity getting the better of her. “Adrian, how long do you usually work?” She catches herself, realizing he seems to be at it constantly. “Actually... how much do you even rest?”
“What do you mean by rest?”
“You know, things that aren’t work.”
“Ten minutes for each meal, so thirty minutes total,” he begins, his tone completely matter-of-fact. “Four hours of sleep. Two to three hours for commuting, depending on the day. Ten minutes for a shower, three times a day. Other personal stuff takes less than an hour.”
Four hours of sleep... how can he even survive on a schedule that exhausting? And now, he has to look after her, too. A heavy weight settles in her chest.
"Why do you have to work so hard?" Mira asks, her voice trailing off. "I mean, uhm, lack of sleep will shorten your lifespan, and stuff like that..."
“Don’t worry. I sleep on the plane, and I usually rest during the commute too.”
"Am I messing up your schedule?" Mira asks, realizing she has asked the same question several times already. The thought of becoming a hindrance to him somehow keeps haunting her.
"Indeed—but in a good way."
“How?”
“Cutting off unnecessary work and investments. Spending more time laughing at nonsense and more time doing nothing at all… just talking and looking at the ceiling.”
Mira lies there, watching his mouth move as he explains, as though wasting time with her matters just as much as all the work that usually fills his days. Her attention settles entirely on the sharp, clean line of his jaw and the warmth radiating from him, while the rain continues to beat against the glass above.
Somehow, if her silly stories and all the trouble she brings can brighten his life, even just a little, she finds herself more than willing to do it again and again.
Mira moves before she can overthink it, her tiny body feeling weightless and uncoordinated as she sprawls out across the mattress to close the distance to the landscape of his face, her lips already pressing against the skin of his cheek before the sentence even finishes.
"A little thank-you for saving me today," she says, her face instantly flushing a deep crimson.
If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
"I’m already tiny—it's not like I can shrink any smaller, right?"
She bolts back to her own spot as fast as she had leaned in, her heart racing against her ribs.
Adrian turns his head, his eyes meeting hers for a brief moment. He shifts onto his side, the mattress dipping beneath his weight as he brings his face closer to hers, careful not to jostle her small body. As his large fingers wrap gently around her, he presses a soft kiss on her tiny cheek as well.
"Sleep next to me, Mira."
The words settle in the warm space between them, softer than the rain tapping against the glass ceiling yet heavier than anything he has said before. His thumb begins to move slowly along her cheek, brushing away the heat that has settled there; the touch is so tender, as though he is afraid she might vanish if he lets go.
For a moment, he seems to hesitate, his gaze searching her face with an intensity that makes her breath hitch, the sharp lines of his features softened by something vulnerable she rarely sees.
“I want to wake up with you every morning and fall asleep beside you every night,” he continues. “I want to hold your hand, go everywhere with you, share every little moment, talk about every silly thing that comes to mind and tell you about the new code I’m writing—even if it makes no sense to you. How can I do all of this without scaring you off?”
He says, eyes staying on her like she is his entire world. He sounds so certain while she is still figuring out who she is, still learning what love even means. She has never once imagined him liking anyone else, never pictured him walking beside another girl or sharing those moments with someone who is not her. Somehow, she has already placed herself in that space beside him without noticing, believing it has always been meant for her. Having him close feels so natural that she cannot even bring herself to imagine what it would be like without him.
She takes a small breath, gathering her courage.
“Waking up together every morning sounds a little big for me… I’m still trying to understand things like that. But when I think about a day without talking with you, without being beside you, it feels empty somehow. I think I want it too… sharing those moments with you.”
She pauses, her fingers tightening slightly in the blanket.
“I’m sorry for running off and hiding you in the closet last night,” Mira stammers. “Everything in my world feels like…it’s turning upside down lately, and being next to you felt too unreal to me… like I didn’t even know if I was supposed to be there.”
“If your world is turning upside down, then let it turn around me too.”
Adrian whispers. His words make a strange feeling stir inside her, the feeling of being so close, of wanting to hug him, wanting to kiss him, wanting to swirl into each other and melt in each other’s embrace.
But here she is, tiny, silly, and helpless, no matter how much she wants to.
“Come here.” He lifts her slightly, just enough to settle her next to his face. The heat of him seeps into her slowly. Each breath ghosts across her cheek, her hair, and the edge of her temple, a little slower and warmer, as though it has travelled a long way before finding her.
“You like astronomy?” Mira asks, glancing at the giant telescope near the windows.
“It reduces cognitive overload.”
“That’s called a hobby, Adrian. Or relaxing.”
“Do you want to watch the sky with me next time? When the weather’s better?”
“If you’d told me about that magnificent telescope earlier, we could’ve watched the full moon together.”
“I didn’t expect you to be such a material girl.”
“No one can resist a personal telescope that big. Did you take any pictures?”
“A few.”
“How often?”
“Twice a year.”
“Can you show me?”
“You should get some sleep. I’ll show you tomorrow.”
“Are you tired?”
“A bit.”
“Worried?”
“A lot.”
“What time should we wake up tomorrow?”
“Is five thirty okay?”
“Wake me when you wake.”
“That would be too early.”
“Then you should sleep more.”
And just like that, they talk on, letting the night just be night and the rain just be rain, until both fall asleep, until a warm halo wraps them both in their sweetest dream, and the room turns into a galaxy of sparkling cerulean spore dust.
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The clock breathes midnight. Their voices faded hours ago. The rain has ended, letting silver ribbons of water glide down the glass. Mira’s silver hair spills across the pillow, catching the glow of the starry sky. Her face softens as her eyes flutter open. She cannot look away. They are lying so close that she can feel the very beat of his heart, syncing with the rhythm of her own. Every line of his face as he sleeps feels unreal. With a held breath, she lets her hand rise, brushing a loose strand from his forehead and tracing the air near his cheek as if memorizing the shape of him.
Then, his arm lifts, and his fingers slip into her hair before resting there, curling with unconscious trust. Slowly, her hand reaches his, her fingers curling gently around the ones tangled in her hair, letting their hands rest together. She never thought that being this close to him would make her chest feel this fluttery and peaceful at the same time. His breathing changes at the warmth of their joined hands, deepening as his eyes drift open, dark and hazy with sleep. Mira holds her breath, staying perfectly still, yet he only smiles—a slow, tender curve of his lips as if she is the best part of the dream he just left behind. He leans in with agonizing slowness, closing the final inch between them.
Their lips meet in a hesitant brush, soft as a petal falling onto a still surface of an autumn lake, a gentle touch, sweet and breathless, shared by two hearts discovering their first vibration. Mira feels her heart skip, followed by a sudden rush of warmth that dissolves her fears, making her feel light and airy. Tiny blue and pink crystal flowers begin to sprout and bloom along the pillows, over his ears. The world outside the glass fades, leaving only the scent of the rain and the sweetness of their first kiss. In the glow of the room, Mira realizes she is no longer afraid of love; she is living within it. If time could stop anywhere, she wishes it would be here, letting them stay in this moment forever.
As their breath parts, Adrian gently reaches out to a small glowing crystal flower near her ear. Its petals, fragile as morning dew, melt away at his touch.
"I love you, Mira," he whispers, his feather-light thumb brushing her cheek before his lips find hers again. Mira gently closes her eyes, her mouth parting just enough to let out a tiny sigh of wonder, her fingers curling into the bare skin of his chest to find her balance.
“I love you too, Adrian.”
They hold each other close, simply lying there for a long while. Adrian’s oversized white shirt drapes over Mira like a long gown, the cotton still warm from his body. As the halo of the moment settles, heat colors Mira's cheeks. This is the first time she has seen him this way, half-clothed; his skin reaches her like the heat of a summer sun. In response to her fluttering heart, more flowers bloom, their petals spilling over the pillows in a soft tide.
"Mira, you're burying us in flowers.” Adrian looks at her with a surprising smile.
Mira falters, her gaze darting away from the curve of his shoulder. “Would things change… if I didn’t shrink?”
“Then we wouldn’t sleep next to each other like this.”
Adrian leans over, his weight shifting the mattress as he rests on one elbow and looks at her. He gently tugs at the edge of the collar until her eyes meet his again.
He captures one of her hands, lacing his fingers through hers against the pillow. "You look much better in my clothes than I do."
Mira hesitates; the memory of their kiss is still in her mind.
"Adrian... did I... was it okay? I mean...the kiss…how did I taste?"
Adrian looks at her the moment she asks, his eyes softening without him even realizing it. His hand slides to the back of her neck to keep her close.
"Mira, you're so sweet that I want to taste you over and over."
He draws back just enough to look at her. Their eyes meet in the dim light just for a second before he leans in and claims her lips once more. This time with a certain heat that leaves her breathless. His arms lock around her as if she might disappear. It feels like they've been waiting for this moment for a lifetime.
The night goes on just like that, with neither of them wanting to break the hold for anything.
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