gwm/ghost

WRITING⟢ official story the ruler

ASKS AND YAPS (ask me about my sillies n i'll love you 4eva) james nelson and power imbalances james again minor key and places to be stored borrower au? minor key and food

ART reference sheet minor key trio crime floor long drives the minor key trio as borrowers clara and james sketch

⟣ᵐ//ₘ⟢

Bringing Kai and Cooper was her first mistake. 

Her second, was glancing towards the edge of the platform.

Laying on the ground, just in front of the railing, was a ruler.

A normal sized one. 

12 inches at one end, 30 centimeters at the other. 

Wooden.

Absolutely not where it belongs.

“Why is it even here,” She muttered.

Kai nudged it with his foot, but it hardly shifted. 

“Do we think it was accidentally dropped here? Or did somebody put it on the platform to make fun of us?” 

They stared at it.

“This is definitely mockery,” Clara said. “We should throw it off the ledge.”

“We should use it first,” Kai said.

Clara raised an eyebrow. “For what?”

Before he could answer, Cooper was already moving. He laid next to it, feet at the base of the inch side. “Kai, how tall am I?”

Clara shut her laptop. “Bell, you are literally letting yourself become a punchline.”

“I’m reclaiming it.”

Kai squatted down, pressing Cooper’s hair flat for a more accurate measurement. 

“Three inches and nine-tenths.”

“Surprising no one,” Clara rolled her eyes.

“Okay, Grace,” Cooper pushed himself up. “Your turn.”

“No, you’re just going to call me short.”

“Fine, Kai, go,”

Kai sighed, taking Cooper’s place on the ground.

“I’m gonna laugh when you’ve shrunk,” Clara said.

“That’s not funny.”

“It wouldn’t be the first time it happened.”

Clara watched from her chair as Cooper measured Kai. The ruler was unfairly longer than them. 

A simple measuring device they could once hold in their hands now lay a heavy reminder of what the Condensing took.

“Three point six,” Cooper confirmed. “You have not shrunk again.”

“Thank god.”

He helped Kai up before turning back to Clara. “Grace.”

She stared at them. She knew she should open her laptop again. This happened every time she asked them to go study somewhere.  

Really, she just needed to stop inviting them.

“I’m doing homework.” She tried weakly.

Kai held out his hand. “It’ll be funny.”

“To who?”

Cooper replied like it was obvious. “Me.”

Kai moved his hand closer. “It’s for science.”

“You two hate science.”

With his full body weight, Cooper crouched to push the ruler towards her. “This isn’t even science. It’s math.”

“That just feels like semantics.”

“Grace,” Cooper whined. “You can’t be the only one who doesn’t do it.”

She hesitated.

She knew this was for the punchline. Oh ha ha, look at the three inch girl. But, she also knew if she didn’t let herself get measured, Cooper would say some shit like she’s secretly two inches tall and lying. 

She pushed away from the table with a dramatic huff. The legs of the chair scraped against the ground and echoed through their little library section. 

“Fine,” she said. “Make fun of my height. Whatever.”

Clara crossed her arms as she laid down. The ruler was cool against the side of her leg.

Cooper immediately leaned in, squinting with theatrical sincerity. 

His hand pressed flat to her head, fingers aligning with the marks on the ruler.

Silence spread through their little corner of the room.

Kai’s grin faltered the tiniest bit.

Clara looked up at them. “What.”

Kai’s eyes flicked to Cooper.

Cooper’s mouth twitched. “Oh.”

“What do you mean oh.”

Kai crouched to tug at her ankles. “Okay. Feet at zero.”

She scoffed. “I know how rulers work, they are.”

And they were. 

He pressed his lips together.

“This is a fucked up prank, I’ll have you know,” Clara said. 

“Move over to the centimeter side.”

“Kick a three inch girl while she’s down, why don’t you.”

Something shifted in Kai’s face. She couldn’t read it, but it was enough to make her move to the opposite end of the ruler.

Immediately, Kai and Cooper crowded over her like idiots. 

Kai leaned so close she could feel his breath against her hairline. 

Cooper’s shoulder was pressed to Kai’s as he squinted, then laughed- sharp and entirely at Clara’s expense. “Oh my god.”

She glared at him. 

“What.”

“You’re seven and a half centimeters tall.”

“So?”

“So…that’s not three inches.”

“Let me guess, three point one?”

Kai did some silent math on his fingers. 

“Two point nine five.”

Clara sat up, almost smacking her head against theirs. “You are so fucking with me.”

Cooper made a noise caught between delight and horror. “You’ve been rounding up this whole time!”

“You’re such bad liars.”

“We wouldn’t lie about this.”

“You absolutely would. Did you coordinate this?”

“Honored you think we’re smart enough to pull it off.”

She glared at Cooper.

“The ruler is wrong.”

“The ruler is not wrong.”

“It is and you probably put it there yourselves.”

“Why would we-?” Cooper cut himself off with a laugh.

She turned to Kai, who would surely end the bit quicker. “Bennett.”

He held his hands up in defense. 

“I’m not fucking with you,” he motioned to the ruler. “It’s literally right there.”

Cooper was still half laughing, half wheezing when Clara whirled on him.

“Bell.”

He turned his face away, shoulders shaking as one hand covered his mouth. 

“This is funny to you?”

“It’s-” He tried to speak, but just shook his head as he swallowed a laugh. “It’s just-”

Clara shoved the ruler. 

It didn’t budge. 

“I literally do not believe you guys. I have been three inches tall for years. It’s the height the government measured me at! That’s official shit. It’s stated it on forms. I have filled it out on paperwork. I have-”

Kai’s voice was careful, almost apologetic, as it interrupted her. “You have been rounding.”

She glared at him.

“No.”

Cooper finally found his voice. “You absolutely have.”

“I have not!”

Kai’s eyes flicked to the ruler again. “Two point nine five isn’t even-”

“Stop saying it out loud.”

“No, I just mean, the Condensed range is three to four. So,” Kai trailed off.

“See?” Clara stood fully now, pointing a finger at the wooden lie. “That ruler is faulty.”

“And yet Kai and I were the correct heights?” Cooper asked.

Clara opened her mouth, then shut it.

She blinked at the ruler.

Then, slowly, she turned to Kai and Cooper.

“Measure me again.”

“Clara-” Kai said softly.

“Do it again,” she insisted. “And right this time.”

She laid back, triple checking her feet sat at zero inches. She stretched every limb flat and as long as they could go. 

This time, there was less humor in Cooper’s expression.

Kai looked almost sorry.

“These reactions are so much worse. Don’t tell me it’s even smaller.” Clara said, her stomach twisting.

“No,” Cooper leaned back on his heels. “Still two point nine five.”

“I mean,” Kai made a helpless little motion. “Ninety five is so close to the nearest whole number that it doesn’t even matter. Visually you’re three inches.”

“Do not ruin my life and then try to make it better.” She glared.

Kai pressed his lips together and nodded. 

She sat up, pushing the ruler away again. It shifted less than a centimeter. 

“You two are never speaking about this.”

Cooper opened his mouth, but before he could say something stupid, Kai elbowed him. “We wont.”

“Not even when it would objectively be the funniest bit.”

“Not a word.”

“Not even a face,” she pushed.

Kai nodded. “We promise.”

“Swear on your relationship,” Clara said, tilting her chin up.

Cooper made a strangled sound. “Now that’s-”

“Swear.”

“Okay,” He held his hands up. “I swear.”

Kai’s eyes kept drifting to the ruler. “I swear.”

She waited for a crack in their composure.

When it didn’t come, she stood, dusting off her hands.

“Now can we throw it off the ledge?”

The time of year was officially upon them. 

October first.

The day Eliza decided to cram out halloween costumes for all her friends in under a month. 

James knew she kept a growing list of costume ideas as they popped in her head through out the year. And every year, on the first of the month, Eliza cornered all her friends in a lounge or dorm to assign looks. 

This had been a long time coming since June, but Eliza liked the challenge of a deadline.

James didn’t know how she did it.

Between classes and football, his fall semesters already felt like a slow test of willpower. 

To add the Major//Minors and everything the project entailed on top of this year?

Halloween was the last thing James was concerned about.

The lounge was silent as Eliza scrolled through her phone. 

“I didn’t think of many full group ideas this year,” she murmured. “It’s mostly pairs or trios.”

The swiped through her notes, occasionally glancing up at the group before looking back down.

James watched her look up at Robin, frown, then delete a line. 

“You’re really taking it seriously this year, huh, Liza.” Kai said.

“This is not just fun outfits for a party or two,” Eliza said. “You guys need to think more about the content.”

“Alternatively,” Cooper leaned forward. “You should think less of the content. Your perfectionism is slowly suffocating the room, Jones. Just throw something out there.”

“Fine,” Eliza looked up from her phone. “Clara, will you be Tinkerbell and Wendy with me?”

Clara stared at her.

“Um, no?”

“Please? That would be so cute,” Eliza begged. “And without Tink, I’d just look like a girl in a blue dress. People would think I’m Alice in Wonderland.”

She gasped, typing something into her phone. 

“I can be Alice from Alice in Wonderland.”

“I mean,” Cooper motioned to Clara. “She’d be more of a Rosetta anyway.”

Clara slowly turned to him.

She glanced up at his blond hair, then back to his face. 

“Are you...volunteering?”

Cooper raised his hands in defense, turning to Eliza with wide eyes. “No.”

“Why do you know the Pixie Hollow fairies off the top of your head?” Clara pressed.

“I have a little sister.”

“Do you watch the Pixie Hollow movies, Bell?” She gasped. “Bell! Tinkerbell! You have to do it.”

Eliza waved them off. “I think Cooper and Kai should be those tiny gay men from Night at the Museum, anyway.”

Robin choked on a laugh. “Jedediah and Octavius?!” 

“Yes! And you’d be the night guard.”

James grinned. “That actually ain’t bad.”

“I will use the worst midwest accent the world has ever seen.” Cooper pointed at him. “I’ll put you to shame.”

“I am from Georgia, I don’t have a midwestern accent.”

“Same difference.”

Eliza gasped.

“What?” Kai asked.

She looked up from her notes with a grin that made James sit straighter. 

“Eliza.”

“I had this idea for last year and totally forgot. And it’s even funnier now since we’ve been talking about it so much recently.”

“Oh no,” Kai said.

Eliza pointed to Clara, then to James.

“Secret World of Arrietty.”

“No.”

James closed his eyes. “This movie again?”

“It’s so perfect!” Eliza gushed.

Clara rolled her eyes. “Can I be Sho?”

Cooper snorted.

“You’re actually pretty funny sometimes, Grace.”

“Well, I’m not going to be Arrietty.”

“You’d make a great Arrietty,” Robin said.

“Would not.”

“You’ve got the personality,” Kai started. “I mean, you’re a lot more hostile. But it’s kinda perfect.”

“It’s not that perfect,” Clara crossed her arms. “I think you’re all getting caught up in the red hair.”

“Yes,” Cooper sighed, motioning up and down at James. “Because that is the perfect representation of a sick little boy with a heart condition.”

“I ain’t so sure I know what this movie is about anymore.”

“Borrowers, James!” Clara glared at him. “Jesus Christ, keep up!”

She turned back to Eliza.

“Liza, you know it is psychological warfare to make James do this without having seen the movie.”

“Oh,” Eliza tilted her head. “So you agree?”

“No.” Clara crossed her arms. “But I know James and how he thinks.”

She turned back to him.

“Say no.”

James glanced down at her, then back up at Eliza.

“How complicated is the costume?”

Clara made a frustrated little sound. 

“Just a white shirt,” Eliza smiled.

James pressed his lips together.

With classes, the project, the activism, and football all on his plate- James couldn’t afford to do much more.

He looked back down at Clara.

She looked like, if she could wrap her hands around his neck, she’d have strangled him by now.

“It’s just a white shirt, baby.”

Cooper made a noise of utter delight behind his hand. “Oh my god, Nelson.”

“Is it not just a movie ‘bout tiny folk in the walls?”

yes. cooper thinks its funny as fuck to steal a french fry the size of him. but hand him a little piece of a recently peeled orange?? infinity better.

juicy fruit is SO messy, but the three of them will never turn it down. kai's personal fav would be a single drupelet from a raspberry or blackberry. clara used to love them, until she stained the entire front of her shirt with raspberry juice and now will not touch them.

even fresh baked goods are different for the condensed. it's hard to come by treats. everything made for them is for survival, not indulgence. so the minor key trio is thrilled when they can get their hands on some cake or a fluffy pastry.

another little part of canon is that the tiny side of westdale campus has different meals in the dining hall then the regular one. the condensed students get lots of soups/stews, because it's the easiest to make in bulk and to scale. don't get me wrong, the food is good, it's just so repetitive. so you know the trio is absolutely getting their hands on a bite of their friend's food whenever they can.

clara is absolutely the kind to try and steal food right out from someone’s nose

james lets her

that’s the thing. the tiny trio absolutely still gets access to “regular” food, bc ofc their friends share.

i think eliza would go out of her way to conveniently have food on hand that the trio likes, even if it might not be her fav

bc what's he gonna do against a full sized person? he can't stop a giant hand. he can't fight a malicious person. but you know he's putting kai and clara behind him anyway.

he's always been self sacrificial. but at 3.9 inches, the danger that comes with it becomes life or death tbh.

cooper bell would give anything to be full sized. not for himself. not for some personal reason like autonomy or access. and not for power in some weird selfish way either.

he wants to be full sized to control the danger.

to have his body actually mean something when it's between the threat and his people.

no wonder he’s so mean. no wonder he watches everything. no wonder when he’s scared it comes out as sarcasm. if he actually sat with the helplessness, it would eat him alive.

also he was like a lacrosse player in highschool??? not totally relevant but a blonde man with that much audacity and confidence should not be allowed to be full sized

kai isn't her cousin in this au, but c'mon i couldn't seperate them r u kidding. kai is a borrower robin caught when they were 11. they're best friends lowkey. so when robin left for college,,,, kai went too. obvi

he doesn't just live in the open in robin's room, though. even though he trusts robin and she makes sure he has the food and supplies he needs, he's never been reliant on her. kai still choses to live in the walls and try to gather his own resources. he goes out at night and hides from the rest of the household during the day.

so ofc when they move into this new apartment, kai immediately begins to map out the walls. there a little pocket of space right behind robin's closet where he's decided to stay. it's a little further from the rest of the apartment, but as long as he's near robin he rlly doesn't care. he doesn't need to live in the walls. he just wants to keep his borrower dignity.

there's only one problem. these walls have very clearly been lived in.... if not currently then very recently. it takes kai a while to notice, bc he spends most of his time in the out of the way section behind robin's closet,,, but he definitely picks up on it eventually. worn paths around the kitchen. less dust behind certain outlets.

yeah...this place is definitely inhabited.

enter the other two minor key members. the borrower au boyfriends are probably enemies to lovers bc cooper and clara lowkey super suspicious and territorial at first. they could not tell you the last time they met another borrower. and now this dudes here? who are you. why are you here. leave.

it's a rough first meet. but unfortunately for them, kai isn't going anywhere. cooper and clara slowly warm up to him, but kai never tells them about robin. he can't. he just got these two to trust him, now he's going to tell them he broke the first rule of borrower code? so he awkwardly avoids answering questions when they interrogate how he ended up here. he lies about his past. he pretends to be scared of humans.

and i mean,,, he is scared of humans.

kai trusts robin with his life,,,, but he also knows robin is an incredibly rare exception.

so

when james catches clara, he and cooper immediately assume she's a goner.

james and clara's first meet is not one james nelson is proud of. it's one clara will hold over his head until the end of time tbh. it happens in the kitchen, but it's nothing like borrower challenge. it's just clara on the counter. kai and cooper are off doing something else, probably falling in love, so like,,,gross. you know she stormed off from them, was pissed, and wasn't paying proper attention to her environment.

it's past midnight. james is half asleep. he just wanted water.

he opens the cabinet, takes out a glass, turns around-

and freezes.

on the counter, in the center of the open space, is a tiny red headed woman.

lord, he really needs to be getting more sleep. it's too damn early in the semester to start hallucinating now.

but he blinks, and she's still there when his eyes open again. he looks at his hand holding the glass. all five fingers. he can feel the cold kitchen tile under his feet. he's definitely awake.

"are you...real?"

apparently, speaking was the worst move. whatever fear induced trance the tiny woman was in, snaps. she moves, but in the wrong direction. not backwards, not to the wall, not to safety. just a blind scramble to put as much distance between him and her as possible.

towards the edge of the counter.

ugh i can see it so vividly, maybe one day ill write out a full first encounter borrower au scene. without thinking, in a move he regrets almost immediately, james brings the cup down over her. in this au he's literally never seen or heard of borrowers before, so he's probably moving on the instinct you'd use to trap a bug or a small animal. in canon, and in literally any universe once he knows clara, he'd absolutely use his hands. but when they meet for the first time in this au?? she runs into the edge of the glass with a soft plink, instead of tumbling to what's probably her doom.

unfortunately for him, this makes her panic more. obviously. bc now not only has clara been seen, she's also been caught. insert the classic first encounter conversation where she's begging him not to hurt her and he's all "lord, girl, will you just calm down? i ain't tryin' to hurt you. i'm sorry. i'm so sorry. but i can't just lift the glass and have you fallin' to your death. please calm down. i'll let you go, just please stop cryin'."

delicious.

in the end, she calms down enough to stop being a danger to herself and he lifts the glass. there is absolutely no trust or soft friendship yet. clara glares at him once, before disappearing into a shadow.

in the time between that night and them meeting again, james lowkey convinces himself he's fucking crazy. meanwhile, cooper is convincing clara she's fucking crazy. but for different reasons.

clara leaves the interaction..... confused. a little curious. not scared, not hurt- intrigued. he let her go,,, and he didn't tell the others about it. ofc she wants to know more. and cooper, the only sane borrower left apparently, thinks this is even stupider than the fact that she let herself get caught in the first place. he's a human. he trapped her. who cares if he let her go?? he let her go this time. she's being stupid and reckless. this isn't just a death wish for herself, she's going to drag all of them into it.

they fight about this for weeks.

kai realizes he can never tell them about robin.

clara keeps visiting james behind kai and cooper's back. she vaugly tells him about them, but james honestly respects that borrowers are supposed to live in secret. he sees his friendship with clara as an honor, not entitlement to meet the others. she doesn't talk about them too much, and he never pushes. he tells her about himself instead. like where he came from before going to westdale. he tries to explain football to her, but it's a little too advanced into human society for her to understand.

at some point, eliza starts to get suspicious that their apartment is infested. she doesn't immediately jump to fictional borrowers,,, but she does suggest talking to the landlord about mice.

which is SO fucking funny bc now both robin and james are lowkey gaslighting her to protect the existence of their friends without knowing the other knows.

sorry liza

at least you don’t have mice

and on the other side,,, the day cooper finds out the two people in his life have been breaking borrower code behind his back to sneak off with humans?? he literally blue screens

UGH

the minor key trio as borrowers.

ur so right, like most writers i love my silly characters and i want to do them justice. but i also want the world to love them too,,,, and how’s anyone gonna love em if they stay in my head? there’s nobody who can write this story but me

another thing that’s rlly helped with my perfectionism is just writing every single idea i think of, and then deciding if it’s good later.

i could genuinely rewrite tm//ma another 4 times with different characters as the emotional core. there is SO MUCH in my mind that i’ve cut from the story bc i was worried it would have too much going on. theres 6 different povs, and i’ve developed every character with incredibly in depth histories and plot lines. but thats just too much for a single story, yknow?

i might have mentioned this before? but the story was originally supposed to have kai and robin at the core. it changed everything and nothing. still the condensing. it still held the social/political elements. it had the same big climax, just with different characters involved. overall tho, it was a totally different story tbh. there was a bigger focus on james and his football team. kai had a whole side plot about how high school after the condensing affected him. james drove a shitty old truck. clara and cooper were actually wlw/mlm hostility, not just bickering siblings. poor eliza lost a whole arc tbh. most of it isn’t relevant to the plot anymore, but like, i’ve written some of it anyway. if not as a fully fleshed story then a very in depth info dump

it helps me look back and cherry pick the strongest story elements

i’m also incredibly adhd, and sometimes it clashes with my perfectionism and totally halts productivity. to combat this i am a chronic overplotter. even tho i don’t have the entire story written yet, i know exactly what happens in the rest of the chapters down to each scene. (there’s 32 chapters of canon btw. bye when i said i narrowed down story elements i actually i narrowed down NONE of it HAHA) (and i have an epilogue idea too these guys live rent free in a penthouse in my head) so if im rlly interested in a later scene, ill just write it now. i dont typically force myself to write chronologically. the only reason im so ahead now is bc im a full time student and damn near full time employee. i’m taking summer classes, n i forced myself to bang out a bunch of chapter before my new semester started. realistically, im only writing a few hours a week, and it’s pretty spread out.

i have a lot of elements in the story. it’s kinda hard to keep track of sometimes tbh. i mean,,, nine posted chapters in and we’re only starting to touch on family histories. writing ahead has been rlly helpful bc i can go back and change things before it’s posted. in my mind, once it’s hit tumblr dot com i cannot go back and change it lol. i think in terms of finished chapters i currently have 4 more in queue? but i’m frequently adjusting them, and i have a lot more written that’s just not compiled into scenes

and a little confession?? i don’t think im doing my sillies enough justice with tm//ma. it’s SO vivid and so so good in my head. but some of the plot points and reveals aren’t set up as strongly as they could be. i think once i finally finish the entire story i cannot go back and readjust some things making into much better.

but i also remind myself that nobody sees the story i have in my head. like,,, going back to the original story being about kai and robin, i feel like you can absolutely tell looking at the plot. kai’s going home arc, robin being rlly into the activism, they were all much bigger parts of the story. and when i reread canon tm//ma, part of me feels unsatisfied with the way those plot lines fell to the side. bc in my mind they’re so detailed, but they’re no longer that relevant in canon.

fortunately for me, nobody can see into my brain lol. they’re not comparing the concept to the execution. they only see my final product. and like,,,, i’m writing this thing for free, the only one who has to think it’s good enough is me :)

Westdale’s football team was having a home game. For friends of James Nelson, attendance was mandatory and enforced by Eliza. 

Kai found a different blue sweater, still from Cooper’s closet, and slipped it on. 

Westdale’s colors were blue and gold. Cooper knew for a fact Kai owned his own clothes that passed for school spirit.

He said nothing. 

For Cooper, there was once a time where getting ready for a Friday game meant a uniform, filling his water bottle, and packing his duffle. Not for football, he was never built like James, but lacrosse. 

Clara called it “red flag in sports form” and “bad for their brand”. Even once told him it “did nothing to beat the frat boy in another life allegations” people posted online. 

But he missed it.

Cooper missed being on the field. Missed being able to run and actually cover distance. He missed being good at something. He missed turning to the stands and seeing his family.

He loved showing up for James. But each game hit the same nerve- people used to show up for him.

Kai looked at him through their mirror. “You okay?”

“Yeah.”

He turned around, not believing Cooper for a second.

Cooper considered brushing it off. Making some joke about school spirit or James Nelson’s deeply average football team. Instead, he sat back on his bed and looked anywhere but Kai.

“For some reason, this season specifically keeps making me think of life before.”

“I think that is going to happen a lot this year.” Kai crossed the room, sinking on the mattress next to him. “The Condensing never quite became background noise, but I think we got used to it.”

He ran a hand through Cooper’s hair, fixing some of the out of place strands.

“Feels kinda front and center now, don’t you think?”

“Yeah,” Cooper’s shoulders dropped.

When he looked back at Kai, he was studying him. “Is this about your sister?”

Cooper blinked.

“That was horrifying, Kai.”

Kai laughed softly, dipping his head until it met Cooper’s shoulder. “Well, is it?”

“It’s just,” Cooper bit his lip. “Another summer has passed where nobody asked me to come home. This year, my parents didn’t even waste their energy asking if I had somewhere to stay.”

Kai didn’t say anything. 

“And sure, that didn’t surprise me, but I’m not cut off, Kai. Not in a neat way that would make any of this easier. I’m financially supported. They text me when they feel like it. I’m well loved, from a distance, and as a concept.”

Cooper’s gaze dipped to his lap. To his phone in his hands.

“But?” Kai prompted gently. 

“She was thirteen when the Condensing happened.” 

He ran his hand down his face. “I can understand why my sister didn’t text or call at first. Our parents basically shunned me. I have no idea what they said to her or our family.”

He lifted his phone. Just enough to wake the screen. 

No new notifications.

“I texted her happy birthday last week. Like I do every year. But, I dunno I thought maybe she’d respond this year? She’s older now. Eighteen. I can’t explain away her silence with our parents’ control. And I-”

The phone in his hands got blurry.

The whole room did.

Kai made a sad sound beside him, and a warm thumb came up to brush under Cooper’s eye.

“She used to come to every home game,” Cooper said.

He huffed a wet laugh. 

“She didn’t know anything about lacrosse. Like, genuinely nothing. She’d clap when everyone else clapped. Didn’t matter what team it was for.”

“That sounds about right.”

“Yeah.” Cooper smiled softly. “She used to wear one of my old practice jerseys to the games and point out my number to everyone.” He shook his head. “Acted like I was, like, a celebrity or something.”

Kai’s hand found the back of his head again, pulling Cooper closer to him.

Cooper’s temple found his shoulder. “I’d look to the bleachers and she’d be losing her mind over something objectively unimportant. Half the time I don’t even think she knew if we were winning. She was just happy to see me out there.”

He shut his eyes.

“And now I can’t even get a text back.”

Cooper used to be praised for being an attentive brother. Over-involved? Maybe. Put upon? Of course. But before the Condensing, his sister knew he’d do anything for her. And even if the Condensing severely limited what he could actually accomplish, the sentiment still stood. 

Cooper did everything he could to get that message across. 

Whether it landed or not was a mystery left to their radio silence. 

Kai brushed under his eyes again. “C’mon, we can’t have you show up crying.”

“I could always say I was thinking of how bad Nelson plays.”

⟣

Before heading to the pickup zone where Eliza and Robin said they’d meet them, Kai and Cooper stopped at the tiny train station.

For Clara. 

The second she stepped onto the platform, Kai gave a low disbelieving laugh.

Cooper glared.

“That is my sweater.”

The blue zip up that Cooper had not seen in weeks, was currently on Clara Grace’s three inch form. 

She smiled. “It’s warm.”

“Still my sweater.”

“You left it in my apartment.”

Cooper pinched the bridge of his nose. “It doesn’t even fit you right. How many times were those sleeves even rolled?”

She glanced at him. “Only twice.”

The sweater was designed for somebody 3.9 inches. Like him.

The hem hit Clara mid thigh. Even zipped up fully, the neckline exposed too much shoulder and collarbone. Cooper didn’t even want to see the hood pulled up. 

“You look ridiculous.”

“I look warm.”

Kai adjusted the fabric where it sat wrong at her shoulder, small smile betraying his boyfriend. 

Cooper stared at her. 

“Take it off.”

Clara scoffed. “No.”

“Grace.”

“And put what on?” She crossed her arms, making the absurd amount of fabric pool in a new way. “I’m already here.”

Cooper opened his mouth, closed it, and groaned. 

“You left it at my apartment,” Clara repeated with a shrug that got swallowed by the fabric. 

“That does not absolve you of your crime. Kai wanted to wear that.”

“It’s true,” Kai hummed. But he wasn’t acting nearly upset enough for Clara to care.

“Sorry, Kai, your boyfriend needs to keep better track of his clothes.”

Cooper scoffed. 

⟣

The game was loud and the sidelines were packed.

Robin and Eliza settled next to the bleachers. Far enough from the crowd to hear the smaller trio, but close enough to see the field.

Cooper and Kai were balanced on Robin’s shoulder while Clara tucked herself into Eliza’s chest pocket. She kept switching between hanging out of it to see and clinging on for dear life.

“Eliza, your excitement is triggering my motion sickness,” she groaned, sinking lower.

“Sorry,” the other girl replied, tapping two apologetic fingers where Clara curled under the fabric.

The bleachers next to them erupted as the ball made its way down the field, drowning out the next thing Clara said.

In past seasons they would have been up there in the stands. It would have been crowded, loud, and Robin’s personal hell, but more fun than standing off to the side like wallflowers. 

Cooper liked going to James’ home games. He liked watching football. Not enough to put it on the TV, but enough to indulge in school spirit.

There were worse ways to spend a Friday night.

But half the fun was the crowd. If Cooper couldn’t be on the field, he’d at least settle for the stands. 

But this season, with everything going on, it was better to be where they stood. Cooper knew why. And he agreed, but that didn’t stop him from missing what the nights used to be. He missed the chants, the school spirit, and the objectively better view of the game. 

From their spot, it was mostly noise and moving dots.

It was the new normal, unfortunately.

Big crowds weren’t worth the risk anymore.

“Is it bad that we’ve been going to James’ games for four years, and I still don’t know what’s happening?” Clara asked.

“Better than Cooper, who can’t remember his number.” Kai answered. 

“I know Nelson’s number.”

“Then why do you keep staring at the different players on the field like you’re trying to see through their helmets?”

Cooper paused.

Truthfully, he may have forgotten James’ number. In his defense, he had to relearn it at the start of every season.

“What position does he even play, you two?” Kai continued.

Clara glanced at Cooper.

He looked back.

“You are bad friends.”

Clara scoffed. “I know his number and what he’s doing on the field, just not the name or what any of it means.”

“Tight end.” Kai sighed.

“That means nothing to me.”

“He blocks and catches.”

Clara turned to stare at him. “Kai. That is just football.”

“Yeah,” he motioned to the game. “But James does it in a specific way.”

On the field the ball snapped. 

A blur of Westdale colors knocked one guy aside and caught the ball. A second later, somebody from the other team took him down. 

Kai leaned back. “Just like that.”

Cooper blinked. “Wait, that was him?”

“Jesus Christ, Bell,” Clara groaned.

“What number was that?”

Under him, Robin’s shoulder shook with a laugh. 

Cooper knew football, and he was pretty sure he had identified James at that point. Clara knew which player was James, but not what was happening. 

Together, they just tired out Kai.

Eliza spent half the game cheering and the other half chatting to everyone who walked by. Robin watched with the quiet focus of a woman who only cared because she knew a player.

At the end of halftime, it was looking like an easy win.

By the last quarter, those margins had tightened.

When the buzzer finally sounded, Westdale had won by a single field goal.

The stands erupted into a wall of noise.

Eliza jumped up like the game had been her own hard-earned victory. Clara clung to the lip of her pocket.

“Eliza!” 

She had her own grin on, though. 

Their little area erupted with motion as people poured off the bleachers. The band’s victory march serenaded the team. People called for their friends around them. Robin’s hand came up as it got more crowded, and Eliza planted her feet.

Cooper didn’t spot James until his helmet came off.

Okay.

Number thirty-two. 

Eliza was cheering before he was even in earshot.

When James reached them, he was still wearing the adrenaline. He took Eliza’s high energy in stride, all flushed skin and lopsided grin.

“You were so good!” She grinned. “I took so many pictures but most of them are blurry because I was cheering so hard.”

Robin hovered one hand near his shoulder and made a face. “You are disgusting.”

“Thanks, Robin.”

Clara climbed out of Eliza’s pocket and silently reached for him with the confidence of somebody who never once doubted James would catch her.

And he did.

Cooper rolled his eyes.

One hand came automatically, palm under her body before gravity even took her from Eliza. 

The second her weight hit his hand, his shoulders dropped. Like Clara Grace alone was enough for his body to understand the game had ended. 

Clara steadied herself against his thumb before looking up. 

“Hi.”

His gaze was softer now. “Hey.”

“That was definitely football.”

“That all you got?” James asked, amused.

She thought for a moment.

“You blocked and caught in a specific way.”

James laughed, warm, low, and tired. “Oh, baby.”

Kai leaned in a little from Robin’s shoulder. “That last catch was nice.”

James tipped his head. “Appreciate it.”

Clara squinted up at him. “You looked stupid doing it.”

“Alright,” Robin ushered all of them away from the edge of the field. “James, you need to go shower. We’ll meet you later.”

“Wait, a group picture!” Eliza gasped.

“You cannot post a group picture with him looking like that.” Cooper said.

Clara grinned. “I think you should. Humble him.”

“Y’all are mean,” James sighed.

In the end, Eliza got her photo. At least four, to be accurate. 

Robin cut her off from more with the reminder that they would all reunite in James’ dorm within an hour.

Eliza collected Clara again and threw a few more cheers over her shoulder as they left.

“Have you ever considered cheerleading?” Cooper asked. 

Eliza grinned at him. “You can make fun of me all you want. I’m having fun.”

⟣

The energy in James’ dorm had fully dropped off.

He was leaning against his headboard, the game washed away, Clara back in his hands. She was leaning against his chest, legs kicked out over the palm beneath her. Robin had taken the desk chair, and Eliza found a spot on the floor next to her, head resting on Robin’s thigh. Kai and Cooper were on the desk, and Cooper’s side was warm from where Kai tucked himself into it. 

Most of the group was scrolling through the fan reactions to the borrower videos from a few weeks prior. 

Cooper watched James tilt his head back with a yawn, eyes sliding shut for a beat too long. Then he forced himself up again.

“They’re assigning names for us in a borrower universe.” Clara pointed to her phone. “Three of us already have nicknames.”

“Two.” Cooper corrected.

“There’s three. I fear it’s sticking.”

“Oh no,” Eliza bit her lip. “Cooper, what have they named you.”

“Bell,” Cooper crossed his arms. “That’s not even a nickname! That is my legal last name.”

Clara covered her smile with her hand, because clearly, his misfortune was the funniest thing to happen to her.

“Okay, well what are the other two?” Robin asked. “Are they for Kai and Clara?”

“Wrong,” Cooper crossed his arms. “Red and Bean. Guess fucking who.”

“In all fairness, Red is about as uncreative as Bell,” Clara motioned to her hair. “And you literally gave the internet Bean by saying it first.”

Cooper had, in fact, made the unfortunate mistake of referring to James Nelson as the bean. It was a one liner he thought would be funny and on theme with borrowers. He did not think it would unlock an entire subcategory in the Major//Minors where people assigned them borrower/human personas.

And it was Clara’s damn fault for calling him Bell all the time.

“Is James ‘Bean’?” Eliza leaned forward. “That’s actually kinda cute.”

Kai was scrolling through his phone. “Everyone is talking about Bean and Red lore, since James cannot be normal for two minutes.”

“Objectively, if I caught Clara that would’ve ruined the video,” James said. He paused. “And why are they callin’ me a legume.”

Clara folded over with a laugh.

Robin sighed.

“In borrower stories, humans are called beans,” Eliza explained. “Like. Human Beans.”

James blinked.

“Human beings.”

“Yes.”

“That’s the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“And yet the internet has decided,” Cooper motioned over him. “Bean.”

“Alright, Bell.”

“That means nothing to me. It’s just my government name.”

“I am going to laugh so hard when everyone else also gets really cute little nicknames and Cooper is stuck with Bell.” Clara grinned.

“You have a lot to say for a woman who has literally proven she’d get caught immediately.”

“James is an outlier and that should not count!” She leaned forward in James’ hands. He snapped a little more awake at the shift of her weight. 

“Does this mean we have to actually make a storyline now?” Clara asked.

“I mean,” Kai tucked closer to Cooper. “I’d say it came pretty naturally the first time.”

“It’s not role play if your character shares your government name.”

“You’re so upset about this,” Clara grinned.

“Alright,” Robin, voice dropped, motioning to the bed. “It’s late, and while it would not be the first time we crashed at James’ while he slept, to do it on a game night feels cruel.”

“I am awake.” James mumbled.

“And keeping you that way is what feels so mean.”

Robin stood up, offering her hand to Kai and Cooper.

Eliza looked to the bed. “Clara, you need a hand back to the Heights?”

This got James lifting his head again.

Clara thought about it for a moment, before leaning back into his hands.

“I’m gonna stay here tonight.”

James’ fingers curled up gently. Not enough to cage Clara in, just enough to hold her a little closer. “Night, y’all.”

“You played so well,” Eliza said one last time, blowing both of them a kiss.

⟣

Unfortunately, school was not just Friday night football and harassing Grace for clothing back. 

Cooper Bell had classes.

And getting to them with the same intensity as going to war was starting to get old. 

Some of his tiny only classes, despite being located on the tiny campus, were quicker to move between using the co-sized routes. 

The larger campus had paths built into the walls for tinies. And if two of his classes were on opposite ends of the tiny wing, it was easier to walk along the co-sized border than to take the pathways in the walls.

Cooper tried to avoid using the co-sized routes, mainly because he wasn’t a reckless idiot. But also because he knew Robin would stick a tracker on him if she ever found out.

But his last class had run over.

There was no way he was making his next one in time.

Cooper paused at the mouth of the main pickup zone. The platform where tiny campus met the co-sized one sat empty. Most tiny paths and platforms did now. The wall route across from him looked empty too.

But-

So did the larger halls. 

It was a quiet time on campus. 

His class didn’t end with the typical block. People wouldn’t be crowding the halls for another hour.

Cooper stepped out onto the platform. 

It used to be a place for waiting. 

Now it was a transition space.

People only used it to cross or meet up with bigger friends already waiting for them.

Nobody lingered. 

The wall routes were slim paths built into the tiled hallways. They were just wide enough to fit two tiny students without turning shoulders or bumping. The wall bordered one side, and a thin railing separated the path from open hallway air on the other. Like most tiny infrastructure in Westdale, the routes were three feet up. Far enough off the ground to be a dangerous fall. Not high up enough to clear swinging bags, elbows, or bodies. 

Cooper moved through the wall route as fast as possible. 

There were a few people on the path too, but everyone walked with their heads down and a sort of guilt following them. 

Because if anything happened, the first question would be “well, why were you there if you knew it was dangerous?”

The hallway reeked of premeditated penitence.

There were one or two larger students in the hallway as well. 

Every time one passed him, Cooper’s shoulders tightened.

With open air above, hard tile far below, and an impossibly long stretch of path behind and ahead- he felt exposed.

Another pair of footsteps began to echo from down the hall. Full-sized and heavy.

Cooper didn’t turn to look at them. He didn’t glance over his shoulder or change his pace. 

They would just walk past him, like all the others. 

He kept shoulders down.

But in the chance they didn’t ignore him? Cooper gave them nothing to work with. No fear, no acknowledgement.

The footsteps got closer.

Closer.

Not because the person was actually speed walking. Because 3.9 inches didn’t cover much distance. 

They got close enough for Cooper to see in the corner of his vision. A student he didn’t know.

Their pace shifted, matching Cooper’s for half a beat.

His stomach sank.

The student glanced down.

Not startled. Not conversational. Just one quick look, like checking placement.

Then their backpack shifted.

Too smooth to be an accident. Too deliberate to be anything else.

It swung out, cleared the railing, and slammed into Cooper’s side.

His shoulder hit the wall first. Pain shot down his arm, sharp and hot. His shoes skidded against the narrow path.

“Yo!” Cooper’s mouth was moving before his brain could catch up. “Watch it, will you?”

He shoved himself upright and the other student stopped.

They turned. Looked down at him. Gaze bored.

“Oh,” they paused. “Sorry.”

Then, they kept walking.

Cooper stood frozen on the path, holding his arm. He watched the student turn the corner and disappear.

He’d been hit with a backpack before. More times than keeping track was worth. 

In the past, the person was always apologetic. Insufferably so. Crouching to spew apologies directly in his face. Hovering for a full minute after. Looking so guilty you’d think Cooper was the one that hit them.

This was not that.

This was intentional.

And he knew then he couldn’t tell his friends. Couldn’t admit to putting himself in danger. And that the danger was real.

The intent was ambiguous. Malice was alleged.

But they liked it that way didn’t they?

He rotated his shoulder a few times, wincing at the ache.

cooper actually kinda hates pockets. chest pockets are okay, because he can stick his head out of them. but being fully enclosed by fabric? first off it's not as roomy for him as it would be for clara or even kai. its claustrophobic sometimes. he also hates how it erases him from the room. he wants to be visible and participate it the conversations. how is he supposed to make dry comments while zipped away??

he loves standing on shoulders. and eliza specifically is great because she's 5'4". the ground never feels too far away. plus, she's the social butterfly. it's the perfect place to stand to participate in the conversations.

on the contrary, clara is fine being on james' shoulder maybe 94% of the time. he walks smoothly, doesn't turn too fast, always has a hand ready to brace her. the other 6% of the time is when she glances down and sees six feet of distance between her and the ground. she needs to be relocated immediately after that.

she actually loves pockets. the more isolated the better if you ask clara. chest pockets are great because the ambiance is a mix of the room and james. she can still hear conversations, but james' voice is louder. his heartbeat is a physical thing. but if she wants a nap? clara is not immune to a front/side pant pocket. specifically ones where james can fit his hand in after her. so like maybe not jeans, but sweatpants for example? she can curl up, his hand around her, the rest of the world muffled and far away? sue her, she's tired.

kai is the least attached to a specific place. cooper prioritizes visibility even if its not the safest option in the moment. clara wants the option to disappear on her own terms at any time. kai has a different preference for different scenarios. crowded area? hand. specifically hand held to chest. if it's windy, he is not even entertaining the idea of shoulders. cold out? inner coat pocket. if you forced him to pick a preference, he'd probably say hands, but he's also hyper aware of how inconvenient that is for whoever is holding him.

i think he also spends a fair amount of time in robin's camera bag. its padded, never set down aggressively, and always on her person. he's probably got his own little side pocket lol

going back to scale, smth i think is sickening (i say as if i didn't create the series lol) is that the biggest tiny is paired with the shortest normal sized person. and the tallest normal sized person is paired with the tiniest tiny. so like,,, if both james and eliza are wearing jackets with chest pockets- cooper and clara are NOT fitting into them the same way.