Continuing from the last installment of the Borrower Chase & Minnie AU, Minnie has come to a decision. It isn't an easy one, but then again when one is extremely small most decisions are difficult. Continues directly after the previous one.
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Borrower Chase and Minnie Masterpost
~~~
Minnie ran towards danger. Despite the terror clawing at her in the dark space in the walls, she ran. Plans came together and unraveled in quick succession like a spool of thread caught in a fan. She was all tangled up in fear, but there was nothing for it. She had to get into that room where an enormous human interrogated Chase.
Her often annoying, hasty, and deeply unserious brother was in trouble. As much as she griped at him in both languages they knew, as often as she warned him she wouldnât save his stupid butt from everything, it wasnât true. He was all she had. When they first found themselves this way, reduced to tiny size in a new country where they barely understood the language all the giants spoke, she had been terrified. They were so small and fragile.
But Chase had held her, only a few years older and not any bigger, and told her theyâd be fine. They couldnât know they were stuck like this forever. They barely understood how theyâd survived the ordeal originally. Over a decade later, they owed each other their survival many times over.
She had to go get him back. If it meant capture ⌠her heart fluttered. If it meant capture then hopefully that human would be kind to them.
She reached a support beam that extended from the floor below; she could almost see its base, even from so high up, with the low light vision they had adapted after so long at this scale. Theyâd fixed a series of rungs to that beam over the years, improvised from nails and pins and the like, to make the climb to other levels of the apartment building easier. Minnie hung over that abyss and hurried down, her sense always on the two life signatures she felt on the other side of that wall. The humanâs voice rumbled in the air like a storm, but though she strained she couldnât make out Chaseâs replies if he was talking. She couldnât imagine him not talking, but if heâd already been threatened âŚ
He was still alive, at least. His life signature remained bright as ever.
She shook away the gloomy thoughts and resumed her climb, quicker than she usually deemed safe but desperate to get there. At length, her feet hit the dusty floor below and she hurried off again, her bag bouncing against her side. The humanâs cajoling rumbles went on unheeded.
She reached a spot where the drywall had crumbled under a power outlet, the damage concealed by wallpaper. The struts for the outlet made for a tight squeeze, if one was more than a sparse few inches tall. Minnie, not even three and a half inches tall, easily fit in the space and put her hands on the wallpaper.
If she went out there, sheâd surely be captured too. She could stay hidden and hope for a chance to free Chase later. Thatâd be a wise thing: keeping herself safe with an actual plan.
She muttered a curse under her breath. They were too small. A grand rescue might never work even if the opportunity arose, and in the meantime she couldnât leave him alone.
She feared being alone herself, too tiny in a giant world.
Minnie took a breath and shoved the wallpaper door open. The light of the room burst into the walls as if reaching in to grab her, but she went quietly into its grasp.
She had to stop to blink at the room. Sheâd seen it many times before, even since this latest human moved in and arranged his plain furniture. The view from down on the floor always warped the lines to her, as if those cliffs would lean towards her and lose her in their shadows. This time, though, the room was different. As sheâd seen from above, the coffee table was pushed back to give the human room to sit on the floor in front of the couch. It hardly diminished how intimidating and huge he was, but it was odd. The human wore a frown on his face, staring at something she couldnât see.
Standing only feet away against the wall, Minnie couldnât see the top of the couch. If she didnât know with her odd sense of him, sheâd never realize Chase was up there. They had climbed up onto the couch before; it was easy, after theyâd figured out that just about anything made of fabric offered no obstacle. Still, Chase wouldnât have the time to climb down with a human looking right at him, ready to grab him at any second.
She nearly faltered again, but instead strode forward, her face set in a disapproving frown as she looked up at the man before her. Her cheeks warmed with how silly and futile this all was, but Minnie told herself she could do this. She had to.
Until he noticed her. He glanced to the side after his latest attempt to get Chase talking failed, and then they both froze. Daggers of ice ran up Minnieâs spine as she met the gaze of a giant, one who loomed overhead even seated on the floor. His mouth opened slightly in shock, and his eyes hardly blinked as they looked her over.
Minnieâs heart thrashed like a caged animal and she forgot anything she might have said to the man. Her feet rooted to the spot, hardly making a difference on the gently worn carpet. He was unfairly big; his smallest finger outsized her. She and her brother could completely hide from sight in his wavy hair and no one would notice. The pockets of his hoodie would hide them both with room to spare. And there he was, zeroed in on her with the look of shock she might expect from a human spotting her.
He moved first.
A hand lifted from where it rested on his knee and moved towards her, a massive, powerful, dangerous thing looming closer and closer in a matter of seconds. Minnie let out a squeak of fear and, despite her determination to get to her brother, backpedaled several steps.
It wasnât enough. Humans were too fast, and this one was no exception. His palm eclipsed her vision as the hand reached her. Fingers and a thumb thicker around than her body flanked her and then slipped behind her. Another thrum of terror raced up her back as the pads of those fingers shoved at her back and swept her against the palm, an inexorable and inescapable grasp solidifying as her feet left the ground. The skin, pliant in the way leather was pliant, cocooned her and cut her off from the light in the room.
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Prompt challenges mainly spawned this AU, in which Chase and his younger sister Minnie are borrower sized - specifically, I borrowed the curse portrayed quite often over at @brothersapart, leaving someone small but also granting them some benefits in return. In this AU, Chase and Minnie are simply trying to live their lives in the walls of an apartment, where a familiar character happens to live ...
1 Forbidden Fruit SnacksÂ
2 Fried PotatoesÂ
3 Minnieâs Supply RunÂ
4 Nailed ItÂ
5 Orange You Glad
6 Almost a Thief
7 Lies Under Duress
8 Shoot the Breeze
9 Difficult on Purpose
10 Minnie Dilemma
11 Rescue Mission
I'm making this one up as I go along. It's fairly open ended and we'll see where it goes! It needed its own masterpost as the main post was getting too unwieldy. Soon I'll update the individual story posts with a link to this post as well.
The second prompt is "secure", and that word shows up once in this story, so I'm going to go ahead and count it. Welcome back to the world of Borrower!Chase, who has been left in limbo for two years waiting to find out if he'd be freed from under that strainer. Takes place directly after Shoot the Breeze, and also, sorry little dude for the long wait under there.
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Borrower Chase and Minnie Masterpost
~~~
It felt like years. Okay, months. Weeks. Days.
Chase lay on his back, forlorn as could be, and stared up at a dome of evenly-spaced holes and lamented that heâd been stuck for so long. An agonizing amount of time that a part of him knew had probably only been less than two hours. A larger part of him, though, refused to acknowledge it. It indulged in the drama of it all, fully and unapologetically moping on the countertop where a human had so easily trapped him. Drama might be warranted. His life as he knew it was over.
A human had found him, caught him, trapped him. It was all frighteningly easy for him to do, and it contrasted keenly with Chaseâs long, arduous efforts to open a bag of produce. The human, Jacob, barely needed to think about it before he could make something a reality. He could go and run his errands out of the apartment, secure in the knowledge that his captive would still be right where he left him.
Chase had tried pushing the strainer. He thought that, if he could get it to the edge of the counter, he could slip out and maybe clamber up the side using the holes for easy grip. But even with his best effort, it wouldnât budge. He was too small.
The next step, naturally, was wallowing. He didnât see a point in pushing himself to exhaustion. The human would come back eventually, and the situation would change again at his whim. Then Chase could see if there was a plan worth making.
It definitely wasnât laziness or a fit of pique keeping him from getting up and trying again to move his prison.
Not laziness. His frown deepened and he put an arm over his eyes. It blocked the dismal view over and around him in a way he told himself was perfect for strategizing.
He stayed like that for a while, ears perking at the occasional noise somewhere beyond the apartment door, distant footsteps or rustling bags as humans passed by. At some point, even that stopped catching his attention. Until, at last, he heard a few heavy footfalls and the jingle of keys, closer and lingering near outside the door. It was as if the world closed in again, these sounds heralding Jacobâs return. That massive human was back, probably ready to interrogate Chase some more and maybe lock him up forever. Chase couldnât resist a full body shudder in time with the loud echo of the lock shifting back.
Any minute now. He had the opportunity to look nonchalant, or feisty, or maybe even try to pull at the humanâs heartstrings somehow. The door creaked open, and Chase thought about which angle he could try, which one might work best. The human mostly seemed relaxed and friendly, but that was when other humans were involved. He might not respond well to insults or anger. Those options were out.
Trying to appeal to his better nature could work. Jacob might be the kind to stop and think if he saw something too pathetic to keep messing with. Chase pursed his lips and discarded that option too, even as those footsteps entered the apartment fully and the seconds dwindled away. He wasnât sure he could cry on cue, and even if he could, he wasnât sure he could live with making that kind of impression on someone if it didnât work.
He left himself with very little. Judging by the sound, Jacob was back in the kitchen again. Chase remained lying on the counter, an arm over his eyes, and ran out of ideas. He didnât want to look but he could swear he felt that shadow fall over him and the strainer.
The metal moved. The edge scraped against the surface faintly as the human lifted it up, so easily compared to how much Chase struggled with it earlier. Still, Chase remained where he lay, arm over his eyes so he couldnât see a single scary thing as it happened. The strainer touched the counter again, further away, so he could only assume he was exposed to the room with a human looming menacingly over him.
âUh,â the humanâs voice rumbled, noticeably not as menacing as Chase imagined. âYou okay?â
Chase had his opportunity. Nonchalant was his best bet. Nonchalant enough to not even care that a human was looming over him while he was vulnerable. Whatever, giant. You donât scare me a single teeny tiny bit.
There was a pause. Jacob could have a giant neon question mark over his head for all Chase knew. This pretending not to care thing was a great idea.
âUm, littleâwhat was it, Chase? Are you alive?â Jacobâs voice rumbled again, a quieter, more concerned murmur this time.
Chase almost wanted to smirk, to laugh in a triumphant aha! at the humanâs gullible response. Instead, he let out an ungainly noise something like a yelp when something suddenly touched either side of his waist. His arms flailed and his legs kicked and he opened his eyes to find the humanâs finger and thumb pinching him around the middle, though the hand startled away in time with his own movement.
âFuckdammit, dude, what the hell was that all about?!â Jacob blurted, keeping his hand hovering near, almost as if shielding a candle from the breeze. He looked as shocked as Chase felt.
Chase, his face burning, scrambled to sit up and then leap to his feet. âI could ask you that!â he shot back, blinking quickly in all the confusion and the light after covering his eyes for so long. âCanât a man just lie around and contemplate his life under a strainer without someone coming along and plucking him up?â
âIâcome on, dude,â Jacob sputtered. He looked confused and caught off guard, which Chase accepted as a tiny victory. âYou looked ⌠I thought you fell over and died or something, the way you werenât moving!â
Chase barked out a laugh before he could stop himself. The absurdity really came as a slap in the face, but definitely the funny kind. âYou thought I died?! And here I thought I was the one being dramatic today. Iâm not made of paper or anything.â
Jacob sighed. âWell thatâs one more thing I know about you than I did before,â he mumbled, not so amused to be the source of the joke. âHow would I know? I donât even know what you are made of.â
Chase held up his hands in exasperation. âI canât tell you.â He paused, long enough for Jacob to open his mouth for another question, and then went on. âBecause Iâm not an expert in, what, biology? But Iâm made of the same stuff you are, Jacob, give or take a bit.â
The human paused. Standing in his shadow, Chase felt very small indeed, but he didnât back down or look away. Nonchalant, he told himself. That was the route heâd chosen and he was going to stick to it.
That didnât work very well when Jacobâs hand approached again, a living wall slowly and inexorably closing the distance despite Chaseâs attempts to backpedal away from it. It simply moved behind him, blocking his retreat while the thumb also moved down to block his way forward. He put his own hands up in meager defense, but soon enough found himself gathered up in a fist again. âW-wait, wait, what are you doing?â
Jacob moved slowly as he lifted Chase off the counter, but he didnât stop. âThis conversation isnât getting anywhere fast, so I figured we might as well sit somewhere and get comfortable.â
Chase tried and failed to twist around and watch where Jacob was taking him. It wasnât as though he had many paths anyway. âOh, yeah, yeah, yeah, thatâs a great idea, you know what makes me the most comfortable? When the nearest human is at least a full roomâs length away from me and canât see me. What are the chances of that happening?â
Jacob continued into the living room, a faint smile playing over his face as he walked. âLetâs work up to that, maybe.â
Chase had seen the living room many times, through many tenants. There were only so many ways to arrange furniture in the space, with the doors and windows being where they were. Jacob had a fairly sparse but typical setup, with a couch facing away from the kitchen archway and a TV on a stand opposite from it with a plain coffee table in between. A couple bookshelves flanked the TV, floor to ceiling packed with a few DVDs but mostly paperback novels, the smaller kind that always looked ridiculously tiny in Jacobâs massive hands.
Seeing the room from this new angle almost made it look normal. Carried at Jacobâs chest height, Chase was nearly the height he assumed heâd be if his life had gone very differently. It was a weird glimpse into that lost possibility, and then things felt warped and wrong again. He shouldnât see the room from this angle, he should see it from a well hidden spot behind or under some furniture, or from the openings in the vent high in the wall. Not from a humanâs hand as he casually stepped around a couch that may as well be a building in itself as far as Chase was concerned.
And then, to Chaseâs surprise, Jacob nudged the coffee table away from the couch, pushing it along with his shin. He forgot to be afraid of what was happening in the midst of his confusion over what the human was doing. The coffee table nearly bumped against the TV stand before Jacob stopped.
Then, everything dropped suddenly as Jacob lowered Chase to the couch. Chase flinched as the hand around him opened again, this time with a much nicer short fall to the cushioned surface waiting below. Even then, he didnât manage to keep his feet as the hand retreated, and he flopped onto his back for a moment.
When he looked up, the situation didnât feel any less strange. Jacob, a six-foot-something human, sat on the floor in front of the couch. He didnât loom overhead as much, though looming was unavoidable with bulk like his. Closer to eye level, at least, Chase could look right at him.
And tell him his thoughts. âThis might be a little overkill, man. A whole couch?â
Jacob shrugged. âYouâre not about to dash off of it without me noticing. Itâs comfortable. We can talk without me being all âŚâ he trailed off, only to awkwardly lift his arm over his head, hand held flat as if to indicate height, far above where Chase sat.
âI donât mean to alarm you, Jacob, but youâre stupid big no matter where youâre sitting. I know this might be tough to hear but someoneâs gotta tell you. Sorry.â
Jacob shrugged. Even that motion, so casual to him, was so magnified and nearly intimidating to Chaseâs view. âOkay. Fair enough. Are you ready to chat?â
Chase tried a confused smile, though he doubted it would work. âChat about what? Are we not chatting right now? Lovely weather over here in the living room, isnât it?â
Jacob sighed. âMan ⌠come on, Chase. Whatâs going on here? You can call me âstupid bigâ all you want but youâre tiny. Whatâs that about?â
Confused didnât work. Unamused wouldnât either, but this time Chase wasnât pretending. âYeah, I noticed. I notice it all the time. Not your business, though, is it, Jake?â
âI mean. It might be my business a little bit. Since you were about to steal something right off my counter.â Jacob didnât seem bothered by it. He remained casual, relaxed. He wasnât the one stuck in view of a giant that could catch him in one hand.
âLike youâd have missed one orange,â Chase shot back, more barbed than heâd expected from himself. âIs me being small all you wanted to talk about? Because I donât want to talk about it, so if the conversation is over ⌠do whatever it was you planned to do with me.â
And then, to punctuate his stance, Chase shifted where he sat, turning around so he faced the back of the couch. Then, he crossed his arms, resolute in not looking at the human that had caught him. All the uncertainty was giving him a rapidly-growing headache. His heart pounded, but he stared away from Jacob and waited for his coming fate.
The next prompt is "Test", and I again went with a kind of loose connection to it. Testing one's weird psychic abilities counts, right?
We're back in the Borrower Chase & Minnie AU. Chase is still in trouble, and that's finally also Minnie's problem. She deserves a break, but will she get one? Probably not.
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Borrower Chase and Minnie Masterpost
~~~
Minnie had a headache.
Not the worst one sheâd ever had, perhaps, but it sat high on the list and deep in her skull. Her disbelief meant nothing for the situation she found herself in, nor the situation her stupid idiot brother had gotten into. Truly, she could not fathom the steps Chase must have taken to wind up trapped on the couch with an enormous human watching, blocking his exit with nothing more than his undivided attention.
She hadnât suspected much when he was gone for a few hours. They didnât always relay their plans to each other. However, this time, when the human came home and eventually raised his voice in alarm, it didnât sound like a phone conversation. It could have been nothing, but she had been suspicious enough to focus on that odd sense she had. She had to test a theory she still wished was outrageous.
Her sense, her knack, let her find where other living things were in relation to herself. Ever since discovering it, sheâd spent a lot of time practicing it, honing it to tune out roughly a million bugs and to learn the unique signatures of certain beings. Residents in the building, their pets, frequent visitors ⌠and also her brother. It had saved them from discovery plenty of times over the years.
The shock of finding her brotherâs signature in the kitchen with the humanâs signature had almost knocked her senseless. And then, theyâd both moved to the living room while she had scrambled to grab her bag and dashed out of their makeshift home in the walls. A human had her brother. Her knack clung to her sense of Chase as she ran through dim passages to find a place where she could see what was happening.
And now, standing at a vent opening near the ceiling, Minnie had a headache from the run and the fear. And her stupid idiot brother sat stubbornly facing away from the human. As if that little show of defiance meant anything to a man who outsized either of them with a single finger.
She hesitated for a long time. The silence drew out for several seconds, between the two in the room and the one watching from outside of it. The human waited awkwardly, maybe hopefully, for Chase to relent. Minnie scanned the room for something, anything, she could use to help. Some way to get him out of this problem. Then they could go back to their house, pack up all their belongings, and move to a new apartment. Maybe a new building.
Her resolve faltered when, in the room below, that human reached for Chase again, this time nudging at his side with one fingertip. Minnieâs shoulders hitched up almost to her ears at the sight of her brother nearly toppled by a simple touch. She couldnât find a way out, but she also couldnât leave him alone.
If she had to get captured, too, at least she wouldnât be leaving him all alone with a giant of a man.
Read the stories I've posted so far at the following links:
Forbidden Fruit Snacks | Fried Potatoes | Minnieâs Supply Run | Nailed It | Orange You Glad | Almost a Thief | Lies Under Duress | Shoot the Breeze
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I have another GT July Prompt ready! The next up was "Secret" and I'm not sure why, but I really wanted to return to our little buddy borrower Chase. Takes place directly after Lies Under Duress. Can he actually keep a secret? Let's find out ...
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Borrower Chase and Minnie Masterpost
~~~
Chase put a hand over his chest, outwardly mimicking a look of offense. Inwardly, he felt like the motion was necessary to keep his heart from fluttering right out of his ribcage. Even up on the table, even with the human sitting down, he felt so small. Heâd been small for so long, but it didnât hit him quite as hard as when he was forced to compare himself to a human. He hardly believed, in moments like this, that he used to be on the same scale. The disparity had long ago prompted him and Minnie to stop calling themselves human.
They were a world apart now. The living wall before him was proof enough of that.
Against such a foe, Chaseâs only weapon was talk. âSneaking around? You make it sound so, I dunno, nefarious or something. I just wanted an orange, man. You saw how big they are to me, you saying you wouldnât go for a, a giant orange if you had a shot at one?â
At least the guy was easy to read. His brows knitted in clear bemusement and he even had to fight a smile that tried to come over his face. That meant he wasnât mad, at least. âDude, you ⌠you keep avoiding my questions. Why?â
âWell, I donât wanna answer âem,â Chase shot back, for his part letting a grin settle on his face. âIf I really wanted to answer a bunch of âOh my god what are youâ and âWhy do you have my stuffâ questions Iâd have let some giant someone catch me sooner.â
He saw on the humanâs face that he had given something away. An instant later, the man leaned forward slightly, looking closer at him, appraising something. âSo youâve been doing this a while? Stealing stuff and hiding out right in my apartment?â
Chase shrank back a bit, shoulders inching up to his ears and stomach quivering. âWh-who said that?â he countered, quieter but trying to keep up his relaxed tone. âYouâre making the assumptions anyone would make, thatâs all. Not my fault people are predictable. So I tend to avoid ⌠everyone.â
The humanâs mouth twisted into a thoughtful frown. Then he leaned back in his chair again. One hand absently drummed at the edge of the tableâChase felt every tap where he satâand the other dragged through his wavy brown hair. âOkay. Okay. Weâre off to a weird start, little dude. We can at least agree on that, right?â
Chaseâs eyebrows shot up. Did he actually convince the guy of something? âSure, sure, I mean itâs understandable, right? But I can get out of your way shortlyââ
âHang on,â the human interrupted, that amusement returning. âYouâre not off the hook yet. But Iâll take a step back here. Iâm Jacob. Nice to meet you, maybe, if youâll tell me why youâre sneaking around in my apartment, mister âŚ?â
Chase pursed his lips and didnât take the bait. âSo whatâs your secret, Jacob? One of your parents a, whatâs it called, a bulldozer? A mountain, maybe?â
Jacob sighed. He was disappointed, but not quite angry, based on the smile that still twitched at the corner of his mouth. Chase was entertaining him, which was probably a good sign. An angry human would be too much to deal with, no matter what few advantages he and Minnie had discovered since shrinking down. Keeping the guy laughing kept Chase out of worse trouble.
The human leaned his chin on his elbow, a casual stance that loomed overhead all the same. âSomething like that,â he answered. Chase hadnât expected him to roll so well with his banter, but it made him like the guy a tiny bit more, despite everything. âGot a long, storied tradition of being mountains in the family. Are you part mouse?â
Chase winced. It was a fair turn. But having his own size pointed out always came with that old sting. âOh heâs got jokes! Low hanging fruit, dude.â
Jacob shrugged. âYou canât reach anything higher, short stuff, might as well keep things fair, right?â
Chaseâs jaw dropped in a stunned grin. âHa! Okay! You areâyouâre funny, Jacob.â Chase was surprised to find himself really meaning it. In another life, he probably would have been friends with this guy.
âThanks. I try. But Iâm still wondering what you are, little dude. And why youâre really here.â
âWhy are any of us here,â Chase shot back, though his following chuckle was a bit more nervous than he wanted. Jacob, still amused, wasnât budging. He remained looming overhead, calm as could be but putting pressure into the air all the same, and Chase still had no ideas on how to help himself. âI mean. You said it yourself. Iâm just. Just a little dude. And I said it myself. I was trying to take an orange. No big secrets there.â
Jacob pondered it, and Chase watched for signs of frustration, or maybe of further amusement on that giant face. The guy had never seemed like the angry type, from what observations Chase had made of him in the past. He might be a reasonable person in most respects. Finding some miniature thief in his home could well test those limits.
âWill you at least tell me a name? I donât want to just keep calling you âlittle guyâ or whatever else. Itâs a little weird.â
âThat ⌠is a reasonable ask,â Chase admitted. He also wasnât sure how long he could stand the nicknames, and Jacob wasnât demanding anything. What could he possibly glean with just a name? âIâm Chase. And itâs not because I like having things coming after me. So no cat and mouse, Jake.â
That earned a bemused frown, Jacobâs brow knitting and his mouth twisting. âNoted. Donât think thatâd be necessary, seeing as I already caught ya.â He glanced away for a moment, straightening where he sat. âListen, Chase, I donât think this talk is over, but I didnât expect getting a single straight answer would take that much time, and I have some other stuff I need to do today.â His focus returned to Chase and felt like a physical weight. âWhat are the chances youâll still be here when I get back?â
âWhat? If you just leave? Zero, buddy. Are you kidding? Soon as youâre out of sight Iâm gonna bounce.â Chaseâs heart fluttered again, and he scolded himself inwardly. Would Jacob have believed him if he said heâd wait? Then he could just leave anyway.
âThatâs what I thought,â Jacob said, that faint smile returning. His hand approached, prompting Chase to all but leap to his feet again. âCâmere.â
Chase stumbled backwards and came up with a hundred stupid lies, all running rapid fire through his head but none of them sounding like theyâd even make Jacob pause and think. He was usually so good at coming up with plans, at getting by just in time.
He was all out of close calls. Jacobâs enormous hand was upon him seconds later, fingers longer than Chase was tall curling behind him, gathering him up in a grip he wouldnât be able to see out of if Jacob closed his fist entirely. As it was, Chase had a view of the ceiling as he was hoisted all too easily off the table, like he weighed nothing. His few ounces probably didnât feel like much at all, really. He left the table behind, and the world lurched as Jacob stepped around the furniture towards whatever goal heâd decided on.
âWaitasecond, Jacob,â Chase said, pushing against the palm he was pinned to. âIâm totally ready to talk more. Letâs chat now, about whatever you want. Letâs, what do they say, letâs âshoot the breezeâ or whatever.â
Jacob chuckled and it shook his hand with the noise, enough that Chase felt every bit of it. âWeâll shoot the breeze all you want, later. I gotta make an appointment. Wonât be long. Youâll be fine chilling here âtil I get back.â
Chase, surprisingly, didnât doubt it. Heâd be unharmed, and so far Jacob held him carefully, if securely and almost entirely obscured in a hand. But heâd be trapped. He heard a cabinet open, then close. Then another. Jacob must be looking for something to trap him with.
That sting was back, with the reminder that a simple kitchen tool would be enough to trap him.
His stomach lurched as Jacob turned, maybe towards the kitchen counters. Heâd found something. Chase suddenly squirmed, tried to do something to change what was about to happen. Heâd been out of his depth since the human came back and found him on the counter. All because heâd wanted to one-up his sister in a made up game that didnât matter at all now.
He opened his mouth to spout off another protest, some more fast talk to get Jacob to hesitate, keep the human distracted. As he did, the hand lowered again, far too fast and sudden, and the only sound Chase managed was a strangled yelp while his whole body flinched from the falling sensation.
He was set down quickly on the counter top, and there was a shadow looming over him. He threw his hands over his head on instinct. It meant he missed whatever it was settling down on the counter over him, though he felt it hit the surface under his kneeling posture. When he looked up, a metal dome sat over him, pocked with holes in an even pattern all around and letting in dappled light.
 A strainer. It left him in a space the size of a decently sized room. He could even stand up if he wanted and probably not reach the top of the dome if he stretched his arms.
The light changed on one side as Jacob leaned in to peer through the holes. Small, disjointed glimpses of his face loomed just outside of Chaseâs prison. âJust ⌠wait in there for a while, okay? I wonât be gone that long.â
Chase huffed and slumped in an obvious pout. âSure, man, Iâll just. Iâll just make myself comfortable. What the god damn hell, itâs almost cozy.â
Jacob retreated again. When he answered, that smile still colored his voice. âYouâll be okay, Chase. Itâs only for a little bit.â
Chase had lost his desire to argue. He was barely sure heâd actually had a whole conversation with a human over at the table, without feeling all that much danger. He certainly felt the danger now, trapped under a strainer until whenever Jacob decided to come home. Chase had felt like he might control the conversation if only he said the right words, but it hadnât worked. He knelt in the dim lighting and listened as Jacob left the room, and eventually, the apartment itself.
The prompt of the day is Thief and honestly, that's suitable enough to do a follow up to an earlier prompt. So we're back with Borrower Chase, taking place directly after the end of Orange You Glad
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Borrower Chase and Minnie Masterpost
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Things werenât great.
Chase was stuck in a red plastic mesh bag with a bunch of oranges that outweighed him. The opening that heâd worked so hard to make was several inches away, obscured by some of said oranges. He didnât have his bag, or any kinds of tools to cut through the plastic. Normally, these were surmountable problems, given enough time and energy.
If there wasnât a human standing in the kitchen doorway, focus inevitably drawn to Chaseâs movement in the bag, Chase would be fine. Instead, he sat and stared up at the young man and inwardly kicked himself with a litany of self-flagellating curses.
Iâm an idiot Iâm an idiot Iâm a stupid goddamn idiot dumbassâ
His thoughts ground to a halt when the human finally moved, one large hand lifting from his side to rub at his eyes. If Chase had anywhere at all to hide, he would have taken the opportunity to duck out of sight. Instead, he awkwardly started to crawl towards the opening of the bag, shouldering against one of the fallen oranges. It moved a bit, only to bump up against more of them and generally be a nuisance and an obstacle. One of them had fallen right into the opening heâd left, but if he could just get past that heâd ⌠be out on the counter and still very much in trouble.
Not that he had a chance. The human finished his attempt to brush the hallucination away. Seeing that Chase had moved, he took a step into the room. âHey!â
He didnât shout. He didnât really need to. His voice was deep, powerful, easily louder than any sound Chase could manage. He stood over six feet tall for sure, built broad like he had a cliff somewhere in his ancestry. Chase froze as a large shadow crept over the counter and engulfed the produce bag.
Chase shuddered in spite of his usual attempts to stay optimistic. There was not much he could say about this one; after a series of close calls, heâd run out of luck. He was a thief, caught in the act.
He looked up, some kind of excuse on his lips. But though he opened his mouth to try to talk himself out of his predicament, only a faint squeak came out. The guy was just ridiculously, unfairly big even for a human. Even if Chase was at an equal scale, heâd be more than a head shorter than this guy.
A hand appeared in Chaseâs periphery. Heâd seen these hands plenty of times, once or twice coming dangerously close to his hiding place. Even the smallest finger outclassed him. Chase hadnât worried about the humanâs hands so much before; before, the guy didnât know he was there.
Now, the human wouldnât take his eyes off where Chase was trapped while he reached for the bag, and Chase couldnât take his eyes off that hand. When it reached the opening of the bag, he drew in a rattling gasp and balked away. The hand didnât dive into the bag after him, instead brushing at the edge of the mesh where Chase had worked it open over the course of what must have been an hour.
âHuh. You really almost got away with one of these, didnât ya,â the guy muttered. He nudged at one of the oranges, the one Chase probably would have rolled into the walls if heâd had just ten more minutes to work with the stupid bag of produce. Now it was just another barrier between Chase and freedom.
Looking back up at the guy, Chase debated on whether he should answer. The smart answer was no, absolutely not. He should not let on that the guy could potentially coax answers out of him. At the same time, there were a thousand and one cheeky responses he could offer to that expectant look.
He landed somewhere in between both options, holding both hands up in an exasperated shrug. He sure did almost get away with one of the stupid oranges. And now that he had failed that, his fate was in a humanâs hands.
As if the thought had prompted it, the human tried to reach into the opening of the bag. Chase choked on a noise of surprise to see those huge fingers pushing aside fruit in an aim to get to him. As he scrambled away from the opening, the hand just kept coming. It didnât exactly fit in the opening, but the mesh simply crumpled before it, shrinking Chaseâs available space as it did.
Eventually, he found himself pressed against a pile of giant oranges, his heels uselessly digging into the countertop, when that enormous hand reached him. It was an awkward squeeze for the human, but it didnât stop him. Giant fingers and a thumb flanked Chase on either side and he thought his heart would come bursting right out of his chest. He slapped at the huge palm before him, panicked moments that probably felt like barely more than a flutter of movement. A couple fingers managed to snake behind him, dragging him forward.
He switched his strategy, grabbing at the mesh as it passed him by. His grip was nothing compared to the inexorable push of a giant hand, and though he wasnât being moved quickly he found the mesh ripped from his grasp as he moved.
He was almost at the opening. Then there was nothing at all between him and the ridiculously giant man he and his sister had been basically stealing from since he moved into the apartment. Chaseâs nerves ran wild and his heart pounded.
As soon as he was out in the open, he lost his nerve at last. âOkay okay okay! You got me! Good job, man!â
The hand, only partially wrapped around him, stopped without lifting him off the counter. The human looked shocked. âDude ⌠what?â
âYeah, y-yeah,â Chase said, shifting subtly where he half-lay against a couple giant fingertips. âIâm a real hooligan, a rascal, Iâve heard said. I was definitely planning to steal one of these oranges. But yâsee, I didnât, so what if we just forget this ever happened and move on with our lives!â
Rather than give the man time to ponder his rambled words, Chase sprang into action. He and Minnie had grown up often having to sprint for cover, having to leap over and around strange obstacles.
Chase took advantage of the humanâs momentary bewilderment. The hand had yet to close fully around him. Once he slipped down an inch and rolled away from it, it missed its chance. He hit the counter sprinting.
He could cover a decent amount of ground in a few seconds. Chase was proud of the work he and Minnie had done to build up their stamina for runs like this. Granted, theyâd never practiced with a human actively trying to catch them, but if Chase could pull this off, they wouldnât need a repeat. Heâd take notes and theyâd never revisit them if he had his way.
The human blurted something in surprise, startled by his sudden scurry. His other hand loomed in close. Chase dove forward in time with his heart doing a flip, rolling with the impact while the side of a hand barely brushed the back of his shirt.
âOh, that was SO cool,â he shouted as he righted himself and pushed to his feet. He was definitely going to have to brag about that oneâ
Three steps later, something yanked at the back of his jacket. âOh shââ was all he managed to say before he was hauled off his feet and all his forward momentum came to a stop. He kicked his legs and tried to twist free of the sturdy canvas jacket, but a broad palm appeared beneath him and he stopped; he did not want to fall into that grasp.
The human only held him a few inches off the countertop, but both of them paused then, Chase breathing heavily and staring up at the man with a mix of fear and disappointment and the man staring back with open astonishment.
âWhat,â the human said, pausing to take a slow breath and shake his head, âthe hell.â
Today's prompt is "Celebrating", and we are back with another installment of borrower Chase and his latest misadventure. Where we left off, he'd been caught by a human ... this one will continue right after where Almost a Thief finished off.
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Borrower Chase and Minnie Masterpost
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Chase, dangling by the back of his jacket over a broad palm that was unfairly large when he really gave it any thought, found himself at a loss for words. That was rare. His sister would attest, getting him to shut up in the middle of any kind of situation was a miracle in itself.
But he really didnât know what to do. He couldnât get a word past the fear that had settled heavily in his chest, there to stay unless he managed a miraculous escape. In the course of trying to outdo Minnieâs latest solo supply run, he might have just ruined both their lives. Getting caught could mean the human might go looking for more like him. He probably wouldnât catch Minnie ⌠but sheâd still be all alone.
He couldnât focus for long on the fear and guilt. The human, getting over his initial shock, moved. More specifically, his hands moved, and that meant Chase moved too. He choked on a noise of surprise as he rose in the air with a sudden yank on his jacket, the hand beneath him rising along with him. His stomach fell to his toes as he rose, only for another sudden stop as he lifted before the humanâs eyes (which meant he was around six feet in the air, not that Chase was worried about that at all).
âYouâre ⌠what are you,â the human murmured. His voice, even quieted, was all too intimidating and big. Chase pursed his lips and held up his hands in an approximation of a shrug. He doubted the actual answer would go over very well.
Yeah, hi, Iâm just a guy. Iâm on the short side is all. Just a totally average guy with totally normal strength relative to my body mass, and Iâm definitely not waiting for my latent superpowers to come in.
He flinched when the grip on his jacket moved again, lowering him towards the waiting palm below. Chase kicked his legs and tried to fold into himself to avoid being dropped into that grip, but of course it didnât stop the inevitable. He found himself deposited on a hand that dwarfed him by several times. He even felt the heavy heartbeat pulsing just beneath the thick skin.
The other hand didnât retreat, though. A fingertip brushed over the top of his head, then nudged a shoulder. Though he leaned away from it and tried to swat it away, it propped under his arm instead. The human never yanked his arm up, but he did stare at the way it leaned on just a fingertip.
Part of him wasnât all that surprised. If the roles were reversed, Chase would probably be fascinated and all too curious about such a tiny person found in his kitchen. Being on the small end of that situation, though, was unnerving. He jerked his arm back and tucked it close.
The human wasnât all that discouraged. âSeriously, where did you come from? Whatâs going on here?â he asked, moving on to Chaseâs leg instead. It was all too easy for him to pinch it in a finger and thumb, and Chase couldnât hope to wriggle it free.
His vow of silence was never meant to last. âCome on, man,â he complained, tugging on his leg anyway. It was an awkward angle and he made no progress. âYou just grab anybodyâs leg when you first meet âem?â
The human paused, a thoughtful look in his eyes. âOkay, dude, you got a point there,â he admitted, freeing Chaseâs leg. âBut still. What were you doing in the oranges? You definitely werenât there at the store.â
Chase barked out a laugh. The thought of living in a grocery store, surrounded by so much food but also so many different humans, was all too daunting. âNo, Iâm not the prize in the cereal box. Orange bag. Whatever.â Glancing up, he saw that the human still wore an expectant look.
Time to come up with a lie, then. Something to stall while he figured out how to get out of this situation. âIiiiii waaaaas,â he drawled, glancing around the room to all the places he might be able to hide if he wasnât on a giant hand. âI was celebrating.â
âCelebrating,â the human echoed, sounding intrigued. âCelebrating what?â
âCelebrating oranges. Iâm all about, uh, fruit.â Chase might have slapped his forehead if not for the need to appear nonchalant. Heâd never realized how hard it was to come up with convincing stories under duress. He flashed a grin anyway. âI was. Going to ⌠throw a party?â
The human didnât look convinced, which sucked, but also which wasnât that surprising. âYou were going to throw a party. In the bag of oranges. To celebrate the oranges.â
âYou bet,â Chase said, his voice higher pitched than he expected. âThatâs the long-short of it all. But you caught me in the act. Donât blame you at all for sending me on my way empty handed. Itâd make a ton of sense, this being your apartment and not mine and most people just kick unwanted guests out, right?â
The guy laughed at that, a short burst of noise that made Chaseâs shoulders shoot up in alarm. âOkay, this is definitely not a normal âunwanted guestsâ situation, though,â the human said. âYouâre ⌠you look just like ⌠come on. You canât expect me to believe this story. Whatâs really going on here?â
Chase put his hands up in yet another exasperated shrug. âSorry to disappoint you, big guy. Iâm a simple man, I see some fresh fruit, I get stoked.â
The human shook his head, though his amusement lingered. âWhatever, little dude. I think you have more going on,â he said, though he had looked away and didnât look like he was expecting an actual answer.
Chase almost retorted anyway, but flinched as he realized the fingers nearby were curling closely. He balked away, but they stopped before closing over him, instead forming an arch nearby. After that, the human turned away from the counter, quickly enough that Chase had to hunch over against the feeling of motion.
It only took a couple stupidly-long strides to get to the table in the other half of the kitchen. While Chase watched, the human leaned over it and used his free hand to clear up some clutter, moving aside some papers, a bag of shopping that had not yet been unpacked to the various cupboards, and a plate with only a few crumbs leftover from breakfast. Once he had a clear spot, he sat down before it.
Chase thought the movement was bad while the human moved all that stuff around. The hand he was on suddenly dropping to the table was so much worse; he yelped and reached out in panic for anything to steady himself, finding nothing really except a wall of curved fingers.
âChill, dude,â the human said, at least sounding genuinely concerned. He gave Chase a moment to realize he wasnât falling to his death, before tilting his hand over the table. As Chase stumbled off the hand and fell to a seat on the open space on the table. Before he could orient himself, the human went on, a note of bemusement in his voice. âIâm not gonna hurt you. I swear. I just wanna talk, get the real answer to why you were sneaking around in my apartment.â