#pred!velimir

By all means, Warren shouldn't be enjoying himself, but he was, somehow. He guessed that when you were known as the tiny that is guarded so fiercely by so many proto-frames, nobody would both him. Knowing that he was safe made it possible for Warren to enjoy his spot perched on the bar top . A glass bucket full of a sweet red wine- a shot glass to the humans- and delightfully salty snacks and all he had to do for a piece of warm food was walk up to either Quincy or Arthur or Minerva or Velimir and just ask, maybe he would beg with his eyes and posture, but they were quite forthcoming with food. Everyone else was occupied with their drinks and their food and company that nobody really paid Warren any attention, he could happily sit and watch and listen to all these giant humans go about their business enjoying drink and each other without even being disturbed.

Well, only the big, partially metal-skinned proto-frames would give Warren attention from time to time. Occasionally, they would give Warren soft nudges or little pats when Warren went to go pick off their food. Arthur or Quincy would give a lingering touch to his hair or back or chest, and Quincy did once dip his head down for a quick kiss, but mostly Warren's been allowed to just people watch.

"Need a top up, little buddy?"

"Hmn?" Warren lifted his gaze, realized he was trying to look up at someone behind him, and had to shift around on his little bar stool made out of a discarded champagne cork. Velimir was talking to him. The man was another proto-frame, and Warren wasn't sure what kind of the Drifter's 'warframes' that he had been turned into, but he knew that the huge man had ice powers. And he was a huge guy, too. Taller than Quincy, and he had a hefty gut and bulging muscles and giant hands that had one cupped around Warren's back now, giving the small man something to lean on.

"I think I got my answer, since you're just looking at me with that cute little face of yours." Velimir softly cooed as he let his thumb fall a little to brush against Warren's flushed cheek. "Light weight is an understatement for you, my friend. You're more of a feather weight, maybe a fly weight. You're just having water for the rest of the night."

"O-oh! My drink." Warren hefted the glass up in his arms, trying to not splash any of the dark red liquid out onto his clothes. It was mostly empty, but there was still a good bit of wine left inside. "'M good. Promise."

"How about I finish that off for you and get you some cold water? I'd hate for you to be sick all over one of your boyfriend's hand later."

"No, no, I'll finish it." Warren hugged the glass to his chest. It was so hard to get your hands on alcohol as a tiny, and he wasn't about to give up his first real chance for some good stuff. He wouldn't let it go just yet. "Could I still get some water?"

"Sure thing, little buddy." Velimir gently tapped Warren on the top of his head and pulled his hands back, probably either getting water or handling another bar patron.

Warren let his eyes wander around the bar as he continued to sip on his glass of wine. It was so interesting to be able to watch these humans from so close without being afraid. He's really felt like he's changed since he initially became caught by these humans, becoming brave in the company of humans, falling in love with two of them. And so much of their base has changed around them since then as well, with more humans showing up, more proto-frames appearing, and even other tinies have made their home in this mall, deep in ruined Höllvania. It felt like there was a chance for thing to bounce back if the tech rot could ever be properly eradicated.

That would be the day. That would be the beautiful, glorious day. The secret about tinies were out, but maybe with the proto-frames by their sides, they could live among humans instead of in fear of them.

Across the bar, a glass hit the ground and shattered. For a moment, things were normal, and then raised voices came booming across the bar. Warren saw heads turn and Velimir swiftly walked away from the bar. Voices got louder, angrier, and both Quincy and Arthur were on their feet and walking towards the scuffle that was getting progressively louder. The humans were fighting now. Humans that had not been involved in the initial fight were now being dragged in one way or another. Another glass was smashed on the ground and Warren could see raised fists. The air was full of thunderous yells and promises of pain.

People watching was over, it was time for Warren to leave. When humans got to fighting like this, borrowers needed to not be around. He'd be killed too quickly and too easily if the fight drifted in his direction.

Warren tipped his glass up, taking many deep gulps before he had to abandon his wine and the glass it was in.

As he tried to stand, the decision to drink what was comparatively a whole bucket of wine slammed into him at once. His head did not feel like it was where it should be, instead floating somewhere over his shoulder and to the left, slightly above him, his feet would barely lift, his arms had to be occupied with keeping him balanced and upright, and his knees folded beneath him. Warren had to coordinate his movements, one limb at a time, to try and crawl away from the fight on his hands and knees. The bar felt like it was at the wrong angle, and the humans were getting closer.

Sol… humans were so loud when they were angry. One had another by the hair, Arthur had his arms around someone's waist and was dragging them, Quincy had two guys by the shirts, and the silverware was all floating around. Was Aoi here too?

A shadow passed overhead and Warren's body reacted before he could even think to look up and see what was casting the shadow. If he had looked, he would have seen someone had thrown some book and it was going to sail harmlessly over where Warren had been crawling and land on the other side of the bar, but he did not look. Instead, his body had decided on an instinctual level that someone was going to squash him and instead simply threw Warren's entire body over the edge of the bar.

His hand grasped for a hook that was not there. He tried to grasp a rope that was not there.

As Warren's weight did not catch on a grip on a rope, as he realized there was no secured hook, as he realized his hands and belt were completely empty, Warren feel straight down.

He hadn't even realized where he was going to be landing until pain shot across his entire body, followed very swiftly by freezing cold. Instead of turning into a stain on the floor mats, he'd landed in the ice bin. It was a huge, plastic tub that Velimir kept all the ice for the drinks, and now it was where Warren was most likely going to die.

All of the warm, pleasant, smothering blanket of alcohol around his head was violently ripped away, only left with the stinging pain of cold in every inch of his minuscule body. Gasping hurt, the ice-cold air stinging his lungs, scraping across his lips and throat. Everything inside of the small man was screaming in agony, and he couldn't even try to crawl to the sides of the bin. He just couldn't move.

An eternity must have passed by the time Warren had managed to regain enough control of his limbs to try and bring them back to his chest. Just that little movement made Warren slide, he hadn't realized his legs had been braced against another ice cube until he fell down between them. His hands were already numb as he tried to get a good look around. Ice warped the light, blurred his surroundings, but he could see straight up. The soft, yellow warmth of the bar's lights weren't going to reach Warren here, but they could bring him a slight comfort as the uncontrollable shaking began.

The world trembled, and a shadow fell over the ice bin. Warren flinched down into himself, but had to see if someone was there.

Silver hair, massive frame, booming voice, layered clothes. Velimir. It was Velimir!

"Ve-e-elimi-ir!" Warren had to struggle to not bite his tongue with the shaking. "H-h-help me-e-e!"

~

"Damn kids." Velimir growled as he looked at the broken bottles on the back wall. "New rule, everyone's gotta be over twenty to drink in this bar. I don't care the laws are different, I don't need teenagers getting so shit faced they start throwing shit."

Well, the bar was definitely closed now. And next time it opens up, it'll have a hard drink limit per customer. That book took out almost every bottle of whiskey he'd smuggled in, and the gin!

"Damn it! How am I supposed to make gin-lets now?"

He went to grab the garbage can from the end of the bar, but as he went to step away, he heard a squeak. Heart in his throat, Velimir danced back from where he'd just put his foot down, praying that he hadn't just stepped on one of Lettie's mice.

Nothing.

"Whew." Velimir's eyes swept the floor just in case. Mostly just spilled whiskey and broken glass. As he tried to return to grabbing stuff to clean up, he heard the squeak again. And it was a lot more clear that it wasn't a squeak. It was a itty bitty cry for help.

Warren!

Velimir checked where he'd last seen the little guy, and his little cork and wire bar stool was on its side and the shot glass of wine was tipped over. He was nowhere to be found. Oh, crap. Velimir hadn't seen Warren at all in the scuffle, and he was so tiny, he could be hiding anywhere. Quincy and Arthur were going to be so mad if something had happened to Warren when he'd been the one who'd seen him last.

"C'mon, little buddy, call out." Velimir ducked down to check around the lower shelves of the bar, listening hard.

An ever softer, stuttered cry for help sounded. It wasn't on the floor, or the bar top, but it was…. the ice bucket!

Velimir practically lunged for the ice bucket and peeked inside. It wasn't that far from where Warren had been sitting, but far enough and dangerous enough for someone so tiny it hadn't occurred for him to even look there until he heard the yelling.

Sure enough, wedged between a couple of ice cubes and shaking worse than a tree in a tornado, was Warren. Velimir quickly fished the little guy out and carried him out of view of the others. There was a bright red stain on his pants leg, and as he looked at it, thank Sol and Lua, it was wine and not blood.

"Are you okay? How'd you get in the ice bucket?" Velimir rubbed the pad of his index fingers over Warren's legs, checking for any signs of pain. "Did someone drop you in there? Pushed? Fell? Are you hurt? C'mon, little buddy, you gotta say something."

"S-so co-old." Warren was still quivering, curled up now in Velimir's palm, trying to push his fingers away. "F-f-f-fell. Cold."

Right. His hands were like ice these days. Stupid powers. He had to get Warren warm, right now, he was so tiny, he was probably already sapped of all his heat and here Velimir was, making it worse! Making everything worse, like he always does-

Velimir shook his head violently. He could still help Warren. His hands might be ice, but his insides were still nice and warm.

Lettie had told him that, in addition to the occasional summoning across time and space, being piloted by beings from outside of time itself, the additional powers, the crazy healing factor and all that jazz, that being a proto-frame like this had rearranged his guts and given him a weird little pouch in his belly that could hold onto small items safe and sound. Connected somehow to his lungs and his energy and all that. But long story short, it was a 98 degree room that he could get Warren to in seconds.

"I'll get you warm, little guy. Just hang on. I got you."

Slipping Warren into his mouth felt… oddly natural. And Warren didn't fuss either. As soon as he closed his jaws, he could feel how Warren was shivering, but actually he seemed to push himself into Velimir's tongue. It took a little jerk of his head back to slip Warren into his throat, and soon, the poor little guy was gone. Just a lingering cold feeling in his throat that was already warming back up. Somehow swallowing an entire little guy had been easier and more natural than dry swallowing pain meds. Just one little gulp and Warren was all tucked away.

Velimir laid a hand on his belly. "You good in there?"

It took an agonizingly long time to get a response out of Warren. But he was cuddled up to Velimir's gut wall and finally managed to speak in a way that wasn't stuttering and shivering. "I'm okay….. 'S warm in here."

"You just snuggle down and get comfy. I'll keep you warm."

"Okay… thank you… for saving me."

Sol, Warren was cute. No wonder Quincy and Arthur both had a claim on him. They'd probably wanna find Warren soon, so Velimir needed to get moving and get all this glass cleaned up. Once it was all up, he'd probably take Warren to Lettie to really make sure the poor guy was okay. Falling in an ice bin when you weren't even four inches tall, he was lucky to be alive.

As Velimir tried to get his mind back on the task at hand, he couldn't keep his hands off his belly. He could feel Warren being alive inside of his stomach. Well, not stomach, but he didn't know what else to call it. He was safe, and warming up nicely, and part of him never wanted to let the little guy back out. He couldn't get in trouble like that again when he's all safe and sound inside of you, after all.