#shrunk

first pic is a redraw of this dan hentschel tiktok lol

Typically your nights never consisted of much. You'd get back to Hotel Z, feed yourself and your pokémon, and then collapse in your room. Tonight however, was different. Your day had been nothing short of mildly terrible— you'd been halfway across town when it started pouring rain. You didn't have an umbrella and you hardly had enough money to buy one. You stumbled back into the hotel soaking wet and miserable.

One glance at you and AZ had been beside himself with worry. The second you stepped into Hotel Z he had abandoned his sweeping to fuss over you quietly, helping you peel off your soaked jacket and taking your bag. You were so overwhelmed that you didn't protest. He spoke quietly, careful to not overwhelm you further. He emptied all of your important things out of your bag and hung your jacket up to dry, before sending you upstairs to wash up while he fed your pokémon for you.

The next half an hour felt blurry. It wasn't anything more than showering and putting on fresh clothing, but it all felt like too much. Too much walking, too many noises, too many tasks. The elevator ride back downstairs seemed to take forever, when honestly it was only a few seconds. AZ was waiting at the check in counter, and you could tell he was trying to appear as normal as possible. If it had been anybody else acting like this, you likely would've been annoyed, but… this was comforting.

You barely managed to finish the sandwich he'd fixed you. Food felt unnecessary with how dissasociated you were, but you'd eaten anyways to reassure AZ.

"How are you feeling now?" He asked quietly, taking the plate from your hand and setting it down into the sink. You hesitated, your thoughts too hazy to form a response. You shrugged half-heartedly, rubbing the sleep that began to spot your vision. He reached forward but stopped as his hand hovered over your shoulder. "Would you prefer to go back to your room, or…?" He leaned against the counter, his question lingering in the air.

You thought as hard as you could for a moment. What other option did you have? As if he could sense your confusion, AZ leaned forward lightly, finally letting his hand rest on your shoulder. "If you wanted, I could read to you a bit. See if that'll help calm your mind."

You relaxed instantly at the suggestion. God yes, that would make everything so much better. You nodded and yawned, and for a second AZ's expression was unreadable. The elevator ride was quiet and the walk to his room was even quieter, but his presence was so relaxing that the silence didn't unnerve you.

You'd never actually been in AZ's room before, but it was more bare than you had expected. His furniture was large, all clearly custom made for him. A bed, a dresser with a mirror fixed to the top, a nice bookshelf, a little hanging basket bed for Floette near the window and a nice chair and table in the corner— also near the window. Floette, who had until now been trailing behind the both of you, toddler over to her basket bed as AZ settled himself in his chair. You stared at the both of them, managing a half smile. The scene was endearing.

AZ reached for his book and a pair of reading glasses, which he took care with unfolding and sliding onto his face. He turned his attention from his book to you, and gestured smally for you to join him. You shut the door behind you and walked a little closer, standing in front of him awkwardly. He yawned for a moment, covering his mouth with a hand, before nodding. "Do you think, perhaps you'd be a bit more comfortable if you were smaller?" He hummed, trying not to dance around his suggestion. Your eyes widened slightly. Right! You'd forgotten you could do that.

You laughed quietly to yourself, nodding and walking a bit closer to lean against his arm. He kept his arm steady as you began to shrink yourself smaller and smaller. You had only done this in front of him twice before— once when you had told him about your ability, and another time during a panic attack. Both times he had been perfectly lovely, and more gentle than you would expect from someone so large. His expression remained carefully neutral as you got smaller and smaller, his other hand leaving his book so he could support you and help you climb up into his hand when you were small enough to fit.

His palm was rough underneath you, but the sheer warmth it radiated was enough to make it feel like a space heater. Sleep was just begging to hit you like a ton of bricks. Or perhaps a train. Or a particularly large pokémon.

He kept his movement slow as he raised you up to his chest. "Do you have a preference as to where you rest, little one?" He murmured, his voice surrounding you like a gentle blanket. You barely managed to keep yourself sat up, your eyes half closed as you shook your head. He hummed in acknowledgement and gently deposited you on his shoulder, half hidden by a bit of his hair and snug against the crook. You yawned and readjusted yourself for just a moment, before gazing exhaustedly down at the book in his lap.