#tiny!boxten

"Uh...Vee, i-is this really necessary?" asked Boxten. Who was standing at a distance from Vee, who was putting batteries into a remote.

"Well...delicate repairs require delicate handling." Vee explained "In which case, a small error could lead to a big mistake." her eyes were still focused on the remote as she managed to put the first battery in.

"Besides, I could always ask Brightney if you don't feel like doing it..."

"No-no! I'm sure I wanna do this." said Boxten, despite the twinge of nervousness in his voice, he'd be lying if he said he wasn't both excited and honored to be helping his idol with repairs.

"Good." said Vee as she finished placing the batteries and stood up from the desk chair. With the back panel of the remote put in place, she pointed it square at Boxten.

"Now just hold still..."

With the press of the "Minus" button, Boxten was hit with a sudden jolt of green electricity. Oddly enough, the sensation was merely tingly, devoid of the pain one would expect from getting electrocuted.

Mere seconds passed as Boxten began to feel and see the world around him grow and tower over him, as he quickly shrank down to roughly the size of one's finger.

Then the green sparks subsided, leaving Boxten left to take in his now gigantic surroundings.

"Oh good. It worked." said Vee as she walked over to grab the now tiny music box.

Her grip around Boxten was rather firm and on the tighter side. But it was all to make sure he didn't slip from her grasp. Besides, it wouldn't last long, as she placed the music box on the counter.

"You remember what I need you to do, correct?" she asked, sitting back down in the chair.

"Y-yes! But could you still...walk me through it?" said Boxten, attempting to make his feelings of overwhelm, at the sight at the now literally large presence of his favorite (and only) game show host not known. "You know, give me a couple pointers."

"If you insist...". said Vee as she turned in the chair, now facing away from the desk, exposing a compartment on the back of her head.

"Just get in, and we'll start."

After a moment of hesitation, Boxten slowly and carefully crawled into the compartment. Thank goodness the two had the foresight to remove the panel before shrinking him.

Upon entering, Boxten was met with two things: One was the wiring and mechanisms plastered all around the green walls, and the other, a noticeable increase in heat...

"Now, there should be a light blue wire." said Vee. Which turned Boxten's attention to the panel where the wires were safety nested in. Yellow for video, Red for audio...

"Do you see it?" she asked, her voice echoing a bit through the hollow compartment. And sure enough, Boxten's eyes met the source of Vee's problem.

"I sure do..."

A part of the blue wire had been frayed, perhaps from the elements, perhaps from age. How it got frayed didn't matter, what did was what the wire was used for.

AC...Air Conditioning. No wonder it was quite hot in there.

"You know what to do..." said Vee "Just, be careful."

Boxten gulped as he took a roll of electrical tape from his pocket. "I'll do my best..."

Compared to Boxten's size, the wire's size was that of a pool noodle. But regardless, Boxten got to work, wrapping the tape around the exposed part of the wire.

He tried his best not to get electrocuted, which was a bit easier to accomplish thanks to the rubber gloves he had the forethought of wearing.

Nor did he want Vee to experience the discomfort of having someone jostle with her AC wire, no matter how gently it was being done.

With one last wraparound, Boxten cut the tape with the scissors he brought in his other pocket. He placed his hand on the end of the tape to made sure it stuck with the rest of it.

"There..." he said "You..feel any better...?"

"I feel better already~" Vee replied "Thanks, Boxten." Boxten's heart lit up at the Vee's thanks. He too also felt better as he felt the cool air return to the compartment.

"Now, I need you to get out of my head so you can return to your normal size."

Sure, Vee could've worded that less...harshly, but that's Vee for you. Boxten the made his way through the opening he came out from, making sure not to fall onto the desk. He was thankful Vee was able to keep still for as long as needed.

Once Boxten made his departure known, Vee reached again for the remote and pointed it at Boxten.

Green electricity engulfed Boxten once again, as he the world around him became familiar again, returning to the same size as before, just as he was.

"Thanks, Boxten...again" Vee said in gratitude as Boxten got down from the desk and started fastening the compartment lid back on with a screwdriver.

"O-of course! Don't mention it!" Boxten responded, still slightly overwhelmed by the praise he was getting.

"Do you think...this means...I could get on your gameshow?" Asked Boxten, who would be twiddling his fingers if they weren't already occupied at the moment as he was just about finished putting the hatch back on.

"We'll see..." Vee then turned to give Boxten a small wink and a smile.

If his chances weren't good before, there certainly were now!

Boxten panted as he sprinted away. This had been a HORRIBLE idea. He knew, he just KNEW that he had a bad feeling about this run. It had all started normally. Normally! It was a normal run where they were just going to go down, investigate files, ichor, anything important, and then return. But then Boxten had to go and find some weird abandoned bottle of magic liquid or whatever that got all over him! It hadn’t taken much, just a moment’s clumsiness as he’d inspected the bottle; it had led him to being shrunken down to a minute size and quickly scrambling to get the attention of anyone, or anything!! In his frantic thought process however, he failed to realize that he wasn’t really paying attention to where he was going. He ran right into a pale gold wall that appeared to be dripping with Ichor, and fell backwards onto his rear. He made an audible oof sound as he rubbed his head, and then looked up, and up, and up. Oh dear. It was Twisted Glisten. Boxten coughed as he quickly wiped the Ichor off of his body the best as he could as the Twisted turned on their heel and looked down at him. That was what he’d run into, this… monstrous version of his friend’s heel. “I-It’s You! Please won’t you stay?” Glisten said, trying to lean down to pick up the smaller Toon. Of course, Boxten wasn’t having any of that. He could already feel his chest tighten as the hand took up more and more of his view. It was too much, and too fast. He quickly scurried to his feet and darted away like he’d been set on fire. He couldn’t afford to look back, couldn’t process, couldn’t think; all he could do was Run.

“W-Wait!! STOP.” Glisten called out, just as panic mode started and the last machine went ding! He was running out of time. “P-Poppy!!” The small Toon called out, hoping to explain the situation to someone, anyone. He ran as fast as his legs would allow, and nearly fell over when he heard a crash behind him as the Twisted apparently stumbled when they tried to dive for Boxten. “N-NOOO!” He called out, a sharp sob erupting from the Mirror’s mouth… or where its mouth should have been. Boxten quickly dived underneath one of those storage shelves that were littered all across the lower floors of Gardenview. It was here that he tried and nearly failed to catch his breath. “Boxten!! Have any of you heard from Boxten?? He’s not answering his radio.” Poppy! It was her! Boxten looked all around to try and find Poppy; it sounded like she was close to the elevator! Boxten kept going, before coming to a pause as he heard something. Low sobs, stifled to the best of Glisten’s ability behind him as the Twisted sat with their knees hugged closely to their chest, clearly well aware that the rest of the toons, save for Boxten who was unreachable in his current position, were all at the elevator. Boxten turned around, and bit his lip. Glisten… He felt bad about leaving them behind. Yes, the Mirror was a Twisted now… a Twisted that could be really dangerous, and had definitely chased him to the elevator more than once. But he was still the person he used to watch movies with back when the center was open… and he wasn’t like the other Twisteds. He spoke, he cried, and he was peaceful until the elevator door opened. The key on the back of Boxten’s head turned slowly as he debated, before he shook his head. No… no what was he thinking?? That was Unbelievably dangerous. He couldn’t stay here with a Twisted, he could… Boxten didn’t want to think about it, but all the possibilities of pain flashed through his head as tears pricked his eyes. He was Not the right type to do this kind of thing, that was always more of a Poppy, Looey, Cosmo, and Sprout thing!! So many other people really, reaching out… making sure he was okay. 

Thunk! The elevator door closed in the distance, and Boxten’s heart nearly stopped. He’d taken too long. Now… Now because of his foolishness he was stuck in the middle of the room under these grated storage shelves, with a Twisted in the room!! He had no idea what to do, no idea of how long he’d be tiny for, and no way out. Boxten fidgeted with his bandanna anxiously as he felt his breathing get funny. No… no no , it’s okay, it’s okay! S-surely they’ll come back for me… right? He thought, trying to be confident in that, but deep down he knew that they’d probably assume that he had been killed down here. But he hadn’t!! He was still here!! Think, Boxten, think!!! What would Vee do? Probably think of a plan. He thought to himself as he sat there, trying and failing to tune out the sound of Glisten crying softly in the background. Hmm… maybe before his friends get too far, he could find his radio!! It would be where he had shrunk, ohhh he should have just used it immediately instead of looking for his friends! Sure. it was high up on a desk somewhere now but doing that climb would have been easier than this. Boxten took a deep breath and would shakily walk right to the edge of his hiding spot, and set one foot out to test the waters. Unfortunately once his foot touched the ground again in the open, Glisten’s head would shoot up, and the Twisted would stare right into his Soul. Boxten’s face went blank, and he immediately backed up to the center of the hiding spot, just barely out of reach as Glisten literally leaped for him, and tried to grab him out from under the shelving unit. Boxten clasped a hand over his mouth. He could Not afford to scream right now; he already had one Twisted with their eyes on him, he didn’t need more! Boxten let out a quiet sob purely from fear as he sat down with his knees hugged to himself. The Twisted’s gaze was relentless, and eventually Glisten would sit in a similar position. He couldn’t reach Boxten, but unfortunately it seemed like he was content in waiting. W-well… I, I can wait too! Boxten thought firmly to himself, set in his goal as he stretched out and laid down on his side, trying to seem confident. He ended up curling up into a ball, which sort of defeated that display unfortunately.

Time passed, Boxten wasn’t sure how long exactly, but it felt like nearly an hour and Glisten hadn’t moved an inch, save for resting his head in between his hugged knees and chest. It was a level of intelligence that Boxten rarely saw in Twisteds, even Glisten who could talk. That thought came back again, and Boxten sat back up to gaze at the Twisted that almost sounded like they were sleeping. Fear penetrated every nerve on his body, and he felt kind of like a thousand-year old statue as he peeled himself off of the floor and shakily approached a point where he’d be just barely out of reach of his hands. What am I doing what am I doing what am I DOING. Boxten screamed at himself internally, eyes wide. A very loud part of himself desperately wanted to just curl up and cry in the safest spot under this shelf, but a quieter yet far stronger part of himself just wanted to be with his friend again. Glisten was always the loud type, cocky, self-centered, but… he always hung out with him, and Boxten would be lying if he said that he didn’t like talking to him. The way he talked, the way he laughed, and the way he boasted it- it all made him smile, and even laugh occasionally. Or had. Boxten stepped out from under the shelving unit. His lungs felt funny. Glisten became closer. His palms felt hot when he fidgeted. Glisten became closer. Boxten looked up, all the way up as the Twisted towered over him. Well, he’d made it. Boxten bit his lip. He tenderly reached a hand out, and pressed it palm open against Glisten’s left leg in a reassuring rub. I’m Going To Die. The louder part of his brain said; it wasn’t a scream, it wasn’t a warning, it was stated as fact. 

Glisten looked up, and then down at Boxten, adjusting his position a bit. He got on his hands and knees, and made a strange almost cooing sound. The small Toon nervously smiled. “Hey- hey hey… um- are you… in there?” His voice sounded awkward and he felt sooooo stupid; unfortunately he’d already committed and couldn’t back out. “B-Boxten… you, you’re really h-here…” The Twisted spoke. It was different from before, usually whenever he was passive the Toons just hung out around him and he didn’t say anything too specific. Looks like now he’d need to have a full conversation. “Um… yes? I-it’s alright, you’ll be okay- but… can you please please help me out?” Boxten asked tenderly, holding his hands together fearfully though he tried his best to hide his fear… which wasn’t a good attempt at all. Glisten didn’t seem to take offense, thankfully. “O-oh… of course!! Anything for my dear, dear friend!” Glisten strung the sentence together with a bit of difficulty, his voice having a really distorted and generally Wrong sound to it. Boxten didn’t think he’d ever get used to hearing him like this… it was so vulnerable. Don’t get him wrong, back then he would have been happy to help his friend out and be a rock to lean on, even if he wasn’t very good at it, but this was different than that. Very different. Boxten squinted as he looked up at Glisten. He hadn’t noticed it before, but the larger Toon did still have his mouth. It was on a part of his face that was shattered, and it was pitch black in color which… definitely wasn’t supposed to be the case, but of course he also wasn’t supposed to be shattered and… b-bleeding all over his midsection. While Boxten focused on the details of the interaction, Glisten would be reaching both hands down. He wouldn’t have enough time to react before two hands would scoop him up into a cradling grasp and quickly pull him up, too quickly. He let out a small scream as the motion was done, and flailed about for a moment before he felt the faded pink bow around the Twisted’s chest press against him. That mixed with the warm hands felt… quite comfy; of course that didn’t stop his heart from beating almost out of his chest, but it helped? Marginally? “H-hey… please- don’t uh- move so fast…? Please…?” He asked timidly, but the Twisted gave no response to that. 

“What d-do you r-r-require of me..?” He asked, seemingly smiling down at the shrunken Boxten. “Well… if you couldn’t tell ahehe… I accidentally shrunk myself with an old prop!! Or something- Just, could you help me find my radio? Quickly? Ah- so someone can help get me back to normal size of course.” Boxten added on at the end, wisely trying to make sure that Glisten didn’t put two and two together that he was going to be leaving. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief as after a moment or two the Twisted would nod slowly and begin to move about the floor, helping him search. “Oh… thank you!” Boxten spoke gratefully, eliciting a purr from the larger Twisted, clearly happy to help. After a short explanation of where Boxten had left the radio, Glisten would walk the two into a back room that was normally closed, but now it lay wide open. “Just in there… um- thank you again- you’re a big help.” Boxten spoke, real nervouslike as he could feel the sweat beading on his rectangular forehead. “O-of course… a T-Toon as perfect as I needs to lend a helping hand to the less fortunate after a-all.” That sounded like Glisten. “Um… B-Boxy?” Glisten asked as he entered, and hesitantly slid Boxten off of his hand onto the desk next to the radio. Boxten took a moment to respond, mostly because he yelped and struggled to land on his feet and stay standing when he was slid off; a lot of waving his arms occurred. “U-um… yea, Glisten?” He asked, feeling a little more at ease thanks to the familiar nickname. “Can… um- after you get back to normal, and after I…” He trailed off, a few tears of ichor falling from his eyes before he’d shake his head and get back on track while Boxten fiddled with the radio to try and get it to turn on again. “May we watch a movie together…?” The question made Boxten freeze for a moment. “Oh…” That would be impossible. The Marvelous Mirror, as he sometimes called him jokingly when Boxten was feeling comfortable, would pose too much of a threat to the others. Heck, Boxten even being in close contact with him could be dangerous even if the Mirror wasn’t doing anything. “Of… Yes, yes we can. But first, could you step outside for a minute, I need to be alone for a moment.” He pleaded slightly, clasping his hands together. “O-oh.. pr-promise me you won’t run…? I… I don’t want to be alone…” Glisten asked, and it broke the Music Box’s heart. “Yes… okay.”

—----------

Glisten left the room, closing the door behind him tenderly as he sat with his back to the door. Oh… he’d missed Boxten so so so much. Yes, he was always a nervous one, but his smile… and his voice!! It made Glisten feel normal again. He closed his eyes and thought back to those warm nights. Oh how he had taken it for granted! Sitting next to Boxten, Glisten laid on his stomach and Boxten sat crisscrossed so politely. Eating popcorn, occasionally pausing for Glisten to rant about the story and the characters decisions (Especially prevalent when they watched Horror movies, it was the only way that Glisten didn’t hide under the blanket; somehow criticizing the characters comforted him); it had been amazing. Glisten took a moment to pause his thoughts, and look at his hands… They were stained black with ichor, and the sight of them gave his mind more clarity than it had had in a Longggg while. His body ached. His midsection burned sharply, and his face stung worse than it ever had before. Would he ever truly be normal again? And Boxten… surely he must be frightened by his appearance. Would he ever be perfect again? Why would Boxten want to help him when he could be dangerous?

“Oh.” The thought hit him with a daze as he closed his eyes and listened to the inside of the room. “Poppy, Poppy!! Oh… gosh- they must be too far away.” Boxten whined, his voice muffled through the door as Glisten focused, his instincts buzzing through every inch of his being. “Okay, okay! That’s… not fine but- at least I’m safe in here. I just need to sneak through the walls all the way back up to the lobby! Then… someone can help me there.” Glisten’s gaze narrowed. “Maybe… if I can get to the elevator I can make my way into the shaft- yeah- that’s good.” Boxten spoke so casually. He was leaving. Glisten was going to be alone again. He felt his instincts buzz louder. He couldn’t do it again. He waited patiently, and when Boxten came through a hole hidden underneath a counter that led out of that room he’d be in, Glisten was well aware. He let the tiny box sneak his way, and once Glisten was sure Boxten wouldn’t detect him, the Twisted followed him all the way. He had a plan, a plan to prove to Boxten that he could be trusted, and that he didn’t have to leave!! Luckily enough, Glisten’s plan was set into motion easily once Boxten let out a scream not too far ahead of him. The Twisted rushed forward, thoughts and movements a blur as he moved past the threshold of the next room, and saw Boxten cornered by a very agitated Twisted Shrimpo. The other Twisted snarled, and stomped their feet as they approached the helpless Boxten, already ready to do, well… despicable things if it weren’t for our marvelous hero. Glisten would rush forward, and tackle Shrimpo down, restraining him before pushing him away to scoop up Boxten and keep him out of reach once the Mirror got to standing. “Back away! He’s mine…” Glisten spoke as commandingly as he could manage as he held the small Boxten far above his head, and far out of reach of Shrimpo as the smaller Twisted tried to leap up and grab the Toon out of his hands. Glisten used his free hand to shove the Shrimp away, and eventually with an angry stomp, the fellow Twisted would walk away with a casual punch to the wall. Shrimpo was pretty bad at everything, but if nothing else he was strong.

Once Glisten was sure it was safe, he’d hold Boxten to his face with two hands, gently cradling. “S-see…? I’m safe- safe!! Trustworthy.” Glisten rambled, instincts still ablaze as Boxten visibly shook in his hands as they looked up at him. “U-u-um.. Y-yes! You are! Please- please put me down! I um- just need to head to the elevator and wait for my friends-” “But I’m your friend too! L-let me wait with you!! I can come too!! T-they can… help me…” But as Glisten said it he knew that it’d be impossible. Not to mention there was the fact that there was no one to wait for.  “You… really never were planning on staying with me… were you?” “Glisten, n-no-” “STOP LYING TO ME.” Glisten screamed, his voice shrill, and ear piercing even to a normal sized Toon. He had a brief moment of regret as he saw Boxten put their hands on either side of their head to block the noise, but that was quickly swallowed up by pure instincts… he felt his vision go dark, and his grip on Boxten tightened as he held them in one hand. 

—-----------

Boxten winced as the grip tightened. It was a horrible constrictive feeling. “G-Glisten- wait…” For a moment, he felt like the grip would get deathly tight, but initially fortunately it seemed like that wouldn’t be the case as Glisten simply lifted him up a bit higher. “My… Friend…” Glisten’s voice darkened, and felt more animalistic, more like how the Main Twisteds sounded. Then a most horrifying thing happened. Glisten opened his mouth. No… no his maw. Boxten’s body froze up, and for a moment he felt his heart stop. The jaws were lined with impossibly sharp teeth, and the internal walls and ceiling were a pulsing black with only hints of a once-vibrant pink, hidden behind the ichor. The tongue, a most menacing carpet wayyy too quickly met his legs, but it was with that feeling of hot muscle and equally heated breath that activated Boxten’s Fight or Flight, and he was almost out of Flight. White, hot panic went through his mind as he thrashed around and desperately tried to pull himself out as the hand slid him inside, but he only succeeded in getting the lips around his arm while the rest of him was trapped inside the humid space. He could hardly think, could hardly breathe as the tongue assaulted the vast majority of his body. It rubbed against him, slathered, and squished as he screamed to the best of his ability but it was muffled in the slimy space. He held his eyes intensely shut, not able to bear the sight of it all as he waited for the teeth to do their thing. 

The teeth never came, and despite Glisten quickly slurping his arm in easily despite its attempts to try and pull Boxten out, for a moment he thought the Twisted might come to his senses. He was sorely mistaken. “Wait.. w-wait NO!” Boxten yelled, kicking his legs out in an attempt to brace himself against anything, but it was useless as the tongue smooshed him to the roof, and the Twisted swallowed thickly. The muscles of the throat felt sooooo constrictive as the tongue slid the smaller Toon down down down straight inside. It felt like those waterslides Boxten had always heard about, but significantly more terrifying. The Music Box scrabbled for any kind of handhold as he felt the walls contract and tug as the maw disappeared from view, and soon all there was were the tight, black walls of Glisten’s gullet. “No.. no no please- P-please-” Boxten pleaded as he groaned with every squeeze. It was too hot. Too tight. Too wet. Too… scary. Boxten couldn’t handle it. His head felt woozy. The saliva mixed with ichor stuck to his skin, and it’d be all too soon that he’d be released into what could only be the Twisted’s stomach. Boxten landed, and quickly got to his hands and knees. The chamber was cramped… but initially it wasn’t as tight as the throat. Boxten’s breathing grew heavier, and heavier, and heavier. Panic ensnared his heart, and he would use one hand to hold over his chest as he could feel himself nearly faint. The ichor and liquids of the stomach lapped at him all around, some of the ichor almost ensnaring his legs. Though he couldn’t see it, his pupils shrunk and the whites of his eyes darkened to a light red color for a moment. He couldn’t see, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think. He could only feel the walls of the stomach shrink and squeeze him almost affectionately. There was no stinging feeling, he wasn’t being treated as food, but he was wayyyyy too out of it to realize that. He’d take a few shaky deep breaths, and reach up to turn the key on the back of his head.

He could feel Glisten seemingly curling up somewhere, and rub from the outside just as his music box started playing. The melody was soft, and sweet… for a moment, it cleared the reddening of Boxten’s eyes, and soothed the ichor around him. The exhausted Toon would collapse into a curled up ball as he tried desperately to relax. He hoped… and he prayed for a sweet dream that night, but he knew it’d be impossible as Glisten seemingly began to sleep, the Twisted satisfied in their act. “Never… letting… go…”

As Boxten’s eyes fluttered shut, and he could hardly fight the urge to hide from this nightmare via sleep, he had a last silent hope…

M-maybe… I can still help him…

—-------------

Astro looked on in despair as he crossed Boxten’s name out on a sheet of paper that he and Sprout had made to decide on who would be going on Runs. Based on the last Run’s report… they would probably only see Boxten again as… well, he didn’t like thinking about it. Astro exhaled heavily, and held his blanket tighter to his body as he turned away to slide into bed quickly. He was always ready for a sleep, his powers worked best in his dreams. Soon enough he’d be opening his eyes again in that oh-so familiar land.

The land of Dreams. He stood on a cloud, and quickly jumped down to survey the dreams of those who were left… Sprout, Poppy, Cosmo… Dandy, all represented by stars. He side-eyed the forbidden zone, way off into the land. Back when Gardenview was active, he’d been forbidden from venturing over there. That was where the Dreams of Humans lay. Even now, he hasn't gone over there. It just felt wrong… and he knew that he probably wouldn’t like what he saw if he went to Delilah’s or Austin’s Dreams. 

As he turned back to the Toon’s dreams, he paused with a startled look. Boxten. His star was still here. Astro approached the star that represented the nervous music box; it was colored purple, with the patterns of his box and some music notes emanating from it in a sort of glow. He would peer inside, and soon he’d find himself lost in Boxten’s dreams… or nightmares.

Boxten was clearly asleep, which meant he must be alive, and untwisted. They had to find him, but for now… he needed to soothe his sleep.

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Tiny Christmas (Taglist)

Chapter One: The Shrinking Episode

Preds & Borrowers (Taglist)

Something New (ThreeShot)

Part One*

Part Two*

Part Three*

One Shots

Take a Break*

The Best of Her* (Fanchild + OC x Canon)

Voretober 2025*