Thorns (G/t) Chapter 13

There are some people who enter other people's houses normally. A friendly greet, a “hi, how are you?” and a brotherly tap on the shoulder, all in good virtue and keeping a simple, peaceful, and calm environment, dwelling with good atmosphere.

Then there was Chad.

It was if an explosion went off in the room. The split second the door clicked open, it practically was flung off of its hinges, Ashton jolting back suddenly from the door as the enormous figure filled the doorway.

The whole doorway.

Now, at this point I knew that these giant people were, well, giant. And as unreal as it seemed, it was the reality I was stuck with at the moment, one day dragging out into a time span that felt like decades. Every moment was constantly terrifying, and everything I saw in my vision constantly was always taken up by one of them. There was no escaping it, and Ashton was all I had really known for the past day. Merely because of his size, he was the only thing keeping me from my freedom.

And if I thought Ashton had been huge, I had been horribly mistaken.

Chad’s head nearly reached the top of the doorframe, standing nearly a head over Ashton, but not quite. And the expression glowing from his face didn't do anything to calm the immediate intimidation that rushed through my stomach, built up knots of fear only tightening as his huge hazel eyes landed hungrily on me, my own wide with terror. I instantly squirmed back further into Ashton's hand, for once actually taking refuge in my own captor, as much as I hated it.

The second his eyes met mine, he launched himself into the room with booming steps and I shrieked, curling up against Ashton's fingers as I heard the door slam back shut behind him, his looming figure hovering right above us.

“DUUUUDEE. You…you actually did it! Is she real?”

I felt his presence loom in further and I clenched my teeth, wincing and pushing myself away from the warmth I felt radiating off of the strangers skin, and was relieved to feel Ashton move us both away almost immediately.

“Bruh, chill out, you're gonna freak her out more than she already is!” Ashton spat at him, not entirely angrily but definitely laced with traces of worry. It pissed me off, how he could worry about me as if I was some kind of possession, when his first encounter with me was far more terrifying.

My tense shoulders loosened as I heard, and felt, Chad take a couple reluctant steps away, giving me some actual room to breathe. In Ashton's palm.

God, there was just no positive spin on this, was there?

It only took a couple seconds for the previous horror I had dreadfully experienced to return at full flight as Ashton slowly lifted me out from the cave of his tee shirt, back into the exposed, open air. Back where Chad could actually get a good look at me.

“She's kinda skittish, so don't be a dick about this, alright?”

I shrieked and shot my hands out in an attempt to clutch some of the fabric of the tee shirt before he could reach all the way, hopelessly trying to prevent myself from being moved. All that earned was a few deep chuckles and a more forceful removal process, and soon I found myself held out from Ashton's chest, plopped helplessly in the center of his hand.

In that one, mind numbing moment, I was actually at a complete loss for what to do, where to look. I sure as hell didn't wanna give this obtrusive stranger the pleasure of actually seeing me, and looking at Ashton like I had been forced to for the past day was equally unpleasant. So, wistfully and pathetically, I curled up into a ball in the center of Ashton's palm and looked down into my knees, locking my eyes on the loose, jean material.  

I flinched as I felt Chad approach me closer, his face mere feet from my back and I bit my lip, refusing to look up.

“Wow, you were right. She is pretty shy.”

His voice quieted as his warm breath crawled up my neck and I swallowed a shiver, gripping the ends of my sweater and trying to keep myself from freaking out.  

I suddenly felt light pressure hit my back and I shrieked, uncurling from my ball out of unfortunate reflex and whirling around to the source of the touch, only to come face to face with those enormous, shocked whiskey eyes I had seen earlier out the window, and one tree trunk sized finger hovering over me, flung back from my sudden movements.

I immediately sucked in a gasp and frantically crawled away backwards, of course only to bump into a wall of fingers. All I could do was stare, wide eyed and paling at the new face looming over me, way too close for comfort.

“Woah there, there's no reason to be afraid. I'm not gonna hurt you.” Chad breathed softly, moving his hands back and at his chest palms up in a defensive position. His lips were still laced with a small, incredulous smile, his eyes not quite believing his mouth, still traveling over me as if I was some sort of amazing spectacle.

I mean, I guess I was one here.

I remained frozen against Ashton’s fingers, feeling their slight twitches behind me as Chad continued to gawk. The shift between Chad’s sudden and brash movements when he first arrived compared to the delicateness and subtle gentleness he had now was enough to make my head spin, but not enough for me to immediately trust the stranger.

“Careful with her, Chad. She's still not even used to me.” I jumped as I heard Ashton’s voice boom from behind me, flicking my gaze up at the bottom of his chin, following Chad’s brief gaze up at him before returning back to me. I watched him back, eyes trailing down from his knee length basketball shorts to his thick grey tee, up to the brown of his eyes and dirty blonde waves of hair. He really was huge. The classic football player body, thick from almost every aspect and a bit of tummy bulging out from his sports shirt. I stiffened again as Chad took a step back to me where he was previously, looming over me as my gaze followed him, my neck craning at a nearly 90 degree angle now. Not the most comfortable position.

He suddenly bent down there, squatting on the ground so that he was eye level with me and my eyes widened, my knuckles turning white from gripping my sweater. His hazel eyes grew wide.

“Wow, dude, I can't believe you actually, finally did it…” He practically whispered, pupils dancing over me. His gaze put a two ton weight in my shoulders, wanting anything but to be gawked at by some complete, giant stranger.

I felt Ashton chuckle, the vibrations coursing through his palms and I flinched.

“I can hardly believe it either.” He said with a breathy laugh.

Chad continued to stare, his lips suddenly curling into a smirk and he glanced up at Ashton from his kneeling position.

“And you managed to stumble across a girl too. I see you, Ash.” Chad chuckled loudly and Ashton whisked me away from him, heat rising to my cheeks as he bluntly pressed me back up against his chest despite my light cries of protest.

“Shut up man. She was the first one I saw! The only one!”

“Mhm, sure she was.”

I felt Ashton shove Chad fairly lightly, making him lose his squatting position and falling to the floor. He laughed and rolled his eyes, pressing his hands against his kneecaps and standing back up to his enormous height.

He looked directly at me then and I stiffened, caught off guard by his sudden proposal.

“Well, despite you probably being scared out of your mind here for now, you’re one lucky gal. Good thing Ash here never gave up on trying to he-”

“Um, Chad…”

Immediate confusion was my initial reaction, and at Ashton’s interruption I whipped my head back at him, watching his eyebrows furrow with a pleading, desperate look flashed across his eyes, almost as if he was telling Chad something serious with a simple gaze. Ever so lightly, Ashton shook his head ‘no’. I turned back to Chad in even more confusion, watching as he gave Ashton and equally confused look before his eyes widened and mouth clamped up, looking as if he wanted to swallow back up the words he had just spoken.

Neither one of them said anything for several moments, and I shot questioning glances between the two of them as the same word droned over and over again in my head.

‘Lucky…lucky… what exactly about getting kidnapped from my home was… lucky? And what…exactly did Ashton never ‘give up’ on…?

Part of me didn’t want to put a second thought to either one of these things. These people, or whatever the hell they were, they were crazy. Why should I even bother dwelling on any of the confusing shit that they spew out?

But on the other hand, it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

I clenched my fists.

Or better yet, demand.

“Would one of you please do me the honor of telling me what the fuck you’re talking about?”

Both giant’s eyes widened as their faces turned in my direction. Feeling suddenly uncomfortable with their proximity and the possible consequences of my choice words, I shrunk back in the hollow of Ashton’s hands, watching the two boys in anticipation.

Then, as if another explosion went off, the two busted out laughing, sounding partially genuine but also definitely forced. The noise caught me off guard and I yelped a little, falling over a tad in Ashton’s hand as I watched the two chortle incredulously.

“Nothing! Nothing at all. And wow, I didn’t know such a timid thing like you could be so feisty!” Chad examined, easily dropping the caught-off guard interaction with Ashton, to my complete frustration. I looked at the both of them one more time before sighing and staring instead at my lap, biting my cheek in irritation.

Those sons of bitches…completely ignoring my question…

Ashton chuckled lightly then and looked down at me endearingly. I looked back up at him and rolled my eyes blatantly, running my hand through my bangs. At this point I was feeling more annoyed with the whole giant thing than actually terrified. For now.
His smile turned into a slight frown at my obvious discomfort, and he brought me back down to chest level and turned to Chad.

“Alright, let's give Rose a little space, she looks like she's bouta kill me.”

“Rose? HA. I get it! Cuz that's a flower that has thorns and-”

“Fuck off dude I already made that joke.”

I rolled my eyes again listening to those two morons, stiffening a bit as I felt Ashton begin walking, booming footsteps following from behind him. Immediately I clutched the skin below me for balance as we made our way over to the green and purple room I had seen earlier, the one with the lab. Ashton remained standing, holding me at chest level as Chad crashed violently onto the grey sofa, slinging his backpack over beside him. When Ashton made no move, he grinned at him devilishly.

“Well what are you waiting for? Aren't you going to let me see her?”

My face paled and I shot my head up at Ashton, trying to give him a pleading look. The absolute last thing I wanted to do right now was shave a get-to-know you session with another giant. He took a couple steps towards the sofa, carefully sitting down onto the cushions as I felt my heart begin to pound widely. He better freaking not…

“Nah, just give it a while. She's still all freaked out, plus you're like, way more intimidating than I am.”

Chad scoffed dramatically, clutching a hand to his chest and staring at Ashton with a faux hurt expression.

“Me? Intimidating? How hurtful. That really hurts, Ash.”

He suddenly leaned down to where Ashton was holding me and I stiffened, swallowing as I was lost in the two giant brown-green eyes with nowhere else to go.

“Do you find me all that intimidating?”

I shrunk back again from the face, unable to help myself from doing anything else as Chad stared into me with a small grin. Lowering my face, I peered at him through a curtain of blonde bangs, watching to see if he was actually not going to leave me alone until he got an answer. He wasn't.

My luck.

“Uh, I guess?” I squeaked out, just above a whisper as Chad’s eyes widened and he cocked an eyebrow at me, grinning even wider.

“What?! That's mean. Has Ashton’s asshole tendencies rubbed off on you already?”

I just stared at him blankly and he winked with a smile, stretching back up away from me and leaning against the sofa.

Ashton was right, though. He was intimidating. Better yet, this whole situation was intimidating. Having two, giant, not to mention dangerously curious people always in your face, staring at you, touching you…

It was giving me a headache.

Storing up all the courage I could, I turned my head back up at Ashton, faced with simply the bottom of his chin.

“Uh, A-Ashton?”

I felt two sets of eyes flick right over to me, Chad’s bulging with curiosity and leaning his elbows into his lap to get a closer look, and Ashton’s now looking down at me, his fingers automatically curling in protectively. I bit my cheek and forced myself to meet his eyes.

“D-do you think you could put me down? All the movements are giving me a headache…”

My voice trailed off at the end, a silent plea whisked into my words as I watched Ashton’s eyebrows first furrow with reluctance, but then relax as I felt fingers curl up further behind me.

“Yeah, no problem Rosebud.”

“Bet your face gave her a headache.”

“Fuck off, Chad.”

In a flash I felt myself being hovered I over the glass table right in front of the couch, Ashton’s laying his palm flat on the table before another hand came out of nowhere and pinched the back of my sweater, raising me into the air briefly despite my squirms and plopping me onto the table.


God, weren’t there more graceful ways to do that?