“There is something… I have to show you.”
His words echoed inside of the human’s mind, Brian looking up into the sky. The wind was chilled; a slight scent of snow called out to him. His brown eyes dimmed, staring upwards past the vast city towers that stretched into beautiful auburn flames.
What could he have possibly meant?
“My name?”
“You’ve only told me your screen name. What’s your real name?”
Laughter rang in his head.
“Husani.”
“Hu… sani?”
“It means, ‘handsome’.”
He sighed, stuffing his hands into his pockets. He wore the long sleeved shirt that Husani had gifted him for the occasion; a simple black textured cloth with form fitting sides. He adored the shirt, often refusing to use it unless on a special occasion.
Standing in front of the restaurant, he shifted his weight back and forth, blowing hot air into the scarf that Husani had knit for him. Carefully woven with love, Brian knew that each and every stitch held the heart of someone that he knew cared for him. They had never met, but on this evening everything would change.
At that moment something vibrated in his pocket, Brian snapping out of his thoughts and fumbling around. His hands took hold of the old android phone, the familiar face of the one person he felt connected to on the screen.
He opened the text.
“Come to the outskirts, near the building site.”
Before he could register the words his body was already in motion, his heart driving him forward. Excitement rose in his heart as he shivered with cold, Brian almost running towards the construction site of the future science building in the nearby college. His boots crunched through leaves as he made his way forwards, his eyes gazing around to see where Husani was.
He licked his lips, his head turning to and fro frantically. His smile diminished, his breaths heaving. He stood in the middle of the site, surrounded by steel bars and mounds of dirt and other things that he cared not about. Slowly he stopped.
“…. Husani?”
Look up.
The voice shook him, Brian nearly tripping over his own two feet. His heart beat wild in his ears; was that Husani’s voice in his head?
Brian had but a moment to think before his mind processed that he was standing in a shadow. His breath came out in wisps of hot air, his eyes gradually rising. He swallowed.
The sky was covered with the white of something that blocked his view, the fire red dying out into the mile long length of black something that stretched across. Brian swallowed harder now, his feet turning him around to see the behemoth of man that surrounded him.
His eyes widened, his back arched and his head turning up and up to gaze into the moon sized cat eyes that fixated him so. Long strands of vines seem to rain down all around him, Brian soon recognizing the objects as ropes of raven hair.
A blast of wind threw him off his feet, Brian landing on his back roughly. He coughed twice, feeling a soft something pry his body off the ground. His head spun wildly, Brian struggling to regain some sort of control over his actions. His hands smoothed over something plush and rather warm, Brian struggling to restrain himself as a glass dome came closer to him, large soft spikes sticking out of the top and bottom.
That is…
The dome was covered momentarily when the spikes moved together, and then opened again, revealing a shimmering gold aura that glistened when moved. In the middle of the aura seemed to be a large slit, enough to fit three of him inside. Brian’s heart was in his ears, his body shaking at the mere sight of the thing before him. His brain could not register what he was looking at; what was happening?
Are you… Afraid?
That voice spoke to him again, and all at once Brian felt his heart warm. Something that he had never seen before, someone he had never met, things that had never happened to him before, all those things were slowly coming into place.
The dome was covered again and opened, the slit thinning and then widening again, adjusting. Brian softly licked his lips, his hands pushing up against the soft sofa that held him up on his feet. His legs regained traction as he stood, the dome backing up a bit to reveal long strands of hair that covered the glass.
His heart led him forwards, his hand gently reaching out towards the strands. The thick long hair was soft to touch, Brian amazed that every single strand was the thickness of a rope and the softness of a feather. Every one smelt of rain.
“… Husani…”
The God moved silently, his large feet causing only gentle rumbles on the earth. Brian had his hands upon the giant’s arm, the two of the large limbs hugging him to the soft yet muscular chest that contained the giant’s heart. He could hear the large bass drums of pump, yet he felt secure in this placement. Husani would not drop him.
Standing at twenty feet, Husani seemed more God than man. His human like features could not hide the fact that he stood head, shoulder, and even body length above all that surrounded him. Brian could only wonder how big Husani really was.
The sky above them now dimmed into more charcoal, the scent of leaves wafting in his nose as Brian looked about him. Far below moved the two boots that he had now recognized as Husani’s. The giant moved swiftly, passerbys stopping or moving out of his way as he traveled. The God did not seem to mind having the attention, he would stop for a moment and allow someone to move, or he would simply move out of their way and keep going. A few times Husani waved to a wondering child who peered up at him as if he were a statue. Brian nestled himself in more; he enjoyed Husani’s warmth.
The restaurant was busy that night, the fine linen and wine glasses were glowing in the faint light. Soft purrs of arpeggios and sweet undertones of bass filed their ears as Husani knelt, allowing Brian to step out of his hold. The human gazed upwards, Husani bending his head a bit.
“Do you want to stay outside?”
Brian kicked dirt up and off his shoe.
“W-Well… you clearly can’t…”
At that moment a sneeze shook him, rocking him back. Husani’s eyes seemed to widen, his lips parting to reveal the fangs that Brian had not noticed before.
“Inside it is.”
“W-Wait a second, Husani I-”
“Nonsense! It will be alright!”
Stepping back from the giant, he stuffed his hands into his pockets, feeling the sensation of a grin creeping in on his face. He was having the time of his life.
“What is it like?”
Husani turned his head, looking down. The man stood next to him, his head equal with the God’s knee. The grey skies had darkened now, soft sparkles of light beginning to peak out of the everlasting darkness. The echoes of a crow in the distance as well as the soft rumblings of traffic signaled their departure from the restaurant and the city life.
Brian had stopped walking, Husani wondering what his words meant.
“What’s it like being that big? And being a God?”
Husani paused, taking a puff of the cigarette he had acquired. He had requested one after the meal, his habit being no more than just that.
“Cumbersome.”
Brian came around to Husani’s front, looking up.
“But you’re so powerful. You’re so big! You must be able to do all sorts of things!”
“Like what?”
Husani’s counter did not stifle the excitement in Brian’s voice.
“Like make yourself bigger or smaller… you can easily crush buildings or even trample cars! Have you ever outgrown Earth? Or how about how things look when they’re so tiny? Do you ever get tired of that?”
At that moment the sound of laughter stopped him, Brian turning a little red. Husani’s laughter rumbled through the earth, Brian hearing echoes of a tiger’s roar.
“You are the second person to ask that many questions!”
Brian smiled, chuckling a bit.
“Well, I am curious.”
The human walked a little further now, his steps light in the autumn leaves.
“Why did you want to be human?”
A breeze of winter shook Brian down to his core, the man hugging his chest heavily, his hands going into his pits. Husani seemed unaffected, the giant instead seeming to look into space.
“I wanted to see what love was like.”
Brian looked up, his hair waving in the cool autumn air. Winter and fall mixed together to confuse them, Brian letting out a breath that ended in fog. The giant stepped back a bit, his claws taking the cig out and puffing. The cig fell to the ground.
“I wanted to see if I could do it on my own. Make different experiences. Everything you know about me was somewhat correct. But no one ever asked about me. No one understood that I am indeed a person. Maybe not like you humans, but I do exist here. On this plane.”
The golden orbs became one with Brian’s, the human feeling the tug of heart strings.
“I wanted to see if I could make friends. Find someone to share the experience of being human with. Because what does that mean? What does ‘being human’ truly mean?”
Brian licked his lips, bringing his hands down to his side. The fire of a candle light began to erupt in him.
“Human… becoming human means more than having to fit into buildings and being able to pick up glasses and things of that nature. It means having someone understand you for you. Not for the ultimate God everyone thinks you are.”
“Husani…”
Husani smiled now, his eyes shimmering with such a great sadness that Brian had to step back. His body wracked at even the sight of such a thing; his core was shaken.
“The years of humans crying monster, monster, and the years of being so large that you could hold the universe in your hand… do you know what toll it takes upon oneself?”
Husani turned away from him now, his long braided hair waving in the wind. Brian shivered in the cold, his heart keeping his body lit with a fire that he did not yet comprehend.
“Husani?”
The God turned his head a bit.
Husani did not move, Brian finding himself at the side of the God that drew him near. His hand came up to touch the claws that were sharp enough to kill him, his fingers winding around then softly. The claws wound around his tiny hand, Brian pulling down carefully.
The God’s body came along, Husani now sitting in the cool leaves that surrounded them. Brian offered a smile, his hand running up and down Husani’s slender fingers.
His feet led him to the back of the God’s head, where the braid snaked around his boots and into the leaves. The human gently picked up the braid, his fingers feeling along the raven hair.
The gentle touch broke him. Brian did not have to see the water droplets from Husani’s eyes to know what the God was feeling. His smile deepened, his hands gently undoing the braids that were wound tight.
“Are you scared?”
Brian shook his head.
“Look at me Brian.”
The human stopped, the God waiting. Brian swallowed hard, his heart throbbing in his ears.
“You’re trembling.”
Tears fell from his eyes.
“Are you scared?”
The question was asked again, Brian finding strength within himself. He smiled quietly.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because it’s you.”
Moonshine covered them both, Brian finding himself enveloped in warmth. His chin rested on Husani’s shoulder, long arms protecting him.
Quietly, they fell into the leaves.