Quinn watched as Arielle attempted to sneak a bite from the plate of nacho cheese chili fries they shared as an appetizer. Caught red-handed, she offered a guilty shrug and snagged several more fries, dropping them all into her mouth. Arielle had not intended to be sly but it came off that way, and she took her time to chew and swallow before speaking.
"I'm not going to apologize for being hungry," she said, glancing down to see if any chili or cheese had made it down to her white t-shirt, lime green cardigan, or pleated black skirt. Stain-free, she reset herself, pushing a tuft of her chestnut locks behind her ear and straightening her posture. "I will, however, apologize for my lack of manners. People don't need to see a handsome man like you associated with such an… uncouth display."
Quinn snickered. "Handsome? You dropped that compliment right in there, didn't you? What is it?" Quinn turned to the side and put on an exaggerated modeling pout. "My jawline? The form-fitting shirt? My expertly trimmed goatee? Perhaps my British accent?"
Arielle rolled her eyes and grabbed another handful of fries. "Mostly that you paid for my four bacon double-burgers."
"Cute." Quinn reached for the plate, but paused and glanced up at Arielle. "I'm sorry, may I help myself to a few nacho cheese fries?"
Arielle offered a gracious nod and held out both hands. "Help yourself."
Quinn did, and the two made small talk at a booth in Morty's Burgers. At 6'10", Quinn had expected to be the center-of-attention on their date. Instead, the seven-foot-plus Arielle easily drew more stares. Taking it in stride, Arielle ignored the stares and powered through her burgers like a champ while Quinn, who'd ordered one single-patty burger, ate at a modest pace. Arielle finished and wiped her mouth, but noticed Quinn watching her.
"What? Do I have food on my chin?"
“Are you actually seven-foot-six?.”
“What?”
“You said you were seven-six. You are maybe seven-four at the most.”
“I didn’t lie. I don’t keep track. It's not like it matters." Arielle narrowed her eyes into a playful glare. "Why are you so interested in knowing exactly how tall I am? What's it to you?"
“No matter. I just expected someone… taller. I’m a little over two meters, and I expected you to dwarf me. But perhaps it's a good thing you aren't any taller. It is a miracle the two of us even fit in this booth as it is."
"Oh, it's not so bad," Arielle said, shifting her long legs under the table, brushing them against Quinn's. "It's a pleasant change of pace to hang out with someone my size… or bigger."
Quinn raised an eyebrow and took one last bite of the burger before setting down the remaining half. "Ugh, I am stuffed, partly due to that mass of fries you ordered."
Arielle held her hands out. "Hand it over. I'll eat it."
"Are you kidding?"
"Nope, hand it over." Quinn did so, and Arielle nearly finished the burger in three quick bites.
"Good God, woman!"
"What? No use letting it go to waste." She leaned her head back and dropped the remaining morsel of into her mouth. "Besides," she continued, leaning in towards her date. "I fully intend to burn all these calories tonight."
"W-what did you have in mind?"
Arielle tapped a finger on her chin. “Well, I’m not feeling a night on the town. Perhaps we might head back to your place. You live near here, right?"
"Indeed, I do. Shall we get going?"
"That sounds like a splendid idea," Arielle said, imitating Quinn's accent. She slipped out of the booth and stood to her full, towering height. Quinn tried the same maneuver and nearly collided with an older woman passing by from the restroom. Her head rode near rib cage level to Quinn, and she glared up through large glasses with irritation that quickly melted into wonder.
"Dang, guy. You're huge!"
"Um, I'm sorry?"
"You're huge. I've never seen a guy as big as you."
"Oh, I'm sure you have!" Arielle said. The woman whirled around to find herself face to bellybutton with Arielle, who waved down at her. She looked back and forth between the two towering figures before stumbling backward and pointing at Quinn.
"She's even bigger than you!"
Quinn looked at Arielle inquisitively. "I suppose, but not by much."
"She's taller than you, and that's saying a lot because you're huge."
Arielle tugged Quinn towards the entrance. "This has been fun," she said. "But my date and I need to be going." The woman continued staring as they the two ducked out of the diner, Quinn barely crouching low enough to clear the frame.
"You take care of that big lady!" They heard the woman yell as the door shut behind them.
Arm in arm, the altitudinous couple strode down the street. Expecting the awkward encounter to have killed the mood, Quinn glanced up at Arielle who gazed into the sky. Instead of seeming embarrassed, she walked confidently wearing a pleasant expression. Arielle looked down, catching Quinn's concern.
"What's up?" she asked.
"That was so awkward!"
Arielle laughed. "Are you kidding? I get that all the time. What, have you not been tall for very long?"
"Ha ha."
"We’re a giant couple, she's a tiny lady. What do you expect? Come on, let's get to your place."
A chilly breeze brought them closer together. With her longer legs, Arielle's hip met the bottom of Quinn's rib cage. They'd taken each other's hands as they approached the driveway, and were kissing as they reached the porch. Quinn fiddled blindly for the entry code, while Arielle pressed in closer. Quinn did not mind the attention, but it compounded the difficulty of entry.
"Having trouble with your code?" Arielle whispered into Quinn's ear.
"I've got it. Give me one more—"
Arielle crouched down and bit Quinn's earlobe. The keypad buzzed with another incorrect entry.
"Funny, you don't strike me as the type to lose their cool under pressure."
"I'm sorry," Quinn said, voice wavering. "This evening is going better than I expected."
"The night ain't over yet. Now, let's get inside."
Quinn punched the correct code, and Arielle shoved them through the entryway into an expansive living room. Their kisses grew passionate, and Arielle ran her long fingers through Quinn's hair as they savored each other's lips.
"I like a lady who takes the initiative," a now shirtless Quinn said, pulling away briefly.
"I like a partner who takes direction," Arielle said. They kissed again, and Arielle found herself adjusting to maintain the embrace. The 7'4" woman soon found herself staring up slightly at Quinn, who closed in on eight feet.
Arielle let go, took a few steps back, and gazed up at Quinn's chiseled eight-foot frame. "This is unexpected."
"I can take direction. Doesn't mean I won't make you work for it."
"Can you get any bigger?"
"This is about as large as I can get."
"Sorry to hear that," Arielle said, pouting.
"Is it?"
"It is, because I can get way bigger."
Arielle's body abruptly expanded, exploding upwards and outwards at a rate that made quick work of her clothing. Her lacy satin underwear and bra fared better, accommodating—not to mention flattering—her remarkable figure. In no time she'd reached and surpassed Quinn, who watched as Arielle's nose, chin then breasts rose higher and a higher.
"You're breathtaking," Quinn said.
"You ain't seen nothing yet, little guy." Arielle groaned, shuddering as her enlarging body continued to fill the once-expansive room. Her head, then shoulder blades bumped the ceiling and she dropped to one knee, straddling both Quinn and the sofa. Her thighs rose like marble pillars on either side of Quinn, who looked around anxiously.
"Ari, you may want to slow down. At our size, we'll take out this whole room!"
"I think you mean 'at my size.' Now, focus!" She lowered herself down, effectively pinning Quinn to the couch. Her, pleasant musky scent filled the air, and Quinn felt a momentary serenity before several wooden beams in the couch cracked beneath them.
“Ari!" Quinn shouted. "Slow down! You’re getting too big!”
"Nonsense," Arielle said, her gentle voice booming in the large-but-shrinking room. "That's not even a thing." Now thirty feet tall, she savored the feeling of Quinn's tiny fingers on her belly. Feeling a hand clamp down on her nipple, Arielle moaned with delight and threw her head back, taking a healthy chunk out of the sheetrock. She gazed back down at Quinn, her face voracious with desire.
"You ready for this ride?"
A breathless Quinn could only nod in reply.
"Then let's get started!"
And they would have, had the front door not swung open.
"Aw, come on. Again!?!?"
The pair twisted to see behind them where a young woman in a bright red unitard removed her helmet and shook out her hair with an exasperated sigh.
"Oh hey, Meteorgirl," Arielle said.
"For the umpteenth time, it's Meteorelle! And we're not in the field. You can just call me 'Elle’."
"Sorry, Elle. I didn't expect you home so soon."
"At least you two could be more discreet. Ari, I could hear you moaning from two blocks away."
"Really?" Arielle asked, more curious than embarrassed.
"Yes, now move. Your giant ass is blocking the hallway." Arielle shuffled her hips to the side to make room for Ellen, who quickly changed clothes and emerged wearing jeans and a t-shirt. "I'm going out for food. Try to be decent when I return."
"We'll try," Arielle said. "No promises."
"Ugh, living with you two is the worst! I should have taken up Slug Girl on her offer."
"You can just call her 'Portia’," Quinn said.
"Shut up, Quinn," Ellen shouted as she left, slamming the door behind her.
Stillness hung in the air momentarily. Arielle chuckled and Quinn, still pinned to the couch, felt the reverberations rumbling through her body. "Totally worth it!" she whispered.
"You're terrible," Quinn said. "If you weren't amazingly hot, didn't have the power to change size, and were not fantastic at roleplay and sex, I'd break up with you."
"I'm proud to be so good at roleplay I impressed a shapeshifter. Now, with that in mind, I lost track: Are you a guy or a girl?"
Quinn smiled, morphing into an exact clone of Arielle back at 7'4", eyes narrowed into a familiar teasing glare. "Why, are you so interested in knowing exactly what gender I am? What's it to you?"
Arielle giggled at the sound of her voice with Quinn's accent. "Ok, ok, touché, but speaking of roleplay and 'breaking,' you totally broke character.”
“When did I break?”
“You’re getting too big!” Arielle teased, waving her fingers.
“I thought you were going to bring the whole house down! You do realize we're only renting—not to mention sharing—this place."
"I've been able to change size since I was eight. I know what I'm doing. I must admit—the panic in your voice, the way you grabbed onto me. I kind of liked it.”
"What, are you an exhibitionist as well?"
Arielle chuckled. "The ability to grow up to three hundred feet tall has a way of stoking the latent exhibitionist in anyone."
"If you say so," Quinn said. "I can barely get to eight feet, and I find that embarrassing and cumbersome."
"I noticed. Maybe you need more practice."
"Maybe I do," Quinn said, returning Arielle's naughty smile. "Regardless, I should probably change out of your form before we continue."
"Actually," Arielle said, biting down on one of her knuckles as she studied her tiny duplicate. "I'd… like to run with this."
Quinn imitated Arielle's suggestive smirk. "My. You are terrible."