Roni wrapped herself in a bathrobe as she walked down the hall from her bedroom to the bathroom she shared with her sisters. After everything she had been through today, Roni felt that she deserved a warm shower before going to bed. She still had lingering shock in her system after her parents actually agreed to try and adopt Joey and let her become his guardian. After all, she was basically asking them to stand up to one of the most influential families in the western United States, take in a 4th child, and then drop roughly 50 to 80 grand on training and little registration fees.
Still, she thought, it’d all be worth it to keep Joey safe and provide him the love and support he’s always needed.
A small smile formed on her face as she locked the bathroom door behind her and opened the shower door to run the water. Knowing that she is potentially going to be able to provide Joey a home and keep him in her life caused a nice warmth to emanate from Roni’s chest and spread to her body. He was her rock, her best friend, the person that supported her in her endeavors and always pushed her to do her best. Joey may be the introverted quiet to her energetic extroversion, but it never changed the fact that, in reality, she wasn‘t as confident in herself as she wished she could be, unlike Joey, who normally seemed so sure of himself when he needed to take action.
Roni did love pulling him out of his comfort zone for his own good, but she had accepted long ago that it was just as much for her benefit as it was for his.
Thoughts of some of their past exploits ran through her head as the shower began to get closer to her preferred temperature. One moment that stuck out to her was when she wanted to go to a school dance with a boy that had asked her in middle school, but was nearly too nervous to go through with it. She had worn a brave face, but inside, she still couldn’t believe that anyone had asked her. Of course, Joey was going to stay home, staying in his own world of video games and online chat rooms. However, Roni knew what to say to get him to go, she knew how to guilt trip him and eventually persuade him to leave the comfort of his own home and go dancing at the school. In that instance, Roni had pointed out that she might get stood up and that the boy she was with would leave her high and dry, ruining her night. This, of course, bothered Joey to no end, as Roni being unhappy would make him unhappy, and he opted to go to make sure that she wouldn’t have a bad time. Roni had even made sure to dance with him a few times and convinced another introverted girl to slow dance with Joey a few times as a thank you. At the end of the dance, Joey did eventually tell Roni that he had more fun at the dance than he would have had alone at home.
Joey, in his own right, was able to do similar things to Roni. Sometimes she would get a little too ambitious and try to do too much, like when she wanted to do a bike race with her club the same day she wanted to audition for a major part in some rendition of the “King and I”. Roni chuckled to herself as she recalled how unbearable she was that week, trying to make sure her bike was ready for the race while at the same time rehearsing lines for the audition. Her parents tried to help her realize she was taking on too much, but Roni was too stubborn to see it. By the time the big day had come around, Roni had been too exhausted to do either. She was distraught to be sure, but Joey stepped in to help calm her down. Eventually, he was able to convince her to spend a lazy day with him and watch anime and play videogames. Roni smiled as she remembered him calling it “a reward for her effort” to placate her.
That was just the nature of their bond. Joey never sought to expand his horizons, choosing to stay in his own sphere of specific interest whether it be video games, littles, engineering, anime, or whatever. Meanwhile, Roni always took any opportunity that came up to find something new to do in order to stave off the boredom that most extroverts would run into if not constantly on the move. However, deep inside, Roni never really felt as confident as she acted, nor did she feel like she could succeed at things despite her best efforts. Joey, though, seemed to center her, providing her with a steady stream of support and confidence that only a kindred spirit could give. It’s why the two bonded so well: they compensated for their own weaknesses and helped each other get by in life.
Not only that, the two best friends were able to talk about anything going on in their lives. Joey always disclosed what his parents would do or say to him after their fights, always seeking comfort from Roni as he knew that she would always be there to console him when he needed it. Similarly, any time Roni had a bad day at school or ran into self-doubts about herself, Joey would come running to help reinforce how intelligent she is or how bright of a future she has. It was a friendship and support system that had withstood multiple tests and, as long as Roni and Joey had each other to fall back on, it would withstand many more.
Having tested the water to make sure it was warm enough, Roni disrobed and frowned when she looked down at her feet, seeing her green nail polish starting to chip. “Is that going to be Joey work?” she murmured, thinking about some of the extra stipulations her parents added to her guardian training. Her toes wiggled as she replayed that part of their conversation in her head. “He’ll need to be trained, Roni, there’s no compromise with that” her father had said, with her mom adding “We also expect him to pull his weight with you, too. We understand he’s your best friend, and that he’d be your responsibility, but, from how we understand underbreds, they need work to thrive, no matter the task”.
Roni tried to convince her parents that she couldn’t force him to do anything and that he had his own autonomy, but they wouldn’t budge. It was just another issue of society that became more apparent to Roni as this situation unfolded; unless someone actively looked into littles and Homo Parvus, most would have to rely on what the news fed to them. In that regard, the general public was typically misinformed on the subspecies and led to think that they were more like high functioning tools than those that would have their own goals and dreams if they were given the opportunity to explore society and express what they find interesting.
Sighing and scrunching her toes, she stepped into the warm shower and hummed happily, feeling the soothing water run down her slim body. “I can’t make him do something like paint my nails” Roni thought aloud. The whole idea of it seemed ridiculous; a little forced to paint someone’s nails would be just too difficult for them, and humiliating on top of it. They aren’t meant to do things for humans, they are meant to do things with humans. If she has to make Joey do things, she thought, she’ll make sure they aren’t demeaning. Maybe helping keep her desk organized at the worst, or maybe help with dusting her chibis. Roni knows Joey has his own collection of miniatures, and perhaps the idea of cleaning and maintaining them as well as her own on a daily basis will help him maintain his autonomy. Joey could even determine the best way to sort some of the things he likes to collect, like baseball cards. On top of all that, he could still help her with homework if needed, which would at least help him feel like he was still part of school and at the top of their class. “I’ll have to make a list of things we like to do now and get his opinion on how best to enjoy them when he’s small,” Roni said decidedly, determined to ensure that he doesn’t lose the ability to enjoy his favorite pastimes.
The water continued to rain down on Roni as she scrubbed her coconut scented conditioner into her hair, making sure to get into her scalp and down the length of her hair a few times before starting to rinse it off. “I wonder what life will be like for him” she thought to herself, “I’m sure he’s aware of what it should be like, but to actually live as a little, to be completely dependant on a guardian for basic rights and respect that they should be offered regardless of height, would be much more different than just reading about it online.”
The thought of anyone mistreating Joey just because he happened to have been born a different species only strengthened her resolve to keep him protected. As she turned off the shower and stepped onto the floor mat and began drying off, Roni began to think about that idea. How much should she protect him? Is it better to let him fight his own battles and make his own arguments when challenged by someone bigger than him? Who would even take what he says seriously other than her?
After drying off and wrapping the towel around her head, Roni stepped over to the bathroom counter, still a mess from when Sandi and Ciara were last in the bathroom. Various toiletries were scattered around the counter top, ranging from toothpaste and dental floss, to products of a more intimate matter for Sandi and Roni. She shuddered at the idea of Joey being anywhere near this stuff as a little, and immediately decided that cleaning the counter top after the three of them was definitely not “Joey work” when he became small. Joey shouldn’t be relegated to doing the things that she and her sisters were too lazy to do normally, thought Roni. Her eyes surveyed the mess until she spotted her bottle of facial lotion.
Taking it in her hand, Roni brought it up to her eyes and frowned. “This is about as tall as Joey will be,” mused Roni. “That….will take some getting used to” she said to herself, the idea of someone that towers over her now in height being small enough to sit in her hand making purse her lips. “I wonder if he’s going to be afraid of me…if he’ll be afraid of everyone…” she says before letting out a sigh, “oh Joey…I really hope this works out…”
Finishing applying her lotion and tidying up the counter a bit, Roni exited the bathroom and started going back to her room, stopping at the top of the staircase for a moment. She considered going down stairs to make sure Joey had all that he needed, to talk more about the situation and make sure he’s okay, but her dad was probably right and Joey needed to rest. He did look worn out, and even with his poor attempt to hide his tear of joy earlier, it was apparent to see he was really doing everything he could to hold himself together. It’s not like he hated his parents, he just had strong feelings about littles that his parents didn’t want to hear. It’d make sense to be broken mentally at this point to find out the two people that should love you unconditionally would turn their backs on you the first chance they got. Closing her eyes briefly,
Roni gives the stairs one last, longing look, before going back to her room, changing into pajamas, and getting into bed. “Good night, Joey…I hope you sleep well, tomorrow’s going to be a long day” she said to herself as she drifts into a deep slumber
1) Roni processing how much has gone her way, while mentally preparing for how much yet to go is good to see.
2) Memories from her past with him were nice to read, how they’d both helped each other.
3) “Is that going to be Joey work?” He’d hardly be the first underbred to paint a girl’s toenails. at the end of the day she could just paint them herself and say he did it.
4) “from how we understand underbreds, they need work to thrive, no matter the task”. or “based on the propaganda they’ve consumed, it’s good to force littles into servitude.”
5) “They aren’t meant to do things for humans, they are meant to do things with humans” That line is fucking gold mate.
6) I like that she’s actually considering what tasks would be fair or unfair for him, rather than just the question of “plausible”.
1) yeah. They’ve only made it over the first hurdle, which should be the easier of the 2 lol
2) I enjoyed writing those. I’m going to do my best to add more from time to time just to strengthen how close they are, though Roni’s actions should show it now, just want to reinforce it the best i can
3) that’s a good point lol i didn’t really think of it myself. I kinda just liked the nod to Good Girlfriend and Dayton: Junior guardian
4) you nailed it
5) thank you!
6) same. Roni’s pretty fair about what she’d want Joey to do, and most of it is stuff that they can do together or talk about. If I knew more about warhammer I probably could have added that to the mix in this chapter, but might still come up as my friends and I read into it lol I could see joey loving it though and Roni being willing to learn how it works, or just learning a few new things to help Joey and her stay engaged