Sandi sat on the edge of Roni’s bed with her hand folded in her lap looking at the floor of the bedroom. Roni saw the emotions in her eyes but couldn’t determine what was causing them.. Things had seemed fine when she was downstairs, but now, here was her sister, distraught about whatever happened after she left.
With a deep breath, Roni leant forward in her chair and looked at Sandi. “Sis, what’s wrong?”
Snapping out of her trance, Sandi looked up at Roni and wiped her nose. “Joey just told us about his symptoms…he…said he didn’t want to keep it a secret from everyone and…wanted to make sure there was no chance of him..changing in the house and only you being aware that it could happen. Hearing him say it out loud made everything feel so real—like this wasn’t just something we could ignore anymore”
Her heart sank. Of course Joey would want to be transparent, but now it meant the whole family confronting the reality of the impending change sooner than they wanted. “I see…” she murmured before scooting the chair closer to the bed. “I didn’t know he was going to tell everyone outright like that” she sighed, “But it makes sense. We are under the gun once it does happen, plus, it’ll be dangerous when he…changes”
“Yeah…” agreed Sandi in a melancholic voice, “I just–I don’t know, Roni. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about all of this.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well…it’s just” Sandi hesitates, twiddling her thumbs, “Should I feel sad? Angry? Am I a bad sister for dreading what comes next? It’s like I’m losing Joey. He’s an underbred…he’s going to be a little. It feels like I’m losing my big brother. The one who taught me how to win at video games, who makes the best silly faces when I’m upset”
“Sandi, how could you say that?” Roni said with a mix of disappointment and concern. “He’ll still be the same Joey just, well, smaller.”
“But he’s going to be a pet, Roni. Our pet.” Sandi exclaimed with profound sadness. “He won’t be able to do his silly dances with me or play video games with CiCi and me! He’s going to be a..chore! A responsibility! And…” Sandi stopped as her eyes began to get misty. “I don’t know if I can handle seeing him like that, Roni! What if he can’t keep up with me anymore because of his size? Or what if he just fades away into someone I don’t recognize?”
Roni felt her heart clench in her chest. She had been so concerned for how she felt and how Joey was doing that she never really took either of her sisters were dealing with the idea of Joey being a little into consideration; at least not she hadn’t given it enough consideration.
Now, though, here was her younger sister, on the verge of tears about the whole ordeal. This wasn’t just a family friend that she would be changing. No, Roni could see that Sandi had always felt of Joey as her brother and that his being a little would change their relationship.
Roni took her sister’s hand and met her gaze with empathy, trying to smile. Deep down, though, she shared similar feelings.
“Sandi. I know it’s going to be tough. I’m, well, I’m not entirely sure that I’m ready for it yet, either” admitted Roni with a crack in her voice. “However,” she continued, “that doesn’t mean I’m going to not be there for him. Joey’s going to need us, Sandi. I promise you, nothing is going to change with him though. Yeah he’ll be—smaller—but inside, it’s still Joey. You’ve seen those videos he sends me! Smallara victims personalities don’t change”
“But” Sandi said, her voice trembling slightly, “what if he does, Roni? Or…what if all the things he’s told me about Littles being no different from us is wrong? What if—what if he’s like Aunt Lily?”
Roni’s grip on Sandi’s hand tightened hearing that and her eyes narrowed. “I will not let that happen, Sandi,” Roni swore with conviction as she leaned in closer, “Joey wasn’t kidding about that Preema Tech bullshit…and I refuse to do anything like that to him. He’ll be chipped, but with Generitechs chip. I swear, Sandi, Joey will be a little, but he’ll be Joey first and always.”
Sandi looked at her sister and could see how serious she was, her confidence and desire to take care of Joey and help him have the best life he can have evident in her whole expression. It gave Sandi a moment to pause and reflect on their family’s future. Joey would always be there, living in the house, spending time with everyone just like he does now. He’d be smaller, but Sandi realized he would probably do whatever he could to take part in the lives of the entire family.
The thought of that brought her some comfort. Joey’d be at all her dances and soccer games, he’d be able to make some jokes, and though he wouldn’t be able to do the same physical humor, she knows he’ll still be able to make her laugh one way or another.
Even as she started to see some of the more positive aspects, though, Sandi was concerned about something else. “Roni, are you–are you going to spend most of your time with Joey when everything happens?”
Her older sister sat up and rubbed the back of her neck as she considered this. In truth, Roni expected to take Joey with her everywhere and make sure he got to be a part of her life. That included spending time with her sisters and their friend group. However, she hadn’t considered the idea of moments just between her and her sisters. Helping Ciara with homework and reading stories to her, watching Sandi do her dance moves and playing soccer in the backyard, or just playing video games with them in the living room. Would she really bring Joey into those moments? Would he understand her just wanting time alone with her sisters and be okay with staying in the habitat she plans on getting him? Was this what her parents meant about making sure Roni’s life didn’t revolve around Joeys?
Finally with a deep sigh, Roni figures out the best way to respond to Sandi. “Look, I plan to have him with me. A lot, Sandi. But that doesn’t mean I’m not going to find a balance. I mean, he’s going to want time alone too. And I’m sure he will want some time with you and Ciara without me being around. It’ll be…challenging, but we’ll figure it out. I promise I’ll always have time for the both of you though” she says, poking her sister in the ribs playfully, “Even if Joey complains, we can just let Cici watch him” she grinned, making Sandi laugh.
“Oh my god…she’s going to play dress up with him nonstop…” Sandi said, laughing to the point of crying, “Roni, we can’t be that mean to him, can we?”
Chuckling to herself, Roni just shrugs, “We probably shouldn’t…unless he finds something he can do that’s as annoying as stealing my freaking glasses and running with them…”
The two of them laugh a bit more together as the tensions finally relax. After a few minutes, Sandi looked at Roni and smiled. “Thank you, Roni…you’re the best big sister.”
“Aww..thank you, Sandi.” said Roni with a smile as she leant in and gave her a hug. The two held each other before Sandi pulled away.
“Roni?” she asked curiously as a new thought popped into her head.
“What’s up?”
“Well I was wondering” Sandi paused for a moment, a little nervous about what she was about to ask before finally taking a deep breath, “Do you actually want a little?”
Roni’s smile fell as Sandi asked this. Honestly, she’d avoided thinking about it. It felt wrong to own someone, even if society insisted Littles were different. Most of the time, when the topic of littles was ever brought up in conversations, she’d remain quiet and pay no attention to what others would say they’d do if they had one.
Most of this was because of Joey and his views on littles shaping her own views. She really didn’t think of them as pets or animals like most people did, rather, she just saw them at just Littles. To her, they were just smaller humans, maybe a bit more dependent on others because of their size, but outside of that she never really saw them for the label that the Government and Society as a whole slapped on them.
“I never really thought about it, Sandi.” Roni said quietly. “It just—seems wrong on some level, to have ownership over a being that’s so similar to us, you know?”
“Yeah…I think I understand,” conceded Sandi. “Though,” she continued, “I kinda did think it’d be cool. From what the teachers at school say, they are really similar to us. I wouldn’t want to own one but, to take care of a little, and have a friend like that for the rest of your life…it just seems, well, nice.”
Roni nodded and sighed. It was a good point after all. Knowing you’d always have someone there, by your side, ready to listen to what’s bothering you and cheer you up, while at the same time being able to provide them with a good home and happy life has its appeals. However, she felt she already had that with Joey. Maybe that’s why she never gave it much thought, Roni mused, because the kind of comfort and friendship a Little can provide is something that Joey already gave her.
Finally, though, Sandi hopped of the bed and stretched. “Well…I think I’m going to go hang out in my room” and with that, Sandi headed to the door, but before she left, she turned to Roni and smiled warmly. “Thank you Roni, I…feel a lot better. Maybe..maybe things will turn out okay after all.”
As she exited the room, Roni let out a sigh of relief. “I’m not sure how many more emotional talks I can take today…” she muttered to herself before rolling back to her desk and getting back on the computer.
I liked the comment that they will joke about other things. Being a little I would think would have some positives like having a different more connected relationship and the girls being able to take turns being material to him so they can all share the responsibilities and experience of having their big bother being a tiny brother. The girls will be going through emotional and physical changes growing up and now that he’s a little they can show him their nude body without embarrassment like Sara had said because he’s a little and feel more in control and show him up close what’s happening and have a physical and emotional bond through contact and go through the changes with them and offer comfort and a different perspective , And joke about it though his tiny prospective. For all we know one of the other girls will form a stronger bond with him because they are all experiencing different parts of life with him with out a filter and them all bonding differently. Life never goes as planned, specially with relationships. What if Roni gets a boyfriend, Will one of the other girls step up and focus on him?. Interesting layers. Nice read bud.
8
appreciate you reading! It’ll definitely be interesting to see how Joey and the girls adapt and change once he is a little. I do think you’re right in this situation regarding how much closer they’ll be when Joey is a little, and that’s what I think of Kayla and Kelli too. Spending that much time with someone you care about really would, ultimately, make you become extremely close with them, so long as you don’t try to distance yourself on purpose.
I’m still playing around with the possibility of Roni finding a boyfriend at somepoint before going to college, too. Just not sure what her type would be. Same with Joey as a little. it all depends on how well I can manage all of these characters in the story without being inconsistent
Good writings spawns peoples imagination like yours. I think Sandi already had feelings for Joey and as Roni gets more involved in Drama and high school I think it would be natural for Sandi to make sure to sneak Joey out of his cage every night to spend the night with him to talk about what they did for the day and the future as he sleeps on her body and she would like Sara take him everywhere on her body and as was noted in other Smallara chapters Joey would on a physical level be drawn to be close to Sandi and of course feelings happen and young love happens and we have a fun family dynamic lol. It would be interesting if that happen if Roni would give up ownership and his assets to Sandi if she became romantically involved to the point with Joey that they wanted to be a very long term couple. Oh the drama lol, or because they are are a close family Roni would be happy for them. I also think he would be a good brother and play with the youngest as a doll to spend quality time with all the girls.
those are some interesting thoughts I never considered lol Sandi and Joey being a item when Sandi’s of age would be interesting, but it’d also depend on Sandi and Johnny, as at least for now, Johnny does have a crush on Sandi, but idk if Sandi feels the same or pays attention to it.
Very good chapter! I sincerely hope that Roni doesn’t find a boyfriend, it will be terrible for Joey, it is clear that the natural evolution of the two in a normal situation would be for them to become boyfriends; sometimes excessive closeness can become a barrier before true intimacy can blossom even if the seed was already planted from the first glance.
it’s definitely possible. I do my absolute best to not rule anything out. I think it’d be odd, but that’s me projecting a long term friendship with my female friend (known her since I was 7 lol) onto the story. It’s definitely possible for long term friends like that to fall for each other.
1) “Things had seemed fine when she was downstairs, but now, here was her sister, distraught about whatever happened after she left” I Guess Roni’s not the only one with a mask.
2) “Joey just told us about his symptoms…he…said he didn’t want to keep it a secret from everyone and…wanted to make sure there was no chance of him..changing in the house and only you being aware that it could happen” that was clever on Joey’s part.
3) “I just–I don’t know, Roni. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about all of this.” Classic teenage girl, making it all about herself.
4.1) “Should I feel sad? Angry? Am I a bad sister for dreading what comes next?” those all sound like normal reactions
4.2) “It’s like I’m losing Joey. He’s an underbred…he’s going to be a little” She corrects herself, but, interestingly, she uses the word Underbred.
5) “But he’s going to be a pet, Roni. Our pet. He won’t be able to do his silly dances with me or play video games with CiCi and me!” He will be able to do both of those things, The silly dances will likely be sillier/funnier if he’s tiny and little-sized controllers do exist.
6) “He’s going to be a..chore! A responsibility!” is kind of a shitty way to describe him.
7) “Roni felt her heart clench in her chest. She had been so concerned for how she felt and how Joey was doing that she never really took either of her sisters were dealing with the idea of Joey being a little into consideration” that seems like a reasonable thing to overlook.
8) “I’m not entirely sure that I’m ready for it yet, either, that doesn’t mean I’m going to not be there for him. Joey’s going to need us,” good little pep talk
9) “what if all the things he’s told me about Littles being no different from us is wrong? What if—what if he’s like Aunt Lily?” that’s a genuinely terrifying thought for her.
10) “He’ll be chipped, but with Generitechs chip” lesser of two evils
11) “Joey would always be there, living in the house, spending time with everyone just like he does now. He’d be smaller, but Sandi realized he would probably do whatever he could to take part in the lives of the entire family” I’m glad she got a good answer.
12.1) “Would she really bring Joey into those moments?” it depends on which ones he could fit into, CiCi’s homework he’d do well, soccer is out of the question and He could maybe watch the dancing.
12.2) “Would he understand her just wanting time alone with her sisters and be okay with staying in the habitat she plans on getting him?” He’d probably happily give Roni and he sisters privacy if the needed it.
13) “Even if Joey complains, we can just let Cici watch him” So CiCi is a punishment? Lol.
14.1) “Oh my god…she’s going to play dress up with him nonstop… Roni, we can’t be that mean to him, can we?” The average guardian is worse.
14.2) “We probably shouldn’t…unless he finds something he can do that’s as annoying as stealing my freaking glasses and running with them…” Joey’s clever, so he probably could.
15) “Well I was wondering, Do you actually want a little?” Good question, I’ve been wondering that myself.
16) “she’d avoided thinking about it. It felt wrong to own someone, even if society insisted Littles were different” littles aren’t the first ones society has claimed “are different”
17) “To her, they were just smaller humans, maybe a bit more dependent on others because of their size,” which is arguably a much healthier view than most have.
18) “I wouldn’t want to own one but, to take care of a little, and have a friend like that for the rest of your life…it just seems, well, nice.” that’s a good representation of a child’s view on the matter, and likely where Joey is headed.
19) “she felt she already had that with Joey. Maybe that’s why she never gave it much thought” I’d say it’s cause she’s not thinking of Joey as a little, she’s thinking of him closer to Joey with just a disability of some kind.
20) “Thank you Roni, I…feel a lot better. Maybe..maybe things will turn out okay after all.” I love how optimistic this story is.
(Sorry about the one star rating, I clicked by accident and cannot change my vote)
I think Joey is the kind of smart motivated person with the girls that look at him as a little person mostly with resources that could create his own independent habitat that he can work on with the girls that would need little help to maintain other then pic up stuff that he would order online if it couldn’t be delivered. They could also create a little business making unique stuff to make littles more independent and be treated more like little people. Even now I found a Chippindale’s gold neckless with a seat belt he could use to always be close to the girls chest and heart to create a physical bond with all of them watching their events with one of the sisters and always being able to be part or one of the the girls lives at all times. I said this on different comments but I think this team on Joey and three girls could create a video podcast that could make being a little look like a good think and not a negative, almost like the downsizing stories .
1) “Things had seemed fine when she was downstairs, but now, here was her sister, distraught about whatever happened after she left” I Guess Roni’s not the only one with a mask.
yup lol everyone expresses differently
2) “Joey just told us about his symptoms…he…said he didn’t want to keep it a secret from everyone and…wanted to make sure there was no chance of him..changing in the house and only you being aware that it could happen” that was clever on Joey’s part.
Yeah. I figured it would make sense, other wise he might shrink when home alone and Mr. Hale will not even bother to look should he come back from work or if Mrs. Hale picks up Ciara from school and comes home.
3) “I just–I don’t know, Roni. I don’t know how I’m supposed to feel about all of this.” Classic teenage girl, making it all about herself.
True. She’s still growing, and she does have an idea of what Joey went through a fair amount of issues when living with his parents, but I think seeing people go through these drastic changes causes introspection before concern for others, though it’s brief. Like I didn’t really know how to feel when my dad was diagnosed with cancer at first, and was in shock more of anything, but a few minutes went by and my full concern was shifted to my dad.
4.1) “Should I feel sad? Angry? Am I a bad sister for dreading what comes next?” those all sound like normal reactions
agreed. Took\been taking inspiration from Asuka with how they’ve been presenting grief stages.
4.2) “It’s like I’m losing Joey. He’s an underbred…he’s going to be a little” She corrects herself, but, interestingly, she uses the word Underbred.
more the result of the school system than anything. Sandi’s heard Joey and Roni talk about littles and their rights and what they beleive in, but the education system, school interactions, media, etc, are still pretty influential on a teenager. So she has her opinions on littles that probably aren’t the same as what is being dictated, but at the same time, there are probably things that are taught to her and she experiences that conflict with it, so she’s going to default to those from time to time, especially if she’s emotional.
5) “But he’s going to be a pet, Roni. Our pet. He won’t be able to do his silly dances with me or play video games with CiCi and me!” He will be able to do both of those things, The silly dances will likely be sillier/funnier if he’s tiny and little-sized controllers do exist.
Good points. she probably isn’t thinking about that
6) “He’s going to be a..chore! A responsibility!” is kind of a shitty way to describe him.
Similar to my reply to 4.2, she’s kind of defaulting to what it is she is hearing and learning more through normal means vs doing her own research and spending more time with Roni and Joey. which is understanable, since they’re 4 years older and have their own hobbies and what not to do in their own time, so she’s not overly influence by them, but when she does hear their opinions and take them seriously because she has a lot of faith in them. To me it adds to her complexity in a way that I don’t think I’ll be able to do with Ciara, who I still am struggling with writing
7) “Roni felt her heart clench in her chest. She had been so concerned for how she felt and how Joey was doing that she never really took either of her sisters were dealing with the idea of Joey being a little into consideration” that seems like a reasonable thing to overlook.
given the circumstances, I agree
8) “I’m not entirely sure that I’m ready for it yet, either, that doesn’t mean I’m going to not be there for him. Joey’s going to need us,” good little pep talk
Wise beyond her years lol
9) “what if all the things he’s told me about Littles being no different from us is wrong? What if—what if he’s like Aunt Lily?” that’s a genuinely terrifying thought for her.
for sure. preema tech is a nightmare that I wish on no one unless it erased some massive, massive post smallara trauma. but that’s like an extreme case.
10) “He’ll be chipped, but with Generitechs chip” lesser of two evils
true. I don’t know how he’s going to feel about the collar yet. I think he’ll understand the logic in the tracking and vitals since he’s forward thinking, but the collar will probably piss Joey off
11) “Joey would always be there, living in the house, spending time with everyone just like he does now. He’d be smaller, but Sandi realized he would probably do whatever he could to take part in the lives of the entire family” I’m glad she got a good answer.
It’s a honest one too. I could even see Joey and Roni butting heads on certain family events, like going to one of Roni’s bicycle races would be sketchy, but he’d want to go
12.1) “Would she really bring Joey into those moments?” it depends on which ones he could fit into, CiCi’s homework he’d do well, soccer is out of the question and He could maybe watch the dancing.
On the bright side, we’ll see how well a little does at a recital in Madison’s world. but yeah, cici’s homework is something he’d like to help with. Soccer (football for people outside the US just incase anyone needs that info lol) would be tough cause it’s a Fall\Autumn sport and in California it’s still really warm in the evening during then, so it might not be too safe for him unless there is a travel habitat for him.
12.2) “Would he understand her just wanting time alone with her sisters and be okay with staying in the habitat she plans on getting him?” He’d probably happily give Roni and he sisters privacy if the needed it.
I would if I were him. While he wants to be supportive of his new family, he doesn’t want to overstep. As long as Roni isn’t “Madisoning” it and leaving him in the habitat all hours of the day, he’s probably see it as beneficial, especially if there are things he can do on his own.
13) “Even if Joey complains, we can just let Cici watch him” So CiCi is a punishment? Lol.
lol 8 year olds have a lot of energy, I could see that being difficult to deal with at 4 inches tall
14.1) “Oh my god…she’s going to play dress up with him nonstop… Roni, we can’t be that mean to him, can we?” The average guardian is worse.
Thus far that is how it seems. I do hope we see more guardians and littles in canon that see each other on more equal terms or at least in a symbiotic relationship of some kind.
14.2) “We probably shouldn’t…unless he finds something he can do that’s as annoying as stealing my freaking glasses and running with them…” Joey’s clever, so he probably could.
I’m already working on ideas for him lol Thought about him putting hand prints on the lenses when she isn’t looking, and her making him clean it since it’s his mess
15) “Well I was wondering, Do you actually want a little?” Good question, I’ve been wondering that myself.
I went over this a lot during the story. I’d say ultimately, she wouldn’t mind a little but i’m not certain if she’d seek one out on her own, but it’d need to be a very specific personality and someone she’s drawn to like Chrissy, Hailey, and Lily were with their littles. And she would still treat them with respect and care like she’s intending to with Joey
16) “she’d avoided thinking about it. It felt wrong to own someone, even if society insisted Littles were different” littles aren’t the first ones society has claimed “are different”
yup
17) “To her, they were just smaller humans, maybe a bit more dependent on others because of their size,” which is arguably a much healthier view than most have.
Agreed. She’s a few degrees shy of Joey on that view. Joey is more along the lines of “give them the same tools we have but scaled to them, provide them with anemities we have and a safe space, and let them live on their own” which is pretty extreme for the time period
18) “I wouldn’t want to own one but, to take care of a little, and have a friend like that for the rest of your life…it just seems, well, nice.” that’s a good representation of a child’s view on the matter, and likely where Joey is headed.
agreed here too. I think Sandi has a good heart and would probably treat a little less than a person but more than a pet, like what Sara claims she does for Jordan, but actually puts it in practice.
19) “she felt she already had that with Joey. Maybe that’s why she never gave it much thought” I’d say it’s cause she’s not thinking of Joey as a little, she’s thinking of him closer to Joey with just a disability of some kind.
THat’s probably true. It makes me wonder what she will think post training.
20) “Thank you Roni, I…feel a lot better. Maybe..maybe things will turn out okay after all.” I love how optimistic this story is.
I try to keep it hopeful. THere are moments for Drama like with Joey’s parents and his telling the hales of his diagnosis, but there is a lot of room for optimism given where he is now vs where he could have been.
(Sorry about the one star rating, I clicked by accident and cannot change my vote)
no worries! happens to everyone