"I'll do it. It's the only way."

The effect on Jewel was immediate, the Anhemite straightening up as she moved to grab Seto by the shoulders and shake her head at the Japanese man. He wouldn't be the one to hurt himself, not in that way, not forever.

"No. I can't let you."

"But Jewel, I should be the one sacrificing something." He retorted, gently pushing her hands away to hold between his own, feeling cold scales warm beneath the heat of his palms. "After all I've done to you, I can't ask for something so permanent."

Permanent.

It would be permanent, sometimes Jewel forgot that fact, the one that made her heart ache. To obey the Rican district law and legally care for a wanted human as their son, one of them would need to give up their whole life. Their job, their perspective, and, to be frank, their privilege.

They'd need to become human.

They'd both frozen when they heard it at the interview, that to legally adopt a human, one of them would have to be under 6 foot 6 inches in height and able to interact with the human only districts in the town. There were quite a few, in fact, bordering the mixed areas while there were none close to the places with amenities for only giants, but being giants, neither Seto nor Jewel could get into them. Which meant Gabriel couldn't legally be theirs.

They'd walked out with grim expressions, looking to each other and wondering if the little boy from Terra was destined for a proper family. But now, the real argument was brought up. Because they both wanted a child they couldn't have together, but being a sorcerer meant there were loopholes Seto was willing to utilise.

"I-I can't. It's a trigger, this isn't good for your health."

"I know you won't." The younger man said, turning away from her and letting his hands drop. Jewel had been adamant that maybe this wasn't the best idea, maybe a giant child would be better for them to raise in a giant's household, but Seto refused. And the Anhemite could understand why; she'd seen the emotional connection he'd made with the little boy that clutched onto his fingertip like it was his mother's arm. The forbidden desire to care for him, raise him safely and like Teresa Knight would have wanted.

"Seto, I- you can't say that. You don't know, people can change..." The alien whispered, sighing as she hugged the man standing rigid against the bench and kissed him goodnight, feeling his arms soften at the action so alien coming from her. Seto whispered a goodnight into her ear and released her from his embrace, watching the only other giant in the small apartment move into the very next room to sleep.

'People can change, doesn't mean they will.' Seto found himself thinking, as he stepped into the bathroom to brush up for sleep.

That night, the evening of the interview, was two weeks ago. A week of discussion, tension, and snapped comments yet to be apologised for, then a week of 'taking their minds off it', had steered Jewel in the right direction, and that was to the door of a certain Fawn. The first visit conceded an agreement, that the Anhemite would take a potion to assist in the preparation for shrinking to the desired size, one that enhanced her strength so a jump in size wouldn't damage her in any way.

Eridan wasn't surprised to see his brother's wife, his sister-in-law, turn up at the small home that he had made his own ever since Terra had become much too terrifying to live in. She always visited with the brown-haired sorcerer he'd known from a child, but he knew why she'd trekked here in the rain a second time. And it wasn't just for a friendly chat, the second visit was going to be the last time she'd speak to Eridan as a giant.

Jewel was shrinking.

"You must be frozen, come in, come in."

Inviting her inside, he offered a drink, politely refused as the Anhemite sat down in one of the chairs he'd modified to suit his lower half. Her psyche roiled with anxiety, fear, and the slightest sprinkle of determination, and it wasn't long until those flattened pupils fixated on the darkened room behind him.

"I'm ready, Eridan. I'll have as much as I need until the end of this year." Jewel followed Eridan's instructions, entering the room to sit within a circle engraved on stone and chewing on a strip of willow bark to reduce anxiety and stress, all with an ever-steady trust in his craft. This wasn't her first time in a sorcerer's den.

"Human children need their mothers for many years, are you sure about this?"

"I'll rear the child until he can survive without me guiding him, then I'll return and switch if need be."

The Fawn acknowledged her firm nod and continued with his preparations, ears held still against his head as he collected the potion, unclipping it from its clawed base and flipping the top to take a sniff. The needed ingredients were diced and added, and with another sniff, Jewel was allowed to take the intricate vial between her thumb and forefinger.

"Sizeshifting can be dangerous for your health. Don't undertake two doses in one day or something might go wrong with the elderthrit, that's one of the active ingredients."

Eridan said, speaking clearly as he perched on his hooves before her, gesturing to the second bottle.

"For those times when you need to be small, give a day to cool off before administering growth."

"I will."

"Now, here we go. No turning back, take it at once, please."

"Of course. For our family."

...

...ewel?

...re you...kay?

Eridan brushed his thumb over the Anhemite's forehead, watching her slowly regain consciousness before those eyes opened, her whole body stiffening to the point where the muscles in her arms cramped. She wasn't one to visibly panic when the time came to, so for now, she just stared up and tried to comprehend Eridan's mass, glancing to the finger resting dangerously close to her neck. Seeing the visible fingerprint in the skin as small grooves that removed any sense of his hand being soft again. Feeling its heat, radiating off every part of him, blowing out of his nose as he exhaled like a steam-breathing monster, making her scales feel absolutely freezing in comparison.

Comparison. Like she could ever be compared to him again...or Seto for that matter.

The Fawn loomed overhead, wide eyes Jewel could see every detail of seeming only centimetres away due to the fact they filled her entire plain of vision, short lashes she'd never noticed before, the kindly face put under a magnifying glass to expose little details that could no longer be called little. Strands of his blonde hair thick enough to grab, the texture of Eridan's skin, the hidden flickers of gold tucked into the grey eyes that now had visible layers of muscle.

It was too much; too much of him, too little of her, and not enough space between their vastly different bodies to let her process what she'd just done to herself.

"Uh...Eri...dan?" Jewel croaked from a throat burning with the leftovers of his potion.

"Yes, Jewel?" She couldn't help glancing down to watch his mouth

"Can you...move...move back? You're..."

"Too /close/." The fawn completed her sentence, except with his words sounding otherworldly due to the fact they resounded without trying to. "I'm sorry, I'm sure Seto will be better with you in this fragile time."

The Anhemite couldn't help her heart jumping to her throat thinking of Seto, words sticking as she mentally replaced the form, still looming over her despite backing away, with her husband. She began to hum in panic as she regained control of slow limbs and tried to physically push herself away from the thought; Seto wasn't going to be that big, wasn't going to be the only one who'd be able to wear her wedding band, wasn't going to be giant.

"Jewel,"

"Th-This was a bad idea, Eridan." Jewel pleaded, hoping to find solace only to feel another wave of insignificance as he hadn't realised she was speaking to him, her voice too quiet and his easily overpowering it.

"I can't...I-I...I can't do this!"

The Fawn fell quiet, calculating eyes falling over her as the minute features of his concentrated expression shift and loosen to form one of concern. A hand reaches to comfort, perhaps to hold her own or even to make contact with the shivering woman, but it's dismissed with a scared glare.

Oh no...

What could he say? How could he calm her down enough to not act like this before his brother, the person who'll want to hold her close and help her only to be completely unable to. Eridan wasn't letting that happen.

As hard as it was, he got down on his hands and knees, hooves still touching the ground before he lowered completely onto his stomach and tucked his hands respectfully beneath his chin.

"I know you're scared. But none of us want to hurt you."

"I know that." Jewel softly hiccupped, trying to tone her voice up but only succeeding in her sounding like a scared child. "I know you'd never to anything to me."

Eridan waited until she was finished this time before he began to speak, head bobbing as he kept his chin firmly pressed into his hands.

"Sparrow will understand, he'll respect your need to have space until you adjust.

"You did this for him after all."

Jewel blinked at the statement, remembering Teresa, the son cupped in Seto's hands, their small fights about the matter. His determination to be the one to shrink.

Her acceptance and willingness to give this up for them; Gabriel and Seto.

"I did this...for our family, Eridan." She corrected, finding the ability to curl up slightly and look up to her brother-in-law's looming grey eyes. Only a few feet above her head yet she had to crane her neck.

"Noted. /I/ just need to make sure you can do everything you're supposed to before we go see Sparrow."

The Anhemite couldn't help searching for a sinister meaning behind the cryptic sounding words that warped the very air around her. "What do you... mean?"

"Stand up for me, please.

The momentary hesitation on Jewel's part from a small movement of Eridan's hand had the Fawn nervous, but he pulled a kind expression quite easily as he shifts the limb backwards and closer to the other.

Slow motions. Focus on her.

"I just want to make it easier, should I need to catch you."

~~~

Sparrow = Seto

This took ages to come out because I wanted to get it perfect (also I lost inspiration and all writing ability for like a week) , and may or may not have a follow up story depending on if I write it or not.

It /would/ be very adorable, since Seto seeing Jewel at that size would be a total surprise as well as a sacrifice he /must honour/.

Art at the top is mine, sketched on my phone. It came out surprisingly well for something meant to be transferred to my iPad, and I think it's better like this.

Bye for now!

~ Tsunami