The Half-Blood Giant

Chapter 23: Muscles

After Ray picked up Pedro from his first day of work, he escorted him over to the wall so the human could collect his personal effects—at least, the few things he had managed to salvage from his wrecked apartment. Pedro entered his sister's apartment and started packing his things. His older sister, a tall, dark woman with long black hair, poked her head curiously into his temporary bedroom.

"Hey, Pedro! What's going on? Why are you packing all your stuff?" she asked, eyebrows raised.

"I found a new place," Pedro informed her.

"Already? Where?"

Pedro stopped, his back to her. He knew she wouldn't be happy about the news. "Um... it's just a temporary arrangement..." He took a deep breath. "I'm staying with a friend I met on the giant side of town." He gulped.

She frowned. "No... you don't mean... a giant?! After what happened? Pedro! You can't go over there! Are you telling me you accepted the job over there too? Dios mío..."

"Yeah..." Pedro didn't know what else to say, and he didn't want to argue, so he swiftly shoved the rest of his things in his bag and tried to push past her. She braced herself in the doorframe and pressed her hands into his knobby shoulders.

"Look. I know you can be stubborn and a fool, so I won't try to change your mind. Just... be careful, okay?" she implored.

Pedro nodded, reminded of the multitude of misadventures he already had under his belt. "I will."

"And for crying out loud, get yourself a new phone so I can keep in contact with you!"

Pedro promised he would—since, after being trapped in a storm drain, he didn't want to go anywhere without one—and rushed out before he could change his mind or let doubts crawl into his brain. He bought a cheap phone before heading back to the giant side of the wall. Ray had waited for him patiently the entire time. He was sitting on the bench and scrolling absently on his phone. At first, he didn't notice the tiny man at his feet.

Pedro took the moment to quietly admire him, in all his vastness. Ray shifted slightly, making the wood of the bench and the metal bars creak under his tremendous weight. Pedro had an urge to climb up onto his shoe and scale him like a cliffside, to explore every inch of his colossal body. He figured, after getting kicked, his idea probably wasn't the safest, when the giant was unaware of his presence.

He cleared his throat. Ray looked down and his face lit up. "Pedro! I was starting to wonder if you were coming back at all!" He bent over, extending out his enormous hand to the ground and laying it flat. Pedro clambered on and allowed himself to be lifted. His stomach flip-flopped when he saw how high up he was from the ground, but he trusted Ray not to drop him. Ray, sensing his nervousness, brought his hands together for additional support. Pedro relaxed in the cup of his palm as he was rocked back and forth by the giant's bouncy strides. Before long, they were back at Ray's house.

Ray was a bit shy and nervous about having Pedro stay at his house, but exhilarated too. He took Pedro into the living room and gingerly set him down on the couch. "Uh, I'll be right back. I just need to change out of my uniform and get comfortable and whatnot..." He turned on the TV so Pedro wouldn't be bored on his own and hurried off.

When he was out of sight, he briskly worked to clean up his house. He wasn't expecting company, and since he was living the life of a bachelor, he had neglected to keep his living space tidy. He rounded up his dirty clothes scattered on the floor and tossed them in the hamper. He collected his used dishes and threw them in the dishwasher. Once he was satisfied that his effort was the best he could do in the short time he had, he went into his bedroom to strip off all his police equipment and uniform. He didn't want to leave his little guest waiting for too long.