Runt and Giant

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A different type of werewolf story.
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It was dawn on a summer day in a forest in Idaho when Paine spotted the body floating in the river.

He had gone out hoping to catch some fish. He didn't need to live off the land, but he liked doing it whenever possible. It meant that he didn't need to go to civilization as often. He had arrived only minutes before and was busy attaching his lure when he saw what was very clearly a human body flowing in the current with all the other debris.

Without thinking, he dropped what he was holding and waded out to meet the body's path. The river was moderately deep, almost six feet, but Paine was so tall it didn't hinder him very much. He grabbed the body and dragged it to the bank.

Now that Paine was closer he could see that it was the body of a small young man, perhaps 20 years of age. He was short and light, but Paine's attention was mostly grabbed by the multiple injuries the boy had. He had deep cuts all over his body, so many that his clothes were ripped to shreds. Bruises dotted his pale skin. Paine was reasonably sure that his right leg had been broken. Worst of all was his left eye. It had a deep, ugly scratch piercing it. It didn't look likely that what was left of his eyeball would function.

Still, despite everything, the young man was still breathing and his heart was beating. He was still alive.

Paine gently put the body on his shoulders in a fireman's carry and started hiking back to his cabin, leaving his fishing gear behind. The injuries didn't seem very old. They weren't beyond his abilities to treat. He just needed to work fast.

*****

He didn't know how long he had been floating, just drifting along. He wasn't even sure he was fully conscious, but there was the faintest sensation that he was no longer floating debris. He was being carried away.

He felt a presence. It was so warm and kind. In his mind's feeble state, it attached to that being, imprinting itself on his savior. He felt so safe now.

Part of him tried to wake up fully, to emerge from the darkness so he could meet his hero, but his body pushed him back into the fog. He was in too much pain.

He felt his semi-consciousness fade. He was falling back into oblivion.

He let himself be enveloped by the fog. He wasn't in danger now that he was rescued.

*****

Paine was exhausted, but glad to see that at the very least progress was being made.

He had been tending to the boy for almost three days at that point. Before he moved out into the wilderness, his older brother Ray, a registered nurse, had ensured he had a fully stocked first aid kit with a detailed manual.

"You're too far out," he had told Paine. "You need to know what to do in case something happens."

At the time, Paine thought that the precaution was excessive, but now he was grateful for his brother's foresight. He used the kit to the best of his ability to clean and dress the young man's wounds. He was reasonably certain that the possibility of infection had been avoided, and the boy's fever had decreased.

Paine had placed the young man on his bed when he first got back to his cabin, and it took him a few hours to realize that he now didn't have a place to sleep. He didn't want to get in the bed with him, so he had to make do with his couch, which was not nearly long enough.

The boy seemed to spend most of the time in a semi-conscious state, not awake, but faintly aware. As he got better he came closer and closer to waking up. During this process, the boy had developed a few new habits.

Paine didn't know how, but his charge had learned to recognize his presence. Whenever he got near the boy would relax a bit, and he had taken to reaching and grabbing whenever Paine touched him, not to push him away, but to pull him closer. He didn't know that it was something humans could do, but even when the young man was asleep he was still faintly aware of his surroundings.

His recovery was gradual, but definitely happening. The color returned to his face and he seemed less fragile as time went on. Paine had worked diligently, and saw the results. Now it was simply a matter of waiting for the young man to wake up.

*****

He was almost to the surface. He could feel it.

For the longest time he had been floating, inching closer and closer to full consciousness. He knew that his hero was helping him, aiding and encouraging him. Due to his nature, he had mentally latched onto whoever that person was. He loved them. He needed them.

It was for his provider that he wanted to wake up fully. He wanted to express his gratitude, but he was still in a weakened state. His body didn't want him to wake up, but over time, that need to stay asleep faded. He was so close to seeing his savior that he could taste it.

He felt the warm, kind presence return. He didn't know what they were doing, but he guessed that they were taking care of him. He pushed with all his might, doing everything he could to wake up.

With some effort, he broke through and opened his eyes.

His surroundings faded into focus. He saw the face of his hero.

The boy's caretaker was a breathtakingly handsome man, with chocolatey skin and incredible muscles. He wasn't just built, though, he was huge, the tallest the young man had ever seen. He tried to speak and make his presence known, but the only sound that came out was a whimper.

Paine was changing the boy's bandages when he heard him make a small noise. He turned and was overjoyed to see those eyes finally open.

"Thank God," he said. "I'm so glad you're finally awake."

His hero had a voice perfectly suited to match the gentle, nurturing persona he had developed in his mind. It sounded soft and sweet, but strong. The young man reached out, whimpering some more.

Paine gently laid his hand on the arm of his charge.

"Don't try to force yourself to talk if you can't right now. You're still recovering, so you need to take it easy."

The young man nodded. Now that he had opened his good eye Paine could see that it was a bright, icy shade of blue. He saw so much trust and love in the boy's gaze, and was taken aback slightly to realize that all that affection was directed at him. Even more startling was the wave of parental, protective feelings that washed over him when looking at the boy. It was a feeling he had never experienced before.

Without really thinking Paine reached out and stroked the boy's cheek. He leaned into and nuzzled his hand.

"I'm going to make dinner, sweetheart," Paine said. "You get some more rest."

Another nod, this time with a slight smile. Why was he suddenly the most adorable, precious creature Paine had ever laid eyes on? He needed to focus on something else for a bit. He smiled at the boy and left to go to the kitchen.

The boy lay in the bed and started to remember more about his situation, what had happened to him and why. The first thing that he realized was that he couldn't see out of his left eye anymore. He also had a broken leg and several claw marks. He slowly got out of his stupor, and he remembered how he had gotten the injuries. As his mind became less clouded, he became more concerned about his current circumstances. He looked over to the kitchen. The cabin was essentially one giant room, so he could see his caretaker working at the stove. He knew that he had imprinted on the man, and he knew that that would likely cause some problems down the road.

Even so, he couldn't help but feel calmer, safer just looking at his rescuer. The black man who had saved his life looked to maybe be in his late twenties, and was unbelievably tall. It was hard to judge from the distance, but the boy assumed that he was six and a half feet tall or more. Under his shirt and jeans were rippling muscles. He had an aura of strength to him. Everything about him was so strong, so masculine.

Maybe ten minutes had passed when his hero came back with two bowls of soup. He sat the young man up and they both started eating. The boy tried again to speak.

"m...my...my n-name is T-Tim." He forced out.

His caretaker looked up and smiled.

"I'm glad you can talk now. My name is Paine. It's nice to meet you." He held out his hand and Tim shook it. His tiny hand was completely engulfed by Paine's.

"Th-thank you so m-m-much for helping me, s-sir."

"Oh, come now. We're friends, no need to call me sir."

"S-sorry."

Paine tilted his head a bit. "Is that stammer because of your injuries?"

Tim shook his head. "No. I've al-always had it." He felt his cheeks get hot. His stutter was always one of his deepest shames, right up there with his tiny body and weak stature.

Paine saw that the boy was upset about something. He decided to change the subject.

"Well Tim, I should probably tell you a little bit about myself. I'm Paine Holt. I'm 28, and I'm six-foot-seven." He hadn't interacted with another person in quite a while, but he knew that the height question always came.

Tim nodded. "My na-name is Tim V-Vance, I'm 21, a-and I'm five-foot-six." He always felt a little on the smaller side, but next to such a large, strong man he felt like a helpless little child. He both loved and hated that feeling.

Paine looked at his charge. He had longish hair that was dark brown and framed his face nicely. His damaged eye was still ugly to look at, but his good eye was so wide and innocent. He felt that possessiveness again. He wanted to hug the boy, hold him forever and see to it that no harm would ever come to him.

The two of them didn't say much as they finished their soup. After putting the bowls in the sink Paine came back to the bed and sat down.

"Tim, do you think you can tell me what happened to you?"

The young man hung his head.

"I-I-I got attacked. I d-don't think I wa-want to talk about the d-details right now. Is that ok-k-kay?"

Paine pushed down the powerful urge to find whoever maimed Tim and kill them. He tried to sound like he was in a much less unpleasant state of mind when he spoke.

"That's fine, Tim. You talk about it when you're ready. You're gonna be here a while, so we have nothing but time."

The boy's eyes widened.

"N-no, I need to get g-going!" He paused a moment, then got horrified. "It's not be-because of y-you, though, I-I..." he trailed off and felt himself blush again.

Paine lightly put his hand on Tim's.

"No, I get it," he said gently. "You have loved ones who are worried about you. The thing is, you're in no state to leave. You have a broken leg, and it will take a long time to get used to only having one eye. If you tried hiking you'd probably just hurt yourself. Do you think you can tell me where they are? I could go to them, tell them you're safe."

Tim shook his head. "I d-don't think that would work."

Paine raised an eyebrow. "Why not?"

Tim looked so anguished. "I c-can't answer th-that." His lip started quivering. Paine started to panic.

"No, no, it's okay. I'm not mad, I just want to help you!"

Tim shook his head again. "You did n-nothing wrong. I'm s-sorry."

"What are you apologizing for?"

The boy looked like he was about to cry. "I'm sorry I'm so w-weak that I almost g-got killed. I'm sorry I'm so needy. I'm sorry I'm s-such a crybaby."

Paine had heard enough. The protective urge kicked in and he did something a little bolder. He reached out and cupped Tim's face in his hands.

"You listen here, Tim. You have nothing, and I mean nothing, to apologize for. It's not your fault that you got attacked, and I helped you entirely of my own free will. If you want to cry, cry. I'm not judging you. Sometimes it takes a real man to let himself be vulnerable."

"I'll n-never be a re-real man," Tim whimpered. "I'm a w-w-weakling. I'm pathetic!"

Paine was not used to the feelings that flooded him whenever he was around Tim. He didn't know how he got them or what they entailed, but he knew one thing for sure: he never wanted to see Tim this miserable. Without thinking he picked up the boy, put him in his lap, and hugged him gently, mindful of his injuries.

"Cry, Tim," Paine commanded. "Cry until you can't cry anymore. You'll feel better, I promise."

The sensation of his savior holding him was too much for the young man to handle. He felt so safe, so free from judgment that the tears flowed freely. Once he started, he couldn't stop. For almost an hour Tim wept in Paine's embrace. The gentle giant simply held the boy and spoke quiet words of encouragement.

"Let it all out, Tim. It's okay. I've got you."

He kept talking, and without him even noticing, his words went in a completely unexpected direction.

"Cry. I'll stay right here, baby. You don't have to—" He cut himself off. Paine didn't have any idea where that came from.

Tim looked up at his hero, still weeping. "No, p-please keep going. Please call me baby."

Paine was shocked, but what shocked him even more was how easily he picked up right where he left off.

"You're such a sweet boy. I love holding you, baby. Have a good cry. It's okay."

He kept going until Tim at long last brought himself down.

"Paine?"

"Yes, baby?"

"Now I need to t-tell you something. It sounds crazy, b-but I promise I'm telling the truth."

Paine petted Tim's hair. "I know that you would never lie to me." What caught Paine off guard was how sincerely he meant that. He barely knew the kid, but he felt like Tim was somebody who had been in his life forever.

"I...I'm not exactly h-human. It's more accurate t-to say I'm a w-werewolf."

That was enough to give Paine pause. He pulled back, looking for any indication that Tim was joking. He found none. He remembered how there were certain things about Tim that Paine wondered about, like how he could remain aware as he slept. He also wondered how it was possible that such powerful feelings had formed within him so quickly.

"A werewolf?" Paine repeated.

Tim nodded. "I'm not d-dangerous at all, though. I'm an omega. I'm su-submissive." He couldn't keep his bitterness about that out of his voice.

Paine didn't say anything.

"My k-kind do something when w-we form a c-connection to somebody. We imprint, attach ourselves mentally. I've im-imprinted on you. I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize." Paine said firmly.

"I th-thought that it was just b-because you s-saved me, but only one k-k-kind of imprinting goes both ways."

He looked up at his hero.

"I've imprinted to you as my m-mate. I'm in l-love with you."

Paine was at a loss for words. It all sounded so crazy. Paine had been happily straight his whole life. He had just met Tim. Werewolves didn't exist.

But when he looked into Tim's eye he knew in his bones that it was the truth. He loved Tim. He loved him with every fiber of his being.

"Same sex m-mating is uncommon, b-but not unheard of," the boy continued. "I never knew tha-that a werewolf could be mates with a h-human, though."

Paine chuckled nervously. "Well, it happened."

Tim's eyes widened. "You believe me?"

The larger man nodded. "What you're saying makes a disturbing amount of sense. I love you, Tim."

The young man looked down.

"I kn-know that this i-is a lot to take in at once," he said. "Y-Your life would be a whole l-lot sim-p-pler if you never met me."

Paine used his finger to lift Tim's face by the chin.

"You shouldn't talk like that. This is a lot to process, for sure, but if we really are mates it's for the best that we found each other. I like having you around. Just sitting here holding you makes me happier than I've been in a long time." He gave Tim a little kiss on the forehead.

"Things wi-with me were already so c-complicated," he said. "and now I have to d-drag you into it."

"I don't know anything about your kind, Tim, but I know that I want you to be happy. I want to help you."

The boy buried his face into Paine's chest.

"Thank you s-so much. I'm j-j-just not sure what to do n-now."

Paine petted his hair.

"Well, what do you want to do right now?"

There was a pause.

"I'm r-really tired," Tim said. "I think I just wa-want to sleep."

The larger man laughed.

"Okay, but only if you promise that you'll answer all my questions in the morning."

"Deal."

Paine prepared them both for sleep, and for the first time in years slept with another person in his bed with him. He gingerly pulled his new love close, spooning him. He gave the boy a kiss on the nape of his neck.

"Goodnight. I love you, baby."

Tim sighed happily.

"I love you t-too, Paine."

*****

An early riser, Paine woke up well before dawn the next morning, Tim still snuggled in his arms. It felt like the boy was custom made to fit up against him just right. He didn't want to get out of bed, because he never wanted to let him go.

Paine thought a little more about all the developments from the previous night. He wasn't 100% sure about the whole "werewolf" thing, but he could tell clear as day that Tim was right about the imprinting. It took mere hours from when the young man first woke up for Paine to completely fall for him, and he for Paine. All of a sudden, the man couldn't fathom life without his new mate. It was frightening in a way, but the comfort that just being near Tim gave him was enough to ease his worries. Things had gotten complicated, but there was the simple, self-evident fact that the two of them were mates. They could start from there.

Paine remembered how Tim said that he had been attacked. He couldn't imagine why or how anyone could attack his sweet little boy to within an inch of his life. Whoever it was had to pay. They would pay dearly.

The man stopped that train of thought. It wasn't right to meet violence with violence. He knew that to be true, but it was hard to think another way when he thought about how much pain Tim had been put through.

Despite everything, Tim said that he needed to go back to whoever he was with as soon as he could. Paine didn't know why, but he knew that if that was what the boy wanted, he would help in any way he was capable.

The young man in his arms started stirring, letting out little whimpers that melted Paine's heart. After a minute or so, he was awake.

"G-Good morning, P-Paine," he said. His quiet little voice was cute. His stutter was cute. Everything about him was so cute!

"Good morning, baby boy," Paine said. "How did you sleep?"

"That w-was the b-best sleep I've ever had," Tim replied. "Once I was i-in your arms I was out l-like a light."

Paine kissed the crown of Tim's head.

"Glad to hear it. If I have anything to say about it, you're sleeping in my arms for the rest of your life."

"That sounds so p-perfect."

The larger man nuzzled his love's nape.

"Well, we had a deal, so you owe me some answers," Paine said. "But first we need some breakfast."

Tim nodded. The man gently laid him back down on the bed and went to the kitchen.

The boy looked at the man who had become his mate. He had no idea what he had done to be so lucky. Paine looked like a god, large and powerful. In his embrace, Tim was the safest he had ever felt. It even made the horrible situation that led to the two of them meeting not seem so bad.

On that subject, Tim wasn't sure what to do going forward. He never expected to ever have a mate. From what he had been told, actually finding the one true mate wasn't something that happened to everybody, but even without that he didn't think anyone would want such a small submissive runt as he, let alone somebody so perfect.

Still, he couldn't just dive into living happily ever after with Paine. He still had things he needed to do. He still had someone he needed to protect.

Paine started cooking things in a skillet, and Tim's sensitive nose was met with heavenly aromas. It smelled so good, and it was for him.

Paine returned to the bed with two plates of eggs, bacon, and toast with butter.

"Eat up, baby," he said. "You can have as much as you want."

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