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Description
He looked at me just as deeply as I was looking at him. His expression was stern, stoic, borderline hostile, but his gaze had trapped mine the second our eyes had met.
All this time, all these years, my dream was about Loëcë. How was that even possible? Questions flooded my mind, and I don’t know how long it took me to snap out of it.

“Devon?” Morigan called my name, and her tone sounded like it wasn’t the first time she told it in the same thirty seconds.

“Uh?”

I couldn’t even articulate a proper answer, and I finally tore my eyes off the giant’s to look at her.

“I settled a small table on ours for you, is that okay?”

I searched the table she was talking about; she had put it at the end of the giant sized one, along with a chair and my plate.

“Oh, yeah, I mean, it’s perfect.” I tried to smile, but I must’ve had a strange expression; I was highly bewildered. “Thanks.”

Morigan turned around to face her brother, and I did the same, with more shyness this time. Loëcë was still staring at me with the same expression. His sister cleared her throat before breaking the awkward silence:

“Well, this is Loëcë, my brother. Loëcë, this is Devon.”

“I know who she is.” His deep voice slowly rumbled; it didn’t sound any friendlier than his expression.

His hair was a deep jet black color, falling around his face and covering the back of his neck. It looked smooth, with white highlights, but the untied strands and the pointy ears peeking out of them gave him an appealing savage look. His grey hoodie and dark blue jeans suited him well. His skin was light, especially against the blackness of his hair, and his features were thinner than most of the boy’s I used to see. And those eyes… I had never seen something like that before. It was unique. Strange. It was hard to meet his gaze and not look down, and not only because his eyes were two different shades of blue.

Morigan set down his brother’s plate in front of the middle chair; I was at the right end of the table. But it was still too close for Loëcë; he took his plate and set it on the opposite end of the table, before sitting down in his chair. I stole a quick look at him, then at Morigan; the giantess shrugged, and her dark brown eyes clearly said “sorry for that”. She took her own plate and sat down in the middle chair, where her brother was supposed to sit.

An awkward silence settled on the table; everyone was eating quietly. Loëcë was the only one who was looking down though, eating silently without paying attention to anyone. He didn’t want to make any eye contact, nor with Morigan, nor with me. Even less with me. What was wrong with him? Or should I say, what was so wrong with me?

After a few minutes, the giantess cleared her throat and broke the silence:

“Loëcë, could you show the rest of the house to Devon after dinner? I’m on duty tonight.”

“So do it before leaving,” her brother blunted matter-of-factly.

“Loëcë.” I could tell she was getting annoyed; her eyes were dark when the boy lifted his gaze. I was beginning to see another side of her personality. “You’d be nice.”

“Forget it Morigan,” I spoke up with more self-confidence I thought I would be capable of before two eating giants. “I think it’s better if you show it to me after your work is done.”

Morigan opened her mouth to answer, but to both our surprise, her brother spoke before her:

“See? Not a big deal. She’s not eager to know the house.”

“It only applies to one person in the said house,” I retorted.

“It’s a mutual feeling.”

“I’m glad it is.”

Loëcë hadn’t lifted up his eyes to talk to me yet, and Morigan’s were making goings and comings between me and her brother as we were arguing, looking genuinely surprised. I did it naturally, as if arguing with a gloomy, grumpy teen giant was a routine. I certainly was not a people person (if I had been one, I wouldn’t have answered like that), but I liked to speak my mind. Loëcë was taller, but he wouldn’t silence me for the weeks to come just because of that.

“Come on, Loëcë!” Morigan growled. “Devon is going to live with us for at least a few weeks. Try not to scare her, it’s the least you can do.”

“I’m not scared of him,” I blunted firmly, my eyes sending daggers through the giant’s lowered head. He slightly lifted it to look at me from under his black strands, and his own blue eyes sent swords through my entire body.

“You should be,” he breathed, his voice barely above a whisper. “You really should be.”

His voice was strange. As if it could only sound dark and cold, even harsh, as if it wasn’t meant to sound warm, not even once in a lifetime. As if his voice was coated with ice. And his threat sounded pretty serious.

I balled my hands into fists and frowned, trying to look cold and angry, while I was actually weirded out by this giant. I didn’t think he was serious. I hoped he wasn’t.

“I don’t see why I should.”

I couldn’t hold back from shuddering when the young giant smiled like a wolf, baring his long, gleaming canines.

“You will,” he said, and it sounded like a frightening promise.

“Loëcë, that’s enough!” Morigan snarled, baring her own fangs for a brief moment. “Talking to her like that won’t help.”

“You’re right,” her brother sighed and looked at his plate again, though he didn’t seem to be sorry. “I think I’ll just stop talking to her.”

I gritted my teeth and kept silent, scowling at him. But he wasn’t even looking at me.

What was wrong with him? I didn’t even knew him, but he already seemed to hate me. What did I do to deserve this kind of greeting? Whatever. I didn’t like this guy either. He was unnerving and honestly, quite creepy. All I would have to do was staying away from him.

I kept this promise as we finished our dinner. From time to time, I lifted my eyes from my plate to steal a quick glance towards Loëcë. He was eating silently now; each amount of food he shoved in his mouth was bigger than me. I tried not to gawk, afraid that he would notice, and quickly focused on my own plate.

Loëcë barely ate half of his meal and disappeared in the corridor, always in that weird gloomy mood. I heard his door slam behind him as the young giant secluded himself in his room. Looked like I wouldn’t see him until the next day… And for that I was relieved.

Morigan quickly showed me the bathroom before going to work; there was a strange white box fixed to the wall, just next to the sink. I thought it was a small furniture, but it had a small door, and I was surprised to find a human scaled bathroom inside. I could get to the edge of the giant sink from the floor, with a wooden stair that was also fixed to the wall.
I was dumbfounded; I’d never imagined such a thing in a giant house. The fact that a few things were actually made for me helped me feel better. Not really home, but better.
I would’ve liked to ask Morigan what was the work she’d talked about, but she seemed to be in a hurry, so I just waved her goodbye and settled my things into my bathroom. I brushed my teeth and put on my old sleeping pants, along with a loose blue shirt.

The bathroom was the door just in front of mine, so I just crossed the silent corridor to get back into my room. I couldn’t help slowing down my pace to glance at Loëcë’s door; it was still closed, and I didn’t hear anything inside. Maybe he was sleeping. Or just watching a movie on his own because he was fed up seeing my face… Oh well. Fuck him.

I crossed my room in the dark and got onto the giant bed with the ladder, grabbed my laptop and my pillow, and then ducked under my cave formed by the blanket’s fold; it was nicely dark and cozy.
Since it was only 9 p.m., I took my headphones and chose some series to watch. Entually I would feel tired and turn off my laptop…

Hours passed, and I was still awake. I wasn’t surprised; I never slept before midnight, even if I tried, even in my daily routine. Now I was in a house of giants, with no landmarks and one of these giants being surprisingly despicable towards me. Nope, I wouldn’t sleep, even if I wanted to.

***

3 a.m.
I had turned off my laptop for a while when I heard the bathroom door slam shut, and a noise that made my own stomach churn; someone was being sick. And it was Loëcë. Weird… I didn’t know there were foods that could actually make a giant sick in his stomach. I had a very fragile belly myself, and I felt great. Well, as great as I could feel now. The meal had even been delicious.

I got up from under my blanket, out of my cave and used the ladder to reach the floor. I carefully but quickly walked towards the bathroom; the door hadn’t closed correctly, and I could sneak in the tight opening. Which I did, aware that I was breaking my promise to stay away from Loëcë.
The room was dark, but I still could discern a titanic hunched figure in a corner. The giant was sitting on the cold floor, his knees against his chest, his arms wrapped around, and his head hidden between them. I could hear his ragged breathing, and he didn’t seem to have noticed me yet.

“Are you okay?”

It was a weird thing to watch something so big jump in surprise at the weak sound of my voice.

“Wonderful”, he whispered in a sour and raspy voice. “Go back to your room and leave me alone.”

“I will go wherever I want,” I replied. “Are you the only one having the right to use the toilets here?”

Loëcë let out a moody grunt. I couldn’t see his face in the dark, but I could imagine his cold expression, his scowl, just well. Maybe he could see me, standing by the door, ridiculously tiny compared to it, and to him.

“What are you still doing here?” he asked after a few seconds. “If you want to go, just go. I won’t eat you for wanting to pee.”

“Really?” I retorted with an ironical smile. “The choice of words you made earlier at the table made me think you would.”

His tongue clicked, clearly showing irritation. “Look, let’s make a deal. I’m not opening my mouth to talk to you until you leave this place, and you just do the same until you go home.”

“No.”

The giant gritted his teeth. I couldn’t help shuddering at the sound.

“… No?” he slowly breathed.

“That would be too easy, don’t you think? You threatened me earlier, and then you’re just trying to keep my mouth shut because you don’t want me to retort.”

“You’re a fast learner after all,” he admitted.

I balled my hands into fists and gritted my own teeth.

“You really are a jerk,” I spat.

“What? I didn't insult you this time,” he whispered, and I swore I could hear his mischievous smile.

I took a step back when Loëcë stood up to his full height, ready to reach the corridor. I wasn’t exactly afraid of him, and I should’ve been after what he’d said, but I wasn’t a fool and I knew he could hurt me without even meaning it. You couldn’t be too careful around a giant, especially around him.

Loëcë turned on the water and leaned to drink from the stream. I watched him, still confused, like every time I looked at him. Even when I looked at him in the dark. I couldn’t get his eyes off my mind, off my dreams, and I didn’t know why. Neither did I know why he was being so nasty towards me.

“So, shall you let me pass, Gandalf?” he blunted in a lazily annoyed voice, after wiping his mouth with a towel.

I did my best not to snigger. “I shall let you pass, even if you’re as spiteful as a Balrog.”

I didn’t know if he was smiling or not, but I was, and I hoped he couldn’t see it. I got out of the bathroom and stuck close to the wall when Loëcë crossed the corridor, disappeared into his room and silently closed the door. I was glad he didn’t slam it behind him. Did that mean I hadn’t angered him that much? Of course I had. My mere presence was enough to anger him. And why did I care? I hated him.

I got back to my own room, climbed onto the bed and finally reached my cave. Before laying down, I checked my phone; my mother had answered.

"I'm glad you're alright sweetie. I know they'll take great care of you.
Good night Devy."

Sighing, I turned the screen off and put my cellphone close to my laptop, before slipping under my blanket. I fell asleep more quickly than expected.

Description
He looked at me just as deeply as I was looking at him. His expression was stern, stoic, borderline hostile, but his gaze had trapped mine the second our eyes had met.
All this time, all these years, my dream was about Loëcë. How was that even possible? Questions flooded my mind, and I don’t know how long it took me to snap out of it.

“Devon?” Morigan called my name, and her tone sounded like it wasn’t the first time she told it in the same thirty seconds.

“Uh?”

I couldn’t even articulate a proper answer, and I finally tore my eyes off the giant’s to look at her.

“I settled a small table on ours for you, is that okay?”

I searched the table she was talking about; she had put it at the end of the giant sized one, along with a chair and my plate.

“Oh, yeah, I mean, it’s perfect.” I tried to smile, but I must’ve had a strange expression; I was highly bewildered. “Thanks.”

Morigan turned around to face her brother, and I did the same, with more shyness this time. Loëcë was still staring at me with the same expression. His sister cleared her throat before breaking the awkward silence:

“Well, this is Loëcë, my brother. Loëcë, this is Devon.”

“I know who she is.” His deep voice slowly rumbled; it didn’t sound any friendlier than his expression.

His hair was a deep jet black color, falling around his face and covering the back of his neck. It looked smooth, with white highlights, but the untied strands and the pointy ears peeking out of them gave him an appealing savage look. His grey hoodie and dark blue jeans suited him well. His skin was light, especially against the blackness of his hair, and his features were thinner than most of the boy’s I used to see. And those eyes… I had never seen something like that before. It was unique. Strange. It was hard to meet his gaze and not look down, and not only because his eyes were two different shades of blue.

Morigan set down his brother’s plate in front of the middle chair; I was at the right end of the table. But it was still too close for Loëcë; he took his plate and set it on the opposite end of the table, before sitting down in his chair. I stole a quick look at him, then at Morigan; the giantess shrugged, and her dark brown eyes clearly said “sorry for that”. She took her own plate and sat down in the middle chair, where her brother was supposed to sit.

An awkward silence settled on the table; everyone was eating quietly. Loëcë was the only one who was looking down though, eating silently without paying attention to anyone. He didn’t want to make any eye contact, nor with Morigan, nor with me. Even less with me. What was wrong with him? Or should I say, what was so wrong with me?

After a few minutes, the giantess cleared her throat and broke the silence:

“Loëcë, could you show the rest of the house to Devon after dinner? I’m on duty tonight.”

“So do it before leaving,” her brother blunted matter-of-factly.

“Loëcë.” I could tell she was getting annoyed; her eyes were dark when the boy lifted his gaze. I was beginning to see another side of her personality. “You’d be nice.”

“Forget it Morigan,” I spoke up with more self-confidence I thought I would be capable of before two eating giants. “I think it’s better if you show it to me after your work is done.”

Morigan opened her mouth to answer, but to both our surprise, her brother spoke before her:

“See? Not a big deal. She’s not eager to know the house.”

“It only applies to one person in the said house,” I retorted.

“It’s a mutual feeling.”

“I’m glad it is.”

Loëcë hadn’t lifted up his eyes to talk to me yet, and Morigan’s were making goings and comings between me and her brother as we were arguing, looking genuinely surprised. I did it naturally, as if arguing with a gloomy, grumpy teen giant was a routine. I certainly was not a people person (if I had been one, I wouldn’t have answered like that), but I liked to speak my mind. Loëcë was taller, but he wouldn’t silence me for the weeks to come just because of that.

“Come on, Loëcë!” Morigan growled. “Devon is going to live with us for at least a few weeks. Try not to scare her, it’s the least you can do.”

“I’m not scared of him,” I blunted firmly, my eyes sending daggers through the giant’s lowered head. He slightly lifted it to look at me from under his black strands, and his own blue eyes sent swords through my entire body.

“You should be,” he breathed, his voice barely above a whisper. “You really should be.”

His voice was strange. As if it could only sound dark and cold, even harsh, as if it wasn’t meant to sound warm, not even once in a lifetime. As if his voice was coated with ice. And his threat sounded pretty serious.

I balled my hands into fists and frowned, trying to look cold and angry, while I was actually weirded out by this giant. I didn’t think he was serious. I hoped he wasn’t.

“I don’t see why I should.”

I couldn’t hold back from shuddering when the young giant smiled like a wolf, baring his long, gleaming canines.

“You will,” he said, and it sounded like a frightening promise.

“Loëcë, that’s enough!” Morigan snarled, baring her own fangs for a brief moment. “Talking to her like that won’t help.”

“You’re right,” her brother sighed and looked at his plate again, though he didn’t seem to be sorry. “I think I’ll just stop talking to her.”

I gritted my teeth and kept silent, scowling at him. But he wasn’t even looking at me.

What was wrong with him? I didn’t even knew him, but he already seemed to hate me. What did I do to deserve this kind of greeting? Whatever. I didn’t like this guy either. He was unnerving and honestly, quite creepy. All I would have to do was staying away from him.

I kept this promise as we finished our dinner. From time to time, I lifted my eyes from my plate to steal a quick glance towards Loëcë. He was eating silently now; each amount of food he shoved in his mouth was bigger than me. I tried not to gawk, afraid that he would notice, and quickly focused on my own plate.

Loëcë barely ate half of his meal and disappeared in the corridor, always in that weird gloomy mood. I heard his door slam behind him as the young giant secluded himself in his room. Looked like I wouldn’t see him until the next day… And for that I was relieved.

Morigan quickly showed me the bathroom before going to work; there was a strange white box fixed to the wall, just next to the sink. I thought it was a small furniture, but it had a small door, and I was surprised to find a human scaled bathroom inside. I could get to the edge of the giant sink from the floor, with a wooden stair that was also fixed to the wall.
I was dumbfounded; I’d never imagined such a thing in a giant house. The fact that a few things were actually made for me helped me feel better. Not really home, but better.
I would’ve liked to ask Morigan what was the work she’d talked about, but she seemed to be in a hurry, so I just waved her goodbye and settled my things into my bathroom. I brushed my teeth and put on my old sleeping pants, along with a loose blue shirt.

The bathroom was the door just in front of mine, so I just crossed the silent corridor to get back into my room. I couldn’t help slowing down my pace to glance at Loëcë’s door; it was still closed, and I didn’t hear anything inside. Maybe he was sleeping. Or just watching a movie on his own because he was fed up seeing my face… Oh well. Fuck him.

I crossed my room in the dark and got onto the giant bed with the ladder, grabbed my laptop and my pillow, and then ducked under my cave formed by the blanket’s fold; it was nicely dark and cozy.
Since it was only 9 p.m., I took my headphones and chose some series to watch. Entually I would feel tired and turn off my laptop…

Hours passed, and I was still awake. I wasn’t surprised; I never slept before midnight, even if I tried, even in my daily routine. Now I was in a house of giants, with no landmarks and one of these giants being surprisingly despicable towards me. Nope, I wouldn’t sleep, even if I wanted to.

***

3 a.m.
I had turned off my laptop for a while when I heard the bathroom door slam shut, and a noise that made my own stomach churn; someone was being sick. And it was Loëcë. Weird… I didn’t know there were foods that could actually make a giant sick in his stomach. I had a very fragile belly myself, and I felt great. Well, as great as I could feel now. The meal had even been delicious.

I got up from under my blanket, out of my cave and used the ladder to reach the floor. I carefully but quickly walked towards the bathroom; the door hadn’t closed correctly, and I could sneak in the tight opening. Which I did, aware that I was breaking my promise to stay away from Loëcë.
The room was dark, but I still could discern a titanic hunched figure in a corner. The giant was sitting on the cold floor, his knees against his chest, his arms wrapped around, and his head hidden between them. I could hear his ragged breathing, and he didn’t seem to have noticed me yet.

“Are you okay?”

It was a weird thing to watch something so big jump in surprise at the weak sound of my voice.

“Wonderful”, he whispered in a sour and raspy voice. “Go back to your room and leave me alone.”

“I will go wherever I want,” I replied. “Are you the only one having the right to use the toilets here?”

Loëcë let out a moody grunt. I couldn’t see his face in the dark, but I could imagine his cold expression, his scowl, just well. Maybe he could see me, standing by the door, ridiculously tiny compared to it, and to him.

“What are you still doing here?” he asked after a few seconds. “If you want to go, just go. I won’t eat you for wanting to pee.”

“Really?” I retorted with an ironical smile. “The choice of words you made earlier at the table made me think you would.”

His tongue clicked, clearly showing irritation. “Look, let’s make a deal. I’m not opening my mouth to talk to you until you leave this place, and you just do the same until you go home.”

“No.”

The giant gritted his teeth. I couldn’t help shuddering at the sound.

“… No?” he slowly breathed.

“That would be too easy, don’t you think? You threatened me earlier, and then you’re just trying to keep my mouth shut because you don’t want me to retort.”

“You’re a fast learner after all,” he admitted.

I balled my hands into fists and gritted my own teeth.

“You really are a jerk,” I spat.

“What? I didn't insult you this time,” he whispered, and I swore I could hear his mischievous smile.

I took a step back when Loëcë stood up to his full height, ready to reach the corridor. I wasn’t exactly afraid of him, and I should’ve been after what he’d said, but I wasn’t a fool and I knew he could hurt me without even meaning it. You couldn’t be too careful around a giant, especially around him.

Loëcë turned on the water and leaned to drink from the stream. I watched him, still confused, like every time I looked at him. Even when I looked at him in the dark. I couldn’t get his eyes off my mind, off my dreams, and I didn’t know why. Neither did I know why he was being so nasty towards me.

“So, shall you let me pass, Gandalf?” he blunted in a lazily annoyed voice, after wiping his mouth with a towel.

I did my best not to snigger. “I shall let you pass, even if you’re as spiteful as a Balrog.”

I didn’t know if he was smiling or not, but I was, and I hoped he couldn’t see it. I got out of the bathroom and stuck close to the wall when Loëcë crossed the corridor, disappeared into his room and silently closed the door. I was glad he didn’t slam it behind him. Did that mean I hadn’t angered him that much? Of course I had. My mere presence was enough to anger him. And why did I care? I hated him.

I got back to my own room, climbed onto the bed and finally reached my cave. Before laying down, I checked my phone; my mother had answered.

"I'm glad you're alright sweetie. I know they'll take great care of you.
Good night Devy."

Sighing, I turned the screen off and put my cellphone close to my laptop, before slipping under my blanket. I fell asleep more quickly than expected.