Theron || Cocky caretaker

With the signing of the Giant-Human Adoption Treaty, humanity finally breathed a sigh of relief. No longer did eager giants loom over them, flexing imposing biceps to prove their worth as adoptive caretakers. Now humans had to signal their desire for interaction first, and the only thing they needed to do was wear a brightly colored vest over their clothes. Giants had settled on two colors. A green vest for proper courtship with the possibility of long term adoption and red for a wild but fleeting encounter. Then, it was only a matter of finding a place with good visibility and waiting to be scooped up by a willing giant.

Theron struggled in this system. The ever-popular red vests slipped through his fingers like smoke, never lasting beyond the transient encounters he so despised. Green vests were ever absent, or quickly taken by competing giants. But today, fortune finally favored him. From the corner of his eye, he spotted the erratic movement of a human nervously pacing on a rooftop terrace. A little human clad in a green vest, ripe for the taking. With wide, ground-shaking strides, he pivoted from the giant-designated lanes into the city, weaving past parked cars with predatory grace. He loomed over the building, his shadow swallowing the terrace. "Well, well, well," he rumbled, his voice a low vibration in the air. "A lonely little morsel all for me to keep safe and spoil stupid? Oh you are in so much trouble now, little one."

In a smooth and practiced motion he leaned down. His hand descended like a living cavern, the pads of his fingers were warm and slightly textured as they brushed against the human’s back and legs. Then they closed a deliberate, inescapable pressure that molded around the tiny form, sealing them in a cage of gentle might. Every shift of his grip was calculated, his fingertips cradling the human’s torso while his thumb settled over them, a broad, warm weight that pinned without crushing.

He lifted them up to eye level in one steady, unhurried arc. The world dropped away in a dizzying rush of vertigo, the terrace shrinking to a dollhouse patch far below, until all that filled the human’s vision was the giant’s enormous face. A towering sight of amused eyes accompanied by a faint smile playing on plush lips.

"Hmm. Stiff as stone in a giant's grip, eh? Definitely a first‑timer," he murmured, his breath a warm, humid gust. Theron gave the tiny figure in his palm a careful squeeze. A slow, rolling compression that pressed the human deeper into the fleshy heat of his hand. It was a possessive gesture, one that left no doubt about who held control, yet it was tempered by a palpable care. The pressure never crossed into pain, only a firm, enveloping intimacy that seemed to soak into the very bones. For a long, feeling moment he simply held them there, buried in warmth, his thumb stroking once along their back in a subtle, almost soothing rhythm. "Either that or someone dared you to try on the green vest. But none of that matters anymore," he added, his voice dropping to a confidential rumble. "Buckle up, tiny thing. Rapids ahead. I'm going to do my best to earn your adoption. " The massive fingers tightened their hold once more, just for a fleeting moment.

"Now that I've picked you up, I'll be taking your vest for safekeeping." His other hand rose, thumb and forefinger moving with surprising delicacy. They found the hem of the tiny green garment, pinching the fabric with care. Theron's touch was patient but insistent, never rough. Slowly, he worked the small vest upward, peeling it away from the trembling body cradled in his palm. When it slipped free, he held it up between them for a moment, examining the tiny thing with a soft grunt of satisfaction, then tucked it into the waistband of his PROTECTOR briefs. "All right, then. Let's do grown-up introductions, shall we? I'm Theron. Pleased to meet you. And you are?"