Shrunken Steel

Tension Rising

~~~~Max~~~~
'Did he.... he couldn't have . . . Could he?'  That was my first thought after coming out of my shock.

I'm not sure if I'm hearing things, but I'm pretty sure I just heard him say that. 

Steel just said he loved me. 

I waited until I felt his side of our link drop off into unconsciousness; if that's what you want to call his sleep mode or whatever, for a while before carefully getting up and going into the kitchen. I never actually had dinner. 

Still, I didn't feel like making something, so I poured myself a bowl of cereal and stood at the counter, eating my food quietly. 

I'm not entirely sure what to think about this, what's worse is that I'm not sure if I can return Steel's affection. I mean, it's hard! If you look at the physical aspects, we don't have anything we can do aside from hugs and maybe kisses. And the mental side of it, I've always liked girls, not boys, and I'm almost positive that Steel is a boy.

'I guess for now I'll just keep quiet about hearing that, make it easier on both of us, especially with the current problem we're going through right now.'

I finish my cereal, put the bowl & spoon in the sink, and walk back into my room, quietly closing the door behind me. I Sit down on my bed slowly and I looked over at my alarm clock. It says 10:38,
'I should try and get back to sleep, don't need to feel dead more than I already do.' 

With that, I carefully lay down and pull the blanket up to my chest before closing my eyes.

~~~~Steel~~~~

I start to wake up, not knowing where I am, and look around my location. It takes a bit for me to remember, but I recall yesterday's events,

'oh yeah, Berto shrunk me. . .' I think to myself, remembering that I'm still in a safety pod stuck to the side of my partner's head. 

I groan before pressing the button to open the safety pod and flying out. Thankfully, Max is sleeping on his front, so I don't have any issues getting out. I look at the alarm clock sitting on the side table; it said 6:45 am.
I look back over at Max's massive sleeping form on the bed, just watching him as he sleeps obliviously. 

Suddenly, I get a call from N-Tek. I think about waking Max but decide otherwise. Why wake him if he's not needed? So I answer the incoming call, and to no surprise, it's Commander Forge Ferrus.

"Steel, is that you?" He asked,

'Yes, sir! what can I do for you?'  I say in my mock soldier voice.

"I need you and Max to be here in an hour," he demands.

'What for, is there a new mission? Or are we playing lab rats again?' I ask, being genuinely curious and annoyed.

"No, Berto wants to talk to you both about your . . . Situation. Says it's crucial," he answers.

'Alright, I'll get Max up, and we'll be there within the hour.'  I reply before hanging up.

"Now then, how in the world am I supposed to wake up the human who could sleep through the apocalypse? Especially when I'm the size of an ant?"