barucai

[Mini Story] Outgrowing her welcome

Published: December 1st 2024, 1:54:28 am

Hi Hi ✨

A short and sweet one today! Running out of growth triggers 😅 but hey, still fun! T3&4 members, check out your folders for some "what if" shots - What if Raven grew too? Plus some bonus growth from Mrs Peterson, who has done some growing of her own in the past too!

📦 Grab the full res images from the attachment section of this post. ⬇️

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Outgrowing her welcome

"Dana, we really appreciate you helping us out this weekend," Mrs. Peterson said, fumbling with her car keys as her husband loaded their bags into the trunk. "I know it was last minute, but everyone else was busy and..."

"Yeah, whatever. No biggie," Dana replied, absentmindedly twirling a strand of her jet-black hair, the purple highlights catching the morning sun. She glanced down at her phone, barely paying attention to the middle-aged woman's instructions.

"Now, I've left a detailed list of rules on the fridge," Mrs. Peterson continued, her voice taking on a more serious tone. "It's very important that you follow them exactly. Especially about Buddy's feeding schedule and the plants."

Dana rolled her eyes behind her heavy black eyeliner. "Feed the dog, water the plants. Got it. Not exactly rocket science."

Mr. Peterson emerged from the garage, his large frame casting a shadow over the driveway. "And my office is strictly off-limits," he added firmly. "No exceptions."

"Sure, sure," Dana muttered, still focused on her phone. "Don't worry, your precious house will still be standing when you get back."

Mrs. Peterson shot her husband a worried look, but they were out of options. Everyone else they'd asked to house-sit was unavailable this weekend, and they couldn't reschedule their trip. Dana might be a handful, but she was their only choice.

"We'll be back Sunday evening," Mrs. Peterson said, climbing into the passenger seat. "The emergency numbers are on the fridge, right next to the rules. Please, Dana, this is important..."

"I know, I know. Follow the rules. Don't burn the house down. Can I go inside now? It's way too bright out here."

As the Petersons' car disappeared down the street, Dana turned toward the house, a mischievous grin spreading across her black-painted lips. "Well, Buddy," she said to the golden retriever waiting patiently by the door, "looks like it's just you and me. Let's see what kind of trouble we can get into."

Buddy wagged his tail enthusiastically, completely oblivious to the chaos that was about to unfold.

Inside, Dana immediately spotted the list on the fridge, held in place by a tacky flower magnet. She skimmed it quickly, her eyes widening at the sheer number of instructions.

"'Feed Buddy exactly one cup of food at 8 AM and 6 PM,'" she read aloud, scoffing. "Yeah, right. Like I'm going to set an alarm for that." She looked down at the dog, who was already sitting expectantly by his food bowl. "Tell you what, buddy. How about we just fill your bowl up now, and then we don't have to worry about it for the rest of the weekend?"

She found the bag of dog food and upended the entire contents into Buddy's bowl, creating a small mountain of kibble. "There you go, big guy. All-you-can-eat buffet."

As soon as she stepped back from the overflowing bowl, Dana felt a strange tingling sensation throughout her body. She shrugged it off as a shiver from the air conditioning and continued reading the list.

"'Water each plant according to the schedule on page 2.' Page 2? Are you kidding me?" She flipped the paper over to find a detailed watering chart for each of Mrs. Peterson's beloved houseplants. "Yeah, that's not happening. They're just plants. A good soak now will last the weekend."

She grabbed a watering can and went around the house, giving each plant a generous dousing. As she watered the last fern, that weird tingling feeling returned, stronger this time. Dana rolled her shoulders, trying to shake it off.

"Is it hot in here?" she wondered aloud, tugging at the collar of her black band t-shirt. It felt tighter than usual, but she assumed it had shrunk in the wash.

Buddy watched her with mild interest, having barely made a dent in his mountain of food.

Dana wandered into the living room, already bored. Her eyes fell on the closed door of Mr. Peterson's office. "What's so special about this room anyway?" she muttered, her hand reaching for the doorknob. "Probably just boring work stuff..."

The door swung open, revealing a meticulously organized home office. As Dana stepped inside, that tingling sensation returned with a vengeance. This time, she couldn't ignore it.

"What the..." she gasped as her shirt suddenly felt like it was squeezing her chest. She looked down and realized with shock that her body was changing. Her arms were thickening with muscle, stretching the sleeves of her shirt. Her legs felt powerful, like coiled springs ready to explode.

"This isn't possible," she whispered, watching as her black-painted fingernails rose higher and higher from the ground. She was growing taller, and fast.

A loud ripping sound filled the air as her shirt finally gave up the fight, splitting along the seams. Her jeans weren't far behind, the fabric straining against her expanding thighs before surrendering with a dramatic tear.

Buddy appeared in the doorway, tilted his head curiously at Dana's predicament, then trotted back to his food bowl, completely unfazed.

"Oh no, oh no, oh no," Dana panicked, ducking to avoid hitting her head on the ceiling as she stumbled out of the office. She had to find something to wear, and fast.

She ran to the Petersons' bedroom, thankful that Mrs. Peterson was slightly larger than her normal size. But as she rifled through the closet, she realized with growing horror that she was already bigger than any of Mrs. Peterson's clothes would fit.

"This can't be happening," she muttered, eyeing Mr. Peterson's side of the closet. His clothes would have to do...

After rummaging through Mr. Peterson's drawers, Dana finally found an oversized t-shirt with "World's Okayest Golfer" printed on it. The shirt hung like a dress on her, reaching down to her knees.

"Well, this is just great," she grumbled, looking at her reflection in the bedroom mirror. The shirt made her look like she was wearing a tent, completely ruining her carefully cultivated goth aesthetic. "At least it's black."

Buddy wandered in, still munching on a piece of kibble. He sat down next to her leg, which now looked considerably more muscular than before.

"Don't judge me," she said to the dog. "This is... this is probably just some weird growth spurt or something. Yeah, that's it. Totally normal."

Her stomach growled, reminding her it was nearly lunchtime. Back in the kitchen, she spotted another item on the rules list she'd ignored earlier.

"'Do not eat the cake in the blue container. It's for the church bake sale.'" Dana read aloud, opening the fridge. The cake sat there, a beautiful chocolate creation with thick frosting. "Well, they can't expect me to just stare at it all weekend, can they?"

She cut herself a generous slice, then thought better of it and took half the cake. "They can always make another one," she reasoned, mouth already full of chocolate.

That familiar tingling sensation returned as she swallowed the last bite. "Oh no," she groaned, feeling the shirt growing snug around her shoulders. Her muscles swelled larger, pressing against the fabric that had been loose just moments ago.

"This isn't funny anymore," she said to Buddy, who was now looking noticeably smaller next to her. The shirt that had hung to her knees now barely reached mid-thigh, stretched tight across her expanding frame.

A notification pinged on her phone. It was her friend Raven: "Movie night still on?"

Dana looked down at herself, then at the rules list which clearly stated 'NO VISITORS.' She bit her lip, considering her options. The shirt strained ominously across her chest as she typed her reply: "Yeah, come over. I'm house-sitting but it's cool."

She hit send and immediately felt another wave of growth hit her. The shirt's seams creaked in protest as her shoulders broadened further, her arms now thick with muscle. She had to lean down slightly to avoid hitting her head on the kitchen light fixture.

"This is bad," she muttered, watching her reflection in the microwave door. "This is really, really bad."

Buddy looked up at her with his tail wagging, seeming completely unbothered by the fact that his temporary caretaker was now approaching the size of a professional basketball player.

The shirt, which had been enormous on her just an hour ago, now felt like it was painted on. Every movement threatened to tear the fabric, the "World's Okayest Golfer" text stretched and distorted across her expanded chest.

"What am I going to do?" she asked Buddy, who responded by dropping his tennis ball at her now-massive feet. "I can't let Raven see me like this. And I definitely can't keep growing."

She glanced back at the rules list on the fridge, finally beginning to understand that something very strange was happening. But it was too late to cancel on Raven – she could already hear her friend's beat-up Honda pulling into the driveway.

The doorbell rang, and Dana heard the distinct sound of another seam giving way in Mr. Peterson's shirt.

The doorbell rang again. Dana awkwardly hunched down to look through the peephole, though she barely needed to with her new height.

"Holy... Dana?" Raven's jaw dropped as the door opened. She had to crane her neck up to see her friend's face. "What happened to you?"

"I know, I know, it's weird," Dana said, trying to squeeze through the doorway sideways. The shirt was now dangerously close to giving up entirely. "I've been growing all day and I have no idea why."

Raven stepped inside, her platform boots - which usually made her tower over Dana - now barely bringing her up to her friend's chest. "All day? Like, since when exactly?"

"I don't know, it started this morning after I fed Buddy his food. Well, all his food. Then there was the plant watering thing, and Mr. Peterson's office, and the cake..." Dana counted off on her fingers.

Buddy trotted over, looking more like a puppy next to Dana's current size. He dropped his ball again, which now seemed comically small in Dana's hand.

Raven's eyes darted between Dana, the dog, and the rules list still hanging on the fridge. Her dark-lined eyes widened with realization.

"Dana," she said slowly, "what exactly did the Petersons tell you before they left?"

"Just a bunch of stuff about following their precious rules." Dana shrugged, causing another concerning sound from the stretched shirt. "Like that's gonna happen."

"And you started growing after breaking these rules?"

"I guess? I mean, maybe? It's not like-" Dana stopped mid-sentence, the connection finally clicking. "Oh."

Raven grabbed the list from the fridge. "Let's test it. Here's one you haven't broken yet: 'No shoes on the carpet.'"

Dana looked down at her chunky black boots, now several sizes larger than normal. "You really think that's what's causing this?"

"Only one way to find out." Raven grinned mischievously. "Do it."

After a moment's hesitation, Dana clomped onto the pristine white carpet, leaving muddy boot prints in her wake.

The effect was immediate and more intense than before. The tingling sensation returned full-force, and Dana felt herself shooting upward. The shirt, already struggling to contain her, finally lost its battle with several loud rips.

"Oh my!" Raven squeaked, backing away as her friend grew even larger. "It's actually happening!"

Dana's muscles swelled larger, her shoulders broadening until she had to turn sideways to avoid them hitting the walls. Her head brushed against the ceiling, then pressed against it, forcing her to crouch.

Buddy barked excitedly, now barely reaching Dana's ankle. The tennis ball he'd been playing with looked like a marble next to her massive feet.

"This is insane," Dana groaned, her voice reverberating through the now too-small room. The remains of Mr. Peterson's shirt hung in tatters around her torso. "What am I going to do? I can't stay in here!"

"The garage!" Raven suggested, having to shout up at her giant friend. "You'd have more room out there!"

Dana had to crawl on hands and knees to make it through the house to the garage door, leaving a trail of destroyed shirt fragments behind her. Even the garage, with its high ceiling, barely accommodated her new size.

"I think," Raven said, staring up at her now-gigantic best friend, "you might have learned your lesson about following rules."

Dana, hunched uncomfortably in the garage, wrapped in a collection of beach towels and old blankets she'd found in a storage box, could only nod in agreement.

"Yeah," she sighed, watching Buddy curl up contentedly next to her enormous foot. "But what are the Petersons going to say when they get back?"

"It'll be fine," Raven assured her, draping a third king-sized blanket over Dana's massive form. "I mean, they can't exactly be mad at you for following basic cause and effect."

"Basic cause and effect?" Dana's laugh shook the garage shelving. "There's nothing basic about growing into a giant because you broke some house rules!"

Raven stepped back to survey her handiwork with the blankets. "Well, at least you're covered now. Try to get some sleep, okay? Text me if you need anything... though I'm not sure how you're even holding your phone with those hands now."

After Raven left, Dana tried to make herself as comfortable as possible in the garage. Buddy had decided to stay with her, curled up against her side like a tiny stuffed animal. Despite her predicament, the warmth of the dog and the exhaustion from all the growing eventually lulled her to sleep.

The sound of a car engine stirred her awake. Still groggy, Dana opened her eyes just as the garage door began to rumble open.

"Oh no," she mumbled, realizing the Petersons must be home early. "No, no, no..."

Sunlight flooded the garage as the door lifted, revealing Mr. and Mrs. Peterson standing in their driveway. Their shadows stretched across the concrete floor, reaching Dana's makeshift blanket nest.

"Oh my," Mrs. Peterson said, though she sounded more amused than shocked. "Someone's been breaking rules, I see."

Dana tried to make herself smaller, which was impossible given her current size. "I'm so sorry! I didn't know this would happen. I can explain..."

Mr. Peterson chuckled, stepping into the garage. "Explain what? That you ignored every rule we left you?"

"Well, not every rule," Dana protested weakly. "I didn't... um..." She trailed off, unable to think of a single rule she hadn't broken.

"It's alright, dear," Mrs. Peterson said, walking over to pat Dana's blanket-covered knee. "We expected something like this might happen. Though I must say, you're bigger than I thought you'd get. How many rules did you break?"

Dana blinked in confusion. "You... you expected this?"

Mrs. Peterson shared a knowing look with her husband. "Why do you think we have such specific rules? They needed to be things you'd be tempted to break."

"But... but why?"

"Well," Mrs. Peterson said, her eyes twinkling, "let's just say I know a thing or two about growing from breaking rules. How do you think I met Harold?"

Mr. Peterson grinned. "She was house-sitting for my parents. Broke every rule in the book. By the time they got home, she barely fit in their attic."

"You mean you..." Dana gestured at Mrs. Peterson's perfectly normal size.

"Oh, this?" Mrs. Peterson twirled around. "I learned to control it eventually. Though sometimes..." She glanced at her husband with a mischievous smile. "Sometimes it's fun to break a few rules."

"The real question," Mr. Peterson added, "is what you've learned from this experience?"

Dana looked down at her massive form, then at Buddy who was still contentedly snoozing against her leg, then back at the Petersons. "That I should follow the rules?"

"No, dear," Mrs. Peterson laughed. "That actions have consequences - sometimes very big ones - and it's up to you to decide if they're worth it."

"Now," Mr. Peterson said, pulling out a new piece of paper, "here are the rules for returning to your normal size. Though..." He paused, sharing another knowing look with his wife. "We could also teach you how to control it, if you're interested. It can be quite useful, being able to grow when you want to."

Dana sat up straighter, causing the garage rafters to creak. "You'd do that?"

"Of course," Mrs. Peterson nodded. "We all need a little guidance when we first discover our growing pains. Besides," she added with a wink, "it gets rather lonely being the only one who knows the joy of breaking rules."

As if to demonstrate, Mrs. Peterson stepped fully into the garage and deliberately scuffed her shoes on the clean floor. Her height instantly shot up several feet, bringing her eye-level with the still-seated Dana.

"First lesson," she said, now grinning up at the ceiling. "Always make sure you have clothes that stretch!"

Dana couldn't help but laugh, finally understanding why the Petersons had seemed so unconcerned about leaving their house in her care. This was never about punishing her for breaking rules - it was about teaching her something much more important.

And as she watched Mrs. Peterson deliberately break another rule, growing even larger while her husband cheered her on, Dana realized that maybe being a rule-breaker wasn't such a bad thing after all.

After all, some rules were meant to be broken - you just had to be big enough to handle the consequences.