...But Clear Skies Ahead Shrunken First Semester chapter 19 by VirtualFootprint and maximally

One year later…

Max awoke lazily from a deep, peaceful slumber. He stretched out all four limbs, nuzzling his whole body into what had to be the world’s most comfortable pillow – Kaley’s wide, warm, impossibly soft, panty-clad ass-crack.

His owner’s cheeks rose and fell around him as she breathed, still fast asleep. The air beneath her duvet was hot and stuffy, laced with the aroma of all the sleep farts she’d released throughout the night. That was a lovely scent to wake up to. But not enough. Max wanted a fresh one. Twisting in the harness that kept him fastened to her butt whenever she turned over, he squinted at the miniature watch on his wrist. “7:47.” Kaley would be up in about 15 minutes. Still, why wait?

Pursing his lips, he pressed his face into Kaley’s buttocks and began showering her ass with kisses. He planted long, affectionate smooches on both cheeks, then buried his head as far into her crack as he could go. Her panties were cotton, and the springy surface didn’t allow him to burrow very deep – but it was enough. The fleshy pillows shifted, and he heard their owner give a relaxed sigh.

“Mmm. Good morning, Max.”

FFFFBBBAAAAAFFFFFFFF

“Guhh,” Max groaned. Hot morning gas washed over him, like sinking into a warm bath. He leaned in and sniffed as hard as he could, desperate not to miss a single molecule of her rancid, delicious stink, the sickeningly sweet aroma lighting up the pleasure centre of his brain. For a few seconds he felt nothing but mindless bliss. Then, after gulping down the last traces of her gift he went straight back to kissing, eager to show his appreciation.

“Mm. Hmmm. Okay, okay, I’m up,” Kaley giggled, stretching. “Who needs an alarm clock when I have you, huh?”

The pair went about their usual morning routine. Kaley rose, detached Max from her ass and set him down by his terrarium – rarely used, these days – to get dressed. Then she took him into the bathroom to brush teeth and wash up, using the custom tiny tools she’d made for him. After all this time she still made him look away while she used the toilet.

They padded into the kitchen next. Back when he’d first shrunk they’d lived together in Kaley’s college dorm, which had a communal kitchen area. But following the Juno incident, both were agreed they could use somewhere with a little more security. Now they shared an apartment off-campus. It was a bit more of a commute, but included an array of amenities - not least of which was the triple-locked front door.

Kaley stifled a yawn as she started up the coffee machine. “What are you feeling for breakfast?”

“Omelettes,” Max replied at once.

“Again? We had them yesterday. I thought I might just do toast, or something.”

“I’d really like an omelette,” he insisted. “With peppers, and extra cheese. Please.”

She gave him a knowing smile. “Why do I feel like you might have an ulterior motive here?” She sighed and shook her head. “Well, if it makes you happy.”

A short while later they were both sat in Kaley’s room with their meals. Max wolfed his down quickly. It tasted fine, but as Kaley had deduced, he was more interested in how it was going to smell later. The giantess meanwhile picked slowly at hers, watching him.

“Are you, by the way?” She asked suddenly. “Happy.”

He looked up. Then back at his plate. “Well, it could do with some salt, maybe…”

“I mean in general. Living here.” She rested her chin on her hand. “Compelled by a euphoric, irresistible urge to sniff up all my farts.”

“You make it sound like a bad thing.” He joked. “If sniffing your farts is wrong, I don’t want to be right.”

“They don’t smell good though, do they? I’ve been thinking… maybe we should have kept working on undoing that addiction compound. It’s good that we stopped the side effects, and tuning you to respond to my gas has obviously worked as a temporary fix. But shouldn’t we reverse it completely? Turn you back into your old self. Well, except still small.”

He scratched his head. Something was bothering her, clearly. “What’s brought this on?”

“It’s been a year now.” She looked at him. “Since they took you.”

Max didn’t respond at first. They rarely spoke about the traumatic week he had spent in the Juno laboratories; it still sent a shiver down his spine, remembering their sadistic grins, the sound of their mocking laughter. Not to mention how terrifyingly close he’d come to spending the rest of his life as a human butt-plug. One word. Just one word, and if he’d chosen the wrong one, then instead of the peaceful life he enjoyed here, right now he’d be… he didn’t like to think about it. “What about it?” He asked quietly.

“It’s just made me think. Me, keeping you here, hopelessly addicted to my scent. It’s not all that different to what she was doing.”

“You’re nothing like Kali,” he said at once. “The fact you’re even worrying about this is proof, trust me.”

“Still, though. It’s like I’m brainwashing you.”

“If it feels good, who cares?” was Max’s first thought. But he knew that was too dismissive. Kaley was genuinely concerned about him. “Because she’s a good person.”

“You know, if there’s one thing that nightmare taught me, it’s the importance of what we’re doing here.” He said. “Everything I went through, and worse, is going to be done to tinies on a mass scale. And not just for a week. That kind of torture going on without end, trust me, I… we can’t…” he shuddered. “The only thing we can do to help them is offer alternatives. If we can reduce the suffering of even one tiny, even just a little bit, then we have to do it. We have to keep working, as hard as possible. And for me that means sniffing farts. So I might as well enjoy it. Right?” He scratched his head awkwardly. “So, yes, I’m happy. With you, with living here, with everything we’re doing together. I wouldn’t change a thing.”

Kaley listened to all that in silence. By the end, a slight pinkness had crept into her cheeks. “Well. Okay, then. If you’re sure.” She smiled, almost shyly. Then stood up. “In that case, since our work is so important, we’d better make a start!”

“With fart testing?” Max asked eagerly, climbing onto her outstretched palm.

“If it were up to you, we wouldn’t do anything but fart testing. Come on. We’re starting with the sponge helmet today.”

The giantess carried him over to her work station to suit him up for the morning’s testing. The sponge helmet was a ball about the size of a marble that slotted over a tiny’s head, made of a super-absorbent material designed to soak up sweat. A little tube connected the sponge to the tiny’s mouth – like one of those beer hats at a football game, only it couldn’t be taken off. With just a little pressure applied to the ball, all the collected sweat would be squeezed out and funnelled directly into the user’s mouth.

“How’s that? Comfy?” Kaley asked.

“Uh… a little tight, maybe.”

“I’ll have to work on that,” she frowned, adjusting the fitting. “It needs to conform to the tiny’s head shape automatically, because you can bet the women using it aren’t going to care. Oh well. Job for another day.” She gave the helmet a final tap before picking Max up again. “We’ll do an hour each in my feet, armpits and boobs, then finally my bum as a reward. Then I’ll take you out and we’ll break for lunch. Sound good?”

“Sounds great!” He replied, voice muffled as the tube slotted into his mouth.

She smiled warmly as she lowered him to her feet, clamping her toes around his neck with an affectionate squeeze. “Hit the button on your watch if you need anything. Otherwise, I’ll see you in an hour.”

Max gave a thumbs-up goodbye as his owner pulled a thick woollen sock over her foot, trapping him in the hot, stuffy prison with her wiggling toes. The air was thick, sour and cheesy. It stank, and not in the way he liked. Body odour was an important part of the research they did, so Kaley only showered about once a week now while hitting the gym daily. The smell of vinegar was so strong he could almost chew it. Still, he forced himself to endure without complaint.

The world outside was starting to change. The media wasn’t reporting on it directly, but Kaley knew what articles to check and could read the story between the headlines. Key political figures were stepping down, retiring early or outright disappearing. Known Juno associates were grasping the empty seats of power. And all the while cases of male shrinking were increasing, more and more every day. Within the next few months, a new world order would be established. But we’ll be ready for it.

The pressure on his body increased suddenly, Kaley’s clammy foot flesh compressing him down then lifting back up as she walked around the apartment. And as his sponge helmet squeezed, and the first swigs of hot, salty perspiration forcefully filled his mouth, Max gulped them down gladly. He might be swallowing foot cheese, but in the new world that was coming, he knew he had it good.

He was safe. He was protected. He was cared for. And it was only a few more hours until his next fart.