Well, I have a hundred followers now, so here’s the terrible fanfic I wrote.

Warnings: Character death, some swears, I’m not used to posting stories on Tumblr, so idk

Things to know: tinies are kind of uncommon, but there are others like Evan, and it’s not unusual for tiny families to live with human families, so the Hansens live with the Kleinsens. Also, I actually diid a heck ton of research for this, because I had to find something since I found out a person can’t die by eating too many bath bombs. Enough rambling I guess so here.

---

Evan was quite observant; he usually noticed small things people tend to overlook. Which was why he became worried everytime Jared came down with a fever. He was pretty sure he was getting them more often than usual, though Jared dismissed his worries for paranoia. However, it was more than just the fevers.

His body bruised more easily than before, and Evan noticed how he seemed more tired than usual. (Normal Jared was Asshole Jared, but Tired Jared was Asshole Jared times ten.) And though he continued to eat bathbombs- which Evan would never understand why- he basically skipped out on most meals, claiming not to have an appetite.

“Why do you care?” Jared asked when Evan had voiced his concerns, sounding a little annoyed. “I’m telling you, I’m fine!”

“Jared, it’s just… I really think something’s wrong,” Evan said. He wasn’t that great at negotiating, but he hoped he could get Jared to see what he was saying. “You should probably tell your parents, they could-”

“No, Evan,” the larger snapped. “We’re not telling my parents anything. Nothing’s wrong with me, end of story.”

For the next three months or so, whenever Evan tried to bring it up, Jared quickly steered the conversation away, or just stopped talking to him altogether for the rest of the day (even though they lived in the same household).

At some point, Evan gave up in trying, choosing instead to complain to his mother about this problem. “Don’t worry, honey,” she told him as they ate dinner one night while the Kleinman family was out. “I’ll talk to his parents about it.”

He gave her a small nod, swallowing his food. “Thanks, Mom.”

Sure enough, she did. Jared’s parents had scheduled a doctor’s appointment for that weekend, and when he came back from it, he seemed pretty pissed, especially at Evan. “What the hell, man???” he yelled after his parents and Heidi left to go somewhere. “I told you not to tell them!!!”

“Jared, I-I was just- I was worried for you-”

“Yeah, well, now I gotta get a freaking blood test tomorrow morning. Next time, mind your own fucking business!!!” And with that, he left to go to his room, slamming the door loudly.

Evan remained at the table where he stood, wanting to cry. Oh God, he messed up again. He wished he hadn’t said anything, that probably would’ve been better. Jared was probably right, it was probably just nothing, maybe he was just too paranoid. However, when the results from the lab came back, Evan didn’t know what to feel.

Jared was diagnosed with leukemia.

Everything changed so fast. Jared was no longer sarcastic or witty. He didn’t even try to make some sort of joke on the situation; instead, he remained quiet, constant fear in his eyes, no matter how much he tried to hide it. And that scared Evan, how different he became.

He was required to stay in the hospital for treatment. Evan was sure it was chemotherapy, as he had looked up how leukemia was treated. He silently confirmed it when Mrs. Kleinman brought him along to the hospital for the first time, seeing the hair on his friend’s head removed. Jared just laughed about it, making terrible jokes and brushing it off like it was no big deal, but Evan knew that deep down, he was terrified.

It was a normal visit, nothing seemed different. Evan, as usual, sat on Mrs. Kleinman’s shoulder as they entered the building. The young woman at the reception desk gave them a soft smile. “Hello, Mrs. Kleinman and Mr. Hansen,” she greeted the two. She, along with the rest of the staff, knew them very well, as they came by just about everyday. Mrs. Kleinman smiled back, starting some small talk with her.

Evan remained quiet as they conversed. Though the lady- whose name he learned to be Zuri- was about his age, he still wasn’t very comfortable talking with her, so he really only spoke whenever she asked him questions.

Once they were done, Mrs. Kleinman began to take the same path they did everyday to Jared’s hospital room, doctors and nurses passing by, some of them tiny like Evan. Inside, Jared was staring with boredom at the TV in the corner of the room, watching some sort of anime that Evan didn’t recognize.

“Hi, sweetie!” Mrs. Kleinman greeted her son, making him aware of their presence. He turned to them, his eyes lighting up as he spotted the smaller being on her shoulder.

“Hey, Mom. Hey, Evan,” he replied, giving a small smile. His mother walked over, gently placed Evan down on the table next to the hospital bed, and kissed her son’s cheek.

“How are you doing?” She squeezed his hand softly, smiling, though Evan could see the worry in her eyes.

“I’m fine, Mom.” Evan heard a slight hesitation as he said that, as if Jared wasn’t sure it was true. He hoped it was just him being paranoid; he didn’t know what he’d do if Jared wasn’t okay.

“Mrs. Kleinman?” A doctor came into the room, clipboard in his arms. “We need to talk.”

She nodded then turned to Evan. “Make sure he doesn’t get into trouble,” she whispered to him, her tone slightly joking.

Evan laughed a bit, though it was more out of nervousness. “Y-yeah,” he said as she walked out the room with the doctor, closing the door behind them.

There was about a minute of silence between the two boys before Jared said, “Wish I wasn’t such an asshole to you.”

“What do you mean?” Evan jumped from the table onto the mattress of the bed as carefully as he could, climbing onto Jared’s chest and staring him in the eye.

Jared just looked away. “Ah, it’s nothing,” he replied, chuckling a bit, though his eyes didn’t smile.

Evan stared at him as he sat down, trying to figure out what was troubling him. “Jared, what’s wrong?”

No answer.

“Could you tell me what’s wrong? Please?”

Another few moments of silence before Jared looked back at him, tears sparkling behind his glasses. “I-I’m not going to make it,” he choked out, his voice cracking.

Evan felt his blood go cold. “What???” he cried out, a little louder than intended.

Jared nodded slowly, one tear rolling down his cheek. “They’re telling me that everything is gonna be fine, everything is gonna be all right, but I know it’s not. I can hear them. I was diagnosed too late.” More tears came streaming as he struggled to contain them. “God, if I just listened to you when you were worried, I could’ve…. I c-could’ve-”

“Jared, don’t say that!” Evan exclaimed, running up to his face and placing a hand on his chin. “You’re gonna be fine, y-you’re not gonna die!!”

“Heh.” Jared gently used a finger to pet his tiny friend’s hair. “I thought you gave up lying to everyone.”

Evan felt his throat tightening as he swallowed. “No, Jared, you’ll be okay, I promise you’ll be okay, I-”

Jared shushed him, closing his eyes. “There’s nothing you can do…” he whispered sadly.

Evan stood there, letting the tears fall. Being only a few inches tall, he felt useless like this. If only he were bigger, maybe he could help him, but like Jared said, there was nothing he could do.

As he sobbed, his giant friend gripped the back of his collar between his thumb and index and slowly lifted him up. Instinctively, Evan curled up into a small ball like a young kitten lifted by its nape would. Carefully, Jared brought him back onto his chest, using the same hand to cover him like a blanket.

As Evan lay there, he could both feel and hear the giant heartbeats of his friend, calming him down as his breathing became more steady, matching Jared’s as he slowly went up and down. He remembered the first time he heard those heartbeats years ago. Something, though he could no longer recall what, had scared him, and Jared, being nearby, quickly scooped him up. It was most likely intended to be an act of comfort at the time when he held him gently against his chest, but it instead frightened the small teen even more. The giant lub-dub pounding in his ear was very terrifying back then, but over time, as Jared began to do it more and more, he became accustomed to the sound. The steady beat soon helped him calm down, sometimes even lulling him to sleep.

This time, though, he fought that urge to doze off. He stayed awake, continuing to listen to the muffled heartbeat through the green hospital gown, feeling Jared’s chest slowly rise and fall. As he did, he wondered what the doctor was telling Jared’s mother. Was he telling her the same thing Jared told him? He hoped not. He hoped it was just some sick joke he was playing.

He wasn’t sure how long he lay there, but it was definitely a while later when he felt the heart beating slower. He tried not to let it bother him, as he was sure it was just because Jared was asleep. However, it became harder to ignore as it kept slowing down.

“Jared?” he called out unsurely, looking up at him. He appeared to be sleeping peacefully, but Evan worried even more as he realized his breathing was becoming less frequent as well.

No, he thought, he’s fine, Jared’s fine, this time I’m just being paranoid, and he’s just joking about this, even though it’s a terrible thing to joke about, but he’s fine, he’s just fine, totally fine! But it didn’t help, as the uneasy feeling in his stomach wouldn’t leave. He felt tears begin to pool in his eyes as he listened to the slowing heartbeats, quivering slightly. No, Jared can’t die, Jared won’t die, he refused to believe it, but at the same time, he couldn’t shake the thought that it was possible, feeling more helpless than before.

He was brought out of his thoughts when he realized it had been about a minute since the last heartbeat. He lay there anxiously, waiting for the next one, but it never came. He felt himself pale and his heart almost skip a beat.

“No,” he whispered, crawling out from beneath Jared’s limp hand. “No, no, no!!! Jared, y-you’re not- you can’t be dead!!” He ran closer to his face, trying to shake him awake. When his efforts proved to be futile, he allowed a sob to escape from his throat. “Please…” he whispered softly. “You can’t leave me alone, I…

”… I loved you…“

Now Jared would never know the feelings he harbored for him, the feelings he had been so scared to admit; he was too late. Evan leaned over, giving him a gentle kiss on his bottom lip, before leaning back, knowing Jared would never return the kiss.