With greetings out of the way, Jasmine sat upon her bed’s edge and regarded the boy in her hands. “So, Aladdin, tell me a little about yourself. What’s it like being so small?”
“Um, I don’t know,” Aladdin awkwardly admitted, unsure if he should sit or stand in the palm. “But I don’t think you want to hear about me. I bet a princess’ life is way more interesting.”
Jasmine rolled her eyes. “Try boring. People are always telling me where to go, how to dress, and even what to say.”
“That sounds a lot better than having to duck under people’s feet all the time.”
Jasmine pursed her lips. “Okay, I’ll give you that one. But, and feel free to stop me if I sound rude, there are times that I wish I could have even a fraction of that excitement.”
Aladdin chuckled. “Me too. A fraction sounds a lot better than the whole thing.” He then paused and added, “A fraction means just a part, right?”
Jasmine giggled and nodded. “Yes, it does. You’re smart for one who has never been in school,” she cooed as she patted his hair with her finger.
Aladdin laughed and only offered token resistance to her affectionate touch. It seemed like a lifetime ago that anyone had touched him like this. “Well, you’re pretty strong for a princess. How’d you scale the wall like that?”
Jasmine looked around the mostly empty room before leaning in with a conspiratorial whisper. “Can you keep a secret?”
“If I ever see my monkey friend again, I might tell him,” Aladdin admitted, loving the sound of Jasmine’s laugh.
“Well, it’s not very princess-like, but whenever I get some free time, I like to climb things; trees, scaffolding, and anything else I’m told I shouldn’t go near,” Jasmine bragged.
“Yeah, I can believe that. You’re pretty good,” Aladdin praised, only for his grin to grow impish. “But not as good as me.”
“Um, I beg your pardon?” questioned Jasmine in low-key offense. “I’ll have you know that I’ve honed my skills from years of running from the guards.”
Aladdin smugly folded his arms. “So have I, but I managed to get away without long legs,” he said while gesturing at her puffy pants. “If I was your size, I could climb walls twice the size in half the time.”
Jasmine shifted atop the bed, feeling oddly jittery. “I have half a mind to accept that challenge. My father has a scale model of Agrabah. Maybe we should see how long it takes you to reach the top of the palace.”
Aladdin chuckled. “Yeah, no. First rule of being a street rat is learning to pick your battles. I’m not gonna cross the Sultan.”
“Don’t worry, little fella. I’ll protect you. Besides, we’re not crossing him. My father is a very sweet man. If we ask, I’m sure he’ll let us borrow the model.”
Aladdin’s discomfort grew. “I’m still not sure. I don’t usually, ya know, ask for things.”
“Well, so long as you’re living in the palace, you’ll have to learn. That’s the polite way to get what you want.”
“But what if they say no?”
“Well, you can just ask me, and I’ll help you get it. So tell me, what’s something you—” A growl from Aladdin’s stomach forced Jasmine to follow his line of sight to a bowl of grapes by her bed. “—want? Oh, I’m so sorry. I didn’t even think about that. You must be starving,” Jasmine said and hurriedly grabbed a handful of purple orbs to hand to her new friend. Each was slightly smaller than his torso, so she figured he’d only eat part of one.
With his mouth watering, Aladdin forgot his prior reservations, jumped onto the other hand, and ravenously tore into the juicy, fruity flesh.
“Oh! Oh, my goodness.” Jasmine’s shock at the uncouth display quickly morphed into giggles as she watched Aladdin mercilessly devour one grape after another. When he finished, six grapes had disappeared from this world, leaving only a tiny boy lying on his back with a contented smile and an absurdly large stomach. “Whoa, you really were hungry, huh?” curious, she extended a finger and tapped at the tiny boy’s bloated belly. It jiggled like jelly.
“BRRRRP!”
Jasmine blinked in awe. Even Rajah, who’d been resting on the balcony, raised his head at what sounded like a 300lb adult’s belching. The princess leaned in for a closer examination of the boy. “Where’d you put it all?”
“Hey, when you’re forced to live off what others drop, you learn to take what you can get,” Aladdin said while resting his hands atop his round stomach.
“That’s not what I asked. Also, for someone who spends most of his time hiding, you’re awfully loud.”
Aladdin chuckled. “It’s a trick I learned to distract people so Abu could take things while they aren’t looking.”
“And… the grapes?”
“What? You mean you can’t do this?” Aladdin tapped his stomach to show off.
“Honestly, I’m too afraid to try. What do you have to do to work off a gut like that?”
“Work?” Aladdin sat up as though he didn’t have twice his body weight hanging down from his abdomen and squishing out over his legs. “This will be gone in, like, two hours. Tiny bodies work fast.”
Jasmine blinked. “Okay, please don’t take offense, but I kind of hate you right now.”
“What? Why?”
“Because my tutors can’t make up their minds about their double standards. One minute, it’s unladylike to sweat; but you sneak just one extra slice of cake for dessert, and everyone throws a fit about having a marriageable body.”
“Um, I’m sorry to hear that, but I don’t think I can relate.”
Jasmine sighed and slumped forward. “I guess not, but that’s okay. Honestly, just having someone to talk to about this stuff feels… I’m not sure. I guess liberating? Either way, I like it.”
“I like talking to you too,” Aladdin said. “You’re pretty.”
Jasmine blushed and fluttered her eyelashes at the tiny boy, only to spy something offensive. “And you, little guy, are filthy.”
“Huh?”
Jasmine stood, carrying the tiny Aladdin in both hands to her private bathroom while staring sternly at him. “You’ve got grape juice all over your… What is this?” She tugged at the rag Aladdin wore as a poncho. “Didn’t the merchant give you anything nicer to wear?”
“Um, this is nicer than what I had,” Aladdin sheepishly admitted. He’d never cared about looking good to impress others before. He’d never needed to.
Jasmine awkwardly cleared her throat. “Well, that just won’t do. Here, let’s get you washed up so we can find something nicer for you to wear later.” She set the tubby boy on the counter, paused to marvel at how effortlessly he stood with that gut, and reached for the rag, only for him to pull away. “It has to come off,” she firmly chided.
“Um, I can clean myself,” Aladdin bashfully asserted.
Jasmine smiled at his cute embarrassment. “Really? Do you even know what a sink is?” She gestured at the opulent and exotic apparatus. “Because, as far as I know, only the palace has any.”
“Well, then just show me. I can figure it out.”
Jasmine’s smile grew gentler as she lowered herself to Aladdin’s level. “Are you sure? It’d be easier if you let me wash you,” she offered with her winningest smile. She could see his resolve faltering. “Is there something you don’t want me to see?”
“N-no!”
“Whatever it is, I’ll bet it’s as cute as the rest of you.”
“S-stop it!” Aladdin huffed and turned his back on Jasmine so that her pretty features could no longer sway him. That’s when he learned the terrible truth that the bathroom also had a mirror. Now, Jasmine added her melodious laugh to her arsenal. All too late, Aladdin realized that this girl was more dangerous than anyone he’d ever met in the city, even the most vicious and persistent guards. With them, there was always a way to outwit or outrun them. With Jasmine, however, even if he could, he wasn’t sure he wanted to get away.
1 Aladdin lets Jasmine wash him
2 Aladdin washes himself while Jasmine watches
3 Aladdin washes himself while Jasmine leaves to find him something better to wear
4 When Jasmine leaves, Aladdin takes his chance to escape   indicates the next chapter needs to be written. |
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