G/T YouTubers (One Shots and More)

Exiled (Mark and Jack) (Part 5 v2)

"Are you cold still?" Jack went ahead and nodded this time, but he seemed more vigilant than just a second ago, wary. "Is it the thunder?" Mark realized sympathetically. "It can be pretty startling, I get it." Jack nodded again, burying his face into the soft padding of Mark's hand. "I know, I know, it's alright..." Mark brought his second hand up to carefully cup the little Irishman into his palms, but Jack was relieved that he was not actually picked up when he realized this motion. Mark had simply nudged Jack into his hands and kept them resting on the bed; the human was now surrounded on all sides, but if he tried then he would be easily able to pry open and squeeze between the giant's fingers.

Instead of panicking and trying to flee, however, Jack actually yawned and curled up, letting the warmth from the giant's gentle hands keep him comfortable like a natural heater. Mark felt a coddling "aw" rise up in his lungs, but he smothered the tempting reaction and kept his vocal chords silent. Instead, he opted to rub his thumb along Jack's spine, which made him smile when the diminutive man did not object and simply closed his eyes.

"Yer really warm." Mark hesitated, then kept petting.

"That's good, right...?" He murmured at a baritone rumble.

"Mhm." After a quiet pause, Jack peeked open his eyes. He had just barely enough light and nightvision to make out the nearest few inches of leathery skin right in his face, but beyond that the world was a void, and Mark's facial features with his hovering honeyed eyes were all the void offered beyond the thunderstorm outside. He gave a little shiver and turned over, surprising Mark enough that the thumb stopped mid-stroke, and Jack found himself putting his arms around the proximal phalanx, holding it close and resting for just a brief moment longer.

"... You'd probably be comfier with blankets and hot cocoa," Mark realized stammeringly. "Um..." He glanced over his shoulder, then looked back over at the bedroom window. The rain seemed to be calming down for now, but the deep rumbles of thunder could still be heard in the distance. He remembered the news saying that it was going to rain in the morning as well, before the tv died at least. But hopefully this momentary calm would give Jack all the time and space he needed for what the giant was about to request.

"Can-can I... Pick you up?" As expected, he felt Jack tense, and Mark frantically racked his brain for appeasing alternatives. "Or, I-I mean you could sit on my shoulder, or... Or... Ah shit, I'm sorry. I didn't think that through, I should have suggested something else, but- well I mean your foot looks busted, and it's really cold for you, and- and you seem to really not like being able to tell where anything is in the dark, not to mention the thunder—" Which rumbled loudly, as if cued. "— I just-it was a stupid idea, don't worry, I won't do that if you don't want me to—"

"Okay." Mark hesitated.

"... Okay?" Jack sat up, hesitated for a beat, and then slowly shrugged his shoulders.

"Y-yeah... I mean, not like I have anything to lose," he said with a wry one-note chuckle. Mark blinked rapidly, and then he pulled his hands apart a little— enough so that Jack teetered before sliding and finding solid ground once more on the mattress.

"Wh- well for one thing your life!" He argued, "Why would you even trust me with something like that!?" Jack looked down at the sheets for a moment, and then looked back up to meet the giant's incredulous stare.

"Because you saved it." Mark's lips parted to try and think of something to fire back, but his voice had left him.

"... I... But..." Then he stubbornly shook his head. "But that wasn't me being charitable, or-or altruistic, it was just something that happened out of selfish curiosity!" Jack bit his lip, then responded deliberately.