G/T YouTubers (One Shots and More)

Refuge (Mark and Jack)

"It's okay," he murmured hushedly, "Just helping you warm up." There was an awkward pause, then he felt the creature slowly uncoil and press a paw— no, that somehow felt like a hand, but smaller— against the center of his palm. The muscles there were of course far bigger and more powerful than probably its whole body, but Mark let his hand retract a bit as per the frail touch's request. He felt another shiver, and then both tiny hands gripped the distal phalanx of his ring finger. He let the small grip guide his hand back down, and the creature emitted a soft sigh as it settled within the sandwiching warmth.

Mark let his gaze move to the tv as it displayed some news on the weather for the rest of the week, but the low numbers only helped affirm his attention to his new snuggling companion. If today had been bad enough for the little guy to take a gamble as trusting as this, then who knew what would happen the rest of winter. How had it survived this long on its own? Where did it even come from?

He had just noticed the rapid breaths slow with peaceful takes of air, when the peace and quiet was suddenly interrupted by the rattle of the doorknob. Mark stiffened, but so did the creature as he removed his hand and looked up to Amy duck into the warmth of the house.

"Oh, hey-ahHh," Mark froze as he felt the creature scrabble back up onto his nape, ducking under the collar of his shirt as a frantic hiding spot. All of muscles in his back tensed to feel the fragile, feathery weight, but he forced a grin as Chica came bounding into the living room with a madly wagging tail and happy pants.

"Hey," Amy greeted warmly all the same, none the wiser as she pulled her coat off. Chica didn't hesitate to greet her dad, but the labrador then proceeded to sniff around the couch, making the refuge on Mark's shoulder blades tense even further.

"Uhh, how was the walk?" Mark asked, sitting up only just enough to remain casual, and to pet Chica with reassuring murmurs in hopes of assuaging her excitement.

"Pretty good." After removing her hat and scarf, Amy finally came in to exchange a peck on the cheek with her partner. "Chica actually tried to chase a squirrel this time," she added amusedly, "Couldn't be bothered to go out of her way to follow after it though."

"Awh, no wonder she's all excited." Mark cooed at the sweethearted canine before planting a kiss on her fluffy head. "Such a good girl, always deserving treats, aren't you? Yes you are~" Amy giggled in agreement, scratching behind the doggo's ears.

"Yeah... Did you get to enjoy your nap?"

"Uhm..." Mark paused. The creature's weight suddenly felt heavier, the unmoving silence begging for an answer. The young man faltered, and then he gave a sigh. "Not really."

"Oh I'm sorry. I can take Chica in the other room if you wanna try a bit longer."

"No no, I'm fine." Mark briefly paused again, then added, "I'll just try sleeping in bed, don't stay quiet on my account."

"Okay." But the soft look in her eyes told Mark that'd she'd keep the noise down anyway. Well, at least that meant the creature would be less startled, hopefully. He watched her usher Chica into the kitchen, and then carefully sat up. His passenger could be felt scrabbling back up onto his shoulder, and he felt it huddle against his neck as smally as possible, making warmth bloom in his chest.

"It's okay," he whispered again, keeping his voice calm and quiet to avoid any unnecessary risks, "Just gonna walk to the bedroom now, slowly..." And he did just that, monitoring his every step as he made his way to and then up the stairs. The poor thing was still trembling, but Mark made sure not to jostle it from its perch as he rounded the hallway and slipped into the privacy of their destination.

Once the door clicked shut behind him, his chest rose and fell with a deep sigh. They were alone now, and it still felt so cold; it needed to warm up, and fast. Mark transitioned to the bed and, still keeping his movements deliberate, pulled the two blankets that were available together into a soft, formidable nest, complete with thick insulation to guard the creature from the low temperature.

"Alright," Mark exhaled, briefly admiring his handiwork to ensure it would be effective. "Let's get you warmed up." But when he reached up toward the creature, he was shocked to hear a rather human-like whimper as it pressed against his neck. His hand faltered mid-air, and then quickly lowered as he realized the problem. How was he suppose to get it off of him then?

"Um..." Mark tried to rack his brain, half-thinking aloud and half talking to the little one in hopes of calming it. "I guess you could climb down my arm, or, mmaybe jump off if I kneel, but... Oh, what if I...?" He shifted his weight forward, leaning over the bed. To his relief, he felt the creature shift to attention and crawl further back, similar to when it hid in his shirt from Amy. Mark lowered himself slowly onto the bed, and he could feel it safely on his shoulder blades once more by the time his thorax pressed into the mattress.

"Okay... There we go." Mark let out a more relaxed sigh, sinking into the covers. The sheets felt kind of chilly too, but he was hoping the blankets would negate that.

Once he completely stopped moving, Mark felt the diminutive creature finally move, slowly creeping to his edge of his back before dropping off to silently drop square onto the covers.

"Oh fohk no." Mark's eyes widened as the creature nestled against him with an unexpectedly muttered curse, away from the chilly sheets and into his warm aura. He sat up just enough to look down past his arm, and sure enough, he found himself staring at a miniature copy of a person. A person! A tiny, little person, no larger than a hand— especially right now, given the curled up form, quivering pale with messy brown hair, and blue eyes hollow and dull with exhaustion as well as a spark of fear.

Mark was speechless for a brief moment, but then his heart jolted when he realized that those blue eyes were trained on him— the little person was scared of him. He forced his surprise to submerge and let his muscles relax, pulling his gaze away to instead look toward the blankets.

"Uhh here." He let his free hand extend to grab the nearest blanket he could from the nest, his other arm keeping him propped to minimize movement. He then slowly turned over onto his side, spotting the little guy flinch and back up in the corner of his eye.

"It's okay," he gently reassured, offering the same voice and smile he'd used before. "I'm just gonna set this by you, then you can use it to get warmed back up properly." And so, despite the dubious wide-eyed stare focused on his every breath, Mark slowly pulled the blanket as close to the diminutive person as he dared. As soon as Mark saw him start to shrink back, he stopped, then slowly let go of the soft fabric and let his hand slide back to its owner, and he even scooted back a bit to give the little one his space.

There was a bit of an awkward pause now, both parties looking at each other, questioning, wondering. Mark then mentally smacked himself, realizing that his staring was probably the least helpful thing right now; so he shifted carefully once more, letting his head rest down and his eyes closed.

Now there was still a suspenseful silence, the very air seemed to be holding its breath, but Mark did his best to stay still and relaxed. He didn't blame the little creature for being afraid of him; it all made sense now.

But with this new answer came more questions: Why did he look so human? Was he somehow shrunk? A science experiment? Was he in trouble, his life in danger from more than just the cold? Did he need protection, or a roof to sleep under?