G/T YouTubers (One Shots and More)

Not So Different (Mark and Jack)

He grabbed the first ones and started tossing them away. The giant twitched with a puzzled look as he watched the string of pebbles tumble in the grass and roll away, and he twisted his head around in an effort to look up. Jack was digging at the base of the biggest rock on top, pulling away handfuls of rubble until the boulder suddenly shifted. He sprung back with his hands intact, and he came around the other side and pushed with all his might. He groaned as he put his whole scrawny body into it, almost falling off as the rock suddenly gave way and rolled forward. With a creak, it picked up speed, and it came crashing down next to the giant's head. The giant had quickly put his face in the ground, peeking out as Jack leaned over and winced.

"S-sorry!" He said instinctively. He went back to work and kept digging and pushing, ignoring the sun as it traveled its path across the sky. His skin was breaking out in sweat rashes, his hands sore and blistering, feeling hot and drained. His stomach growled from all of his hard work, but he lost his appetite when he heard the giant's rumble far below. It made him pale and hesitate: Why was he doing this? What was to stop the giant from gobbling him up once he was free?

Nervously, Jack wiped his brow with the back of his arm and shoved the next rock overboard. It was smaller, and it broke easily, scattering amongst the other remains of rocks that had already endured the fall. The giant rumbled and opened one eye, and then he suddenly sneezed with a low groan, startling the Irishman.

"Bless you," Jack chuckled after he'd recovered. He started climbing back down, and the giant twitched his shoulder. He was still pinned, and he warily watched the young lad with tired eyes as his feet hit the solid ground. Jack paused to look at him, meeting those-- wait, they weren't red anymore? They were a chocolate brown now, with only a tint of red. Curious, Jack started to take a step closer, but then the giant bared his teeth with a soft growl, and the eyes flashed red again.

"Whoa, okay, okay." Jack quickly backed up, putting his hands up. The huge being growled again, but it tapered off to a soft rumble, and the eyes faded back to brown as his demeanor relaxed some. Jack slowly crouched, fascinated now. "So yer eyes go red when yer scared...?" He murmured to himself. "Or maybe just to try and scare me off." He stood up, and this time he deliberately stepped forward. Again, the giant snarled, and again his eyes gleamed warily. Jack backed off, but now he was captivated.

"Man..." He turned and went to grab the basket he'd left in the bushes, and he brushed away the shriveled herbs he'd left inside to pull out a small book of leather. He pulled a stick with a charcoal tip out of the spine, and he opened the book to a fresh page before jotting down some notes. "Red eyes when aggressive... Head, about thirty hands in heighth... Total size...?" He looked over at the trapped brobdingnagian. He was watching him, and Jack could see clearly the curiosity in those brown eyes. Jack tilted his head, and the giant did the same, pushing his cheek into the ground as his eyes flashed gold in the low sun, igniting like two stars. The lad's breath caught in his throat. He closed the book and slowly walked towards the beast. The giant narrowed his eyes and let out a low rumble, but he simply watched as Jack took one step at a time.

And then, he was there. He could just reach out and touch it. The head filled his whole vision, the eyes even slightly crossed as they paid well attention to him. When he started to lift his hand, the giant growled softly, pulling back a little. Jack hesitated, and then he turned his head away, and with eyes closed he slowly reached out. The giant gazed at him for a quiet moment. Then, he too closed his eyes, and he leaned forward just enough for the small hand to press against his nose.

A tremor ran through Jack as he felt the warm skin connect. It pulsed with heat, even more than the air around it, and he could feel the breezes of the giant's every breath. He let out an anxious breath and dared to look, astounded by how close he was to such a legendary beast, a beast meant to kill and ravage. He slowly shifted his hand, moving it up and down in a slow rub. The air vibrated as the giant let out a warm rumble, a deafening sound that reminded Jack of a content cat. His lips twitched uncertainly, but then they pulled back to reveal a huge grin. He laughed nervously, feeling out of breath as the giant's eyes opened slightly to meet him.

He then pulled away and let out a growl, probably remembering that the human had stood over him with a knife just a few hours ago. Jack winced and respectfully stepped back, adrenaline teeming through his aching body.

"Y-yer-yer probably thirsty. I know I am." Jack pocketed his notebook and hurried away, out of the giant's reach and away into the woods. He could feel the giant's gaze on him as he left, and he didn't stop walking until he knew he was out of sight. Then he collapsed onto his knees, in the shade, and he gave himself a few minutes to realize just how close he could have been to getting his head bit off.

When he got up, he hurried his way home, trouncing through the village with a brisk pace. He caught a few confused murmurs remarking his tattered state. He ignored them and rushed into his hut, rummaging through the supplies until he found a large water carrier. As he was picking it up, his mate came in and regarded him with alarm.

"Sean?" She exclaimed. "Are you okay? You've been gone all day, I was worried something happened to you!" He gave her a tight smile.

"I'm fine, I just- I found a-uh-an injured animal, and, I just-I-it needed some water."

"Ohh. I hope it'll be okay." She kissed his cheek, making his cheeks turn redder. "You're so considerate."

"Th-thanks. Don't wait up for me though, I'll be a while." He hurried out of there before he had to tell any more fibs, and he jogged back out all the way into the nearby wilds. After filling the cauldron in a river, he hauled it back to the rockslide, where the giant had its head down and was resting. Upon Jack's approach though, the beast's nostrils twitched, and he lifted his head and rumbled hoarsely.

"Got some water," Jack said sheepishly. He wasn't sure if the giant understood him still, but he was relieved that he wasn't threatened as he shuffled up to his face. "It's really heavy, but I'll try to lift it for ya." Jack put it down to catch his breath, and then he picked it up again as high up as he could. He inched closer, stumbling a bit before the cauldron pushed against the giant's lips and sloshed its contents. Jack froze, wondering if the giant would take advantage. The lips parted, allowing the water carrier to tilt in, and the water splashed into the dark fleshy depths of the maw. Jack felt the blood drain from his cheeks as he caught a glimpse of the glistening darkness, and the audible gulp that followed the torrent made him shudder. He pulled back and set the cauldron down, and he let out a shaky sigh of relief when the giant closed his mouth and purred.

"Y-you want more?" He offered. He was startled when the massive head suddenly moved forward, but he was so stunned that he had no reaction as the giant's cheek rubbed up against him with a loud murring. Shocked, Jack stood there dumbly for a few seconds before he realized that the giant was thanking him, and he let out a breathless chuckle before patting his jaw. "H-heh, y-yer welcome." He fetched another cauldron-full of water, which the giant gladly accepted with an amiable rumble. He even let Jack rub his nose, which the Irish man thought was actually freaking awesome. He got back to work though, digging away at the stones and methodically reducing the rubble. He'd made great progress, but the sun was sinking behind the horizon, making it hard to see. With a sigh, he slid onto the grass and leaned back with a tired yawn.

"That's all I can do today," He murmured sleepily, "At this rate, ye might not even be free tomorrow. Maybe the next day, but you'll be starvin'..." He trailed off and shuddered a little, recalling the stories. All of those tales had depicted giants as monsters, blood-thirsty and destructive. Maybe this one was only acting nice because he was stuck, and he had no choice. Maybe he was just using Jack as a means to an end, taking advantage of his weakness. Jack shivered, rubbing his cold arms. All he knew was that he was doing what felt right, but he could only hope that freeing this beast wouldn't end in his village's demise...

He heard a loud gust of air, and he looked to see the giant yawning. His eyelids drooped so low, eyes dull and narrow slits under the curtains of dusty lashes. Jack felt the weight in his heart lift a little. Could something so murderous and destructive be as innocent as this? He gently pat the giant's pinkie finger.

"Don't worry," he said, "You'll be outta here soon enough. Just get some rest. We'll be back at it tomorrow, okay?" The eyes flickered toward him, and the giant let out a soft rumble. Jack pulled himself away, gathering his basket and leaving the cauldron in the bushes for tomorrow. "Try to keep quiet though, okay?" He cautioned, "Don't want anybody finding ya." The giant blinked at him, and Jack hoped dearly that this enigmatic creature could understand him to some degree. He sighed and turned away, heading home for the night.