G/T YouTubers (One Shots and More)

Refuge (Mark and Jack)

Mark could have sworn he was the only one in the house. Amy had taken Chica out to stretch her legs at the park, leaving Mark to enjoy the warm inside of the house by himself for a bit. He remembered cranking the thermostat a bit higher, settling down over the couch cushions to mindlessly watch a tv show, and then he drifted and dozed off for a peaceful nap.

But apparently, they had another household member.

Mark had frowned in his slumber when he felt something cold come into contact with his nape. At first he dismissed it, thinking it was just a draft, or perhaps he could fetch a blanket if the feeling persisted; but then the lethargic fog of sleep dissipated, allowing him to pick up on more. The cold thing was vibrating, pressing against his much-warmer skin like a shivering kitten, which heightened Mark's alertness and peaked his confused curiosity. But he didn't want to scare whatever had chosen to refuge against him, so he remained still and quiet as he slowly opened his eyes.

He was still laying on his stomach, and the tv was still going with the volume as quiet as he'd left it. He could hear a chattering noise right in one ear now. The little creature was there, still icy cold to the touch, and doing its best to try and warm up without being too loud. Somehow even Mark could tell that the little petite movements felt stiff and sluggish. Even the tickling sensation of fabric felt frozen to the touch.

Fabric?

Whatever it was, it must have come in from the wintery world outside. Granted, there was never much snow in Los Angeles, but staying outside for too long without protection from the elements could be dangerous— especially for whatever this little guy was, it seemed.

Said creature suddenly slipped a bit and landed against his jugular, and Mark had to resist the urge to turn his head and check on it. It scrabbled a bit for purchase, then held deathly still. Mark monitored his breathing to check that it was slow and calm; for whatever reason, he had a feeling the creature was checking to see if he had been woke up. He was both thankful for and mentally cursing that his bangs blocked his eyes, but if he couldn't see the creature then it probably could not see that his eyes were open.

This was confirmed when the little guy relaxed and moved a bit more. Mark felt it finally lay down and curl up in the nook between his neck and trapezius. And there it remained, huddling close to try and leech off of his body heat, desperately trying to warm up as fast as possible.

Mark now hovered between two choices. He could get up, move and see what this thing was that for some reason had deemed it okay to come so riskily close to him, or he could continue the guise of napping and remain still. He was really curious to find out more about the creature, but most of all he felt bad for it; being cold was not fun. Too much cold could make you feel drowsy, sluggish, and given the shaky and unsteady movements he'd felt, this little one was very cold.

And what about Amy? His eyes darted toward the clock in their living room. She would be back soon, and then how would this creature react? Would it be aggressive? Frightened? Run away and hide at the risk of something worse than hypothermia?

Mark could still hear shuddery breaths and the feathery touch of a rapidly beating heart. He couldn't bear doing nothing any longer. He slowly moved his hand, and as expected the creature stiffened against the sensation of his shoulder muscles working. He let his hand rest down, and as soon as he felt the ice cold touch against his fingers his breathing faltered. So cold! But the creature also reacted, a rather humanoid gasp now hitting his senses as he felt it backpedal and bury against him, as if bracing itself for an unfortunate demise.

Mark swallowed nervously and let his hand persist, but very gently let it lay over the creature— like a canopy or loose blanket, but with enough space to escape or at least breathe.