G/T YouTubers (One Shots and More)

Pocket Pal (Mark and Jack) (Part 3)

He couldn't take it any longer. He sighed and threw the blanket off his shoulders, and he tensed at the chilly air before he walked as fast as he could across the bed. His stride started off strong, but it gradually wavered as he approached the human. Jack hesitated at Mark's shadow, and swallowed. He squared his shoulders, and he stepped into the human's shadow. New, strange noises overcame his senses as he walked closer. He could hear Mark's breath whoosh in his lungs and past his lips; hear his body working; hear his heart booming in his chest... it was daunting.

Jack stopped and stood next to the human's shoulder. He craned his neck and looked up. Mark was still keeping his word. He wasn't even looking, his eyes were still closed, leaving the situation completely in the borrower's hands. Jesus... I can't believe I'm doing this. He walked up to Mark's head, took a moment to realize how much heat was rolling off his acquaintance, and then he bit his lip and reached out. His hands hesitated, quivering, and then he closed his eyes and leaned forward.

As soon as his small, cold hands touched the human's warm neck, Mark inhaled sharply. Jack shivered and moved closer, and then he slowly leaned into the warm curvature. He was ice cold against Mark's life artery, shocking Mark for a few seconds. Then, a warm, glowy sensation spread from his head down to his toes. He trusted me. He actually trusted me! Relief made his fingers and toes tingle, but he refused to budge an inch. Jack had come this far, he didn't want to destroy all the progress they had made.

Jack felt Mark's throat muscles work restlessly. He's nervous. They both were. Jack didn't even know why Mark was going so far just to reach out to him, why he was helping him or trying to earn his trust. He wet his lips and slowly breathed in.

"... I-I've never been this close to a human before," he suddenly said quietly. Mark opened his eyes. He wanted so badly to reply, to ask his questions and give the tiny the support he needed, but he didn't want to spook the borrower. So, he simply let out a small hum.

"Hm?"

"Y-yeah." Jack sat down and brought his knees up to his chest. "So, um, you can kinda tell why I'm so nervous then." He let out a dry laugh, but it didn't sound reassured at all. Mark frowned.

"Mm."

"Yeah, but." Jack sighed and shrugged his shoulders, putting his in his knees. "It's not yer fault," he mumbled. Mark's tongue was dying to move now.

"... How come?" He murmured. Jack shrugged again and let his head come back up, resting it on Mark's neck.

"We've never really been close to humans," he said, "Y-you can probably guess why." The words sank in for a few seconds.

"Who's we?" Mark asked quietly. It was an innocent question, but he felt Jack flinch. His heart gave a tiny squeeze of fear, and Jack was surprised to feel his pulse quicken. "S-sorry," Mark stammered, "I-I didn't mean to-"

"It's ok." Jack closed his eyes, thinking for a few seconds. "I'm a borrower," he continued. "We borrow things from big folk to survive." Mark felt another uneasy feeling. Big folk? Living off of humans? Man, I can't imagine how hard it must be, hiding from us and struggling with every step to survive. He felt another prickle of guilt. It must have taken him so much courage to risk getting into my pocket. He must have been so tired, too... He heard Jack stifle a yawn and felt the borrower shift. Jack was reaching down and pulling on the covers, tugging them up into a small wall around his body and making himself a little nest. Mark's eyes wandered to the blanket. Would Jack trust him enough to get up and retrieve it for him?

He decided to risk it. "Hey, back up real quick?" Jack looked up at him, puzzled, and got up. Mark turned his head as Jack backed up to the center of the bed, and once Mark was comfortable with his tiny guest's location, he slowly sat up. From the corner of his eye, he saw Jack shrink back in his shadow and winced. He carefully reached out, keeping his movements slow and steady as he grabbed the blanket and pulled it over. He lay back down and looked over at Jack. He looked a bit confused. Mark smiled at him.