Sam was more than a little…peeved…about the situation he’d been put in.
For a while he could avoid the giant, his body still needed recovery from Wilbur tranquilizing him. It hurt like hell, but at least the injury gave him some excuse.
But now, no matter how much he wished he could just curl back up in the darkness of his house, Ponk said he was good to go back to work.
Ponk had been so happy once he could stay awake for more than a couple hours at a time, and while Sam was excited to spend time with his favorite doctor again, he wasn’t excited to go back to the guard.
Because going back to the guard meant no no more avoiding their new pet giant…as much as he wanted to.
“Sam are you ready?” Phil’s voice echoed through the guard’s head quarters.
A heavy breath fell out of Sam’s mouth as he finished up lacing his boots. They were worn and dirty from years of work, but they still held together.
(And no matter how much Ponk complained that they made their house stink like lionwolf shit, he was a man of routine.)
“Yeah I’m ready,” Sam yelled back. His voice bounced against the worn wood of the building.
With nervous steps he walked over to Phil hoping that he’d suddenly turn around and say they didn’t have to go. Maybe Sam could just stay behind. Maybe Phil would decide he didn’t need to come, or they could just postpone the trip.
But there was no luck.
Phil grabbed Sam’s shoulder happily pulling him out through the door.
“I’m really glad your back Sam, we were worried about you honestly,” Phil said.
All around them the soft hum of crickets enveloped them like a blanket, and the warm glow of the town illuminated the grass. Even through his thick mask he could feel the gentle wind from the forest.
Sam tried to just focus on the peaceful scene rather than his heavily beating heart.
“Yeah me too,” Sam swallowed, “Good to be back yeah?”
“Mhm,” Phil hummed.
Sam followed just a couple feet behind as Phil pushed up a tall wooden ladder against the town’s walls. It was rickety from years and years of use, but no one had ever tried to make a new one.
However, before they could climb the ladder Phil paused and turned back towards the town, a contemplative look on his face.
“What’s wrong?”
Phil shook his head and grinned back at Sam.
“Just waiting for someone.”
Sam shrugged his leather bag over his shoulder and leaned back next to Phil. The older man seemed so calm in comparison to Sam who could barely stop himself from shaking. His anxiety kept screaming at him to run away.
You have no reason to be afraid, his mind reminded him, but he shook those thoughts away quickly.
It was only a couple minutes later when heavy footsteps approached from the town. The wet grass underneath them squelched loudly, a heavy contrast to the peace of the night.
“Who…” Sam trailed off right before a familiar figure came into the light.
Of course it was him.
Running up to the two men and completely out of breath was Ponk. His red mask was wet with sweat and Sam would think he’d just ran a marathon if he didn’t know that Ponk lived only a couple roads down in the same house as him.
Sam barely had time to process before Ponk had practically thrown himself onto him. His arms wrapped around him like a jacket- tight and warm. Even though he felt terrified, hed never turn down a hug from his favorite person in the whole town.
“What? Ponk-”
“Surprise,” Phil grinned, snapping Sam’s thoughts away from Ponk, “Hes coming with us tonight. While we’re out he’s gonna check on Ranboo’s health.”
“It’s…health?” Sam frowned. His eyes darted to Ponk in confusion but the doctor didn’t seem at all upset with the situation.
Although the idea of seeing Ponk next to a giant made Sam nauseous.
“Yep,” Ponk grinned, “Gotta do a check up. He was tranquilized just like you, yaknow?”
Sam’s eyebrows knit together in confusion, “No- Didn’t know that.”
“You’ve missed a lot then,” Phil interrupted with a sharp laugh.
Sam watched as Phil took the first couple steps up the ladder. It swayed a bit under his weight, but he was able to get to the top fine before waving for the others to follow.
Ponk climbed up first excitedly, his feet caught on some of the loose nails a couple times but he got up safely. As soon as Sam was sure the doctor wasn’t going to fall on his ass he quickly climbed after them. His heart thudded heavy against his rib cage when his feet finally met the grass on the other side of the wall.
“You good Sam?” Phil turned back, “It’s not a far walk, but if you still feel bad just tell me and you can stay behind.”
Sam snapped back to reality and shook his head at the other man.
“No no sorry. I’m just a bit tired,” he said with a tight smile.
As much as Sam wanted to take the offer, he hated the idea of leaving Ponk with a giant. Even if Phil was there.
The rest of their walk felt almost too fast. And it didn’t help that he kept drifting in and out of his head.
The only thing grounding him was the soft feeling of Ponk’s arm brushing against his own every so often. Surprisingly, he seemed happy, exited even, to be in the forest- a stark contrast to Sam’s own feelings.
His swirling mind only froze when the cave’s entrance finally came into view. His heels dug into the long grass, but Phil and Ponk continued on.
They seemed so relaxed even though he felt like his heart was struggling to beat. He was pretty sure that if he took even another step closer to the giant’s den he would have a heart attack and die on the spot.
What a way to go Sam, his mind applauded.
It was only when Ponk looked back at him with giddy excitement clear on his face that Sam felt himself melt. He’d put his fears aside for him.
Just this once.
“See it’s not bad,” Phil said as he lit a small torch in front of the group. All around them the damp smell of stone and dirt felt almost suffocating. Sam felt itchy breathing it in; he had no idea how Phil and Techno did this so often.
Ponk’s hand brushed against Sam’s momentarily, and when he turned to look at the doctor a lazy smile spread across his face.
“Isn’t this fun Sammy?”
Sam huffed out a small laugh and squeezed his fingers around Ponk’s, “Fun is a strong word for this.”
“Stop being so pouty,” Ponk scowled before he broke off into laughter. From in front of the two Sam heard a small chuckle out of Phil.
It was almost nice, at least until small drawings started to appear on the walls. The colorful drawings made him feel unsettled although he couldn’t exactly place why. They looked like a kid’s art- all scratchy and messed up, it felt too much like he was in one of the horror stories the town’s children told each other.
And the feeling of a ceiling pressing down on them from above made every cell in his body shiver. He’d never been a fan of confined spaces even if the ceiling was still fairly high.
“Almost there Sam come on,” Ponk smiled as he tugged him forward through the winding passages.
When Phil finally stopped Sam had to catch himself before he slammed right into him.
“We’re here,” Phil turned back with a soft smile, “I’m gonna go check out the lionwolf situation outside, you just stay with Ponk for the check up okay.”
Sam flinched in surprise, “Wait you’re leaving?! I thought you were-”
“I’ve got no reason to be here mate,” Phil interrupted with a smile and the wave of his hand, “Just need someone to watch Ponk.”
“But what if the giant does something! I can’t do anything, I can’t-”
“He’s sweet,” Ponk’s hand rested on his shoulder reassuringly, “I’ll be fine.”
Sam frowned back at his roommate, his closest friend, his everything and let his head fall forward.
“Is that a yes?” Phil asked.
Sam nodded and leaned back into Ponk’s touch. ‘He could do this’ he repeated in his mind like a mantra. It would be okay. Everything was okay.
“Yes Phil.”
Phil clapped his hands together sending specks of dust flying into the already thick air, “Good, I’ll be off then. I’ll be back in an hour to pick you up mate.”
Sam nodded again but it felt like his head was filled with mud. He couldn’t finish a single thought before another one raced through his head.
He barely even noticed Phil had left them alone in the tunnel until Ponk’s fingers squeezed his shoulder reassuringly.
“You ready?”
The familiar smile that crossed Ponk’s face made Sam’s stomach churn with anxiety. He seemed so happy, but he knew that meeting the giant couldn’t possibly end well.
And Ponk was possibly the worst person to be there for the encounter.
He was the last person Sam wanted to find out.
Sam took a deep breath, feeling his lungs press against his ribs and nodded back at Ponk, “Ready as I can be.”
The doctor beamed at him again and this time gently pulled him forward. He walked with his shoulder against Sam’s the entire time as they finally entered the most massive cave Sam had even seen. The ceiling was easily five hundred feet tall and the room was almost the size of their town.
That wasn’t even containing the several pathways leading off from the room.
It was dimly lit with a giant bundle of leaves and wool to the left. And in the middle, resting as if it wasn’t about to ruin Sam’s life, was the giant. It’s ears flicked upwards at their footsteps and before he knew it one giant eye was peeking open at them.
“Ranboo!” Ponk chirped, yanking Sam forward towards the giant.
“Check up time?” Ranboo yawned, “Already?”
“Yep,” Ponk grinned as he dug through his medical bag, “Gotta do a little blood test to see how much of the tranquilizer is still in your system. And I brought you more of the antidote.”
Ponk walked forward with a small vial of clear liquid in his hands. Sam recognized it as the same medicine he’d been given when Wilbur tranquilized him just a couple weeks earlier.
“Thank you Ponk but uh….” the giant’s face scrunched up, “Who’s your…friend.”
The question as innocent as it sounded made Sam want to shrivel up. And the look of disgust only grew on the giants features.
It knew, it knew, Sam’s mind screamed.
Sam looked up at Ranboo with disdain, and as soon as their eyes met the giant flinched away like he’d been hit. Even Ponk seemed to notice the new tension in the room.
“Oh this is Sam! We live together, and he’s part of the guard,” Ponk smiled trying to lessen the tension a bit, “Hes been sick though, it’s why you haven’t met him yet.”
“Uhuh,” Ranboo frowned, right before Sam noticed that his tail was coiling tightly around a small figure.
A tiny little piglin was snuggled into the mounds of fur, and when Sam turned to get a better look the giant let out a low growl.
“Woah,” Ponk backed up, “Are you alright?”
Ranboo seemed just as surprised by his actions as Sam. His eyes bunched together and his tail coiled tighter around the young piglin.
“Yes. Yeah, sorry,” Ranboo muttered back, “Maybe I just…Uh maybe I need a moment, sorry.”
Ponk nodded and packed some of his equipment back into his bag.
“Alright,” he announced, “I’ll give you a moment, gotta go wash up my stuff before I take any blood anyway.”
Sam rushed forward to try to go with the other man before he was pushed back. “No Sam, you stay here okay?”
“What but why-” Sam grimaced. Behind the two he could still here the small brushes of fur against stone whenever the giant shifted.
“Watch over him please,” Ponk whispered, “I’ve never heard him growl before.”
Sam frowned and tugged again at Ponk’s hand desperately hoping he’d let him join, but the doctor just shook him off. The last thing he got was a thumbs up from his friend before he left down one of the many tunnels.
And just like that he was alone.
“What…” the giant grumbled behind him, the vibrations from his voice went straight through Sam’s body, “What are you…”
Slowly, the guardsmen turned to the giant and tried to control his shaking hands. Ponk was still there, he couldn’t lose his composure just yet.
“Human of course,” Sam said sternly, “Why do you ask?”
Ranboo frowned and pulled his tail closer to his chest. Gently the piglin child was dropped into one of his hands before being completely covered by the giant’s fingers.
“You smell like death.”
Sam felt a shiver jolt through his spine at the giant’s words, “I’m still sick, probably just that.”
“No,” Ranboo frowned, “Tubbo’s been sick before…”
“And?” Sam muttered.
He tried to stay calm but he could feel his pulse pounding in his skull, beating as if it was trying to break out of his body.
“He never smelt like this….” Ranboo growled.
At the sight of the giant’s teeth Sam glared and marched forward. He couldn’t let Ranboo find out, and if he knew…he couldn’t let him tell Ponk.
Sam barely got a few feet closer before the giant’s tail lashed out, “Stop. You’re not hum-”
“Shut the fuck up!”
Fearfully Ranboo’s ears pressed back against his head, but before he could do anything Sam ripped off his dark mask. This time when his eyes met Ranboo’s the massive tattoos covering his face swirled angrily.
“You’re a giant…” Ranboo trailed off, pulling the child close to his chest.
Sam nodded once before pulling his mask back over his ears. Even though the tattoos were out of sight he could still feel them itching against his skin.
“If you say anything. Even one word when Ponk comes back… I’ll ruin you.”
Ranboo nodded again, his mouth hung open in surprise or fear- Sam wasn’t sure.
It was like all their words had been sucked into the air, neither spoke, neither wanted to break the silence first.
The piglin’s squeals was the first thing to slice through the tension.
“You have a kid?” Sam asked, nervously shifting in his feet.
Ranboo shifted a bit closer to the guardsmen and tilted his head down. The shadow that fell over Sam put him on edge.
“Can I ask you something?” Ranboo whispered. His ears twitched nervously.
“I might not answer.”
The giant hummed again and tapped his fingers on the ground as if he was thinking, “Why are you human? I thought that was a myth.”
“Just didn’t want to be big anymore,” Sam nodded stiffly, “Tired of being a monster. Life this way is much better.”
Ranboo opened his mouth to ask something else before being interrupted by loud footsteps. Both men snapped their heads to see Ponk running up to them with his sleeves both wet.
“Ready for the check up?” he smiled.
Ranboo’s eyes momentarily drifted to Sam’s before flicking back to the human. As soon as he nodded Ponk’s practiced hands dove into his medical bag for equipment.
While the doctor worked Sam sat in silence leaned against the cave wall. Every time the other giant spoke he hung on to his words like a lifeline, just waiting for Ranboo to reveal his secret. The giant metaphorically held his entire life in his hands, but he didn’t even seem bothered. Not once did he bring up Sam or what he was- Ponk still had no clue.
When Phil finally came back to take them home Sam felt like a heavy weight had been lifted off his chest.
One person knew his secret, and while the idea of it scared Sam to no end…he guessed it would be okay if Ranboo kept his promise.
hello, for the friendly giant au, are there more interactions between sam and ranboo after he joins the guard?
Yes but Sam will do literally anything to not have to interact with Ranboo
He goes out of his way to never look at him or speak to him directly. If he has to say something to the giant he tells someone else who then tells Ranboo. He knows the kid is probably alright, but he just can’t get over his fear of being revealed. One mistake could lead to him being kicked out of his home and that thought terrified him
Eventually Ranboo notices this, and tries to show he’s not a threat to Sam. He’ll bring small gifts for the guard member and even bring him extra food he’s grown/caught. It doesn’t get him very far, but every once in a while Sam will thank him for it instead of just ignoring the gifts. Ranboo does notice how affectionate he is with the town’s doctor though, and so he gives gifts to Ponk to give to Sam since the shifter seems a lot happier to receive them from the human
Ponk is a monsterfucker in canon, and I have no reasons to believe it didn't translate to the FG au, so enjoy this very stupid comic
(Also I have no idea what Sam's design looks like, esp as a giant, so I just let my hands decide for me)
OME MELISSA YOU WONDERFUL AMAZING PERSON AHHHH!!!!!! 💙💙💙💙
This is pretty close to the giant design I had planned for Sam anyway so I think you’ve been given the power of prophecy :] (and this scene is definitely canon)
I’m still unsure of what would cause him to shift to his real size, but Ponk would be way less scared than Sam in that situation.
Like even though Ponk’s the one who found out his roommate was actually an almost 1000 ft tall giant, he’d be the one trying to calm down sam. Sam would be so afraid of being caught that he wouldn’t even process that Ponk wasn’t terrified of him. The human is nervous and a bit afraid of the height, but he’s not scared of Sam
No offense, but it's the pupils/black parts of the eye that expand when looking at something that you love. If the iris grew, then by proxy the pupil shrunk, maybe that scene is when Sam removes Ponk's arm. How would that happen btw? Would it be crushed accidentally?
Djwjxnwn I knew that I’m sorry I was trying to write really fast at work (I’m not supposed to have my phone ooP)
I might include that in the scene, but it won’t be Sam who removes his arm it’ll be another giant or monster. I cant think of a reason why he would do it and the idea of him accidentally injuring Ponk hurts my heart too much to write :”]
Maybe whatever removes Ponk’s arm is the reason Sam shifts to his true size
