The Half-Blood Giant

Chapter 32: Comfort/ Discomfort

Hunter ran up to one of the dormitory buildings and hid behind it, in the familiar narrow space between the back wall and the hedge. He sat down and hugged his knees to his chest, struggling to hold in his overflowing emotions. He failed miserably, and the tears began to stream like waterfalls down his cheeks. He snorted and sniffled and sobbed, unable to contain himself. He collapsed on his side and curled into a fetal position. He was just so sad and broken inside. He had no energy or will left to go on.

It took him several minutes of crying and wailing before he realized he was behind the wrong dorm. In his distress, he had fled to the side for the giantesses. By this point, though, Hunter really didn't care. He was already in trouble, so what difference did it make? Besides, if anyone came looking for him, they probably wouldn't think to check this side right away. Perhaps he'd be safer here. He stayed where he was, wallowing in endless despair.

Meanwhile, Hannah was alone in the human dorm, enjoying some peace and quiet as she finished out her day with some homework. One of her favorite things about the integration school was not having physical education, since the human students got more than enough exercise biking all over the giant campus. She knew some students like Hector would prefer to play sports, but she was not among them. Having a shorter school day on certain days was a blessing as well.

The quiet was interrupted by the earthquakes of a giant's footsteps, approaching rapidly and making the whole building shake. While the seismic tremors were a regular occurrence, all the giant students were supposed to be in class. A substantial whump rattled the foundation right up to the roof, as if a giant had collapsed to the ground. Hannah looked up, puzzled, before going back to her homework. Massive thumps and bangs were not uncommon when surrounded by giants.

After a moment of quiet, the disruptions resumed. Hannah was bewildered to hear a giant boy crying. Though his sobs were muted, giants were loud simply by nature of their size, and the sound carried over, vibrating the air. Hannah set down her pencil and looked out the window. She couldn't see much, since the massive wall of the giantess dorm blocked most of the view. She debated what to do. Her chest tightened with anxiety when she imagined walking up to an unknown giant in isolation, without anybody nearby. Such an act could be quite dangerous. On the other hand, whoever this giant was, he clearly was upset and needed comforting.

Her compassion and curiosity won out and she left the safety of the human dorm to find out what was going on. She followed the sobs behind the giant building and found a giant hunched over on his side on the ground. She froze when she recognized his rusty red hair and the bulk of his shoulders and chest. He hadn't spotted her yet; she still had time to escape unnoticed. However, the memory of Hector's words stopped her. Hunter needed help. She could plainly see it now. Stripped of his grim, misanthropic façade, Hunter's true self was laid bare before her, drowning in unbearable pain. She could no longer deny the truth right before her eyes.

Hannah's heart palpitated as she forced her feet to move towards the giant. She felt like she was trudging through wet cement. She saw him sniffle and then all at once tense up. A bolt shot through her form, shocking her in place. Had he spotted her? For what felt like an eternity, neither of them moved. Hannah couldn't even breathe. His gigantic head rotated up to her, and those green eyes, overflowing with water, pierced clean through her. Her heart stopped and her mouth froze open.

"Go away," Hunter growled like a wounded animal under threat. His bass voice boomed into her core. "Leave me alone." Hannah would have been more than happy to oblige him, but her soul had left her body. She couldn't move her leaden legs.

Hunter glared at her for a long moment, irritated at first when she didn't obey his command and simply stared back at him in a state of paralysis. As he contemplated her, though, something broke inside his chest. His features softened as the rage and hate inside him bled out, leaving only bitter anguish. He changed his mind: He didn't want to be alone anymore. He wanted to be comforted, to hold her precious little form in his hand, close to his chest. Hesitantly, Hunter reached his hand out for her. Hannah's nerves screamed at her to run, but she couldn't move, couldn't even scream as the giant fingers closed around her. To her surprise, his touch was exceedingly gentle, very different from before when he snatched her. She was unable to muster up the willpower to resist as his hand lifted her up and brought her closer.