Like an Animal
Hillevi "Hiccup" Haddock loved working with animals. That was a fact that Jack Overland knew to be absolutely 100% true. She had told him herself about five minutes before she had told him that her real first name was Hillevi. About three seconds after that little confession, she had gone still and told him that if he ever told anyone she would personally hang him upside down from the roof of the bird enclosure the day before Christmas. He would have taken her more seriously if her face wasn't as red as his adopted father's favorite Christmas sweater was.
Jack stood up from giving the geckos some fresh water and smiled at the thought of her. Out of all the zoos in Burgess, the Seasonal Burgess Zoo was the best. And out of all the people in town, Jack had been given the responsibility of cleaning up after the reptiles and making sure they were healthy.
At first his job had seemed like a chore. But then, he had noticed that one of the bearded dragons was looking a little drier than she should have been, and her eyes were cloudy. Jack had told Aster, his supervisor who absolutely loathed him, and Aster had called in the vet. And of course, for the best zoo in the town, they could only call the best vet. And her name just so happened to be Hiccup Haddock.
Long story short: Elena (the bearded dragon) had been molting, and Hiccup told him how to take care of her while she was going through it. Jack had made Hiccup laugh a number of times, and after she checked out the rest of the reptiles, they had exchanged numbers. After that day they had started hanging out regularly and quickly become good friends.
But that wasn't where it ended for Jack. The first second he saw her he already knew how beautiful she was, what with her luscious brown hair and radiant green eyes. But after a week, he realized how much he liked hearing her laugh and seeing her blush. Two weeks passed and he noticed how he got excited at the idea of seeing or talking to her again. Three weeks and Jack's heart jumped every time he even thought about her. A month and he knew he liked her. And now, two long, painful years later, he was absolutely 100% in love with her.
About six months after Jack's first meeting with Hiccup, she had signed a contract with the zoo, becoming their primary vet. Two months after that, she agreed to become a staff member, being their private vet. Basically her job was to walk around the zoo, checking an animal enclosure every day.
If one of his reptiles got sick, then Hiccup would rush to the reptile house, otherwise, Jack go to see her every third week, normally on Wednesdays. Yes, he was keeping track. But he would never admit that to anyone, of course. Jack got to see her so much more outside of work, too. But he just wanted to be with Hiccup every minute of the day. A side effect of being in love, Jack thought.
Anyway, anytime he saw her walking around the zoo, being her usual Hiccup self and making all the animals and humans around her love her, Jack was unreasonably happy. And this year, he finally made up his mind. He was going to ask Hiccup out. On a date. On a real one. He was going to do it. But what if she didn't feel the same way?
Jack's arms slowed as he continued cleaning the zoos resident iguana's home. He looked to the right and saw a couple of geckos in their glass enclosure. Jack made a face at them and one of them licked his eye before scurrying to the other side of the glass box. Aster yelled from somewhere behind him and Jack quickly went back to work.
Sometimes he wished he could be more like the animals he worked with all day. They were always willing to take a chance to get together with their sweethearts. Jack had once seen a panther chameleon go over to a potential female partner over and over again, even when she fought him off and scratched and snapped at him. But, Bruce always went back, like a stubborn little creep. No matter how many times Michelle turned him down, Bruce bounced back without skipping a beat, and there were so many times over the last two years that Jack wished he could be like that.
But, Jack wasn't an animal. He was afraid of rejection. And so, he kept quiet and tried to fool himself into thinking he was content with the friend zone. Well, until this year.
Jack, if asked, would say that it was just a matter of time before his resolve finally built up. But, anyone else in the zoo staff would have said his new-found determination came with the new carnivore handler.
Gerald, the old carnivorous animal keeper, had retired about two months ago. Well, of course the best zoo in Burgess had to find a new tamer and caretaker for them. Jack just wished that they had found anyone else. The guy they found called himself Eret. Son of Eret. Finest carnivorous animal tamer that side of the world. Jack would always complain to anyone who would listen, but they would just laugh at him. ("But it doesn't even make sense," Jack would insist. "Just let him be, Jack," everyone else would say) Eret was loud and rude and Jack was sure that he took steroids. Plus, he flirted with Hiccup. And yeah, he noticed. He loved the girl. How could he not notice?
But, Jack wasn't asking Hiccup out because of Eret. He was asking Hiccup out because of Hiccup. He was going to do it. Seriously. He was. The annual Seasonal Burgess Zoo Winter Dance was a big affair. Almost the entire town went every year. After all, if they were the best zoo with the best staff and the best animals, why not also have the best annual winter dance?
"So," Jack asked Franny, the zoo's largest resident boa constrictor. "Do you think I have a chance?"
Jack used to check if anyone was watching before talking to the animals, but then he realized everyone in the zoo did it. The staff's connection with the animals was what made it so good. And, when Hiccup caught him talking to the zoo's only albino Gila monster, she had looked at him with such affection in her eyes that Jack's heart had thumped so loudly that Jack had been sure that Hiccup had heard him. Of course, she hadn't, but ever since that day, Jack wasn't nearly as embarrassed to talk to the reptiles. If he was alone- great. Reptiles were great listeners. If anyone happened to hear him talking- he hoped it would be Hiccup.
Franny looked up at Jack lazily while Jack sweat in the heat of the reptile house. He was not a hot-weather kind of guy. Snow, sledding, ice-skating all the way! Unfortunately for Jack, reptiles were cold blooded. If the temperature went below a certain temperature they would all die, and Jack would be out of a job.
One of the bearded dragons hissed at Jack, like he was laughing, and Jack stood up straight, cracking his back.
"Oh yeah? I don't know, man. I'm a pretty good dancer, I've been told,"
Franny her head inside the pile his body made, and Jack rounded on her.
"L-lots of people say so!"
The Komodo dragon in the corner- Toothless- clicked his nails on the floor of his area, and Jack huffed.
"Chicken? I am not chicken! You know what, I'll show you, you little-!"
Jack started briskly walking out of the dimly lit building, but was almost stopped by Aster.
"Hey!" the older man cried out indignantly. "Where the hell do you think you're going, Mate?"
"Lunch," was Jack's snappy reply. Before Aster could say anything else, Jack had already jogged out of sight of the reptile house. Jack mentally went through Hiccup's schedule and groaned out loud, causing a few of the younger women who were milling through the zoo to stop and look at him before blushing and moving quickly away. Jack didn't care. He started walking towards the big cat section of the zoo.
Jack stopped before turning into the big cat area and took a deep breath, trying to get rid of any leftover nerves.
"Hic-!" all sound coming out of Jack's throat stopped at his lips. Hiccup was leaning against the railing, her face practically smashed into Eret's grotesquely large chest. Jack felt his hastily built determination and courage crumble and break into pieces, along with most of his heart.
Jack couldn't hear what the two were saying, but he could guess what was happening. Eret held out an invitation to the winter dance, and said a few (undoubtedly charming) words, and after a moment's hesitation, Hiccup accepted.
Jack turned and walked back to the reptile house, not even shivering in the cold, even though he was walking slowly, and all the burning excitement from before had left him. He was too numb on the inside to feel the biting air.
Jack was scowling as he swept the floor of the reptile house. He was in no mood for people, and it seemed that she public knew that. The reptile house was empty.
After all, why should people come to the reptile house when they could go see the big cat tamer chucking pieces of meat at the poor lions who had to put up with the son of an Eret all day, every day? Jack slowed his sweeping.
It had been three days since Eret had asked Hiccup out. And it had been three days since Jack had spoken to Hiccup. She had tried to call and text him. When he didn't respond, she had come to the reptile house, a week and four days early. She had tried to find him, but Jack had hastily hidden. In doing so, he had dropped the light bulb he had been changing. As soon as Hiccup had left, looking disheartened and worried, Jack had brought out the broom and dust sweep.
But honestly, what was the point anymore? It wasn't like Aster was ever going to promote him, and it's not like Jack had any real reason to work there anymore, what with Hiccup looking so chummy with Eret. In a fit of uncharacteristic rage, Jack growled loudly and threw his broom down before forcefully punching the wall.
"Oi!" Aster yelled from somewhere in the building. "Who was that?" the large Australian came running in, "Jack, who was it? And why the hell didn't you go after them!"
"It was me, alright?" Jack said angrily, looking down at the ground, still littered with broken glass and dust. When Aster didn't say anything Jack looked up, "What? Figuring out the meanest way to say 'you're fired'? Don't bother. I qui-"
Before Jack could finish, Aster interrupted,
"Ah. I see what this is about,"
"You do?" Jack almost laughed. He really doubted Aster knew anything about what was going on inside of him right then. "Then please, enlighten me," Jack crossed his arms and leaned against the wall he had just punched, looking at Aster smugly. The older man rubbed his stiff stubble for a second.
"You just want to get out of here,"
"It's not like I'm irreplaceable. And I'm not the smartest guy out there, or the best looking. Besides," Jack said. "I never planned on staying,"
"Now, we both know that's not true, Mate," Aster chuckled. "We've all noticed your little crush on our resident veterinarian,"
"It's not a crush," Jack muttered.
"Oh ho ho!" Aster howled. "In denial, are ya, Mate? Well let me tell you, it's almost painful how obvious it is that-"
"No," Jack cut him off. "It's not a crush. I feel more than that," Jack's voice softened, and he looked down for a second before clearing his throat and looking the older man in the eyes. "I'm in love with her,"
"O-oh," Aster stuttered, looking stunned at Jack's claim. Both men were still for a moment, and Jack relished the short-term calm. "You know" Aster started, breaking the silence, "Back in Australia we have a reptile. Don't remember exactly what it is, some type of skink, I think. Anyway, when it's mating season, males will fight for the females they want, to prove to her that they're the best. But, what if the better fighter, the one who would have won, decided not to fight? Well, then the female would end up with the wrong male, right, Mate?" Aster looked meaningfully at Jack, but the younger man was too wary to fully understand what the Australian was saying. All Jack could focus on was: why was Aster suddenly acting all buddy-buddy with him?
"What?" Jack asked. Aster rolled his eyes,
"Listen, Mate, everyone's been telling me that you love our little personal vet for months, but I never believed them. But now, you've confirmed love her, right? But Eret asked her out, yeah?"
"Yeah," Jack said glumly.
"Just… don't give up. You didn't hear it from me, but Hiccup only agreed to go out with him because she's too nice to say no,"
Because she's too… nice? Jack wondered. That would make sense! She never says no!
"Keep your chin up," the Australian clapped Jack roughly on the shoulder, "Don't get too down on yourself. Oh, and get your arse back to work,"
Aaand… he's back. Jack rolled his eyes and picked up the broom.
That night Jack went to the dance. It took him a couple of hours to convince himself to go, so he ended up arriving about an hour late. He decided to go even though he knew he would end up seeing Eret and Hiccup together. But who knew? Maybe he could take Aster's advice and fight for Hiccup. Maybe he could even win.
Jack shook his head. Who was he kidding? Hiccup was probably clinging to Eret's basketball-sized biceps, laughing at some slightly clever thing he said in his infuriating accent. Jack mentally growled as he walked through the doors to the food court.
Normally the cafeteria would be tan and green. There would be animal posters on the walls, each with their own cheesy caption. The monkey Jack normally stared at said "Stop monkeying around and help keep my zoo clean!" The gorilla was Hiccup's favorite: "I go bananas when I see trash in my habitat. Don't litter!" But, for the winter ball, the elephant keepers (the unofficial official planning committee) went all out. They temporarily took down the posters, hung up artificial snow flakes, sprayed blue glitter all over the place, and even added a couple of pine trees in the corners.
Most winter dances, he and Hiccup would go together and admire the decorations, but this time Jack walked straight to the punch, which was bound to be spiked by then, and poured himself an almost overflowing cup. He chugged it all in one go, and on his way to refilling the red plastic Dixie cup, Jack just so happened to see Hiccup and Eret. Well, they weren't Hiccup and Eret for much longer.
Jack had looked up at just the right moment to see Hiccup stomp away from Eret, clearly irritated. Her face was red and her eyebrows her scrunching together adorably. Hiccup walked out of the cafeteria, and Jack decided to follow, to make sure she was alright.
It only took about two minutes of walking before Jack realized that Hiccup was headed to the reptile house. Why? It was dark in there, and she would be all alone. But then, Jack realized that was the point. Maybe Hiccup wanted to be alone. Hiccup walked into the reptile house, and Jack paused for a moment outside, debating whether or not he should follow her. Eventually, Jack found himself walking towards the doors. He had no intention of going back to the winter dance anymore. This could be his chance to be like that skink Aster had been talking about. He could win Hiccup over. Jack just knew he could.
Jack quietly opened the doors and walked inside, looking around for Hiccup. He walked around, just checking up on some of his favorite reptiles. But when he got to his absolute favorite buddy, he realized that he wasn't the only one who had stopped to admire him. Hiccup was standing there, fingertips on the glass separating her from the Komodo dragon, looking at the reptile with awe.
Most people would think that he was ugly. His eyes were dark and unreadable, and his skin was leathered and wrinkly. One of his legs was missing, replaced with a misshapen stump, and his mouth was puckering in on itself because of his lack of teeth.
"We call him Toothless," Jack said from behind Hiccup. She yelped and jumped before turning to face Jack with wide eyes. "Sorry," Jack chuckled. "I should've told you I was here, huh?"
"Oh, no, I'm fine," Hiccup said, trying to act as if she hadn't been afraid. "I was just… I wasn't scared," she insisted. "I was just trying to make you feel good about yourself. You know, being able to scare people,"
"Oh yeah," Jack agreed, a smile tugging at his lips, "Big ego booster,"
"Why not Legless?" Hiccup asked, no doubt trying to change the subject.
"Well, he's missing a whole lot more teeth than legs," Jack said, trying to make her laugh. He failed. Hiccup turned back to the dragon, and Jack could see from her reflection just how sad and yet eternally beautiful she looked.
Jack took a deep breath and looked into Toothless's eyes. He couldn't prove it, of course, but he could have sworn he saw the dragon nod at him before winking encouragingly. Maybe the punch was more heavily spiked than Jack had originally thought. Regardless, it was the alcohol which probably gave him the same confidence that all the animals around him seemed to naturally possess.
"Hiccup," Jack said, taking a chance. "I need to just… say this. So, I'm going to. Ever since I saw you two years ago, I thought that you were beautiful,"
Hiccup turned to face Jack, an adorably confused look on her face.
"Jack? What are you-?"
"Please, let me finish," Jack begged, "This has taken me way too much time to say, and I have this feeling, like if I don't just lay it all on the line right now, then I never will. So…" Jack took another deep breath and snuck a glance at Toothless, who had his eyes closed and was faced away from the two of them, giving them some privacy. Jack had to take a chance. He had to have confidence. Like an animal. "I'm in love with you,"
Using the spiked punch as a possible excuse, Jack quickly leaned forward and placed his hand behind Hiccup's neck, pulling her face up towards his own. He took a split second to take in Hiccup's wide green eyes before he closed his eyes and pressed his lips against Hiccup's.
Lightning. . Earthquakes. Jack felt it all, and he wanted more. Hiccup's lips were so soft against his, and she tasted so sweet and foresty and just so much like… Hiccup.
It was better than anything he could have imagined. And he had imaged this scene in his head before. Many times. Those scenarios never quite ended up like this, though. Usually, in his mind, Hiccup would- at best- step away, tell him she didn't feel that way, and then ask to stay friends. At worst she would slap him and run away, never speaking to him again.
But now that it was actually happening… she was kissing him back! Her lips moved in perfect sync with his, and Jack pulled Hiccup closer, wrapping his arms around her tiny waist. She collided with his body and let out a gasp. Jack would have deepened the kiss if he didn't think that Hiccup was running out of air. Really, really reluctantly, Jack pulled away, breathing heavily.
He placed his forehead against Hiccup's, having to lean down to do so. For a second the two just looked at each other in wonder, as if trying to figure out what just happened. As much as he loved the magical silence the two were enveloped in, Jack was the first to shrug it off.
"So, Hiccup," he said. "Would you be my date tonight? And how about tomorrow, too? And the day after that? And I'm free next week, too. And next month. Hell, how about next year, too?"
Hiccup looked longingly into Jack's eyes, and he was proud to see her characteristic happy sparkle back in their emerald depths. It was all natural. She should be in his arms, laughing and smiling with him. That was what was supposed to happen.
"Of course I will," Hiccup laughed. Jack's face broke out in a grin. Actually, Jack wasn't sure if he ever stopped smiling. Either way, he leaned down, and Hiccup stood on her tiptoes. Their lips met again, and Jack couldn't help but to think that he should've acted like an animal a long, long time ago.
LOVE this pairing, so I just had to make another story. From my last Hijack story, I asked for prompts. This one was provided by Pen-Woman, so thanks :) I don't have any ideas for a one-shot about them having kids, so sorry 'bout that, Litwick723, man. It sounded like a really flipping cute one-shot, too. I recently watched the movie again (today) and now I'm really inspired to write a one-shot about them with Jack as a winter spirit and with Toothless as a real dragon. Any non-AU prompts anyone could be willing to give me? That'd be great, and I'd really appreciate it :)
Oh! btw, any better ideas for a title for this story? This one seems kinda... idk. I'm not a huge fan. But if there are no better ideas, I'll keep it. Or, who knows, maybe I'll end up growing fonder of it. If I get any favorites or reviews, I'd be super happy :)