Another HiJack one-shot! This is what happens when I spend too much time at the gym, stories like this are born! I swear recently I've been thinking of ways to sneak HiJack into normal everyday situations. Is that weird?
As always reviews are love, hope you enjoy the story!
Disclaimer: Don't own HTTYD or RotG, if I did there would be a crossover film and lots of HiJack.
DustyStars
Hiccup noticed him most days now.
Usually he was downstairs on the treadmills with a couple of friends but sometimes he came upstairs to work on the free weights, where Hiccup was.
At first he hadn't noticed him other than in passing. I mean come on, how hard is it not to notice someone with perfectly white hair? It wasn't something you saw every day. Now for most normal people a first glance, then maybe a second would be enough to accept the hair colour and get on with their lives.
Not Hiccup though. He just had to keep noticing him. And again. And again. Frankly it was getting ridiculous.
It had been about four months since he had first noticed him and he was beginning to realise he had a crush on a guy whose name he didn't even know. It really was pathetic.
Hiccup was born and raised in Sweden in a village that hardly anyone had ever heard of: Berk. The inhabitants were very set in their ways, and by ways I mean Viking ways. Apparently the whole village was descended from them, nearly all built very well and able to lift a yak without breaking a sweat (to which Hiccup could definitely bear witness to). But of course as luck would have it Hiccup, son of the chief himself, had turned out rather scrawny and small by comparison.
Hiccup often wondered if that was the reason why his dad had let him leave to go to an English university. Don't get me wrong Hiccup loved his father, but sometimes he just wished he would be a little more proud of him. Hence the reason Hiccup spent most of his time in the damn gym.
It had been a year and a half since he had left Sweden to pursue a degree in engineering and he thought it was going pretty well. He was doing well in his classes, had a few good friends and people had finally stopped questioning him about his strange accent. And of course, he was actually managing to do well at the gym. Which is where this whole ordeal with the white-haired guy had started.
In his mind Hiccup knew he was being silly. Sure, he saw the guy most days now and yes, he had to admit he looked pretty damn good in his sports gear, but other than that he knew nothing about him. Besides, the boy almost definitely had a girlfriend. I mean come on, he had looks to die for and a smile that could melt even the coldest of hearts.
It would be a lot easier to ignore him if Hiccup didn't nearly drop the weights he was holding every time the guy walked in. One time he actually did drop them and nearly ended up with a broken toe- luckily he'd been able to jump out of the way just in time. The noise had caused the guy to turn and look right at him before smiling slightly and turning away, leaving a red-faced Hiccup to go and chase his fallen weights.
Really, twenty years old and still acting like a teenage girl.
Hiccup wished there was another gym nearby so he could switch and get on with his life, but sadly the nearest one was almost seven miles away, and he wasn't willing to take the bus when he had a perfectly good one almost on his doorstep.
It was about seven months after he first noticed him that it happened. The guy came over and spoke to him.
Hiccup was working on one of the machines, eyes closed, headphones in and blasting music and completely oblivious to the world. He didn't even notice the presence next to him as he finished his set. Letting out a sigh he let his tired arms hang by his sides and slowly opened his eyes.
"Hey."
Hiccup's head shot up. Holy shit, the guy was standing right next to him and smiling right at him. He was carrying a bottle of water and wearing his usual gear- a blue sports top and brown shorts, and from this distance Hiccup noticed his eyes were almost exactly the same shade of blue as his top. His hair was a little dishevelled so it seemed as though he'd been here for a while already.
Hiccup could feel his cheeks already betraying him, warming until he was certain his face was red.
"Um," he said brilliantly, pulling his headphones out of his ears. What did he want? Did he have something on his face?
The guy raised an eyebrow, still smiling.
"I've seen you round here a lot and was wondering if you'd spot me," he said, gesturing towards the machine next to Hiccup's. "I normally get one of my friends to do it but I'm on my own today," he explained.
Hiccup was too busy being shocked that the guy was actually speaking to him to realise he needed to reply properly. The boy seemed to take this the wrong way as he quickly started talking again, hand moving to brush through his hair as though embarrassed.
"I mean it's fine if you're busy, I just know that you work around here a lot so I can probably trust you to spot me fine. But if you're busy…" he trailed off.
He turned to move away when Hiccup's brain finally kicked in and caught up with the rest of him.
"No that's no problem!" he said hurriedly. "I'd just finished on this machine actually."
He stood quickly, grabbing his stuff and following the boy, who was smiling at him again.
"Thanks," he said as he sat down on the machine, adjusting the weight slightly. "Ready?"
Hiccup nodded, trying to calm his blush as he grabbed the weights lightly.
"I'm Jack by the way," the boy said. "In case you were wondering."
So the guy he had been crushing on for months was called Jack. Nice name, simple, unlike his.
"Hiccup," he replied, waiting for the laugh that usually came after he introduced himself.
"Cute name," was all Jack said before he began the set.
As he was spotting the other boy Hiccup wondered if he was trying to make him resemble a tomato on purpose. He snuck a look at Jack's face as he was working- it was slightly strained and his eyes were half closed, mouth slightly open as his eyebrows furrowed with concentration.
Yep, there was the blush again as Hiccup quickly looked away, determined not to look at Jack's face again. His thoughts had definitely gone where they shouldn't just then and he figured his face had probably passed the 'tomato' stage and was well on its way to becoming a beetroot.
Three sets later and Hiccup had broken his vow two more times, each time his thoughts becoming more and more inappropriate because damn, Jack looked good while he was working. The entire time he was lifting Hiccup was scalding himself and pulling his thoughts out of the gutter frantically, wondering if they were showing on his face.
Apparently he had gotten away with it though, as Jack just smiled and thanked him when he had finished.
"No problem," Hiccup replied as he moved away. He stood there awkwardly for a few seconds as Jack took a drink, unsure what to do. On one hand he really wanted to talk to him, but on the other it was only a matter of time before he made an idiot of himself and besides, Jack probably didn't want to talk to him more than he had to.
He was wondering whether he should go back to his machine when Jack stood and spoke.
"You spend a lot of time in here, don't you?" he asked.
Hiccup gave a noncommittal shrug by way of answering and awkwardly ran a hand through his hair.
"It seems to have paid off anyway," Jack said, smiling a little.
Now Hiccup was certain that he was well into beetroot territory. Personally he didn't think he was that well-built compared to most of the guys in here but he was definitely a lot more muscled than he had been a few years ago. Not that that was difficult or anything…
"Well when everyone in your entire village looks like a tribe of Vikings it kind of puts the bar pretty high," he said, giving a little awkward chuckle at the end. "So you could say I have a pretty big goal."
Jack laughed too, running a hand through his hair again. Hiccup was just thankful he had gained the power of coherent speech again.
"Well I'm done for today," Jack said. "But thanks for spotting me. Maybe see you around?"
Hiccup nodded, hoping he didn't seem too enthusiastic about it.
"Cool, see you!" the other said before turning and walking away, flinging a towel casually over his shoulder and looking like the epitome of cool itself. The moment Jack had left the area Hiccup headed back to his own machine and flopped heavily down onto it, resisting the urge to grin.
That had really just happened, right? Did anybody see that? Actually it was probably better that no one did… He was pretty sure that the beetroot look was still there anyway, and that was something that didn't require any more attention in his opinion.
With a slightly elated feeling, Hiccup untangled his headphones and went about finishing his workout, but he couldn't keep the smile off his face as he did so.
Xxx
"Hiccup!"
Hiccup turned to see Astrid, one of his engineering friends, making her way towards him.
"You said you'd come to the seminar after classes, right?" she asked before he had a chance to speak.
"Um…"
"Come on Hiccup, don't tell me you're ditching to go to the gym again," Astrid grinned, brushing some hair out of her eyes.
"Uh, yes?" Hiccup said tentatively, because that's exactly what he'd been about to do. He really didn't want to go to another seminar- they involved some of the older student going through some difficult questions in a lecture theatre and honestly he had already done most of them. He usually ended up sat at the back of the lecture doodling on his notebook.
"Well get that thought out of your head right now," Astrid said, grabbing Hiccup's bag strap. "You haven't been to the last three and it's about time you stopped ditching."
"But you know I've already done all the questions," Hiccup protested, unable to keep the whine out of his voice. "There's no need for me to go and I'd really rather go to the gym…"
"You spend way too much time at that damn gym as it is," Astrid shot over her shoulder as she dragged him away. "It's about time you give me a hand with the twins too," she added.
Hiccup sighed, it never did him good to argue with Astrid- she practiced self-defence and fencing in her free time and she wasn't a good person to get on the wrong side of. So he decided it was in his best interests to give in and just go along with it. He could always go to the gym tomorrow.
"Fine," he said begrudgingly. "But I'm not going to the one tomorrow."
Astrid stopped and turned, hand on hip and eyes narrowed.
"You are coming to every single one this week," she said, voice lowered. "The twins nearly set fire to themselves yesterday and Snotlout is driving me insane with his stupid pick-up lines and macho behaviour. I swear if you don't come I will actually go mad."
With an air of finality she turned and continued towards the engineering building, leaving a slightly scared Hiccup behind her. Honestly he still wanted to make a break for the gym, but that thought was quickly quelled by the thought of the trip to hospital he might have to endure if he did.
Astrid turned, realising he wasn't right behind here.
"Hiccup, my urge to kill is rising!"
"Coming," Hiccup said quickly, starting towards her. Honestly he sometimes wondered whether or not she was joking.
He caught up with her and began mentally preparing himself for the two hours ahead.
"Why do you go there so often anyways?" Astrid asked, breaking the silence that had descended. "I mean I know it's because you're trying to please your dad and all but is there another reason?"
White hair and blue eyes flashed through Hiccup's mind without his permission.
"Nope," he replied quickly. Too quickly. Astrid narrowed her eyes.
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, no other reason," he said, arms gesturing as though to prove his point further.
"Mhm."
They walked the rest of the way in silence, Hiccup somewhat suspicious of Astrid's manner. It wasn't like her to stay quiet like this. They reached the door of their lecture theatre when the blonde turned to him.
"Just ask them out already, Hiccup. Saves you playing the waiting game and you'll be more focussed whatever answer they give."
Hiccup blinked. She had guessed?
Smirking slightly Astrid led the way into the theatre and up the steps to where the twins were messing around with duct tape.
How had she guessed?
He would never understand women.
Xxx
Three days later Hiccup was finally allowed back to the gym. After the twins had somehow managed to get Ruffnut stuck to her seat so badly that the fire brigade had been called to rescue her Astrid had told him that his crush would have to wait, and Hiccup was half inclined to agree with her.
But today was Saturday. No classes, no lectures, and Hiccup was looking forward to getting back to the gym. And maybe seeing Jack a bit… But mainly the gym! Totally.
He was a little disappointed at the lack of white hair in the weights area when he got there, but it was still fairly early- in fact there were only four or five others working out at this time. He headed over to the first machine and plugged his headphones in, flicking through to find a decent song.
The next hour was an interesting one. He tried to focus on his training but every ten seconds or so he would find his eyes wandering towards the entrance. It was not doing his concentration any good at all, and he was about ready to give up and return home to binge-watch a TV series and eat chocolate.
He decided to stick it out though as he still had about an hour to go before he would be happy with himself. It was with great effort that he moved so he could no longer see the entrance and focussed entirely on his training session.
He was successful for about half an hour and felt as though he made some progress. He leaned back on the machine he was working at, eyes closed, as he finished the song he was listening to. There were still only a few people in the gym so it was unlikely anyone would come and ask for his machine any time soon.
"Hey, Hic!"
His eyes snapped open as his body jerked so much he almost fell off his seat. As it was he just dropped his phone, causing the headphones to be yanked out of his ears.
Smooth, Hiccup. Real smooth. Thank you for nothing, gravity.
Jack was stood next to him again, giving his the same smile as a few days ago. Hiccup bent to retrieve his fallen phone, and whacked his head on a metal bar on the machine as he straightened up.
"Jävla!" he swore without thinking, hand coming up to grab his head.
"Woah, are you alright?" Jack asked, bending down next to him.
"Yep, great," Hiccup bit out, trying not to let out any more swear words as his eyes watered. "I think I showed the bar who's boss."
Jack laughed before holding out his hand for Hiccup to take. Still trying to hold back the reflex tears in his eyes Hiccup took it and stood too, the world taking on a slight spin.
"Sorry for startling you," Jack said apologetically. "I was going to ask if you wouldn't mind spotting me again since I've not been able to do that machine since last time you were here."
Hiccup nodded slightly before stopping. The world seemed a little brighter actually, taking on a slight glaze.
"Hey, are you sure you're ok?" Jack asked, looking concerned as he put a hand on Hiccup's shoulder.
"I think I need a minute, I may have just put a dint in my head," Hiccup laughed weakly. "I wouldn't want to mess up spotting you because my brain decided to implode or something."
"Lovely mental image there," Jack said raising an eyebrow. "I'll help you to the locker rooms if you like? You seem a little unfocussed."
Brilliant, Hiccup thought. Not only had he managed to give himself brain damage but the guy he had had a crush on for months probably thought he was a clumsy idiot. This was not how he had imagined their next encounter to go. What he wouldn't give for a hole to open in the floor right about now.
"I'll be fine," Hiccup said, moving his hand from his head. "I think I'm done for today though. Sorry I can't spot you."
"Okay," Jack said, hand still on Hiccup's shoulder. "I'll not be too long though so if you're still in the locker rooms I'll be able to check that you're still alive."
"Now who's coming up with the interesting mental images?" Hiccup laughed. The world seemed to be going back to its original state now, though it would probably do him good to finish for today. It was annoying though, Jack would probably find someone else to spot him and then would have no reason to talk to him anymore.
"I'll see you later then," Jack said, once again flashing that smile that made Hiccup's face heat up.
"See you," he said quickly before gathering his stuff and heading off to the locker rooms. Once there he took some painkillers in case he got a headache and went to grab a shower.
So Jack now probably thought he was a complete idiot who couldn't even move without doing something stupid and had a tendency to drop things. Man he really needed to see about that other gym.
He spent about ten minutes in the shower, letting the warm water flow over his body and washing away the aches and pains of the session. His head was fine now, but he couldn't deny that he was still mad at himself for making an idiot of himself. Once done he dried off, wrapped his towel around his waist and headed back towards his locker.
He had just opened it when he heard a voice from behind him.
"Cool tattoo."
"Jävla helvete, Jack! Are you trying to kill me or something?"
Hiccup turned to face the white haired male who appeared to have just finished his own gym session to find him laughing lightly.
"Sorry Hic, I didn't mean to startle you. You're alright with me calling you that by the way?"
Hiccup thought for a second before shrugging slightly. "Sure, I guess."
"Great," Jack said before turning towards his own locker. "How's your head?"
"Well the world is returning to normal again so it must be getting better," Hiccup replied as he pulled his clothes out of his locker, keeping his back to Jack. "And I think you're actually the first one to see the tattoo, it's pretty new."
"I like it," he heard the other boy say. "Unusual."
It was pretty unusual he guessed. Not many people invested time into creating a mythical creature and then getting it tattooed permanently on their shoulder blade. His just happened to be a rather intricate design of a black dragon.
They didn't say much as Hiccup got dressed, and he assumed Jack was getting changed. A few minutes later Hiccup turned to find Jack sat on one of the benches in the locker room, staring at his phone. He had changed into a blue hoodie with white and silver details on it and a pair of dark brown jeans. Hiccup really had to work on not checking him out right there in the locker room but it was pretty damn hard.
Sensing the others gaze on him Jack pocketed the phone and stood, causing Hiccup to look away quickly into his locker.
"Done?"
"Um, yeah," Hiccup replied, slightly confused. "Did you need something?"
Jack's face went a little red. "Well I was actually going to ask if you wanted to go get a drink somewhere," he said quickly, looking away. "I'll buy. Think of it as an apology for startling you and making you hit your head earlier."
Wait what?
Was this actually happening? Was Jack asking him out? No, surely he was just being nice. Yeah, that was it. Jack felt guilty and he was buying Hiccup a drink and then they would go their separate ways and that would be that. No need to get your hopes up, Hiccup.
"Sounds good," he replied, trying to sound as nonchalant as possible as he closed his locker. "Anywhere in particular?"
"I know a place," Jack said, smiling. "You free now?"
Hiccup could only nod mutely before following the other out of the room and through the gym area. When they reached the main entrance he raised an eyebrow when he saw it had started snowing lightly. Not quite the harsh winter that Berk promised most of the year but snow nonetheless.
Jack smiled at the weather before turning to the other.
"It's just around the corner from here," he said.
Hiccup nodded and followed him out. His mind was going at about a mile a minute right now, brain trying to catch up with what was happening. For seven months he'd had a thing for his guy and now he was following him to get a drink! He must be dreaming. Yeah, if it was reality then he would have fallen on his face or something by now.
"So what was the language you cursed in earlier?" Jack asked, pulling Hiccup out of his thoughts.
"Um, Swedish actually," he said. "It's my first language."
"Cool," Jack said, glancing over at Hiccup. "You grow up in Sweden or something then?"
"Yeah," Hiccup replied, quite proud of the fact that he hadn't forgotten how to speak yet. He was definitely getting better. "I've been speaking English since I was about seven though."
"I thought I could hear a slight accent," Jack said as they turned a corner. "You'd think being a languages student I'd have heard it before but I only really know French and Spanish." He let out a small chuckle.
"Languages? That's cool," Hiccup said.
"What do you study?" Jack asked as they crossed the road. Hiccup could see a couple of cafés and wondered if they were going to one of them.
"Engineering," he said. "I'm a second year."
"Same!"
Jack stopped outside one of the cafés. Hiccup looked up and saw it was called 'Guardians'. He could see through the window that it was fairly small but there were quite a few people in there sat around little tables.
"I come here all the time," Jack said. "It's really good." He seemed to be searching Hiccup's face for some sort of reaction. "Is it ok?"
"Yeah, it seems really nice," Hiccup responded, trying to keep his voice calm.
Jack smiled at him before opening the door and walking inside. Hiccup followed, really hoping that he didn't start hyperventilating or something because for the love of Thor his crush was actually taking him to a really nice café and he really didn't want to do something stupid like pass out from nerves or shock.
The café was as nice on the inside as it looked through the outside. The smell of coffee was floating around in the warm breeze that enveloped Hiccup as he walked in, and there was a light buzz of chatter coming from the people who were already sat down. He followed Jack to the counter where the boy was talking to the server.
She looked about their age, hair dyed bright colours and cut into a short bob. She had feathered earrings and vivid eyeshadow that brought out her purple eyes. She seemed nice. At the moment she was smiling widely as she greeted Jack and Hiccup felt a sudden uncomfortable twist in his stomach. What if the white haired boy was going to turn around and introduce her as his girlfriend? He would probably die of mortification right there on the shop floor, or at the very least turn and run from the building.
He was seriously considering making a break for it when Jack turned and waved him over. Hoping he didn't look too terrified Hiccup walked over, looking anywhere but at Jack.
"Hiccup, this is Ana," Jack smiled, gesturing to the server.
Here it comes…
"She's one of the full time staff here."
That was it? No girlfriend part?
"Nice to meet you, Hiccup," Ana said, smiling at him.
Wow, really no girlfriend part!
"Hi," Hiccup said quietly, giving what he hoped was a genuine smile.
"What can I get you guys today?" the girl asked.
"Whatever's the special," Jack said straight away before turning to Hiccup. "The specials are always amazing, what do you want?"
"Um, same, please," Hiccup said, trying not to sound too awkward.
"Make that two," Jack said to Ana, who typed out their order quickly. "Do you want to go find somewhere to sit?" he asked Hiccup, who nodded.
Honestly Hiccup never normally acted this shy. He usually had a wicked sense of humour and no small amount of sarcasm, but trying to adjust to the fact that his crush was talking to him seemed to have fried that particular part of his brain. It was pretty annoying actually- he was usually a lot more able to hold a conversation.
He chose a table by the window and looked over at Jack. He was still stood by the counter, chatting with Ana as she made the drinks. He was leaning on the counter but nothing about his body positioning indicated that he was coming onto her. Not that it should matter if he was. He probably had a girlfriend, just not this particular girl.
He tore his eyes away as he saw Jack turn around so as not to be caught staring.
"Hey," Jack greeted him as he set down a tray on the table. "The special today is gingerbread latte, hope you like it!" The tray held two large cups filled to the top, each one with a mound of cream and what looked like ginger sprinkles on the top.
"They look pretty good," he said as he lifted one off the tray. "Thanks."
"No problem," Jack said as he sat down. "It's the least I could do after startling you into hitting your head!"
"Well it probably wouldn't make much difference," Hiccup said as he stirred his drink. "Apparently I as dropped on my head a lot as a baby."
Jack laughed at that, not a fake, polite laugh but a genuine laugh, and suddenly any tension Hiccup had been feeling left him. So what if this was the only time he and Jack spoke, he was going to enjoy it!
The coffee was good. Really good actually. Hiccup was a coffee drinker, yes, but it was more for the caffeine than the taste, but he had a feeling that he might just start experimenting with different types and flavours after this.
He and Jack talked for ages. Hiccup had managed to throw caution to the winds and was able to act like his usual sarcastic self, which Jack seemed to find hilarious. Jack himself had a brilliant sense of humour too, and apparently he had a way with kids, always able to make them laugh if they needed cheering up.
He found out that Jack worked part-time as a teaching assistant at one of the local schools, partly because it looked good as work experience but mainly because he genuinely loved being around kids. He had always had a flair for languages, so when it came to choosing his degree it was really a difficult choice between that and teaching. In the end Jack had gone for French and Spanish on the advice of his adoptive father, who he later revealed was actually the owner of the café they were sat in.
His full name was Jackson Overland, though many people called him Jack Frost because of his white hair. Apparently he had been dared to dye it a few years back and found that he actually quite liked it and decided to keep it.
Hiccup in turn told Jack about the village where he grew up. Unsurprisingly Jack had never heard of it but he seemed genuinely interested in the stories Hiccup talked about, especially the ones that involved the folklore of the village. Hiccup tentatively told him a little more about the tattoo on his shoulder too, hoping Jack wouldn't be too weirded out by the extent of his obsession with mythical creatures.
He needn't have worried though. It was safe to say that he and Jack were getting on pretty well. They sat talking for so long that Ana brought over two more drinks and some cake, telling them it was on the house, and soon after it began to grow dark outside.
Neither of them noticed the time until Hiccup's phone vibrated in his pocket, signalling a text. Jack was busy finishing his cake so he pulled it out and opened the message. It was from Astrid.
'Went to yours and you weren't there, where are you?'
'Out with a friend, be back soon' Hiccup quickly typed back before pocketing his phone.
"Girlfriend?"
He looked up to see Jack staring at him, with a rather interesting look on his face. Hiccup couldn't tell whether it was amusement or worry, or maybe a combination of the two.
"Um, no," he said quietly. He paused, wondering whether he trusted Jack to continue with what he was about to say. It seemed the most direct way to go about things… He might as well. "I'm gay, actually."
He watched Jack's face carefully as he said it, but nothing much changed except for a slight widening of his blue eyes.
"Boyfriend, then?" he asked, smiling slightly.
Hiccup shook his head. "Not that either."
He let out a small sigh of relief. Well that little confession could have gone a lot worse, there were some terrible homophobes around here. He was really glad Jack wasn't one of them.
"Well we should probably make a move anyway," Jack said, gesturing to the dark that was gathering outside. "We've been here for hours."
Hiccup nodded, chuckling nervously. Oh great, the nerves were back again. The gods must really hate him or something. The two didn't say anything as they stood and gathered their things, and a few moments later they were walking out of the shop, saying goodbye to Ana as they went.
The door closed behind them, leaving the two of them alone outside in the cooling air, small flakes of snow drifting around them.
"So," Jack said, turning to Hiccup.
"So," Hiccup echoed, not entirely sure what to say or do.
There was a slight pause in which they both looked away then back at each other. Jack stuffed his hands in his pockets while Hiccup fiddled with a loose bit on his shirt. Just as Hiccup was about to break the silence Jack did it for him.
"Do you want to do this again sometime?"
Hiccup blinked as he watched Jack's face for any sign of a joke, but could find none. He looked a little embarrassed actually, though he was maintaining eye contact.
"I'd like that," Hiccup replied, kind of wishing someone would pinch him to see if this was a dream.
"Great," Jack said, face breaking out into a grin. "I mean I guess I'll see you at the gym or something but maybe after…" He trailed off as Hiccup took a step towards him.
"So… It's a date?" Hiccup asked tentatively. He had to look up a fraction to see Jack, for he was a little taller, but he could still see the blush creeping across his cheeks.
Jack nodded his head slightly, and Hiccup took this as a cue to step forward again, and again until they were close enough to touch. He could see Jack's eyes widening a little at the close proximity but he didn't step away. In fact he seemed to be getting closer.
Hiccup closed his eyes slowly, and a second later a pair of lips met his own. For the first time that day his brain was totally blank as Jack kissed him, unable to comprehend any rational thought whatsoever. A giant rabbit with boomerangs could have appeared next to them and Hiccup would probably not have noticed.
A few seconds later Jack moved away and Hiccup opened his eyes. The white haired boy was blushing profusely now, the deep red visible even in the fading light. He cleared his throat slightly and looked away.
"Uh," Jack said quietly. "Would now be a good time to say I might have had a crush on you for about seven months now? Is that weird? Having a crush on someone you don't know?"
Hiccup couldn't help it, he had to laugh. All this time he had been crushing on Jack and it turned out it was reciprocated? Oh the irony! Jack just stood there with a sheepish smile on his face, watching as Hiccup attempted to control his laugher.
"Sorry," he managed to say. "It's just funny you should say that, cos I was about to say something similar."
"Really?"
"Yeah."
The two stood together for a moment, just smiling at each other. To an outsider they probably looked a bit silly but neither of them cared.
"I guess it's a good thing you startled me earlier," Hiccup said, looking down in embarrassment. "Or you wouldn't have had a reason to bring me here."
"Nah, I was going to ask you out anyway," Jack replied. "I just needed a chance to get to know you, though I must admit I was going for something a little smoother than that."
Hiccup was about to reply when he felt his phone buzz again. Apparently Jack heard the vibration too because he moved a step away from Hiccup, coughing slightly.
"I should probably get going, actually," he said, looking around him. "My place is about fifteen minutes away from here."
"Yeah same," Hiccup replied, though he really wished he didn't have to go. "I should probably get going too." He turned slightly to leave, but was stopped by Jack quickly grabbing his arm.
"Hey, I know this is a little forward but could I get your number?"
Hiccup held back a chuckle. "Jack, you just kissed me, I think you can have my number."
Jack gave a little half shrug. "I was just checking," he said, looking as though he was holding back a chuckle of his own.
Once Hiccup's number was safely inputted into his phone the two said their reluctant goodbyes and headed their separate ways, each wearing rather large grins on their faces. Hiccup had barely made it home when his phone buzzed, this time signalling a text from an unknown number.
'Are you going to the gym tomorrow?- Jack :) '
Hiccup smiled to himself and thought for a moment before replying.
'Course, someone has to keep an eye on you after all!'
A message came back almost straight away.
'Seems you've been doing that for a while anyway ;) '
Hiccup grinned as he began to formulate his response. Yes, it seemed that he and Jack would get along just fine.
