Author's Note: I used to write for the Transformers fandom a few years ago, and some of the old spark was rekindled after watching Age of Extinction. I'll admit the movie franchise has been on an exponential decay in terms of the plot and all, but honestly I'm in it for the robots and special effects. More details about the AU in the Author's Notes at the end.

Also, there isn't much Hijack in this fic unless you squint really hard, but I'll leave it open to your interpretation :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians, How to Train Your Dragon or Transformers.

Designation: Frost

There was the sound of crinkling plastic as a bouquet of flowers was gently set down on the grave. Hiccup watched in silence as his mother traced a finger over the marker, whispering tenderly to the name of her late husband etched onto the stone. He stepped forward when she beckoned him over, and knelt beside her as she wrapped an arm around his broad shoulders.

"Go on, Hiccup. Tell your father the big news," Valka said, smiling encouragingly.

Swallowing hard, Hiccup tried not to choke on the lump in his throat. "Hey dad," he greeted softly. "It's been, what – six years? – since, you know..." There was a brief pause as the brunet took a shuddering breath to compose himself. "Anyway, guess what? I'm finally heading off to college tomorrow. It's like, two states over and you know how mom gets when there's a whole stretch of open road for her to go wild in –" He earned a playful nudge to the ribs for the comment. "– so I hope you're keeping an eye out to make sure she doesn't decide to take a detour through a cornfield or something."

Valka chuckled and shook her head, squeezing Hiccup's arm affectionately. Hiccup leaned into his mother, feeling the tension drain from his shoulders.

"Gobber's going to be there too. There was an opening in one of the garages near campus, and I'll probably be working under him part time to get some experience and earn some extra cash. I just gotta survive the trip with him and mom both belting out the lyrics to some traditional folk music I've never heard of."

"You sing along with us and you know it." Valka grinned, catching him in a headlock and ruffling his hair. Hiccup laughed as he shoved half-heartedly at her, trying unsuccessfully to escape. The pair wrestled together for a few minutes before collapsing in a tangled heap of limbs, giggling helplessly.

Hiccup's cheeks ached from how much he was smiling. He no longer felt that deep sense of apprehension that had plagued him when he first stepped foot into the cemetery to say goodbye. Tomorrow was the start of a new chapter in his life, and even though his father couldn't be there to see him off, he knew that he was always watching over him.

"Wish me luck, dad. I love you."

While single rooms in the residence halls provided students with a private space of their own, they were a little too pricey for Hiccup's tastes. Not wanting to add to his mother's financial burden, he had opted for a double instead and prayed that his roommate wasn't a psycho or a suspected serial killer (like that deranged knife-throwing maniac he had to share a tent with during summer camp back in middle school).

Valka and Gobber had insisted on taking turns to drive, arguing that Hiccup needed all the rest he could get before starting college, which – and the brunet refused to budge on this – made it only fair that he moved all his belongings into his room by himself while they checked into a nearby hotel and took the rest of the day off.

On hindsight, trying to juggle one luggage and two bulky boxes probably wasn't the best idea when his legs felt like jelly after staying cooped up in the car for two days.

His mother had dropped him off at a small parking lot next to his dorm, and Hiccup was contemplating the relative safety of leaving his stuff behind to ask one of the families milling about for help when he heard a car horn behind him. Turning around, he swore he felt his jaw hit the ground.

Parked directly across from him was the most beautiful car he had ever laid eyes on. It was an electric blue Lamborghini Sesto Elemento, one of the models he remembered reading about in an issue of his favorite car magazine. Hiccup had a driver's license, but he was still in the midst of saving up for a car of his own and while he tried not to stare like an open-mouthed idiot (keyword being 'tried'), he couldn't believe he was standing less than ten feet away from this holy masterpiece and oh look the door is opening here comes the driver to laugh at –

"Hey! You're Hayden Haddock, right?"

The person who emerged from the Lambo couldn't have been more than a couple years older than him. His most striking feature had to be his dyed white hair, and even at a distance, Hiccup was too drawn by his ice blue eyes to wonder how the hell did a college kid manage to afford such a sweet ride?

"Um, hello?"

Hiccup blinked and the next thing he knew, the driver was standing right in front of him, staring curiously. "Ah, y-yes!" Hiccup exclaimed in surprise, almost dropping the boxes in his arms as he took a cautious step back. "Yes, that's me, uh…"

The other teen laughed good-naturedly. "Jackson Overland, but call me Jack! It's nice to meet you, Hayden!"

"You too. How did you know who I was?"

"Oh, I looked you up! They just released the rooming assignments this morning and I wanted to find out who my roommate was."

Hiccup arched an eyebrow in surprise. He hadn't received any notifications about it in his college-assigned email, but that was probably because he had been on the road all day with poor internet connection.

Grinning brightly, Jack gestured at his cargo. "Let me help you with that. I already moved in a few hours ago and went driving around campus for a bit. Good thing I got back when I did, huh?"

"Yeah, lucky me," Hiccup sighed with a grateful smile, handing over the boxes. He shivered slightly when Jack's hands brushed against his. From the way he was dressed lightly in a T-shirt and jeans, Hiccup guessed he was used to the chill of the autumn weather. "Thanks Jack, I appreciate it."

"No problem, Hayden!"

"Call me Hiccup," the brunet said, pulling at the handle of his luggage as he let the white-haired boy lead the way to their room.

(It turned out that Jack's skin was naturally cool to the touch, and it was a few days before Hiccup realized that he never got the email about the rooming assignments, but the thought quickly slipped his mind when his group leader burst into his room to drag him to the next event in the freshmen orientation program.)

Whoever said college was the best time of your life ought to be shot, Hiccup thought sourly, adjusting the straps of his backpack as he lugged another pile of books back to his dorm.

Studying to be a mechanical engineer with a minor in art wasn't exactly a walk in the park, especially when his college was well-known for its strong engineering program. Don't get him wrong, he enjoyed the material and the learning experience, but when he had a rush of exams and projects to deal with on top of his part time job at the garage, to say things got hectic was the understatement of the century. During times like these, all he wanted was to just crawl into bed and sleep for a week.

As Hiccup mulled over his thoughts, his mind began to wander over to his roommate. Jack was… well, he seemed to be having the time of his life. He had made many friends (particularly with the international students, something about human diversity or along those lines) during the few months he'd been in college. The white-haired teen was sociable and outgoing, often attending parties and other college-organized events despite his relatively modest workload. Not to say that majoring in children's literature and childhood studies was a breeze, but Jack somehow managed to balance his academics with an active social life, something Hiccup envied him for. Apparently he was in the firm belief that college is an important part of the human experience, so we gotta make the most of it! Strangely, Jack never seemed to be bogged down with work. Sure, he had readings to finish and essays to write, but he never took more than a day to complete them.

(Hiccup had never seen him at it though, and he had once joked that Jack had a secret twin who was wired into the internet and did all his assignments for him. The older teen had laughed it off saying he hated homework as much as the next student, but from then on he started carrying his laptop around everywhere, much to the brunet's confusion.)

"Gobber, you can't be serious - What, now? But -"

Jack looked up from his laptop and watched as Hiccup paced around their room, one hand tugging at his hair in frustration. After a few more minutes of talking, the brunet ended the call with a heavy sigh and Jack felt compelled to find out what was troubling his friend. "Something wrong?" he asked curiously.

"I cleared all my projects and assignments last night and was hoping to just relax today, but Gobber needs me to pick up some supplies in the next city since the delivery will be delayed," Hiccup explained, throwing on his leather jacket. "It's going to take hours for the bus to get there and back, not to mention I don't think I can lug all those parts around -"

"I could give you a lift," Jack offered with a shrug. It was a rare lazy weekend with the two of them actually in the same building at once during the day. Jack was often involved in some activity or the other, and he always returned to their room long after Hiccup had gone to bed. They hardly interacted outside the occasional 'good morning' before rushing off to classes or a friendly wave if they happened to cross paths on campus, so it was a good opportunity to spend some quality bonding time together.

Hiccup's face lit up for a moment before he frowned and shook his head. "I don't want to trouble you..." he began, but Jack had already closed his laptop and hopped off the bed.

"It's no trouble, really!" the white-haired teen assured. "I haven't been to the other cities here yet, so this is the perfect opportunity to go explore. Besides," he winked at him. "You're giving me an excuse not to write my essays, so there's that."

"But -"

"Come on, Hic! I thought you always wanted a ride in my baby?" Jack smirked at the conflicted look on the other boy's face and fished out his car keys, dangling them in front of the brunet.

That did it.

"You lied to me."

Jack sniggered at the adorable pout on his roommate's face and poked his cheek with a finger, only for Hiccup to swat it away with a scowl. "Hey, I never said you could drive. You should be happy that I even let you ride me."

The brunet's face turned an interesting shade of red, and Jack belatedly realized the hidden meaning behind his words.

"I - I mean, ride in my car," he corrected quickly, spluttering nervously in embarrassment. Hoping to dissipate the awkward air between them, he cleared his throat and nudged the freckled teen lightly. "Want to see how fast I can go?"

"As tempting as that sounds, we're still within the city limits," Hiccup reminded him. "Wait till we reach the highway first, you showoff."

They drove on in silence for a while, the only sounds coming from the soft rock music playing on the radio. Hiccup spent the time gazing out the window, watching the scenery pass them by. He was just about to doze off when the car suddenly lurched forward in a burst of speed, slamming his head against the headrest.

"What the -" he gasped, whipping his head towards Jack in confusion.

But the white-haired teen didn't seem to have heard him. Lips pinched, Jack tightened his grip on the steering wheel as his ice blue eyes narrowed in concentration. There weren't any vehicles near them, so he couldn't have been reacting to a reckless driver, and despite the fairly empty road ahead of them, it was still no reason for him to start speeding.

"Jack, slow down! We're barely out of the city," Hiccup said, frowning at his friend's strange behavior. Again the other male seemed to ignore him, but before Hiccup could protest any further, he heard the roar of a powerful engine somewhere behind. Glancing at the side view mirror, he spotted a black Pagani Huayra catching up to them, following closely even when Jack changed lanes to let the other vehicle pass. The brunet looked at his roommate with worry, noticing the way he began to mutter darkly under his breath.

VROOM!

This time, Hiccup's seat belt pushed painfully against his chest when Jack abruptly veered to the left and hit the brakes, narrowly avoiding getting rammed by the car tailing them as it shot forward.

"Slag," Jack cursed softly. He heard a strangled hitch of breath and turned his head to meet Hiccup's terrified gaze. A flash of apology flickered in his eyes before hardening into determination. "Hang on," he said, returning his attention to the road.

Hiccup barely suppressed a yelp of fear as Jack swerved sharply to the right, kicking up a small dust cloud as he drove off the road and into the adjacent forest. Any thoughts about the hazardous terrain messing with the pristine blue finish of Jack's car vanished the moment he heard a squeal of tires behind them, and he immediately knew that they were being chased.

Just who the hell are they, anyway? Hiccup's panicked thoughts raced around in his head. Does Jack know them? And why are they after us?

His questions remained unanswered as Jack expertly weaved them through the trees, dodging thick trunks and bushes in an effort to lose their pursuer. The other vehicle never lagged far behind them, and there was once it even managed to graze their rear bumper slightly. Jack's Lambo was fast, but they soon found out that the Pagani could match its speed easily. Hiccup held onto his seat for dear life, trusting his roommate not to crash them as he kept his eyes on the side view mirror. When the black car got close enough to ram them again, he noticed another interesting detail...

"Where the hell is the driver?!" he shrieked in alarm.

Then several things happened in the next few seconds.

One: there was a series of whirs, clicks, and the sound of churning gears from the vehicle behind them.

Two: Jack yelled "FRAG!" and practically wrenched the steering wheel to the right.

Three: their seat belts unbuckled themselves as the driver's door swung open.

Hiccup found himself thrown out of the car, colliding into Jack on the way. The white-haired teen fell on his back and cushioned his fall, leaving the brunet sprawled on his chest. Panting for breath, Hiccup struggled to his feet with a pained groan. Getting jerked around so much was doing wonders for his neck, but it didn't stop him from snapping his head up when he heard more of the whirring and clicking sounds in front of him.

The black Pagani chasing them seemed to explode into pieces, its hood and trunk and doors bursting open to spew out metallic parts which expanded and folded in on themselves before the whole damn car began to STAND UP and a deformed head emerged from its shifting chest plates with two glowing red eyes and - and -

And Hiccup didn't need to see anymore to realize that he was staring at a Cybertronian, the same alien species that had killed his father six years ago.

The humanoid monster snarled and spat out some green liquid, angry that it had missed its target when Jack swerved out of the way the moment it had tried to jump them. It prepared to charge again, and Hiccup could do nothing but freeze in terror and watch as it got closer and closer -

Only for Jack's car to speed past him before performing the same transformation, tackling the black machine to the ground with a battle cry. The brunet managed to catch a glimpse of a familiar insignia on what used to be a blue Lambo before his body snapped into action, instincts screaming at him to run to safety as the two mechs grappled with each other.

"Jack, come on! We gotta go!" Hiccup cried, crouching down to rouse the unconscious teen. He tugged at Jack's wrists and shook his shoulders, even going as far as giving him a light slap across the face, but Jack remained silent and motionless. He looked paler than normal, and his skin was practically freezing. With trembling hands, Hiccup pressed two fingers against Jack's neck and waited...

But there was no pulse.

Gasping in horror, he jumped away from the limp body of his friend, slapping his hands over his mouth to muffle the frightened sobs threatening to escape. The deafening sounds of clashing metal right behind them did little to stimulate his adrenaline. He was too focused on the cold corpse in front of him to even think about saving himself.

The earth beneath his feet suddenly shook from the force of Jack's car – the blue Autobot – being thrown to the ground. Hiccup yelped in fear and tripped over his legs, falling onto his butt as the black Decepticon advanced towards him. He scrambled backwards until he hit a tree, and squeezed his eyes shut when the machine started to reach for him, preparing himself to be crushed to death.

A loud blast made him flinch violently, and it took a moment for him to register that no, he wasn't dead, just thoroughly freaked the hell out as the Decepticon's hand exploded into pieces. Hiccup brought his arms up with a cry, protecting his head from the tiny pieces of alien metal debris raining down on him.

"You will NOT touch him!" he heard the Autobot roar. The brunet snuck a peek through his arms, watching as it wrestled the snarling Decepticon away from him. It managed to put its opponent in a headlock, and Hiccup stiffened when the Autobot looked right at him. "Hiccup, run!" it said.

The brunet didn't need to be told twice. Picking himself up, he sprinted towards where he hoped would take him back to the main road, but then it occurred to him that he was leaving Jack's body behind. He turned back before hesitating, berating himself for even thinking about jumping between two giant fighting robots. A sudden movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention, and he spotted a long barrel emerging from somewhere behind the tree line, pointed directly at the Autobot.

"Behind you!" he yelled, seconds before another blast echoed through the forest.

There was a loud howl of pain as a large hole was blown into the left side of the Autobot's chest. It had heard Hiccup's warning and shifted just in time to avoid a fatal shot, but there hadn't been much room for it to maneuver while it was busy dealing with its current opponent. Growling, it reached into the struggling Decepticon's chest and tore out its spark, letting it fall dead onto the ground before dropping into a roll, dodging another round from the sniper in the trees.

Hiccup quickly put some distance between the battle zone and himself, ducking behind a large tree for safety. He watched as the Autobot deployed a metal staff from its arm and fired a streak of white matter into the shadows where the second Decepticon was hiding. There were traces of frost left on the tree trunks where the shot had passed by, and if Hiccup had to guess, he'd say that the white stuff was some kind of coolant spray. The tips of the staff sharpened into a spear when a high-pitched screech indicated that the blast had hit its target, and the Autobot pulled its arm back before throwing its weapon like a javelin, having pinpointed its opponent's location.

There was the sound of something striking metal, tearing straight through it, and then all was silent.

Still hidden and panting quietly, Hiccup willed his racing heart to calm down. The battle was over, the machines chasing them were dead, and there was no reason to be afraid of the Autobot, who had protected him and clearly had no intentions of harming him. But there was still some fear of his otherworldly savior lingering in his heart, and he knew it stemmed from the fact that their war had caused him to lose his father.

The brunet swallowed nervously when the blue mech called his name, and he briefly contemplated sneaking away while he had the chance. But then he heard it collapsing to the ground with a pained groan, and curiosity mixed with a tint of worry prompted him to slowly emerge from his hiding place.

"Oh thank Primus," the Autobot sighed in relief when Hiccup approached it cautiously. It turned to look at him, and it took everything in the freckled teen to not flinch under its intense gaze. "Are you alright? Are you hurt?"

"I-I'm okay," he replied, stopping a safe distance away. "Why were those things trying to kill us?"

"They were after me, I'm afraid. You've heard about the battle in Hong Kong a year ago, right?" There was a pause as it waited for Hiccup acknowledge before continuing. "Not all of the infected prototypes were destroyed that day. Some managed to escape. Two of them must have been in the area and detected my presence, and since they had pre-programmed orders to take down any Autobots, they began to pursue us." It bent forward slightly to look Hiccup in the eye, frowning apologetically. "I am truly sorry to have involved you in this. It was not my intention to put you in danger."

Hiccup nodded stiffly in understanding, trying to force his body to stop trembling. Despite the Autobot's reassurance, he still felt the urge to turn tail and flee. Even though he knew he had nothing to fear, it was hard not to let his emotions overwhelm him. He had just been in a high speed car chase, nearly crushed to death by a giant alien robot, and his roommate's corpse was lying a few feet in front of him. At the last thought, his eyes darted over to Jack's body and his heartbeat sped up again as tears threatened to spill over his cheeks.

"He's not dead."

"What?" The brunet's head snapped up to stare at the Autobot in shock. "How can you say that? I checked, he doesn't have a pulse, and –"

"Jackson Overland… doesn't exist," it explained slowly. "The body you're looking at is called a biodroid. It was designed by the scientists at KSI to help us blend into your society. Like a suit, if you will, to allow us to live amongst you beyond our alternate modes. Our consciousness can be transferred from one body to another, but they have yet to come up with a way for us to control both at the same time."

Hiccup's blood turned to ice as he realized exactly what that meant. That was why the white-haired teen was always so cold: he was nothing more than a flesh puppet to be controlled and manipulated. Now that he thought about it, the mech's optics were even the exact same shade of blue as Jack's eyes. Jack was – the real Jack was –

"Hiccup… it's me." The Autobot – Jack – stared at him worriedly, noticing the way the brunet started to back away from it, shaking his head in futile denial.

Unable to take it anymore, Hiccup turned around and ran away as fast as he could, leaving the injured mech behind to stare at him in disappointment.

One hitchhiked ride back to campus and two days of uneasy silence in their shared room was plenty of time for Hiccup to think. The brunet prided himself in his ability to reason and argue rationally, and he definitely had a lot of things to process in light of recent events.

On the one hand, he had been living with an robot in disguise without realizing it. Jack was a giant, alien, killing machine who transformed into the car Hiccup had been eyeing for months. His kind had brought their war and destruction to Earth, culminating in several large-scale battles which had decimated cities and killed hundreds and thousands of innocent people, Hiccup's father included. Ever since the battle of Chicago, the government had been spreading word of caution and danger when it came to the Cybertronians. Despite having formed an alliance with them before, all of them had been branded enemies of the planet regardless of their faction. Hiccup had only ever heard terrible things about them, like how they would kill on sight without any mercy, how they destroyed homes and ruined people's lives, how they delighted in squishing humans like insects.

But on the other hand... Jack had saved his life. He had protected him from their pursuer when they had been attacked in the forest, and he had told him to run instead of fighting back mindlessly and treating his safety as collateral. It went against everything Hiccup had been told about the Cybertronians, and it only hit him during a morning lecture on fluid dynamics that yeah, okay, Jack wasn't human, he was a machine, a robot, but he was still a sentient, living creature. Like how there were good and bad people in the world, there were good and bad Cybertronians too. If history class in high school had taught him anything, it was that it wasn't right to put the blame on all of them when there were still friendly ones out there only trying to live in peace.

That said, the thought of turning his back on Jack, of abandoning him in the forest, weighed heavily at the back of Hiccup's mind, disrupting his focus in his classes over the next couple of days.

It was late on a Tuesday night when Hiccup finally gathered the courage to rent a car and drive out into the woods where he had last seen Jack. There was a good chance that the Autobot would no longer be there, and the brunet wouldn't have blamed him for leaving. For all he knew, Hiccup could have alerted the authorities to his presence, which would have probably led to the government (not to mention the military) getting involved, and things potentially turning ugly real fast.

So it was to Hiccup's great surprise (and partial relief) to see the blue mech exactly where he had left him, resting on the ground with his back against a tree. The chest wound was still there, sparking every now and then, but at least it wasn't leaking (did Cybertronians even bleed?) or anything, and it didn't seem to be causing him excruciating pain. Jack's hands were busy picking at the injury, and upon closer inspection the teen realized that his fingers had transformed into little tools to help repair the damage. The mech went still for just a second before continuing with his work, and Hiccup immediately knew that the other was aware he was here, even if he had yet to reveal himself.

Jack was waiting for him to make the first move, he realized. Regardless of whether it was to come forward or turn away and never look back, it was all up to him. Hiccup took a slow deep breath to calm his heart, and one quick glance at the equipment he had brought along with him was enough to quell the shaking in his hands. Nodding to himself, he made his choice.

"H-hey," he greeted, trying to sound casual as he stepped out into the clearing, though there was no masking the slight tremble in his voice.

"Hey yourself." It was interesting - now that Hiccup was able to get a closer look - how a tiny quirk of metal lips and that small tilt of the head made Jack seem so human. Little gestures spoke the loudest after all, and Hiccup had to force himself to stop dwelling on the dichotomy between man and machine.

"So uh, how're you holding up?"

The brunet mentally berated himself for the stupid question the moment it left his mouth (the mech had a freaking hole in his chest for crying out loud!), but Jack only chuckled softly. "I've been better. Normally I'd go to our CMO for repairs but..." His optics dimmed slightly. "Well, he's not around anymore."

"I'm sorry," Hiccup said sympathetically. "For your friend, and - and for leaving you behind. It was wrong of me to just run off the other day."

"You came back. That's all that matters." The Autobot was positively beaming now, and Hiccup caught a glimpse of the Jack he was more familiar with.

Returning the smile, the teen pulled out his bag of tools. "I know you're not really a car, but I thought I'd help you with that - that -" He gestured wordlessly at the wound, unsure of how to put it lightly. "You know, as a thank you for saving my life."

Jack blinked once before nodding in gratitude. "I appreciate that. Here, let me give you a lift." He reached towards him, intending to place his hand palm up on the ground, but he froze when Hiccup suddenly took a step back.

"Sorry, instinct." Hiccup shook his head apologetically, not missing the look of hurt that flashed briefly across Jack's face. Again, it amazed him to be able to read so much emotion from what he had thought to be simply metallic visual features. When the mech remained still, Hiccup started to worry. "Jack?"

"Are you... afraid of me?" Jack asked softly.

Hiccup swallowed and looked away. "A little bit, yeah," he admitted. "It's not everyday you find out that your roommate is a 25 feet tall metal alien from outer space. It'll take some getting used to, but... I trust you." The moment he said it, Hiccup knew he believed it to be true. Jack was his friend, and human or not, he had never given him a reason not to trust him. The revelation gave him the confidence to look the mech in the eyes, and Jack's smile was a clear sign that he had gotten the message. Slowly now, he put his hand on the ground and allowed Hiccup to climb onto it, gently lifting him up next to his chest.

"I never did get your name, you know," Hiccup said curiously as he examined the wound. The inner workings were obviously unfamiliar to him, but his mechanical training quickly kicked in to assess the various components of alien technology, giving him an idea of how to do some basic repairs. "And I'm pretty sure 'Jack' is an Earth name."

"You wouldn't be able to pronounce my real designation, but in your language, it would translate to: Frost."

A thoughtful pause. "Jack Frost, huh? Is your home world filled with ice or something?"

"Not quite. I came from a planet called Cybertron…"

Author's Note: Some background info about the AU, which is basically what happened in the movies - There was a huge battle in Chicago where many people died (in this case, Stoick included), causing the government to end their alliance with the Autobots. Five years later, there was another big fight in Hong Kong where the Autobots saved the world again because humans foolishly tried to harness their technology and ended up paving the way for the next apocalypse. KSI is the name of the company that tried to do this. This fic takes place one year after Hong Kong, and I'm assuming that the alliance has been re-established, allowing the Autobots to slowly reintegrate back into society.

Sorry if the story feels a little rushed. I actually wrote this a long time ago and only thought to post it recently. In any case, thanks for reading!

P.S. CMO = Chief Medical Officer