((Inspired by the song "Galway Girl" as sung by Ed Sheeran))
Jack wandered down the street of the little rustic town he was in-honestly, he wasn't even sure what it was called (Berk, maybe?) All he knew was that he'd been traveling for almost three months, backpacking his way through Europe, desperately trying to find the sound that he'd lost almost a year ago. Ever since he was a little boy and his dad had given him his first guitar, he'd known that music was going to be his life. It had been his escape and his comfort when he'd lost both parents in a car crash on a snowy day when he was thirteen and was sent to live with his dad's widowed sister, Jennifer Bennett, and her two children, Jamie and Sophie. He knew he was lucky to have been taken in like he had been-to have an amazing aunt who supported his dreams and two younger cousins who were his first and still his biggest fans. And when he'd told his aunt that he wanted to study music in college instead of going for a degree in something that would guarantee him a more stable career, she hadn't told him to give up on his dreams like his high school guidance counselor-instead, she'd helped him research to find the best schools in the country and to apply for the scholarships he needed, helping him make up the rest of the tuition with the hard earned money that she made working two different jobs to support her family. That's why Jack wanted to make her proud-to show her that all her sacrifices were paying off. And for a couple of years after he graduated, he did just that-it was like he had an overflowing well of inspiration, writing music day and night, and he actually managed to snag a record deal with a small label that allowed him to put out his first (and, to date, only) album. It was actually thanks to them that he was over in Europe right now-when his inspiration started trailing off after that album and he found himself struggling to write any new material, after a small tour in the States they'd sent him across the pond in hopes that maybe a change of scenery would give him some new ideas for songs. Unfortunately, it hadn't worked-if anything, the hectic tour schedule and meeting all of his fans had only made him feel even more pressured to come up with something new, and he just-couldn't. It was like the steady stream of music that had always been flowing through him since he was a child had been cut off-muted, stifled, dried up-until he found that even listening to music was making him sick to his stomach. So he'd left. After his last scheduled engagement, he'd packed his bag, strapped his guitar on his back, and started walking down the first dirt road he could find, hoping that maybe in his wanderings he'd finally find what he'd lost again. As far as his aunt knew, he was still on tour-he didn't want to worry her by telling her what he was actually doing, so he was forced to keep inventing fallacies that would hopefully quell her concerns as to why he hadn't been home to visit in such a long time. Still, he knew that he couldn't keep this up forever-his money was running out, and with no sudden bursts of inspiration allowing him to create any new content, so was his contract. As patient as his agent was trying to be, in their last conversation he'd told him in no uncertain terms that if he didn't come up with something within the month, he was going to be terminated.
So that was it. After his short stint in the spotlight, Jack's time was almost up. He knew that at least he wouldn't be homeless when it was all over-his aunt had told him more times than he could count that his room was still waiting for him and he always had a place under her roof. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad, he muses as he travels aimlessly down the street, not quite ready to head back to the inn he was staying in and the room he'd rented with its leaky roof and bedsprings that dug into his spine, making sleep almost impossible. Getting to see his family again, being somewhere where he felt safe and loved-it certainly sounded a lot better than the way he was living right now. But the idea of having to go back home a failure, to feel like he had betrayed his aunt's trust after everything she'd sacrificed for him-he could barely stomach the idea of it. He knew that she'd never say it and that she loved him unconditionally, success or no, but he still couldn't shake the idea that deep down she was going to be disappointed in him.
Jack wasn't sure how long his brooding thoughts would have continued or how far down this road he'd have wandered if his attention hadn't suddenly been caught by the sound of music coming from a building across the street from him. Normally he would have ignored it, but something about the voice he heard singing caught and held his attention. Soft, melodic, and haunting, it had something of a dreamlike quality to it-something that you wouldn't expect to hear anywhere but in the middle of the night in one of your half-awake fantasies. In spite of himself, Jack found himself being drawn across the street and into the dimly-lit, smoky interior of the pub where the music was coming from. He searched for the source of the sound, and it didn't take long to spot it-through the thick crowds, he could make out a band playing on some sort of makeshift stage. Curious to see the singer with the beautiful voice, he makes his way through the mass of people-being as skinny and still admittedly gangly as he was, it didn't take him long to work his way through until he was right in front of the stage. His eyes briefly scan the stage, taking in the rather eclectic collection of performers-there was no way any of them were related, they all looked so different from each other. Still, he couldn't deny that they played well together-as far as he could tell, they were playing traditional folk music from the area. And then his eyes finally fall on the lead singer and he feels his breath catch in his throat.
Jack didn't consider himself a romantic-he'd never really had the time for a girlfriend or boyfriend, and he just hadn't felt the urge to go out and find one. If it happened, it happened, but he wasn't going to waste time worrying about it like everyone else seemed to do. And he definitely didn't believe in love at first sight-there was no way that you could just look at someone and somehow magically know that they were your soulmate. Still… The man in front of him was definitely making an argument to the contrary.
He was dressed simply-a brown vest over a faded green shirt, ripped dark skinny jeans-not anything surprising for a small band. He had a soft fringe of brown hair that, illuminated by the spotlight falling on him, had an almost halo-esque quality. A liberal sprinkling of freckles dusted his rosy cheeks. But what caught and held Jack's attention were his eyes-half-lidded as he sang, they were a deep green flecked with gold like a sunlit forest. They were a forest Jack wanted to get lost in. The white haired musician didn't even realize how long he'd been staring until the singer suddenly looks over at him. Their eyes met, and for one electric moment Jack felt like they'd connected on a level he'd never felt before. He quickly broke with the other man's gaze, heart pounding in his chest-what had just happened? Feeling shaken to his core, he starts to turn away-he needed some air, he needed to get away from here and whatever that had been. He makes his way through the crowd and towards the door. He had too much on his plate already, he didn't have time to get caught up in any sort of ridiculous feelings. Still, just outside the door he pauses and leans up against the side of the pub, lightly banging his head back against the logs that it was made of. What was he doing? Was he being an idiot, trying to run away from the possibility of something amazing before even giving it a chance? He was so caught up in his thoughts that he didn't even realize that the music had ended until suddenly he hears a soft voice saying in his ear, "Hey."
Understandably startled, Jack quickly leaps away from the unexpected sound, heart pounding in his chest. After a moment it starts to slow down as he ascertains that he's in no immediate danger-that is, until he looks over and realizes that the person speaking to him is none other than the singer from the band. Too shocked to even know what to say, Jack just stands there, mouth hanging open, until the other man says, "Sorry, didn't mean to startle you!"
The slightly younger male brushes his rather unruly bangs out of his face as he waits for a response, giving Jack that just much better a view of his gorgeous eyes, and it's a full minute before the second man can finally get out, "'S-S'okay…"
The brown haired man across from him lets out a soft laugh before taking a tentative step forward and offering him his hand. "I'm Hiccup-Hiccup Haddock."
"Hiccup?" Jack repeats-in spite of his disbelief that the other male was actually talking to him, the unusual name was enough to at least momentarily lose some of his awkwardness in interest of the conversation.
"Blame my parents," Hiccup answers with a small chuckle, a wry smile on his lips as if he too knew just how ridiculous his name sounded. "They believe that a hideous name will frighten off evil spirits. Trust me, it's not the worst name around here."
"I see." Something about Hiccup's easy tone was making Jack relax and he felt his whole body unstiffening as he smiles back at him.
"So-can I ask what your name is?" the brunette man gently prompts.
"Jack," Jack answers, finally reaching out to shake the hand that Hiccup had offered him. "Jackson Overland."
"Well, it's nice to meet you, Jack." If Hiccup's hold on his hand was a bit more lingering than just a friendly handshake, neither of the men comment on it as he finally lets go and leans up against the wall next to Jack, pulling a small pack of cigarettes out of his vest pocket. "Smoke?" he asks, offering one to Jack after lighting up one of his own.
"Yeah, thanks," Jack answers, accepting his offer and taking one. He can't help but smile slightly as he sees the black dragon carefully carved into the wooden case around the lighter Hiccup used. "Nice," he comments, offering the other man a smile.
"Thanks," Hiccup chuckles, a small puff of smoke escaping his mouth and curling away into the darkening sky above them. "I do a bit of carving in my spare time-kind of a hobby of mine."
"Wow, that's impressive!" Jack grins over at him, taking a drag of his own cigarette. "Wish I was that talented, but sadly I can't make anything to save my life."
"It just takes practice," Hiccup answers with a shrug and a slight smile. "I was hopeless to begin with, but my dad had me keep at it until I finally got the knack."
"Nice," Jack repeats, nodding his head, and for a minute they just stand there, both staring out at the gathering darkness.
"So, what brings you to Berk?" Hiccup finally asks, breaking the silence.
"Just kind of wandering around right now," Jack admits, a slightly shamed flush making its way onto his cheeks. "I'm supposed to be working on writing songs for another album, but I just… I've sort of lost my music right now, so I'm not really sure what I'm doing with my life or what I'm supposed to be doing next." Might as well get that all out on the table right now-Hiccup should know what a loser he really was. But, to his great surprise, the other man doesn't turn away in disgust or give him a falsely pitying smile. Instead, he says eagerly,
"Oh, so you're a musician too?"
"O-Of sorts," Jack answers, too shocked by Hiccup's answer to be able to form a coherent sentence.
"What do you play?" Hiccup presses excitedly.
"W-Well, I sing and I play guitar-" Jack replies, only to have his words cut off as Hiccup grabs his hand and starts pulling him towards the door with more force than the other man had realized he had in him given his slightly gangly figure.
"Come on!" Hiccup grins at him. "My sister, Astrid, has a guitar you can use!"
"Y-You want me to play for you?" Jack asks in surprise, just barely managing to drop his cigarette in the ashtray next to the door before being pulled inside.
"Yep!" Hiccup answers with a grin. "Nothing like playing for fun to help you relax and find your love of music again!"
Jack honestly wasn't sure if that would actually work, but something about the other man's hopeful, somewhat playful, gaze made him think that maybe it was worth a shot. "Well, I guess it can't hurt anything to try," he finally acquiesces.
"Exactly!" Hiccup laughs his slightly hypnotic laugh that sent Jack's heart beating a staccato rhythm in his chest before dragging him over to a large table near the bar where the rest of the band he had seen up on the stage earlier was sitting.
"Guys," Hiccup announces as he comes to a stop in front of it, "this is Jack! Jack, this is my sister, Astrid, and that's-"
He rattles off a whole list of rather unusual names that Jack forgot as soon as he heard them, sure that he would never get them right even if he wasn't so nervous that he only half heard them to begin with. Still, the other band members seem friendly enough, all greeting him pleasantly, and the white haired musician was about to let himself relax when Hiccup announces, rather loudly, "Jack's going to play for us!"
"He is?" The blond haired girl who Jack was pretty sure was named Astrid glances over at him curiously.
"Yep!" Hiccup answers, sounding a lot more confident than Jack felt at the moment. "He's a traveling musician and we're going to try to help him get his sound back!"
"Really? He's a musician too?" the stocky blond guy at the table (Fishlegs? Was that even his real name?) asks curiously.
"He was probably drawn here by our awesome music!" the dark haired man at the table states with a cocky grin.
"K-Kind of?" Jack answers, rubbing the back of his neck-there was no way admitting that it was Hiccup's singing that had caused him to come in here.
"Well then, let's help him out!" Astrid flashes him a friendly smile-perhaps a bit of a smirk, actually, as if she could easily tell exactly what he was thinking of her brother.
Hiccup, seeming none the wiser, turns to her and asks, "Can he borrow your guitar?"
"Sure, I don't see why not," Astrid answers, picking up her guitar from where she had it leaning up against the table and handing it over.
"T-Thanks…" Jack awkwardly accepts it before asking a bit nervously, "W-What should I play?"
"Play us one of your songs?" Hiccup suggests.
"I'm not really sure I can stand to play one of those-I'm kind of sick of my own music right now," Jack admits with a quiet sigh.
"Okay then… Let me think…" Hiccup rubs his chin thoughtfully before asking, "Do you know how to read music?"
"Yeah, of course!" Jack answers with a nod.
"Great!" Hiccup grins and hurries over to the stage, returning a minute later with a music stand and a small sheaf of sheet music. "You can try playing some of our music!"
"I-" Jack looks down at the music-could he really play this? After looking it over for a moment, he decides that it looked easy enough-Hiccup must have picked a simpler song for him. "All right, I can't guarantee how it will go, but I'll try," he finally says.
"Great!" Hiccup beams at him. "You play, I'll sing along, okay?"
"Okay," Jack agrees, taking a deep breath before nervously starting to play. He didn't sound great at first-his fingers seemed to keep going in all the wrong places. But gradually he grew more confident, and soon the music he was playing was actually recognizable as a tune. Hiccup started chiming in with the vocals, and the rest of the band started clapping along to the beat, encouraging him to keep going. Jack was just starting to feel confident enough to start experimenting a little bit when suddenly Hiccup got out of his chair and, to the other man's great astonishment, started dancing. Moments later, Astrid got up and joined him, and the others started cheering as they twirled and spun. They started going faster and faster, making Jack work to keep up with their pace, until finally the song ended and they spun to a stop, everyone cheering loudly as they finished.
"Not bad," Astrid says, shooting Jack an approving look as she drops into the chair next to him, looking a bit hot and disheveled but undeniably like she had had fun.
"Not bad? He was great!" Hiccup tells her, grinning at Jack.
"T-Thanks…" Jack answers, ducking his head to hide his blush.
"C'mon now." Astrid suddenly holds her hands out to Jack, signaling for him to hand her the guitar. "Your turn!"
"M-My turn?" Jack looks at her in surprise. "W-What do you-"
"You're not getting away with just playing-you're a visitor here, so you get the full experience, which means you have to dance with Hiccup!" Astrid declares, and everyone else at the table laughs in agreement.
"What? Oh, no, I don't dance-!" Jack starts to protest, but Hiccup was already tugging him to his feet.
"C'mon, it'll be fun!" The other man beams at him. "I'm a really good teacher, and I promise I'll take it slow to start with."
"O-Okay…" Jack swallows thickly, finding that he couldn't really argue with Hiccup looking down at him with those gorgeous green eyes.
"Great!" Hiccup cheers before taking the other man's hands and placing them in the proper positions on his own body (Jack was pretty sure he was going to pass out from all the blood rushing right to his cheeks.) Still, as promised, Hiccup was a very good teacher and before long Jack actually found himself not only dancing but enjoying himself.
The next few hours just flew by-after all the dancing and singing, the rest of the band invited Jack to stay for a round of drinks, which he agrees to purely out of politeness and not because he wanted an excuse to stay and sit next to Hiccup. One round turns into two and then three rounds, and even as the others grow more boisterous and loud, swapping jokes and telling stories, Jack (who decides to stick to just his one drink so that he doesn't do anything stupid in front of Hiccup) never feels out of place or unwelcome, joining in with stories of his own travels as he feels comfortable. And if he kept catching Hiccup looking at him as often as Hiccup caught him doing the same and the other man keeps moving closer and closer until their hands were touching under the table? Well, he definitely wasn't going to complain about that!
It wasn't until the barkeeper called last orders that Jack realized with a start just how late it had gotten and, with some great disappointment, that it was time for him to get heading back to the inn. As fun as this evening had been, it was over, and sadly he had to return back to his own reality. Still, as he starts to make his way to the door, the others catch up to him, insisting on walking him back to his inn to make sure that he gets there safely, and he decides that it can't hurt to have their company for a little while longer.
As promised, they stay with him until they get him to the front door or the little boarding house on the edge of town, and, to his great surprise and pleasure, they invite him to come to their show the next night at the same pub. Astrid tells him that they'll have him come up on stage and perform with them, and he can't quite tell if she means it or if that's the alcohol talking so he politely declines that offer but promises to do his best to make it to the show (it won't hurt him to stay in this town for one more night.)
The others all stagger off in the direction of their various homes-all except Hiccup, that is, who stays standing on the front porch next to Jack even after all of his bandmates were long gone.
"Can I help you with something?" Jack gently prompts, not wanting to be rude but feeling a bit nervous just standing there in silence.
"I-" Hiccup starts to answer before trailing off, cheeks flushed slightly. Eventually he tries again. "I was just wondering-do you need a place to stay tonight? I mean, I know that you have a room here, obviously! But I know that the beds in inns aren't the most comfortable and I thought that maybe-well, that maybe you'd like to sleep at my place instead?"
"At your place?" Jack blinks rapidly, trying to process what he'd just heard. "A-Are you asking me to spend the night with you?"
"Yes? NO! I mean, not like that!" Hiccup flushed even brighter red. "I-I mean, yes, I'm inviting you to spend the night at my flat, but not, like, sleep in my bed or anything! I have a second bedroom and I thought it just might be more comfortable than your room here in the inn-!"
Jack feels himself relaxing-as attractive as he thought Hiccup was, they hadn't even officially had a date yet (heck, he wasn't even sure if Hiccup liked him in that way), so he wasn't near ready to actually sleep with this guy! Still, the friendly offer of a nicer bed did sound nice, and so he finds himself nodding and answering, "Okay, that actually sounds awesome. Thanks for offering."
"G-Great!" Hiccup gives him a relieved smile before waving for him to follow him. "C'mon, it's not too far of a walk from here!"
"All right." Jack follows him down the stairs, a bit surprised when he saw Hiccup offering him his hand until the other man quickly explains,
"It's pretty dark out, and I don't want you to get lost out here."
"O-Oh, of course!" Jack quickly takes the offered hand after that, and no he did not at all enjoy the fact that he was technically holding hands with a really cute guy.
After a good twenty minutes of walking, they come to a cozy little cluster of buildings, and Hiccup leads him up to the door of one of the closest dwellings and unlocks it.
"Welcome on in," he says with a warm smile as he turns on the light before adding apologetically, "Sorry it's a bit of a mess, I don't get company that often…"
"It's okay," Jack reassures him, knowing that his own room at home usually looked a lot messier than this. As it was, he couldn't help but admire the paintings on the walls of dragons, and he wondered if Hiccup had done those himself. He was just about to follow Hiccup into the living room when he notices a small bundle of black fur streaking past and just barely manages to avoid stepping on it.
"Toothless!" Hiccup grins and scoops up the creature which, as it turns out, is a large black cat with glowing green eyes. "Toothless, say hi to my new friend, Jack!"
"Hey there!" Jack reaches out a hand to stroke the feline, only to quickly withdraw it when the furry creature loudly hisses at him.
"Sorry!" Hiccup apologizes, setting the cat down and letting it races off in the direction of the two adjoining room. "He doesn't like strangers much."
"It's okay," Jack reassures him, mainly just glad he'd drawn his hand back before he could have been bitten. "I have to ask about his name, though."
"Ah, now there's a story." Hiccup smiles wryly at him. "I found him as a kitten on the streets, and the poor thing must have had a pretty rough life because at the time he was missing most of his teeth. Fortunately since he was so young they were just his baby teeth so when he got older he grew in his adult teeth and he's fine now. He's still just a little touchy around people he doesn't know."
"Understandably," Jack agrees with a sympathetic smile, unable to blame the creature with a history like that.
Hiccup smiles back at him before heading over to the bedroom door on the left and opening it, flipping the light on as he does so. "This is my guest room," he explains as Jack follows him in. "Just make yourself at home, okay? The door over there leads to the joint bathroom-just make sure to lock both doors when you're in there. And I think you saw the kitchen when we walked in, so if you're hungry or thirsty during the night just help yourself."
"Thank you." Jack flashes him a grateful smile. "Seriously-this is really, really nice of you."
"Y-You're welcome," Hiccup answers, flushing slightly. "I mean, friends don't let friends sleep in uncomfortable inn beds..."
"So we're friends?" Jack asks, both glad that Hiccup actually considered him a friend already and a bit disappointed that Hiccup might only see him as that.
"Yes?" Hiccup answers before noticing the other man's expressions and nervously saying, "I mean, unless you don't want to be friends?"
"Oh, I definitely want to be friends!" Jack hurries to reassure him before flushing and admitting, "But, um… Y-You're also really cute and nice and I was hoping that maybe…?" Oh gosh, either he was just really tired or the beer he'd had earlier wasn't completely out of his system or else why was all of this actually coming out of his mouth?!
"Y-You're not so bad yourself," Hiccup answers, also flushing and smiling shyly back at Jack, whose heart lifts hopefully in his chest. Unfortunately, before he could say anything else suddenly a large yawn escapes his mouth and instantly he turns even brighter red. "O-Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" he stammers. "I-I didn't mean that what you're saying is boring or unimportant, I just-"
"It's late," Jack quickly puts in, offering him a warm smile to reassure him that he wasn't upset. "I think we could both use some sleep. Maybe we can talk about this in the morning when we're a little more awake?"
"Sounds good," Hiccup agrees with a grateful grin. "In the morning, then?"
"In the morning." Jack smiles back at him.
"Okay." Hiccup reaches out and tentatively takes Jack's hands in his own for a moment, saying softly, "Good night, Jack."
"Good night, Hiccup," Jack responds. Then, feeling either very brave or very foolish, he leans up and very gently brushes his lips against Hiccup's cheek. The other man blushes, if it was even possible, even brighter pink, but doesn't object, just giving Jack a slightly goofy smile before squeezing his hands again and then finally pulling away and heading out of the room, softly closing the door behind him.
Jack, for his part, collapses onto the bed, a giddy feeling swelling in his chest at the promise of the coming morning. He eventually flips the light off and crawls into the bed, hoping to get some sleep. But the longer he lay there, the less tired he felt. As exhausted as his body was, a million thoughts and feelings were swirling in his head. And in the midst of them all? A tune. At first he thought it was one of the songs that the band had played tonight. And it was similar to it. But the more he listened to it, the more parts of it came together, and he realized it was something different-it was a tune all his own. And the thoughts and feelings swirling around in his head were becoming lyrics, all flowing into one beautiful song-
He bolts upright in bed, instantly flipping on the little bedside lamp. A song! He actually had a song again! Desperately, he starts pulls open the drawer of the nightstand, hoping against hope for-there! A small pad of paper and a pencil! He starts scribbling feverishly, determined to get this all down before any of it left him. Two hours later, he collapses back into bed-the song wasn't perfect, but it was a start. He'd done it. He'd actually found his music again!
And when he woke up the next morning and played the song for Hiccup-a song he'd written just for him-he knew that he'd found something even better than his music. He knew it was probably too soon for love, and he didn't know exactly what the future held for them. But if the kiss that Hiccup had enthusiastically pressed to his lips after he played the song was any sign, whatever they had was hopefully going to last for a very, very long time.