Incase this is the last Jackunzel Week, well, I probably wouldn't have been able to live with myself if I didn't at least try.

Of course, I didn't plan in advance at all…

High school AU (Most of this year's prompts lean towards a high school AU…) No, I will not apologize for Merida/Eret. I won't.

I Don't Want To Ruin Our Friendship

"Well, we need to go," Rapunzel said, after checking her phone. It had gone off yet again (her phone never seemed to stop), but this time she didn't ignore whatever it was.

Jack felt the sudden, familiar pang in his chest as she and the other girls started to stand up from the table where the six of them had been lingering after their lunch. The sinking feeling in his stomach, feeling as if the light in the room was starting to dim.

Though he tried not to let that show in his voice as he spoke. "What? We're just about to solve the world's problems, and you're just going to pick up and leave?"

Rapunzel glanced up from gathering her things back into her purse. Giving him one of those smiles that put the sun to shame. And that made him feel as if winter was melting to spring in his heart in a matter of seconds.

"Talking about Snotlout's ego, and treatment of the cheerleaders, is not solving the world's problems," she reminded.

Be still his heart. He couldn't breathe when that little note of teasing came into her voice.

Hiccup, who had just been taking a drink from the last of his milkshake paused. "It makes me feel better."

"It makes me want to punch him," Astrid said.

"Here, here," Merida said. She had been looking over Eret's shoulder at the screen of his phone, so Jack hadn't thought she was actually paying attention.

Though she and Astrid had already spent twenty minutes ranting about how Snotlout's constant passes at their teammates made their soccer and volleyball practices more frustrating than fruitful.

"That would solve a large problem for the student body," Jack agreed.

Rapunzel shook her head at the sudden violent turn in the conversation. "While I would love to solve as many problems as possible, we have an appointment."

"She's making us get mani/pedis," Merida said, scowling. She reached over to tap something on Eret's screen.

"Oh, stop acting like you don't like it," Astrid said. She leaned over to kiss Hiccup's temple before standing up from the table. Grabbing her jacket and purse from the back of her chair.

"Because you don't," Eret said. He shrugged the shoulder she leaned on, wordlessly urging her to stand up.

Merida did so, reluctantly. "I don't see you getting one."

"I'm not paying for him," Rapunzel said, coming around the table to loop an arm through Merida's. "I'm paying for you."

Jack didn't understand how Merida could glare in response to that smile. "Well I'm certainly not paying…"

"Come on," Rapunzel said. "You know it's not that bad."

Merida rolled her eyes.

With Merida by the arm, and Astrid in tow, Rapunzel started towards the door. Glancing back to the boys with one final wave. And one last grumble from Merida.

"We'll see you later! Call me tonight, okay, Jack?"

"Sure." Jack raised a hand to return the wave, watching as the girls left. The chime of the bell on the door was a little too cheerful for his taste as they walked out. Already deep in conversation as they started down the sidewalk. Even Merida laughed at something Rapunzel said.

Jack watched mournfully until they had passed the plate glass windows of the café, and out of sight. As soon as they were gone, he sank into his chair, looking at the remainder of his lunch without any desire to finish it, now that Rapunzel was gone.

"Please just tell her," Hiccup said.

Jack looked up at his friend. "Huh?"

"Don't give me that," Hiccup said, rolling his eyes. He took another drink of his milkshake. "Just tell Rapunzel how you feel."

"It's not even fun to tease you anymore," Eret said. "It's just pathetic."

"Why are we friends with him?" Jack asked, jerking a thumb at Eret, who just rolled his eyes.

"Something to do with Merida breaking her toes when she was nine," Hiccup said.

"Seven," Eret corrected. "I was nine. And my mom works with Rapunzel's."

"Right," Hiccup said. "But back to Jack's lack of a love life."

"Just because you have a girlfriend doesn't mean you need to meddle in my love life."

"His girlfriend is Astrid Hofferson," Eret reminded. "Most guys would hang on his every word."

"She asked him out!" Jack said defensively. He didn't want to hear what either of them had to say on this matter. He didn't want to hear anything on this matter. He wanted to change the subject, and talk about anything else.

But, somehow, Jack had ended up with a group of friends who were all incredibly stubborn. Hiccup's Viking heritage was never more obvious than when he took a stand on anything, and Merida's Scottish determination seemed to have rubbed off on Eret.

"You've been crushing on her for years," Hiccup said.

"She obviously likes you, too," Hiccup said. "So why won't you just ask her out?"

"She does not obviously like me," Jack said, scowling as he picked up one of his French fries. He still had no desire to eat it, so he just poked at the blob of ketchup on his plate. "She's Rapunzel. She's nice to everyone."

"Especially nice to you," Eret said.

"We've known each other since we were kids," Jack reminded.

And they had. One of Jack's earliest memories was of playing on the swing set with Rapunzel when they had been in kindergarten together. Sometimes they had sat on the swings next to each other, competing to see who could go higher. Other times, if there weren't two swings available, he had pushed her. Even back then, the sound of her laughter had been like a ray of sunshine peeking through the clouds after a storm.

Even in his head that sounded stupid, though it was still true. As they had grown up, he had just kind of followed her. Wherever she was, the world just seemed a little brighter. When she laughed, life suddenly seemed to have purpose, and all the things that bothered him just kind of melted away.

"You're doing that stupid puppy eye thing," Hiccup said. He used one finger to draw a circle around one of his own eyes for emphasis.

"What's the worst that could happen?" Eret asked. "She'll say no? It's Rapunzel. It's not like she'll laugh in your face."

"No, it would be worse than that," Jack said. "Because she's Rapunzel, she'll feel bad for saying no. She'll say she's really sorry, but she only sees me as a friend. Or a brother. And she'll probably thank me, and say she's flattered, then apologize again." He had sunk further in his chair, until his chin now rested on his arm on the table. "Then she'll ask if we can still be friends. And I'll say yes, because I can't say no to her."

"But?" Hiccup prompted.

"But I don't want to be friends with her," Jack said, not looking up from the French fry he was now smashing into the cheap ceramic plate. "I want to hold her hand, and take her out to dinner, and bring her flowers—"

"And kiss her?" Eret said.

Now Jack did look up to glare at Eret. "You sound like your mother."

Eret's mother had a habit of teasing everyone, and a reputation for being straight forward. It was something Jack usually found refreshing, since so many people tended to skirt around what they really wanted to say, which he thought was an exhausting way to have a conversation.

Eret just shrugged.

"Yeah, I wanna kiss her," Jack sighed.

"You want to be her boyfriend," Hiccup said.

"Yes."

"Then just say so!"

"No," Jack said. "Because she doesn't like me like that."

Hiccup rolled his eyes, making a sound of exasperation. "You're so blind!"

"She didn't ask Hiccup to call her tonight," Eret said.

"Hiccup has a girlfriend," Jack said. "That would be weird."

"She didn't ask me."

"You have a girlfriend," Jack said. "That would be weird."

"Merida isn't my—"

"You're missing the point," Hiccup said, waving a hand to clear the old argument away. Merida and Eret stubbornly refused to deny they were a couple, even to themselves. "You don't want to ruin the friendship, but you don't want to just be friends."

"That sums it up," Jack said.

"Someday you're going to finally ask her out, and when she says yes, you're going to kick yourself for wasting so much time."

"I wish," Jack muttered.

Hiccup just sighed. "I give up. I thought my dad was the most stubborn person I would ever meet, but you take the cake, Jack."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"That's not how I meant it."

"Well, that's how I'm taking it," Jack said, sticking his tongue out at his friend.

Eret shook his head. But before he could say anything, his phone chimed, and he picked it up to answer the text.

"I'm stubborn. He's in denial."

"Shut up," Eret muttered.

Jack tried to smirk, but the expression was weak.

"I give up," Hiccup said. "You're both hopeless."