PenPals - A Hijack Fanfiction
Author's Notes: (PLEASE READ BEFORE YOU BEGIN THE STORY)
Hey, guys-Orb here. I don't normally do pre-story notes like this, but I have some info that you may want to know before you start getting into this absolutely AMAZING fanfic.
First of all, it's Hijack, so the story meshes together the RotG and HTTYD universes and Hiccup and Jack are obviously going to have a thing for each other as that IS the primary (and probably ONLY) pairing in this fanfic. If that sort of thing bugs you, now is your chance to skedaddle out of here and find something else to read.
Second, the story is going to be about two people who live on separate continents with limited interaction, which means that the character POV will likely change per chapter. For example, one will be all in Jack's POV, then the next will be in Hiccup's POV.
Third, part of this story involves characters living in another country and NOT SPEAKING ENGLISH. While the chapters featuring Hiccup's POV will obviously be written in English, try to understand that they are not actually speaking in that language. There will be a few Icelandic terms thrown about here and there, so keep an eye out for them.
I think that should about wrap up all that needs to be said for now. I hope you enjoy this AU and the story I have written with a lot of help from Panbelacqua and a few others! Thank you so much for taking time to read it!
P.S. - Chapter titles probably won't have any significance; it's just the song I'm listening to at the time I start to write the chapter.
I do not own rights to any of the characters from How to Train Your Dragon, Rise of the Guardians, or the Guardians of Childhood series.
Chapter One - The Great Pretender
Pairing: Hijack
Word Count: 2863
Warnings: None this chapter
Jack's POV
On any other day, Jack wouldn't be caught dead smiling in a school, especially Burgess High, and certainly not on the first day of the school year. But today was different, because he had a plan. Today, Jack Overland waltzed right through those double-doors with a determined grin on his face and a brand new hairdo on his head. Gone were the copper locks and dull, square spectacles, now replaced with spiky hair that was a glistening, pure white and his blue eyes were free of any glasses thanks to some brand new contacts.
Yes, this was going to do just the trick! This was finally going to get him noticed. His plan was foolproof-it had to be.
Jack stepped inside, several students already wandering about the halls, mapping out their schedules and getting reacquainted with their friends. He spotted a few girls from his grade and walked over, the false sense of confidence faltering only slightly as the seconds ticked on and no one had yet to look his way.
Stopping right in front of the three teenaged girls-all of which were texting on their smartphones-he readjusted the strap on his shoulder and smirked, remarking,
"Well, good morning, ladies!"
Two of the girls continued texting on their phones, but the third glanced up. Jack grinned, but she suddenly shot a hand up in the air, shouting,
"Oh, hey, Johnny!"
She waved and brushed right past Jack and over to the letter-jacketed guy strolling in behind him.
Jack's grin fell, but he was determined not to give up. He spun around, planning to take off down the hall, but just as he did, another student slammed right into him, knocking both of them to the ground with a clatter. The students' heavy textbook flew right into Jack's face and Jack fell onto his clumpy backpack as he connected with the ground.
"Hey!" Jack shouted in response, reaching up to rub at his eyes. "It took me all summer to get used to these dumb contacts!"
But as he glared at him, the student merely got to his feet and scrambled back down the hall without an apology, let alone an acknowledgement of Jack's existence.
Jack sighed dejectedly, staying seated on the cold, tiled floor as the other students walked around him, talking with one another.
Well, so much for that stupid plan...
"Jack?" A booming voice sounded behind him. "What are you doing on floor?"
Jack looked over his shoulder and up at the enormous man who'd just walked over.
"Oh, hey, North," he replied. "I'm just...you know, contemplating how pointless life is. That sort of thing."
North chuckled and held out a massive and tattooed arm out to him. Jack grabbed it with a pout and stood up.
"Did plan fall through again?" North questioned.
Jack glared up at him, remarking,
"What do you think?"
He grumbled incoherently as he dusted himself off and pulled his backpack over his shoulder again.
"I thought for sure this would do it," he whined. "But, I mean, after the talent show in eighth grade, the basketball tryouts my freshman year, and that stunt in the Homecoming parade last fall...I should have known nothing'd be different! It doesn't matter what I do, I'm still invisible!"
North frowned, sympathetically placing a hand on Jack's shoulder.
"Maybe this plan will work after all? Maybe you must give it time first, yeah?"
"I doubt it," Jack sighed. He shrugged away from him, turning around. The majority of the students that were once roaming the halls had disappeared, leaving only a few stragglers behind that had yet to find their homeroom.
Jack glanced back at North.
"I'll see you at lunch?" he offered quietly.
North smiled,
"Of course, of course."
The bell for classes to start rang through the empty halls, and North deadpanned.
"Ah, I must get back to office!" He exclaimed, rushing back down the hall. He looked back at Jack, briefly telling him, "You best get to class, Jack. Bunny does not like to wait!"
Jack shook his head,
"Yeah, yeah, I'm going..." He told him, and turned down the hallway.
Jack pulled open the door to his homeroom class. As usual, no one seemed to even notice. The teacher, Mr. Bunnymund, stared over at him as he walked in. He rolled his eyes and stepped over, handing Jack a pink piece of paper.
"Really, Bunny?" Jack groaned. "You already wrote me up?"
"We left the house at the same time," Bunnymund retorted. "So, you got no excuse for bein' late."
Jack mimicked the last sentence with disdain under his breath as he shrugged off his bag and sat down at his desk.
"How about you go suck an egg, Rabbit?" Jack grumbled, slumping forward on the desk.
"How about I give you detention on the first day o' school?" Bunnymund instantly shot back, walking to stand right in front of him.
Jack glanced up at him, and Bunnymund glared down at him.
"Don't think I won't, boy," he warned.
Jack gave him a fake smile in return. He would never admit it, but Bunnymund could be rather intimidating when he really wanted to be. And he definitely wanted to be right then.
Jack sat up in his chair and pretended to look attentive. Bunnymund, unconvinced, turned back around and walked back to the front of the classroom.
Jack slumped his way down the hall toward his next class, Language 11. He rubbed at his eye again, trying to avoid the small burning feeling that had built up since that morning. And by 'burning', he obviously meant his contacts were bothering him again and not that he felt like crying, because that wouldn't be true in the slightest. No, that'd be ridiculous. It wasn't like he had only two years left of high school and he hadn't yet to make a single friend…at least not one his own age. Now, he considered plenty of his little sister's friends to be his, as well, but as much fun he had with them, it was just weird that he didn't hang out with any of his own peers.
Jack turned the knob to the classroom and opened the door.
Before he stepped in, he let out a pathetic sigh.
"Oh, hey!" he heard as he entered. "Nice hair, is that-"
Jack shot a glare at the person standing behind the teacher's desk.
"Shut up, Tooth," he growled, and then narrowed his eyes, adding, "North told you to say that, didn't he?"
The woman standing in the empty classroom gave a mock gasp and folded her arms over her chest.
"Geez Louise," she called. "That's the last time I try to help you with anything."
Jack simply rolled his eyes and walked over to the desk before coming to a halt abruptly. He turned and eyed the woman a moment as she turned around and picked up a piece of chalk and started writing "Dr. Toothania" in large, cursive letters on the blackboard.
"Wait… What are you doing here? In Lang 11?" he questioned. "Are you subbing already? On the first day?"
Tooth glanced back with a sheepish grin.
"Well, it turns out Mr. Brookheimer is still on vacation," she explained. "Supposedly, he had a surfing accident and 'hurt his leg'."
Jack stifled a laugh, remarking,
"I see. Just like last year's skiing accident where he 'injured his back'?"
"I guess so," Tooth giggled in response. She placed the chalk back in the tray and turned around.
"That guy…" Jack shook his head with a laugh as he set his backpack on one of the desks in the front row. He looked over as the door opened and a few students came in. They scurried to the very back of the classroom, chatting quietly.
"So," Jack continued, looking back at Tooth, "then what are we doing until he gets back?"
Tooth smiled, her teeth sparkling as usual, and picked up a stack of papers off the desk in front of her.
"Oh, don't worry," she replied. "We've got important stuff to talk about."
Jack raised an eyebrow in confusion, asking,
"We do?"
Tooth gave another mock gasp and pouted,
"You know, the 'pen pal' project I told you about!"
Jack sank back, sitting on top of one of the desks. Of course; how could he even attempt to have forgotten? Tooth wouldn't shut up about her new pet project for even one minute over the summer.
"Oh, yeah…" he feigned remembering. "The whole 'talking to foreign strangers for a whole year' thing. Can't wait…"
Tooth noted the sarcasm in his voice and gave him a playful glare.
"Oh, hush," she told him. "I know you'll like it!"
"You say that about every one of these little projects you set up," Jack remarked. Well, it was true!
Tooth set the papers back down on the desk and placed her hands on her hips.
"Well, you're definitely gonna like this one!" she demanded sternly. "I can feel it!"
Jack snickered, adding,
"...in your belly?"
Tooth attempted to hold back a smile, but failed. She burst out in giggles and Jack grinned before he finally started laughing with her. She looked away, waving at him to stop. A couple more students walked in, finding their seats and seeming to just ignore the giggle-fest going on at the front of the classroom.
"Just go sit in your seat, will you?" Tooth finally managed to squeak out.
Jack took a deep breath and stood up, walking around to sit in the chair to his desk and scooting his backpack to the floor.
He was a bit interested in the pen pal idea at first, much like most of Tooth's other projects, but as time went on over the summer, Jack began to doubt anything would be different this time. Tooth always tried to pitch some educational reasoning behind each of these ideas, but he knew that she'd been trying nearly as hard as he was to just get him some friends. But, every year, it would fall through and end in disaster. The Marsville base would pop, the potted plant would get left outside too long and die, the egg would break, his partner would forget to show up. He'd heard every excuse in the book by now, and he dreaded the inevitable apology that would come from Tooth at the end of this year, just like every year, because it was going to go wrong. It always did, and Jack was convinced it always would.
The bell rang and Jack rested his head in his hand. No matter what he knew would happen, he would have to pretend to be excited about this new project. Why? Because Tooth was almost like his sister-other than his actual sister-and he couldn't let her think she was doing anything wrong. And, really, she wasn't. She was trying, and that was more than Jack could ever hope for from her or any of the boarders. He never asked for help, but Tooth would always offer it. He never asked for a break, but Bunny would always know when to lay off. He'd never go to North for advice, but he'd always bring it when he needed it most. Even Sandy was always sympathetic, regardless of the fact that he never actually said anything. And Manny… well, North assured him that he cared, but he never really talked to Jack because he was "too busy," but whatever. The point was he could always find what he needed in that rickety, old boarding house he shared with far too many teachers, a school board director, a principal, and a dentist...who also happened to be a substitute teacher. Oh, and his sister, Emma, of course.
Jack sank back in his chair as Tooth started class. He may not have had any friends, but at least he had a family. So, there was that.
"Now, each student in the eleventh grade will be assigned a student from any number of European countries," Tooth explained, looking down at the papers on the desk, sorting through a stack of brochures and moving around the the front of the desk. "Oh, isn't that exciting?!" she suddenly squealed. "There's so many to choose from! Why, there's France, and Germany, ooh, and Italy, Spain, Switzerland, Norway-"
Jack cleared his throat, and leaned forward on his desk before asking,
"Hey, teach, could you just get to the 'assigning' part?"
Tooth giggled, replying,
"Oh, silly me… Sure thing, Jack."
She turned back and grabbed the stack of pamphlets off the desk and held them up.
"Now, these little pamphlets each have a card in them," she explained. She walked down the aisles of desks around the room, depositing a pamphlet on each students' desk as she passed them. "The pamplet will describe the country and school your penpal is attending. The card will have their name, age, gender-that sort of thing."
Jack took the brochure as she handed one to him and looked down at it. He furrowed his eyebrows, commenting,
"This isn't in English."
Tooth spun around and smiled, remarking,
"Very observant, Jack!"
Her voice wavered, emphasizing the sentence in a way that made it all sound odd. Jack cringed, glancing over and muttering,
"Please stop saying my name like that."
Tooth turned to the class and clapped her hands together.
"Did anyone else notice the different languages on your pamphlets?" She announced. "That's your first assignment, to figure out which language your pen pal will be using to contact you."
A number of irritated groans and annoyed whispers sounded from all the students around Jack. Some idiot in the back cried out,
"Wait, they don't speak English?"
Jack face-palmed. Somebody must have just woken up, huh?
"There are several languages used all around the world," Tooth replied boldly, "and it'll be your job this year to learn a new one!"
The same voice in the back sounded again, repeating,
"So...they don't speak English?"
Tooth's smile fell.
"...no," she replied, her enthusiasm having dissipated.
Jack sat up. Can't these people at least pretend to be interested, like he was doing?
"How are we supposed to write to them if they don't know English?" Another student asked.
Tooth instantly perked up, smiling as she responded,
"All of you will write your messages in English, and your pen pals will write their corresponding messages in their native language."
She leaned back against the teacher's desk, continuing,
"When you receive your letter, it'll be your job to translate the message correctly so that you can communicate with your pen pal properly. And they will be doing the same by learning your native language-English!"
"Are we getting graded on this?"
"Can we just use Google?"
The questions started coming from all over the room.
"Uhh, well," Tooth replied, "you won't be graded on accuracy. It's just your job to make contact once a week during the first semester, once a month over the second semester."
She stood back up and grinned widely, adding,
"And then, in May, we can have a little presentation about the country your pen pal is from, the language they speak, and what you learned about them as a person."
Jack blinked. He could have sworn he saw Tooth wink at him at that last line.
"Can we keep in touch after the school year's over?" A girl asked from right behind Jack.
Tooth smiled wide.
"Oh, yes! Of course!" She told them, "The project will be done through your school e-mail, so if you want to contact them at the end of the year and use your personal e-mail, that's perfectly okay!"
"What about Skype?" Another girl from across the room asked.
Tooth opened her mouth to reply, but stopped short and closed it again, biting her lip. She glanced over at Jack and whispered to him,
"...Jack, what's Skype?"
Jack rolled his eyes with a smirk.
"It's the video chat thing that makes the bubbly noises," he told her, giving her a look that clearly said 'your age is showing'.
Tooth gasped as she recalled what Jack assumed was that time he showed her the app on his computer that he always turned on but never used.
"Ohhh!" Tooth responded, "Oh, right! Yes! Oh, that'd be great for final presentations, meeting your pen pal face-to-face over the World Wide Web! How exciting!"
Jack let out a laugh at her reaction.
"Just can't wait to get started," he said with as little sarcasm as possible.
Tooth jumped up, hands clapping together one last time, and smiled, saying,
"Ooh, then let's head over to the media center and get set up, shall we?"
Jack listened to the clattering of students getting out of their seats, books closing, desks moving. He glanced down at the pamphlet in his hands. The red, white, and blue flag at the top was somewhat reassuring, but as he opened the brochure and read the small card inside, his frown returned.
"Hiccup? What kind of name is Hiccup?"
This is a new AU, so please review and let me know if you like it so far!
-Orb