A fanfiction I wrote for my dear friend Miundy-foxy (. tumblr . com).
Also published on my tumblr blog (dreamworksroulette).
Pairing: Hijackson
Counting Sheep
Clouds of mist left his mouth as he exhaled, closing his eyes when he refilled his lungs with the cold and stinging air. The auburn haired boy opened his eyes again, facing the night sky which was already painted with stars. Hiccup's brows furrowed and he lowered his gaze before he slowly closed the blinds of the counterwindow. He turned around and wiped his grime-covered hands on his apron before he took it off and hung it on the hook, rather absentmindedly.
His mind was occupied, thinking about the cold and how he was safe from it in here but that there were people outside at this time of day who were probably freezing. Sure, he had to go out there after he had quenched the fire and leave the comfortable warmth the forge had to offer but he would be home within the blink of an eye while others had to stay out in this rather cold autumn night until sun was rising. Of course he didn't really think about all the people out there but a certain someone who was out there on the field, guarding the sheep.
The image of a chestnut haired boy with stunning brown eyes and the most beautiful smile became clearer in his head when he blew out the fire, the small flying embers reminding him of those clear eyes when the sunset got reflected in them.
The action of quenching the fire created a whizzing sound, smoke emitting from it's former source, the remaining embers slowly dying until Hiccup stood there in complete silence and darkness.
As he watched the fire dying slowly he couldn't help it but chew on his lips, a look of worry on his face. Did Jack have a fire? Could he keep himself warm? Was he cold and shivering out there?
These were some of the thoughts that bothered him. He released a sigh before he grabbed his furry vest and slipped into it. If he would have known that the night would be that cold maybe he would have brought something warmer. But this was the tricky part about autumn: While the days could be rather mild or even warm at times...the night was even colder.
The teen shut the door behind himself, starting to shudder immediately since the contrast between the warmth of the forge and the cold outside was quite big. Still he made sure to lock the smithy before walking off towards his home where a warm crackling fire and his bed were waiting for him. But he couldn't look forward to it, because his thoughts were still with his boyfriend.. What if Jackson was as unprepared for the cold weather as he was? He couldn't just leave and get something warmer to wear and head back afterwards. Not while the sheep were still out on the field.
Another heavy sigh escaped his mouth as he quickly vanished into his and his father's hut, his muscles that had tensed up because of the cold relaxing immediately. Stoick was sitting in front of the fire, looking a little tired. They greeted each other and exchanged a few words about their day which Hiccup had spent in the forge only. His father asked him if he wanted some of the leftovers but the teen refused – which ended in a short scolding concerning his eating habits – and then told his father good night.
When he got to his room he flopped down on his straw-filled mattress, still fully dressed. His eyes were fixed on the window and his forest green eyes narrowed a little. He didn't like to admit it but with every passing minute he got more worried about the joyful part-time shepherd.
It wasn't like it was the first time that the other shepherds had asked Jack to help them out, not at all. Since the oldest of the shepherds had a lot of troubles with his legs and his back since a small incident in early summer they asked for help every now and then and Jack had always been happy to help out. He always told Hiccup that he didn't just do it because his family needed the money but because the job was rather fun as well. But as far as he could remember Jack never had to guard the sheep at night and especially not when it was so chilly outside.
Damn, he couldn't stop thinking about it. Yes, he was tired from the loads of work he had managed to finish today but turning off his mind seemed to be impossible. He didn't even bother when he heard how his father got ready for bed and the usually slightly annoying snores that filled the hut.
Hiccup started to nibble on his lips, his room now completely dark since the light of the fire wasn't big enough to shine through the small gap between the floor and the door. He hadn't bothered to light a candle earlier either so only the stars and the moon that were shining bright enough to barely light up the room.
At this rate he never would be able to sleep!
What if Jack was shivering? If he had blue lips that were trembling and numb fingers which made it hard to hold the shepherd's staff?
What if he had fallen asleep and the sheep were running away because there was no one to give orders to the sheepdogs?
Or what if Jack would freeze to death in his sleep and never wake up again?
Or even catch a cold?
Either way, he was probably in trouble! (And no, he wasn't exaggerating, not at all!)
Within the blink of an eye Hiccup was back on his feet. Good that he hadn't bothered to take off his artificial leg just yet!
It took him a few more moments to make out all the surroundings in the dark before he started to move and collected the things he thought could be useful. Things like furs and blankets and not to forget 'Mr-Dead-Ferret', how Jackson loved to call his furry coat. One could say a lot about this coat, that it smelled odd and looked like...well, a dead ferret. But despite all of the disadvantages it had one big advantage: It kept him warm.
Silently he sneaked out of his room, hit by the fading warmth of the almost burned out fire. The remaining embers lit the room barely and Hiccup's eyes rested on the counter in their tiny kitchen. Didn't his father say something about leftovers? He hesitated for a second before he groaned with a roll of his eyes, mumbling something about "He'll owe me something..." before walking up to the kitchencounter, checking what was in the bowls and on the plate that his father had prepared for him earlier.
He took the boiled eggs and shoved them into his satchel, the loafs of bread followed and at last he wrapped the chicken drumsticks into a dishtowel and hoped it wouldn't taste bad afterwards. After he had shoved everything into his satchel it hung heavy at his side.
Before leaving he had picked up the blankets and furs again that he had placed on the table so that he could get the food, arranging them in his arms before finally leaving the house. Hit by the cold he remembered that he had forgot about keeping himself warm. With an annoyed grumble he placed everything on the ground and slipped into Mr-Dead-Ferret, immediately feeling a little better. Then he picked everything back up, huffing a silent "Why am I doing this again?".
He looked up to the sky. The moon and the stars were shining rather bright by now which was actually really helpful considering that he had to find his way to the field.
He had been there only once and that was quite some time ago, when Jack insisted to show him where he was working.
Hiccup knew that there was a shortcut through the woods, one that Jack couldn't take when he had to take out the sheep. Also he wasn't sure if he wanted to go through the dark forest. He was still new here in town and even though it had been a few months since he had moved here with his father he didn't really have the time to explore the forest, let alone get to know it better. He would probably get lost.
So the long way it was. It took the blacksmith some time to find the right way and more than just once he had to take a break. Carrying all the things made him feel hot and now that he was wearing the fur coat it caused him to curse that it was doing its job. Also it made him think that his plan wasn't as well-wrought as he would have liked it to be.
After walking quite a while Hiccup felt exhaustion crawling over him. He had been working in the forge all day long after all and it was already late. So it was more than a pleasant view when he finally saw white little dots in the distance. He had found the flock! So it wasn't far anymore. And now that he knew that he was close to Jack it lifted his spirits.
A few more minutes of walking and he was finally close to the sheep, eyes holding out for he boy with the chestnut brown hair.
He stopped when he suddenly heard a deep growl right in front of him. Startled he looked down, just to find one of the herding dogs in a defensive posture, baring its teeth. How could he forget about that?
He must look rather suspicious, approaching the flock in the dark just like that? Oh well done Hiccup.
The dog barked at him and he took a step back, the noise causing a few of the sleeping animals to open their eyes and a few even got to their feet, alarmed by ruckus the dog made.
"Calm down, I won't do anything." he said as soothingly as possible, taking another step back. But the dog didn't listen, starting to circle him slowly and before the boy knew it the second and third dog joined the first one.
"I'm not a thief..." Hiccup continued, slowly getting nervous. "I won't steal one of your sheep, I promise...!" he added but the dogs started to growl at him even louder.
He gulped, already imagining how the pointy teeth sunk into his flesh while one of the dogs, the leader probably, got into lurking position.
Hiccup brought his hands up in defence, the blankets and furs that he had held in his arms until now falling to the ground. He squeezed his eyes shut, already awaiting the pain when a loud and unusual strict voice cut through the sound of barking and growling.
"Captain! Colonel! General! Stand."
Hiccup didn't dare to open his eyes, not until he heard the growling changing into obedient whining he peeked through his eyelids, arms lowering when his eyes fell on a far too familiar figure that was leaning onto his shepherd's staff while petting one dog after the other.
"Good job guys! I'm proud of you Captain for reacting so fast and wow, Colonel, your bark is like an alarm bell itself! And General, you have to be more alarmed or our wooly little friends could get into trouble if you neglect your side. But nice strategy in keeping the enemy in place."
Jackson's voice was really appreciating. Hiccup could only raise his eyebrows and lower his arms, standing there rather dumbfounded as he watched how the beasts with the weird names were wagging their tails proudly.
"But please no killing my boyfriend, okay buddies?"
The dogs tilted their heads, wagging their tails even harder. Hiccup was convinced that it didn't matter what Jack was saying to them as long as he said it in this vocal range.
"And now..."
Jack straightened himself and gave them a serious look. To Hiccup it was always weird to see Jack with this kind of expression on his face. He only wore it when he had to scold Mary or when they were about to have a fight. And obviously when he had to command the dogs.
Jack lifted a finger and the mere movement brought tension into their bodies, causing them to sit up straight, cocking their ears and ready to receive any kind of command.
"Captain, Colonel. Cast." Jack commanded and Hiccup tried to recall what it meant. Jackson and him had spent an entire afternoon trying to learn the commands for the herding dogs.
Stand was easy. It meant to stop. (Or when said gently to slow down...good that Jack had used the strict voice, otherwise the dogs would have killed him slowly. He shuddered at the thought.)
Cast...well, not that hard either. Cast meant to gather the stock in a group.
"General. Away to me."
Go to the right of the stock...or counterclockwise around them.
And off they ran, Captain, Colonel and General taking in their positions to calm and guard the sheep.
Seeing Jack using those words in action was kind of thrilling. Also it made him a little proud that their hours of learning had come in handy.
The young blacksmith winced when glistening brown eyes were suddenly resting on him, Jackson's attention now just belonging to him. Hiccup found himself clenching and unclenching his hands, pressing his lips together, avoiding eye contact, playing with his fingers. Now that the excitement (and slight fear) had settled he saw what a fool he actually had been.
Jack was perfectly fine. He did his job diligently. He didn't fall asleep. Neither did he seem to be cold...he was actually wearing a thick, leathery brown cloak which Hiccup had never seen on him before. It gave him the appearance of a real shepherd.
Gods, why was he even worried in the first place?
"Hiccup, what are you doing here?" he heard him ask, still having a slightly surprised but beaming smile on his face as he stepped closer.
He slowly lifted his shoulders just to let them fall back down again, shrugging.
"Well...I thought your dogs could need a snack so I thought this beefy guy here would do."
Of course he made sure to accompany his lousy excuse with the most exaggerated movements of his arms, causing Jack to laugh and roll his eyes.
Jack knew Hiccup almost to well by now, the blacksmith thought, but he knew Jack just as well. Jack could tell that Hiccup was embarrassed. And Hiccup could tell that Jack could tell and had decided to not tease him with it...yet.
The auburn haired boy bent down, feeling much better now that he didn't have to look Jack in the eyes anymore and started to pick up the blankets and furs he had dropped earlier.
He started to mutter and curse under his breath, scolding himself while grabbing one after another. Once more he was caught off guard today when a tanned hand covered his, keeping him from picking up the last (smelly) fur, longer fingers entangling with his.
Hiccup looked up, slightly startled by the sudden contact, and again green eyes met warm brown...just a little closer than before.
"Hey" Hiccup heard him gently say, "Now tell me the truth. What are you doing here in the middle of the night, causing a ruckus?"
Jack straightened himself up to his full height and Hiccup automatically did the same, shrugging again, having some trouble to keep all the furs and blankets in just one arm.
Jack, noticing Hiccup's small struggle with them, let go of the freckled hand and pulled a few of them towards him, shifting his staff a little so that he could hold them in both arms. Hiccup just let it happen, watched how Jack helped him to carry the weight before he slowly got back to his normal self. Gods, what was wrong with him today? He quickly bent down and picked up the fur up and when he got up he saw a wide pearly grin on Jack's face that let him gulp, adjusting his fingers nervously.
"What?" he asked suspiciously, raising an eyebrow while Jack shifted his weight casually, keeping up the cocky attitude.
"Sooo..." the shepherd started and Hiccup already knew this couldn't be good for him. "You came all the way out here in the middle of the night, carrying all those blankets..." he trailed off, giving Hiccup time to react...but the blacksmith only pressed his lips tightly together, fingers playing with the fabric between his fingers.
Please, he thought, don't say it out loud.
Hiccup didn't like it to be cheesy. He didn't want Jack to know that he was worried sick about him. He wasn't sure why it bothered him so much, but it did. Maybe it was because these small things showed what a big part Jack already played in his life and how much he cared...and especially how much he loved that boy.
So he just kept quiet and waited for Jack to go on, glancing carefully up into his eyes.
Jack almost looked a little disappointed for a second. But he wouldn't be Jackson Overland if he wouldn't go straight back to his cheery attitude.
"So...tell me, is this one of your weird traditions from where you lived before or did you actually worry about me?"
Even though Jack had said it out loud it wasn't something he could care about now, and he couldn't keep in a snort either.
"Yes Jack, we people from Berk always take our blankets for a walk." he answered, rolling his eyes.
Jack chuckled and shrugged a little.
"You never know...!"
And then, before Hiccup could give him another sarcastic remark Jack leant in for a kiss.
Hiccup's brain stopped worrying immediately, better said stopped working completely. His eyelids fluttered shut and he stepped a little closer, his fingers curling deeper into the fur and fabric. A silent sigh escaped Jack, causing Hiccup to sigh as well, just to smile against the taller male's lips just a second after.
The kiss ended just as surprisingly as it had started. Jack pulled back, smiling at Hiccup who only opened his eyes slowly, giving a sheepish smile back.
"Okay, now that that's settled lets sit down." Jack suggested, making a small movement with his head towards the fire place Hiccup hadn't paid attention to yet.
With every passing second he wanted to give himself a slap in the face. Of course Jack was capable of making a fire. Of course he had provided himself with food that was boiling a little over the fire in a tiny cauldron.
Considering all of this it was good that Jack held his hand, otherwise he really would have slapped his palm against his forehead.
Why in the name of the Gods had he been so oblivious about Jack's surviving skills? (Maybe because he was thinking about the boy who actually managed it to break his fingers when stumbling, but alright, he wasn't any better.) Still, this wasn't how it was supposed to be, better said how he was supposed to be...!
His attention got drawn back to Jack when he let the furs fall with a silent and dull sound. Hesitantly he did the same. Jack slowly sat down on a view of them, never letting go of the freckled hand and just a blink of an eye later Jackson had pulled him down to sit next to him. The chestnut haired boy shifted, so that he leant with his back against a big oak, one of the only trees spread on the field. Then he pulled Hiccup close as well, wrapping an arm around the smaller frame and nuzzled his cheek.
"Thank you anyways." he whispered, pecking the freckled cheek before slowly looking away, checking if the dogs had obeyed his orders and if the sheep were okay. Hiccup couldn't help it but admire Jack, how he was still thinking about his duties while holding him in his arms like this.
Hiccup shifted a little, about to relax against the other when he noticed his bag still hanging around his shoulder. He sat up and pulled the satchel off his shoulder, shoving it towards Jack without a word, opened it and pulled out the food. "I dare you to say something..." he whispered, a hint of played danger in his voice as he nudged his boyfriend.
Confused at first he looked down before a content grin spread on Jack's lips. "You know that it's a bad idea to challenge me." he whispered back. But he knew when not to fool with Hiccup. So he pulled him closer again, arm tightly wrapped around him while taking some food with the other.
Even if Jack brought something to eat, he could never have enough. He knew how it was to have nothing to eat and when he had to give his sister his share so that the girl wouldn't starve. So he always ate as much as possible if he had the opportunity, being grateful for every little crumb. Sure, these times had been a while ago, when his father had just died and his family had trouble to keep themselves alive...but now everything was better. Still he couldn't get rid of the habit to urge down whatever he could get.
At least he could be of a little use, Hiccup thought as he started to relax against Jack's shoulder which was by far too comfortable. He listened to the silent sounds Jack made, how he ate and how, after that, a comfortable silence fell between them.
While Jack was keeping an eye out for the sheep Hiccup's eyes were resting on the fire which grew a little smaller with time. When Jack noticed the shudder running down Hiccup's spine he let go of his shoulder, which caused Hiccup's eyes to open again. A little confused at first he looked at Jack, wondering why he had shoved him away.
"What are you doing?" he asked silently as his tired eyes watched how Jack reached out for one of the remaining furs and pulled it closer.
He tilted his head and watched how Jack placed the fur over his shoulder, then leant back against the tree and then opened his arms widely, beaming a smile at Hiccup.
"Come here!"
Before Hiccup could hold it back a chuckle left his mouth and a roll of his eyes followed.
"Come on, I'll be your comfy pillow!" Jack added with a wink.
Hiccup groaned, trying to act annoyed in a playful manner before he skidded closer, now sitting between Jack's legs. This time he was resting with his entire back against the shepherd's body instead of just his head on his shoulder. Two arms that held on to a blanket embraced him right away. Now the two of them were covered in warmth of the fur and Hiccup was additionally surrounded by the heat radiating from Jackson.
"Comfortable indeed." Hiccup mumbled, exhaling heavily as he placed his hand on Jack's, absentmindedly caressing the back of the other's hand with his thumb.
He smiled at the silent chuckle close to his ear. Even though he had made a fool out of himself it had been worth it.
Like this he could at least spend time with Jack, could have the boy all to himself. Also he could keep Jack from falling asleep throughout his shift, just as planned.
The only problem with that was that Hiccup started to doze off himself. He didn't notice it at first, but when his head dropped a little to the side his heavy eyes shot back open.
Woah. No!
He had to stay awake with Jack! Or better said for Jack. Or maybe just for himself to be able to enjoy his presence to its fullest.
So he just hoped that Jack hadn't noticed anything. To cover his little faux-pas he adjusted himself, his head resting now a few millimeter net to the spot from before. Perfect cover!
From that moment on Hiccup had to force himself to stay awake. Whenever he felt his eyelids becoming too heavy he pinched himself. But this only helped for a few minutes before he had to do it again. Sometimes his head became too heavy though, and again it dropped a little to the side or forwards.
Of course it wasn't necessary to mention that Jack noticed Hiccup's gawky attempts to stay awake. At the beginning it had been amusing, even adorable...in the end Jackson couldn't help it but sigh silently.
"Could it be that you are tired, Hic?" Jack asked with a raised eyebrow, tightening his grip around the smaller frame.
Hiccup – who had been about to doze off again – jumped a little.
"Tired? Who? Me?!" he blurted out, eyes wide and wandering around as if haunted.
Jack had to press his lips tightly together to not start laughing about it.
"No, I am not tired."
"No?"
"No."
"Why not? It's late."
"You're not tired either."
At that Jack rolled his eyes and a small huff escaped his lips.
"Because I have to work. And I slept throughout the day."
Hiccup didn't react to that right away, trying to find an argument that would make sense. Jack could feel how he struggled with his hands under the fur blanket as if he could simply grasp the words out of the air. But his hands dropped and Hiccup's shoulder slouched a little.
"Still not tired."
Jack groaned silently, the back of his head bumping against the tree he was leaning against.
"I'm here to support you at work, so I'll stay awake."
Jack's eyebrows raised at that explanation in surprise before a blissful expression made its way on his features. That stupid stubborn adorable Hiccup. Why could he never just say what he was actually feeling or thinking?
Would it have been so hard to tell him that he wanted to spend as much time with Jack as possible? The answer was easy: Yes, probably.
"Alright Hiccup..." Jack started after a moment of silence which had given him the time to think of something.
His brown eyes that had been fixed on the star-painted sky throughout that progress lowered to the messy auburn hair right below his chin, knowing that Hiccup was all ears now.
"Then how about you help me to count the sheep?"
Hiccup tilted his head back to be able to see Jack's face, maybe up-side-down but however.
"Are you kidding me?"
"No, I'm not." Jack answered quickly, a little caught off guard by the exhausted expression on the freckled face.
Hiccup was – at times – a fool. The shepherd knew exactly that Hiccup had been working in the forge and he was also aware that it was an grueling and exhausting work. Also he had to work there tomorrow as well and he – as the reasonable and responsible boyfriend he was – couldn't allow it that Hiccup worked with hot metal and fire when he was completely tired out. Too dangerous. So he had to do something about it, right? Right.
"I have to count them every now and then to make sure that no sheep went missing, soo..." Jackson trailed off, gently poking the skinny boy into the side.
"...are you going to help me or not?"
Hiccup gave him a suspicious look before tilting his head back down into its former position.
"Okay, how are we going to do this?"
Even his voice sounded tired and Jack really had to keep himself from rolling his eyes over and over again.
He sighed silently, slowly pulling one arm out from under their cover.
"Well, we start to count over there and stop over there." he explained, hand following his words, pointing from one side to the other. "And then we hope that no sheep ran away after the trouble you caused earlier." he joked, what earned him a nudge of Hiccup's elbow into his belly.
While Jack groaned silently a nod from Hiccup followed. All the blacksmith wanted was to be of good use, no matter what kind of weird job Jack gave him to do.
"One, two, three, four, five..." Hiccup started to mutter under his breath and Jack listened quietly with a smile locked on his lips. He didn't count with the other, instead he paid attention to his voice that constantly died away a little more.
And after a few more moments, in which Hiccup had counted to twenty two, the freckled boy fell completely silent, his body relaxing so that he was finally resting heavily against Jackson. Said boy chuckled quietly, gently placing his hands on the blacksmith's belly and let his thumb gently stroke over the linen-fabric of the green tunic.
Now that silence had returned to the meadow Jack found himself not really caring if Hiccup was asleep or not as long as he could hold him like this. Neither did he care about the possibility of Hiccup maybe getting angry with him for playing this trick on him.
Because just like Hiccup worried about Jack, Jackson worried about Hiccup.
And they both had to take care of each other, no matter how.
Even if it meant to count sheep together.