So here's the thing, I've been emotionally drawn and attached to the Hijack fandom on a lever that is not considered healthy, but I've been so upset 'cause I never got around to actually write something, but THIS TIME, THIS TIME FOR SURE.
So this is a Deaf!AU, where Jack is deaf and Hiccup have to use sign language to talk to him, which I personally think is really adorable.
But what is a fanfic without a little angst and a bit of small hindrance before the happy ending, hmn?
Warning; Hijack (BoyxBoy) No like no read. Not your cup of tea, then don't bother with this.
Disclaimer; I don't own How to train your dragon or Raise of the guardians.
"Jack, what are you hiding from me?" Hiccup ask subtly, yet staring intensely at his oblivious boyfriend exposed backside, knowing fully well that the man in question neither heard nor actually could answer his obvious heated accusation.
It wasn't that he couldn't answer per se, Jack had a fierce and mischievous personality which often provided him with witty and snarky remarks, almost challenging Hiccup's own sarcastic demeanour and character, which the auburn boy had never thought of being possible until his encounter with the older male at his early freshman years.
No the problem was that even if the duo understood each other perfectly fine, it was the simple fact that Jack just couldn't hear what he or Hiccup was uttering.
Sure it had been a bit of a bitch in the beginning when they'd became acquaintance since Hiccup didn't know any sign language at all, however Hiccup wasn't known to get up and leave once facing a hindrance in life, especially if said hindrance hindered him from getting closer to the ridiculously attractive albino boy.
And now, 10 years later with both being the age of 25, Hiccup could practically foretell what kind of signs his boyfriend would make before making them only by judging how his hands tensed or how his fingers stretched. Yep, born into a family with famous stubbornness demeanour sure had Hiccup thankful that he heritage at least some, if maybe only the obstinate part of it, from the fearless and meaty Vikings.
This is also how Hiccup came to know that something was very wrong with his sudden-far-too-quiet-and-far-too-much-absent flat mate.
There was second to none charisma behind Jack's obnoxious pranks anymore, there was no more twitching in Jacks pale hands that signified that he was eager to share his growing life experience. The few times the duo actually encountered each other at home was only then met with either a quick wave accompanied with a tired smile or a simple nod. He was tired, which didn't come as a surprise for the brunette.
On more than one occasion had Hiccup caught Jack slipping out of their shared king sized bed, in an far too ridiculously early hour too mind you, and silently sneaked out through the front door, and topping it off with that he only got home when Hiccup was coincidentally already in bed. They made sure to hold their usually endless conversations to a minimum, only because Hiccup knew that Jack wasn't keen or awake enough to hold a proper talk-to-talk-catch-up-sort of conversation.
Well those times are over now. This time Hiccup had decided he'd had enough of this sneaky shit his boyfriend was putting up such an effort to hide, so this night he'd been staying up and waiting impatiently on their sofa for the albino man to come home so they could finally brake down this barrier that the both of them unconsciously had built up.
But now that Jack was there and standing right in front of him, Hiccup was debating on whether to leave the matter be or not. Sure he was growing frustrated with each passing day, but maybe this obnoxious 'period' of nonchalantly ignoring each other for weeks was coming to an end now.
'No.' Hiccup told himself. 'This is exactly why you need to confront him now, or else you'll never know.'
The previous line of thoughts had since weeks ago inhabited themselves in his naïve brain when this whole circus started, which is why he hadn't gotten his wits together and gone up to ask him what was going on until now. He knew it was continuously growing worse the more he ignored it, and it didn't help him ease his mind when his boyfriend didn't bring it up the matter when he was certain that said boyfriend would.
So here he was; finally about to confront the other in the middle of the night.
Giving a frustrated sigh Hiccup placed a slight tanned hand on Jack's paler shoulder that silently shook upon the surprised contact and he briskly turned around, facing the silhouette of a freckled face dressed in a light green shirt and black boxers.
The taller male smiled tiredly and physically relaxed then; signing a lazy "you scared me" once he'd flipped the lights on and turned back to his boyfriend.
Hiccup offered his own crooked but apologetic smile and murmured out of habit a silent 'sorry' while signing his apology.
Unsurprisingly Jack took notice in that Hiccup seemed somewhat tense with his shoulder slightly raised, a defence 'mechanism' he'd notice the smaller male do whenever something bothered him.
Tilting his head in a silent motion known as a sign of worry, Jack scrunched his brows when the other male not only evaded his gaze but also said something without signing, effectively both worrying and confusing his boyfriend at the same time.
"What's wrong?" he tried, but yet again no answer was given from the other and Jack sighed while taking a small step towards the other.
The albino bent down and once he'd even out their heights difference he gently yet determinedly cupped Hiccups chin with his thumb and forefinger, forcing the auburn male to face him again while Jack repeated his earlier action of worry.
This time Jack could visibly see and physically feel how much bent up exhaustion and emotions Hiccup was holding back, also a bad habit of his that Jack had thought was done and dealt with in the past.
Apparently not.
"We need to talk." Hiccup signed, although Jack had already foretold that they would be considering the way he was acting.
The paler boy either way gave a questioning look then smiled somewhat apologetically as he gestured to his still bare torso, signing mutely that he'd hurry to grab a shirt from his drawer once he noticed the very real stern serious expression on his boyfriends usual cheerful, yet relaxed, feature.
Once the duo were seated Jack instinctively hopped further to his companions side, letting their knees touch in a friendly manner they both had come accustomed to. However to Jacks surprise Hiccup didn't seem to have the glint of affection he usually beamed with once they touched, more shockingly so Hiccup actually seemed to shift and lean away from him.
Now Jack was beginning to worry. Like, seriously worry.
Hiccup inhaled deeply, lips forming a thin line as he forcefully collecting himself and letting the tension welling inside of him subdue with every breath.
'Let's just get it over with and go straight to the point.' He thought determinedly and turned to face his anxious looking flat mate.
"You're hiding something from me." He signed swiftly, simply and with ease, something that years of practising and learning do, yet for some reason the signs felt heavier than any words he'd ever spoken in his entire life.
Hiccup wasn't surprised when the other didn't give an immediate response, and since Jack looked slightly baffled and hesitant it only strengthened Hiccups accusation and squashed his earlier doubts into none existing.
His hand was hesitant, clinching and shaking slightly in what Hiccup debated was either an act one do when getting caught or when showing anger. Though anger didn't quite fit in the moment so Hiccup decided it must be the first.
"I'm not hiding—" he tried but Hiccup was quick to cut him off by signing a very stiff and slightly angered "No!"
"You've been distant, leaving in the early hour and not gotten back home until when the moon has risen. Don't tell me that nothing is going on because I know there is."
There was really no turning back now, even if Hiccup felt slightly guilty for taking the act of being far more angrier than he actually was, although he knew quite well that Jack was just as persuasive and stubborn as he was, so he'd had to be cautious and keeping a keen eye on what Jack was signing to not let anything get past him
Meanwhile the albino shifted uncomfortably on his seat, seemingly getting rather curious of the synchronized pattern on their black and greyish rug on the wooden floor.
Upon receiving no reply, Hiccup merely continued. "We've been together for almost 10 years, so it would be weird and wrong of me if I'd never noticed anything going on."
"Nothing is going on. There's nothing." Jack glanced up, not really daring to meet Hiccups mesmerizing green stare since he felt if he did he'd be doomed, so for now he kept his eyes on his boyfriends slightly twitching hands.
"Don't think of me like I'm some kind of an idiot, Jack." He signed; taking a while longer to form the words as he got slightly taken aback by how much his partner's words had hurt him. Didn't Jack trust him enough to tell him? Was there a reason he couldn't know, because Hiccup was more than a hundred percent sure that there was something Jack was hiding.
"I'm not. I'd be practically saying that I'm a much bigger idiot than you if I did, considering that you're working for the mass-producing company of hi-techy-stuff and got all A's when we went to school." He sneered slightly at that, giving a restrained and crooked laugh while still yet not daring to look up from Hiccups freckled hands. "I'd be slightly hypocritical then, right?"
While Jack was seemingly trying to lighten up the mood, Hiccup was nowhere near amused by his behaviour.
"Don't try to change the subject, you know how I hate that."
The albino's shoulder shook lightly in a laughing gesture, apparently finding Hiccup's words far more hilarious than what they were meant to be. Not that they were meant to be funny, but when it came to jokes and fun time Hiccup had no idea where Jack's sense of mental health were inhabited, or in this particular case, a sense of making-any-sense.
"Sure, but when it's about you its suddenly A-Okay. Jesus talking about being a hypocrite much."
Hiccup shook his head and frowned, already having gotten enough of Jack's childish attempt to avoid the matter.
"I want to know what's going on." he gestured sternly, not missing when Jacks' lips form a thin line from bemusement. "I know you're hiding something from me. There's no point in trying to talk your way out of this."
"Technically I'm signing." Jack sneered, probably feeling proud that he'd caught the error his boyfriend tended to rarely make.
"You know what I mean!" the brunette gestured frantically, rubbing at his temples and felt the slight throbbing of a headache slowly creeping up on him. "And also technically you just unknowingly confessed that there is something you're hiding."
"There is nothing to hide!" Jack signed tiredly, taking a small glance at his clock on his wrist and read 00:23. Gosh he was so darn tired...
Meanwhile Hiccup was starting to grow even more frustrated from his boyfriends' constant denial even though the evidence was practically sprawled on the table for everyone to see.
"Then please explain to me why you have to get up around 5 in the freaking morning when your shift doesn't even begin until 10? And also please tell me why you come home even later than usual when you 'apparently' start work even earlier than before."
Hiccup knew that he had him; he couldn't talk his way out of it this time around, and all be damned if Jack simply tried to ignore it once—
"Okay fine. I changed my schedule at work."
...Well Hiccup certainly didn't expect that as an answer.
"Why would you do that?" he ask, although not entirely convinced since he knew just how immensely persuasive Jack could be.
Jack however smiled somewhat sadly as he told his sheer purpose of it all.
"Tooth had a bit of an accident around 2-3 weeks ago, and she's been home resting since. Bunny, I and the other guys have to put a decent 210% of our effort into our work now since we're short on not only Tooth, but Jamie too. He broke a leg about 1 week ago."
"Jamie broke a leg?" Hiccup asks, now feeling slightly worried about his old high school friend. 'I had no idea...'
Sensing his boyfriends' worry Jack was quick to act and waved a hand in a gestured like "no worries."
"Jamie is a big boy, he'll manage. I actually think he's quite content with having broken a leg, given that he now has all this spare time to spend on reading books with." Jack smirked, relived to see Hiccup laugh, even if he couldn't hear it.
"Right, I think I'll still be visiting him either way sometime this week. You know, just to make sure he's alive."
Jack snorted as a reply, smiling contently as how quick the table's had turned into the better. Although he felt slightly worried for Hiccup since ever since he'd gotten that promotion since the beginning of the year, which was roughly 4 months ago, he'd been nothing but busy and stressed. No wonder he didn't know about Jamie or Tooth.
"But still Jack, this doesn't add up." The brunette signed after a while of thinking, now feeling a rush of anger wash over him again as he realized how well Jack had succeeded into dropping the subject so easily. "Even if you have more errands to do at work, it still doesn't explain as to why you have to work until midnight."
Jack tensed. Damn why this scrawny freckled brunette was so informative and just had to read between the lines...
"You are hiding something." He stated and Jack could practically feel the anguish pour out from the flecked man as he signed the simple statement.
Even now Jack hadn't faced him; he still didn't dare to, but if he were to guess what Hiccup expression were to be right at the moment, it would probably be showing sheer shock and betrayal.
"Hic, I'm telling you, it's nothing." Jack signed, having to spell each word carefully as to make sure and hope that Hiccup would believe them.
Suddenly Hiccup stood, towering over Jack in an intimidating manner, leaving Jack to wonder how his adorable and cute partner could look this fearsome.
"Don't 'Hic' me. Don't tell me it's nothing. Jack, I know you're lying to me!" He signed while he also spoke; making the albino feel himself to be much smaller than he already was for he knew that Hiccup was more than just angry.
"I'm not!" Jack signed frustrated, hotly standing up himself to gain back some of the control and feel, if only for a wee bit, less helpless and intimidated.
The brunette bit his lip, hands clinched together in a tight ball as he murmured something Jack couldn't quite comprehend.
"Promise me..." the shorter one began, but the sentence stayed incomplete for a while before he signed once more, this time looking more determined than before. "Promise me that you're not lying to me and that I have absolutely nothing to be worried about. Look me in the eyes and tell me that everything is okay."
The albino stared baffled for a moment, still not daring to meet the others gaze and only gaping like a fish without its water while desperately trying to come up with a good enough reply that his partner requested, but the more he thought the more time he wasted, this all equals to Hiccup growing even more woeful and feeling more betrayed than before. It was one thing not knowing; going only by guesses and 'what ifs' all the time, but now he knew Jack was hiding something and that it was clearly more important than Hiccup himself.
Hiccup averted his gaze downwards. "I see." He said aloud, not giving a second thought to sign it for the other who still looked just as culpable as earlier, If not even worse.
"I'll sleep in the guest room tonight." He stated softly, voice cracking slightly as he did so and he made his way past the other and towards the wooden door across the hall where the blank and colourless room awaited.
Funny, Jack didn't even try and stop him.
Well wasn't that just a bag full of sunshine and flowers?
Whelp, thank you for reading, and hopefully another chapter will be up soon!
Please do tell me my errors or simply what you think of the AU so far, because I'm more than sure that it will help me in more than one way! :)