Heavy breathing. It filled the small space quite nicely. Erratic, half with panic...the other half; a mix of excitement and disbelief. Two boys in a broom closet, dark and dusty, both grabbed for each other, groping in the darkness. Chapped lips pressed into damp ones, slim fingers ventured under opened blazers or carded through hair sometimes tugging roughly which only seemed to fuel the fire.
One of them gasped. A wandering, curious hand steadied itself on a hardening bulge, thumb toying with the zipper to black slacks.
"I think this is going to fast. M-maybe we should find somewhere...safer?" His voice came out hushed, slight and excited.
"Don't worry. I've done this a bunch of times here."
"O-oh…" He stepped back a bit.
"Look Jack, if you wanna back out. Nows the time. If we go any further, I don't think I'm going to able to stop."
Jackson Overland Jr. tried to steady his breath. He swallowed hard before nodding. Only to realize the other couldn't see that in this dark broom closet. So instead he stepped forward and pressed his slimmer body up against the broader one. A large hand with slim fingers grabs his backside and a mouth descended upon his throat. Jackson moaned loudly.
"Shh." is whispered into his ear. He stifled his own voice when the hand returned to his bulge, bolder. More pressure.
"J-jamie." Jack said hoarsely into the inky void. His slacks are getting tugged off and his tie is being loosened. Jackson had succumb to his hormones and the to tender touches of Jamie Bennett.
Just as Jackson loosened up, muscles relaxed the door to their broom closet is bursted open. The both scatter away from eachother, Jackson trips over the pants at his ankle and Jamie looks in horror at the door way. There stands his fellow student, Kozmotis and the school's headmaster Deacon Albrite.
"You two!" The deacon said low, voice trembling with disgust and rage. The lines in his old weathered face were deep and rigid. "With me. Now! You, mister Pichiner." Deacon Albrite turned to to tall slender boy by his side. He was pale and gangly. A wisp of a boy. "Get back to class."
"Of course sir." He said, a cruel smirk on his pale face. He looked at both Jamie and Jackson, smirk widening as dread set heavy in Jacksons eyes. He took his leave without another word.
"I said Now! Mister Overland!" Two swift steps forward, he grabbed at Jacks collar hoisting him up. "Pull up your trousers." Deacon Albrite turned to Jamie, grabbing onto his collar as well. "I'm incredibly disappointed in you."
That is how Jackson Overland Jr. found himself on a train to California, back to his parent's home after three years of not seeing them. Not a letter or postcard or phone call. The last time he had seen them was when he was accepted into Montford, they ushered him through the gates and didn't stay long enough to see that he was settled in.
He was told that his parents had been called and alerted that he was being expelled from Montfort Catholic School for Boys. His parents hadn't even wanted to speak to him, which had stung more than the entire incident. The looks and stares and angry slurs tossed at him as he made his way off the campus: by those he thought were friends.
The train ride through America's backland was hauntingly lonely. Nothing but roaming hills and the occasional wild animal. Jackson idly wondered how long he would actually be home before being shipped off to another private school. Probably not long at all, he mused.
It wasn't until he was halfway home, the first night on the train, while staring at the truly beautiful moon that he realized that if he would be going to another private school he would have to hide himself again.
No, No. No more of that. He determined, vowed.
No more hiding, or lying to himself or to anyone around him. He was gay. And that was...okay. Right? It had to be.
The next few days were a whirlwind. He sat in a guest room. He had chuckled a little when it dawned on him, he actually didnt have a room in his own home. His parents Jackson Overland Sr. and his step mother Miriam talked about which school would be best for Jack. The word "overseas" had popped up numerous times.
On his way to the bathroom he bumped into her, his sister. Half sister. She was somewhere between seven and eight years old. A good eight years younger than Jack. She looked down and moved out of the way. Jackson opened his mouth, to talk to her. He was ashamed to admit they had never really spoken to each other. He almost didn't remember her name. Sophie, he had to remind himself. She looked so much like their father. More than he, himself did.
His shoulders slumped and he closed his mouth, making his way to the bathroom. She scurried into her room and closed the door. He closed the door behind him. He looked at himself in the mirror. Mousy brown hair that was probably overdue for a trim. He wasn't allowed to have it to long at Montford. He wasn't allowed to style is, or wear whatever he wanted, get piercings or be who he wanted to be.
He was going to be shipped off to another private school with overbearing rules, and uniforms and…
Jackson ran out the door, not bothering to turn the light off or close to door behind him. Ran down the stairs two at a time, almost tripping on his shoe laces. He dashed into his father's study where he and Miriam looked at a computer screen, looking at picturesque photos of a campus.
"I don't want to go!" He shouted out of breath. "Please don't send me away again!"
His father had jumped slightly, Miriam had a slight sneer on her face. "Jackson, what are you talking about."
"Private school. I don't want to go. I want to stay here. Please."
"But Jack, don't you want the best education? Miriam and I have found a lovely school in Norway. It's lovely." His father smiled.
"Yes, you'll love it there. It snows all the time. You like the snow don't you?"
"I…" Jack stumbled, searching for the words. "I want you. I want my family! This is the longest I've been home since I was seven. Dad please…"
"Look Jack," Miriam stepped in front of the older Overland and looked into Jack's eyes. "You want to get into a good college, yes? Then you need to graduate from a good school with high marks. I mean, we'll have to keep your...preferences under wraps for the time being but…"
"No!" Jackson all but screamed. "I'm tired of that. I don't...I don't want to hide anymore. I don't want to be half a world away and not even know my sister. I..I don't even know when her birthday is. Dad, please."
"The older Overland let an even frown settle onto his face, brows creased. He hummed, and looked between his son and his wife. "Alright Jack. You'll be going to a public school then. Are you sure that is what you want?"
"Yes! Yes, Im sure." Jackson smiled brightly. Miriam, looked at her husband in mild surprise.
"Alright, go back up to the guest-erm, your room. we will take you shopping for clothes and school supplies later. There's a school about eight miles from here. Bella Academy. I'll see about getting you enrolled."
"O-okay! Thanks dad." He shuffled out of his fathers study, ignoring the harsh whispered words Miriam was spewing.
It was a few days later that Jack found himself in the bathroom, awful smelling goop sitting in his hair. While shopping with his father, Miriam had not wanted to go, he had snuck in hair dye in with the notebooks and pens and cardigans and colorful jeans he had picked out. He couldn't remember the last time he had dressed exactly the way he wanted to. His father had frowned slightly at all the pink and light blues that he had chosen but didn't say anything.
Jackson read the instructions one more time on the box labeled "Manic Panic, Flash Lightning Hair Bleach". He waited the recommended time before rinsing it out of his hair. Using a towel to dry it, he slowly removed it and watched as shockingly white hair revealed itself. He grinned at the results. It paired well with the blue contacts he had begged his father into getting for him. No more thick rimmed glasses he used to need to read.
This is who he was now. Look out world.
::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Hayden Haddock used to be a sweet, shy boy who loved dragons. He was a boy who was as sharp as a whip and took school seriously. He would sit in his undies on saturday mornings and watch cartoons and eat cereal. Spend all day with the Hamada brothers Hiro and Tadashi who had nicknamed him Hiccup since he was prone to hiccuping when drinking anything fizzy.
They would glue together scrap metal and other junk no one wanted. Making things and causing mischief. Valka would laugh and smile and grin at "her boys". They were all good influences on each other. And if Valka was being honest with herself giving Hayden over to tadashi was easier than finding a babysitter.
The elder of the brothers, Tadashi, was incredibly dependable and very reliable. It didn't hurt that Hiccup absolutely adored Tadashi.
"I'm gunna marry Tadashi when I grow up!" Hayden was ten when he told his mother this. Her eyes widened before she clasped her hand over her mouth to stifle her giggles.
"Is that so?
"No yer not." His father said from behind his newspaper. His mouth twisted into annoyed frown. You're going to meet a girl and have lots of babies."
"Oh Stoic, hes just a boy. It's a phase. He'll grow out of it." She patted Hayden's head. The boy pouted.
Valka learned, over the years, that Hayden did not grow out of it. He'd follow Tadashi around like a puppy. She thought it was cute, Stoic thought otherwise.
That was who Hayden was until he turned fifteen. It wasn't on his birthday, no sometime before that day. His mother took started almost overnight. She knew that when Tadashi went off to university they would drift apart but something between them changed drastically. Hayden seemed to suddenly want nothing to do with either of the Hamada brothers. Tadashi especially. Poor Hiro was at a loss with both his older brother and only other friend deserting him.
It was around that time that a new boy entered Hayden's life. His name was Dagur.
Dagur was a brute of a boy, two years older than Hayden and nearly twice his size. Crooked smile and crooked teeth. Tattoos and piercings and bad attitude. Hayden's father thinks its a "good idea" for Hayden to hang around someone tough, older. "Toughen my boy up, introduce him to girls. Better than being around those Hamada boys all the time." That thought immediately is lost when he walks in on them kissing on Hayden's bed.
"That boy is to never set foot in my house again! And you...I don't even want to look at you."
It drove them closer together, him and Dagur, his mother thinks. Things were never the same after that. Hayden took his meals into his room, seldom talked about his day. Came home with bruises and scowls.
"What happened? Are you alright?" His mother, Valka would fuss.
"I'm fine, fell off my skateboard." She would always hover over him when he was hurt. "Back off! I'm fine. Jeez." He'd storm up to his room and wouldn't be seen again till dinner. When he would grab his plate, not say a word to either her or his father and march back into his room. Valka would later find out that Hayden had been sneaking out of the house late at night to go God knows where.
She never mentioned it to Stoic. He finds out on his own. One night when he was called into the station incredibly early, earlier than he's usually up. he caught his son sneaking back into the house. Through a window. He was livid, but his fury erupted when he sees his son is sporting a hickey and piercings. Two on the right side of his lower lip and two more on the left side. The yelling wakes Valka up. She rushed to the scene, seeing Stoic angrier than she's ever seen the man. Face as red as his beard and spit firing from his mouth as he lobs insults at his son.
He was fury, he was rage, he was violence and he was directing himself at Hayden who, to her surprise, looked ready to fight. She jumped in between them.
That night had not ended well for any of them. Things were broken, thrown into walls and off tables onto hardwood floors. Family portraits of happier times destroyed. The police were called and Stoic was taken away. They both had bruises for weeks. Valka wasn't sure what to do with her son after that day, so she let him be.
Hayden had been...relieved? No, he wasn't sure what the right word for it was. There probably wasn't one word to describe what happened between him and his father. But now he was gone and his mother just stared absently all day. She didn't hover, hardly cooked anymore and spent longer days than normal at the clinic where she worked. Let Hayden do whatever he wanted. He wasn't sure if thats what he wanted-needed. But he would take advantage of it for as he could. He partied with Dagur, drunk till he puked. Snuck into clubs and occasionally stole things. And sex, he found that to be the best part. He had sex with Dagur whenever he pleased or, well, whenever Dagur wanted. But that was fine. That's what being in a relationship was anyway. Pleasing eachother.
Hayden's life was all flashing lights, writhing bodies and alcohol for six glorious months until Dagur, in a drunken rage attacked someone. Hayden doesn't remember a lot of it, of that night after his third jagerbomb there was a commotion. Yelling, and bottles being thrown. Screaming, shuffling and blood...then sirens. He started sobering up very quickly when he found Dagur covered in blood, knife in his hand.
He vomits.
The rest of the night is spent explaining to police that he doesn't know what happened and his mother being called. The officer tells him that Dagur assaulted someone with a knife and was in critical condition.
The last thing he hears about Dagur is that he might be tried as an adult and Hayden cries. He cries for a long time and doesn't come out of his room even longer than that.
It was a Monday when there was a light knock at his room door. He gets up from his bed and stalks toward the door. Hayden wrenched the door open quickly to tell his mother to leave him alone but is instead met with a small boy. A boy he hasn't talked to in what feels like years. He's all big brown eyes and wild black hair, mouth agape showing off that gap in his front teeth that his older brother used to have. Before the braces.
"Hiro?" he said in disbelief. Hiro Hamada, the youngest of the Hamada brothers and formerly what he would consider his closest friend. Hiro is three years younger than he is and Tadashi, Hiro's older brother is five years older than Hayden. Away, gone to some prestigious university. "What are you doing here?" He leans onto the wooden door frame, crossing his arms over his chest.
Hiros mouth closed and the smaller boy produced a small wrapped gift. Hayden looked at it, confused. "Happy birthday Hiccup…" The small boy half mumbled. Hiccup, he hadn't been called that in a long time. "I...I know that you may not be in the mood with all that happened with, um, Dagur. And with um, whatever happened between you and Tadashi but. I wanted to try and cheer you up?" Hiro offers, not sure it's enough. The older boy knows its enough, he had forgotten it was his own birthday. "I, um, like your piercings. By the way!"
Hayden felt his irritation ebb away as he took the neatly wrapped box. Hiro's aunt must have done it. She was a nice woman. He undid the bow and the tape, folded the decorative paper way and opens the box. Inside is a dragon, made from scrap metal and wire and glue. It's good. It's really good.
For the first time in weeks he smiles and invited Hiro into his room. They talk and catch up. For a moment Hayden feels like he could go back to before Dagur, before his dad before...but no. He knows he can't. Hiro knows too, so they make the best out of it. He taught Hiro how to skate and they built stuff in Hiro garage. Valka would more smile often when he goes over to the Hamada household. He'd roll his eyes but smile back anyway.
It's three days before school starts back up, taking Hayden into his senior year and Hiro into his freshman when he runs into a very familiar blond while skateboarding outside the library with Hiro. Her name's Astrid, he couldn't for the life of him remember her last name.
"Hayden?" She asked while he was attempting to grind the railing for the short walkway. It caught him off guard and he falls onto the hard and unforgiving concrete.
"Hiccup!" Hiro shouted as he ran to him.
"Shit, that hurts."
"You okay?" Astrid asked, slight smile on her face. She looked down at him in amusement, hands on her hips.
"Oh, yeah. Totally cool. Ment to do that." He groaned out while taken Hiros hand, using the smaller boy to hoist himself back onto his feet. He is then immediately punched in the arm. "Ow! Hey!? What ?! The hell was that for?"
"That's for not even trying to talk to us! I mean, since that party...no ones seen you or heard from you. And only Dagur knew where you lived...We were worried about you."
He had almost forgotten his new group of friends he had gained while he had dated Dagur. "Sorry, I just...I wanted to get away from all...that." He was done with the heavy drinking and partying. For now anyway. She sighed long and hard.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. That party was...It was crazy. A lot us of took a step back from it too. Well, I mean, me, Red, Mavis and Flynn. We kinda broke away from the rest. Can you believe they didn't even pause after that night? They were out partying the next weekend."
"I'm not too surprised…" There was a long pause. Hiro looked between the both of them as they tried not to look at eachother.
"Look Hayden...I would understand if you didn't want any part of us anymore but...drop by? I know Red misses you. You can bring the kid. Nothin R rated happening. Promise." She offers him a smile, he nods back.
"Yeah...yeah sure. That sounds...nice."
"Alright, I'll um, catch you later then. Hayden. Um…" She looks down to the smaller boy, realizing she didn't get his name.
"It's Hiro…" He successfully does not stammer out.
"Alright, Hiro. I have to get going. See you."
Hayden stood there a while, lost in thought. "Hiccup?"
"Huh? What?"
"Who was that?"
"Astrid, friend of mine, I guess. She's cool." Hiro nods.
"Anyway, are you ready for your first year of high school?" Hiccup bent down to pick up his board before heading in the direction of their homes.
"Are you kidding?" Hiro rolled his eyes. "If Aunt Cass wasn't so against me skipping grades i would have graduated by now. I'm probably going to sleep my way through high school too."
"Hey now, don't sell Bella's academy short. It can get tough."
"Academy?" Hiro said, his nose scrunched up. "It's a public school. How tough could it be?"