Another modern AU?! What is she thinking?!
So this is a HTTYD/ROTG crossover because we all love those right? At the moment, this is just a one-shot, but I might consider making it multi-chapter if I feel like I could carry it on. This is just a fluffy (ish) story that I basically concocted watching This Is Dan Bell's Dead Mall series (I'm obsessed, his voice is so soothing man, I listen to it at bedtime). Its a little OOC and there's more Hiccup than Jack, but eh. There's slash if you squint. Also, some bad language. Enjoy!

Hiccup sat up from his bed with a sense of fervour, a mix of nervousness and excitement swirling in his stomach. He walked over to the other side of his room to pull on the large oversized parka coat that swamped his slight frame, and perched on his desk chair to slip on his shoes, tying the laces as quickly as his nimble fingers would allow. Peering over at the mirror, Hiccup adjusted the glasses on his face, brushing stray hair out of his eyes in the process. He still had the small braids that Astrid had plaited into his hair earlier in physics, the lesson clearly not engaging her, or anyone for that matter.

"I think that's everything", he said to himself as he nodded, checking that all his equipment was in his rucksack. Camera, battery pack, torch, gloves, mask. Glancing at his watch, the time read 11.26. His parents had been in bed for an hour, and Toothless, the family's pet Mastiff, was snoring at the foot of Hiccup's bed. Debating whether to leave it longer before he left, Hiccup considered that today's spot was a few miles out of town, and therefore needed some time dedicated to figuring out his way in.

Hiccup was an urban explorer, and his parents were completely oblivious. It had started when he was 12, when he figured out that he could sneak into the disused bits of the water park the family went to. He was caught by security, but rather than being told off, he was given a history lesson instead, which only escalated his imagination. Hiccup loved history and figuring out the stories about how certain places became abandoned or disused. It was certainly fascinating. Every evening was spent online, finding about cool spots that had been abandoned; old houses, theatres, malls, cinemas, everything. His mind wandered about the prospect of every building he had been in being abandoned one day, and what kind of mark would be left behind.

Five years after the water park event, the urbex had become a double life. In the day, Hiccup was a conscientious student at Berk High, with good grades, a small circle of friends and a shy demeanour. He was pleasant but unremarkable, never getting involved with sports or drama and never wanting the limelight. To him, it seemed like it was a redundant activity, wanting to be self-centred and famous. Who wants to be scrutinised?

At night, however, Hiccup became the username NightFury7, a popular YouTuber and blogger who explored the creepiest abandoned locations he could find. He never showed his face, never gave out his name, and never named where he was visiting, but for Hiccup, he liked the thrill of having people react so passionately to his content. He liked to scare the shit out of people, and he got a buzz with every YouTube comment telling him that this had been accomplished. Hiccup wondered whether this made him somewhat sadistic. There was definitely a side of him that could thrive on the discomfort of others, even though he completely enjoyed helping others too. Of course, his blogs were also full of tips and friendly advice. One such advice he would give regularly was to not go alone in case something untoward happened.

Hiccup had very nearly cancelled his trip this evening because Ruff and Tuff, the twins who often accompanied him, had dropped out to attend a family outing. This seemed fair enough, but Hiccup couldn't help but be disappointed. He really wanted to go to this location. It was a mall that had been abandoned a few years back and was just on the cusp of demolition. If they didn't go soon, it would be too late, and Hiccup knew that he wouldn't be able to live with himself if he missed this opportunity. He glanced down at his phone, pulling the sleeves of his coat up, and noticed the reply from Astrid about whether she wanted to come with him: "No."

Just as he was about to return the phone to his pocket, it buzzed again with another message. Hiccup rolled his eyes, not expecting anything less from his friend and her somewhat aggressive stance on the matter.

"You better not be planning on going alone Hiccup. What if you get hurt?". He sighed, tapping a response quite furiously.

"I can look after myself Astrid. I'll only be in there for half an hour, if that. If you're so bothered, I'll call you when I get home". Sending the message, the teen waited for a few moments before receiving a response.

"Fine. But if anything happens, I'll kill you". Hiccup snorted, pulling a green woolly hat over his head. His mum had made it for him when he was younger, and after a recent sort out of his room, he had discovered a new fondness for the old garment. It was cold outside too, possibly icy, and abandoned buildings generally weren't warm. The hat almost completely covered his auburn hair, with only a few wispy strands sticking out at the ends. His glasses balanced at the end of his nose, so he readjusted them again. He mentally added that perhaps it was time to buy some new ones.

Hiccup slung his rucksack over his shoulders, which woke up Toothless. The large dog started wagging his tail rapidly, presumably believing that his owner wearing a large coat translated into "walk!". Hiccup contemplated taking Toothless with him, but decided against it. It would be too dangerous, with glass and debris everywhere. Instead, he stroked the top of his head to soothe his pet.

"I'll be back soon bud."

Switching off his lamp, he crept downstairs, grabbed his keys from the fruit bowl by the backdoor, and slowly shuffled outside and into his car. Breathing for a few moments, he observed the upstairs to make sure that no lights were being switched on, and that his parents hadn't noticed he was gone. He had done this many times before, and so far he hadn't been caught. Having a car made it easier in some ways. Hiccup reasoned that if he was caught, he could tell them that he was taking a drive because he couldn't sleep. Confident that he hadn't woken them up, he flung the heavy bag onto the passenger seat and turned on the radio. Some relationships hotline was on, with a man discussing his erectile disfunction, so he skipped onto a music station that was playing clubhouse tunes. Hiccup decided that this would do, and drove off onto the dark streets.

The drive felt quite leisurely. Usually it was packed in the centre of town, but hardly anybody was on the roads tonight. As it was a weeknight in winter, the usually heavily lit and heavily populated town centre was dead. There was nobody about, and only the occasional car and lorry greeted Hiccup's on the road. Hiccup relaxed into his seat as he formulated an action plan. He had read online about how to get into the mall, but these places were often frequented by police trying to block entrances off. The tinge of nervousness that he had felt previously became all the more potent. He knew that going alone was a pretty bad idea, and yet he felt as if a magnetic force was attracting him to it. He needed to go and see for himself, and he needed to make the video.

The clock said 12.03, which Hiccup felt was too early, so he pulled in at a 24-hour McDonald's in town. He suddenly felt a pang of hunger that, in his agitation, he felt that he may have been supressing. Although not a big fast food eater, he felt that this would be a momentous occasion, so he ordered a meal and a coffee and sat down with his food, munching away ravenously as he saw which of his friends were active online; none of them were. Hiccup thought that he'd better send a text to Astrid informing her that he was heading in shortly but had stopped for some food first. She didn't reply, so he assumed that she must be asleep already; it was a school night after all. Instead, he scrolled through Reddit, reading something funny to keep his good spirits in check. He decided to leave at around 1, as that left sufficient time for exploring.

An hour after arriving, where he mulled things over for a bit whilst ordering another coffee with his meal, Hiccup left the McDonald's. The cool air hit his face and he wrapped his coat against his body, watching his breath escape and condensation forming on his glasses. Ignoring the discomfort, he got back into his car, determined to complete the mission that he set out for himself. Whacking both the heating and the radio onto full blast, he drove another ten minutes before reaching the old abandoned remains of the mall.

Burgess Mall towered over its empty parking lot, with its boarded-up windows and creepy entrance sign with the LED's flickering eerily despite being unoccupied for years. Getting out of his vehicle and slinging his rucksack over his shoulders, Hiccup admired the building. It was built in the 1970's, and the architecture was reminiscent of that period. As he got closer to the entrance, however, he noticed more things that were completely out of place. Glass littered the floor, and the entrance doors were completely barricaded. There had to be another way in.

Hiccup paced quickly around to the other end of the building, finally finding an open door into the building via an old staff entrance. He smiled to himself at how easy this was to find. Too easy. He figured that the building wouldn't be that mouldy as it had only closed a few years ago, so he didn't bother with his mask. Instead, he pulled his torch and his camera out, and he started to record. As he entered the first room, a service area, the pungent mix of mould and ammonia hit him. This was not the first place he had visited with this smell though. Listening out for any noises, Hiccup could hear nothing but his own heartbeat, and decided to proceed.

He climbed the staircase, and grabbed the handrail, some of which had been scrapped for the metal. The floor was dusty, with faint safety lines still vaguely visible. On the top of the corridor was a heavy door, which Hiccup feverishly opened, one hand still holding the camera whilst the other was doing all of the work. He came out into what appeared to be an abandoned shopping lot, with glass littering the floor and dusty old checkout desks propped up against the wall. He gasped, taking in the surroundings. The walls had old music posters that were slowly disintegrating and fading, and Hiccup figured that he must be in the old music store. He had been a couple of times with his mum when they went out of town to shop. Burgess Mall was a stop they visited from time to time before it closed.

Stepping out of the old unit and into the main mall area, an air of dread sunk into the pit of Hiccup's stomach. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something was off. He spun round suddenly, thinking that he could have heard someone speak. After a moment, he figured it was just a rat scurrying along. He kept on walking, filming as much of his surroundings as possible. He was on the first floor of the mall, and the large open plan space looked magnificent in the moonlight shining through the glass ceiling. Down below, he could see planters and benches, all knocked over and thrown around, and straight ahead were more empty units, some more neglected than others. Hiccup decided to take a left. As he reached the other end of the aisle, he thought he could hear voices again. This time, he froze, heart beating fast, lips going slowly dry.

"Hello?", Hiccup called out after a pregnant pause. No reply. Hiccup remained frozen on the spot, looking to his left and then to his right. He couldn't see anyone or anything. It was just an animal, his imagination…

He heard it again. Whispers, hurried ones, came out of an indeterminate area, followed by footsteps. Hiccup knew that he wasn't alone. He tried to rationalise with himself that they were probably just fellow explorers. It probably wasn't anyone that wanted to hurt him, or anyone else. After all, he wanted that companionship. Then, the footsteps got louder. Hiccup couldn't breathe. He needed to run. Just run. Run!

He turned around and started sprinting to the unit he came from, not concerning himself with his environment. Had he paid attention, he would have noticed that the floor was slippery from the water. Just before the music shop, Hiccup lost his footing and skidded across the edge of the bannister, falling a storey onto the lower mall. As he braced himself for impact, he reminded himself that Astrid had told him that it was a stupid idea. He hit the floor, and everything went black.

The first thing Hiccup noticed was the searing pain in both of his legs, and in his head. He opened his eyes slowly, and initially thought that he had fallen asleep outside as the moon was shining over him. The pungent smell hit him, however, and Hiccup realised that he was in an abandoned building. Gradually collecting his memories through the fog, he deducted that he must be at Burgess Mall as planned, and that he needed to get out, but when he went to lift his head, pain and disorientation hit him like bullet to the brain and he squeezed his eyes shut, waiting for the discomfort to subside. After what seemed like forever, Hiccup opened his eyes again and took a deep breath. He checked every muscle. He couldn't move his head. He couldn't move his legs either, so walking was out of the question. He could move his arms though, and his rucksack, torch and camera were all splayed out next to him. Hiccup could smell the tang of blood; he knew something was bleeding but he didn't know what. He did know that if he lost too much blood, that he would die, and he didn't really want to die.

Fumbling into the pockets of his parka, Hiccup pulled out his phone. The impact had smashed the screen, and he let out a groan of irritation-it was a brand new phone. He also clocked that the time was 2.46. He had no idea how long he had been lying there. There were messages, but Hiccup noticed his glasses had fallen down his chin and so he couldn't read it without adjusting them. When he was finally able to see what he had been sent, his heart sunk.

1.30am: "You said you'd only spend half an hour in there. Hope you aren't lying to me."

1.47am: "Come on Hic, stop messing around. Get out of there."

2.03am: "HICCUP! Answer your messages FFS!"

2.24am: "What's going on? I'm getting worried now."

2.40am: "Hiccup if you don't reply soon I'm calling the police."

He had promised Astrid that he would let her know when he was safe and at home, and that promise hadn't been kept. The one time he went alone, and shit happened. If the police came to find him, it was game over; he would be arrested for trespassing, his parents would be mad, and his channel would have to stop. The channel was his life, his alter-ego; Hiccup didn't know what he would do if he couldn't be that alter-ego. On the other hand, the other option was potential death, and he didn't want that either. He didn't know what to tell Astrid, and his fingers circled for a response. He felt a pang of light headiness and he groaned.

Hiccup never answered that text, because he passed out again. Fortunately for him, someone else noticed the boy lying on the floor in a pool of blood.

Jackson Overland couldn't sleep, so he had decided to go to one of his old haunts, Burgess Mall. He would hang out with his friends there, disobeying authority and being generally anti-social. Jack was the type of boy who would set fire to things for the fun of it, but he never wanted to actually hurt anyone, so he made sure that his illicit activities were done where they were undetected and away from people who could be caught in the crossfire. Jack knew the mall like the back of his hand, and he dismissed the rustling as yet another urban explorer getting their kicks. He laughed at the thought; there was nothing creepy about a rotting old building with some shops in it. Its not like anyone died or whatever stupid conspiracy was circulating.

He paced the slippery lino floor, his trainers wearing out with each step and his baggy blue hoodie collecting more and more dirt by the second. He held his hands inside his pockets to keep them warm, as it was ridiculously cold out there. He had earbuds in his ears and was playing some weird shit that Aster had put onto his Spotify playlist for a laugh. Jack made the most of the absurdity and bopped his head up and down to the music, his wispy white hair flopping over his forehead. He was having too much fun with this, and he knew Aster would be pissed if he was enjoying it. Jack thought about the prospect of not going to school tomorrow, which wouldn't be a first, but he figured that his parents might kill him, so he opted to turn around. It was then, in the glinting moonlight, he noticed a body.

"Holy shit!", Jack screamed, rushing over to the figure on the floor. A boy his age, wearing a woolly hat and a big coat, was laid against the ground. There was blood covering his hat, turning the floor crimson, a head injury. Jack's heart dropped even further when he saw the boys legs, both mangled and definitely broken. He deducted that he must have fallen and tried to land on his feet, but had whacked his head on a planter on the way down.

Jack had no idea about how to administer First Aid, apart from what he had seen on hospital dramas on the TV, but he knew that he had to check if he was breathing. Leaning down, he noticed that it was shallow. This boy needed an ambulance, right now. Shaking, Jack reached over to his hands, where a phone had slid out. A message lit up on the screen from someone called Astrid, as well as two missed calls:

"Hiccup, please answer the phone. I'm scared."

Without hesitation, Jack rang Astrid back, praying she would answer. He had no idea who this girl was and what relation she was to Hiccup, as he had established that this was the boys name. After a second of dialling, the phone was picked up.

"Hiccup thank goodness…what the hell were you doing?!". Jack sucked in a deep breath, before formulating a response.

"Hi, I don't know you, but my names Jack…I'm with your friend and he's really hurt…um, can you call an ambulance please?". Jack realised how lame he probably sounded and recounted the words in his head, but within seconds, Astrid starting shouting down the phone.

"What do you mean, really hurt?! Where is he? What's wrong with him?!"

Jack cursed, feeling like he was having to explain something to someone who was born yesterday.

"I mean, as in, he's unconscious and he's hit his head kind of hurt". Jack gritted his teeth at response and immediately regretted how angry he sounded. "I'll call an ambulance, I just thought you needed to know as you were clearly concerned." There was a short pause.

"I'm coming to the mall right now", Astrid responded curtly, and she hung up the phone. Remembering where he was, Jack frantically called for an ambulance, terrified at the prospect of ringing for help. The last time he had to do it was when his brother had a heart attack when he was 9, and he had never been so frightened. Jack didn't even know this guy, but he was so pale. His instinct was to hold his hand to reassure him,

"I need an ambulance please, at Burgess Mall. Someone is unconscious, he's bleeding real bad from his head and I think his legs are broken too. Yes, he's breathing. Yes, I'm aware the building is abandoned." Jack rolled his eyes at the many prying questions being asked by the operator, never losing sight of Hiccup in front of him. Hiccup's breathing was getting laboured, and his skin was getting whiter by the second. Jack brushed his thumb gently across his eyebrows, being careful not to move his head. He thought the kid was pretty cute; freckles and a button nose, and glasses that were sliding down his face.

"I've got you. It's going to be okay". Jack found himself cooing softly, kneeling on the floor and making sure Hiccup felt like someone, anyone was there. He wondered whether his parents knew that he was out, and why he was bothering to film a mall, of all places. It seemed really redundant and stupid to Jack. Why were some people willing to risk their lives just to film something cool? He just didn't understand it. He gripped Hiccup's hand tighter. His friend (Jack assumed) was on her way, and in a few hours' time, his parents will find that their son is missing. The school will ask questions and the police will want to know why he was there too. Looking at the boy's face, so vulnerable and youthful looking, Jack didn't think that Hiccup was ready to face all of this scrutiny.

As the wailing sirens of ambulances could be heard on the outside of the building, Jack figured that his late night walking had resulted in something useful. He felt like Hiccup was going to be okay, and he never even had to know it was him. Jack should of walked, but he didn't. He was going to stay right here with the boy until the end, and nothing was going to change his mind.