Ages: Jack (29), Hiccup (26), Jamie (28), Toothless (26), Rapunzel (25) [Yes, they are not teenagers here. XD]

Beta'd and fixed by RandomTendencies13. :D

Disclaimer: I don't own anything.


Chapter 2

[Request & Salvation]


Jack stared incredulously at the man named Hiccup. That's one ridiculous name, he thought. His eyes trailed down to his trapped hand, feeling the same tingly sensation he felt earlier course through his skin.

"Prayers…?" Jamie asked, confusion and amazement dawning on his face.

Hiccup, who was overly happy at the moment, turned to face Jamie, his hands never leaving Jack's. "I've…I've always been looking for something," he replied with a wide and crooked smile. "Something or someone that would free me from my miserable life and give me the peace I needed," he continued; his eyes were over-dramatically brimming with tears like an actor who had just won his first Oscar. His calloused fingers absentmindedly drew circles against the hands in between his.

Hiccup meant every single word. Ever since he had found out about his paranormal ability, he had been hell bent to find the perfect ritual or apparatus to ward off the ghosts that seemed to follow and pester him anywhere he went. He had inquired with priests and monks, prayed to different gods, bought expensive blessed items, and splayed salt in every corner of his little apartment; heck, he even scrubbed garlic on his body when his best friend suggested it, causing ghosts to literally laugh at him while people avoided him because of the stench. And none of those methods ever worked. So, it was not a surprise to those who knew Hiccup's predicament that the little man was overwhelmingly blissful with his discovery.

"My heart is even beating fast right now!" Hiccup added a few seconds later, one hand moving to his chest though the other never left Jack's hand.

The things he said were interpreted differently in Jack's mind, thinking Hiccup was shamelessly flirting with him. He removed his gaze from Hiccup's face to look Jamie straight in the eye. He gave his friend a wink, and the latter knew what he meant. Jamie resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

"I see; how about we talk more about this story of yours over coffee," Jack asked with no intent to hear a reply. He gently removed his right hand from Hiccup's grasp, resting his arm on the smaller man's back with his hand cupping Hiccup's right shoulder. "Jamie, how about you bring us to a nice coffee shop, hmm?" Jack said with a smirk on his face. Jamie lost the willpower not to roll his eyes as he clasped his seatbelt back on. He revved the car to a start and searched the GPS for a nearby shop.

Although Hiccup was delighted to know that Jack would hear him out, he could not help but feel wary about the platinum-haired man's smirk. His eyes roved to the hand that rested on his shoulders. It made him look questioningly at Jack, who was now looking straight into the windshield and seemingly deep in thoughts.

Alright, I'll fancy you for a little while, Jack thought.

The strong rain weakened to soft pitter-patter. The roar of thunder and flashes of lightning avertedly stopped, causing muteness in the night and darkness in the sky. The car swerved out of the isolated park street and headed to a more occupied place at this time of night: a 24/7 Drive Stop, packed with different shops.

Jamie parked near the coffee shop entrance, getting out of the car with an umbrella in hand. He escorted the two out of the car and protected them from the small drops of rain that threatened to drop on their heads.

They entered through the patio door and went inside the shop, seeing the place empty of other customers. The three males sat nearby a glass window. Hiccup occupied the left while the other two sat side-by-side on the right. A girl with unbelievably long blonde hair made her way to their table with a notepad on her hand. She greeted the three with a beaming smile. "Hello, I'm Rapunzel. May I take your orders?"

Jamie and Jack spoke, ordering espresso and latte respectively. Hiccup, on the other hand, asked for an orange juice. He was already suffering from insomnia and stress; the last thing he wanted was to worsen his restlessness by drinking caffeinated drinks.

"Not a fan of coffee?" Jack asked, an eyebrow up in question.

"Haha...I don't really need coffee in my system..." Hiccup drawled, scratching the back of his head. He looked away and rested his eyes on the glass window. He saw his reflection and felt horrified. The bags under his eyes were visibly dark, his skin was sickly pale, and his cheeks were deeply sunken in. If he did not know it was his face, he would be jumping out of his chair thinking it was another ghost ready to scare him for the whole night.

The waitress named Rapunzel came back with the drinks, setting them down on the table. Hiccup looked at her face as she gently settled the glass of orange juice in front of him. The two of them met eyes, and she gave him a smile. Hiccup was midway in returning the gesture with a smile of his own, only to stop when he saw a curly haired ghost fawning over Rapunzel's hair.

Hiccup's eyes went wide as he scurried away from the edge of his seat. His back met with the glass window, making him feel trapped. His mouth was now wide open and his eyes mirrored fear.

Rapunzel, Jack, and Jamie looked at him questioningly. Their eyes were wide and their brows raised. "Is something wrong...?" Rapunzel spoke, a worried look dawning on her face.

Hiccup just stared wide-eyed, paling as the ghost averted her attention from Rapunzel's hair to stare him down with her snidey-face.

You can see me? the ghost spat, a grin slowly making its way onto her extremely wrinkled face. Her thin and sharp fingers went to reach for his face but never made it, for the ghost suddenly turned to gray sand and perished into the air. Hiccup felt his left hand shaken and glanced down to take a look at it. There he saw Jack's fingers clasping his wrist. "What's up with you?" Jack asked.

Jamie and Rapunzel, on the other hand, watched the exchange between the two. And Rapunzel smiled awkwardly, leaving the table with the tray in her hand.

Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief while slumping his shoulders. Jack saw Hiccup relax and thought it was safe to remove his grasp from Hiccup's wrist. But when he was about to let go, the smaller male quickly held his hand, saying, "Please, don't let go."

"Seriously...what is wrong with you?" Jamie asked, trying not to sound rude.

Hiccup pursed his lips, "I'm not sure if you would believe me..."

Jack and Jamie looked at each other. "We'll be open-minded. Right, Jack?" Jamie said, lifting a brow.

Jack gave Jamie his famous are-you-kidding-me face in return, answering with his mind, Open-minded my as-. He stopped when Jamie stepped on his foot harshly. "Yeah...yeah, of course," he replied, wincing in pain before glaring at Jamie.

Hiccup was oblivious to the jabs that Jamie sent Jack's way. He took a deep breath, glancing left and right before he bowed his head down. He looked up at the two without moving his head up. "Come closer," he said in a barely audible voice.

The two moved simultaneously: pushing aside their coffees and resting their arms by the table, looming their heads closer to Hiccup.

It was quiet for a few seconds. The atmosphere slowly tensed, and the two watched Hiccup intensely. Hiccup's lips slowly opened and his face was void of any emotion before he whispered in a very serious tone, "I...see...dead people."

Hiccup quickly ducked down, letting go of Jack's arm. He looked side to side, looking out for nearby ghosts.

If Jack thought the guy was crazy at first and a unique flirt the next, now he was back to his initial thought: this man is indeed crazy.

Jack and Jamie did not say a word as they sunk back in their seats. Steadfastly, Jack kicked his friend, motioning his head towards their parked car. Go out and drive, he mouthed, pushing Jamie out of his seat.

Hiccup looked up at the two questioningly. Jamie smiled awkwardly, scratching the back of his head, "Sorry...I need to go to the restroom," he said then walked away.

Hiccup wasn't able to see where Jamie went to because Jack suddenly held his hand. "Dead people, you say?" Jack asked, trying to stop the laugh that threatened to bubble out of his throat. "That must make your life difficult," he added with mirth in his voice.

The hilarity in Jack's voice was not left unnoticed by Hiccup's ears. He knew that Jack would be skeptical. "Yes," Hiccup said then looked down at Jack's hand. "But when I touch you…the ghosts disappear!" he continued.

Jack plastered on his winning smile, showing off his white teeth. Definitely a nutcase, he thought. He was not even finding the situation funny anymore. It even made him cringe internally at the way Hiccup looked longingly at his hand, seemingly wanting to touch it. So Jack cut him the chase by taking his hand, making his eyes glint. "Like this?" he asked, rubbing the back of Hiccup's hand.

Hiccup attentively nodded his head, smiling and thinking about how holding Jack's hand at night would give him the deep sleep he had been craving for years. No ghosts to shake him awake or nightmares to plague his dreams. "So, it might be shameless of me to say but could you help me with my problem?"

"Oh, help?" Jack inquired, the fake smile still plastered on his face. He watched his car move in front of the coffee shop's patio. "Sure but could you close your eyes?"

The request sprang questions to the smaller male's head. What's the point? he thought. But, then again, he was in no position to question things. He was the one asking for help after all. So, he did as he was told, shutting his eyes and waiting for Jack's next instruction.

"Don't open them yet…" Jack removed his hand, taking his wallet out and putting down a hundred dollar bill as payment for the drinks. "Do you see ghosts when you close your eyes?" he asked as he walked silently out of his seat, heading straight for the coffee shop's door.

"No," Hiccup answered with his eyes still closed.

"Then keep them closed!" Jack said firmly as he exited the shop. Hiccup quickly opened his eyes and craned his head to where he heard Jack. He limply got up and ran after him.

Jack, on the other hand, was already inside the car and getting Jamie to drive off. The latter was hesitant but decided to do as he was told, leaving the running Hiccup alone by the coffee shop's patio.

Jack looked back and watched Hiccup, seeing him run after them limply. He thought the smaller male hit his foot somewhere so he thought nothing else of it. He rested back in his seat, sighing loudly. "We are not going to help a hitchhiker again!"

Jamie rolled his eyes, "Come on. It's not so bad to help others once in a while…"

"Dude, that guy is crazy! Not Toothiana-crazy but crazy-CRAZY!"

"What if he was telling the truth?"

"Please, there is no such thing as ghosts," Jack said defiantly as he loosened his necktie and kicked his shoes off. "Let's just go home. I'm tired."

Jamie nodded his head. "Whatever you say, boss," he said playfully, making Jack roll his eyes.

Jack moved and felt something cold touch feet. He looked down and saw Hiccup's raincoat. "Great..." he muttered quietly, grabbing the raincoat up.

A piece of paper fell down from the raincoat's pocket, spiking his curiosity. He picked it up and unfolded it. He wasn't sure how to react when he saw the familiar information written on the piece of paper. "Hey, Jamie. What is Mr. Fredricksen's address again?" he asked, eyes not leaving the paper in his hand.

"432 Shady Oaks Street," Jamie answered, looking at him through the rearview mirror. "Why?"

Jack confirmed that the address was indeed the same. He remembered how Hiccup had said, "Someone told me this was an exchange for the good news you got tonight."

"Good news, huh…?" Jack muttered. "God, this night is getting freakier."


::: A few hours later :::


"Hello?" the person on the other end of the phone asked.

"Hey, Toothless. It's me, Hiccup…" Hiccup replied, smiling sheepishly at Rapunzel. He had forgotten to bring his phone with him (not that it would have any service anyway since he was past due his phone bill). So he had no choice but to borrow someone else's.

"Oh, hey, bud. What's up? Wait, whose phone are you using?" Toothless asked.

"I'll tell you later, but could you give me a ride? I'm kind of stuck somewhere that is too far for me to walk."

"Again?" The other replied through the receiver, "Alright, tell me where you are; I'll be there soon."

Hiccup told his best friend about the place before handing the cellphone back to Rapunzel and expressing his thanks. The girl smiled before going back to the counter, and Hiccup could still see the ghost he saw earlier, still fawning over the girl's hair. Luckily, the ghost seemed to have forgotten that he could see her.

He went to the table he had occupied earlier with Jack and Jamie and silently drank his orange juice. Rapunzel went to his table and gave him the change. "Oh…the change should be your tip," Hiccup informed. Although the two left him, he was thankful that they still paid for the drinks.

"Oh, okay. Thank you." She smiled and took the change back. She took a step but spun back, sitting on the seat across from Hiccup. Her action caught Hiccup by surprise, and he looked at her questioningly.

"I hope you don't mind…but why were you so shocked earlier?" she asked.

Now Hiccup wondered if he should tell her the truth. Given the reaction he had gotten earlier from Jack and Jamie, he wondered if he would end up scaring Rapunzel off. The last thing he wanted was to be chased out of the coffee shop when Toothless was still out of sight.

"Uhm…your hair, I was just shocked b-by how long it is," he lied, and his voice squeaked.

"Oh. That's surprising. I mean, I've never met anyone who reacted like that about my hair," she said, subconsciously playing with her braid. "You know, like looking scared?"

Hiccup gulped, moving his eyes away from Rapunzel to look at the curly-haired ghost standing beside her. The ghost had one of her brows up, and her arms were crossed. He laughed forcibly and awkwardly. "Ha ha, I'm odd. It's just such a rare length…you see."

"Hmm, I guess. Well, I was raised by an auntie of mine, and she kinda hated the idea of getting my hair cut," she informed.

"For what reason?" Hiccup pursed his lips.

"Mom said that my auntie Gothel always wanted her hair like mine. Makes her feel youthful and stuff," Rapunzel replied. "Weird, huh? I know." She added, chuckling.

The ghost beside her glared daggers at her, saying, You insolent brat. Who are you calling weird!?

And now the ghost is mad. Great... Hiccup thought to himself. "I see…"

Rapunzel nodded. "She passed away a year ago."

I can see that, he in his mind, seeing the ghost roll her eyes.

Three men entered the café, causing Rapunzel to sit up. "Oops, sorry for blabbering too much. Enjoy your juice," she said before strutting her way to the newly arrived customers.

Hiccup felt the hairs on his left arm raise, and he craned his head towards his left to see the ghost perched beside him. "Uhh…hi," he muttered, slowly moving away from the ghost. "Is there something you need?" he squeaked.

The ghost was now looking at her sharp nails, and one of her brows was raised. There is. Hiccup waited for her request. Maybe some other time boy, the ghost said and disappeared from his side.

"Yo, Hiccup!" Toothless said, flicking his fingers in front of Hiccup to catch his attention. "You there?"

"Oh, Toothless!" Hiccup said happily. "You're here!"

Toothless rolled his eyes. "Duh. I'm sitting right in front of you. Let's go." He stood and Hiccup followed. They went outside the café, heading straight for a black 2014 Nissan GT-R Premium car.

"Oh, you didn't bring Night Fury with you?" Hiccup asked.

"Nah, not when it is raining," Toothless said, unlocking his car, "Especially when it's you I'm riding with. The last thing I want would be us flying off my bike because you scream." Hiccup rolled his eyes and got into the passenger seat, buckling on his seatbelt.

Toothless started the engine and drove out of the parking lot. "Talk."

The car was moving pretty fast, but Toothless made sure he stayed close to the speed limit. Toothless already knew about Hiccup's predicament, or "curse" as the man liked to call it. And although he was naturally doubtful at first, he believed his friend. He even remembered how he had offered him some psychiatric help, a memory that Toothless was not proud of.

"A ghost asked me for help."

Why am I not surprised? Toothless thought. "And?"

"So, I did." Hiccup answered and Toothless groaned. "What? They wouldn't leave me alone; you know that," Hiccup said, blowing his bangs out of his face while crossing his arms.

"Fine." Toothless locked eyes with Hiccup. "Forgot your wallet again?"

"No, I brought my wallet…but my money was only enough to get there, not to get back." Hiccup sighed deeply.

"Man, you should ask payment for the services you're making. Seriously," Toothless said, swerving onto the highway.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "She did find me a ride back home though."

Toothless raised his brow. "Oh really? Then why were you stuck at that café?"

"That's what I was going to say."

"Okay, I'm listening."

"She promised me a ride home. All I had to do was to go to the nearby park and wait for a black car and hitch a ride." Toothless nodded, glancing to his friend. "So, when I saw the car approach, I gestured for a ride and they stopped. They allowed me in…I think," Hiccup said, unsure.

"You think?" Toothless asked and Hiccup didn't answer the question. Instead, he continued his story. "And you remember that guy named Jackson Overland Frost?"

"The snow guy?"

"Yes, him. Please, stop calling him the 'snow guy,'" Hiccup said.

"What? That machine you fangirl over makes stupid ice, frost and whatever that is," Toothless retorted, maneuvering the car off the highway and onto a small road between two tall buildings.

"You don't understand the intricate and authe-," Hiccup blabbered, only to stop when Toothless continued it for him.

"…authenticity of the design. Blah, blah, I know."

Hiccup pouted but quickly perked up. "But guess what!"

"What?" Toothless asked.

"I found him, Toothless! When I touch him, the ghosts disappear!" he informed, shaking Toothless' arm in happiness.

Toothless stepped harshly on the breaks, almost making the two of them fly out of their seats. Thankfully, the seatbelts pulled them back. "What!?"

Hiccup nodded. "Yup, heard it right, bud. I mean, I touched him when I saw this ghost. Then it disappeared right before my eyes. I couldn't believe it, all these years I've been looking for something to ward the ghosts off, who would've thought it would be a human!" he exclaimed.

"Touched him?" was the only question that Toothless could fish out of his mind. "Why on earth would you touch him?"

"I was scared, damn it!" Hiccup exclaimed. "As if you don't know," he continued, animatedly waving his hands up in the air.

"So you just…felt him up?" Toothless asked with an eyebrow up.

Hiccup cringed. "Argh, what do you mean feel him up!?" he sighed and shook his head. "You make it sound so wrong. I just hugged him by accident alright!?" he said, wiping his face with the palm of his hand.

Toothless stiffly started the car moving again. "Can't blame me. You should have seen your face when you were talking about his work. I wouldn't be surprised if you glomped him at first sight." He visibly cringed, thinking how Hiccup acted like a silly and naive girl fawning over an idol's life-sized poster. "That issue aside…did he kick you out of the car?"

Hiccup rested his forehead against the car's window. "Well, I tried explaining. He said that we should talk about it over coffee, but then they bailed out and left me there."

Toothless removed his left hand from the steering wheel and rested his elbow against the window frame, supporting his head with his hand. "Did you tell them that you can see ghosts?"

"What do you think made them run?" Hiccup answered.

"Well, shit, Hiccup. If a stranger told me that they could see ghosts, I would be doing the same."

"I know," he said. "It's not logical. Heck, I didn't believe in them before I got to see them."

Toothless looked pitifully at his best friend. The vision of the once amazing Hiccup played like a fast-paced film in his mind. He wasn't saying that his friend was not amazing anymore, but the spark that he used to have was nowhere in him. He had once been a happy and fulfilled young man who craved to learn more and more each day. Now he was replaced by some gloomy and sleep-deprived man who wanted nothing more than to keep himself in the confinement of his room in hopes to avoid the things he had learned to fear.

"You asked for his help?"

Hiccup looked at his best friend, "Yeah…"

"What did he say?"

"He abandoned me, remember?" Hiccup sighed, looking out the window. He read the posters and bills as the car passed through.

"Well, we can't blame him," Toothless said, tapping the steering wheel. "It'd be more unbelievable if you said he believed you," he continued. Silence commenced as the car slowly swerved through streets. "Look…I can't repel the ghosts away, but I'll always be here for you when they bother you, got it?" Toothless added.

Hiccup smiled at his friend. "I know, bud." He looked outside the window again. "But it doesn't hurt to have something to ward the ghosts off once in a while. I could use a good night's sleep."

Toothless smiled back. "How about you spend the night at my house instead? I don't think any ghosts rove around mine," he suggested.

Hiccup, on the other hand, was not paying attention to him, for he was deep in thought. "I have an idea…"

"Hmm?" Toothless asked, craning his head towards Hiccup questioningly.

"I'm going to follow him at his office!" Hiccup declared.

Toothless slammed his foot on the brakes harshly once again. "What?"

"You heard me," Hiccup replied with a smirk. Nothing is gained by idling after all.


Toothless is a nickname here. His real name would be Terrence. I'll explain about his nickname in later chapters. XD

Night Fury is the name that Toothless dubbed his motorbike. :)