Change Of Heart
Pairing; Hector & Briana(Hiccup X OC)
Rating; M for Mature
Disclaimer; I do not own HTTYD or the songs I might use.
6. Eternally Grateful
{Normal POV}
"Will you two please stop fighting?!" Valarie Haddock pleaded her husband, Stephen, and son, Hector. The month was April in the year 2016, two until Hector would complete his Junior Year, then move on to being a Senior. However, things had not been so great in the Haddock Household. As careful as Hector had been about hiding his weed and cigarettes, his parents came home early while Hector was napping, and found him in his room smoking a cigarette. Hector's room had always been towards the back of the house, so he could open the window and smoke outside of that without his room smelling like he had been. Stephen and Valarie walked into his room to see him leaning outside the window with the screen open, while in the middle of taking a drag. The almost full pack and lighter sat not even a foot away on the computer desk. Needless to say, it started a huge fight, which was still going between Hector and Stephen. Valarie was crying, begging them to stop, but neither of them were backing down.
"Hector, I don't understand this!" Stephen yelled.
"You don't need to! It's my decision!" Hector glared.
"You're seventeen-years-old! I'm a cop; this is illegal for you to be smoking!" Stephen reminded.
"Arrest me then! If not, back the hell off!" Hector warned.
"Hector, enough," Stephen sighed.
"Gods, get off my back! This is my life, not yours!" Hector stated coldly.
"You're grounded! Two weeks; you are to come home from school, do your homework, then chores. Hand over your cell phone; you won't be seeing those friends of your anymore either," Stephen remarked firmly.
"You can't tell me who I can and can't see!" Hector argued.
"I'm your father, yes I can!" Stephen countered. "Phone, now!" he boomed. Hector glared, but he handed it over. It didn't matter because he still had the work one. "You're not leaving this house other than school," he reiterated.
"That's not fair!" Hector protested.
"Life isn't fair. Give me the lighter and cigarettes too," Stephen put his hand out.
"No!" Hector backed up, and Stephen stepped forward.
"You don't get a say in the matter, Hector. Your mother and I let you have your fun, your freedom to hang with those friends, and this is what we find out you're doing? Smoking? Anything else we don't know about?" Stephen asked.
"If you needed to know, you would! It's none of your damn business!" Hector cracked his knuckles.
"Hector, I'm not asking anymore. What do you really do with your friends!?" Stephen demanded.
"I've told you a million times what I do when I'm with them; we hang out!" Hector yelled.
"Hector, what happened, son. You had straight-A's; you never got into fights, were never in trouble. You were home all the time; you would help your mother and me with dinner and dishes, you kept your room clean. I just don't understand what sparked this change in you, please, tell us so we can help you," Stephen pushed.
"I got sick of being pushed around, teased, and bullied since I was nine by the same stupid, asshole! The mayor's fucking son," Hector remarked.
"Stop swearing," Stephen ordered.
"No! I'm sick of being told what to do. You wanted to know what the fuck was wrong, and I told you. What are you going to do to change it? The school doesn't do a damn thing, and I doubt you can either because you won't go against the mayor!" Hector scoffed.
"Hector, I said stop," Stephen warned again.
"And I said no. Why can't I express how I feel about it?! Why can't I show how much it pissed me off?! Gods, I'm so sick of everything! Why can't anyone just leave me the fuck alone?!" Hector said. No sooner than he swore that second time, Stephen popped him hard in the mouth with the back of his hand. Hector froze, then his eyes turned to a dark glare before he grabbed his backpack off the ground, took his cell from his father, then shoved past his dad before rushing out of the house as fast as he could. Stephen couldn't even stop him because he realized what he'd done.
{Hell Drakes Hangout}
Hector took the bus as far as he could get on it, then he walked the rest of the way to the hangout. Hector used his key to get inside, then Hector went to his mini fridge, pulling out two nips of Fireball Whiskey, then the Southern Comfort and a can of cola. Hector shot back both small bottles, setting them down on the table, then he mixed the Southern Comfort and cola in a red cup. Hector took a long drink from it, and when he started to feel the buzz from the alcohol, he began whacking away at the punching bag. The time Hector arrived was around four-ish. Hours later as it was nearing seven at night, the gang reaching the location with a few friends. As soon as Dimitri reached the door and put his hand on it, he noticed it was unlocked.
"What's up, Dimitri?" Derek asked.
"The door is unlocked already," Dimitri informed. Ethan glanced inside as he caught sight of Hector using the punching bag.
"No break-in, Dimitri; Hector's in there," Ethan stated.
"Odd. I wonder how long he's been here, and why he didn't let us know," Kayne wondered.
"I suppose we can ask him when we get inside?" Jeremy shrugged. Dimitri opened the door as they all filed inside and got a better view of Hector beating the hell out the bag. A few of the others noticed the empty nips, and few cans of cola, plus the opened bottle of Soco. Hector let one more punch fly as he hit the bag in the middle with enough force to knock it off the hook, then on to the ground broken open. The others blinked a few times as Hector was panting, looking pissed still, but walked over to his cup sitting on the ground, then drinking back the rest of whatever was in it.
"I guess that today was a bad day?" Victor mentioned first. Hector faced them now, as they were able to see the mark on the side of his face.
"Marcus again?" Derek questioned.
"Worse," Hector stated.
"Worse than Marcus?" Ethan asked, a bit shocked.
"Enemy gang?" Xavier wondered.
"Hah, I wish," Hector muttered sarcastically. "No, this came from my dad,"
"Your father hit you? Whatever for?"Aaron inquired.
"For swearing," Hector plopped down on the couch, surveying his knuckles, which were bruised and open slightly from going at the now broken punching bag without gloves on. "Parents came home early, caught me smoke a cigarette in my room, dad, and I got into a huge fight where I started swearing, and he backhanded me. I bailed and came here," he explained. Sylvia was among the friends who came with the Hell Drakes, she sat down next to Hector, then kissed his cheek to comfort him.
"How long have you been here?" Ryder questioned curiously.
"I don't know, couple hours," Hector shrugged.
"Why didn't you call us; we would have come over to keep ya company," Sawyer pondered.
"I didn't want to snap at anyone. Sorry," Hector looked down.
"Hey, it's cool. Hec. You're a member of this gang, and more than earned your place to have the same rights as the rest of us; that's why we gave you the key, phone, and multi-tool," Dimitri informed. "You don't need permission to come here if you want to," he added.
"Just next time, let us know you're heading here. We got concerned when we arrived and found the door unlocked already," Kayne mentioned.
"Will do," Hector said as he sat back with a beer and Sylvia laid her head on his shoulder while he took a drink, and the others started to grab a few drugs or alcohol, then sat down as well.
"Feel better now that you've gotten to beat the shit out of the bag?" Jeremy asked.
"I felt better after I stopped feeling everything from the alcohol. The bag beating was boredom," Hector informed. "Sorry for breaking it,"
"Eh, don't worry; we've got a spare. Mighty impressive to see a kid your age and size taking it down; I know fully grown men who can't do that," Dimitri chuckled. "Is your dad out looking for you?"
"Doubt it. I suspect my mother is giving him an earful about hitting me and then telling him to give me some space," Hector admitted.
"So how did the argument go? I mean, we just saw you at school before the bell rang, and that was at 3:10-ish," Derek asked.
"Happened around 3:35," Hector said, then sighed and began to tell them about the fight, leaving out no details. Sylvia remained next to him, staying close to offer comfort. The two were not boyfriend and girlfriend, but they hooked up once or twice a week to have sex. Sylvia tried to be with him, but Hector said he didn't want a relationship, and though she frowned, and pouted, she accepted his decision, but they agreed to hook up if they both wanted to get off. Just as Hector was about to finish the story, his cell phone rang.
"Your old man?" Dimitri asked. Hector nodded as the gang quieted down a little, but didn't go silent as Hector said it would tip his father off that it was too quiet, and something was up. Hector slid the icon to answer, the tapped speakerphone.
"What?" Hector answered.
"Will you please come home, Hector?" came his mother's voice.
"Mom? What are you doing with dad's phone?" Hector asked.
"Mine is dead, and your father feels horrible about what he did, Please come back, so we can all sit down and talk?" Valarie pleaded.
"I'm not in the mood to come home right now," Hector responded.
"You know your father has a temper, son, and you get yours from him. It was a heated argument, and-," Valarie began.
"Oh, my Gods, can you not go there? I'm so sick of you defending his outburst like that's some bullshit reason as to why he hit me tonight. Yeah, I'm guilty of fighting when I'm mad, but the day I hit someone was because I got tired of being bullied by an overprivileged asshole since I was nine! There is no excuse for what he did. Dad wants to ride my ass about smoking cigarettes because it's illegal since I'm a minor, but he can bend the law to strike me?"
"It was discipline, Hector. You were swearing, and still are!" Valarie argued.
"Discipline?! Discipline is the act of teaching your child right from wrong! When you strike your kid across the mouth in a brief moment of anger, all you're doing is teaching them that it's okay for them to hit someone who pisses them off. Not to mention, it's child abuse to hit your kid, and leave a vivid mark that can be seen by others. Yeah, I swear. Big deal. You tell me what teenager you know that doesn't curse? I know fourteen-year-olds who swear more than I do, so lay off, Mom. Don't get on my case about the things I do because Uncle Glenn has told me plenty of stories about yours and dad's teenage years. Let's see; there was you two having sex at fifteen. Running away together for a few weeks, parties, sneaking out to see one another. Underage drinking and smoking. Getting married at eighteen and not telling anyone. Should I keep going?" Hector asked.
"Hector, it's seven at night. Come home, you have school in the morning, and your father grounded you for two weeks. Where are you?" Valarie asked.
"With friends. Oh, right, the grounding where he took my cell phone away? I guess it's a good thing I grabbed it before I left or you wouldn't have had a way to contact me right now. Yes, I smoke, and yes, I hang with my friends a lot, but you know something? You could give me a little more credit because I'm far from stupid. I'm not coming home right now; I don't want to see him," Hector retorted.
"We know you're not stupid, son," Stephen said now.
"Then for the love of Odin, stop treating me like I am!" Hector yelled.
"We're just worried about you, Hector. You're always out with your friends! You go out as soon as school is over, you're gone until curfew, and sometimes you're gone all night, or skip school! Your grades are barely passing, and the newest development is that you're smoking! Glenn thinks you're drinking too, but I doubt you will be forthcoming with that information. Do you understand that if you get caught by any cops on patrol; I can't protect you just because you're my son? Do you get that?" Stephen informed.
"You don't need to worry about me. I'm not a little kid anymore, and I don't need your protection. Stop trying to control my life, or when I turn eighteen, I'm gone. If I get picked up by police and arrested for my choices, then that will be my fault. I don't expect special treatment, and I don't want it either. In the meantime, I'm with friends now, safe, and cooling off before I step foot back in that house," Hector remarked coldly.
"Alright, okay. I'll back off and let you be. And if you want to stay over, to calm down, or whatever, then it's fine. I am sorry for hitting you, son. Your mother and I love you; please know that. Which friend are you with? Can you…just tell me that, so I won't worry all night where you are?" Stephen asked.
Hector saw Derek motion to himself as an alibi. "Derek's," he said.
"Okay. Thank you, Hector. I'll let you go for now. Um, be safe, and we love you," Stephen replied.
"I really wish you could prove that by trusting me," Hector responded in a monotone voice, then he ended the call before his father could say anything else. Hector tossed the phone on the table and flopped back with a groan of frustration while placing his hands on his face.
"Want us to hang the other bag?" Ethan questioned.
"I'd rather not break the spare," Hector informed.
"You should put some ice on that before it bruises," Xavier suggested.
"It's wont; he didn't hit hard enough to bruise, just turn red. It'll fade long before the night is through," Hector informed while Derek took a hit off the joint, the blew out the smoke before holding it out to Hector, offering him some.
"Go on, you need it after all this shit," Derek mentioned. Hector took the blunt from him, then had two hits before passing it back. Hector blew out the smoke as he laid back, relaxing. "Calming down?"
"Eh, a little," Hector shrugged.
"Wanna do a line with us?" Kayne offered. "You might as well since your dad gave you permission to be out all night," he added. Hector sat up, yeah he might as well do it. Kayne and Victor did it first, then passed the rolled up dollar to him. Hector got down lower and snorted the small line up his nose, then rubbed it a bit, sniffling once or twice before returning to his spot on the couch.
"I think I still prefer a needle to the arm rather than snorting," Hector admitted as Sylvia handed him his cup with a freshly mixed drink, and his favorite too; Soco and Cola. Hector took a long drink from it, then sat back once more, finally feeling fully relaxed after the argument earlier with his dad. Though, he couldn't help but think of his father's words about trying to protect him if he ever got picked up by the cops. Hector wasn't sure how to view the conversation because he felt like it meant his father knew he wasn't just hanging out and watching movies with a few buds. Hector had a feeling that his old man knew he was smoking and drinking, and being out of the house signaled he was out of the protection of his father keeping his secret. Honestly, it made Hector remember when all this first started in January with his parents asking him what was going on, and after Hector assured them that everything was fine, his father mentioned that no matter what Hector did, they would always love him the same.
Hector could feel the drugs and the alcohol working together, and soon, the pondering he'd begun to do slipped away into nothing but a good feeling. At the moment, Hector had his eyes closed, and they were watching him to make sure he didn't black out. The members knew Hector was younger and as awesome as it was that he did the hard stuff with them, they had to ensure Hector wouldn't give himself alcohol poisoning, or overdose on drugs. Then again, they all did that for one another, and it was standard that one or two people wouldn't get completely fucked up so they could keep a listen and watch for if they ever got raided by the cops. After ten minutes had gone by, and Hector finished another drink, Sylvia whispered something in his ear. Hector nodded to her, and then she took his hand as the two walked off smiling; the rest of the gang, plus friends knew exactly what was going to happen, so they left it alone.
Much later on, Sylvia walked back with a limp-looking Hector, both were dressed. Hector was barely awake as Sylvia set him down on the couch, and as soon as he was down, his eyes closed fully, and it appeared he'd fallen asleep. Derek grabbed a blanket and put it on his friend as they saw a smile come to his face. Hector wasn't totally out, but he was listening to the others say that Hector was a trooper, and they were glad to have him among them because it felt like he completed their little family. In truth, that made Hector feel better than any drug did. Hector always knew something was missing in his life, and with the Hell Drakes; he was certain he'd found what he'd been searching for to feel complete. Hector didn't think he'd ever have the words to tell them thankful, how eternally grateful he was to have them in his life, and to be part of their family.