Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD, RotG or any other character that shows up in here. I only own my OC's, which don't have that big of parts - but will be in here now and then.
Chapter Nine; We Choose Our Own Battles
Waking up Friday morning was a killer to Hiccup.
He groaned as he rose from his bed, his hand reaching up to hold onto his forehead. He felt dizzy and his stomach was giving complaints when he got up. He wanted to roll right back on over, snuggle back up under the warm sheets and go back to sleep. But his alarm clock was blaring, and he knew he had to get up and get ready for school.
Stumbling out of his room and down the hall, he made it just in time to empty whatever was left in his stomach into the toilet. Pulling his hair back from his face, Hiccup let out another groan as he let his cheek rest against the seat of the toilet. Maybe he'd just call in sick, sleep off the rest of the day right here in front of the toilet.
"Morning sleeping beauty." a voice said behind him.
Raising his head up, he squinted at the door way. With her hands on her hips, Astrid raised an eyebrow as she stared back at him. Standing next to her stood Jack, who gave Hiccup a gentle smile before offering out the steaming mug in his hand. As much as he didn't want to stand or do anything, Hiccup carefully rose to his feet before approaching the other two.
"Coffee, it'll help." Jack informed him.
Hiccup's nose scrunched up in distaste, but he didn't reject the mug. It was nice and warm between his hands, and the taste was bitter but a lot better than the after taste of his recent incident in the toilet. Reaching out, Astrid rubbed her hand up and down Hiccup's arm.
"You can stay home if you don't feel good, we can take notes on whatever you miss." Astrid informed him.
"No, I - I want to go." he told her.
She shared a look with Jack, before nodding her head. The two left Hiccup to get ready then, shuffling back to his bedroom so that he could get dressed. It was when he was removing his clothes that he realized he slept in whatever he had worn out the night before, and there seemed to be what remained of a number and a name blurred out on the palm of his hand. He squinted, trying to work out the name or at least the digits to the number. All he could work out though was the letter's P - - c - and what he guessed might be an 8.
Once he was dressed, had scrubbed the rest of the number off his hand and brushed his teeth at least twice, he went to join Astrid and Jack in his kitchen. The two stopped whatever they were talking about, as if whatever it was Hiccup wasn't suppose to hear. He looked between the two of them, before moving to retrieve the mug that Jack had set on the table.
"Hey Hic, is there uh.. Anything you remember from last night?" Astrid questioned him.
He searched his brain. He remembered them being invited to a party, he remembered Jack dancing and singing a song that sounded familiar. But that seemed to be it, and that's all he told the two of them. Astrid seemed relieved at his answer, and nodded her head.
Not asking him any more questions, the group went about acting as if everything was back to normal. Though Hiccup felt like things weren't exactly normal, he felt as if there was something very important he was missing. He shook it off though, finishing the coffee that Jack had gotten him. Bidding Toothless a farewell, the three teenagers left the Haddock home and went in the direction of Burgess High School.
When they arrived at the school Jack excused himself. Hiccup didn't let it bother him though, knowing that Jack wouldn't always want to with him to his first class. Astrid walked with him instead, telling him about this kid named Jamie that she had met at the party.
. . . .
"Who is this kid we're looking for again?" Flynn questioned.
Jack looked over to his friend, who was scowling and reminding him a lot of a certain Australian co-worker. But really, Flynn had all the time in the world to hang out with Rapunzel. Jack only rarely asked Flynn for favors.
"His name is Snot somethin, I dunno. I'll recognize him when I see him." Jack replied.
Jack couldn't forget the conversation that had happened between him and Hiccup during the party. Damn, did that kid have a mouth when he was drunk. After Hiccup had basically confessed his feelings for Jack - or.. Well, Jack wanted to just shake it off to the fact that Hiccup was drunk. He wasn't in love with him, he was letting the alcohol talk.
Anyways, Hiccup had vented out all of this shit that Jack was unaware about. First it had been about Pitch, Jack knew Pitch would have tried to get some affect on Hiccup. It was Jack's own damn fault he had left the two alone. Pitch had put so much crap in the kid's head. And then Hiccup started telling him about Snotlout. This kid had been picking on Hiccup since his freshman year, to the point where Hiccup had gone to the hospital.
It angered Jack on knowing what this kid had done to the boy. As far as Jack could see, Hiccup had tried his best to not make enemies at their school. The kid stuck to his hobbies and was nice to everyone. Yet this Snotlout kid still had an issue with him. Still threw punches and kicks at Hiccup, and the freckled boy didn't defend himself at all. Where was Stoick while this was all going on though?
The last subject Hiccup had got onto was his mother. By then he was crying, his fingers gripping tight onto Jack's shirt as he told Jack what had happened. Hiccup blamed it all on himself, that if he hadn't called his mother to come pick him up then she wouldn't have gotten into that accident. Jack had held him close, told Hiccup that it wasn't his fault, but the boy never listened. He continued to cry, until he had finally passed out. It was then that Astrid and this kid Jack knew found them. Jamie Bennett had offered them a ride back, and they had accepted.
Anger fueled him though. He wanted to find this Snotlout kid, not even caring if he missed Math. He had pulled Flynn aside and brought him as back up, since Snotlout always walked the halls with his little football posse.
Spotting the boy he was looking for, Jack made a beeline straight for the other kid. Jamie, who was standing nearby talking with the kid, raised an eyebrow when Jack approached.
"Hey Jack." Jamie greeted with a full teeth smile.
Jack ignored Jamie though, moving over and shoving Snotlout against the locker. Jamie's eyes widened, and he took a step away from the angry teen. Snotlout's eyebrows furrowed, his eyes glaring as he looked at Jack.
"What is your problem Frost?!" Snotlout snapped.
"You're my problem." Jack replied.
Kids were turning their heads to look at the two of them, Flynn and Jamie standing to the side as they waited for what would happen next. Snotlout was trying to push Jack away, but the white haired boy held his ground.
"I heard you like picking on kid's twice your size." Jack said, arching an eyebrow.
"So what?" Snotlout questioned.
"So how about you fight me instead." Jack told him, before pulling his hand back and throwing his fist into the kids face.
A full on fight started from there. Snotlout threw a punch back at Jack, and soon they were on top of each other. Snotlout had Jack on the floor, landing punch after punch. Jack wouldn't give up easily though, throwing punches back and taking every hit Snotlout threw at him like a champ. At some point Flynn and Jamie grabbed at Snotlout, trying to pull the bigger boy off, but that only earned Flynn getting elbowed in his nose and Jamie getting shoved away.
Students were cheering on both boys, setting wages on which one would win. At some point some kid even placed a bet that Snotlout would kill Jack, but no one tried to stop the fighting boys. Not until the teachers finally were able to push their way through and break the fight up.
Snotlout and Jack were taken to the principals office, while Jamie went with Flynn to the nurse's office. But the rumors were already spreading, and to some kids Jack was seen as a hero. He had stuck up for the kids that had been beaten on. Other kids saw it as Jack starting a fight, that Snotlout had just been hitting back in self defense. And all word made it's way to where Hiccup and Astrid were in History.
. . . .
"From what Flynn told me, Jack had been looking for Snotlout." Rapunzel told the group at the lunch table.
Hiccup blinked, looking at the girl. She was leaned over the table, looking down at the text message she had gotten from the boy. Flynn had ended up going to the hospital, Snotlout's elbow breaking the guy's nose. Rapunzel had been worried for him since she heard the news, and now was texting the boy who was at home resting off what had happened.
"Why do you think he went after Snotlout?" Astrid questioned.
"Who knows, but he looked pissed." Jamie muttered from where he sat next to Astrid.
Astrid raised an eyebrow, before looking over to Hiccup. The two had walked with Jack to school, and he at all seemed like his regular cheery self. At no point had he said that he was mad at Snotlout. Had something happened by the time he left the two? Hiccup swallowed the lump in his throat, looking over to Rapunzel. She was texting something new to Flynn, her eyes watching the phone with all of her attention as she waited for the reply.
The group settled down a bit, but all of them were wondering the same thing. What had happened between Jack and Snotlout? What had made Jack so mad that he had gone and attacked the guy before school had even started.
"Has anyone heard from Jack?" Jamie questioned.
Astrid shook her head, pulling her phone out to see if she got any texts. Hiccup also brought his own cellphone out, looking over the blank inbox. He had at least sent Jack 20 or more texts, asking what had happened. He had even excused himself to the bathroom to call the other boy, but no one had heard anything from him. Chewing on his bottom lip, Hiccup was about to slide his phone back in his pocket when it vibrated in his hand.
He had quickly opened the incoming text, not even bothering to look at the sender as he read over the words. Though what was written confused him, and he looked to the number to not recognize it at all. But whoever the sender was, wanted to meet up with him on Saturday.
"Is it Jack?" Astrid asked, leaning over his shoulder to look at his phone.
"No," Hiccup replied, shaking his head. "I don't know who this is."
He turned the phone so she could get a better look. Her blue eyes scanned over it, but she gave a shrug. She didn't recognize the number either. Hiccup looked over the number again, wondering if maybe it had been the mysterious PC who had written out their number on Hiccup's palm. He wished now he hadn't washed it away, but he'd just have to meet up with them tomorrow to figure out who it was.
Looking across the table, Hiccup met the golden brown eyes of Sandy, who with Jamie had joined them for lunch. The short boy gave him a smile, before opening his notepad and writing something out. Sliding the pad across the table, Hiccup gently picked it up and looked over what the other boy had written.
I'm sure Jack's fine. He'll get in contact with one of us when he's ready.
Hiccup smiled at the words, nodding his head. During some point in their friendship Hiccup began to see Sandy as almost an older brother. The other boy always made sure Hiccup felt comfortable, and talked to the boy when he felt like something was troubling him. Sliding the notepad back, Sandy gently patted Hiccup's hand before he retrieved his notepad.
Reaching over, Astrid wrapped her arm around Hiccup's shoulders and gently hugged him. Smiling, Hiccup tried to push her arms away. He began to relax a little, hoping that Sandy would be right and that Jack would contact one of them.
. . . .
None of them had heard from Jack though.
Making his way home, Hiccup was texting his mysterious PC person. So far the person would not give away his name, though he knew Hiccup's. He'd give Hiccup hints though. PC so far was a boy, he had met Hiccup during the party. He flirted with Hiccup as well, telling the boy how cute his freckles were and that he wished Hiccup had stayed longer at the party.
Hiccup found himself a little distracted with this person. He was blushing at each flirt, and tried not to flirt back. But it was really hard not to when this mysterious person was making Hiccup question who it was and what they saw in a boy like him.
It wasn't until he walked into the house had he finally remembered about Jack. Ignoring the vibrations coming from his phone, Hiccup slid it into his pocket as he stepped into his home. Toothless was the first to greet him, trotting towards him from the living room and giving a loud meow in greeting. Hiccup let his eyes roll, but he scooped the feline up into his arms.
"Is Jack here bud?" he asked.
Green eyes blinked, before Toothless looked back in the direction of the living room. Kicking his shoes off, Hiccup let the cat down and followed him as he retreated back into the room. Jack was sitting on the couch, staring blankly at the TV as he held a bag of ice against his left eye. Hiccup's eyes widened, and he quickly made his way over to the side of the couch.
"Holy shit, Jack what happened?!" Hiccup questioned.
Jack pulled his eyes away from the TV, pulling the ice away from his face so he could look at Hiccup. The shorter boy took in a sharp breath, his hand tentatively reaching out to Jack's face. There was a dark bruise around Jack's eye, and Hiccup at that moment wanted to go hunt down Snotlout and make sure the other guy looked worse.
Gently running his thumb around Jack's eye, Hiccup found himself kneeling down until he was sitting on his knees next to the couch. Jack gave him a small smile, turning his head to place the ice back on his eye.
"The other guy?" Hiccup asked.
"Trust me, he looks worse." Jack chuckled.
Nodding his head, Hiccup pulled his hand away to place it on his lap. He wasn't sure what to say, he felt so relieved to see Jack, and yet he wished he could do more. He wanted to say something, to figure out what the fight was about. But he didn't ask anything, he simply sat there with Jack. He sat his chin on the arm rest of the couch, his green eyes watching Jack.
Jack didn't explain himself, and was glad that Hiccup didn't question him on what happened. How was he suppose to explain everything that Hiccup had told him about the night before, or that Jack had felt such a rage when he had laid eyes on Snotlout. Almost everyone he knew, and a lot of people he didn't know were blowing up his phone with questions.
All he really wanted though was to sit right here with Hiccup, and forget what happened at school.
At some point Toothless had curled himself onto Jack's lap. The boy tried to move the cat, but Toothless kept moving himself back until finally he bit down on the white haired teen's hand. Luckily, it had only been a threatening bite, and he hadn't gone through skin. But it was enough for Hiccup to move the cat away from Jack before he got into a fight with the feline.
Hiccup's phone vibrated again, and Jack raised an eyebrow as he watched the boy pull it out of his pocket.
"Seems I'm not the only popular one today." Jack joked.
"Yeah, well I just wish I knew who it was." Hiccup replied, running a hand through his hair.
Jack raised an eyebrow, watching Hiccup read the text. The boy's cheeks had flushed a light pink, and Jack's hand gripped the ice bag a little tighter. He wanted to know who it was texting Hiccup, what the person had written to make Hiccup blush. He licked at his lips, watching Hiccup's fingers type out a reply to the person texting him.
Placing his phone next to him, Hiccup brushed his fingers over Toothless. He was trying to erase the words from his mind, but whoever was texting him was really getting interesting with the things he was sending. He looked up, seeing the way Jack was almost glaring at his cell phone, as if it had just threatened the other boy.
"Jack, you alright?" Hiccup questioned.
"Huh?" Jack questioned, looking up. "Oh, yeah."
Hiccup's phone vibrated again, but before Hiccup could grab it Jack was already picking it up. Hiccup tried to get his phone back, but Jack was pulling away from him with it in his hand. He opened the text message, looking at what the writer wrote before scanning over the familiar phone number. His eyes darkened a bit as he realized who it was, and narrowed his blue eyes at Hiccup.
"Why are you texting Pitch?" he asked
"Pitch?" Hiccup questioned.
The name sounded familiar to him, and he could remember a pair of golden yellow eyes. His mysterious sender was that one guy from the party? Some memories came back to him, of how Pitch had told him about his past with Jack. It was now Hiccup's turn to narrow his eyes at Jack.
"Why do you care if I'm texting him?" he asked.
Jack was now going through the other text messages, reading the conversation between Hiccup and Pitch. He felt himself getting madder and madder at the words. Pitch was fucking with Hiccup's head, just like he had been the other day. He went to delete each text message, but Hiccup had snatched his phone away from him. Jack went to get it back, but Hiccup moved away from him, sliding the phone into his pocket.
"Hiccup, Pitch is not a good guy to be getting involved with." Jack said, rising off the couch.
"And why is that Jack? Because so far he's been nothing but nice." Hiccup snapped.
"He's lying to you!" Jack yelled.
Hiccup crossed his arms, his blood rushing in his veins. It was none of Jack's business who he talked to, Pitch had so far shown no form of threat to Hiccup. So far he had been nice - flirtatious even. Maybe Jack was just jealous, jealous at the fact that Hiccup was talking to an old fling. Good! Let Jack know how Hiccup felt every time the other boy talked with someone.
Hiccup turned, running down the hall and slamming his bedroom door behind him once he was safely in the room. He went to throw his phone, but stopped before gently tossing it onto the bed. He hated how Jack was acting right now. The boy went and first got himself into a fight with Snotlout, and just when Hiccup thought things might go fine he had to take Hiccup's phone. And then he had to tell Hiccup who he apparently could and couldn't talk to.
Fuck him! Jack was just the guy who crashed on the couch.
Alright, well, also the guy that Hiccup had a crush on. But fuck man! It wasn't right for Jack to act like that, so possessive. Whatever had happened between Pitch and Jack had nothing to do with him. He was allowed to talk to Pitch, he didn't have to listen to Jack. Besides, so much for Jack really caring. The white haired teen hadn't even gone after Hiccup.
"I'm such an idiot for falling for a guy like him." Hiccup muttered to himself.
He slumped down onto his desk chair, opening one of his sketch books. It opened to his drawing of Jack, and his green eyes scanned over it. In his anger he felt himself taking the page between his hands and ripping it in half. But it didn't stop there, he just kept ripping until tiny pieces littered the top of his desk.
And then he found himself mad at himself. He picked up the pieces, trying to put them back together, but it didn't work. He had made them too small into pieces, had even lost a few and tape nor glue would be able to put the picture back to the way it had once been. It was gone. Tears slid down his face, and Hiccup gave a low curse as he slammed his fist onto the desk.
He destroyed his drawing of Jack, and he had probably destroyed their friendship as well.
I know I probably say this all the time, but really guys, you amaze me with all the reviews. Even those of you who follow or favorite. You guys are seriously amazing. I really have to hold myself back with updates, because I don't want them to be so soon. But when I see the reviews and such I'm like 'Hmm.. Maybe I could upda- NO! I gotta hold back a bit.'
And even though I don't reply to all of your reviews, I really enjoy reading them.
