Chapter 9

"Hiccup… why did you do that?" I asked, my voice low and soft. I needed to know. "I… I didn't want you to get yourself into trouble by hurting him… all we would have to do was tell someone…" He said. I shook my head. "There were lots of ways to stop me Hiccup… why did you kiss me?" He wasn't giving me the answer I had to know. The one I had been dying for. Hiccup shook his head, biting one of his lips. He reached around behind me to pry my arm from its hold around his hips. "Hiccup…" He pushed away, leaving his arms completely extended on my chest. He faced the ground, not looking at me, and I couldn't see his face. "Hiccup… please."

It took a few seconds of silence before a small mumble passed from Hiccup. "What?" I asked, unable to hear. His ears were red, highlighting the freckles there. He took a large breath. "It… it was the first thing that came to my mind… and so I just… Oh, god don't make me say it again." He said while hiding himself as he curled back into my jacket. I obviously wasn't going to get any other verbal answer so I figured something else might work. "Ok. You don't have to say anything, just leave the words to me. All you have to do is nod or shake your head, alright?"

Hiccup seemed wary of the idea, but nodded his head anyway. I tried to figure out a way to word it so that he wouldn't be too scared to answer, but got my point as well. "Do you… like me?" He nodded immediately, not taking it in the same way I had meant it, but that was a start. "Ok… Do you like me as a friend?" I asked. He nodded again. "How about as more than a friend?" To my surprise, there was a hesitation, but he nodded again. I took a breath, knowing that the next question would be the one to break him up.

"Hiccup… Do you love me?"

He went stiff as he leaned on me. I felt like I was going to have a heart attack by the way my heart bumped around inside my chest so quick. It was like a suspense scene in a scary movie. You have a feeling something's about to happen, you have an idea of what it is, but the wait is what kills you. I could feel Hiccup's nervousness as he trembled below me. I doubted that I could have worded it any better than I had. This was getting right down to the heart of it, to what I desperately needed to hear, or see, in this case. I counted as the seconds went by, One… two… three… I had reached five when there was finally a movement.

He nodded.

I let out the huge breath I had been holding without realizing it. A smile bigger than one had had pulled out in a long time spread from ear to ear. Hiccup looked up to see my reaction. I leaned down and hugged him close. That was enough. That was all I needed. I was glad I had hung onto that last piece of hope, to my small moments of imagination. Now I wouldn't need them anymore. Now I had all of it in my hands. This shocked Hiccup, and he slowly wrapped his arms around me as well. "Hey Hic." I said. He was frozen to the spot, awaiting some other odd question. "…Hmm?" He asked when he decided it was ok. I held him tighter to me, twisting my head to whisper in his ear,

"I love you too."

Jack's confession was warm on my neck, but it gave me goosebumps. If I hadn't already been blushing from head to toe that would've made it happen. I hadn't expected him to ask me about it. The idea hadn't really crossed my mind yet. But as soon as he asked, I knew the answer. It put together all of the puzzle pieces from these past few days, stitching them together into something I could finally make sense of. He had a point, there were a lot of other ways I could have stopped him. The clarity of finally putting it all together left a satisfying click in my mind. Jack was really happy, of course, and had this huge dopey smile on his face before he had reached in to hug me.

It was cold outside. Jack probably still couldn't feel it since he was somewhere far away in his warm little dream-land. I unwrapped myself from him and wriggled out of his embrace. "C'mon," I said, "Let's go home." I smiled encouragingly. It seemed like Snotlout was the furthest thing from his mind, and that had been the whole point to begin with so it was a success all around. I started walking, and Jack clung to my side as if he thought I would try to run away if he didn't.

I had never even had a girlfriend before, much less a boyfriend. What was I supposed to do from here? We past a house with some Saturday night celebration going on inside. There was music leaking out through the walls. I assumed it was some gathering of other teens that cared a bit more about football than I did. When we had passed the house there was nothing but silence. The neighborhoods near my house had always been quiet ones, so it didn't bother me, but I felt like Jack would find the quiet awkward, so I tried to find something to talk about. "So… in Sydney… what did you do? You already told me you were a tagger, but apart from that I really have no idea." I asked. I was genuinely curious about the subject since he hadn't said much about it.

Jack shrugged, "It wasn't all that exciting. Sometimes I went scuba diving, but it was just something to do when I got bored. I mainly sat on the beach and… watched things happen I guess." Jack looked down at me again. "Compared to Sydney, I like it a lot better here. At least snow melts, but sand? The sand was everywhere. And you couldn't get it out of anything. That was the most annoying thing in the world." He said. He blew at the hair around his forehead remembering his annoyance at it. I smiled, it was cool to have a small window into his life in Sydney, however small of a window it had been. "Well, you haven't had snow thrown down your shirt yet so don't get too excited." I said. He chuckled, "Whatever you say."

As we neared our street, a cold breeze blew out from in between the houses. My scarf and gloves had held up well for about halfway through the game, but then had become chilled anyway, so I had stuffed them in my pocket. It would be stupid of me to put them on when the house was only one more street away, but it was so cold I was tempted to. My teeth were chattering. Why did cold have to be a thing? I felt something slip into my hand. "Your hands are freezing cold." Jack said, like holding my hand was the most natural thing in the world for him. I didn't object. It was too cold for that. We just walked down the street until our houses came into view. I expected him to break away, to go into his own house, maybe give me a hug or something before he did so, but that wasn't what he did. We completely passed his house. "Um, Jack?" I asked, wondering what he was doing. He pointed to the car in his driveway, "Aster's home." He said.

For a second I couldn't quite catch his point, but before long I could read between the lines. "Oh… ok." I said. I unlocked the door when we got back to the house and welcomed the warm air inside. "Want some hot chocolate?" I asked. He nodded, accepting that everything I cooked for him up to that point had been yummy. I hung my coat up as well as his and went to the kitchen for some mugs, milk, and a mix I had bought from an Inuit woman at a fair in Lerk. It was a sort of spiced cocoa that had been handmade by these women for their small stall. They had been talkative and very sweet. I had helped them put their tent back together while their husbands had gone roaming around the fair and they gave me the large jar of mix for free in exchange.

I warmed the milk, stirred in the mix and brought it back over to the couch where Jack was flipping through stations on TV. Not finding one he liked, he hit the mute button and took his mug from my hands. I settled down on the couch beside him and took a sip. The spices mixed with the cocoa in an almost southern-tasting way, but not quite. It was a difficult flavor to name, but it smelled amazing. Jack looked like he was enjoying it, so I sat back in satisfaction. The mug warmed my fingers and palms. I kicked off my shoes so I could bring my feet under my legs and start warming them too. Jack had taken his shoes off at the door already. He wasn't wearing any socks again.

Jack drained his cup before I did, and sat it on the coffee table. I could tell he wanted to ask me something, but he waited for me to finish. I made an effort to down it quickly and planted my mug beside Jack's. "Hiccup?" He asked, finally speaking up. "Yeah?" He turned towards me, leaning his arm against the back the couch and laying his head on it. "That, back there. Was that… your first?"

Oh god. Had I been that bad? Shit. I pouted a little, disappointed. "Yeah." I said. Which was a lie, actually. My first had been in a hospital bed where I wasn't allowed to react. This one had been mutual, though, so I had decided not to count the first one. Jack smiled, a familiar twinkle in his eye. "Good." He said. I raised an eyebrow. "That means I get this cute little virgin Hiccup all to myself." He jeered, leaning towards me with a smirk. "Hah?!" I tried to protest, but before I could, I found myself trapped between the back of the couch and Jack, who had blocked my path of escape.

"Hey Hiccup."

"What."

"Does this mean I get to call you my boyfriend?"

I blushed a deep tomato red, I could feel it. "J-Just D- do what you want." I said. I mentally cursed myself for stuttering. My eyes flitted across the room, away from him. I was really getting tired of being embarrassed so easily. "You know," He said, a smile in his voice, "You shouldn't pout like that. It's very inviting." I looked forward to ask him what he meant, "What's tha- Mph!" Jack's kissing me again. Oh, yeah, that's ok because we're dating now… Dating… Does that mean that this becomes a regular thing now? That… might not be so bad.

Jack's lips were soft, like marshmallows, but not. It was a strange feeling I couldn't quite get used to, all slippery and heated. It tasted like hot cocoa. One moment I was sitting on my own and the next Jack had pulled me up into his lap. I had barely felt the movement, too focused on what Jack was doing to my mouth. "Mph… Jack…what are you doing?" I noticed His hands pulling up at the rim of my sweater. "Your sweater is hot, plus I wouldn't mind seeing you shirtless right now." He said, pulling it over my head before he had given me time to react. He found my white undershirt instead. "Aw, man. At least we got rid of the temperature problem. Come here." He said, leaning back in to place a kiss on my neck.

He was right, it had been hot, but I hadn't noticed. Now I could clearly feel Jack's oven-like hands on my back, the same hand that held mine not too long ago now tracing a line up and down my spine. When he was done with my neck he moved back up to my face. He kissed along my cheekbones and forehead and ears, everywhere but where I wanted him. "Jack…" I whined. It was funny how much I missed the feeling of his lips on mine even though it had only been a few seconds. "Hmm?" He hummed, sucking at my freckles. I let out a sigh, giving in. I wrapped my arms around his neck and strung my fingers through his hair. I tilted his face were I wanted it and kissed him head-on, no more of that teasing stuff. Jack smiled through the kiss, "Impatient Mmm-much?" He tried to badger me, getting stuck with a small moan in between. I took pride in that tiny moan.

I tried something different, and bit down gently on his lips. "Shaddup." I said. The bite set off something in Jack and he now attacked my lips with needy pecks. His arms tightened around my waist and he did the same thing he had earlier at the football field. He kissed me like he would die if he didn't. Like it had been holed up inside him somewhere, and he was letting it all go. I was in a higher position above him on his lap, an angle I hadn't seen before. Jack's hair tickled me every time he would give me a break and move back down to my neck, and I had done my best to hold it in, but after about the third time I just couldn't. "Pfft! Jack stop that!" I felt like he was doing it on purpose. "Doing what?" He asked, tickling my chin with one of the curves of his hair. Definitely. He was definitely doing that on purpose.

"Haha! Jack you know exactly what. Pff!" Jack paid me no mind, pressing his lips back into mine. "Hmmm do I?" He mumbled, dismantling whatever small barrier had formed on my lips against the laughter. He drew a finger teasingly along my side while he proceeded to kiss the hell out of me. "Yes Ha HAmmm! *gasp* You d-fffha! Mpf! Nnnnn Do!" His fingers were now in a flurry down my side, causing me to have to lean on him for support since leaning the other way would win me a one-way ticket to the floor. "I love it when you laugh, though." He said, "Especially when you're kissing me. I think it's my new favorite thing, actually."

We went on like this for a few more minutes until it had worn me out. I tried to catch my breath when He had finally stopped. I tried to slip off of him but he held my wrists at my side. "How are you so damn good on your first try?" He asked. The question surprised me. I thought I had been horrible… "Was it really… ok?" I didn't want to, but I had to ask. I felt like he was teasing me again. Jack furrowed his brow, "Ok? Hiccup… that was… the best." He said, wrapping his arms around me and pulling his face into my chest.

Oh. Ok then. Jack pulled his phone out of his pocket. After a few taps on the screen he slipped it back inside. "What was that about?" I asked. I had forgotten to tell him that he couldn't tell anyone. I wasn't even sure how that would go over with Astrid… much less someone less close to me. "Just telling Aster I'll be spending the night again." He said, a sly grin on his face. Seeing my look of apprehension he said, "Don't worry, I won't do anything. Since you made me let Snotface go and all, though, I want to be here just in case." Jack took a pause. "He tried to kill you tonight. You realize this, right?"

I slipped off to the side of him, rolling off the couch. "Yeah… I do… Let's just go to bed, kay?" Jack stared at me for a moment, trying to tell whether I was serious or not. I could understand his confusion. Finding his way up off the couch he found a strand of my bangs to tug on. "Ok." He said. He let his hand fall into mine and we went upstairs. It was weird that just last night we had done basically the same thing, but now it was completely different.

Jack turned away so we could both get "changed". Jack hadn't kept his shorts here from last night, so he left his pants on but took off his shirt. I took my pants off, knowing they would be too hot for bed, but left my shirt on since it was light. It wasn't like Jack hadn't seen me in my boxers before, but you would've thought he was jumping for joy when he saw me in them now. "Well, still didn't get the shirt off but I guess legs will suffice." He said. I sent him a look, "You're not supposed to tell me that right before we get in bed." I told him. He had said he wouldn't do anything, but I wasn't quite convinced with the way he had been speaking.

I climbed into bed, leaving a spot for Jack on the other side. He turned off the light and walked back across the floor slowly, trying to remember where the bed was. When he found it, he slipped in beside me. Still new to all this, I kept still, not knowing what to do. Jack turned toward me in the bed, feeling my hesitation. "Hic, is there a reason you're all the way on the other side of the bed? Get over here." He caught my abdomen underneath the sheets and pulled me close to him. I ended up on my right side, and he on his back. He laid his left arm out for my head and curled me in so that my head and left arm were draped across his shoulder and chest. I was glad he couldn't see me, because I knew I was blushing. God I hated blushing.

I woke up with Hiccup still stuck to my side. It took me a moment to not panic and remember that it was ok now. Hiccup's breaths warmed me in the same way they had the night before. Noon-ish looking light was pouring in through the curtains again. It felt like a repeat of yesterday, only better. Much better. Yesterday I had been tempted to stay there and count his freckles, and I did now before he decided to wake up. I couldn't see half of his right check as it was pressed up against me, but I could see the left one. There were 142. I had counted and recounted. It felt natural for him to be against my side like that. It was as if he had been perfectly sculpted to be there.

A little while after I had started counting the freckles on his nose, he woke up. "Hmm?" It took him a second to remember, just like it had me, that he had a boyfriend now, and that it was ok. Hiccup twisted his head upwards to see if I was awake. I smiled at him, "Morning." Hiccup nodded, still drunk from sleep, "Mornin'." He reached up to rub his eyes clean of sand. He supported himself above me with his arms. "Have a good dream?" I asked. Hiccup reminded me of a cat once again, like he had the first day I met him, as he stretched out his arms and back. When he was done, he nodded sleepily. I shifted higher up on the pillows, leaning against the bedframe. "That's good." I said.

Hiccup's eyes were half-open, not wanting to face the light of the room. I leaned forward to put kiss on his cheek, then a small peck on his lips. "Want some breakfast?" I asked. He looked confused, but too sleepy still to oppose, "…ok." I slipped away from him and found my way into the kitchen. I remembered the cupboard Hiccup had pulled the small plates out of for dinner the other night and got two more out now. I found the napkin-wrapped package of cinnamon rolls I had brought over earlier. Throwing them in the microwave, I flipped a hand through my hair, feeling the extent of my bedhead. It wasn't bad, nothing a little water wouldn't be able to fix later.

When the microwave dinged its timer, I pulled the cinnamon rolls and placed them each on a plate. Grabbing two forks, I headed back upstairs. Hiccup had fallen down onto my pillow, only half awake. He sat up when he noticed I had food. I handed him one of the plates, and he sat it in his lap. I settled back into the spot I had been in before. We ate in silence as Hiccup woke, little by little. He had finished his before I had finished mine. I cut the last bite in half and brought one of the pieces up to his mouth with the fork. He took it and after I had eaten my piece as well, he took the plates. I followed him downstairs.

He put the dishes in the sink, rinsing them off as usual, then put them into the dishwasher. I loved that I had now spent enough time with Hiccup to pick out those kinds of patterns in the way he did things. When he was done, I wrapped my arms around his waist. "I don't know why I'm thinking this, but you're kind of a touchy person aren't you?" He asked, sarcasm lacing his voice. I laid my head down on his shoulder, "Oh you haven't even dreamed of touchy yet Hiccup. Remind yourself sometime that one day I might not be able to hold myself back." Hiccup's cheeks went red. It was fun to make them do that. We walked back upstairs since we had nothing better to do, and laid back down on the bed. Hiccup took the spot beside me, but refused to touch me after that last comment. Without warning I pulled him on top of me. "Jack!" he protested. "Shhhh." I corrected.

He let out a sigh. It was still only around ten, so we had the whole day to do whatever we wanted. He gave in, allowing himself to be held as he propped himself up against my chest. "So. Whaddya wanna do today?" he asked. I had thought of a few things already, so I had a plan. "Let's go into Gerk and watch a movie?" I asked. He smiled, "That sounds fun. I haven't been to see a movie since I was still in middle school." I cocked my eyebrow, "Middle school? Dang, Hic did you even have a life before I came here?" I asked, just trying to be funny, but a weird sort of sadness crossed over Hiccup's face. "Well… not really? I didn't do much aside from fly planes and do homework, anyway." He told me. I was slowly realizing the Hiccup was pretty lonely. His Dad always seemed to be gone and Astrid seemed to be his only friend, but they weren't even particularly close. No wonder he hated the cold. He had never had anyone there to warm him up.

I pulled him down to me, pressing a small kiss on his lips. "Don't worry, then. I'll get you one." I said. The best part about him not having a life was there was no possible way having a boyfriend could ruin it. Of course, I knew better than to tell anyone. Especially the people in Berk. They were small-minded about normal things as it was, and I didn't think they'd exactly react well to a gay couple. I pulled my fingers through his hair, feeling its softness. One day, we'd have to face that. But that was another battle for another day. Today, we were going to the movies.

Pon Pon, gay gay gay

Just felt like writing a cuddly chapter before we get back to the plot.

Ugh. Plot.

Can the plot just be cuddles from now on? Please?

But for serious. Writing nothing but cuddle stuffs has given me a bad case of writers block. Chapter ten is quickly becoming hell to write. But I will persevere!

[insert inspirational music here]