Hiccup stared out the window deflated. So close. And he didn't even get to see Jack.
"What the hell was that?" Dagur kept asking, mostly to himself. "Things like that don't happen."
Hiccup sighed and leaned back. Now what would they do? Was it even possible to do anything at this point? He watched as snow fell passed the window. Steadily, more snow fell until it was impossible to see out the window. The carriage swayed tremulously, both boys inside having to grab onto the seat to not fall off.
"What are you doing?!" Dagur yelled, hitting the top of the carriage again.
Abruptly, the carriage halted and the snow suddenly stopped. Everything went strangely quiet. Hiccup looked back out the window and couldn't help but laugh.
"And what do you find so funny?" Dagur glared.
The door flung open and Jack stood in the entryway smiling. "Good evening."
Dagur quickly grabbed Hiccup and placed the blade of his sword against the boy's neck. "Get back, monster!"
Jack held up his hands to show he meant no harm. "Please, I just want to negotiate."
"Unless it involves money, I don't care what you have to say," Dagur sneered.
"Please, step out of the carriage," Jack said while still smiling. He backed away from the door to give them room. "I feel like you might change your mind."
Hiccup smiled as Dagur cautiously walked out of the carriage, still holding the blade to Hiccup's neck. Hiccup felt Dagur's grip loosen as he stared in shock. "Where...?"
"Welcome to the Land of the Dead!" Jack said enthusiastically, sweeping his arm in a semicircle as if to show off the new place.
"L-Land of the Dead?" Dagur asked, staring in horror at the obviously dead spectators passing by on the street.
"So, the new proposition I am willing to make is if you let the boy go, I'll bring you back to the Land of the Living."
"You're crazy!" Dagur yelled, pressing the blade harder against Hiccup's throat. "If you're going this far you must care for this boy, though I don't know why! So you will bring us back or I'll slice this boy's head off!"
Jack sighed. "Honestly, if you do that Hiccup will just end up here and it really doesn't hurt me at all. I just hate seeing people like you get away with things like this. So, if you kill him you will stay here and end up dying in a matter of days. Simple as that."
Dagur looked around as if to ponder his options. "And if I call your bluff?"
"There is no bluff to call," Jack said with a shrug.
Dagur smirked, dragging the blade hard enough across Hiccup's neck to cause blood to drip down. "None?"
Jack had to clench his teeth in order to not lunge at the guy. "None," Jack managed to say in his most convincing voice. "You were right when you said I cared for him. I really do. Sure, I want him to have a full life with a family up there. But hey, if you kill him now it would really work out better for me."
Dagur's smile dropped as he tried to read Jack. Hiccup felt Dagur's grip loosen as he contemplated the offer. Taking advantage of the distraction, Hiccup shoved himself away from Dagur.
"Jack!" Hiccup yelled as he stumbled towards his friend. He suddenly froze, looking down in dismay as the tip of a bloodied protruded from the middle of his gut.
"Hiccup!" Jack screamed.
Dagur laughed as he withdrew his sword out of the small boy, causing him to fall towards the ground. Jack quickly lunged forward and fell to his knees, catching him before he hit the ground.
"Come on, Hiccup. You're going to be fine. I just have to get you back and you're going to be fine," Jack said, pressing his hand against Hiccup's wound.
"Not a bluff, huh?" Dagur laughed.
Jack glared through teary eyes. "Now you will die here," Jack said in a growl. Snow gathered around Dagur and then fell, showing no one there.
"Where...?" Hiccup choked out.
"It doesn't matter," Jack said, gathering Hiccup into his arms.
"You... did that without touching... him," Hiccup said, leaning his head against Jack's chest as he once again took him to the Land of the Living.
"So what? Now shush, you need to save your energy," Jack said, running as fast as he could to the nearest doctor.
"But you told me... I had to hold on..." Hiccup said, coughing into his hand. He pulled it away showing red splotches.
Jack half-laughed. "I just said that so I had an excuse for you to hold onto me. Be quiet now, we are almost there."
"It's fine," Hiccup said, closing his eyes. "I don't mind... anymore."
"Damn it, Hiccup, stay awake," Jack said, but his voice sounded far away to Hiccup.
Hiccup felt himself slowly slip away.
And he didn't mind one bit.
xxx
Hiccup slowly came back into consciousness. As soon as his brain recalled the events that had occurred, Hiccup bolted upright expecting to be in the Land of the Dead. The pain that shot through his gut and the Astrid that quickly laid him back down told him otherwise.
"Don't move so suddenly!" Astrid scolded, forcing Hiccup back down. "You could have easily ripped your stitches and we would be back to square one!"
"Where am I?" Hiccup asked, looking around the unfamiliar place.
"The doctor's," Astrid answered. "Are you thirsty? Hungry?"
"Where's Jack?"
Astrid bit her lip. "He left."
"Again?!" Hiccup said, instantly regretting yelling as pain shot through his gut once again.
"Calm down, I'm sorry," Astrid said.
"Bastard," Hiccup mumbled, glaring towards the ground.
"Just please don't go looking for him again. Look where it got you last time."
"Yes, because a lunatic capturing me had everything to do with me looking for Jack," Hiccup said, rolling his eyes.
"Maybe not directly."
"It would have happened eventually."
"Whatever, just don't do it, okay? This time Jack really did go back. Oh, and he wanted me to give you this," Astrid added, handing Hiccup a small envelope. He took it in his hands and stared at it. "I'll, um, leave you alone for a little bit."
Hiccup watched as Astrid left the room. Hiccup propped himself up on pillows to sit up. He slowly opened the envelope. The first thing Hiccup noticed was that the gold wedding band was in it. Along with a short little note.
'Hiccup, I apologize for everything that had happened. Even if you did grow to be my friend, I should have never taken you to the Land of the Dead in the first place. I also apologize for not saying goodbye in person. You have to realize I hate sad things like that. It's not like we will never see each other again, so until next time! Just make it later rather than sooner, okay? Don't get kidnapped by any lunatics anytime soon. Also, I really will be going back to the Land of the Dead right away, so just rest up and don't go looking for me. As you see, I gave back the ring so you can give it to someone you truly love. Thank you for being my friend. -Jack'
Hiccup frowned at the letter. He then looked at the ring in his hand. Next he looked at the door Astrid had just walked out of. Someone he truly loved, huh?
xxx
"You did the right thing, Jack," North said, sitting by the depressed boy at the tavern.
"Then why do I feel so terrible?" Jack frowned.
"Because that's what the right thing feels like most of the time," North smiled.
"Think I'll be invited to their wedding?" Jack smirked, trying to cheer up but finding it very difficult.
"What makes you think they will get married?"
"Oh come on, you saw what Astrid did for Hiccup. I approve of her now. It would take an idiot to not fall in love with her."
North patted Jack on the shoulder. "Cheer up. You could still visit."
Jack sighed. "I don't think I'm strong enough to see Hiccup married and having a happy family. I may be strong enough to push for it, but my heart couldn't take witnessing it."
"A new arrival!"
Jack groaned and rested his chin on the table. "I'm tired. I think I'll turn in early tonight."
North glanced up. "Don't you want to greet the new arrival? You're usually the best to make them feel welcomed."
"Somehow, I just don't feel like it today," Jack said.
"How rude of you. And here I made my way down here for nothing."
If Jack had a heartbeat it would have stopped right then and there. He looked up with wide eyes. "Hiccup...?"
Hiccup smiled. He slightly dark skin was now pale white, which Jack couldn't help but notice how much his freckles now popped out. "Who else were you expecting?"
Jack stood up from his chair. "How? When I left you were stable! You were perfectly fine!"
"Jeez, don't yell," Hiccup said. "It's your fault, you know."
"My fault? How?" Jack asked, still slightly in disbelief. Hiccup was dead. After all they went through, here he was.
"I went looking for you. Again. Well, I fell, and my wound reopened. You can guess the rest from there."
"I told you not to go looking for me!" Jack yelled. "How is you disobeying what I said my fault?"
"Because," Hiccup said, a slight blush appearing on his pale cheeks as he picked up Jack's left hand, "you told me to give this ring to the one I truly love and how was I supposed to do that when you were down here?" The smaller boy slipped the gold band back on Jack's ring finger, refusing to make eye contact. After a few seconds of awkward silence, Hiccup looked back up at Jack's face.
Jack's face was distorted as he tried to quickly wipe away tears that threatened to fall. Finally he gave up and plopped his head down on the smaller boy's shoulder and wrapped his arms around his small frame. "Don't get the wrong idea," Jack sniffed. "I'm still mad about this."
Hiccup smiled and patted Jack's back. "I know."
"I'm serious. I'm going to have a long talk to you about how you shouldn't have done this," Jack said, still tightly clinging to Hiccup happily.
Hiccup pulled away slightly and pressed his lips gently against Jack's. "We have all the time in the world.
A/N: Ahhh I finished! If you though it would end any other way than this you were crazy! It is a HiJack story after all! I am going to make spin-off story to this if anyone is interested in following that! I want to write about life afterwards, because I need to write more adorableness than just this. (I'll actually write a quick chapter before updating this so it's out there sorry but I'm doing it all late tonight so it shouldn't be that long). It will basically be a collection of short little stories with them. Cuteness. Fluff. All of the good stuff. So if you want more, follow the other story! Thanks for reading everyone! I love you all! =^.^=
