Ohmygosh guys, it's been way too long! I've had this story in my drafts for a long time and somehow, some weird force kept me from posting it (bet it was just laziness) and I honestly thought I had posted the latest chapter but apparently, my memories are pretty screwed up right now (I blame exams for this, sigh). And I just wanted to say I'm really sorry for the late update :(
Anyway, thank you guys for all your lovely reviews, favorites and follows! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!
Warning: Mentions of violence and characters may be slightly OOC but that'll be explained later in the chapter.
Merida was the first one to notice Jack and Rapunzel's bashful glances at one another, how her friend would peek at him through her lashes, biting her lower lip with a shy smile. She even recalled Jack winking at her, taking extra measures to be next to her, even forgoing seating in front of the car with Hiccup to choose the backseat with her.
Flirting.
Oh God, it was so obvious that something had happened between them during the tunnel ride.
They had just finished their visit to the carnival by unwinding at a nearby cafe with some hot chocolate and sandwiches when Merida decided to test the theory out.
"So, lamb, any word from Eugene?"
Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Jack stiffening and leaning in, covering up his action by reaching for another sandwich.
The blonde cast her gaze fearfully to him but looked back once she realized that Merida was waiting for her to reply.
"U-um, no, I told him not to call," she answered in a wavering voice.
Merida took pity on her friend, devising a way in which she could defuse the sudden tension surrounding the four of them.
"If it is any consolation to ye, Ah thought he was a huge jerk," she said, taking a sip from her cocoa, eyes never leaving the other girl.
Rapunzel relaxed, laughing. "He's not so bad, just slightly cocky, that's it."
Beside her, Jack rolled his eyes, lips set in a tight grimace as he leaned back into the wicker chair.
"Whoever this Eugene guy is, I hope he doesn't make Jack jealous," Hiccup said, teasing smirk as he glanced at his friend's expression.
Jack sputtered indignantly, confirming Merida's suspicions. "Uh, what's that have to do with me?"
"Nothing," Hiccup sang, winking conspiratorially to Rapunzel while mouthing, "He's lying."
She shook her head in amusement at her boyfriend's antics while Rapunzel flushed beet red and ducked her head, pretending to be engrossed with her hot chocolate. Jack reacted similarly too, avoiding their gazes and concentrating instead on people watching.
The bell 'dinged', faintly registering behind her mind that someone was entering the cafe, but Hiccup's small breath of "Oh, no," got her attention. She looked up to find him staring at a rather tall man with ashy gray skin who sat down by the window.
"Everything okay?" she asked softly, watching in worry when he jumped at her question.
"N-nothing, everything's fine," Hiccup said, faking a grin.
Merida glanced at the newcomer and squinted, something familiar about him that she couldn't quite put her finger on.
"Babe, who's that?" she inquired again, willing him to tell her what had spooked him.
The brunette shrugged, keeping his voice low. "I'll explain to you back at the house, okay? Just not in front of-"
Rapunzel's whimper cut off his words, her green eyes frozen wide open with fear. Jack followed her gaze to the man and she could see the other brunette visibly tense.
"What's happening?" Merida demanded. When none of her friends would reply, she turned to Hiccup, who had watched the exchange with a blanched expression.
"Hic, please, tell me what's happe'ing?" she said, accent more pronounced now that she was under stress.
Who was that guy and why did he illicit such hostile responses from her friends?
"Pitch," Jack mouthed, the fury unmistakable in the set of his lips. He glanced towards Rapunzel and uttered a low, "Stay here."
"What-"
Before she could decipher what he meant, Jack stood up with a sharp nod at Hiccup who followed him silently towards the other table, turning back to her with an unconvincing smile of reassurance.
Merida frowned and quickly scrambled from her seat, sudden anxiety filling her chest. She saw Jack approach Pitch, hands clenched unconsciously into fists with Hiccup by his side, benign expression morphing slowly into a glare. They exchanged a few words and she could see Pitch nodding, getting up and following the boys outside of the cafe.
Her heart plummeted down to her toes and confusion paralyzed her.
The door closed with a jarring thud, shaking a framed picture of a horse by the entry.
"Oh, no."
"Where did they go?" Rapunzel asked, recovering from her shock.
"Outside and Ah think Ah know what's going to happen," the red head said grimly, beckoning to her friend.
"They confronted Pitch?" She could hear the undercurrent of fear in her friend's voice and wondered for the millionth time what had happened between all three of them and that mystery man.
Merida gnashed her teeth together, tucking the questions and curiosity behind as she followed suit out of the door, Rapunzel at her heels.
"Do you think..." she trailed off but Merida could hear the implications behind her unspoken words. Do you think they got into a fight?
"Ah don't know," she answered truthfully, eyes scanning the streets. The roads were busy with cars and pedestrians alike, smog rising from the activities of the rush hour. Merida hurried down the pavement, keeping her eyes peeled to the alleys and dark spaces in case they were there.
Her pulse quickened and she felt the first drops of panic settle in her chest. Where were they?
"-despicable excuse for a human being."
"I was just being fairly honest, not as if I wanted to harm you-"
Merida's hearing pick up and she backtracked to an alley that she had glanced over, eyes widening to find three figures, two of them encircling the third with an unfriendly stance. She flattened herself against the wall, afraid that Hiccup would see her; Rapunzel coming to stand next to her.
"What-"
"Ssh," Merida said, gesturing towards the scene before them as she leaned in closer to hear.
"-you couldn't have just kept your hands to yourself, couldn't you?" That was Jack, his voice carrying a hateful bitterness.
"...told you, I was drunk," said an unfamiliar voice that made her skin crawl.
"Just a fair warning to you, if you ever touch her, ever again-"
"Oh, don't worry, your red headed girlfriend doesn't even deserve a pass."
Merida bristled at his words but Hiccup interjected, the anger in his voice palpable.
"Don't you dare talk about her like that. You're vile, worse than scum and-"
"But not as vile as her," Pitch taunted and her mouth flew open in silent rage.
"One more word about her-"
"But often than not, the vilest ones make the best fucks-"
Hiccup's fist flew faster than his words, hitting Pitch square in the face. The man staggered, but righted himself to strike, catching him in the gut.
"Stop!" Merida screamed, running towards the three of them, flailing her arms to catch Hiccup's attention.
Her yells fell on deaf ears as Hiccup continued lashing out, fists connecting with skin and Pitch retaliated, snarling at his opponent. Jack glanced up quickly at the sound of her voice but turned back when she saw Hiccup taking a knee into the gut.
Rapunzel's yells also mingled in with the grunts of pain and Merida was desperate to make this stop before somebody else heard them and alerted the authorities.
She ran between them, and hands raised up to separate the both of them before they could do more harm.
"Ah told you two ter stop!" she screamed. Her loud shriek shook Hiccup out of his vengeance and he stumbled before being caught by Jack. Her other hand that was restraining Pitch clenched when she felt him trying to get another go at her boyfriend.
She looked up, into unsettling amber eyes that seemed to leer at her. Merida felt herself freeze from his gaze, her insides churning to a frozen stop. Who in the world allowed a person such eyes that were so disconcerting and eerie?
Pitch detached himself from her grip, smoothing down the lapels of his gray jacket. He spared Hiccup one last aggressive gaze before walking out of the alley and into the light, disappearing down the street.
Merida released a breath she didn't realize she had been holding and turned to face him.
"What was that?" she hissed, searching his face. The skin of his face was starting to bruise, lip split and dripping blood.
He didn't answer her, merely staring into her eyes as his chest heaved. She turned to Jack.
"And you," she said venomously. "Why did yer just stand there without helping him to stop this fight?"
Jack had an arm wrapped around Rapunzel who seemed to be supporting him for comfort. Or maybe he was leaning against her, Merida wasn't so sure. All she was sure was that she wanted answers and she wasn't getting them.
"Well?" she demanded.
"Pitch," Jack began, "Was at the underground concert yesterday and he tried to rape Rapunzel."
Merida felt her eyes grow wide as she turned her gaze to Hiccup. "Is that what yer wouldn't tell me yesterday?"
"You held off telling me that some guy nearly raped my best friend for...what, exactly?" she asked, tone scathing.
He nodded, grimacing.
"B-But why?" she asked, cursing the stammer in her voice.
Hiccup sighed, as if he dreaded her asking this question.
"Because Pitch is a lunatic and I didn't want you to be afraid."
"He is?" Merida asked, making him smile. "What?" she asked incredulously, wondering what could make him smile at a time like this.
"Nothing, it's just you didn't even care that you would be afraid."
"So?" she pressed, shaking her head. "Now, get back to the point."
Hiccup shared a look with Jack who frowned but continued.
"There's something fundamentally wrong with him, he doesn't feel guilt or shame like the rest of us – heck, he even smiled at Rapunzel before I punched him in the face."
"So, what you're trying to say is that he's a sociopath?" Merida questioned, feeling the frightened tremble in her voice.
Jack nodded, glancing at Rapunzel with a protective look. "Yeah, and don't give Hic such a hard time, he was just trying to protect you."
Merida's glare softened and she turned to her friend. "Ah'm sorry, Ah had no idea."
Rapunzel seemed shaken from the ordeal, her face pale and clammy but she managed a small grin. "Don't worry about me, Jack got there just in time."
The red head huffed, shaking her wild mass of curls. "Just stop keeping any secrets from me, 'kay? Ah don't like being kept in the dark." Hiccup wrapped his arm around her skinny shoulders and kissed the top of her head, making her eyes widened at the sudden contact.
"Promise."
"I don't like kissing people but yes, I promise too," Jack said, grinning mischievously.
Rapunzel nodded, beaming from ear to ear. "I promise too, just to not let you freak out."
Merida looked to her friends – the only friends she has ever had – with a small smile. Back home, she would rarely ever mix with anyone, the girls thinking she was strange because of her dislike for flowers, ribbons and ballet while the boys thought her funny that she preferred archery over poetry.
But here, with the three of them, Merida didn't feel much like an outsider.
She felt welcomed.
And slightly embarrassed at her inappropriate sentimentality.
She rolled her eyes and gestured to Hiccup's bruised lip. "Come on, we need to get you cleaned up before someone thinks you're part of a gang."
"But I am," Hiccup said, playfully gesturing to all of them. "Here, I am the leader, Hiccup the Great and Wise-"
"Haddork," Jack started, "Shut up."
~~O~~O~~
For the first time in Hiccup's life, he finally understood what it meant by the mass media to have a female touch healing him. All through his childhood, watching superhero's get beaten up badly and then seek solace with their respective female love interests, he always thought them weak.
Aren't you a super? He would question. Why can't you just heal yourself?
But now he knew.
Merida's touch was gentle as she lightly probed his split lip, setting ice on it and quickly making work with his bruised ribs from Pitch's hit. She set a packet of frozen peas there, frowning at the extent of his injuries.
He even caught her clicking her tongue once or twice, shaking her head. At the second time she did that, Hiccup had to ask. What was she thinking?
"Meri, you okay?"
She peeked up with a troubled look and instantly, he was on edge. "What? What's wrong?"
Merida sighed, sitting next to him on the bathroom counter with a scowl set on her lips. "Jus' that yer an idiot sometimes."
Hiccup gave an indignant scoff, staring incredulously at her. "Meri, he was insulting you...calling you lewd names and giving really stupid suggestions; I can't let anyone talk about you like that."
"But why did yer hit him then, Hic? Ye could have just walked away with a warning," she said, giving him a pointed stare.
Hiccup huffed, slouching his back against the cool marble wall. Why did he hit Pitch in the first place? That wasn't like him at all.
"You're right," he breathed. "That was pretty idiotic."
"It was," she agreed.
"But I wouldn't have let him walk away with saying that, because he is a foul creature and you do not know the extent of his inhumanity."
"Inhumanity?" Merida asked, furrowing her brow. "What do you mean by that?"
"I mean that he has no sense of regret and guilt at what he says or what he does," Hiccup explained. "Like the time we met him in college; he started out pretty fine but once he caught hold of Jack's deepest secrets, he exploited them to get what he wanted."
Merida gaped at him, not quite believing what he was trying to say. "Is he for real?"
"Oh, he is alright," Hiccup quipped. "A real pain in the ass and a sadistic mother-"
"Okay, Ah think Ah get it," Merida interjected.
Silence befell them as the Scot tried to wrap her head around this new information.
"You mean..." she started tentatively. "...you mean when he tried to rape Punzie..."
"Yeah," he confirmed, casting her an inscrutable look. "I told you, he has no sense of what is right and wrong. He thinks everything is a game to him and doesn't care for other people's feelings."
"You mean kind of psychopath?" she asked doubtfully.
"No," Hiccup said. "More like a sociopath."
Merida fell silent, stunned by the utter depravity of someone she had barely known for two minutes – two very awful minutes.
"What did he do to ye and Jack?" she asked quietly, unsure how he would react to her curiosity. Hiccup stiffened, eyes narrowed as he deadpanned, "A lot of things."
She waited for him to elaborate. He sighed, not wanting to continue but now that the cat was out of the bag, he knew she would be waiting for him to.
"He...found out about Jack's condition and...the dreams he's been having for months now, ever since he woke up from his accident and Pitch used that to torment him..."
Hiccup's mind flashed back to the first time they met Pitch. He had been slinking in a corner near a water fountain, watching as the students milled around the hallway. He and Jack had just completed a long day full of lessons and Hiccup was more than eager to get back to his dorm for some well needed rest when the strange kid spoke up, stopping them in their tracks.
"Ah, if it isn't the lunatic and the nerd," he drawled.
Jack stiffened and turned back to face him, eyebrows raised in a challenge. "Said something Donny Darko?"
Pitch shrugged, detaching himself from the wall and walking towards them, a hand in the pocket of his black trench coat even if it wasn't cold out in the hallways. He pulled something out from his pocket and flashed it to Jack.
Hiccup could only watch in confusion as his friend reeled back, the fight replaced with fear.
"Wh-Where did you get that?"
Pitch grinned, showing a row of abnormally sharp incisors. "Know that kid at the pharmacy? Well, he works for me and he told me about you and did you honestly think I would forget what you said to me the first time we met."
Jack scrunched up his brow, shaking his head. "Met you? When? Like practically three seconds ago?"
It was only then that Hiccup realized that Pitch's eyes were a strange shade of amber...almost a molten gold. The brunette blinked in surprise, wondering how messed up this kid's genetics must have been to be able to procure such an eye color.
"You really don't remember?" he demanded.
Jack scowled, shaking his head. "I don't but now I really want to."
"You called me a freak during first day of middle school and tripped me in front of the whole canteen," Pitch seethed. Jack shook his head, expression unreadable.
"Sorry buddy, I don't even remember you, must've got me confused with some other guy."
"Oh, how very convenient for you-"
"Hey, back off, okay," Hiccup said angrily. "Maybe you got him messed up with some other guy, don't push it."
"Or what?" Pitch said with a sneer. "You're going to re-calibrate me to death?"
He turned on his heel, coat swishing and flapping as he disappeared from their sight.
Hiccup glanced at Jack who remained tight lipped, the tension palpable in his stiff stature.
"You alright?" he asked and Jack seemed to thaw, nodding.
"Yeah, just...that was weird."
"What did he show you?" Hiccup said, steering his shell shock friend down the hallway and towards the dorms.
Jack unfurled his grip on the object and he tilted his head to the side, pondering.
"That was what got you so riled up?" he asked, with his usual lack of discretion.
His friend scowled and smacked him on the arm, causing Hiccup to yelp in indignation.
"What was that for-?"
"It's anti-depressants, idiot," Jack said with a roll of his eyes.
"Anti - wait," Hiccup hesitated, "You're...depressed?"
Jack acted as if he didn't hear him, eyes roving around the area without landing on his confused friend.
"Jack, everything okay?"
They reached their room and Jack quickly pulled him in, locking the door from any probing ears.
"Listen, I'm not okay – depressed, I mean – those were just prescribed to me because I had trouble sleeping."
"'Cause of the dreams?" Hiccup asked.
Jack's face colored and he scowled again, slinging his bag onto his unmade bed. "How did you know?"
"You toss and turn so much I'm surprised you didn't make a hole in your bed and just fall through to the lobby," Hiccup replied dryly.
"Fine. Yes, it is about those dreams."
"Why didn't you tell me?" Hiccup asked, sitting down at the edge of his bed. Jack couldn't even meet his best friend's gaze because he felt that by admitting the real story, Hiccup would think he was a coward.
So he settled for the second best thing that he was good at besides sarcasm: lying.
"Cause it wasn't anything worth telling," Jack replied testily.
Hiccup rolled his eyes but said no more, knowing that Jack was too stubborn to admit that he was anxious about something.
"Whatever. But at least let me know next time if you're on medication 'kay?"
Jack snorted. "And why would I?"
"So I would actually feel bad for you and not frustratingly kept in the dark."
"You should've been born a chick."
"What gave it away? The fact that I care?" Hiccup said, rolling his eyes.
"Ugh, you know what, since you insist, fine," he said, sighing in agitation. "Little while back, I had an accident, couldn't remember nothing from it and that's when the dreams started. The end."
"That's it?" Hiccup deadpanned. "All that secrecy over a something quite common as accidental amnesia?"
"I just didn't want people to know," Jack stated, walking to the kitchenette refrigerator and taking out a soda. The can popped open with a 'hiss' and he drank, conscious of Hiccup's forest green gaze on him.
"Can't believe that the guy from the pharmacy would rat you out like that."
Another can was tossed to him and Hiccup caught it deftly. The cold metal stung his hand but he continued holding it, mulling over his thoughts.
"How did your accident happen?" he asked, observing his friend carefully. Jack's eyes widened and he seemed to choke slightly before composing himself again.
"Doesn't matter."
"Jack-"
"Fine, it was an ice skating incident, happy? Everything else after that was a blur," the brunette retorted back. "Now let's just drop it and get dinner ready."
He tossed the pills onto the counter, the spherical drugs sounding like skittering feet on linoleum. Hiccup sighed and nodded, putting what happened behind and walking to the sink, pulling out a packet of instant ramen and settling for the uncomfortable silence born from his unwanted curiosity.
"And that's what happened," Hiccup clarified. Merida thought it over, gnawing on her lower lip.
"Can Ah tell yer something?"
He straightened up, hearing the hesitance in her tone. "What is it?"
"Ah think Ah may know what the accident was about...more importantly who was involved," she admitted.
Hiccup sat straighter, eyes wide. "Go on."
"Rapunzel told me something similar...that she was there during Jack's accident and would you imagine et?"
"Imagine what?" he asked, touch of impatience showing.
"That Punzie was his girlfriend before his accident and still technically is."
Hiccup gaped at her, stunned at this new piece of information.
"Are you serious?"
"Deadly," Merida replied. "She moved down to Germany to forget about him and whattaya know, they met each other again."
The brunette scratched his head. "That's funny, it's almost like-"
"Like fate wants them to be together?" Merida finished for him.
"Yeah," Hiccup replied distractedly. "Wait, so Punzie knows exactly what happened to Jack...Did she tell him yet?"
Merida shrugged, looking pensive. "Ah don't know," she said honestly, grimacing. "But Ah can imagine that whatever they air out to each other, et'll definitely not be pretty."
A/N: I hope you guys like the addition of Jack and Pitch's back story of what happened between them in college. Quick question, do you think Pitch is still holding a (mostly unknown) reason for hating Jack? What did you guys think Jack did to warrant Pitch's hostility?
Also...
Review, please?