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.

25. Kind Gesture

{Briana's POV}

I knew Hector didn't mean what he said tonight. I know that he lost control of his emotions when he realized how close we were getting. Hector honestly began to change when I said it was easy to talk to him because I had told him about the incident with the guy who used me. Only Sylvia had known about that, yet I felt comfortable enough to tell Hector, and had forgotten the others were there because I was having such a good time. Hector told me I could trust him, and I still believed that. Hector freaked out, and was his outburst was a defense to keep anyone from getting in. Although, what did shock me was Hector saying he'd seen me at a party; I couldn't deny it because he had been right about what I was wearing the night I had sex with Caleb. I wasn't sure how that made me feel, but I did understand Hector was scared for others being close to him while he's a target for a rival gang, and he poor Hector was trying to cope with his parent's deaths. Which now, I understood he was blaming himself for due to something he said and wished he could take back. The day of the funeral, my friends and I watched as Hector repeated over and over again that he didn't mean it, and now I saw why he said that. Hector told his parents to stay out of his life, and now they're gone. Hector didn't know how to cope with all the pain.

Bullying pain, that was different than this, and Hector wasn't handling it as well as he tricked himself into believing he was. Gathering all the information I had now; I could conclude that Hector was in a frenzy of conflicting emotions that he couldn't control. Hector was scared to let people in because he didn't want to lose them; it would hurt him more, and he didn't want to feel more pain, or know that someone got hurt because of him. That wasn't easy to cope with, but running away from things didn't help either. At the moment, I just wanted to make sure he was okay because driving off that upset couldn't have been safe. I did like Hector; he was attractive, and I loved his sarcasm. However, Hector was also smart, caring, and aware of things going on. Sure, he was cold and carried that I don't give a shit attitude, but he had been bullied for years, and when he finally snapped, everyone was on his case for it. Nobody ever stood up for him; I believe I had been the first. That day at Archian High when Marcus was mentioning Hector would get what was coming to him; I'm the one who said something in his defense. It triggered Marcus, but Hector protected me, and stopped when I asked. Hector made some bad choices, and maybe he didn't regret all of them, but he was a good guy. Currently, it was about 10:30 pm, and my friends and I had to be getting home to make the 11 pm curfew.

"We'll let you know if he comes home tonight, and if he doesn't; we'll group up tomorrow and try to find him," Dimitri assured.

"Thank you, Dimitri," I smiled a bit. My friends and I left, all going to our homes, then calling it a night. The next morning, I checked my phone to see if I got anything from Hector, and I wasn't disappointed to see nothing there. I quickly got up, showered, dressed, then headed out the door. I knew my grandmother was on her weekly spa day with the girls, then they'd go to lunch, and do a little shopping. My grandfather was working, so I was free all day. I ushered over to Hector's, and didn't see the bike, which meant he wasn't home.

"Briana, any word?" Harper asked.

I shook my head. "No, but it looks like the gang is still here," I informed as I reached the door, and knocked. Derek answered it with a small smile. "He's not here, is he?"

"I'm afraid not. Come inside; we're just about to talk about it," Derek sighed. The friends walked in, sitting around the living room.

{Normal POV}

As they came in, Dimitri was on the phone. "Thank you. See you soon, my friend," after that, he hung up and put the phone away before facing the others.

"Something go down?" Kayne asked curiously.

"Found Hector," Dimitri informed as they all stood up now. "That was Xavier. Says that Hector showed up last night, and joined in on the party like old times,"

"So what; he stayed there all night drinking until he passed out?" Shane asked.

"Well, he ended up there all night because Xavier took his bike keys; he didn't want him to drive. Hector got himself messed up, and knocked out there," Dimitri said.

"How messed up are we talking?" Briana wondered.

"I believe they put it for recovering alcoholics; he fell off the wagon," Dimitri sighed.

"Well, Hector never gave up drinking, so how can you say he fell off the wagon?" Ethan questioned.

"Not the alcohol one," Dimitri closed his eyes.

"Wait, you mean-," Victor stepped forward.

"Hector started doing drugs again. Xavier didn't go into detail, but asked if we'd come so he could talk to us before Hector wakes up," Dimitri enlightened.

"Well, let's go then!" Alyssa insisted. Not long after, everyone was loading up in a vehicle to get to the city where they would find Hector at Xavier's.

{Xavier's House}

"I'm glad you were able to get here as soon as you could," Xavier greeted upon answering the door to allow them inside.

"You said it was urgent. Where is he?" Aaron inquired. Xavier pointed to the couch where Hector was still passed out. "He looks like shit,"

"Hah, you should have seen him last night," one of Xavier's roommates remarked.

"Tell us everything, Xavier, please?" Dimitri questioned.

"Well, Hector showed up miserable and asking if I wouldn't mind him hanging here for a bit because needed a mood-lifter. I wasn't sure what it meant, but I let him in. It started with a few drinks, hitting the joint. For a while, that was it until about 11 pm. Hector seemed okay; he was laughing, drinking, dancing with a few of the girls who wanted to take him upstairs, but I guess he wasn't in the mood for it. The guys and I decided to shoot up, and…Hector asked he could get in on it. I inquired why, and he said he wanted to feel anything other than what he felt at that moment. I assumed it might have something to do with his parent's passing, so we let him," Xavier explained.

"And that was enough to knock him out?" Kayne arched a brow.

"Hector didn't pass out until almost 4 am when the party was winding down. Dimitri, Hector wasn't drinking alcohol with a soda or anything mixed; he hit it all straight, shot up at least three times, and did a few lines with us too. We didn't stop him because we figured he was ready to do things like when we met him before the bust. Also, when we tried to get him to slow down, he got pissed, then freaked out, he got wicked emotional. We didn't understand it, so what happened before he showed up here?" Xavier asked.

"Hector passed out after the outburst because we had to hold him down, then he just kind'a went limp, but we made sure he didn't die. I think he'll be alright when he wakes up; I doubt he'll remember anything, and it's a good chance he'll be sick as shit," one of Xavier's friends mentioned.

Dimitri sighed as he began to explain things to Xavier regarding the date, then Hector's outburst at home before taking off, and that they determined he's unable to cope with the death of his parents, plus being scared about being a target, and people getting close to him. "After that, he bailed," Dimitri finished.

"That explained wanting the upper for his mood," Xavier sighed. "Look, Dimitri; I want to help the kid, and you know he's a friend to us always, but I can't have him losing control while he's drunk and drugged up like that. It scared a few people, not just because of the yelling or over-emotional behavior, but we're afraid for him,"

"We'll look after him. Let's get home, Hell Drakes," Dimitri ordered. Derek and Ethan carried Hector to the truck, and laid him in the second row of seating; and Briana sat back there as well, letting Hector use her lap as a pillow. Everyone loaded up while Derek decided to drive the bike back once Xavier gave him the keys. Soon, they were off and headed back to Berk.

{Hector's House}

As soon as they arrived back to the house, Hector was carefully placed on the couch and covered up. After all, it was only about 10:45 am. They guessed that Hector wouldn't be up for another hour or possibly longer.

"Any ideas on how we're gonna handle this?" Ethan asked.

"I think it's just best if we watch him for a bit, and see if it gets worse. I mean, he was pretty worked up last night. We can watch him here, and your group has him at school, Briana. We'll keep in contact with one another, and if at any time it looks like Hector might break down completely, we'll intervene," Sawyer suggested.

"Sawyer is right. If we push Hector, he'll pull away," Jeremy added. The friends sighed, knowing it was true. For now, all they could do was wait for Hector to wake up.

=Later On=

It was past lunchtime when Hector began to show signs of waking up as the quickly moved to watch. "Hector?" Briana asked. In Hector's unconscious state; he was dreaming about his parents, or rather, he was with them, and happy to be with them once more.

Hector watched his parents begin to fade away as he tried to run to them. "W-Wait!" he yelled for them. Of course, to the friends didn't know what he was talking about. "Please, don't…leave!"

"I think he's talking about his parents. Maybe he was dreaming about them?" Flynn offered.

"I-I didn't mean what I said! I want you in my life, Please…I need you! Stay…Please stay. Don't…leave me again," Hector whimpered. "I didn't…mean it. I didn't," the friends didn't know what they could do. Trying to wake him might be worse than living him live the nightmare he was clearly having. "No! Come back!" Hector snapped awake and sat up quickly while panting and looking around.

"Hector; it's okay. Easy now; you were having a nightmare, lad," Aaron informed. Hector's head was pounding, his body felt worse, and his stomach was doing flips making him nauseated.

"Hector?" Derek asked. Hector threw his legs over the edge of the couch, leaning over a bit with his eyes closed.

"For the…love of…Odin…Stop talking," Hector forced out.

"Hungover?" Alyssa remarked.

"Alyssa, don't give him a hard time. Hector, are you okay?" Briana inquired. Without warning, Hector got off the couch and went to the bathroom. As soon as the door shut, the group heard him throwing up hard. It sounded like he was gagging and coughing too.

"Ugh! What the fuck did I do last night!" Hector yelled, then puked again.

"Well, this outta be an interesting day," Alexia sighed.

"It's only just beginning," Dimitri stated.

"Can't we do anything to help?" Rylee questioned.

"Nope. It's best if he throws up, then takes a shower. It'll help in the long run," Ethan said. For the next forty-five minutes, Hector didn't leave the bathroom. Hector must have thrown up for fifteen minutes in waves, then they heard the shower turn on. Afterward, the door opened and Hector walked out with his clothes on, but the towel over his shoulder.

"Feel better?" Sawyer wondered.

"Not really," Hector muttered as he grabbed a Sprite from the fridge, then popped two pills in his mouth and drank them down with the soda. Hector sat down in his father's chair and closed his eyes.

"You remember anything?" Derek asked.

"A little," Hector mentioned.

"You know you went to Xavier's and got fucked up?" Dimitri questioned.

"Yep, and regardless of how I feel right now; it was worth it," Hector remarked.

"You like waking up and feeling like this?" TJ arched a brow.

"I don't. But it was nice to feel nothing long enough to fall asleep," Hector retorted coldly.

"You were dreaming about your parents," Shane mentioned as Hector looked at him quickly.

"There's no such thing," Hector got up. "I can't dream if I can't sleep. I know what I did last night; I wanted to be able to sleep because nothing else works. Dreams are supposed to be happy, and for a short time while I'm knocked out; I can see them again. The feeling doesn't last; the illusion fades with the sunrise and I wake up," Hector brought up a keyboard to lay across his lap.

"What are you doing?" Harper blinked.

"There's bits and pieces of a tune that play during the times I can sleep, but I always wake up before it finishes, and then I can't get it back. I feel like it's something from my childhood, but it was so long ago that I can't match lyrics to the music. I figured if maybe I play it outside of the mind, maybe it'll come to me because it only started happening after my parents died," Hector informed as he powered the piano on.

"What are the lyrics you remember? Maybe we can help?" Ethan offered.

"Come out, Moon. Come out, Wishing Star. Come out. Come out," Hector started playing a soft tune on the keys. "Wherever you are," he continued as Briana's eyes widened a little.

"I'm out here in the dark. All alone and wide awake. Come and find me," Briana sang as Hector looked at her.

"I'm empty and I'm cold, and my hearts about to break. Come and find me," Hector continued playing.

"I need you to come here and find me, 'cuz without you; I'm totally lost. I've hung a wish on every star; it hasn't done much good so far! I can only dream of you; wherever you are," Hector and Briana sang together. "But when the morning comes, and the sun begins to rise; I will lose you. Because it's just a dream, when I open up my eyes; I will lose you. I used to believe in forever, but forever is too good to be true. I've hung a wish on every star; it hasn't done much good so far! I can only dream of you; wherever you are!"

"I'll hear you laugh. I'll see you smile. I'll be with you. Just for a while! Oh, I'll be there just for a while! Oh!" the two continued. "Used to believe in forever, but forever is too good to be true! I've hung a wish on every star. It hasn't done much good so far. I don't know what else to do; except to try and dream of you, and wonder if you're dreaming too. Wherever you are. Wherever you…are…" Hector and Briana finished.

"How did…you know that song?" Hector asked.

"Winnie the Pooh; The Search for Christopher Robin," Briana replied gently. "It was…one of my favorite shows as a child. I loved that song because I used to sing myself to sleep with it after my parents died. My VHS copy of the movie never made the move to the place I'm in now. And I know they don't sell that version anymore. I'm a fan of the old things, so having a DVD version doesn't have the same meaning," she frowned a bit. Hector stared at her a moment, then he got up and grabbed a string in the middle of the room that was hanging from the ceiling. Pulling it, a folding staircase came down as Hector climbed up and used his phone as a flashlight. Hector rummaged around through a few things, then finally shut the light off before coming down and returning the staircase to its original position. Hector faced Briana now, then handed her a VHS case. Briana looked at it as she gasped seeing the movie she was just talking about.

"I have two copies because I lost one, then got a newer one, ended up finding the first. It's one of the only movies I still have on VHS. I don't need two, so why don't you take my spare," Hector said. Briana stared at the tape in her hands, then at Hector before she jumped at him with a broad smile, wrapping her arms around his neck in a tight hug.

"Thank you! Thank you so much, Hector!" Briana squealed with delight.

"Um, you're welcome, I think?" Hector replied as he returned the hug slightly. After a few moments, she let go, then cleared her throat a bit.

"Sorry, I bet all that on your stomach didn't feel too good. A-Are you okay?" Briana inquired.

"I'll be alright," Hector replied. "Take care of that tape. It's about as old as I am," Hector forced himself to laugh a little.

"You have no idea what this means to me," Briana smiled. "My copy had been something I had since birth; the first children's show my parents introduced me to, and used to watch with me. Having this, well, makes it feel like somethings haven't changed,"

"I know the feeling," Hector rubbed the back of his head. Briana leaned up and kissed his cheek as his eyes widened a little. "What was…that for?"

"Let's just say you earned a few more points," Briana winked.

"You're not…mad at me for flipping out?" Hector asked. Briana shook her head. "You aren't scared of me for just taking off and getting myself wasted and drugged up?" she shook her head again. "Why?"

Briana giggled a little with a smile. "I know what it's like to be scared to do things and react defensively to protect yourself from getting hurt. I know you're still mourning, and coping with the loss of your parents. I know you're afraid to open up and let people in. I know you could freak out again, but do you know why I'm not going to run away?" Hector shook his head to her. "Because I know you're human, and you suffered emotional overload; it happens to everyone who deals with a lot of things like you have. The one thing you have to remember to conquer that fear is that not everyone is the same as someone else was, and you have to trust the people who in your life. You're not alone. You told me that I could trust you, Hector, so I do. Will you trust me because I've never given you a reason not to,"

"I trust you, Briana. I trust all of you," Hector replied.

"Good!" Briana chirped. "So. 5 pm next Friday night sound okay?"

Hector blinked a few times. "Okay for?" he asked.

"Our date, silly. You owe me one since you took off last night. I was promised a date with you, and I want a real one without jealous, former fuck buddies or being at one of our houses. You up for that challenge?" Briana grinned.

"Oh, you are so on," Hector retorted. Briana hugged him again as Hector didn't know what he could say besides that. Yeah, Hector liked her, and he didn't know where things would go from here, but he knew that he wanted her in his life. Briana and Hector gave each other something tonight; Hector gave Briana an old memory she thought she lost, and Briana gave Hector a second chance. A kind gesture on both their parts that would not soon be forgotten.