Chapter: Problem Solving with Jack
As Hiro predicted, school was boring. He tried his best to hang on to conversations at lunch, and he took notes in class but the week seemed to drag on forever. By Thursday he had fallen into a routine of following the other kids that walked downtown.
Fall had settled nicely into Burgess, with the tree leaves taking on all hues of red, brown, and gold. They crunched nicely under Hiro's sneakers as he walked. When the park came into view, he spotted a familiar face.
Hiro immediately bid his classmates goodbye and headed into the park, heading straight for Toothless. The cat turned at his approach, giving him a curious look before continuing his trot across the grass.
"Where's the stick?" Hiccup frowned at the cat before smiling at Hiro. "Oh hey!"
"You guys were...playing fetch?" Hiro inquired.
"Yeah." Hiccup selected a stick from the ground and offered it to Toothless. The feline sniffed it before taking two steps back and waiting patiently.
"You wanna play with him?"
"Oh...Kay…" Hiro took the stick and looked at Toothless before trying to toss it. It didn't go far, and Toothless immediately sprang into action. Toothless retrieved the stick, bringing it back to Hiro's feet.
"Oh sure you bring the stick back for him…" Hiccup rolled his eyes at the cat. Feeling his phone vibrate in his jeans, he held up his hand. "One sec." He cradled the device to his ear. "Haddock speaking…"
Hiro tossed the stick again, harder this time, causing Toothless to take off. Unexpectedly Toothless continued to gallop across the park, far beyond the stick and into the distance.
"H-Hey!" Hiro dropped his backpack and ran after the cat, scared that he would run off.
Toothless stopped in his tracks near a set of benches. One was occupied by a woman feeding pigeons, the other by a man in a suit, resting his eyes.
Toothless ran at the birds, causing them to fly in various directions, feathers floating everywhere. The resting gentleman rose to his feet, angrily swatting at the birds.
"You!" He pointed at Hiro, causing the child to flinch. "Get that thing out of here!"
Hiro went to scoop up Toothless. "Come on, let's go…"
As his eyes fell on the cat, the man's eyes narrowed. He knew that disgusting animal anywhere.
"Hiro!"
Hiccup was sprinting towards them, bewildered. "You guys just took off…" His gaze trailed behind them. "Oh, Hi." Hiccup smoothed his hair back.
Hiro, Toothless in hand-turned back towards the stranger as Hiccup put a hand on his shoulder.
"You met our son, right?" Hiccup paused, the words sounding foreign to him. "Pitch?"
Pitch sat up straight on the bench, his usual tired expression momentarily replaced with widened eyes and a slack jaw. "No…" He said quickly, but not for the reason HIccup thought he would.
"Oh." Hiccup squeezed Hiro's shoulder. "Hiro, this is Pitch, the night manager for the store. I guess you've never met because of the late shift." Hiccup rubbed his arm out of discomfort.
Hiro looked from HIccup back to the man on the bench. He vaguely remembered Jack saying something about the night staff. "Nice to meet you."
Pitch couldn't believe what he was hearing. In recent months he had come to enjoy watching Jack's cold demeanor. But in the last few weeks, he had suddenly begun to soften, and here was the catalyst. A child. And an awkward one at that. A Messy haired, gap-toothed little thing-almost the spitting image of Hiccup's gangly teenaged self. Where was Jack finding these things?
With a huff, Pitch collected himself. "Unfortunately I have business to attend to." He rose from the bench with a nod. "If you will excuse me…"
HIccup scratched his head. "Sure. See you around!" He waved him off, but Pitch did not return the gesture.
Once he was out of earshot Hiropiped up. "That guy is a little…"
"Weird?" Hiccup guessed.
"I don't want to be rude but-"
Hiccup shook his head. "It's cool. Jack's been saying the same thing for years. I always get the feeling he doesn't like me."
"I get the feeling he doesn't like anyone." Hiro rolled his eyes.
"Maybe…" Hiccup took Toothless from Hiro's arms. "Come on, let's head back. Jack's coming home soon, so I want to start dinner early."
"That's really early. Did something happen?"
"Oh, he's fine. He has a checkup today."
Hiro followed Hiccup back up to their apartment at the Tartakovsky Hotel. He set down his backpack and washed his hands before returning to the living room to look out the window. The novelty of moving to Burgess had yet to wear off. No younger kids tugging at him to find a charger or batteries for their toys, no lines, no ducking around to avoid trouble. The chaos of that house was behind and it seemed his future held nothing but peace. With a twinge in his chest, Hiro found himself wishing that all the children of the group home would find a similar fate-a home where they could feel safe and free.
Hiccup meanwhile was chopping away, working on a nice comfort meal for his boyfriend. In truth, Hiccup was already feeling pretty tired by the time they had returned to the apartment, but he decided to power through it. He knew Jack was always anxious whenever he went to the doctor, something that didn't seem to change whether his visit was for a common cold or an updated vaccine shot.
So he made something nice for dinner, tidied up the bedroom, and replenished the Epsom salts in the bathroom in case Jack decided to take a long bath...
By the time Hiccup was finished, and Hiro had put his homework away, Jack was walking through the door. Toothless met him in the foyer, bounding towards him quickly as if he were reporting his daily duties. Jack patted the cat's head likely. "Did you guard the castle well?"
"You're just in time." Hiccup set the large iron pot atop a cork bed in the middle of the table.
After giving Jack a moment to settle in and join them at the table, Hiccup made an inquiry.
"So, how did it go?"
Jack's gaze was downcast, a clear indicator of bad news.
Hiro's eyes flit between them, chewing.
"The doctor says I'm way heavier than I used to be, and that's why I get nauseous all the time."
Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "Yeah?"
Jack scratched his head. "Well, I don't know how to say this...but I was wondering if you could cook something less..heavy?"
Hiccup dropped his fork. "You're saying my food is making you fat?"
Jack was skittish. "...Yes?"
Hiccup nodded. "Okay." His voice was a little higher than usual. "So you want something different. That's fine."
"Great!" Jack beamed, instantly relieved. "I knew you'd understand."
Hiccup nodded again. "Yeah. Totally. No problem." His face was completely blank.
Jack, not seeing the obvious shift in HIccup's features, was already adding another helping to his plate.
Hiro stared at his peas. There was definitely a problem.
The following night, Hiccup prepared dinner once again. Hiro came to the table at the call of his name, slipping into his spot. Jack had already called before he left the store, so they knew he would be coming back any second now.
Hiro stared at the table, an uneasy feeling rising.
Yeah. There was definitely a problem.
The door made a clicking noise and he almost jumped.
"I'm baaack~" Came Jack's singsong voice from the foyer. Toothless stretched for his place under the table, but did not move to meet him this time.
Jack went straight to the bathroom and Hiro continued to stare at the plate settings.
Jack returned to the table after a few minutes, the smile on his face gradually fading.
Tonight's side dishes were already on each plate-Hiccup and Hiro's plates had mashed potatoes, carrots, corn-while Hiccup sawed slices of meatloaf for himself and Hiro. But at Jack's usual seat there were no side dishes, just a large Kale salad-consistently almost entirely of Kale and a few shakes of salt. But still. Just. Kale.
"Hiccup…." Jack's face darkened. "What gives?"
"What do you mean?" Hiccup asked, slicing a large piece of meatloaf and sticking it on Hiro's plate. "Oh, you mean this? Well, Y'see Hiro gets Meatloaf because he's a growing child, Toothless gets to eat Meatloaf because he likes it, and me? I get to eat it because I have self-moderation. But somehow, even though you're clearly under 200 pounds, you're overweight, so you get Kale. Just Kale."
As he often did when an argument was brewing, Jack went over the previous day's events in his head-the mostly quiet dinner, Hiccup staying up late and never coming to bed...
Jack dropped his utensils. "Don't you think you're being just a bit childish?"
Hiccup shook his head. "No. Not all all. Being childish is blaming someone else for your weight gain, when you could have avoided it by not eating four helpings of mashed potatoes and going to the gym-which you have access to at no charge, because your boyfriend runs it."
"And when am I supposed to do that!? I work all day! Do you have any idea how tiring it is to be on your feet all day?" Jack snapped, raising his voice. "I can't just go, 'well time to work out and run over there'-"
Hiro dropped his glass, and it shattered loudly, silencing the two.
"I...I'm sorry." Hiro glanced at them both, wide-eyed.
With a trembling hand, he went to retrieve it.
"No wait-" Jack stood. He knew what that look on Hiro's face was. He had felt that fear long ago.
"Don't touch it." Hiccup rose from his seat."I'm gonna get the broom." He left the table.
Hiro jumped when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
"Hey." Jack hovered over him. "I'm sorry I yelled." He dropped his hand from Hiro's shoulder. "You can go to your room if you want."
As Hiro made his hasty retreat, Hiccup returned with the broom and dustpan.
"What happened?" Hiccup asked. "Is he alright?"
Jack rubbed his temples. "I shouldn't have yelled." He reached from the broom. "I'll clean things up."
Hiccup sighed."No, this is my fault too. I'll fix it."
"You're good at fixing things..." Jack reached for the broom once more.
Hiccup looked towards the hall. "I'm gonna go talk to him." He relinquished the broom. It didn't seem like Jack would be able to handle anything other than clean up at the moment. His face was ashen, and his hands trembled slightly.
Hiccup went to Hiro's door, pausing. He remembered when he was younger, who he would shut himself in his room from time to time, and the way Stoick would barge in.
He knocked and waited for a response.
"Come in…"
"Hey…" Hiccup stayed in the doorway.
Hiro was seated on his bed, one hand clutching the superhero-themed sheets beneath him. He looked less scared than before.
"I…" Hiccup could feel the guilt coming down in waves, the regret ebbing on. "I wanted to say I was sorry. I was being petty and selfish…" He rubbed his arm. "I should have just talked to Jack about it by myself." He wasn't sure what to say next. Despite all those hours spent on the parenting courses, his own experiences as a kid, he had still made a careless mistake.
"I just have one question," Hiro said, breaking Hiccup from his reverie.
"Yeah?" Hiccup replied.
"Can I finish my dinner in here?"
"Oh." Hiccup blinked. "Yeah, sure."
Hiccup returned to the dinner table. Jack had already cleaned up the mess and was waiting for some sort of verdict.
"Is he alright?" Jack asked.
"I'm not sure." Hiccup retrieved Hiro's plate from the table.
Unbeknownst to them both, Hiro was at his door, listening.
"But listen. I'm sorry about dinner." Hiccup began. "I should have talked to you about it."
Jack shook his head. "No, you were right."
Hiro stepped away from the door. He could hear Hiccup returning to his room. As discussed, he ate his dinner alone, occasionally listening for any other harsh tones, or raised voices. It wasn't the yelling that had startled him, it was the fact that Hiccup and Jack could even get upset with each other.
Hiccup and Jack allowed him his space, letting Hiro have his dessert and leaving him to read into his room until he drifted off into dreamless sleep.
Hiccup was restless that night, until Jack eventually latched onto him, Toothless curled up at his side and he fell asleep. He woke up early the next morning, still in Jack's arms. Toothless had left the room at some point, possibly in Hiro's room or playing in the living room. Hiccup didn't move, relishing the last minutes he could spend that morning in Jack's arms before he was off again.
Before the previous night, the closest thing they had to conflict was Hiccup asking Jack not to touch his butt in public, and that was months ago.
He felt Jack stir, and shifted to see his face.
Jack blinked at him."Hic?"
Hiccup kissed him. "Good morning."
Jack squinted. The room was mostly dark. Hiccup's features were illuminated by the small shards of light that crept beyond the curtains.
"I was thinking about what you said." Jack's voice was low. "About going to the gym. If I get up earlier, I could go."
Hiccup buried his face in Jack's neck. "You could. But I wouldn't be able to have you like this."
"Like this?" Jack laughed. "Barely coherent and messy?"
Hiccup smiled. "Barely coherent people don't use words like 'barely coherent'."
"You got me." Jack pulled him closer. "Right where you want me, apparently."
"We should put this time to good use." Hiccup said, eyes alight with sudden inspiration.
"Yeah?" Jack raised an eyebrow, not entirely on the same page.
"Yeah. Put on your sweats."
When Hiro woke up, he wasn't alone. Toothless had settled onto his stomach, staring back at him as he opened his eyes. The cat hopped off of him and headed or the door, looking back to make sure he was ready to follow.
The house was quiet, perhaps too quiet. Nonetheless, Hiro went to the bathroom to wash up and begin his day. As he stepped back into the hall he heard the front door opening and the whispers of his missing guardians.
Jack shuffled out of his sneakers at the door, wiping the sweat from his face. In a worn blue hoodie and brown sweats, he looked much younger, more like the carefree guy who has interrupted Rapunzel and Hiccup's vlogs.
"Hiro, morning." Hiccup greeted him first, looking somewhat guilty and he stripped off his windbreaker. "Sorry, we just went jogging. Did you see the note? Were you okay by yourself?"
Hiro put two and two together. "I'm fine." It seemed the previous night's argument had absolved, and the two were already trying to fix the problem.
"Great." Hiccup smiled. "I'll get started on breakfast."
It isn't long before off to work, Hiro's dropped at school, and Hiccup is alone again. Instead of finding himself at the workshop, Hiccup spent his time brushing up on his parenting courses and looking up low calorie dinners. He didn't want last night to ever happen again, and he was determined to make that wish come true.
He was surprised when Jack returns around one o'clock without his bag or his blazer, looking bleary-eyed.
"I couldn't focus," Jack remarked, sitting on the couch next to him, and closing his eyes. "And I didn't want anyone to find me sleeping in the office. I'll go back," Jack yawned. "After my break..."
In what felt like the blink of an eye, Jack felt something touching him.
Hiccup swept Jack's bangs away from his eyes and leaned in close. "Are you really that tired?"
"Hm…" With Hiccup's coaxing hands he adjusted until his head is in Hiccup's lap.
"Maybe the morning run was a bad idea." Hiccup thought out loud.
"No," Jack responded with his eyes closed. "That was fun. I like running with you."
"Yeah?" Hiccup leaned forward to kiss him on the forehead.
"Yeah...We should run on the weekends...We'll have more time. Take a long shower after."
"Together?" Hiccup asked, one hand smoothing Jack's hair back.
"Mmhmm…" Jack was all smiles, clearly content. "That sounds nice."
"We have time now." Hiccup looked towards the window. "It's a shame that you're so tired."
Jack's eyes snapped open as if someone dumped cold water on his face. "I'm not." He moved to sit up and Hiccup stifled a laugh.
"I'm not that tired." Jack declared, arms crossed with all the indignation of a petulant child.
Hiccup thought Jack's sudden change in mood was adorable but scooted away from him. "What a quick recovery."
"Well…" Jack snaked an arm around Hiccup's waist. "With the right medicine…"
Hiccup kissed him, smiling against his mouth and breaking the kiss. He pressed a hand against Jack's chest. "I'm sorry about last night."
Jack's eyes narrow. He doesn't want Hiccup thinking everything is his fault, or his problem to fix. "I'm sorry about last night. We're both guilty."
Hiccup rests his forehead against Jack's and sighs. "Maybe."
"Let's both apologize then." Jack replied. "In the shower. It'll be a fun bonding exercise." He eyed the paused parenting course of Hiccup's laptop. "We have to work as a team, right? That's what Lesson 2 was all about."
Hiccup rolls his eyes. "Okay, Mr. Expert." They both rose from the couch and Hiccup took Jack's hand. "I'm pretty sure this isn't what the instructor had in mind…"
By the time Jack was getting dressed for work again, his phone buzzed, and he was thirty minutes past his lunch break.
Assuming the worst, he answered the phone while trying to button his shirt.
"Hello?"
"Jack." North's voice was light. Great. The store was most likely not on fire.
Jack's shoulders drooped as Hiccup moved his hands away. While Jack held his phone, Hiccup began buttoning his shirt for him.
"You are home, yes?" North continued.
"Yeah, I just needed to recharge. I'll be back in a flash, promise."
"No need." North paused. "Work is slow. Stay in house."
"What?"Jack's face contorted in confusion. "You sure?"
Hiccup moved to retrieve Jack's tie but stopped when Jack tugged on his t-shirt.
"Sure is sure." North continued. "Rest. Tell Hiro and Hiccup I say hello." With that North hung up.
Jack looks at the phone in his hands for a moment.
"Did something happen at the store?" Hiccup asked.
"No," Jack replies, shaking his head. "Apparently nothing is happening at the store. So I get the afternoon off." He shrugged. "And here I was, full of energy again and ready to take on the world."
Hiccup crossed his arms. "I'm sure we can put that energy to good use."
Jack raised an eyebrow in surprise. "Yeah?"
"Uh huh." Hiccup leaned against the couch. "The litterbox isn't gonna clean itself."
A few hours later, Hiro was once again exiting the hallowed halls of Burgess Intermediate. To his surprise Jack was there, giving the building a wistful gaze, as if seeing it drudged up memories long repressed. It did, of course, but that information had yet to be shared with Hiro.
Hiro frowned. "What are you doing here?"
Jack's expression changed at the inquiry, softening before going blank. "I wanted to talk to you."
Hiro paled. Earlier that day things seemed to have gone back to normal. Hiccup had made breakfast, Jack had cracked a couple of jokes, and they had gone their separate ways. Were things more serious than the two had led on?
After seeing Hiro with the older man, Hiro's friends peeled off, saying their goodbyes.
As they began to walk back towards the downtown area, Hiro looked up at Jack.
He squeezed the straps of his backpack. "Did something happen? Are you two still fighting?"
"What?" Again Jack's expression changed, this time to a look of confusion. "No, no. Sorry. But that's…" Jack looked skyward as if he could find the answer there. "I guess that is what I wanted to talk about. Things got out of hand yesterday. I wanted you to know that isn't normal for us." He looked down at Hiro. "And it's not something we're going to make a habit of either. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable, or feel like you have to hide in your room. I...lived in a house like that." He grimaced. "More like a trailer, but you get what I'm saying."
Hiro's eyes narrowed. Something about Jack's expression didn't match the words he was saying. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought that Jack looked...scared.
When they returned to the apartment, Hiccup was off again on another errand. Jack returned to the couch just as the house phone started to ring.
As Hiro shrugged off his backpack, Jack reached over to grab the phone."Jack speaking."
"HI JACK!" The nearly breathless voice of their high school art teacher was louder than expected. Jack yanked the phone away from his ear.
"Tooth?" Jack blinked, setting the phone to 'speaker'. He could hear banging in the background. "Is something wrong?"
Hiro looked up, interest piqued. What kind of name was Tooth?
"Sorry!" She lowered her voice. "They're still setting up! Is Hiccup there?"
"He's at the store but he should be back soon-"
"Do you know if he has plans for the evening? We're doing a booth for the Night Market in Thornebrook. It would only be for an hour, there's just a gap in booth hands. I mean, it's a real treat! There are over a hundred active booths and food stalls and rides-"
Hiro's eyes lit up. "Can we go?"
"..." Jack frowned. "It's kind of last minute...I mean, you have homework, right?" It was a school night after all. Hiro looked crushed, and Jack considered it for a moment. Thornebrook's Night Market ran until December. If not tonight, perhaps they could all go the next day. "Maybe T-"
"If I finish it really fast, can we go?"
"Hiro-"
"Thirty seconds!" Hiro held up 3 fingers.
Jack rolled his eyes. "Sure, thirty seconds. Tooth, I'll text Hic right now, gimme a second."
As Jack fished into his pocket for his cellphone, Hiro rummaged in his backpack for his math workbook. Jack typed out the inquiry with one hand and held the house phone against the other. As he waited for a reply, he heard the frantic scribblings of his ten-year-old. "Hiro, I know you want-"
"Done!" Hiro held his book up in triumph.
Jack was ready to retort, but as his eyes scanned over the sheet, he found the answers to be correct. Thirteen multiplication problems, thirteen division problems, and two word problems for good measure. All complete.
"You did all of these just now?"
Jack had spent enough time balancing books with North and cashing out to be able to do quick sums without a calculator's aid.
Hiro read the confusion on Jack's face as disbelief. "If you want me to show you I can-"
"I believe you." Jack cut him off.
Hiro looked skeptical.
"We can go." Jack clarified, setting the hastily done math aside.
Satisfied, Hiro ran to put his things away in his room.
Jack's phone buzzed and he gave it a glance. "Tooth, we'll see you in thirty minutes."
After Hiccup returned, the three drove out to Thornebrook's Night Market. Set in a sparse field, rows of food stalls, shops, games-and a corn maze brought in visitors from across the state.
Long strands of icicle lights and lamps illuminated the area. As small crowds huddled outside the stands, Hiro tried his best not to get stuck. Eventually, he tripped, latching on to Hiccup's shirt to stop his fall.
Hiccup looked back at him in surprise.
"I…" Hiro's voice squeaked.
Unperturbed, Hiccup took his hand. "You don't mind right? I don't want to get separated."
Unable to respond, Hiro nodded. Many times he had watched the younger kids cling to the staff and new parents alike. Heck, he was sure he had done the same when he was much younger. But there was always a sense that he would never experience that recently Hiro was thought that he would stay in the system until he aged out. Hiro thought he would spend the next few years pawning items and saving up; so he could go to a trade school, and try his hand at major league gaming...But everything had changed so fast.
Hiro let Hiccup guide him through the crowd. The smell of cinnamon wafted from an apple cider stand, and the screams of riders echoed from a ride off in the distance.
"Do you remember the last time we were here?' Jack asked.
"No."Hiccup bit back a laugh. "Because we never came here together."
Jack's face clouded in confusion, and Hiccup continued."You're probably remembering someone else."
Jack grimaced, and Hiccup's gaze went to a 'corn on the cob' stand.
"How come we never came here together?" Jack asked bumping shoulders with Hiccup.
"School." Hiccup replied, taking his hand. "We had class around this time when we went to MU. Before that, I couldn't walk yet too far...And before that, we didn't really know each other."
Jack squeezed his hand. "We were hanging out all the time in high school."
"We were...But you also had practice... And we both worked for our Dads off and on...and I've helped Tooth out here before, but we weren't friends yet."
"We'll have to make up for lost time." Jack said, bringing Hiccup's hand to his lips."Can I interest you in a hayride?"
Hiccup smirked. "I have to work, remember? Why don't you take Hiro in the maze of maize?"
They stopped in front of Tooth's stand. The art teacher flitted back and forth, waving and calling to passerby. Small painted wooden lanterns hung from the top of the tent and small handcrafted items were strewn across the table.
"Hiccup! Jack! And this must be Hiro! It's so good to finally meet you!" Tooth beamed.
"You know who I am?" Hiro asked.
"Word travels fast around the department store." Tooth smiled down at him. "I'm a holiday helper there. It helps make ends meet."
"You could just bite the bullet and be a Dentist..."Jack shrugged. "I mean, you love teeth and you're parents-"
Tooth gasped as if she had been wounded. "And give up enriching the minds of Burgess High!? I could never!"
Hiccup moved to hop over the short barrier between the craft laden table to where Tooth was standing. "Well, I'm here to help. What do you need?"
"Just a second pair of eyes for now. My little volunteer is running late but they said they would be here in an hour."
"One of your students?" Hiccup asked.
"Yep! Really fun kid. Her name is Star." Tooth waved at a passing couple." She's so creative! You'd love her."
Hiccup smiled. "I'm sure." He turned his attention back to Jack and Hiro. "Why don't you guys walk around?"
Jack and Hiro exchanged a glance.
"I don't mind waiting," Hiro said.
"Same here." Jack crossed his arms.
Before Hiccup could interject, Tooth piped up. "Excellent! Look at all these extra hands! Now let's put them to good use..."
At Tooth's instruction, they flagged down passerby and chatted up onlookers.
"Did you make these?" Hiro asked, pointing at the small wooden trinkets. Hiccup had set him up in a folding chair with a large turkey leg.
"Oh yeah! The Memory boxes are my new hobby! But some of these were made by my students. We just got these cool printers in, and we can burn patterns right onto the wood!"
While Tooth went on about the finer points of wood-burning, Jack looked over at Hiccup. The urban Viking's attention was completely taken by a mildly infatuated young girl. Jack could tell from a glance that she was more interested in him than the tiny wooden box in his hands.
Despite the many years that had passed, Jack was sure that Hiccup still saw himself as that awkward kid from Berk. They had plenty of conversations when they were younger about Hiccup's lack of self esteem. But at this point, Jack was sure it was less about self-worth, and more about Hiccup's sense of self. Hiccup didn't differentiate his outer appearance from his personality. He didn't cultivate a specific image, he was just himself. And that, Jack surmised, was probably the reason people were drawn to him in the first place.
"Jack?"
Even if he was oblivious to others, Hiccup was definitely aware of Jack's attention. Perhaps it was their close proximity. They had made the change from classmates, to friends, to boyfriends, and now they lived together. Hiccup probably had his every movement down to a science.
Jack blinked. "Nothing, i-"
"TOOTH WOMAN!"
The distant screech of a young girl's voice cut through the din of the market, accompanied by the motor of a scooter.
Tooth and her helpers watched as a bright blue motor scooter came to a screeching halt in front of their stand. A girl with long blonde hair wearing a horned, stick crusted helmet hopped off the scooter, stomping loudly with her boots. "I maaaaaaade iiiiiiiit!" She yelled in a sing-song manner, tucking the helmet under her arm and grinning.
"There you are, Star!" Tooth beamed back at her.
The young teen offered Tooth a salute. "Reporting for duty!" THe walked her scooter around to the other side of the booth.
Frightened by the motor scooter, the customer talking to Hiccup looked for an escape. "I guess I'll take this. Will you, um, be here all night?"
Hiccup glanced at the price. "Huh? Oh no, I don't want our kid staying up too late."
"Our?" The young woman repeated, blinking.
"My partner-" Hiccup pointed at Jack. "My kid-" Hiccup looked back at Hiro, who waved. "That'll be twelve dollars. Do you need a bag?"
Slightly deflated, the girl paid for her trinket and disappeared back into the crowd.
"Well boys, you're off the hook." Tooth watched as Star hopped behind the table.
"Let me know if you need help again." Hiccup replied, lining up several of the knick-knacks,
"Yeah, it's been fun." Jack added. "I forgot all about this place."
"I'm surprised you had the time, Jack." Tooth gave him an appraising look."This is the time of year that things start to hear up at the store."
Jack rubbed the back of his neck. "Don't remind me...I've got plenty of sleepless nights ahead."
"Come on Hiro," Hiccup called.
At the sound of his name, Hiro hopped off his chair and discarded what remained of his turkey leg in the waste bin. After saying their goodbyes the trio weaved their way back into the crowd. Hiccup took hold of Hiro's hand again, carefully pulling him along as they passed stall after stall.
As they passed a Ring Toss stand, Jack nudged Hiccup again. "Should I win you a stuffed animal?"
Hiro glanced at the stand. A small sea of different colored glass bottles sat beneath a row of stuffed animals. "Arent' those things rigged?"
Jack gave Hiccup an amused look before responding to Hiro. "They may or may not be a little fudged. But that's part of their charm!"
Hiro stared at the stand. "I want to give it a try."
"Alright." Jack fished his wallet out of his pocket, handed Hiro a few dollars, and watched the child run to the booth.
As Hiro received his wings and eyes the targets with a determined look, Hiccup and Jack stood only a few steps away.
"Oh, by the way, Hic...there's something we gotta talk about..."
"Yeah?" Hiccup responded, his eyes still following Hiro.
Instead of aiming for the targets, Hiro sent the first ring spinning towards the baseboard. When it got stuck in the small space between the board and the targets he nodded and tried again. The ring bounced this time, hooking on one of the red glass bottles at the center.
The stand's handler whistled. "Red bottle eh? Great shot! You get to pick one of the big ones!"
Hiro's face lit up. "I knew it!" He looked back at Hiccup and Jack who were ready to congratulate him. Hiro continued. "I knew if I hit it at the right angle, the hoop would land dead center! It's all about the trajectory, you see if you calculate the projector for the projectile-" When he saw the look of confusion on Hiccup's face, he tried to simplify his reasoning. "Uh, the ring I mean-"
Jack clasped a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "Our kid is a genius."
Well, this one is tough. A little sad in some parts, but this type of thing happens. Jack and Hiccup are still young, you don't become a great parent overnight and they're going to make mistakes. The important thing is trying to correct your mistakes right?
Our Disney cameo this time around is...Star! aka Star Butterfly from Star Vs. The forces of evil! With Hiro added to the cast, its interesting to consider the next generation after our Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragons gang...What Disney/Dreamworks/Laika/Sony characters would hang out with Hiro? Let me know!