Sebastian crept up the stairs to their door as silently as he could and tested the knob. It was still locked. That...honestly meant nothing to him. He carefully fished out his key and unlocked the door, slipping inside and hurriedly locking it once more. Maybe, just maybe by some miracle his brother had gotten held up at work and he was late coming home. He himself was only late by 15 minutes at this point. Turning around to head to his room dashed all hopes of this however.
Seated at the dining table facing the door with his legs and arms crossed sat his brother, Yami. His eyes were hard and cold and the room seemed to drop several degrees the moment he and Sebastian locked eyes.
"Malacine." He started, voice low and eerily calm. "You're home."
"Y-Yeah," Sebastian felt like he had to force out even that simple a response, fear gluing his feet to the ground. He knew he was deep trouble, he just didn't know what the other was going to do about it. It was all too tempted to just start recklessly explaining himself in a vain hope that Yami might be feeling merciful today and let him off a little easier, but he held his tongue and waited for the other to speak again.
"Why are you so late, Malacine?" Yami started again, straightening his back as if he weren't intimidating enough before. "You know you should be home by 5 on Fridays."
Sebastian shifted uncomfortably under his brother's scrutinizing gaze, unable to make eye contact with him any more as he instead looked down at the ground as if it were the most interesting thing he'd even come across. "I got caught up talking to someone after school."
That Yami didn't believe. Not for a second, but his brother couldn't lie to him without burning or hurting himself so he was forced to accept it. "Who? And why? Knowing you, you keep to yourself a lot. I'm glad that you've made friends, but again, who and why?"
Sebastian desperately tried to stop fidgeting by instead playing with the chain of his pocket watch. He wasn't so sure he'd call Jack a friend just yet, but he didn't think correcting Yami on that would help his case. If anything, it would probably hurt him in the long run. "Jack Frost, and well, I forgot my contacts this morning. You know how much of a rush I was in. And Jack and his friend, Hiccup, I think, well...they noticed."
If Sebastian had been looking up, he'd have seen his brother's eyes widen before they narrowed to dangerous slits. Yami stood up slowly and stalked over towards his brother, not even raising his voice as he spoke again, though the danger in it was practically tangible. "You mind running that by me again?"
Sebastian instinctively stepped back and pressed his back up against the door when he found he couldn't retreat further. "J-Jack and his friend noticed my eyes in Chemistry this morning because I-I forgot my contacts." That was all it took. The moment Yami was within a foot of him, he completely lost all his composure, shutting his eyes tightly as he spoke about as quickly as he could. "s-so I stayed after school to talk to Jack and ask him to keep quiet, and I may or may not have let him see quite a few of my demonic features and he said he was THE Jack Frost from the myths and then we started talking and time slipped away and so I started to come home, but he didn't want me walking home alone in case you came out looking for me you know, so he could vouch for me and all just please don't be mad!"
Yami waited and let his brother finish his ramblings, and even stood silently after he finished a few moments as he let it all sink in. He reached out and put a hand under his brother's chin, forcing him to look him in the eyes. When he finally spoke, his voice was a low and menacing growl. "Jack Frost. The Jokül Frosti saw you and knows you exist?! Oh Ra...I can't believe this."
He growled and turned away from Sebastian, going back to the table and sitting back down. He rested an elbow on the table to he could put his head in his hand and gave an exhausted sigh. "Good Ra...Please, you cannot be serious." He shot back at his brother again, earning a fearful whimper in return.
Sebastian had made an honest attempt to meet his brother's gaze, but flinched away, and no sooner had Yami left him did he find himself sinking down to the ground, his legs no longer able to support him. He trembled a bit and didn't dare move until it seemed Yami was done speaking. It took him a moment to muster up the courage to get up and cross the room over to his brother, sitting down in front of him at the table.
"Y-Yami?" he called out to his brother, voice surprisingly small.
Yami didn't look up at him. "Of all things to be discovered by, it was Jack Frost," he finally said with a dark chuckle. His eyes rose up to meet Sebastian's in cold humor. "Malacine, even if you did put your contacts on, he still would've noticed. He's one of the very few who can spot things without the assistance of 'seeing magic'."
A new thought seemed to dawn on Yami quite suddenly. He stiffened and lifted his head from his hand. "Wait. You said that he had a friend. What was he?"
If he wasn't sure he was in for it before, he was definitely sure now. Sebastian lowered his head a bit and shrugged, glancing to the side. "He smelled human."
"Now I'm even more concerned," Yami sighed, frowning deeply. His hard gaze turned to concern though as he started to notice how tense his brother was. "They didn't do anything to you, right?"
Sebastian shook his head, "No, I'm fine and I don't think anyone heard then call me out." He confessed. "Jack seemed nice and Hiccup was kind of casual about it. I don't know what to think of them yet though."
Yami looked over him for a long while before leaning back in his seat and running a hand through his hair, "I suppose my fears have settled down a bit. Just be more careful next time, Malacine. As far as I'm concerned, you don't have to be extremely cautious around them, at least I hope not." He scolded lightly, folding his arms over his chest. "Jack's a good kid. He was when I met him at least."
Sebastian gave his brother a confused look at this. He'd never known Yami knew the other, and he was almost certain they'd crossed paths at least once or twice while he'd been attending school there. Why not bring it up until now? He couldn't really understand why he was so upset about it either too if he knew him and was friends with him.
"He found me out one day when you were still with the Phantomhive boy." Yami continued, sensing his brother's questions and confusion. "I was worried that he might try something against you if he found out what you were since he is a guardian of children. I'm glad it appears he's not as close minded as others might be. Heh...It's been so long since I've seen him. I suppose, let's just be glad that it was him and his friend that found you out instead of someone else."
Sebastian nodded and figured the lecture was over. He still didn't quite get why he was so angry about it being Jack that found him at first, but he chalked it up to Yami's worry blowing up a small detail as it sometimes did. He looked up at the other as innocently as he could and smiled a little, "Does that mean I'm off the hook?"
The way Yami laughed and turned to him with a smirk sent that idea right down the drain.
"Definitely not." His older brother once more folded his arms and looked to him as he decided what to do with him. "You're not getting out of this one little brother. You still came home late. You know I'm fair when it comes to other days of the week. Any other day, you at least have to be home before I'm home around midnight. So, you're grounded. For a week. No videogames for two weeks, and you have to be home right after school. Got it?"
Each condition felt like a nail into his coffin, especially the videogame restriction. He couldn't help the horrified and distraught look that took over his previously terrified face. "T-Two weeks?!" He cried, completely crushed at the simple idea of it. He had only been late by 15 minutes, it wasn't as though he'd been gone an hour. Besides that, he was was home safe and unharmed and it wasn't as though he'd put himself in deliberate danger. What crushed him the most was that being grounded from videogames meant that he also wouldn't be allowed to go or participate in that weekend's gaming tournament, something he'd been planning for for months. He frantically tried to think of some way to convince his brother otherwise, but, the finality in Yami's voice let no room for arguments, and he knew trying to argue would only result in a harsher sentence.
He bit his lip and lowered his head in defeat, so Yami wouldn't get the satisfaction of seeing how upset he was. "Got it…"
With nothing left to be said, Sebastian slowly rose from the table and went to get his bag from beside the door and brought it back into his room. There, he collected all of his handhelds and controllers for his systems and brought them back out to his brother for him to hide for the next two weeks. He almost hesitated placing them on the table, trying to send a last pleading look to his brother that he might change his mind about all of this, but it was no use.
"Thank you," Yami sang all too cheerily to him as if he weren't condemning him to two weeks of complete and utter boredom.
Sebastian turned away from him without a word and sulked back to his room where he all but threw himself onto his bed and curled up on his side facing the wall, closing the door without even touching it. How could any of that have possibly been fair? He just couldn't wrap his mind around it. One week without going to the bakery and two weeks without his games. What was he going to do? He'd already completed every bit of homework he could get his hands on.
After fuming about this for awhile, he reached over and fished a sketchbook out from between his bed and the wall and started drawing out his anger. At least Yami hadn't taken these from him. It wasn't even my fault! I didn't get into a fight or create ice on the ground.
Meanwhile, Yami sat at the table looking at his brother's games. He did feel a little guilty about this, and maybe he had been a little harsh on him. Being late wasn't the biggest issue to him though, it was being found out and by a human no less. It was dangerous for them, especially Sebastian where even a bit of Holy Water could seriously hurt the other. He just wanted him to be more careful.
With a sigh, he got up and hid everything before going to make something for dinner. Human food wasn't exactly necessary and he knew it didn't taste like much to Sebastian, but going through the motions still felt nice and over the years they both had acquired a slight taste for some dishes. They just had to get the seasonings right. Now if only he could figure out what to make.
After some deliberation, he settled on making them pizza and set to work getting everything out and ready. He thought he heard Sebastian making weird noise to himself in his room and laughing about it as he cooked. Score one for him, he supposed. His brother was already bored to insanity. Maybe he really would have to reconsider making this a two week ordeal.
Twenty minutes went by and Yami was left in wonderful silence. It was almost suspicious. Normally, he could at least hear Sebastian drawing or working on his homework if he had any left, but it was dead silent. He paused what he was doing to listen a little harder for the other. A sudden and loud thud made him flinch and he could only assume his brother had either somehow managed to fall out of bed or tripped over his own feet. Yami was willing to bet money on the former by the groan and grumbles of complaint that soon followed.
"Yamiii, I'm bored," Sebastian complained as he came out of his room and dramatically sat down at the table. He flopped down onto it and turned his head so he could look up at his brother, pleading him as best he could with a look to do something to remedy his situation.
"Then find something to do, Malacine," Yami said simply, deciding not to even look at his brother. He could imagine well enough what the other was trying to pull.
Sebastian growled at him and huffed. "I wouldn't come to you if I could find something to do. I already finished my work for the next week and filled my sketchbooks."
It was Yami's turn to growl, starting to get a little irritated at his younger brother. Bored or not, he was centuries old and shouldn't have this much trouble finding something to keep himself occupied. "Which is why you go get more. Why don't you watch something on TV? That Netflix thing?" He suggested, trying to focus on cooking. "Heck, maybe even clean around the apartment. Malacine, there's always something to do. You just have to find it. Be glad that I didn't take your phone away." Who knows how long he would've lasted without that thing.
Sebastian wasn't impressed at all with Yami's suggestions in the slightest. Sure. Clean a spotless apartment occupied by two supernaturals that can't stand it getting dirty. Right. That was something to do. With a huff to show his displeasure, he got up and started to sweep. Maybe some dust had gathered while Yami was cooking. Unlikely, but at least he was doing something.
He tried to work at a human pace, but it didn't last very long and soon the floors were swept, moped and all the windows were clean. He even set the table and vacuumed what little carpeting they had before he gave up and flopped onto the couch.
Pulling out his phone, Sebastian decided he might as well text the only person on his phone other than his brother. Claude.
#Hey stupid spider. I'm bored. ~S#
#What's it matter to me pathetic bird? Why are you bored? Shouldn't you be practicing for the gaming tournament? ~C#
Sebastian rolled his eyes. Claude could have thought of a way better insult than that. #I can't. I got grounded… ~S#
#LoL XD Good going. What'd you do? ~C#
#Shut up! I was late coming home and was found out by a human and the embodiment of winter. ~S#
It took Claude longer to reply this time. Maybe he was practicing. Sebastian didn't see why he would bother though since he wasn't going to be there to give the other a challenge.
#o-o dude. You really fucked up. I'm surprised you're only grounded. ~C#
#I know. So, I'm not going and if I am, it's probably because Yami's dragging me with him and forcing me to watch. ~S# Really he wouldn't put it past his brother to do something like that. Especially with the mood he was in.
#You deserve it. A human? Really? ~C# He could practically hear Claude taunting him and laughing over all of this.
Yami glanced over at his brother on the couch as he placed the pizza in the oven. By the irritated look on his face, he could tell the other was probably texting Claude. He'd really give anything for those two to finally get along, but that would most likely require some kind of potion or unlikely event to occur. With a sigh, he turned his attention to the callander, looking to see when his next shift at work was. His heart almost immediately sank. On a magnet next to this weekend were two tickets and in his brother's cursive over the next two days was written "Gaming Tournament". He'd even put a couple exclamation points next to it.
'That's right. I completely forgot. This weekend is the gaming tournament. Mal was really looking forward to it…' Yami frowned a bit as he felt guilt wash over him. They'd both been planning that trip for months now.
Glancing back at his brother, Yami let out a heavy sigh and ran a hand through his hair. "Malacine, come here."
Sebastian almost told him no, but grumbled and shot a quick text to Claude.
#brb. I'm being summoned.#
He got up and slowly made his way into the kitchen, not really looking up at Yami until he was across from him, and even then he tried not to make eye contact. He was upset with his brother again now that the fact he wasn't going to the tournament was fresh in his mind.
"Yes?" He asked mechanically.
Yami sighed and folded his arms over his chest. Sebastian could be so dramatic sometimes. "So that gaming tournament tomorrow," he began. "You insisted that you REALLY wanted to go, right?"
Sebastian almost glared up at Yami. He could just hear his brother's next words being that he was going but only to watch Yami play. Typical of his brother to add salt to a fresh wound. He resisted; however, and kept his gaze down and away from the other. He shoved his hands into his pockets and leaned back against the counter. "Yeah, what about it? I can't go anymore…"
"Actually…" Yami paused and waited for Sebastian to meet his eyes so his brother would know he's not just taunting him. "You can. And you will be allowed to play. I bought the tickets a LONG time ago. It'd be a waste not to use them." Seriously. They cost about 100$ each. It seemed like these things kept getting more and more expensive every year.
Sebastian couldn't believe it. He almost thought the other was pulling his leg, but he knew he wasn't that evil. He immediately lunged forward and hugged Yami as tightly as he could, his heart practically in his throat.
"Thank you!" He cried, squeezing him a little tighter in his excitement even if Yami really was only doing this because he'd already bought the tickets.
Yami shook his head and hugged his brother back. It was rare for the other to initiate any kind of physical contact, so he didn't too much mind the tight grip. "Yeah yeah yeah…" He sighed. "And don't think it's just because I already bought them, I need you to go. But, don't get too excited. You're allowed to go on one condition."
"Uh-huh," Sebastian didn't believe that one for even a second. He looked up at Yami at the mention of a condition though. Of course there had to be one. "Oh? And what would that be?"
Yami gently pried his brother off him, though he knew he wouldn't be getting another hug for maybe a few months if not until next year, and began to list his term. "You don't go alone. I bought 3 tickets, but I can't go, because I have work, and Kaiba can only let me do so much, so you have to find others to go with you." He could almost see the excitement leave his brother's eyes like a candle being blown out. "If you find friends, then you can go with them. I already reserved a suite in a hotel not far from the convention center, and it has 2 beds and a couch that can be rolled out, so no worries on accommodations.
So one: find friends. Two: you still can't play videogames for the next two weeks, tomorrow and Sunday are the only exceptions. Three: after school, come straight home. If you need to stay after school for a good, scholastic reason, then text or call me, don't just go running around and not tell me. Got it?" Okay so maybe he had three conditions.
Sebastian immediately growled at the mention of Kaiba. "He never gives you a break! We've been planning this for months! Why do you work for that stuck up, spoiled brat again?" He spat, unable to keep his temper in check. If anyone pissed him off more than Claude, it was Kaiba. Still, he knew his brother couldn't control it and it wasn't his fault to begin with. "Alright, I agree to your terms. Though you're almost as bad as Ciel when it comes to time constraints."
He didn't even know where he was going to find two other people he could tolerate to go with him before tomorrow without leaving the house. Who would even be allowed to go with him on such short notice? It was too bad Claude already had a ticket, otherwise he'd have just asked him.
"He pays well, and I've had worse bosses." Yami interjected. "And I actually want to live here rather than with...our father…" He shuddered a little at this and he could see Sebastian tense up a little. It was never pleasant bringing up their father. With a sigh, he rolled his eyes. "Love me, hate me, take your pick."
"I'd rather love you. It's less of a hassle." Sebastian bit back, pouting at him.
He smirked as he watched Sebastian throw himself back onto the couch, clearly trying to figure out how he was going to find people. "You know, you can leave the house to go get your friends. You should ask Jokül- I mean- Jack if he'd like to go." He tried suggesting. "Who knows? He might just say yes. Just try and be back before dinner's ready. Text me when you're one your way home if you can't."
Well, that certainly did make his task a bit easier. "I'll try, I guess…" He doubted Jack would agree to go considering they were still technically strangers, but it was worth a shot and it was the only idea he had to go on at the moment.
He got up and went to his room to change into something more casual and slipped on his favorite black jacket. Coming back out into the living room, he called to his brother as he went out the door. "Alright, I'm heading out then. I'll be back later then."
"Be safe!" Yami called after him to which he gave a half hearted reply before locking the door.
It only took him getting out the gate of their complex to realize something; however.
"I don't even know where he lives."
~.~.~.~.
Jack quickly made his way home and tossed open the door, announcing himself loudly, "Honey, I'm home!"
Hiccup was just on his way downstairs, and could only smile in amusement at the other's antics. "Really? You used that line, out of all the ones possible, that line was the one that came to mind first?" He questioned, raising an eyebrow at him. Honestly, sometimes he wondered why he put up with him.
"Aww, don't be so sads, muffin cake." Jack pouted, turning on the biggest puppy eyes he could muster for the other as he shut the door behind him.
"Oh, shut it," Hiccup huffed, rolling his eyes and turning around to return up the stairs. He couldn't remember why he'd come down in the first place anymore, so he might as well go back to his room, especially now that Jack was home.
"But but but sugar cube-"
"If you call me by another pet name one more time, I swear on my grandpappy's grave that you're not gonna get any sweets tonight whatsoever, idiot." Hiccup cut in, not even letting Jack finish this time.
That shut Jack up this time, the other taking a second to look completely offended before he grumbled at him. "Jerk." Still, he followed the brunet up the stairs.
"Yeah yeah yeah. Come on." Hiccup beckoned, chuckling softly as he went back to his room. "We gotta get stuff done. Hiro will be over in a little bit."
"Oh right. Our project."
Hiccup sat down on his bed as he double checked to make sure he had everything ready, patiently waiting for Hiro to either arrive or text them that he was leaving his place. When he phone buzzed, he fished around for it on his bed a moment before checking to see what it said.
#Hey Hiccup. I can't come over today, sorry! :-( Because Aunt Cass wants you to come over here instead and have dinner with us! Tell Jack too. She said we can work on our project after dinner. That okay?#
"Huh," Hiccup muttered as he read it over before he looked up at Jack who was not so patiently waiting to hear what it said. The snow haired winter spirit was floating just in front of him, trying to read it over him. Grumbling, he nudged Jack a bit away from himself. "Back up, dude. Hiro wants us to come over to dinner and do our project over there. Aunt Cass suggested."
Jack beamed and put his feet back on the ground. "What're we waiting for? Tell your mom and let's go!"
Hiccup nodded and lead them both back out to his mother's craft room, knocking politely on the door and waiting for her reply before poking his head in. "Mom? Hiro asked Jack and I if we could come over for dinner."
"And you, Mrs. Haddock." Jack quickly added. "And Stoick."
"Yeah. And Jack and I have a project to do with Hiro, so he and Aunt Cass said it was okay if we could do it after dinner." Hiccup continued before his mom could say anything or ask about their homework.
"Oh. Well, I…" Valka looked a little caught off guard at first and looked around herself as if considering whether or not she was comfortable leaving her project as it was, but after thinking to herself a moment, she nodded. "Oh, alright. Go on and get your things. I'll be out in a bit."
"Awesome! Thanks mom!" Hiccup nearly cheered, immediately running back to his room to gather their project supplies.
"Thanks, Mrs. Haddock!" Jack chorused, following close behind.
Valka laughed quietly to herself as she began to pack her things away, shaking her head. My boys will be the end of me… She thought to herself with a smile.
Within 15 minutes, Hiccup and Jack were ready by the door. All their things were packed away in their bags, and they had texted Hiro to let him know they were able to come. Valka came down soon after, slipping her coat on.
"Henrik, did you feed Toothless already?" she asked while she grabbed her bag.
"Yeah mom. Right as I got home." Hiccup confirmed, smiling as the cat in question rubbed up against his legs. He bent down to pet him and smiled more as Toothless purred for him.
"And what project are you three working on now, dear?" Valka asked, looking to Jack.
"Spanish." Jack eagerly began explaining. "Apparently we're supposed to make a map of Middle and South America, and Spain, all colored and stuff. Putting in the capitals of each country and finding at least 3 fun facts of each." He rubbed the back of his neck as he thought about all they had to do for it. "It's a lot. That's why we decided to start right away. It's gonna take us a while."
"Ah, I see," Valka hummed thoughtfully. She smirked knowingly at the both of them. "And you're not just going over to play video games like the last time you said you three were all "working" right?"
"It was one time, mom!" Hiccup protested, pouting up at her while Toothless meowed and demanded more attention.
"Yeah, what he said." Jack added. "Seriously, it's a big part of our grade, Mrs. Haddock. We're probably gonna have to get it done over the weekend."
"When's it due?" Valka questioned further. Really these boys, more Jack than Hiccup, had a terrible habit of telling her about projects the night before they were due if not the day of. She had grown accustomed to interrogating them whenever one was brought up or mentioned.
"Uh," Jack stuttered a little as he tried to remember just when the project was due. He should really start writing these things down. "Hey, Hic, you remember the due date?"
"Next Monday," Hiccup offered, shaking his head a little at the other.
"Yeah that. We really don't want to procrastinate on this thing." Jack affirmed, quickly recovering from his earlier embarrassment. "We've got enough homework as it is."
"Oh, well that's very smart of you three." Valka praised, happy they had at least tonight and the weekend to work on this one. "Good on ye, Jack."
"Can we go now?" Jack asked, getting a bit impatient.
"I'm ready when you boys are," Valka said, looking to Hiccup.
Hiccup stood up and adjusted his backpack on his back, sighing a little forlornly. "Kinda sucks that dad couldn't come."
"Oh you know how busy he is, dear. Work makes him stay til 10." Valka sighed, knowing Stoick would be there if he could. She ruffled her son's hair and smiled to him in attempts to cheer him up. Unfortunately, he only shrugged her off and went out the door.
~.~.~.~.
Sebastian had decided to track Jack by his scent, and while it took awhile to pick him out of the several thousand that assaulted his nose at every turn, he eventually made his way to what he assumed was the other's home. At least, his scent was strongest here.
Unfortunately for him, the house felt completely empty. He couldn't hear anyone inside and the only soul he felt was that of the house cat. It was all too tempting to try and get in to see the cat, but he'd rather not explain that to Jack before offering him the tickets. It wouldn't help his case.
He didn't think that waiting around until he got back would be beneficial either, and he didn't know when Jack would be back so he couldn't justify waiting to Yami. That left him with one option.
Sebastian fished around in his jacket for a piece of paper and summoned a pen to himself so he could write a quick note down. Once he was satisfied, he whistled and held his arm up, patiently waiting for his friend to find him and come land on his arm.
The large crow was careful with its talons as it perched on him, making a delightful thrumming sound at being called.
"Hello, have you been a good bird?" Sebastian greeted, petting the crow's head gently before offering it the note. "Take this to Jack Frost please. I'm sure you can find him."
The crow seemed to nod before taking the note in its beak and leaving his arm. It circled above him in farewell before it flew off.
All he had left to do was wait, so Sebastian decided to head to the nearby park and sit down for awhile.
~.~.~.~.
Everyone was finishing dinner by the time the crow finally found the one his master was looking for. Jack Frost. That had to be the white haired boy, right? With determination, the crow flew up to the window and began pecking at it in attempts to gain their attention so they could let him in and he could complete his task.
"What's that noise?" Tadashi asked, looking up from his plate in confusion.
Valka looked up and nearly did a double take at what she saw. "What in the world…"
"What is it, Mom?" Hiccup asked, following her gaze.
"There's a crow at the window," she explained, not really believing herself. "Seems like it's trying to get in."
"I'll get rid of it." Aunt Cass said as if this were a daily occurence. She got up deftly and opened the window, so she could shoo the bird away. "On with ya, go on!" She yelled at it until the bird gave a frustrated caw and flew off.
Cass closed the window and turned back to everyone, dusting off her hands. She proudly returned to the table and sat down. "There we go."
It wasn't long before everyone had finished eating and thanked Aunt Cass for cooking.
"Of course, kids. Now, off you go and finish that project." She said with a smile, watching them all eagerly get up and run upstairs.
"I'll keep an eye on them, Aunt Cass. Nice seeing you, Mrs. Haddock!" Tadashi offered before following the three up.
By the time he got there, the boys were already sitting in a circle in deep discussion.
"What do you think that was about?" Jack asked, looking between his two friends.
"Did you see that it had a note?" Hiro continued, not even noticing his brother come in.
"Yeah, like it was a messenger bird or something." Hiccup muttered, bringing a hand to his chin in thought.
"I don't get something though," Jack spoke up again. "How come Aunt Cass didn't see it?"
"Beats me," Hiro replied with a shrug.
Tadashi shook his head at them and went to his side of the room. "Maybe it has something to do with the supernatural?" He suggested, only asking out of habit. It tended to lead back to that at some point or another with them.
"You're not serious," Hiro grumbled, half-glaring at his brother.
"I'm just saying!" Tadashi defended himself, putting his hands up. "You know she doesn't believe in the stuff that we do. It could be something to do with that. Who knows?"
"Do you think the crow's gonna come back?" Hiccup asked.
"Probably," Jack confessed, looking to the window. "It looked pretty determined."
As if on cue, the crow in question threw itself at the window and flew in front of it. It seemed even more eager to get their attention this time, knocking at the window and flying around in front of it.
The sudden noise made all of them jump.
"I told you!" Jack blurted out, smiling a bit at being right.
Hiro got up and went to the window, opening it for the crow. He held out his arm for it to land on and smiled warmly at it. "Hey little guy. Sorry about Aunt Cass, she doesn't like non-domestic animals in the house." He spoke softly, trying not to scare it. "Wanna come in? It's okay. We're not gonna hurt you."
"Careful Hiro…" Tadashi warned, eyeing the bird suspiciously.
"It's fine, see? It seems nice." Hiro explained, stepping back from the window with the bird perched on his arm.
It looked at Hiro and made a noise before looking around the room, almost as if it were inspecting each of them. Upon seeing Jack, the crow jumped off Hiro's arm and gracefully coasted over to him, landing on his shoulder where it proceeded to nudge his cheek with its beak.
Jack laughed and tried to use his hand to block the bird, "Hey, hey, easy,"
"Looks like you've made a friend," Hiccup teased, smiling.
"Maybe," Jack agreed. At least he hoped the crow was a friend. It would really suck right about now if he weren't. "I'm guessing the note's for me then?" He tried holding out his other hand for the bird to drop the note into if it wanted.
The crow seemed to appreciate this and dropped the note in his palm. It then flew back over to Hiro and ghosted a wing by his cheek before flying out the window, leaving a long black feather on the sill.
"My guess was correct. And I'm also assuming that you want me to read it…" Jack opened it up and started to read allowed. " 'Jack, I suggest reading this on your way home if you are with a friend…' Oh. So maybe later?"
Hiro waited for Jack to continue, but frowned when the other started to fold the note up again. "..So, are you gonna read it or what?"
"It said that I should read it on the way home," Jack protested, frowning a little.
"It wouldn't hurt to read ahead," Hiccup pointed out, curious about what it said.
Even Tadashi wanted to know, especially since a bird had brought the note over. It was strange even for them. "You might as well, Jack. It seems pretty important."
"Fine, fine!" Jack gave in. Honestly, he probably would have read it anyway. Waiting was not his strong suit. Reopening the note, he started to read again. "Where'd I leave off...Oh right. 'Anyway, I have two extra tickets to the gaming convention tomorrow and Sunday. I realize this is really short notice, but I was wondering if you, and possibly your friend, might want to go?!"
Jack could hardly contain his excitement as he finished reading, his voice raising in pitch and volume as he went on. A bright smile spread across his face as he turned to Hiccup excitedly. "Hiccup!"
Hiccup smiled as well, sitting up straighter in his own excitement. He and his parents didn't get tickets before because they were too expensive, and he hadn't known if Jack would have been able to go in the first place. "The tournament! We have tickets!"
Hiro beamed up at Tadashi. They had both felt a little bad that they were going and the other two weren't, but this solved that for them. Turning back to his friends, he joined in on their excitement."You guys can come now and play after all! I'll let the panel host know that you both are back in!"
"Heck yeah! I can't wait to go!" Jack cheered, only to pause seconds later and turn to Hiccup with a worried look. "Oh...Hiccup, we have to ask your mom."
Hiccup's hopes fell as well. He doubted his mother would agree to let them go. Especially since they didn't know who'd sent the note. "Dang it…"
"Wait...who sent you the letter?" he asked Jack, furrowing his brow a little.
Jack skimmed over the letter again until he caught the signature at the bottom. Really, he should have known from the swirling cursive. "Oh, just Sebastian…" He remarked at first before it dawned on him who sent it. "Sebastian?! He's going?!"
"Wait, Sebastian? The dude we scared off in chemistry?! Jack, we barely know the guy! What if we get kidnapped or something?!" Leave it to Hiccup to jump down the road of hysterics and dangerous conclusions.
Jack rolled his eye at Hiccup and smiled to him. "Hic, come on! I talked to him before I got home, remember? Look, it's weird, like really weird, but I trust this kid. He isn't out to get anybody. Trust me, he tries to blend into the crowd more than anything." He explained, hoping this would calm the other down. "Please, Hic. Just tell your mom that we're going with an SN friend of mine, and that we'll be okay. If something happens I can get us out and we can call/text her for help. Besides, Tadashi'll be there, he's an adult. He can take care of us. Look, we're gonna be fine. Please? You just have to believe in me."
Hiccup knew he was going to pull that card. He thought it over for awhile, but he knew he had to give in. He really wanted to go too. "Fine...but if she says no, then no, and don't forget, we have to get this project done too."
"We can get it done during the week. It'll be fine. Go on." Hiro offered, for once being the one to suggest they procrastinate.
"Just don't be surprised if she says no, alright?" Hiccup warned again before going downstairs to talk to his mother.
Just 5 tense minutes later, Hiccup returned up the stairs with a wide grin on his face. "You guys should be thankful that we're going." He announced, practically shaking.
Jack leapt up and hugged the other tightly, shouting in glee. "Yeahaha! Thank you, Mrs. Haddock!" He yelled downstairs before letting go of Hiccup. "I love her 10 times more than I do now!"
"Sweet!" Hiro fist pumped. "So NorwegianDragonMaster, IceWarrior1700, and TheLittleHiro are heading to the con! I'm so glad that our panel is still on."
"No kidding." Hiccup nodded in agreement, though he couldn't help but correct Hiro. "You mean, your panel though. We'll just surprise the fans. We did cancel a few weeks back, but you did send a text to Mark that we can make it, right?"
The youngest of them nodded and grinned at him. "Uh-huh. Even before you went to ask your mom. I told him that we're gonna surprise everyone, so it's all good."
"Dude, they'd kill to try and be in that room if the King, the Crow and the Spider came." Jack piped up, unable to help bringing up the trio of gaming legends. There had been rumors floating around that they might be showing up to this convention. "They're like PewDiePie famous when it comes to this sort of thing."
Hiccup's eyes lit up brightly as he agreed with the other once more, "Dude, I know! It'd be awesome if we got to meet them there."
Jack was just about to say something when he remembered he still hadn't told Sebastian that they were able to go with him. "Oh right. I gotta text Michaelis." He said quickly, grabbing out his phone. He smirked to himself as he texted the other and muttered to himself. "He's gonna kill me once he figures out this is me."
#Death will be upon your door as well as your brother's. ~?#
"Michaelis?" Hiccup questioned, raising an eyebrow at the other.
"Sebastian. It's his last name." Jack explained, shrugging.
Hiccup leaned over Jack's shoulder, curiously looking at what the other wrote. He wasted no time at all in slapping his friend upside the head. "You idiot."
"Ow! Easy! Why is it always violence with you?!" Jack cried out, flinching away from Hiccup.
Hiro shook his head, teasing, "I think it's just Astrid rubbing off on him."
"Not ashamed whatsoever." Hiccup defended himself and his girlfriend, folding his arms over his chest.
It didn't take long for a response to come back, making Jack laugh at his own little game.
#Identify yourself, or suffer a fate worse than death. ~S#
#No can do, Mr. Michaelis.#
#You're just gonna have to let it go. ~?#
#. . .No cooperation, no tickets. ~S#
Jack huffed to himself as he realized he'd been caught, shoulders dropping as his fun was already done. He grumbled as he continued to text the other back, Hiro and Hiccup both reading over his shoulders.
"Figured out it was you?" Tadashi asked, a knowing smile on his face.
"Yeah, yeah. Shut up." Jack huffed.
#...Dammit. ~J#
#That's what I thought. Now, are you able to go? ~S#
#:P Whatevs. Yep, we are good to go. But uh...where are we gonna stay? It's a two day event and a really long drive. ~J#
#My brother got us a place at the hotel. 2 beds, couch pull out bed. ~S#
#Nice! Tell him thanks. So, where are we gonna meet tomorrow, and when are we leaving? ~J#
#I'll pick you up at your place. We leave tonight if you want to arrive and have enough time to check in to the hotel, unpack and then get to the convention before opening ceremonies. I'll be at your place at 11pm. Be packed and ready to go about 15 minutes before. ~S#
"What?!" Jack couldn't really believe what he was reading. "We have to leave tonight?! At 11?"
Hiro shook his head and smiled at the other. "What? You didn't think you'd leave so early? When do you think Tadashi and I were heading out?"
"I don't know. Not 11 tonight!" Jack protested, pouting at him.
"Well, you're not technically wrong. We're going around midnight, so we won't be far behind." Tadashi piped up.
Hiccup got up again and started towards the door. "I'll go tell mom," he announced before heading back down to relay the news to his mother.
Jack sighed and decided to text Sebastian back once more when he realized the other said he was coming to pick him up at his place.
#Sounds good... Wait... How the hell do you know where I live?! D: ~J #
#I have my ways. Besides...your scent isn't that hard to pick out. ~S #
#What, are you insinuating that I smell nice? ;) ~J#
#Sure. Whatever floats your boat. Just try not to lose track of time. I'm very punctual... usually. I'm usually very punctual… ~S #
#Meanie. : P Don't worry. I won't. Hiccup usually is too, so he'll take care of that. See ya soon, Crow. ~J#
Sebastian stared at the last message, not entirely sure how to reply to that or if he even should. He brushed off the pet name as just as reference to his bird which had long since returned to him and was happily preening himself on his shoulder.
"Do you think I've just made a mistake?" He asked the crow, not expecting an answer. He put his phone away and stood up, deciding a small walk around the park would help clear his head. He still had a minute or two before he had to head back to the apartment.
A small voice from behind him called his attention; however, and he turned to see a little girl waving at him.
"Hey mister!" She called to him, running up. "Is that bird your friend?"
"Indeed he is," Sebastian humored her, smiling kindly. He wasn't fond of children, but that didn't mean he would be cruel to them. "I like crows. What about you?"
Her eyes seemed to light up at the fact he was paying attention to her and she nodded vigorously. "I love birds! They're the coolest!"
Their little visit was cut short once her parent started to call for her, and she raced off back to their side.
"Buh-bye mister bird man!" She called to him as she departed, waving.
Sebastian only smiled and waved back, nodding to her parent before starting back on his walk. If he weren't so restless from his earlier struggles with boredom, he'd have stayed at the bench and looked at the convention map and schedule again despite already memorizing it. It was a habit he had formed. Reading and rereading schedules to build his own so he was making the most of every moment. There were only one or two panels that he wanted to attend that conflicted with the tournament, but he supposed he could miss them.
After his walk, he returned home and fed his crow a treat, bidding it farewell as it flew away to rejoin its murder. He unlocked the door and walked in just as Yami was cutting the pizza up for them.
"Yami, I'm back," he announced needlessly.
Yami actually seemed surprised to see him back, "Alright. That was fast. Who'd you get?"
Sebastian frowned a little at him. He wasn't that hopeless at finding people when he really wanted to. Still, he answered him without sounding upset. "Jack and Hiccup."
He came around and sat down at the table, waiting patiently for his brother to join him so he could talk to him about the plan for the convention. "I'm grateful that you're letting me go, Yamir, but how am I getting there again? I only have my bike. At most I can seat two comfortably. You're the one with the car."
"I was thinking that you'd take the car, and I'll take the bike to work." Yami answered, not missing a beat when he saw Sebastian tense up nervously. "Don't worry, I know how precious that thing is to you. Besides, the times that I've used it, I've never gotten in an accident...Not even close. So you don't have to worry."
"Alright…" Sebastian relaxed after fixing his brother with a warning glare. "I'll be checking for scratches when I get back."
"As will I. I better not even find a dent on my car." Yami threatened right back.
Sebastian nodded and took a sip of the drink set in front of him. "I'll be leaving tonight around 11," he said casually.
"Tonight?" Sometimes Yami forgot how long it took humans to travel from place to place. Were it just himself and Sebastian as they'd originally planned, the trip would hardly take them a few minutes. "That's right. I guess it is a long drive."
"Well, once the pizza cools down, we eat, and you go get ready," he sighed, already serving it onto their plates.
Sebastian's nose wrinkled a bit at the food on his plate. While he brother seemed to have no problem eating this stuff, human food still didn't taste like anything appetizing to him. It didn't even hold any sustenance for him. There was no point except maybe just going through the motions of living a mundane life.
"If you don't want me to leave until tomorrow morning, just tell me." He offered the other, trying to get Yami to ignore the fact he wasn't eating and didn't have any intentions of doing so.
Yami was already well aware of his tricks, though and shook his head. "No, it's fine. I just need you to eat is all." He pressed, nudging the plate closer to his brother. "Besides, leaving now is better for you all. You guys might have plans already for some of the morning panels. It's only a two day event. I don't want you to waste it driving. As long as you think you're capable of going tonight, then by all means, go ahead."
"I'm good. I'd just rather not leave if you have a bad feeling about anything." Sebastian sighed, finally picking up a slice and starting to eat. He knew his brother wouldn't let him even dream of leaving the table before he'd eaten at least this much or tried to.
"You know that if I did, I wouldn't have let you go in the first place." Yami pointed out, smiling fondly at his little brother. Of course he was worried about him going off on his own, but he trusted Sebastian and he wasn't lying. He really didn't have any kind of bad feeling about this trip.
Sebastian nodded, admittedly feeling a little better about today with his brother's approval and reassurance. "Alright, if you say so."
Once he was finished he helped clean up the dishes and put things away. Only then did he return to his room so he could start packing, eventually needing to call out to his brother to give him back some of his gaming equipment so he could pack those as well. He smiled fondly at his headset with crow's on the cuffs and his special mask as he placed them in their box and into his luggage. That went by the door while he put his more immediately needed things like his toiletries, laptop and handhelds in his satchel.
It didn't feel like long at all before it was 10:30 and he needed to get going to go pick up Jack and Hiccup.
"Hey, I'm heading out now," he announced, going to his brother and hugging him. "I still wish you could go… Wish me luck?"
Yami hugged him back and smiled a little sadly. "Yeah, don't think I didn't want to go, but we gotta pay rent." He ruffled the other's hair much to his annoyance and patted his shoulder. "You don't need luck. Knock em dead and be safe."
Sebastian shooed his brother's hand away and pretended to try to bite at him. "Don't worry. They won't know what hit them." He said proudly before letting him go and going to the door. "Bye, I love you."
"Love you more! Drive safe!" Yami called after him, waving until he couldn't see him anymore. It was hard for Yami not to slam the door after Sebastian drove away. He cursed under his breath and glared at no one. He'd kill Kaiba if he could for making him miss his little brother playing in the tournament. It wasn't fair. He wanted to be there for him.
"Fuck you, Kaiba," Yami huffed bitterly, looking around the now empty apartment a bit at a loss of what to do now.
Kitana: That...That was honestly the longest chapter I've ever written. Nearly 9,000 words. I hope you're all enjoying so far! It's off to the gaming convention next chapter!
Reviews are greatly appreciated! Thanks for reading!