He Is… Patient
"What is this?"
Hiccup couldn't help but to laugh at her boyfriend's disgusted reaction to Snoggletog. Or, more specifically, his reaction to Astrid's attempt at making a Snoggletog tradition. Last year she had tried to make a drink. She had called it yaknog. This year, she had tried to make a cake. She called it fruit cake. Hiccup couldn't decide which one was worse.
"It's Astrid's contribution to Viking society. You really don't have to eat it, you know," Hiccup grinned over her cup of mead at the winter spirit. His face was always pale, but now it had a hint of green to it, and it was scrunched up, like he was concentrating on not throwing up.
"Yeah, thanks. But here's a real question: how do you eat this stuff?"
"Me?" Hiccup questioned. "Well, there was a famine a couple years back, so now I eat everything I can get my hands on. Doesn't help me much. I still look like a toothpick."
"A toothpick that's so hot it's in danger of catching on fire," Jack winked. Hiccup rolled her eyes, but couldn't deny the heat on her cheeks.
"Don't make me force you to eat more fruit cake."
"Sorry! Sorry! I'll be more quiet about how beautiful I think you are, geez…"
Hiccup looked up at Jack's faux-sullen face and rolled her eyes. She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.
"Don't make that face. I swear, you could murder half the village and pull that face and I'd forgive you…" Hiccup mumbled the last bit, but Jack heard her anyway. He pulled her close and nuzzled her neck. Hiccup shivered. He was so cold. But, she had always liked the cold.
"That's because you love me," Jack grinned, and Hiccup sighed.
"Yeah. I do."
Jack moved his face and was about to kiss her on the lips when a deep growl ripped through the stillness of Hiccup's room. Jack groaned under his breath and pulled away from Hiccup.
"Alright you stupid lizard! I'm off!"
Hiccup couldn't help but laugh at Jack's frustration while she moved over to Toothless. She rubbed his neck and he grinned up at her, almost purring in delight.
"Yeah, you're just a big softie. Wanted a scratch, huh? Couldn't you have asked Dad?"
Toothless whined, and Hiccup rolled her eyes.
"Oh, come on. He's not…" Hiccup trailed off and looked at Jack. He was frowning at Toothless. Hiccup put a hand on Toothless's head to stop him from snapping at Jack. It was no real secret that Toothless didn't like Jack. Of course, it surprised the people in Berk when Toothless would bound over to Hiccup while she walked, seemingly alone, down the road and hissed at the air next to her. But no one paid it any mind, figuring it was just a quirk Night Furies had. Hiccup knew better, and so did Jack.
"Alright, I give," Jack said, exasperated. "Why does he hate me so much?"
"He doesn't hate you," was Hiccup's automatic response. "Though, I am curious… why don't you like Jack, Sweetie?"
Toothless looked deep into Hiccup's eyes and turned around, leaving the room with a huff. Jack flopped down on Hiccup's bed, closing her door with a strong gust of wind. Goosebumps raised all along her arms. She rubbed her shoulders to keep warm before crawling into bed next to Jack. She shivered more heavily, but she didn't mind. His heart was warm, and that was all she cared about. She pulled the covers up around her and rested her head on Jack's shoulder.
"You know, sometimes that dragon really gets on my nerves."
"I know," Hiccup sighed. "But he's my best friend."
"Hey, now," Jack looked at her from the corner of his eye. "I thought I was your best friend,"
"You're my boyfriend," Hiccup corrected, poking Jack on the side of his face. "Difference."
"You're my best friend." He mumbled. Even though Hiccup was internally shivering, she practically melted into a puddle at his words.
"I love you." Hiccup said, holding herself above the bed, looking directly into Jack's eyes. "A lot."
"Me too," he whispered. Hiccup then closed the small gap between their mouths, and for a few moments, there was nothing in the world but him and her. And it was wonderful.
"He had to put up with a lot for me. First of all, he had to actually put up with me. I don't know if he told you this, but before I told him that I liked him, I ignored him. And it hurt me to see him so sad and know that I was the one who made him feel that way. We were each others' first friends and I had pushed him away without even telling him why. But he still kept coming back to Berk and trying to talk to me. And then he had to put up with Berk, and all its crazy Viking traditions, and I could easily tell most of them either horrified him or repulsed him, not that I blame him on that. Most Viking traditions are pretty... gross.
"He also put up with Toothless. They're close now, almost weirdly so, actually, but back then, Toothless didn't like Jack. But Toothless is my best friend. He's practically my brother. And Jack knew that and kept trying to stay patient with him… because of me.
"And then there was the whole… death…thing. I mean, I died, right? In his arms. And according to you all, me and Toothless have been that way for two hundred and fifty years. I just can't believe… he waited that long. For me.
"Jack's had a hard life, and a lot of hardships. And I know most of the time I just add onto those. He had to put up with so much absolute crap for me, it's unfair and I get upset for him. But now, he's had time away from me, and he's been with all of you. He's had real friends. What if he's starting to see how horrible I was? How horrible I am? What if… what if he decides that he doesn't want me anymore? What if he sees how I'm not worth all the heartache? Because one thing about Jack is that he's not the serious type. He is…"
Right. Four chapters left. Next is He Is... Patient. Then I get to start working on another story! I'll either do a Fem!Bilbo (from the Hobbit) or Fem!Percy (from Percy Jackson and the Olympians). Honestly, I just love doing genderbends because it gives me the freedom to give th character a personality I like, while also having that guideline the books/movies already gave. I love it :) Are two comments too much to ask for this lame little chapter?
