Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD, RoTG, Frozen, or any other character you will recognize in this fanfic. I simply own the plot, and the OC's.
Tangled Up With Cupid
Chapter Six; A Moment of Feelings
Things seemed to calm down, though Hiccup figured that after that little run in, it was about time to go. Besides, Aster had told him that after he was done at the Zoo, he'd swing by the Haddock home with the tiger cub.
He was about to text and see if he could get a ride home, when Jack stopped him. Blue eyes motioned over to another table, where the red headed boy from earlier was staring at Hiccup. With a sigh, Hiccup just wanted to leave, and quick.
"Here, I'll drive you home." Jack offered.
"No, I'll get a taxi or something."
Jack narrowed his eyes at him, basically saying, that if Hiccup didn't accept the ride, Jack wouldn't stop pestering him. While Hiccup felt he was fine with a taxi or even walking, he finally gave in when the white haired teen started to pout out his bottom lip. They said their goodbyes to Rapunzel and Flynn, before departing from The Snuggly Duckling.
"Now, was I the only one who felt like Rapunzel and Flynn were trying to set something up?" Hiccup asks as he climbs into the passenger seat of Jack,s car.
"Is it because Ruffnut showed up?"
Hiccup let his eyes roll. He'd almost complained to Rapunzel when he saw Rachel arrive, but then she had been followed closely by her brother and Scott. He'd ended up watching how Tuff and Snot almost reinacted that scene of the movie Step Brothers, how the two sat at the same table as they flirted with girls. It would have been a little hilarious if just like in the movie, Tuffnut had given this long fart and scared the girl off.
Ruffnut did all she could to sabotage them as well. She'd throw napkins at the girls, come over to say something embarrassing about either male. It was really enjoyable to watch, and Hiccup had kind of wished Astrid would have walked into the door, just to hear the embarrassing stories Ruff told about Snot.
"I was actually meaning how her or Flynn would run over every 15 minutes. Either they'd drag me to a new table, or the girl to a new table." Hiccup tells him, leaning his elbow against the car door.
"Yeah, I kind of noticed that too." Jack agrees.
Silence takes over the car, and to get rid of it, Jack turns on the radio. The silence fades with the soft melody of the song Say Something. Both reach out towards the button, aimed to change the station, but stop to look at each other when their fingers touch. Hiccup is the first to pull back, flushing as he gives Jack a small apology. Shifting in his seat, he looks out the passenger window.
Biting at his lip, Jack let's his eyes focus on the road. He flips through radio stations, stopping once he's finally landed on a song that isn't about love or sex. Moving his hand back to the steering wheel, both boys relax in the sound.
It's not until halfway home does Hiccup finally turn his attention away from the window and to the white haired teen. With their close proximity, Hiccup can take into notice that if you look past the white locks, you can see the dark brown roots slowly coming in. There's also a slightly faded array of freckles that runs over the bridge of his nose, which is adorable, in comparison to the speckles of freckles that decorates Hiccup's entire body.
With a flush, he turns away. Did he just say that Jack's freckles look adorable? That was such an awkward thing to describe another boys features. Especially another boy who is just as straight as he is. He rolls his eyes, he just let the word slip, he's too use to complimenting his ex girlfriend as cute and adorable.
God damn it, he's thinking about Astrid, again.
He gives a groan, sinking a little in his seat. He hadn't been able to sleep much the night before, his brain working out ways to try and win back the blonde female. He's gone over really cheesy romantic scenes, like rescuing her from Snotlout, or standing outside her window with a boom box held over his head. But she's not the romantic type, and neither attempts would have won her over.
Jack, upon hearing the groan, peeks over at Hiccup. He can tell by the look on his face, that he seems to be having a very serious conversation going on in his head. Taking one hand off the wheel, he reaches over, finger prodding into the other boys side.
"Hey, whoa!" Hiccup exclaims, pushing his hand away.
"Was just trying to lighten whatever argument you're having in your brain." Jack teases, hand moving back to rest on the wheel.
Hiccup opens his mouth, prepared to inform him that he was not arguing with himself. He closes his mouth though, because he shouldn't have to even explain himself to Jack. Stretching his legs out, he crosses his arms, eyes moving to land on the dashboard, listening to the song that plays from the radio. He comes to the conclusion that this, this is the reason why he likes Pandora. The radio always plays commercials, either that or the hosts like to spend time talking about stuff very few people pay attention to.
There's another love song playing. But not just any love song, it's the love song. The song that Astrid had said must have been made for them. He reaches over, finger pressing hard at a button to change the station.
"I take it you're not a fan of love songs." Jack says, eyes glancing again at the freckled boy.
"Not that one." Hiccup groans.
Jack gives a sharp laugh, nodding his head. He won't push the other boy to tell him why he doesn't like that song, and Hiccup is thankful that he doesn't. Chewing at his lip, Jack figures maybe they can have some sort of conversation.
"So, hit it off with anyone?" he asks.
Hiccup shrugs his shoulders, he figures he didn't do too bad. He got Jessie's number, the girl wanting to chat more with him. And it's not like he asked for her number, she offered it to him. And she's nice and all, a little.. Wild? No pun intended with the whole cowgirl phase she seems to be going through. Besides, she told him she's got a boyfriend, some guy named Buzz.
Which, c'mon. She got a laugh out of his name, but seemed fine with her boyfriend's uh.. Interesting name.
He got along with Belle as well, the female has a fondness for books, and most of their conversation was about that. Books. Nothing more, just her referencing a bunch of books to him.
"I suppose, I mean. I made a few friends, and maybe an enemy or two?" Hiccup tells him.
It's obvious that the next time he runs into Merida, they might not even talk to each other. But that's fine with him.
And then there was that guy who cut into his conversation with Belle. That, had been.. Well. Awkward. Yeah, awkward was a good word for that. Hiccup had never really been openly flirted with by another guy. He never saw himself as an attractive guy, and it had been a miracle when Astrid had finally agreed to date him. The only time he had gotten Valentine's was in Elementary School, when your parents bought you the Valentine's and all you had to do was write your name, and then your classmates.
And sure, there had been some flirting over the internet, but no one on the internet knew him. No one knew his name, or what he looked like. He was a stranger on the internet, just a name made up off the top of his head, who seemed to be able to openly talk and flirt when it wasn't face to face.
But he didn't count the flirting over the internet, because no one truly knew him over the internet.
"Well, seems we both earned some new friends." Jack smiles at him.
"Yeah, I saw you with that Hans guy." Hiccup teases, raising an eyebrow.
"He's not gay. Basically, I was like his unwillingly volunteered wingman." Jack groans.
Luckily, he hasn't been stuck playing wingman for long. After Hans seemed to cause enough of an issue, the man with a hook for a hand finally tossed Hans out of the Snuggly Duckling. And after that, he met two nice girls. Anna had bit of a chatty girl, and they had one thing in common; how much they loved and cared for their sisters.
She,d given him her cellphone number in the end, telling him she wanted to keep in contact. Jack saw no issue with that, he loved making new friends and hanging out.
"I'm surprised you didn't turn him gay." Hiccup says.
"What are you trying to hint at there Hiccup?" Jack questions with a grin.
Did Hiccup basically tell him that he was attractive enough to turn straight guys gay? He takes a risk of looking over at Hiccup, taking notice of how red his face is. The poor kid's mouth is gaping open like a fish out of water, words failing to work as he fumbles for something to say. Jack laughs, reaching over to pat his head.
"I'll take that, as a compliment."
Hiccup shoves Jack's hand away. "Whatever, put your hand back on the wheel."
"Don't trust my driving?" Jack asks, taking the other hand off.
"No! Now drive like a normal person!" Hiccup yells, glaring at him.
"Oh c'mon, learn to have some fun." Jack teases, placing his hands back on, but swerving the car a little.
Hiccup regrets agreeing to letting Jack give him a ride, wondering how injured he'd get for jumping out of a car doing like, almost 90. Surely, he'd get pretty banged up, but its gotta be less damage then if Jack gets them into an accident.. Right?
Jack's let go of the wheel again, and Hiccup is getting paranoid as the car starts swerving a little to the left. Leaning across the space, he grabs the wheel with both of his hands, straightening them out on the road. He feels Jack's breath against the side of his neck, trying to hide the shiver that rolls up his spine. Jack's hands slowly move up to take the wheel.
"Chill out, I wouldn't get us into an accident."
Jack's voice is void of the teasing tone it had taken on not but 3 seconds go, and Hiccup hates that he believes the words said to him. Knowing Jack's hands are now on the steering wheel, he moves back into the space of the passenger seat. His neck feels oddly warmer where he felt Jack's breath, it's weird and all Hiccup wants to do now is go home and sleep.
But he's almost forgotten about Aster, only remembering once they pull up in front of his house and he recognizes the older teens vehicle.
"Hey, isn't that Bunny's car?" Jack voices in confusion.
There's some feeling in his gut, and he can only think it's jealousy that one of his closest friends is hanging out with Hiccup. Not that he doesn't mind their hanging out, Aster can hang out with whoever he wants, but why didn't he ask to hang out with Jack first? Besides, he didn't even know that Aster and Hiccup were close.
While he was just planning on dropping off Hiccup, he ends up just putting his car in park and then cutting the ignition. Hiccup doesn't say anything, rushing out of the vehicle like he can't move fast enough to escape being with the white haired boy any longer. Aster climbs out of his car, giving a wave as he sees Hiccup.
"You didn't have to wait in the car." Hiccup informs him.
"Yeah, well, no one was home and I don't think breaking and entering would have been the best choice." Aster tells him, moving to open the back door of his car.
"My moms not home yet?"
Hiccup's confused that Valka hasn't come home, the Zoo has to be closed by now, it's getting too cold at night for some of the animals to be out. Maybe she got stuck though, mending to one of the animals or lending a hand to her coworkers. Sounds like something she'd do.
Neither boys really take notice of Jack as he moves to stand by his car. Hiccup approaches Aster, who's leaning inside his car. Hiccup can hear the small cries of an animal, and he can't help but bounce a little in excitement that Aster has really brought the cub. Gently trying to calm the confused animal, Aster pulls out the carrier the cubs held inside.
This is a side Jack's never seen of either make in front of him. Aster is gently talking to the animal he's brought with him, handling the carrier carefully. Hiccup has dropped his keys twice in his haste to get the front door open, allowing Aster inside. His green eyes meet Jack's, and there's this look in his gaze. A look that makes the blood rush to his face, and his heart beats a little faster inside his chest.
"You coming or not Frost?!" Aster calls from inside the house.
Shoving his keys into his pocket, Jack jogs up and into the Haddock home. Closing the door behind them, Hiccup leads the two of them through the halls and back to his bedroom. As soon as he's inside, Jack's eyes scan every inch.
The room practically screams Hiccup. There's a bookshelf against one wall, most of the shelves stacked with thick books. There's some framed photos at the upper shelf though, two of what Jack guesses is Hiccup's family, a third one a picture of Hiccup and Astrid. There's another with Hiccup holding a small furry critter in his hands.
By the bookshelf, in the corner is a desk with a computer on top. Jack tries not to laugh when he sees what must be the log in screen of a game Hiccup had probably been playing before he left. There's also a small lamp on the desk, and a book where he can see a bookmark placed inside.
Near the desk, and a few feet from the door is the bed, sheets neatly made. It's definitely opposite Jack's own bed, where he'd just toss the sheets back and leave them in a jumble by the end of his bed.
There's a nightstand, where Hiccup has already placed his phone down and plugged it into its charger.
Across from the desk, in the other corner is a small cage that Hiccup's moved over to open. Jack can only guess that the critter in the picture is the life living inside the cage, and he's kind of hoping he'll get to see it before he leaves.
Aside from all that, all there's really left to see is the closet that sits between the cage and a bureau. Jack's surprised to see no TV, but he could never really see Hiccup as the type of person who watched television a lot. But it feels homey, which is a nice feeling.
"Where do you want him?" Aster asks.
"Just set the carrier on the floor, let him get use to the place." Hiccup answers.
Nodding, Aster does as told. Hiccup peers into the cage where Toothless and Stormfly are, surprised that neither have come out to smell around yet. He hopes they'll be fine with the cub, but they usually take fine to the other animals his mother has brought home. He gestures for Jack to take a seat, and the oddly quiet boy moves to sit himself at Hiccup's computer chair.
"Do you guys want something to drink?" He asks.
"Can you get a bowl of water?" Aster requests, not looking up as he opens the carrier.
"Yeah," Hiccup answers, before turning his gaze to rest on Jack. "Jack?"
"Uh, water."
Nodding, Hiccup leaves his room. Aside from the noises coming from inside the carrier, it's a little quiet. Jack watches Aster, who backs away from the carrier. Moving to the cage, Aster leans a bit to peek inside, searching for the animals that reside inside. Jack shifts a little, eyes also looking inside. There's slight movement, before a small furry head is peeking out from inside a dark green pounch.
"Now which one are you, Toothless, or Stormfly?" Aster questions.
"What is it? A squirrel?" Jack asks, moving to get a closer look.
"A sugar glider." Aster corrects him.
The animal pulls himself further out, nose twitching as he takes in the new scents. He doesn't move to Aster, moving around his open palm and settling for throwing himself out of the cage. Jack makes a grab to catch him, afraid he'll hit the floor, but Toothless safely lands on the end of Hiccup's bed. Jack's so busy watching the critter, he hasn't taken notice that Stormfly has also shuffled out of the pouch she was sleeping inside.
Aster moves to sit on the floor, green eyes checking on the cub, before he watches as Stormfly pulls herself onto the top of the cage.
"So, you're friends with Hiccup?"
"Jealous?" Aster asks with a small grin, turning to look his friend in the face.
"I'm not jealous," Jack pouts, crossing his arms.
"Hear this, Frosty is jealous." Aster says to Toothless, who is trying to burrow under the covers on Hiccup's bed.
Jack narrows his eyes, because he isn't jealous. He doesn't care, why should he care? Aster can hang out with whoever he wants. If Jack wanted, he could go hang out with whoever he wanted to. Maybe someone new, damn, maybe he'd tell Aster about Anna and then spend all of his time hanging out with her. Because what's the point in being best friends if your going to hang out with other people?
Okay, so maybe he does sound a little jealous right now. But he's never gotten this upset over Aster hanging with someone else. He hangs out with Sandy all the time, and he spends so much time with Tooth, sometimes Jack has to wonder if their dating in secret.
So why is the thought of Aster hanging out with Hiccup getting him all in a bad mood?
"I'm not jealous." Jack restates.
Aster gives a hum, not even listening to his friend anymore. His eyes have returned to the carrier, smiling as he watches the cub slowly debating on if it wants to leave the small space or stay inside. It's clear that the noises going on outside, and the new smells have got him both curious and a little cautious. He shrinks back inside when the door opens.
Hiccup's eyes scan the room, smiling when he spots both sugar gliders. Moving over to stand by Aster, he offers out the bowl of water. Once he's sure Aster has a hold on it, he navigates between him and the carrier to hand the bottle of water to Jack.
"Did I miss anything interesting?"
He looks between both boys as he moves to sit himself down on the bed. Toothless quickly moves over to claim his pocket, snuggling in as much as he can fit himself into Hiccup's pocket. Rolling his eyes, Hiccup looks down, taking notice that some of the critter's tail can be seen sticking out of the top of his pocket. Jack had leaned over a little, watching with keen interest.
"Nope." "Not really," both Jack and Aster answer at the same time.
If anything, their answer said at the same time only makes Hiccup a little suspicious that something has happened. And while he hates to point fingers, he knows Jack is a bit of a prankster. He'll have to check every square inch of his room, make sure nothing is missing or Jack hasn't decided to play a little prank that Aster couldn't stop.
Aster sets the bowl in front of the carrier, hoping that it'll help coax the cub out. He doesn't like thinking of leaving him inside, though, Hiccup's mother does work at the Zoo. So surely, Hiccup will know how to get the little guy after some time. Just Aster feels he wants to be here for when the cub finally adventures out. He wants to see how Hiccup will react.
The three boys sit in silence, Jack playing a game on his phone while Aster is patiently waiting for the tiger cub to come out. It's starting to get late, and both Jack and Aster know they should be heading home soon.
"What time is your dad usually home?" Aster questions, turning to look at Hiccup.
The boy is lounging back on his bed, eyes blankly staring up at the ceiling. His head raises up when he hears Aster, before bringing his elbows up to lean on. Plucking his phone up off his nightstand, he can see that it's almost 10 at night.
"He should be home soon. Depends how much paper work he needs to get done," Hiccup answers.
"Are you always home alone?" Jack's the one to question him this time.
Hiccup shrugs his shoulders, "I'm use to it. They both love their jobs, wouldn't be fair of me to make them come home just to spend time with me."
Jack nods, slowly lowering his phone down to rest on his lap. He could never think of being comfortable with being home alone, he's too use to all the noise that goes on. Emma inviting her friends over, or when they have family game night. The only time it's quiet is when he stays up late watching movies, or when he comes home from school and everyone's out.
It's his biggest fear now, loneliness. He doesn't think he'd be able to stay anywhere alone for long. He'd probably lose his mind, or end up curling up somewhere and sobbing until someone finally comes for him.
So it's kind of courageous to hear that Hiccup isn't minded by the big quiet house. But, he supposes it doesn't feel as empty when he's got his two little squirrel looking animals.
"You finally coming out?" Aster's voice pulls Jack from his thoughts, both boys moving to look.
The tiger cub has finally stepped out, big eyes blinking as he takes in his surroundings. Aster slowly reaches out, and the animal flinches back, but relaxes when his hand is placed on his head and fingers stroke through the soft fur.
I know I probably say this a lot. But guys, if you ever get confused or have a question, never feel afraid to ask it. I'm always willing to give an answer, and if it's something you don't think I can answer in fear of spoilers or something, I'll usually reply via a PM.
Just felt I should, ya know, put that out there.
Also, sort of a question myself for you guys. See, I had this fanfic plotted out like.. A week or two ago? It's HiJack, and in it Jack is basically a wanted criminal. But I saw something close to it posted by someone else, and I'm unsure if I should work on it now.. Or kind of drop it?
I just get a little nervous when I come up with fanfics that kind of sound close to other's people have done. I've had all these different fic ideas written out, and like half of them are just kind of dropped because they sound slightly close to something I see another person post.