Author's Note: Sorry guys, another 'reflective' piece here (kinda unsurprising given how the last chapter ended). But! Things will spice up after this, I promise. Please bear with me.

Oh, Hiccup has two fully functional legs, in case any of you were wondering.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians, How to Train Your Dragon or Portal/Portal 2.

Hypothesis

Chapter 5: Doubting

:: To reiterate, this is not a competition. ::

Hiccup sighed to himself, his arms aching with a phantom feeling of emptiness and loss. He tried to focus on the current test, racking his mind to figure out the path to the exit, but the keen absence of Toothless continuously disrupted his concentration.

:: Still, if it were, Blue would be winning. ::

Frowning, he pulled himself up the next ledge and jogged over to the button waiting for him on the ground. If he and Jack were meant to be working together as a team, the voice was definitely not helping.

:: It's not, though. ::

Was this another test? Trying to see if their partnership would hold under stress by creating friction between them? Speaking of partners, his thoughts wandered over to Jack as he waited for him to appear at the door he had just unlocked.

:: Yes Blue, Green did act like a fool just now. ::

He flinched at the sharp words, swallowing hard as he tried to force the image of the white-haired test subject talking to a security camera behind his back, calling him weird or silly or just plain stupid, out of his mind. The voice had never listened to them before, so there was no reason for Jack to start griping to it about his partner's behavior, he reasoned with shaky conviction.

Still, if the mutual silent treatment was anything to go by, things were not well between them. They had not spoken a word to each other since Toothless… left, so to speak. The incident had strained their relationship, resulting in no little discomfort between them and heavy tension in the air whenever they were in close proximity. Their communications had even degraded from actual verbal discussion to terse hand gestures and silent laser pointing.

Shaking his head, Hiccup felt doubt growing in his mind. Jack had been right. What had he been thinking, holding them both back for the sake of a cube? Toothless was more than that, some part of him argued, but his logical side scoffed at the idea, mocking him for getting distracted by clean white surfaces and pink hearts, calling him worthless for being a burden to his partner and slowing him down.

Hiccup gritted his teeth and pressed his palms into his eyes, trying to rid his mind of memories where Jack was always waiting for him to finish, telling him to just hurry up already. He told himself that he was imagining the tone of frustration that laced Jack's words, the dirty looks aimed in his direction whenever he spoke and cooed to the Companion Cube, the angry and hurt expression on Jack's face when he found out he came in second to a piece of metal.

He tried to convince himself that his exhausted mind was playing tricks on him after losing Toothless, that he knew Jack wouldn't have done all those things…

Would he?

:: Very good. You've really come together as a team. Thanks to the one of you who appears to be doing all of the work. ::

Jack pursed his lips as he watched his partner study their surroundings carefully. He could almost see the gears turning in the brunet's head as he took in the locations of the various mechanisms in the test chamber, plotting a safe route to the exit. Hiccup nodded to himself, clearly having decided on the next course of action. He caught Jack's eye and jerked his head towards the button on the ledge to their right, shining his laser on the cube dispenser in the far corner of the room and the platform housing the button where the cube was to be placed. The white-haired teen merely bowed his head in understanding before aiming his portal gun towards the nearest wall, firing blue portals which would lead him to where Hiccup had indicated.

His mind started to wander as he jogged towards the portals and jumped in, his body moving almost automatically from muscle memory with the number of tests they had completed. It was times like these that he really questioned where he and Hiccup stood with respect to each other. They were partners, sure, but did they really need each other? That particular train of thought led him to Toothless, and Jack's heart clenched in regret.

The sight of Hiccup's face crumpling into that devastated expression was still fresh in his mind. As much as Jack wanted to take back what he had said about his partner being selfish, inexplicable anger bubbled up from somewhere within when he remembered the way Hiccup had fawned over the Companion Cube. It was just a stupid cube, a metallic object with no feelings, so how was it that the brunet preferred it over his own partner?

Jack admitted that what he had said to Hiccup was insensitive and low, especially given the way that the other was clearly growing attached to Toothless. He probably shouldn't have yelled at him either, but didn't Hiccup see that he was acting irrationally? The particle field probably wouldn't have let him take Toothless out of the test chamber anyway, so what was the big deal?

Things were going great between them until Toothless came along, and Jack tried to ignore the little voice in his head whispering that his jealousy was talking.

:: Green, I wouldn't have trusted Blue in that course either. ::

He snapped his head up in shock, unable to believe his ears. Did Hiccup just –

No, no he couldn't have, Jack thought somewhat hesitantly, uncertainty creeping into his heart. The voice had never answered their questions or demands, so Hiccup wouldn't start confiding in something that potentially wasn't real.

Toothless wasn't real, he reminded himself, and suddenly Jack wasn't so sure anymore. The image of Hiccup's eyes as he went to incinerate the Companion Cube flashed in his mind, the dull and dead green orbs sending a shiver down his spine. Jack shook his head and tried to refocus his attention on the test, following his partner's instructions to unlock the exit. Sure, they had a small falling out between them, but it didn't mean that Hiccup didn't trust him.

…Right?

:: Excellent. Although great science is always the result of collaboration, keep in mind that, like Albert Einstein and his cousin Terry, history will only remember one of you. ::

Author's Note: Thanks for reading! Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any comments/feedback :)