He was also a total loner.
So, Hiccup walked through campus, expecting nothing more than another day of work, lonliuness, and general boredom. He hauled his backpack on one thin shoulder, and tromped across the chilly school grounds. By the time he reached the library, his green jacket had failed entirely to keep him warm, and he shivered from head to toe. Once inside, the boy unzipped his jacked, eager to let in the heat from the warm library. Hiccup shook his head, trying to rid himself of the little droplets of dew that accumulated on his hair on the walk over.
He plopped into an empty seat – well, they were really all empty at seven-fifteen in the morning. He yanked out his laptop, and with a few taps on the mouse-pad opened his browser. He wanted to check out a news article on physics that he'd only had time to glance at last night, and before long he was completely engrosses, and only the ringing of the first bell nearly an hour later broke his concentration. The boy stumbled off to his first class, tripping over a chair on his way out, and rushed to English. As anticipated, he was utterly bored for all fifty-three minutes of the period.
Finally, the bell rang, and Hiccup shuffled through the halls to his Calculus class. Oblivious as always, he did not notice the unusually loud buzz of conversation that morning. His walk to second period remained uninterrupted by the new, juicy gossip.
Luckily for Hiccup, his Calculus class went by much faster than English – due, of course, to the fact that he actually liked math. Then it was off to French class, then Chemistry, and finally lunch.
Oh, and it was at lunch that everything happened.
Hiccup was making his way to an empty table in the cafeteria, on way at the back of the room that no one ever occupied. Naturally, it was not a smooth walk. No, he got a hearty shove from his cousin, Shaun. Referred to by both friends and enemies as "Snotlout" or "Snot", Shaun was a football player for the high school. He wasn't particularly talented, but he still got the same "popular" status as all the other football jocks.
Snot, with his bulkiness, jeered along with his just-as-bulky friends as Hiccup sprawled sideways into a table. There was a smack as his hipbone his the edge. Hiccup groaned in pain and clutched the spot. He had only a thin layer of skin to protect his rather weak skeleton – there was no padding on him in either the form of muscle or fat. Luckily, nothing broke, but he would be left with a nasty bruise within an hour or two.
"Watch where you walk, loser!" Snot shouted over his shoulder as he and his friends strutted away. Some people laughed at the encounter, others chuckled awkwardly. Hiccup felt his face flush red, and quickly ducked his head and scurried away. His reddish-brown hair served to curtain his face, even if only a little, and he hastily sat down at his table before anyone else could torment him. Five minutes passed, and then a sudden hush descended over the cafeteria. Hiccup looked up in alarm – what was going on?
Everyone was looking towards the doors. A dark figure approached, with long strides and fully illuminated by the sunlight. It was a boy, perhaps a year or so older than Hiccup, and definitely new to the school. What made this new person so peculiar was his appearance. Right as he approached the entrance, Hiccup could see the details – the boy was tall, and seemed to be powerfully built in a lean way – more of a runner or lacrosse player type build than a football one. He had dark, dark black hair, maybe two or three inches long. Most interestingly, though, was his skin. It was dark blue, almost black, gleaming in the sunshine. There were people with lots of different ranges of skin colors at Berk High, but this dark blue was bewildering, to say the least.
The stranger entered the cafeteria, head high, expression set. He met the stares of the other students without any sign of shame or embarrassment. Cool as a cucumber, he walked through the cafeteria towards the foodstand. As he passed from the sunlight to the shaded room, a transformation took place that caused a collective gasp in the room.
The stranger's dark blue skin suddenly lost all coloring, going white. His dark hair stood out even more starkly, his features – on someone else they would probably be classified as good-looking, but all he managed was ethereal – looking literally like the marble of roman sculptures.
The cafeteria remained silent for thirty seconds, before bursting out into a tumultuous chatter. The strange newcomer paid for his things, and made a final glance around the room. For a second, Hiccup thought he saw the proud, untouchable expression on the other boy's face slip, and his own heart clenched. Hiccup knew exactly what it felt like. The stranger quickly composed himself, though, and walked back outside with his things. The whole cafeteria paused again to watch as he left, his skin transforming back into that dark, dark blue once exposed to the sunlight.
Hiccup threw his things into his bookbag, hastily packing it all up before running outside also. With the bright sunshine, the day was actually mild and pleasant. Up ahead, he saw the new boy sitting on the lawn, leaning carelessly against the trunk of a tree. He approached at a jog, and cursed himself inwardly when he realized that even such a short distance, covered with his bookbag weighing him down, left him winded. He really was pathetic, wasn't he.
"Hi," he panted, hunching over and bracing his hands on his knees as he waited to recover his breath. The stranger just raised an eyebrow at him. "I was, uh, wondering if, uh, you wouldn't mind if I could join you?"
"No. I'm not letting you sit here so you can just stare at me and my 'freaky' skin," the bigger boy responded roughly.
"I'm not here to stare at you," Hiccup replied. "I wanted to know if you wanted company."
No answer.
"I get stared at every day, if it helps," Hiccup added, removing his backpack from his shoulder and resting it on the ground. "And I've lived here my whole life."
"Why, because you're so popular?" the other boy replied scathingly, giving Hiccup an evil glare. His voice was low and deep, a hint of a growl at the back of his throat. He sounded angry and threatening, and Hiccup struggled not to take a step back in fear.
"No, actually. I get stared at because I'm a junior, and I'm barely fifteen. I also get stared at because I'm the school dork and everyone knows it. I get pushed and shoved and laughed at because I'm really smart, and because I'm so little and scrawny," Hiccup replied flatly, indignation rising up in his chest.
The other boy considered him through narrowed green eyes. In the yellow-green irises, Hiccup saw a wariness towards others that he knew was mirrored in himself.
"Take a seat," the older boy said at last.
"Thanks, um...?" Hiccup trailed off, looking at him for a name.
"Theodore Fury. Sometimes I go by Teddy, but don't call me Ted," Theodore explained in a warning tone. "You are?"
"Hiccup Haddock. I don't really have a nickname, but "You", "Hey Useless", and "Fishbone" have all been used before," Hiccup replied wryly, sitting down.
"Ah, so you have those kinds of names too?" Theodore asked, the barest hint of a smile pulling at his mouth. "I've been called "The Fury" and "Fang", along with "Dragon Skin"." Theodore offered.
"Why dragon skin?" Hiccup asked curiously, tilting his head to the side.
"Are you really that stupid?" Theodore asked, all trace of amusement vanishing instantly.
"No, I mean, I got that your skin changes colors and all, but why the dragon part?" the younger of the two asked persistently.
"My skin is kind of scaly too. It's all part of a rare birth defect, I've always had it," the oddly-skinned boy answered, this time less defensively.
"Oh. I've had the build of a fishbone my entire life, even though my entire family is bulky. Does that count as a birth defect?" Hiccup responded dryly.
To his surprise, Theodore chuckled. Most people didn't appreciate his sarcasm and odd sense of humor. They found it off-putting and labeled him as socially incompetent. But here was someone who didn't seem to mind.
"You're an odd one, Hiccup."
"I know."