*moans* I am so sorry this update took so long; the last two months of school kicked my ass with projects and homework and exam reviews and ugh... I didn't have time for anything, I am so sorry guys. At least now I'm on summer vacation so hopefully I'll get back to some sort of schedule on these updates. Unless I re-start too many projects or something... which I might do... *awkwardly smiles*
So uh, yeah... I'm sorry I had to leave you all on a cliffhanger like that last time but I'm back now.
"…If we could… if you'd like to go out sometime… on a date?"
Hiccup's eyes widened as Jack spoke and she stared at him in disbelief.
Were they…. Were they seriously trying to do the same thing here? Hiccup knew why she dragged Jack over here but… she didn't expect that to happen. Or, not exactly. She expected the scenario but for the roles to be switched… for Jack to be the one trying to figure out how to answer her and stare at her like an idiot, like she knew she was doing to him at that moment.
They were. They were both trying to meet the same goal. That was her confirmation! Jack did have feelings for her! She wasn't misreading anything!
She blushed and started to chuckle at the thoughts running through her head before she peeked back at Jack and saw his face switch from hopeful anxiety to confused hurt.
Her laughter immediately stopped upon seeing his face Oh, real smooth, Hiccup… She scolded herself Real smooth.
Blue eyes narrowed slightly. Hiccup couldn't tell if it was out of uncertainty or irritation "What's so funny?" Jack inquired.
Hiccup forced her face to go back to a neutral expression and she mumbled out a "Sorry…" She started to bite her lip and play with her hands "It's just…" A miniscule smile spread on her face as she looked back at him in the dim lighting "… because I brought you over here so I could ask you out." The look that came onto Jack next Hiccup couldn't describe. It was kind of like the look a person gives when they don't know exactly what's going on but they can assume that it's a good thing. At least, that's how it looked in the quick glance she got before she turned away from him in a poor attempt to hide from him "Stupid, right?"
There was a stagnant silence before Jack finally opened his mouth again "You're serious…?"
"Yeah, I just…"Hiccup sighed and got out of the game chair, starting to pace in front of the system and the other teen. At this point, her nerves led her to wave her arms aimlessly in an effort to tell her story a bit better "I got a weird vibe from you last night and it was bugging me all night and this morning and so I went to Scott for insight and he told me that it meant you had a thing for me and I wasn't sure but…" She groaned and threw her hands up in the air "and I-I have some kind of feelings for you too and so I told myself I'd talk to you tonight and maybe that'd get this feeling in my gut stop but now it's only worse!"
"Hey, hey, slow down." Jack commented as he stood too. Hiccup stopped where she was and closed her mouth. She was completely unaware that her speech had been speeding up as she spoke. Gods, she had to learn to control that "You lost me after 'Scott for…'" he tried to think of the word that came next "'Fright…?'"
"Insight." The brunette huffed "Sorry, I… I do that when I'm nervous…" She ducked her face away from his again "Sorry…"
"Stop apologizing; it's okay." A cool hand fell onto her shoulder. Hiccup looked up at him and met his icy blue eyes "Just slow down a bit."
The brunette nodded and gulped, her throat suddenly dry for no reason at all "I-I gotta work on that…"
Jack gave a crooked smile at her and let his hand fall from her shoulder "How about we start over?" Hiccup nodded and he smiled wider, perfect teeth glimmering despite the poor lighting "Okay." He sighed and rocked on his feet "So, wanna… go out sometime? Maybe a movie and some dinner?"
Hiccup smiled up at him "I think I'd like that. Just… how about we hold off on the movie and… just hang out somewhere and get to know each other better?"
"Works for me." Jack agreed "Next weekend, maybe?"
Starting the next weekend, all of the schools were being let out for winter vacation. Aside from Christmas and New Year's Eve, she was free every day until school started up again. She checked over her mental schedule one more time before she answered him "Saturday would work."
Jack gave her a warm smile "It's a date then."
They stayed where they were for a moment just looking around the room, as if the walls held the instructions on what to do next. Finding none, Hiccup stammered "Uh, maybe… maybe we should, uh, get back to the others so we can play another set."
"Y-yeah…" Jack complied.
The two started back for the bowling lanes slowly as awkward glances were thrown between them. Shy hands found each other as they swayed at their owners' sides and intertwined. Neither one appeared to be objecting the other's action, so they remained where they were as the pair walked back to their friends.
Cam was the first one to notice them and she perked up, shouting over to them "Yay or nay?!"
Hiccup smiled and went to respond, but was beaten to the punch when Jack lifted their joined hands higher in the air so that the others could see. Astrid and Cam cheered and Felix joined a little later, clearly pondering what just happened with a quizzical expression and a raised eyebrow.
Astrid ran up to the two of them and hugged them before turning her attention to the small brunette "I knew you could do it."
Hiccup's eyes zipped around the room, trying to find something less stressful to focus her attention on "Uh, actually… about that-"
"Are you saying you doubted her, Astrid?" Jack interjected, his signature smirk creeping onto his face.
The braided blonde tried to laugh it off "What? No, I just figured I'd have to push her a little harder to get her to actually do it. Right, Hiccup?" She playfully punched the smaller girl in the shoulder.
Hiccup winced at the slight pain that went through her arm but she smiled nonetheless "Let's just say I had some… extra motivation." She looked up at Jack and they shared a smirk.
The rest of the night went smoothly enough. The group of teens played one more set before they ran out of free games and decided that it was time to disperse. The Hofferson sisters waited with their friends for awhile afterwards, to make sure everyone else got into their cars safely. Felix's mom was the first one to arrive, as usual. The blond boy waved them all good-bye as the van drove off and into the night. That was when Hiccup remembered that she forgot to text her mom that they were done early that night. She pulled out her cell phone and started to send Val a text to come and get her.
This caught Jack's attention, turning to her from under the hood of his hoodie "Something wrong?"
"Nah," Hiccup replied "just forgot to tell mom we were done."
"I could take you home if you want." He offered.
At first, Hiccup was kind of reluctant. But, as she thought about it, the more it made sense to her. Jack knew where she lived, he was there, and he was going home anyway. It was a lot easier than having her mom come down and get her. It wasn't that far a drive but still. She was probably busy with work, even at this hour.
"Okay." She answered "You don't mind?"
"Why would I mind?" The taller teen questioned. He took her hand and gently pulled her away from the building's front doors "Come on."
"Well, okay…" She murmured. Hiccup turned around to say good-bye to Cam and Astrid, but the twins were already gone. They probably heard Jack's offer and made themselves scarce like the great friends they are. Seriously, what if Jack was secretly a serial killer? Hiccup could have been dead by now!
Luckily it didn't turn out Jack was a serial killer… yet. She giggled to herself at the thought as the white-haired boy drove her home. Of course, she knew the chances of that were unlikely anyway. But it was kind of an interesting thought to her. Gods, she had to stop watching those crime shows; they were starting to mess with her head.
They pulled up to the Haddock house and Hiccup tentatively got out of the car, muttering a good-bye to the driver. She was still trying to comprehend what had happened earlier that night. It didn't exactly scare her but it was a load on her mind. But, come on, getting a date was always a big deal for her; it didn't happen hat often.
So it kind of surprised her when Jack got out of the car too and met her halfway around the vehicle. He awkwardly pulled his lips into a grin and she could see a faint blush on his cheeks and neck "Is it okay if I, uh… I walk you to the door?"
Hiccup smiled and shrugged "You don't have to; it's right there." She tilted her head towards the front door, which was just up a pathway and set of four stairs that went up to the front porch. It really wasn't that far of a walk.
"I know. I just…" His face got a little more red "want to."
The brunette took his hand and led him up to the front porch, stopping in front of the white wooden door. She smiled up at him, thinking it was sweet that he wanted to do such silly little things like this with her. She thought it was probably because he didn't quite want to leave her yet, which made her think it was even cuter.
Wow, these thoughts were foreign to her. She almost never thought about things most girls seem to, like boys or that kind of relationship crap. But… maybe she was because she really liked Jack.
"So, uh…" Jack untangled his hand from hers "See you later?"
"Yep." Hiccup chirped, wrapping her arms around the boy's neck "Good night."
She felt gentle arms wrap around her as Jack returned the hug "Good night." His voice was quieter than normal. It sounded more… calm and happy; like he wasn't afraid of saying the wrong thing or having his tongue slip. It was similar to the voice Hiccup had heard her parents use on one another after they made up from a fight and knew that everything was okay. And it comforted her to hear that tone come from Jack, even though she didn't completely understand why.
Hiccup allowed her eyes to close as the pair let the embrace carry on for longer than their previous ones did. Before, they were just quick, brief moments of contact between the two of them. They were Hiccup's rushed efforts to try and show the boy affection when her nerves got the better of her or, more recently, when someone was pushing her to say good bye to him. She took in Jack's scent and exhaled with relief. This hug was more than affection. It was reassurance. It was comfort. It was a reason to look forward to what was coming up for the two of them: their first real date.
Slowly, Hiccup pulled away from Jack and smiled at him "Bye."
"Bye." Jack murmured. He took his arms off of her "I'll text you later in the week and… we can figure out what we wanna do, okay?"
"Okay." The brunette put her hand on the doorknob "Night." She said one more time.
The older teen chuckled "Bye" in response and he backed down the small flight of stairs and went back to his car.
Hiccup waited until he got into the driver's seat before she slipped inside and closed the door behind her. The moving light in the small window on the front door told her that Jack had pulled out and was on his way home too. She smiled up at the fading lights before turning around and going farther inside. Toothless hadn't ambushed her yet. He must have been outside or sleeping somewhere, if that was the case. She wandered into the living room looking for him.
"You're home early." The teen jumped at the sudden voice, quickly looking up to find her mother flipping through one of her traveling photo albums "I thought you'd call to get picked up."
"I was but Jack offered to take me home so…" She shuffled one of her feet over the floor "here I am."
"Uh huh…" Val gave a knowing smirk before she turned back to the album and took out a picture of a dense rainforest.
"Where are you looking at?" Hiccup asked curiously.
"Brazil." Her mother responded fondly "This was one of the trips I went on by myself. A wildlife magazine paid me to take pictures of jaguars that live in the area I was visiting. Of course, I had to get a few scenery shots and stuff for myself along the way."
"Ah." Silence fell between the women on the Haddock home for a minute or two before the younger broke the silence again "Where's Toothless?"
"Your brother put him outside a few minutes ago."
"Oh, okay…" It got quiet again "Um, mom?"
Val didn't even look up from her album "Hmm?"
"Are we… doing anything next Saturday?" Hiccup wondered.
Val was quiet for a few seconds before looking at her daughter "I don't think so, why?"
"Because uh…" Green eyes darted down to the carpet "I'm going out with Jack that day."
The photo album was closed "Oh, are you now?" Val sat closer to the edge of her seat on the couch, clearly interested in what the freckled girl had to say next.
"That's okay… right?" She re-gained eye contact with her mother and crookedly grinned.
"Are you kidding?" The taller brunette questioned as she stood "Of course it is! I mean, your father might think a little differently about it but I can work that out with him later. It shouldn't be a problem, dear."
Hiccup blinked at the reaction and did her best to keep a smile "Okay… great." She rubbed her arm nervously.
Val grabbed her daughter's arms and pulled her towards the couch "So what happened tonight? Tell me!" She sat down and patted the spot next to her.
Hiccup reluctantly sat down and began to retell the evening's events to her mother, who was listening intently with a stupid grin on her face, as if it was happening to her and not her daughter. But Hiccup assumed at this point that was how all mothers reacted to their kids finding dates. The one time she could recall of Astrid getting asked out, Bertha found out a week later and seemed a little upset that Astrid turned the guy down… even after she found out it was Scott.
But at least she wasn't the only one that found their situation funny. When Val heard that Hiccup was trying to accomplish the same thing as Jack, she let out a tiny laugh too and made a joke about it being "meant to be." Hiccup just rolled her eyes and kept talking until the story was over.
Conversation drifted to other topics after that. Toothless started scratching at the door after a little while and jumped all over Hiccup when he saw it was her letting him back inside. Then, he joined the women of the house in the living room and guarded them while they continued to converse, poised right between Hiccup's feet so she was sitting kind of awkwardly.
Stefan came home not long after with sweat on his brow. Toothless ran to greet him and almost knocked over a lamp with his tail… again.
"Hey, Toothless." He patted the Great Dane on the head and pushed him out of the way so he could come farther inside "Hi, Henrika."
"Hi, dad." She replied.
Val put the album back on the table and stood to meet her husband "How was work? A little rough?"
"Nah." He kissed her "I just met Gobber for a quick run before I came home. The man's been telling me he needs to work out but he only does when I make him." He chuckled and went towards the stairs "He might as well pay me."
"Oh," Val went after him "we have something to tell you, dear."
Stefan stopped on the staircase and turned around "Can it wait until after I shower?"
"Uh, I think you'd rather hear this now than later." Hiccup got up from her seat and wandered to the landing, stopping next to her mother.
"What is it?" He questioned. He thought for a second before guessing "Did Scott do anything?"
Val chuckled "No. This has to do with Henrika."
"Oh." Some relief seemed to wash over him at that moment "Then what is it?"
Hiccup started to speak when her mother nudged her back "Uh, you remember Jack… right?" Her father nodded with a hard glare, probably trying to stay neutral until he heard the whole thing "He uh… he and I are" she cleared her throat "gonna go out next weekend. On a date…" She could feel her face heating up under her father's gaze "I-I was just asking mom if you guys had any plans to make sure that I could."
Stefan's face appeared to harden into a glare as she rambled on. Thick auburn brows furrowed closer to his green eyes "Did he now?"
"So, where are you taking her?" Ana scooted closer to the edge of her bed and flashed a big, perfect smile "Any ideas?" Her eyes followed her younger brother as he wandered over to her desk and sat in its chair. Wow, she was peppy about this whole thing.
"Nothing really big." Jack sighed, making himself comfortable "I was thinking we'd just wander around the mall or something." He saw his sister's eyebrow rise before she made a disapproving expression "What else can we do?" He raised his voice a bit.
"You can always take her ice skating." The colorful college student suggested.
"You know why that's a bad idea." Jack slouched in his sister's desk chair and shuddered "Besides, I don't even know if she skates."
"Or how about…" She puffed out her cheeks in thought "a nice walk?"
Jack sat up straighter upon hearing the idea "It's cold outside!"
"I know. It'll give you an excuse to hold her close to you, stupid." He hugged herself and giggled with a smirk "I'm pretty sure you'll both like that."
"Ana, we don't even know if we're actually a thing yet."
"You're kidding right?" Ana stood from her bed and fixed the legs of her pink pajama bottoms "You've been into her for, what, three months now and you're suddenly thinking that way?"
"I thought you told me the first few dates are the most important ones?" The white-haired teen recalled.
"They are." Ana confirmed "That's why I'm trying to give you better ideas than going to the mall." She crossed her arms and popped out one of her hips "It's not exactly a romantic place to take a date."
Jack threw up his arms "Fine. Any other ideas, Miss Love Expert?"
Ana's neutral expression contorted into a grin that actually looked kind of scary "Yes, actually." Her brother moaned "You're the one that asked, so just stop me when I get to one you actually like."
The next week of classes were hard on Hiccup and her friends, since they were taking midterms the whole time. But, for some reason, it seemed to fly by. Friday was there before she knew it and she went to bed that night excited for the events that were going to come in less than twenty-four hours.
It was a night that ticked by slowly in anticipation and fear of her first date with Jack. She was excited because she really did like him and she couldn't wait to hug him again or hold his hand for longer than two minutes. She wanted to learn more about him and try to figure out what it was about the tall boy with white hair, pale skin and blue eyes that were so deep that it should be criminal that she liked so much. She wanted to know what it was about him that made her stomach twist and her face grow hot. What it was that made her so happy when he was around.
But her fear also made its appearances in her mind. She was afraid that she would mess up somehow and that Jack wouldn't feel this way about her anymore. She hoped that these feelings of hers were more than just physical attraction, and the same went for Jack. Hiccup wasn't sure what she'd do if she suddenly stopped feeling this way for him, which she knew had a good chance of happening. Her last experience with dating didn't end up as well as it could have and it sucked because… she knew that he still had feelings for her. He probably still does now. It wouldn't be good at all if the same thing happened with Jack; where the relationship became one-sided and they'd have to swallow their feelings forever because the other doesn't feel the same way back. She felt a lump in her throat at the thought of it and rolled over in her bed.
The night went on in a similar manner until she fell asleep sometime around two A.M. She didn't wake up the next day until sometime around eleven when Toothless decided she'd been in bed long enough and jumped on top of her to wake her up, licking her face for good measure. After some effort, she managed to push the massive beast off of her and went about her day, the date in the near hours approaching quickly.
She and Jack had texted in the middle of the week and he told her that they were going to a plaza in town to hang out for the evening. Hiccup had been there a few times with her family or friends and there were a lot of different shops in the area and things to do. It sounded good to her and he was coming to pick her up at six that night… and she thanked whatever higher power made her dad have to work longer than usual that night so he wouldn't be home when Jack came to get her. At least that problem was taken care of.
As the time approached, Hiccup just continued to surprise herself with her thought patterns that day. She must have changed her outfit four times, she did her best to keep her bangs from falling into her face, and she even decided to throw on a little makeup to cover the small scar on her chin. She was doing so many things that she usually didn't care too much about. She was never the kind of girl to make a fuss about what she was wearing or if someone would see a little pimple or something on her face. But today was different for some reason. This was her first date with Jack and she wanted to look nice for it. That was more than normal, right? Lots of girls did this. But it was strange for her… in a good way, she supposed.
In Hiccup's opinion, six came too quickly. It was almost like the time was four and then she blinked and two whole hours went by. When the doorbell rang, she heard Toothless' nails clack against the hardwood floors and his barking begin to radiate throughout the house. She flew down the stairs after throwing on her brown fur coat and making sure she had her bag with her. Sure, her messenger bag was kind of big, but it just slung over her shoulder and it came in handy when she didn't feel like carrying smaller shopping bags around with her. Plus… it had other necessities in it so it was easier to just take it everywhere with her instead of having to switch between bags all the time.
Hiccup gripped the Great Dane's red collar and opened the door to see Jack standing there with his hands behind his back. His usual blue hoodie was replaced with heavier black coat that went down to just above his knees. His breath became fog as he blushed and asked "Hey… you ready to go?"
I'm sorry I keep doing this to you guys but I love leaving my chapters off like this. They make me feel so powerful and evil. *insert evil laugh here* No, I'm not sorry at all.