HI I'M NOT DEAD! My excuses for taking basically four months to update this: I got lazy and then college got a hold of me and I finally got myself motivated enough to write this after I turned in all of the papers I had due lately. I'm sorry guys, especially if I made anyone think I dropped the fic or anything like that. I promise I won't do that, I've just got a lot going on and I don't always want to spend my free time between writing papers by writing even more...
But thank you for sticking with this story through that unexpected hiatus. I promise I'm doing the best that I can without stressing myself out.
Today's the day. Jack kept telling himself as he and Emma stared out the window closest to the driveway Dad comes home today.
It felt like forever since Jack had seen his dad in person. Sure, they Skyped about once a month or so and they talked on the phone quite often, but nothing could really compare to having the man right in front of him, prone to the playful nudges and shoves that his son would give when one of his jokes deserved it. It might have sounded weird to some people, but Jack needed to be able to touch those he was close with or else a feeling of loneliness would overcome him. If he didn't get a hug or pat on the shoulder or a high five or something from those he cared about, especially his family, it would make him feel less connected to them somehow. Needless to say that Charles Overland had a lot of physical contact to make up for after being gone for so long.
Jack sighed at the thought and let his head rest upon his folded arms. He glanced over at his younger sister, who was in almost the exact same position that he was with her arms resting on the back of the sofa. But the older sibling only diverted his attention from the driveway for a few seconds before sharp blue eyes darted back out the window. He wanted to know exactly when his father was finally going to be back home again.
"Hey, Jack…" Emma's voice quietly called out.
Her brother looked her way again "What's up, Em?"
The small girl rested her chin on her arms and exhaled "Are there any of our cookies left for Dad to try?"
The older Overland smirked at the younger "Of course there are; I think you and I made sure of that, right?"
Emma cracked her own smile "Yeah, we did." She paused and sighed "I just wanna hear what he thinks of them. I think they turned out really good this year."
"Of course they did." Jack assured "I had you helping me, didn't I?"
His sister giggled in response and then silence fell over the two of them once more. Not an awkward, uncomfortable silence but a peaceful one. A quiet that was welcome and comfortable to the both of them as they sat in place, expectant eyes trained on the black pavement lined by mounds of dirty snow and dotted with patches of ice.
Maybe this long trip would finally be the last one. Maybe this time their father would really be home for good. Maybe they could fall into the schedule Hiccup seemed to have with her parents, where they both have some system of set work hours and she and her brother could expect them home around a certain time. It was something that Jack had longed for most of his life but never got to have because of his parents' schedules. Dad went off on long business trips like these and Mom, while having a demanding work agenda, volunteered at a local orphanage as much as she could and was also in no particular routine.
It was almost weird how something that was so mundane to the average person, being stuck in a routine, was something that Jack wanted more than anything in his adult life. He didn't want to become a robot or anything of the sort, but he did want to be able to tell his own family when to expect him home, that he'd be home for dinner every night or to tuck his own kids into bed in the future. He didn't want to leave a family of his own wondering when he would be coming back or how long he would be with them before he took off again.
Jack's thoughts trailed farther into his little fantasy and, before he knew it, he was imagining Hiccup being that person that he was coming home to, from whatever this daydream version of himself did for a living. She was the one to be waiting for him on the other side of the door and smile when she saw him, the one to greet him with a simple gesture like a peck on the cheek. The idea of it made heat pool in Jack's stomach and all of his muscles relax. The thought of someday living together, of them being able to come home and find the other there waiting for them and be happy to see them after even the worst days, sounded pretty good to Jack.
Despite his little daydream, it felt like forever before both the brunets perked up again, seeing a silver car pulling into the driveway and parking. That was him. Jack blinked, almost in shock, and backed away from the window "He's home…" A smile beamed across his face and he repeated louder "He's home…!"
Emma had sprung up a few seconds after her brother and smiled up at him and giggled "Where's Anna?" She wondered, quickly glancing around to try to spot their big sister.
"She said she wanted to do some homework before Dad got home." He hastily explained before turning around and shouting towards the stairs "Anna! Dad's home!"
The oldest Overland squeaked, like she did when she dropped something, and called back "I'll be right down!"
They heard the front door open and quieted down, listening intently until they heard a gruff sigh and the door shutting behind it "Hello?" A very familiar voice beckoned out "Anyone home?" Jack and Emma grinned to each other devilishly and stayed silent "What? No welcoming committee this time?"
Then, the two of them decided their game had been put on long enough and ran towards the landing, yelling "Dad!" as they tackled the taller man into a long-awaited embrace.
Charles hugged them back and chuckled "Hey there, kiddos."
"Dad!" Anna's voice sounded as she practically flew down the stairs and joined the group hug "Oh gosh, we've missed you!"
Jack beamed up at his father "How was the flight?"
"Well, I was next to some guy who just slept the whole time, so it was quiet, at least." Their father claimed "Except when he started snoring; that got kinda annoying." He paused and put a hand on Emma's head to stroke her hair "Where's your mother?"
"She's… at work, I think?" Anna bit her lip as she thought about her final answer "Yeah, yeah, work."
"Guess she's in for a surprise when she comes home, then-"
Charles was cut off mid-sentence and Jack looked up over his shoulder to see why. Mary was behind them, with one hand on each side of her husband's neck as she smirked "I think you're the one who got a surprise this time, Char."
The older man let go of Jack and the girls and turned around to wrap his arms around his wife, grinning as widely as he could manage as he held her close "God, I've missed you."
Mary giggled "So have we." She pulled away and smiled at him "Welcome home."
He quickly leaned in and kissed her before he let go and grabbed hold of the suitcase he'd dropped by the doorway when he walked in "You have no idea how glad I am to be back here. Finally, I can relax a bit."
"Oh, oh!" Emma bounced on her feet and beamed up at her dad "Jack and I made cookies! Do you want any?"
Charles just ruffled her hair and chuckled some more "Maybe in a bit, Squirt. I wanna unpack and, uh," his attention turned to his son "I believe Jack has something he needs to give me more details on now that I'm back?"
Jack cleared his throat and shoved his hands into his pockets "Right, yeah, that…"
Anna started climbing the stairs again before Charles called out "Oh, and Anna!" She stopped and looked over her shoulder "When I'm done with your brother, I wanna hear about how my college girl's doin' okay?"
A glittering smile flashed "Of course!" She squeaked before going back upstairs, no doubt to complete the homework she had been interrupted from.
Jack followed his father to the second floor of the house and into the master bedroom, where the suitcase was lazily tossed onto the mattress and its owner stretched. When the older man looked his way again, Jack couldn't help but hug him again, resting his chin on his father's shoulder "I really missed you, Dad."
"I've missed you to, son."
They separated and Jack noted that he was only a few inches shorter than his father now, having grown a bit since he'd been away. It was kind of a great feeling, since the whole family has commented on the pair's similarities since Jack was born. He guessed he really was growing up to be his father's son.
Charles ruffled his son's hair and the two shared a laugh as Jack fixed it again "Now when do I get to meet Miss Henrika, hm?"
"I invited her to come over Saturday and, since Mom insisted, she's staying for dinner." Jack stated "And, uh, she prefers being called her nickname: Hiccup." He quickly added.
"Hiccup?" His father questioned. Jack nodded in confirmation and he silently laughed "I hope she's as cute as that nickname."
"Oh, she is." Jack bragged "Trust me."
Charles smugly grinned down at his son "I'll have to pull out the baby pictures then. See if those big ears you had can compete."
He laughed and Jack playfully punched him in the arm "Don't you dare."
His father shoved back "What? You grew into them, didn't you?"
The week following Christmas was one more for relaxation than celebration at the Haddock household. So, after Old Wrinkly left to go back home, the family of four was finally able to come down from the rollercoaster that was the holidays. New Year's wasn't too important. Why should everyone gather just to watch a ball drop at midnight, right? The days passed by with Hiccup and Scott each locked in their rooms (or the garage, in Scott's case) and enjoying their Christmas presents; the younger glued to her new laptop and the older endlessly breaking in his new weight set… once he managed to put it together.
Yet, they found themselves coming together one particular day, seeing their parents had both gone out for the day, and got to do things they've been wanting to for months. Scott put Netflix up on the TV and they were going to marathon a bunch of movies. Most of them had, uh… content that parents wouldn't approve of their kids watching, no matter how old they were. But, hey, what they don't know about won't hurt them.
The younger Haddock heard her brother shout from upstairs that she should get them some snacks, so she lazily got up and trudged into the kitchen with Toothless close behind her. Hiccup popped some popcorn in the microwave for her brother and got herself string cheese. Then… she came back to the living room to find her shirtless older brother bending behind the television to plug in the Wii again.
Hiccup just rolled her eyes in response to the sight "Ya know, the least you could do is put on a shirt. It's the middle of winter."
"Why?" He grunted. He plugged in the wires and stood upright, gesturing to his pecs "Do my nipples offend you, Princess?"
"Actually yeah, they do."
"Just pretend I'm Jack and everyone's problems'll be solved."
"Uh, how about no?"
"You're right." Scott sniggered "There's not enough of this to go around."
"Oh, there's enough of it." Hiccup plopped down on the couch, casually pushing Toothless' giant head away from the popcorn bowl again and again "Maybe a bit too much, if you ask me."
"Ha, ha." He tossed the console's remote for her to catch "Very funny."
"I try my best, Snot Face." Scott joined her on the couch and grabbed his popcorn, swatting Toothless' head away before he took a big mouthful and chewed it with his mouth open "You're disgusting."
"Just play the first one in the queue." He ordered, spewing a few bits of popcorn as he spoke.
"Yeah, yeah." She decided to ignore her brother's eating habits and just go to the first movie lined up in his queue. She read the title and it was in French "Why do you have a foreign movie in here?"
"Just turn on the subtitles." Thank the gods, he swallowed "It's one of the funniest things you'll ever watch, trust me." Hiccup followed his instructions and absently nodded as she turned on English subtitles "So, uh… what's going on with you and Jack?"
It took her a minute to process what he'd just asked her. But nonetheless she turned to him, eyebrows raised in surprise "Huh?"
"Ya know, like…" It looked like he was struggling with what he wanted to ask her "Are you guys a, uh, a thing now?"
Hiccup thought about it for a moment before answering. She and Jack were still interested in seeing each other, but it didn't seem like Scott was even vaguely interested until now. It looked like he hated Jack. But maybe… "Yeah, you can say that." She couldn't help the little smile that slipped onto her face after she said that.
"And you're cool with that?"
The brunette nodded "Don't worry about it. I'm meeting his family this weekend; that's a good sign."
Her brother looked away "I'm not worried…"
"Whatever you say, bro." She pressed the play button "Whatever you say."
The ride to get Hiccup and take her back home house was quiet. The kind of awkward quiet that Jack hated. He fidgeted a bit as he worked the steering wheel of his car, trying to hope that his family wouldn't royally embarrass him in front of Hiccup. He knew they meant well but… he really didn't want her first visit to be marked by stupid childhood stories of him or baby pictures or anything of the sort.
He was only comforted in the slightest when he glanced over at his girlfriend (That was what she was now, right?) and saw that she looked about as nervous as he felt. He hoped she wasn't stressing over them liking her. It was Hiccup, who couldn't like her?! She had nothing to worry about. Jack on the other hand… he knew his family and what they were capable of; he'd learned from watching and taking part in the chaos whenever Anna brought a guy to the house, even if he was just a friend.
Jack pulled into the driveway and took a breath before turning off the car and taking his keys. He walked Hiccup up to the front door and then paused. He looked down at her and took her hand gently "Look, I just thought I should warn you that they're uh… they're really excited to meet you. They tend to be a bit over-bearing sometimes and maybe a bit pushy, but they don't mean anything by it. We just… like to joke around a lot."
Hiccup smiled and gave his hand a tiny squeeze "It's okay. I mean, you've met my family; you now know the definition of over-bearing and pushy."
"So, you're ready then?" She nodded and then Jack opened the front door. He heard some conversation just as it creaked open, then all voices silenced once the squeaking of the door had travelled throughout the house. Well, that was a good sign…
He led Hiccup into the living room, where, sure enough, his whole family was gathered and looking at the two of them expectantly. Eyes trailed down to their joined hands and he noticed some smiles forming "Okay" Jack sighed as they stopped in the center of the room "everyone, this is Hiccup. Hiccup, that's my mom and dad and my sisters, Anna and Emma." He gestured to everyone accordingly.
"Hi." Hiccup half-smiled and waved at them "It's, uh, nice to meet all of you." Aw, she was nervous.
Then Anna got out of her seat and it was Jack's turn to get anxious. The dark skinned girl looked at Hiccup curiously as she approached her. Hiccup's smile went away and it was replaced with a confused expression. The next thing Jack knew, his sister's manicured fingers found their way into Hiccup's mouth and she was poking around with curiosity "Braces..." He heard her murmur to herself "looks like you're taking really good care of them, at least. And maybe they'll come off soon because-"
"Anna," Jack interrupted "can you please get your fingers out of her mouth?"
"Oh!" She immediately retracted her hands and Hiccup started moving her mouth to make herself comfortable again "Sorry, I couldn't help myself." Hiccup just blinked and looked for someone to give an explanation. Anna noticed and carried on "I'm studying to become a dentist, so I'm maybe a little obsessed with people's teeth..."
"A little?" Jack joked.
Anna scoffed "At least I'm passionate about what I wanna do; unlike some people who don't even have a clue yet."
"I've got time!" Jack defended.
"I can see why Jack likes you, Hiccup." His father claimed.
Then his mother chimed in "Yeah, you're so pretty."
Jack and Hiccup both blushed and Hiccup looked down "Th-thank you."
"Are you having dinner with us?" Emma questioned.
Hiccup nodded "Uh-huh. What are we having?"
"Oh, nothing special." Mary shrugged "Just pasta."
Hiccup smiled, like she was silently approving of the meal choice. Then the awkward silence came back and Jack coughed "So, uh, we'll just be up in my room until dinner's out; I wanted to show Hiccup the Play Station." Then, he led her towards the stairs.
"Doors stay open, got it?" Charles added with a serious tone.
Jack blushed and gripped Hiccup's hand a little tighter "Yeah, yeah, I got it." He heard his father trying and failing to muffle his chuckling, which only made him blush more. Yeesh, it was like the guy put a cap on his sense of humor until he got home and then it just spilled everywhere to his heart's content.
Jack hoped that the pink tint that he knew was on his face had faded a little by the time he brought Hiccup into his room, leaving the door wide open as requested. It clearly hadn't gone away, but he was comforted to see the same color dusting over the brunette's freckles and making them harder to see "I'm really sorry about that." He started, letting go of her hand to nervously pace around the room "My dad and I... we kinda have the same sense of humor..."
"It's fine..." She nervously assured him "I mean, my dad terrorized you. It's only fair."
"Hiccup, my dad isn't a giant, overprotective mountain with a beard and wants to kill me."
"I think you're exaggerating just a little. He does not want to kill you. He just wants to... make you think twice about doing anything stupid, that's all."
"He's still pretty intimidating if you ask me. I mean, maybe if I had super powers I would feel a bit better."
"Really?" Hiccup sat down on the edge of his bed "What kind of powers would you want?"
"I would love to be able to control snow." He claimed "Ya know, to make my own snowman army, keep the ice thick when my sisters and I go ice skating, maybe start a snow cone business."
"You've got it all planned out, huh?"
"Yeah!" He sat down next to her "What powers would you want?"
Hiccup looked like she was going to answer, but another voice cut her off "To talk to animals."
Jack groaned at his sister leaning in the doorway "Anna, what do you want?"
"What?" She innocently asked, coming farther into the room "I can't talk to my little brother's girlfriend and get to know her a little better?"
"Can't you interview her at dinner?"
"No, Mom and Dad'll have free reign over that interview. I need one of my own." She sat down in Jack's desk chair. It was then that he noticed that Anna's parakeet was sitting on her shoulder contently "So Hiccup, Jack hasn't really seen you around until recently; did you just move in around here?"
"No. I kinda got tired of spending time after classes in the school library, too noisy and too many people asking me and one of my friends for help on homework. So I went to the library Jack works at and... yeah..."
"So you've lived here your whole life?"
"Yeah; we haven't moved once since I was born. Jack tells me you guys moved a lot, though."
"All the time." The colorful college student sighed "Sometimes two or three times a year. I think the longest we were anywhere until we put down roots here was Brazil. We were there maybe... two years? Australia's a close second, though."
"Wow, I should let your parents and my mom compare notes."
"She travels too?"
"She used to." Hiccup affirmed "When she was younger, she went everywhere she could get. Always went with an old boyfriend of hers; they're actually still friends."
"I bet between the two of them, your parents and ours could fill in the whole map." The girls shared a giggle and Jack shook his head. He should have known the night would go sort of like this.
Anna kept Hiccup talking all the way until Charles came up and announced rather flamboyantly that dinner was now being served (yes, he worded it like that) and the three of them followed him back downstairs.
To Jack's surprise, the dining room table was set for once. Normally, the Overlands had everything sitting in the pots they were cooked in on top of the counter and everyone just grabbed a plate from the cabinet and treated it like a buffet. All of a sudden Hiccup came over and it was like Christmas dinner all over again, if spaghetti and meatballs could ever count as Christmas dinner. The plates were already set up with utensils and glasses for drinks, which was almost unheard of at the Overlands' except for special occasions. Emma and Mary were already seated and had their plates filled with as much pasta as they could eat.
"Come on, help yourselves." Mary insisted.
"Don't mind if I do." Charles snatched up the plate next to his wife's and started spooning spaghetti into it while Jack, Hiccup, and Anna took the three remaining seats. Jack's father put down his plate and dipped the serving spoon back into the bowl "How much 'ya want, Henrika- sorry, Hiccup."
"Oh, uh... you don't have to."
"I'm dishing the stuff out anyway."
"... True." She watched him put food on her plate and told him to stop after just one big scoop "Thank you."
"No problem." He replied "Jack, Anna?" The siblings both nodded and they each got their helping as well.
Surprisingly, dinner didn't go quite as bad as Jack had expected it to. His parents started out with generic questions, like how old Hiccup was and where she went to school. Jack had already told them that, but he guessed that they had to hear it from her again for some reason. Anna interjected a few questions about her braces and Hiccup answered them without a second thought, now knowing that the older girl was going into dentistry. Emma thought up a few innocent ones of her own, like if she had any pets and what video games she liked to play. And, for that portion of the interview, as it had apparently been dubbed, Jack thought that was going to go great.
Then, his parents moved on to more personal territory. They started asking Hiccup if she'd dated before, what it was that she liked about him (she said his eyes, which made him happier than it should have), and then Jack's mother asked the question "Are you sure you can handle my son?"
And, whatever that was supposed to mean, Jack didn't wanna know. His dad almost choked on what was in his mouth when she asked, clearly taking it down the same road that Jack had. Hiccup definitely handled it better than either of them had by just looking down and saying she'd rather not answer that question. Thank God, she handled that so well. If her parents had asked him that, Jack would have probably exploded, like he was trying not to do right then.
After that, it was mostly just an awkward few minutes before everyone was done eating and no one had any more questions to ask Hiccup. So, he decided that she'd been through enough torture and opted to take her home. When Hiccup didn't reject the offer, she said her good-byes before the pair hopped in Jack's car and headed back to her house. The ride there was just as awkward as the other ones of that evening, and rightfully so after the falters that occurred. Regardless, Jack walked her up to the front door again, like had become a bit of a habit for him to do when he dropped her off.
"Okay, so..." Jack began, regaining Hiccup's attention "how about we scratch my house off the list of places to go on dates?"
"Only if mine goes off the list too." She replied.
"Okay." He chuckled "No more at-home-dates. Deal?"
"Deal." It got quiet again "So, uh," Hiccup murmured "that means you wanna go out again?"
"Well, yeah, why wouldn't I?" He confirmed, inching closer before something crossed his mind and he backed off "Wait, do you not want to anymore?"
"No, I want to keep going out too. I just... so that means we're dating now?"
"I guess it does." He shrugged "And then that makes us... boyfriend and girlfriend, right?"
Hiccup giggled and nodded "As long as I get to be the girlfriend~." She playfully remarked.
He chuckled at that "Deal." He pulled her into a final embrace, just like he had the last time they went out. He whispered a "good night" in her ear and she hummed one back in return, relaxing in his grip. They parted after a few minutes and then Hiccup went inside, flashing Jack a metal-filled smile over her shoulder before the door shut behind her in time to keep the oncoming Great Dane within the threshold. Toothless' barking continued for a short while until Hiccup quieted the dog down.
Jack slowly went back in his car and pulled out of the driveway, looking at the Haddock household one last time before bidding it farewell until the next date. His eyes shot back to the road when he saw Hiccup's brother giving him a death glare from one of the windows, making a motion with his hands to say "I'm watching you." At that, he gulped and drove off. How Hiccup just happened to live with two of the scariest looking guys he'd ever met, Jack would never know. But it was clear that neither one would be off his back any time soon.