Stupid Love - Chapter 19
Pairing: Hijack
Word Count: 2939
Warnings: Car chases, Some Language, Hiccup being an idiot, Jack being even more of an idiot, bringing back the playboy magazine
Jack stepped as quietly as he could through the alley, keeping close to the wall to avoid being seen. He reached the first corner to turn and held his breath as he peeked around it.
The big garage door from earlier was wide open, but the only light was coming from the one hanging by the side entrance.
He grinned. That Pitch guy probably sent out all his troops to go look for him and left the shop empty. This was his chance!
He stepped forward, about to rush across the alley towards the shop, but he heard a noise behind him-something louder than the rain trickling down. He paused, frigidly turning his head to look...
The alley was empty. And it was quiet once more.
Jack shrugged, looking back at the shop. It was probably a stray cat or something. Nothing to worry about.
He checked the alleyway ahead of him again, making sure the coast was still clear, and finally went for it.
He sprinted across the pavement, then turned and smacked his back against the familiar brick wall next to the entrance. He glanced up, noticing the window he'd climbed out of just over an hour ago.
He heard another noise; this time, coming from inside the shop. Oh, no.
Jack stepped forward, cringing as his new sneakers squeaked on the wet pavement under him. He held perfectly still, waiting for another sound. A reaction. Anything.
All that came was an eerie feeling that he was being watched.
Jack shot a keen eye over his shoulder, staring up and down the alley behind him, but it was still empty.
He heaved a silent sigh and shook his head. He's just paranoid because of what he was doing, that's all.
Jack slowly took another step, carefully stepping closer to the wall on the drier concrete.
More noise sounded, a clanging of some sort, from inside the shop. He sucked in a breath and ducked down as he walked in front of the side door. So far, so good.
Jack breathed as shallowly as possible as he neared the garage door. He stared up at the open doorway. It was even bigger up close.
The hushed voices of two-no, maybe three-men drifted through the enormous entrance. Jack side-stepped even closer, and clamped a hand around the metal frame leading inside.
Holding his breath, he took a quick glance in.
He mentally cursed.
The whole place was crawling with Pitch's men, maybe twice as many as were there earlier. Great. Now, what was he supposed to do?
Jack leaned back as he noticed someone walking toward the entrance. He recognized the mop of brown hair as Jamie.
"The mustangs are ready, sir," Jack heard him say quietly and then there was a jangling of keys.
Jack took another peek in, spotting the old man with a stern expression roughly grabbing the keys from Jamie. Pitch.
Jack's eyes narrowed, and he looked a little further around the corner. Another familiar sight.
Hiccup's black fiero was sitting right there, only a stone's throw away from the garage door.
He pushed himself back up against the wall and knelt down. Okay, he was going to have to do this VERY carefully. If he waited until Pitch had his back turned, he could try and slip in next to the car. Once there, he just had to not get caught while opening the door and starting it up. He could easily peel out of there, being so close to the exit. It was almost too easy...
"Filled them both up," Jamie continued inside. "Thought that'd help..."
Pitch gripped the keys in his hand.
"Excellent, now-"
Jack's eyes went wide as someone brushed past him, pushing his way inside and running up to the fiero.
"Huh?" He gasped out, confused.
"Hey!" A man inside shouted, alerting everyone of the intruder.
Jack stayed put, staying knelt down and out of sight. What kind of moron-?!
He glanced over again and realized the obvious.
"Hiccup?" He breathed out.
Hiccup shoved open the door, grinning madly at the keys still being inside, just as he had thought. He flipped it on, slammed the door, and pulled into drive.
Jack stood up as four men surrounded the car.
"Hiccup!" He shouted in concern, but Toothless blew right past the men and out the entryway. Jack jumped out of the way before getting clipped by him. "Agh, geez!"
Hiccup laughed as he whipped around the corner, driving through the alley with ease. He reached up and rested his hand on the dash, saying,
"I knew you'd be okay. That's my Toothless!"
Jack blinked as Hiccup turned and went out of view. Did that seriously just happen?
A clap of thunder sounded overhead and Jack swallowed as the rain began to fall even heavier onto him.
"What are you waiting for?!" He heard Pitch scowl from inside. "Go after them!"
Jack glanced back in time to nearly be run over again as two more cars raced out and more inside came to life and lit up the shop. He didn't wait around for the rest to leave, and darted back towards where he left his car.
Droplets of rain felt more like needles on his face as he narrowed his eyes and ran to the road.
He couldn't help the deja vu rushing through him as he ran around the corner, his heart pumping in his chest erratically.
"Not this again," he muttered, another car passing him as he rushed to the end of the alley. His car was only steps away, just across the street, but a black mustang roared behind him and he clambered to a halt, suddenly feeling like he had just stumbled into a horror movie.
The engine revved and Jack froze. His hyuara was RIGHT THERE and, yet, he wasn't moving. What was wrong with his legs? He glanced down. What was wrong with him?
The mustang revved again, louder, echoing through the rain to the wet, brick walls around him, before it launched forward, speeding right at him.
Oh, hell no, he was NOT actually getting run over by some lunatic today!
Jack turned and ran as fast as he could, which didn't seem nearly fast enough as the mustang roared behind him. He barely managed to reach his car, pulling a Hutch and jumping up to slide across the hood.
The mustang swung around the corner, only to reveal a second, identical black mustang behind it.
Jack paid no mind as he lifted his car door and hopped inside. Fuck, he'd never been happier to have left his keys in the ignition.
He pulled into reverse and zoomed backwards, his door still up, flying past the stalled mustang and then flipping the gear into drive as he spun the wheel. Jack smacked the console by the radio and his door slowly came down as he flipped a 180° and faced the back end of the car that just tried to run him down.
He panted and glared ahead. He could just barely make out the figure of someone putting their arm out and looking back at him.
It was Jamie.
Oh, Jack was PISSED now. This was how Jamie was handling it? By trying to KILL him?! Well, not if HE had anything to say about it!
He pressed on the gas, his tires squealing a moment before propelling him toward Jamie's car. The mustang swerved and Jack sped past, roughly turning a corner and heading towards Gobber's. Jamie was about to be in for one hell of a surprise.
Hiccup laughed at his luck, almost in euphoria at the feeling of having Toothless back and in his hold. His fingers tightened around the steering wheel and he slowed down as he reached midtown.
"Psh, and Jack didn't want me to help!" He scoffed, "Look at how easy that was!"
He chuckled, taking another left turn to head towards Gobber's. This was a piece of cake!
He drove through an intersection where a black car waited at the cross street, its headlights shining onto the wet ground and onto his fiero as he passed. Another clap of thunder sounded overhead, followed by a rumble.
Hiccup hit the bar behind the wheel, turning on his wipers as the rain continued to increase. He glanced in his rearview mirror.
"Huh?"
Was the black car following him?
The rumbling came again, but this time it was distinctly coming from that car...
His eyes flicked to the side-view and the car picked up speed behind him. DEFINITELY following him.
"Shit."
He stepped on the gas, blowing through a yellow light at the next intersection, but the black car only sped up even more.
He glanced to the right and noticed another car waiting at a stop sign. Just as he and the car behind him-he was fairly certain by now it was a newer-model mustang-zoomed past, it pulled out and followed them, catching up in an instant.
Hiccup gulped. Okay, NOW he was in trouble...
He looked around frantically, his windshield wipers becoming very annoying very quickly. He noticed a car approaching the next intersection from the left and grimaced at the thought of even more trouble trailing him, but as he got closer, he recognized it as Jack's hyuara.
Oh, thank the Gods. He was saved!
Jack's car swung out into the street, speeding up until it was parallel with Hiccup's.
Hiccup in his mirror again, noticing another black mustang had joined the group barreling down the road behind them.
Hiccup stared over at Jack, hoping he had some kind of plan.
Jack bit his lip, trying to stay calm. Piecing together what he knew, he was pretty sure Pitch was the one behind the wheel of that second mustang. And both were tailing him and Hiccup relentlessly. They continued to pursue them, despite the weather worsening and the speeds they were traveling.
How were they going to shake them?
He glanced over at Hiccup and his desperate and worried expression, and then at the mustangs in his rearview mirror.
A brief thought, or rather a memory, re-entered his mind. He grinned.
Hiccup noticed his smirk and his worry started to fade. He had something.
Jack jerked his head left and then pointed at Hiccup and then pointed his thumb ojt to the right.
Hiccup nodded. He understood perfectly.
"Alright, Toothless," he smirked, "we've done this one before. Time for a little hide-and-seek."
Hiccup and Jack both spotted the next intersection in an instant, eyes determined and unmoving.
Rolling thunder echoed through the sky, and the mustangs behind them roared even louder, one speeding ahead before the second caught up.
Pitch's grip tightened around the gearshift as Hiccup and Jack moved in sync, one moving to the left lane and the other to the right.
"You fucking BRATS!" He shouted furiously.
Jack yanked his wheel to the left and Hiccup swiftly circled his to the right. They both split apart, and Pitch scowled.
He picked up his phone as he swerved around the right corner.
"Go after the boy! " he demanded. "I've got the fiero."
Jack laughed, eyeing the two cars now following him. All he had to do now was lead them back to Gobber's and he was in the clear. That couldn't be hard, right?
He took a sharp right at the next street, and watched as the two vehicles followed behind him, one of them clipping the curb on his way around the corner. He smirked. He had nothing to worry about.
The cars behind him picked up, and Jack raced down the road, towards the highway that lead to their checkpoint. As soon as the signs for the highway appeared, he glanced around and kept his eye out for the other Guardians. They should have been waiting along the road for him to help him out.
He took a left on the highway road, blowing past the stop sign and glancing in the mirror to watch the cars behind him do the same.
A flash of lightning lit up the road ahead as well as the sky above, and a loud thunder boomed overhead. Jack watched the road as the windshield wipers worked faster, the rain getting worse.
He spotted the restaurant only half a mile away and a line of cars leaving the parking lot. As he got closer, he recognized North's chevy and Tooth's honda in the lineup. They crossed at an intersection, the whole group of cars stopping in the road with just enough space for one car to pass through the middle.
He smirked. There we go!
He pushed on the gas, shifting his gearshift down to pull manually into 3rd, the car launching forward a moment before taking off. He sped ahead of the two behind him, and zoomed right through the small opening with ease. He braked and flipped around again, watching as Bunny pulled ahead, closing the gap.
The two cars slammed to a halt, sliding on the wet asphalt.
Jack shifted down and drove up to the line. He popped open the door, triumph written across his face as he crossed his arms over his chest and walked out in the rain to join the Guardians as they surrounded the two, intruding vehicles.
The mustang's door pushed open and an angry Jamie stepped out. Jack shook his head.
"Told you, you were making a mistake. But now, you REALLY fucked up," Jack said pointedly.
Jamie looked back as some older guys stepped out of the other car. He gave them a quick nod before turning back to Jack and the Guardians. He stalked forward, his hair getting soaked in the rain.
He stood in front of Jack, glaring into his eyes before reaching forward and shoving his hand inside Jack's hoodie pocket.
"Hey! What are you-?"
"THIS," Jamie pulled out the rolled-up playboy, "is what Pitch is after. If you hadn't STOLEN IT, none of this would have even happened."
Jack deflated, glancing around with a sheepish smile as everyone's eyes fell on him. Oh.
"Oops," he uttered.
Jamie rolled his eyes, shoving the magazine under his jacket.
"He's still going after your friend's fiero," he continued, walking back towards his car, "but he'll stop as soon as we call him and tell him we have it."
By now, Bunnymund and Tooth were scowling and shooting glares Jack's way while North just shook his head, disappointed.
He cringed and stepped towards Jamie, impatiently remarking,
"W-well, what are you waiting for? Call him off!"
Jamie glanced back, coldly replying,
"And why should I?"
Jack stomped up behind him, pulling him around to face him.
"Are you serious right now? Jamie, your crazy-ass boss is trying to take Hiccup's car- he might be trying to KILL Hiccup right now!" he shouted, "Call him and tell him to stop!"
Jamie's expression didn't change.
"What's the magic word?"
Jack opened his mouth to speak, but Bunnymund stepped up, fist clenched and at the ready.
"Listen, you little-"
"Don't," Jack held up a hand, motioning for him to stand down. "Bunny, I- I got this."
He took a deep breath and looked back at Jamie. Clearly, appealing to his humanity wasn't going to do much. Back when he had first met Jamie, the boy was always smiling and going on about ridiculous things like Bigfoot and Santa Claus. But, looking at him now... He was drenched from the rain, the look on his face colder than the wind blowing around hem. Jamie had changed, and not in a good way.
But, right now, the only thing standing between him and seeing Hiccup not be pissed with him was this obnoxious dick, and if threatening him was the only option left, then...
He held out a hand and grabbed the guy's shoulder. Jamie glanced down at his hand, but didn't move.
"Look, Jamie," he started, "I ain't gonna apologize for shit right now, so don't even think you're getting anything out of this. In fact, I may have been the one to screw up here, yeah, but YOU are the one with the bullseye on your back."
Jamie's eyebrows furrowed, but he continued to stare emotionlessly at him. The thunder cracked through the sky above them.
Jack tightened his grip, his words getting louder.
"So, quit acting like you're just going to walk out of here scotch-free and pick up your DAMN PHONE and call Pitch right NOW, or so help me-!"
Jamie shifted, trying to back away, but Jack just held on.
"Alright, fuck-" Jamie squirmed, "I was just-"
Jack shoved the moron against his car, cutting him off.
"DID I FUCKING STUTTER?! PHONE. NOW."
Jamie's hand slid against the car door and he broke eye contact with him, gulping,
"Uhh, ri-right. Got it."
Jack continued to glare menacingly down at him, and Jamie shifted uncomfortably, quickly reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out his phone.
Jack stood back as Jamie dialed a number. He could hear Bunny snickering, but ignored it. He was done with all these games already.
Jamie held the phone to his ear, and everyone stood there in silence, the rain deafening as they waited.
Jamie's eyes shifted nervously and he pulled the phone away, dialing again.
Jack raised an eyebrow, confused.
"What?" He asked.
Jamie put the phone down, looking at the end call screen as raindrops fell onto it. He slowly glanced back up, saying,
"He's...he's not picking up."