Alright, I'm gonna admit it. I'm definitely using this one shots as a means of procrastination from my other two BIG stories, but they're just so satisfying to do because I can literally write and upload an entire one shot in the space of an evening and it's rewarding... I hope you all didn't get too confused by the picture change. I drew the new one myself... XD anyways, this one shot is dedicated to the second birthday (26th September? That's my best friend's birthday!) from Two of the broken masks and the prompt is 'Deadline'.

Just a bit of backstory, in this one shot, Jack and Hiccup live together and are both adults. In most of my other stories, they're like college age, but this one's just a bit different to fit the prompt a little more. Hiccup is a writer for a newspaper and Jack's still got his job at the pub... Enjoy x

...

Two hours. He still had two hours. That was plenty of time. He could do this. He could finish the article on time. Yep, he'd just work flat out with no breaks and he'd get it down for sure. Hiccup's fingers typed furiously on his laptop keys as a three thousand word article about a topic he had literally no interest in began to form on the screen.

Two hours, and then he could submit the piece to his boss and go to bed. Two hours, and it'd be midnight. If he got it in by then, it'd be published in tomorrow's paper and he'd get the extra pay-packet he'd been working to get for weeks. If he missed the deadline, he'd most likely be fired. His boss hated him anyway.

He just had to get this done.

More useless words appeared on the page. Hiccup wished he'd got the position in the movie review department. That'd be way more interesting to write about than this boring crap about the town's history. It felt like being back at school, writing useless essays…

Of course, he was happy to at least be in the newspaper industry at all. Getting his internship at the Burgess Gazette two years ago had been the most challenging and scary experience of his life, but it'd secured him a permanent writing job, so who was he to complain? He was writing for a living. Isn't that what he'd always wanted?

Hiccup felt like he had no right to be ungrateful.

His phone buzzed next to him. He'd turned off the sound and put it face down, so as to minimise any distractions from it. But he'd left it on vibrate in case he got any really important phone calls. Like if his boss rang… But his phone had only vibrated for texts so far, so Hiccup did his best to ignore them, even though they were coming through every two or three minutes.

The curiosity to know who was trying to contact him was killing him, but he had to get this dumb article done!

Eventually, after another ten minutes of constant buzzing, he put some noise cancelling earbuds in and carried on in complete silence. He couldn't even hear the tapping of the keys now as he typed at lightning speed.

Damn, he was tired…

Keeping his eyes open wasn't usually this difficult, was it? Hiccup had to keep squinting and opening his eyes super wide in alternation to keep himself from nodding off. He turned his screen brightness up to full and even had to increase the text size so he could see what he was doing properly.

He was hungry too…

He'd been working on this article since he got home from work at about eight that evening and hadn't had anything to eat since his dinner the day before. Hiccup knew it was wrong to skip meals, but with his busy career and constant deadlines to keep to, he simply never had the time to eat anything, not even a quick breakfast before he left…

Hiccup suddenly realised he knew who had been texting him. It must've been his boyfriend, Jack. He was still at work himself, and didn't usually get back until about eleven thirty, so Hiccup had another forty-five minutes of distraction-free time to work before he'd have to barricade himself away from Jack.

Now don't get the wrong idea, Hiccup knew that Jack never tried to purposely distract him when he was working, but it was near impossible to focus on anything when he was in the same room as his boyfriend…

In fact, just thinking about Jack now, Hiccup jolted out a daydream to realise he'd wasted five minutes staring off into space. Shit. C'mon Hiccup, write!

Two more paragraphs… Three more times Hiccup's head hit his shoulder as he fought back waves of sleep. Another paragraph… Hiccup didn't even want to think about how many spelling and grammar mistakes he was making now. Probably too many for it to be accepted by the editor. He could go back and work on it later.

But if he wanted to have enough time for that, he'd need to work double time writing the draft copy now. Plugging his earbuds in deeper and slapping himself a few times, he buckled down and managed to pump out about a page of meaningless text before he checked the word count and sighed.

He still needed another three hundred words to reach his minimum. And with just under forty five minutes in which to finish the article and go back through and proof-read it before sending it in, he decided that he wouldn't even stop to check the time or anything until he got it all done.

Another few minutes of furious work later however, Hiccup had to stop for a second. He was pretty sure he would've collapsed out of the chair if he hadn't taken that break. Despite himself and his motivation, he checked the time.

Eleven forty-one. Jack should've been getting home any moment now…

No Hiccup, focus. Work. Focus on work. Jack would just have to wait for him to finish, wouldn't he? In another room, even if Hiccup had to lock him out, he was gonna get this done!

Two more minutes, a hundred more words. So close! He was so damn close! Just a little more… A hundred more, fifty more, twenty more, ten more, and finally, he was done!

Three thousand and nine words. The editor was gonna take him for a slacker for keeping so close to the minimum word count, but he honestly couldn't have cared less. He sat back in his chair for a second before jerking forward again suddenly and scrolling back up to the top of the article. He needed to proof-read and submit the document to his editor in the space of ten minutes.

Tired eyes scanned the words as they blurred together and started to make no sense at all. Hiccup blinked hard, desperately trying to wake himself up. His stomach growled at him angrily. He felt his head starting to droop, but right before it could flop forward onto the table, something grabbed his shoulder.

He tried to turn around to look at whoever had grabbed him, but irritatingly, his body chose that exact moment to shut down. His arms went limp and he fell sideways off the chair, into a pair of arms.

Hiccup struggled to keep his eyes open, but found himself looking up into the concerned face of his boyfriend, who seemed to be shouting, but was making no sound. After a few seconds of giving him a confused look, Jack reached forward and took out Hiccup's earplugs.

"Hic? Buddy, can you hear me now?" Now he could hear Jack, yes. "What are you doing up so late? And in the dark?"

Hiccup glanced around, and noticed that, he had indeed been sitting in complete darkness apart from the light from the laptop screen. The laptop. He didn't have time for this. He tried to push away from Jack. "No, I need... to finish... article."

"Hey hey, you're not doing anything of the sort in your state." Jack gripped his shoulders and held him still on the floor next to him. "Have you eaten anything today?"

Hiccup shook his head, looking down at the ground.

"You haven't eaten?" He paused. "Have you drunk anything?"

Hiccup frowned, then shook his head again.

"Jesus, Hiccup. What the hell were you thinking? Do you know how dangerous that is? This is why you can barely keep your eyes open now. Why are you still up?"

"Article…" Hiccup tried again to get out of Jack's arms. "It's due in like five minutes, I gotta…"

"Sit down and don't you dare move." Jack pushed a firm hand on Hiccup's shoulder and then stood up and peered at the laptop screen. "Proof-reading stage, right? Don't worry. I got this. God, this is boring. How did you manage to stay awake long enough to write this anyway? Wow, dude, these typos are not like you at all."

Hiccup could hear the clicking of keys as Jack made corrections to the article.

"Don't you fret Hic, I'll get this submitted with ages to spare…" Jack carried on typing for a few seconds and then clicked the mouse several times. "O-kay, and we are done." He slammed the laptop shut and the room suddenly became extremely dark. "Whoops, ouch-!" There was a crash as Jack stubbed his toe on the desk on his way to the light switch.

As soon as the light came back on, Jack had a moment of panic when Hiccup wasn't in the spot he left him. He'd collapsed sideways and was snoring softly in a heap on the carpet.

"Oh Hiccup no, not on the floor!" Jack rushed forward, scooping the brunet up into his arms, "C'mon I can't carry you. You've gotta help me out here." He tried to shake him awake, and in the end, Hiccup half woke up and managed to stagger to his feet as Jack supported his shoulders.

"Did you… send it in-?" Hiccup mumbled.

"Yes Hic, I sent it, you're safe. Don't worry 'bout a thing." Jack reassured him as the pair made it to their room. "But don't fall asleep just yet." He said as he gently lowered Hiccup onto the bed. "You need to drink something first. Wait here, I'll be right back."

Having to tear Hiccup away from his computer in the early hours of the morning wasn't a new thing for Jack. In fact, he was pretty upset at how often he found his boyfriend in an exhausted heap on his desk at the end of the day It was maybe a weekly affair. Hiccup was obsessed with his job, to put it plainly, and when he had a deadline to meet, he'd forget to take care of himself properly and usually made himself sick in the process.

As Jack poured out a glass of water from the tap, he thought back over all the other times he'd come home and found a half-dead Hiccup craning over a laptop. Today wasn't the worst Jack had seen, but he knew he'd have to convince (or force) Hiccup to take the day off work tomorrow and get some rest.

Back in the other room, Hiccup couldn't understand how Jack could expect him not to fall asleep when he'd just left him on the softest, comfiest, fluffiest blanket he'd ever felt in his life. Jack didn't take as long as Hiccup had hoped he would though, so soon he was back and lifting Hiccup back up to lean against the headboard.

"You need to eat and drink something before you sleep, okay?" Jack said and held out a glass of water for him to take. Hiccup held the glass for a moment, fingers shakily contemplating whether he had enough strength to even bring the glass to his lips. Jack helped to hold it up to his mouth and after a sip, Hiccup realised just how thirsty he was and downed the whole glass. After he'd handed it back, Jack offered him a buttered bread roll, and Hiccup took that too, nibbling it gingerly.

"That's it. Jesus, Hic. You can't keep doing this to yourself. What if I don't make it back in time one night? I don't know what I'd do if-"

"Hey, I'm fine." Hiccup mumbled, "Just tired… I'll be fine in the morning. Thanks for the drink, and for… proof-reading for me." He went to lie back on the bed, but Jack caught him with a hand under his back. "What now…?"

"At least get into your pyjamas first, or you'll feel gross in the morning."

"Ugh fine." Hiccup groaned, swinging his legs off the bed and going to stand up. Jack stopped him yet again.

"Don't move. I'll get them."

"If I don't move, imma fall asleep again…" Hiccup slurred, but Jack was already up and rummaging through his chest of drawers.

"Just keep you eyes open. Keep looking at me." Jack suggested, moving onto the next drawer.

Hiccup stifled a laugh, "But looking at you makes me feel like I'm already in a dream…"

Jack straightened up for a moment, staring at Hiccup, a goofy smile on his face. "I'm that dreamy, am I?" He raised an eyebrow as Hiccup sat there giggling at what he'd said. "I think you might be delirious from lack of sleep…"

Hiccup shook his head, "Nah, I'm not delirious, just infatuated…"

"Okay, you've spent too long writing and your vocabulary's gone all fancy again." Jack finally found Hiccup's pyjama top and trousers and brought them over to the bed. Sitting next to Hiccup, he started to pull his shirt off.

"I'm not a baby." Hiccup's voice was muffled under the fabric as the shirt was pulled up over his head. "I can get dressed by m-myself."

"Yeah I know, but who am I to ruin the perfectly good daydream you're having, eh?" Jack turned and picked up the green pyjama top and gestured for Hiccup to raise his arms. Hiccup did what he was asked and Jack slid the shirt over his head. He decided not to change Hiccup's trousers though, and settled for just removing his jeans and letting him sleep in his boxers.

"C'mon now, lay back sleepyhead." Jack slowly lowered Hiccup onto the bed and pulled three or four blankets from the floor to lay over the already snoring boy. He looked at him for a moment, just watching the rise and fall of his shoulder as the bundled up caterpillar Hiccup snoozed, finally peacefully. He leant over and planted a kiss on Hiccup's forehead.

"Sleep tight, Hic…" Then he went to leave and grab himself a coffee, but as he did, he heard Hiccup's snores turning into something else.

"J-Jack, love you…"

Jack spun himself around in the doorway and watched his dorky boyfriend roll over in the bed, mumbling to himself in between snores. God, he loved his funny little nerd...

"Love you too, Hic." Jack said before making his way to the kitchen. As he turned on the light, he noticed Hiccup's laptop light was flashing in his peripherals. He opened it up and unlocked it. Hiccup had an email. Not even hesitating, Jack opened it up.

Hiccup, thanks for the submission. It was perfect. Exactly what I asked for. Cutting it pretty close recently though, aren't we? Maybe try to get it in a little earlier than two minutes before the deadline next time please. I'm aware of the time and the fact that you're most likely going to read this tomorrow morning, but I'd like to let you know that you can expect a substantial promotion in the next few days. See you tomorrow and thank you again.

Elinor.

Under that was an image of a swirly signature and then the logo of the company Hiccup worked for. Damn, was this from Hiccup's boss? Jack wasn't sure, but he knew Hiccup was going to be over the moon when he read it. A promotion, good for him. Jack knew more than anyone that Hiccup deserved some recognition. Hell, he put enough work into everything he did.

Closing the laptop again, Jack made himself a coffee and planted himself on the sofa, not successfully managing to wipe the happy smile off his face until he was twenty minutes into a Teen Wolf episode.

Jack had always been more of a night owl so he didn't end up feeling sleepy himself until about three in the morning. That was when he finally decided to go join Hiccup in bed. Hiccup was still in the same position as when Jack left him, and was snoring again. As carefully as he could, and so as not to disturb Hiccup in any way, he slid under the duvet next to him and laid facing Hiccup's back. After a few seconds of stillness, Jack reached forward and wrapped his arm over Hiccup, holding him close. Hiccup moved his head back into Jack's chest and cuddled up closer to him too.

"Night Hiccup. See you in the morning." Jack whispered, stroking his hair gently and soon, the two were both fast asleep.

...

Alright alright alright not sure how I feel about that ending, but I ended it right? I got hung up watching American Horror Story while writing this so sorry if it seems rushed or the continuity is messed up...

Shoutouts (cos I haven't done any of these yet, have I?)

Snowflakesandangels: (3) thanks for your first review, it's what inspired the sudden burst of so many one shots in the first place! (5) You are extremely welcome to use it as a prompt. I've had the tumblr post saved on my phone for ages and I just suddenly thought one day while scrolling that HiJack would totally be the doofuses to play this game... (6) Yeah sorry about the confusion with the dates and such.. I should've specified that. Did I get it right? It was the 8th, wasn't it? (7) I'M BOTH SORRY AND PROUD FOR INTRODUCING YOU TO MY FAVOURITE HUMANS ON THE EARTH. Dan and Phil are amazing and they're basically the only non-fictitious people I ever swoon over. Thanks for the reviews and I'm so glad you're liking these one shots!

pikianoa: I've taught my friends the game too but it doesn't really work most of the time cos we're all awkward and shy so it usually just ends in the last person to notice going, "ah crap..." when they realise they've lost. Yeah I kinda felt bad about making Astrid into a cheater because I like her character, but it just made sense cos she's part of the HTTYD universe and all that so they'd have known each other before blah blah idk maybe I do secretly hate Astrid... As for dry Krave, you're very right. I didn't think about what I was writing when I wrote it, because Krave actually probably tastes better without milk anyway... I AGREE I NEED A HICCUP TO HELP CLEAN UP AND FANGASM WITH wait what? nothing...

Two of the broken masks: Hope you liked this chapter. Both your prompts were really fun to write! The next ones should hopefully be just as fun xx

Okay, and the next prompt is going to be dedicated to pikianoa and it's number 19. Until next time...