Hey guys! I know I said I wouldn't upload anything for a while, since my finals start next week, but apparently I'm a bad student and I chose writing over sleep... I'm about to drop dead from exhaustion.
Anyway, not much happening here... Just a bit of bonding time!
Disclaimer: I own nothing blablabla you know the drill.
Hiccup couldn't remember the last time he'd had to suffer through a car ride as awkward as this one was.
He had agreed on letting the other man give him a ride to the nearest city, but insisted on driving. Although he was a grown man and legal adult capable of fending for himself, the whole "stranger danger" thing still applied.
As he sat behind the steering wheel of the runaway car, eyes focused on the road, he tried to consider the events that had led him to this point, sitting in the car with a stranger he'd met while robbing a bank.
He bit his lips slightly, shooting quick glances as the white-haired man sitting next to him, knees clutched to his chest. The brunet wasn't usually one to small-talk, but he didn't think he could make it through another generically cheesy pop-song bursting out the radio without losing his sanity.
He reached for the volume button and turned it down, until it was reduced to a vague whisper in the car. Hiccup shifted on his seat to face the other male as much a he could.
« I think we need to talk about this » he said, eyebrows knitted together
« You sound like you're about to break up with me » the man laughed
« I'm serious! » Hiccup growled, frowning as he stared blankly at the speed meter « This— » he said, making a vague gesture englobing the car « This is just too weird to be a coincidence »
« How? »
The brunet raised an eyebrow « You're carpooling with a guy who tried robbing the same bank as you... Aren't you at least a bit curious about how that happened? »
« How does anything ever happen? » the other shrugged « I think you're reading too much into it »
« I'm just curious... » Hiccup mumbled
« It was just a coincidence, if you ask me » the man said « There aren't that many big banks in his god forsaken place, we were bound to meet at some point » he smirked « Speaking of which, I don't think we've been properly introduced yet... Tell me about yourself » he noticed Hiccup shifting uncomfortably on his seat « Listen » he said « I know it'd be pretty foolish to trust a con man, but if you're worried about me stealing your money and dumping your corpse on the roadside... Don't be. I have more than I need, as of now, and I'm not into the hole 'killing spree' things... Murder lacks style »
« I'm Hiccup » the brunet answered
« Hiccup, really? » the other laughed
« It's a nickname, obviously. You already saw my face, I'm not giving you my real name. »
« And how'd you managed to get that name? »
« I used to go around towns and rob grocery stores and ATMs with two other guys » Hiccup said « They kept calling me that because they thought I was too weak and useless to do the job... The name stuck after a while »
« And where are they now? » the white-haired male asked
The brunet smirked deviously « Jail »
The other shot him a wide-eyed look before bursting into laughter, and Hiccup had to repress a smile of his own.
« Alright! » the man said « I like you Hiccup, you're pretty cool » he grinned « I'm Jack Frost, and yes, that's also a nickname »
« Ha! » the brunet chuckled « I get the hair now » he pointed at the man's snow white hair « Clever »
« Why, thank you » Jack said smugly « So, what's your thing? »
« My thing? »
« Yeah! The thing that got you into this business »
« Oh » Hiccup pondered for a moment « I guess you could call me a cyber-criminal. I can hack into virtually anything » he shrugged « At some point I realized that cracking wifi passwords wasn't enough, and I moved up to something more challenging » that earned a chuckle from Jack « Basically I'm a massive geek with too much time on his hands and a great appeal for money »
Jack nodded understandingly. « Well... » the brunet added « What's your thing, then? »
« Ah » Jack scratched the back of his neck « I'm nothing big. Just a small-profit robber, y'know? » he shrugged « I just go around towns, target small banks and leave as soon as I'm done » a smug grin crept its way on his lips « I'm no wonder-boy with a computer like you are, Hiccy »
« No, uh-hu! » Hiccup shook his head, lips pursed « Never call me that again, or I swear to the gods, I will crash the car » Jack chuckled.
The sun had started setting, bathing the road in its reddish glow, when they reached a small town and Hiccup parked the car in front of a shabby-looking motel. He switched off the ignition, and the car became silent.
« Well… » the brunet started, rubbing the back of his neck « Thanks for the ride, I guess… I spotted a car concessionaire a few blocks down, I'll go check it out tomorrow » He unbuckled his seatbelt and opened the door, gritting his teeth when a cold gush of wind hit his face. Jack didn't seem to move, his eyes on the smaller boy « So… Err » Hiccup mumbled, grabbing his back on the back seat « Yeah, bye »
Way to go Hiccup, he thought, That wasn't awkward at all… Not that I care.
He shook his head. Sure, it was nice to finally have someone to talk to… He hadn't had a proper conversation in—he held out a couple of fingers, counting mentally—three weeks. But he knew better than to get attached to the first guy that came around.
It wasn't like he needed anyone, anyway. He was fine by himself, had always been. And even if he did, with today's cash, he came closer to his goal, and everything would soon be over.
Hiccup heard a door slam, and snapped his neck towards the car. Jack had a bag over his shoulder, locking the vehicle as he walked towards the brunet.
« Err… » Hiccup narrowed his eyes at the white-haired man « What are you doing? »
« Need a place to spend the night » the other simply answered, shrugging his shoulder « Plus, if we share a room we could save money »
« You just robbed a bank and you're worried about the money? » the freckled boy raised an eyebrow in suspicion.
« C'mon, Hic » Jack whined « Don't be a kill-joy. I didn't molest you or steal your stuff during the ride, you have to agree that I'm pretty trustworthy » He walked passed the boy, towards the motel « Besides it'll be fun to finally have a bit of company, I was starting to get bored to death »
Hiccup rolled his eyes « So I just have no say in this at all? » Jack smirked deviously and shook his head. The brunet let out a sigh, trailing behind « Fine… » he said.
When they reached the entrance, Hiccup stopped with his hand on the doorknob. He turned towards Jack, biting his lips.
« Do you mind waiting over there— » he pointed towards the worn-out armchairs, a few feet away from the counter « Just while I book us a room? »
Jack raised an eyebrow at him, but shrugged and nodded nonetheless. He did as he was told and went to sit in a chair with his bag at his feet, as Hiccup leaned over the counter, catching the receptionist's attention. She was a stiff-looking woman in her late forties, with grayish hair pulled into a messy bun, and a top showing a bit too much cleavage.
The white-haired man couldn't exactly hear what the brunet was saying, but from the looks of it, he had just complimented the woman on her jewelry, which seemed to drive her into a lively chat. Jack held back a laugh at how uncomfortable Hiccup looked, eyebrows knitted as he nodded a few times.
After what seemed like ages, the brunet came back, holding out two keys.
« What was that about? » Jack asked as they climbed up the stairs
« What was what about? » Hiccup bit his lips, avoiding eye contact.
« You were totally hitting on the woman at the counter! » the taller man laughed « Man, that was the most awkward way to pick up a girl I've ever seen »
The brunet flushed slightly « I wasn't hitting on her » he hissed, eyes narrowed
« Hey hey » Jack chuckled, holding up his hands « I'm not judging! She wasn't my type, but you go for whatever tickles your fancy, my friend »
They finally reached their assigned room, and Hiccup grunted, opening the door. The place was cramped and had seen better days. There were two separate beds with suspicious-looking bedspreads, and the boy made a mental note to check the sheets before going to bed.
« No, but really » Jack spoke again, dropping his bag on one of the beds, his nose wrinkled in disgust « What were you doing? »
« I… » Hiccup hesitated. « I was hacking into their bank account » he said, biting his lips. He knew it wasn't a good idea to tell anyone that—especially not a fellow criminal. So why couldn't he just shrug it off?
The white haired man lifted a curious brow, urging the smaller boy to continue.
« Well » the freckled teen grabbed the back of his hair « I tweaked my credit card so that it would copy all their bank informations and store them for later use. » He found himself smiling, taking pride in his little handiwork « I just have to connect it to my computer, and I can access their online banking account and just… y'know… Take what I need » he scrunched his nose, glaring at his feet « But the process is a bit slow, so I had to distract the receptionist from the screen for a while »
He lifted his head, and found Jack staring at him with wide eyes and a smile creeping on his lips. He burst into laughter, falling on top of the bed and sending up clouds of dust.
« Okay » he chuckled « I'm officially impressed! That was some spy-movie shit you just pulled, Hic! »
The brunet flushed at the compliment, and a small smile tugged at the corner of his lips, before he suppressed it and shook his head.
« It's not that great » He sighed « I'm good with computer, that's all » he pulled nervously on the strap of his bag « I'm a lot less good with people, though » he mumbled to himself.
« Well I find that hard to believe » Jack said, pushing himself up on his elbows « Who wouldn't want to be constantly sassed up by you? »
« Ha-ha-ha » Hiccup pulled a face, dropping his bag on the floor and kicking off his shoes « Oh you're hilarious, Frosty »
« See? » the other smirked « My point exactly! »
They both laughed, and Hiccup found himself relaxing a bit, realizing he actually got along well with Jack. Sure, he wasn't stupid enough to completely trust the guy, but it was nice to finally have someone he could be himself around. Also…
He glanced quickly at the taller man lying on the bed with his arms over his head. His blue hoodie was lifted slightly over his stomach, and Hiccup could see the pale, smooth skin underneath. He gulped hard, looking away, suddenly very interested in the strap of his bag.
He couldn't exactly deny that Jack was hot, and completely his type. The brunet shook his head. He wasn't crushing on the white-haired man, per say… But he did have the teeniest interest in him.
Oh that can't be good.
« I'm gonna take a shower » he spurted quickly, grabbing his bag off the floor and practically dashing into the tiny bathroom.
Jack raised an eyebrow curiously at the brunet as he locked the door behind him, but his attention was quickly grabbed by the TV screen in a corner of a room.
When Hiccup came out of the bathroom, a few minutes later, Jack was watching a soap-opera and chewing on some biscuits. He glanced at the brunet, and noticed he had changed into a pair of baggy pants that hung low on his hips and an oversized T-shirt.
« I don't get it » Jack said, focusing back on the screen and offering a biscuit to the freckled teen, who took it and laid on his own bed, rolling over so he was on his stomach, facing the TV set. « Jessica's pregnant with Jim's baby, but still loves Mathias even after what he did to Andrea's sister? »
Hiccup chuckled. He narrowed his eyes, pretending to be focused on the screen. « Yeah » he said « But Mathias only did that because Becky ran away with John when she was supposed to marry Harry, and he couldn't get over Veronica's death »
Jack stared at him in shock « Really? » he asked, surprised that the boy actually watched the show.
Hiccup shrugged « I don't know, I'm just making it up »
The white-haired man laughed, when someone on screen broke a vase « Ooh » he said « Sounds dramatic » he earned a chuckle from the brunet « But Georges » he squeaked in a high-pitched voice, dubbing over the actress' voice « How could you do this to me? We were in love! »
Hiccup giggled, and played along. « I never loved you, Daphne » he said in a ridiculously deep voice as a buff-looking man came on « I only pretended to love you so I could get my revenge for my brother Derrick's murder »
« I can't believe you! » Jack gasped in mock indignation « What about the baby? »
« That baby was never ours! I stole it from a clinic after you slept with Tucker »
« I never slept with Tucker! We were only talking about how I was really… Your sister! »
They kept making up dialogs until the crack of dawn, laughing so much they both rolled off the bed at some point. They sat next to each other on the floor, passing snacks and blurting out ridiculous lines. None of them had an idea of what was actually going on on the show, nor did they care for all that matter. They simply enjoyed the sheer ridiculousness of it all, and tried coming up with the most dramatic plot-twists they could think of.
After the show was long over, they fell asleep on their respective beds, ribs hurting and exhausted.
AN: So... Err... Yeah, short boring chapter... but it was needed for the next one to make sense, sorta.
I don't really know when I'll be able to upload the next chapter. I probably won't have time to write anything until my finals are over and I plan on getting massively drunk afterwards so it won't be for another week or two, sorry!
Anyway, I hope you like it so far, please let me know how you feel in a comment, it'll probably help me not blow my brains' out before the end of the week! xxx