Thank you for the reviews, favorites and follows. You guys are awesome for sticking up to this story. I'm sorry I'm putting you guys through this. D;
Anyways, sorry for the late update. I got another attack of mind block sooo... D:
Guest - I'm apologizing for my answer but I'd like to keep that as a secret for now. ;3 Yes, you can kill me. It's fine.
Anonymous Girl - since I can't pm you to tell my appreciation, I'm saying this here. Thank you so much for enjoying this. And I hope you enjoy this update. :D
I have not proofread this yet cause I just finished it two minutes ago. I'll do so later. [When this line was removed it meant I finished proofreading.] Sorry if grammatical errors would piss you guys off.
Disclaimer: The characters of this story belongs to their awesome creators. I only own the plot. :)
Chapter 11
Hiccup stared wide-eyed at the person perched atop his window sill. The darkness outside the town together with the little illumination inside his room prevented him from seeing who the intruder was. And if it was not for the intruder's sudden burst of laugh, Hiccup would have thought that he was witnessing mere silhouette.
"Man, your reactions are darn precious!" The intruder said, jumping from the window sill with grace.
Hiccup pushed his self up and his mouth was still open in shock which he quickly closed when the light of his room finally illuminated the whole form of his intruder. Dozens of questions entered his mind but the only sensible sentence his mouth uttered were, "Wha—how—here?"
The intruder furrowed his eyes, "I know you're happy to see me but you should slow down." He patted his wig after he felt it slip at the side. "A question at a time would be good." He said, winking by the end of his sentence.
Hiccup left his mouth open while his eyes and brows screamed annoyance, "Who's happy to see who?" He quickly shook his head, crossing his arms, "What on earth are you doing at my house?" He eyed the blue irises behind the demon mask. "Better yet, how did you know where I live?"
Jack coughed at his knuckle, feeling the return of the bile sticky stuff on his throat. "I forgot to mention that you should allow me to answer in between each question." He breathed air to his lungs, freeing his arm from his bag.
Hiccup watched the other rummaged through the leather bag, jumping a little bit when the intruder threw a pouch towards him. "Uhh…what is this?"
Jack shrugged his shoulder, "It's not going to open by itself."
Hiccup untied the knot and poured the contents at his palm. "Oh." He exclaimed, seeing the loac berries in his hand. He averted his eyes from the berries to meet the icy blue eyes of his masked intruder.
"Yup," Jack said, throwing two more pouches at the bed. "Where is Toothless?"
Hiccup remembered the amount of berries that Toothless ate earlier. '…but I'm sure that he would still be happy to have more.' Hiccup thought, "He's at the stable…if you did bother checking the front door and not barging into my window like some thief, you won't miss where the stable's at."
Jack visibly winced, looking back at the window and seeing its ruined lock. "Sorry about that." He said sheepishly.
Hiccup sighed, "I'll forgive you because of this." He shook the pouch in his hand.
Jack smiled, thinking, 'Great thing I brought that.' Because truth to be told, the reason he was at Hiccup's home was not for the sole purpose of giving the loac berries to the horse. With him being sick and all, he could always postpone to give it in another day. But as he was walking back to the castle after his brother and friend advised him to, the smaller boy in front of him entered his mind.
(Flashback)
Jack sneezed, cursing at the biting air for being too chilly tonight but in all honesty, he blamed his soon-to-be-fever for it.
He pouted to his self when he realized how stupid he was for denying the offers he got from his brother, friend and knights in giving him a ride home. He was even feeling more stupid when he did not bring his own horse.
His momentary self-hate was interrupted when a group of young men headed at the opposite direction that he was going for. They respectfully bowed their heads when they saw him and he acknowledged them with a nod of his head. The moment the group passed by him, they resumed their talking.
"A can't wait tah ask Mary for a dance." One of the guys said.
"But A thought ye were goin' tah play the bagpipes with us!" Another one reminded.
Jack muted them out right then, feeling jealous that they would be enjoying the night's party while he spent the time at the seclusion of his lonely chamber with no brother or friend to mess around with.
"Argh! Who would want to spend this night alone anyway!?" He kicked the unfortunate pebble on the ground and it skipped down the bridge. He pulled his cloak closer to his self, coughing at the sudden use of his voice. He was halfway at the bridge when he paused in his tracks. 'Actually….there is someone who would.' He smirked. 'I guess it wouldn't hurt….not like my brother would know anyway.'
So, he quickly ran back down the bridge, heading straight to the home of his new friend. Luckily, he brought his disguise with him. It was not bad to plan ahead.
(End of Flashback)
"Thanks," Hiccup said, pursing his lips.
Jack paced around before he smoldered, "Why is it that whenever we meet, you're always half-naked?" He said, pointing at his exposed chest.
Hiccup flustered, suddenly self-conscious even though the other male had seen him like that before. But it was an embarrassing thought if he engraved that impression of his new friend's mind forever. "You just have bad timing."
Jack whistled, "I doubt it, I practically think I always arrived at the right time~"
Hiccup glared daggers at Jack which made the latter purse his lips and chuckle nervously, "Ha..ha, I was only joking, young man."
Hiccup grabbed a green worn-out tunic from his shelf, slipping it to his head and arms. Jack looked away while the other clothed his self, feeling like he was invading too much of Hiccup's personal space. As if breaking down the window was not enough proof of that.
Then, his eyes landed on the sketches pinned against the wall. Most of them were mythical creatures which he identified to be dragons. "Wow," he breathed in amazement. He was not the type to bother much about paintings or art but he genuinely liked the images scattered before him. "Did you draw this?"
Hiccup was in the middle of wearing his pants when he craned his head to look up at the sketches that Jack was staring at. "Uhh…yeah."
Jack eyed each of them and his attention stopped at one particular sketch of a dragon which was not as grand and menacing as the others. It was black as night with slithered eyes that was usually seen on snakes. His amazement was broken when he felt this sudden itchiness in his throat. He coughed loudly, wheezing when it ended.
Hiccup was just behind him, patting his back. "Are you alright?"
Jack laughed a little, clearing his throat. "I guess this is what I get for not listening at you."
Hiccup remembered how he advised him to remove his clothes to dry, only for the other to joke about. He huffed, halfly-amused but felt a little bad for the other. "Well, I never really expected you to catch a cold."
Jack smiled his blinding white teeth, "Don't let my strong physique fool ya~"
Hiccup scrunched his face in distaste, "Oh, I don't know~" He said, rolling the words. He walked towards his window to inspect the broken lock. "I heard idiots don't catch colds."
Jack was silent for a moment and the only sound he made was his sniffs. He furrowed his eyes then drawled, "Hey! Are you calling me an idiot?"
Hiccup sing-songed, "Oh, did I say that?" 'If you're going to annoy me, might as well do the same.' He thought.
"Haha, very funny." Jack deadpanned. He trudged around the room before he sat himself down the bed. If it was not for his mask, anyone would be able interpret the expression he had on his face at the moment. He knew of this situation, it was just hard for him to imagine anyone sleeping on hard beds like these. 'Had he never heard of hay?' He thought.
Hiccup sighed loudly, closing the window and hoping the wind would not push it open while he was asleep. The last thing he wanted was to get sick as well. He averted his eyes from the closed window to the unannounced visitor at his home. And was surprised on how quiet the other was. Although, it was their second meeting today, he had enough reason to think that the masked man was talkative, playful and annoying for his own good.
"I'm going to sleep now." Hiccup informed. He did not say that to drive away the man from his home because in all honesty, he already felt the tiredness on his body caused by the race. He also felt his back sore from the way he fell earlier.
Jack caught on the message. "Oh, okay." He dutifully stood up, proceeding to walk out of the room. He was a bit dispirited that he had to walk back to the castle now and spend the night alone. He was tired and he knew he needed the rest but he envied the fun that the others were having at the feast.
He was halfway down the stairs which was illuminated by the lamp that Hiccup held in his hand. Jack paused, looking behind him. He found it funny how the freckled male was still short even though he was standing at a step lower than the other. "Why aren't you at the dance?"
Hiccup pursed his lips at the other's question. "I don't dance." He said blankly.
Jack stifled the cough that threatened to burst out his throat and proceeded to walk down the stairs. "I'm pretty sure you are hiding some dancing skills behind all…," he trailed, spinning on his heel to face the other, "..that?" He said, eyeing the other up and down and finally noticing how big the tunic that the other was wearing, almost making it look like he was wearing a night dress.
Jack's questionable declaration (which he swore the other ended with a question) made Hiccup's raise his brow. "Oh yeah, I'm sure the ladies can't wait to have a dance with this handsome and strong man." He said with strong sarcasm, motioning his hand from his head down to his torso.
Jack did not bother to stifle his laugh, finding it amusing. Then out of nowhere, his stomach rumbled loudly. And if it was not for the yellow illumination of the lamp, it would be as clear as day on how red Jack's cheeks had turned. Never in his life did his tummy growled that loud. And by now, he realized that he only had one meal today – breakfast which he had before the sun even rose from where it hid. "Wow," he rubbed the back of his head, smiling sheepishly, "…what creaky floors you have."
Hiccup could not help but giggle, "Pfft, if you haven't eaten, all you have to do is ask." He dropped the lamp atop the table, opening pots and rummaging for clean bowls. 'Well, I only have my breakfast left to offer…which isn't much.'
Jack pursed his lips, coughing every now and then.
Hiccup amazingly lit fire by the fireplace in few minutes, dragging a pot to the hook and leaving it to boil the contents it had. "We don't have much in here. You don't mind fish, do you?"
"Anything's fine." Jack smiled. 'Seriously, I'm in no position to be picky anyway.'
Hiccup went to the cupboards, sighing when he did not find anything else to add at the pot. He proceeded to add more water into it instead, adding seasonings for taste. He added sour fruit, thinking it would be good to help relieve Jack's throat.
Once finished, he poured the contents at a bowl, feeling a little embarrassed that he do not have anything else to offer. "Here," he laid the bowl in front Jack.
Jack surprisingly managed to smell the soup even when he felt his nose was clogged. He dipped his spoon, not bothering with etiquette as he sipped the soup. His lips pouted a bit, closing his eyes, "That's sour."
"It's good for coughs," Hiccup shrugged, "Sorry, it's all I could offer you." 'I don't think he'll be full with that.'
"No, no, it's okay. Thank you…" The other smiled gratefully. Jack got to admit, the food before him was not enough to fill the empty stomach of his. But the prospect of receiving food from someone who obviously sacrificed their next meal for him was more than enough to fill his thoughts in bliss. He ate and sipped the broth down to the last drop, humming in delight. Surprisingly, it was good although he could tell that the ingredients were not as great as the ones that his cooks used. And as Hiccup had informed him, the sourness did clear up the clogging feeling in his throat and by Gods; Jack could not help but wish the feeling of relief never leave him.
"Uhm, sorry, I can't give you seconds. There's only soup of it left." Hiccup winced.
Jack smiled, watching the flickering light of the lamp. "Then I'll have more of that soup, please." He lifted the bowl towards Hiccup like a pup waiting for his master's petting.
Jackson was clapping along several men and women who chanted along with the sounds of bagpipes and singers. Couples, children and friends danced at the upbeat sounds from around, prancing and swinging with their partners.
Huge braziers and bonfires lit up the fair as if it was daylight. The silhouettes danced along with the movements of their owners, twirling and spreading around, covering the ground in momentary darkness. Several men were singing and boasting around with mugs of ale in their hands. It was a comical sight on how the weak drinkers toppled and wobbled over, feeling the ground shook around them.
"I bet young Dingwall would not even last one mug," Jackson whispered at Jamie's ears.
The two of them were perched on a table along with the three heirs of the Macintosh, Dingwall and Macguffin clan. And young as they may be, they were old enough to be graced with the tipsy drink the adults loved to gulp, Ale.
Jackson and Jamie were not that into drinking ale. The bitter taste it engraved in their tongues was not at all appealing to them. But for the sole purpose of companionship, the two sat there, sipping at their ale from time to time.
Jamie rolled his eyes. 'He's not even touching his drink.' He thought, noticing how young Dingwall just sat there, staring at a place unknown to man.
Out of the three heirs, only young Macintosh was worth conversing with. Basically cause the other two never uttered a word to them. Dingwall always stared into space whereas Macguffin never bothered to say a word even when they asked him direct questions.
It was evident in Macintosh's voice that the ale was working its way into his head for he was talkative more than anyone at the table.
"Ye know, yer Highness." Macintosh said, his speech was bit slurred. "A don' think ye stand a chance with the Princess." He finished his sentence by drinking on his mug.
Jackson looked at Jamie then back at Macintosh.
Macintosh dropped his mug, "Did ye know tha' we competed for her hand before?"
Jackson was half-interested whereas his friend listened intently at Macintosh's every word.
"Ye know, A was fooled at first, ye see. She is beautiful," Macintosh said. 'But not as beautiful as me.' He said inwardly, swishing his slightly wavy hair.
Jamie agreed at Macintosh's praise for Merida was indeed beautiful. Unique even.
"But her strong fiery attitude was a no go for me," Macintosh added.
'Psh. Not like you stand a chance anyway.' Jackson rested his cheek at his palm, starting to feel bored.
"At the dey of the competition, she suggested archery to determine the winner." He continued. "But ye know, A hit the target righ' on the spot." He said smugly, making Macguffin snort for he knew he was lying.
Jamie furrowed his brow.
"But then, the Princess came out of nowhere then announced tha' she'll compete for her own hand." Macintosh drank more of his ale, "Hittin' each target righ' at the middle! Even slicin' the already pierced arrow in half."
Jamie was in more awe at the Princess now. 'Who knew she'll be that good at archery now?' He smiled.
"We thought she did tha' because she wanted tah choose who she'll marry." Macintosh continued on. And that sentence heightened the alertness of Jamie whereas Jackson felt interested now, removing his head from his palm.
"Was that not the reason…?" Jamie asked.
Macintosh shrugged, "Well, it is the reason but the boy she liked was long decided before she even sabotaged the competition."
"She…already has someone she likes…?" Jamie asked weakly. And Jackson could not help but look at his disheartened friend, making him butt into the conversation, "Who?"
"Do ye guys know the boy she always hangs out with? Ye know, Heccup?"
'Don't tell me it's him.' Jackson and Jamie thought at the same time.
"He was this lanky blacksmith with wooden left leg, he's hard to miss." He continued.
'No…I don't believe it.' Jamie denied but somehow felt what drunken Macintosh said to be true. But then realized how close Hiccup and Merida was. Somehow, something in his mind shouted that the two was just close friends…but he could not turn a blind eye at the possibility that Macintosh had laid upon them.
'I'm sure they're just friends…right?' Jackson thought, puzzled by the way he felt irritated and mad at the prospect that Merida have feelings for Hiccup. He assessed the emotion coursing through him and somehow realized that he felt threatened-the same feeling he had when Pitch found out about Baby Tooth - the very idea of losing important. He brushed the thought off his mind, thinking he was affected on how the issue would impact his friend. 'Yeah, that's probably it'
"Clearly, A don't see what she saw in him…he probably can't even lift a wooden sword," Macintosh blabbered on, chuckling every now and then. "A was thankful tho', cause now A'm allowed tah choose mah girl."
The two was not paying Macintosh any more attention. Their minds were now running wild with thoughts, thinking if what he said was true. "It's just a rumor, right?" Jackson inquired.
Macintosh raised a brow, thinking that Jackson was telling him that his manly charm at the ladies was nothing but a rumor. The reason why he thought that was because he was now far from the story regarding Merida and Hiccup and was now talking about his popularity amongst the ladies.
"…about the Princess and the blacksmith?" Jamie added.
Macintosh craned his head towards Jamie. "It's up tah ye whether ye believe or nae." He downed the last of his ale, standing up and declaring, "Come on! Nough' of this, let us dance the night away!" He tipsily walked to the huge square where partners and groups dance at.
Macguffin followed Macintosh while Dingwall just stared into space whereas the two guests kept on sitting. Jamie downed three large gulps of his ale, wincing by the end.
"Whoa, slow down." Jackson chided. "One patient is enough for maids to fuzz on tonight."
Jamie rolled his eyes, pushing his mug to the center of the table and resting his cheeks on his palm. "This sucks."
"I bet it's just rumors. Don't bum yourself over it." Jackson ruffled Jamie's hair.
"If ye ask me, A think they're more like siblings." Dingwall said out of nowhere.
"Wait…You can tal-," Jackson was about to say, only for Jamie to instinctively cover his mouth.
Dingwall was still spaced out even while he was drinking his ale. "Or…maybe a mother…?"
Jackson and Jamie raised their brows.
"She did give him his name after all," Dingwall continued.
"What do you mean?" Jamie asked, his hand was still plastered on Jackson's mouth. The latter did not bother removing it for his full attention was on Dingwall.
"It was years ago when A heard small talk regarding the injured boy that the Dunbroch family brought with them from their yearly trip. And somethin' bout the Princess givin' the lost boy his name."
Jamie removed his hand from Jackson. His mind was in puzzles.
Dingwall surprisingly craned his attention to them and for once, his eyes were looking at them. He leaned closer, almost whispering, "A heard the King and Queen talk about the possibility that the boy was a survivor from…" He stopped in the middle of his sentence, his eyes widened in realization. He sat back again at his seat, staring off into space.
"Survivor from? Hey," Jackson tapped the table, feeling bummed out at what Dingwall was about to say. But Dingwall never uttered a word and just stared off into space, shutting out the two in his mind.
Jackson wanted to hear the next words and was about to ask Dingwall again when Pitch arrived from nowhere with a scowl on his face. "Prince Jackson, may we talk?" He said it in a question but silently, it left Jackson no choice but to comply. Jackson nodded his head before leaving the Dingwall and Jamie by the table.
Jackson followed Pitch to the side where few couples stood to dance. The older male tucked his hands on his back, staring off into giddy dancers. "Be honest with me, Prince Jackson."
Jackson resisted the urge to raise his brow. Instead, he faced his uncle with blank stare.
"You never seemed to make any moves to ask the Princess of Dunbroch." Pitch declared, "Is there a reason why?"
Jackson almost winced, forgetting about the matter. He knew how much of cunning observant his uncle was. It was almost comical on his mind how he bothered with someone else than the Princess herself. The one he was supposed to court…well, not that he was courting the other boy nor does he have any plans to really court the Princess, but he noticed how much time he had spent with the boy during the first few days of his stay.
Jackson sighed, "I don't think the Princess and I….are on the same page, uncle."
Pitch averted his gaze from the dancers to the Prince.
"Clearly," Jackson moved his stare to the dancers this time, "We do not get along."
"May I know why you never bothered trying to make her like you?"
'Long list of reasons, uncle. Damn long list.' Jackson thought. "Truth to be told, I'm not interested."
Pitch sighed, closing his eyes in his attempt to keep his anger. "Why did you not say so from the start? We could have saved the time wasted at this Kingdom."
Jackson tinkered with his head, not liking where this was going. The last thing he wanted was Pitch announcing to embark his troupe back to their Kingdom. "This is not a complete waste of time."
Pitch raised his brow, "Why is it not?"
Jackson smirked, "Do not take my words as an insult, uncle. But we both know that you are not here to simply find me wife. I knew that for every Kingdom we visited, you always had the mind to study their strong and weaknesses. And the same was done for this Kingdom, clearly, I take that there are more for you to understand."
Pitch sneered.
"Have you finished establishing an alliance with this Kingdom?" Jackson added. 'Rather, finished formulating a plan to conquer this Kingdom?' It was not unlikely for his uncle to think of such thoughts. To be honest, his uncle was a secretive fellow. One could never tell what goes on in his mind.
Pitch pursed his lips. "There is no need for that. The Queen, herself, had been won over before we even took a step into their lands." 'What money and power could do.' He smirked to his self.
"Are we to leave the Kingdom now?"
Pitch thought for a little while, "It would be rude to leave suddenly. We will stay as planned."
Jackson hid the delight that he felt, puffing his chest. "Very well." He was not ready to leave yet. Not when there were numerous reasons for him to stay.
"But…I expect you to continue your courtship with the Princess. It was the reason why we came here for after all." Pitch sneered.
Jackson resisted the urge to roll his eyes, masking with a smile. "As you wish, uncle. I shall take my leave now and ask the Princess for a dance." He quickly left, not even waiting for Pitch's affirmation. He trudged back to where Jamie still sat, seeing how his friend stare at the familiar redhead. Jackson smiled deviously, grabbing his friend by the arm.
"Wha—what?" Jamie asked, clumsily letting his self be pulled by Jackson.
Jackson winked at him. "Thank me later." He said, pushing Jamie towards Merida.
Jamie luckily managed to stop his body from tumbling down in front of the Princess. His shoulders were gently ushered a little to the Princess.
Merida craned her head, watching the Jackson and Jamie. "Oh, it's ye two."
Jackson smiled sweetly, "No other than the two of us."
Merida rolled her eyes at Jackson before pouting.
"What seems to be the problem?" Jackson asked, seeing how the Princess was bored.
"Nothin'," Merida replied. 'It's just mah friend seemed to ditch me….again!'
"If you do not mind, will you allow my friend here to have a dance with you?" Jackson said, making Jamie gape at him.
Jamie sweated, feeling embarrassed. "No, no, his highness was just joking, Princess."
Merida blew air through her nose. "Cut the act, Jamie. A know ye two are close, no need tah act formally. And we talk about thes already! Call me by mah name." She said, raising her arm.
Jackson raised a brow towards Jamie, clearly amused. Silently asking his flustered friend, 'There's something you're not telling me.'
And Jackson was more than right with that statement for Jamie had refrained to tell him about the things that happened earlier at the fest. Basically, he wanted to avoid the teasing he would surely get from the chestnut-haired man.
Merida cleared her throat, her hand was still raised towards Jamie. "Mah arm is already tired, Jamie. Are ye goin' tah dance with me or what?"
Jamie blabbered random words, blushing at the moment. And Jackson enjoyed the scene played before him. "Go on, Jamie. Don't keep the Princess waiting."
Jackson nodded and Merida smiled when Jamie took her hand. Funny, Jackson thought. He could just imagine the Princess taking lead instead for the dance. And he was right; the Princess did take lead at the dance for Jamie did not seem to know what to do. Hopefully, Jamie was just being lame on purpose because right that moment, Jackson wanted to force Jamie into dance lessons.
Jack just finished his fourth bowl of water-filled broth while talking to Hiccup about random things. He had no idea on how they were fooling around one minute then ended up talking about weaponry and armors the second. But per usual, Jack still coughed every now and then. It was a good thing that he felt his self sweat, relieving the heat that he felt trapped inside his body earlier.
"Bows?" Hiccup said, "We don't really make bows. Other shops do them though, we're concentrated on metals rather than wood."
"Mhmm," Jack hummed, "How come the Princess visits you often then? Arrows?"
Hiccup eyes widened then furrowed, his hands were on his chest as if shielding his self, "How did you know about that?"
"You're quite famous, I must say," Jack wheezed, pulling his cloak closer to his self. It seemed that it was getting colder as the night deepened.
Hiccup sighed. Jack could not be more wrong after all. He was indeed famous, one for a good reason while another for something bad. Being the closest friend of the fiery redheaded Princess and another for owning his great warhorse served him great popularity. But his crippled state and his origin gave him a bad name. He was often ridiculed for his appearance but it soon stopped when the townsfolk got used to him. Now, he was often praised for his magnificent work at the shop. Despite his weak physique, he could surely finish a job fast and properly.
"You've been busy." Hiccup deadpanned, grabbing the bowl and asking Jack if he wanted more. The masked intruder replied that he was full, resting his head atop his crossed arms at the table. He was feeling sleepy and comfortable at the way he sat by the table.
Hiccup grabbed the dirty dishes, proceeding to clean it by the basin.
Jack listened to the cluttering of plates and pots, "How long have you guys been friends?"
Hiccup looked behind him for a bit before bringing his attention back to the basin, "Five years."
"Oh," Jack replied. "I heard she gave you your name…is that true?" He said, pulling his cloak closer to his self. His mind was slowly losing its consciousness.
'Just how much does this guy know about me?' Hiccup asked in his head. He decided to answer since it was not a secret that the Princess gave him the name. "Yeah…"
"Haha," Jack coughed. "I got to admit, she gave you a unique one. If fits you well." He wanted to ask Hiccup why. Why did the Princess needed to give him a name? But felt like he would intrude too much. For what he knew, he was surely freaking out the smaller male at that moment. His mind lulled into the darkness, feeling his droopy and tired eyelids fell.
Hiccup rolled his eyes, "Thanks. Your comment made me want to leap in joy." He sarcastically said. He busied himself with washing, not even noticing that the other stopped talking. But once he was finished, he spun on his heel and walked to the table, saying, "Alright, let's get you home. I'll take Toothless with me."
The masked visitor did not move nor stir a bit. Hiccup walked closer to him, placing a hand to the other's shoulder and shaking him. "Hey…wake up."
The other just groaned, snoring lightly. "Uhh…" Hiccup felt the heat coursing out of the other's shoulder. He went raised his hand, bringing the back of his hand to the neck of Jack. He immediately felt undeniable heat from the neck, "So…he was running a fever."
Hiccup looked at Jack, thinking on what to do. He sighed loudly, touching his forehead in thought. He was tired but he could not find it in him to throw a sick person out in the biting cold. "Shit. I shouldn't have chatted with him too long." He regretfully said. "What now?"
He shook the other again, "Hey…don't sleep there." But it seemed that the other was a deep sleeper for he heard no response.
"Argh, I can't carry you with me." He informed, "Fine."
Hiccup walked up to the stairs, bringing the light with him. He went to his room, taking a blanket with him. He limply went down to where he left his visitor and saw him still perched on the position he left him at.
He removed the Jack's cloak, covering him instead with the blanket. He remembered how he took care of Gobber whenever the old man was sick. So he went back to the kitchen, dipping cloth to the cold water.
He went back to his sleeping visitor, hearing the other snore a little which Hiccup thought to be the cause of having the nose clogged with snot. But now, Hiccup did not take a move and stood beside Jack silently for thoughts run through his head. 'Should I?'
He advanced his hand towards the mask, stopping when his skin met with the wood. Hiccup would lie if he declared that he was not curious on who the person was behind it. He had figured the man was not a resident; basically, he does not sport the same accent that Dunbroch residents have. But what was stopping him was how the other would react once he lifted the mask hiding him. 'Would he be mad?' He thought but then took a deep breath, 'Well, I'm doing this for his own good anyway.'
Then he clamped his finger at one side, slowly lifting the wooden mask.
I promised Jack, haven't I? So, here he was. Somebody nurse him back to health.
Dude, I'm going too slow with this story. Should I hasten the story? But..but. D:
The reference for 'Idiots don't catch cold' came from the animes I've watched. They would usually say that idiots don't even have the brains to catch cold. I know, that's harsh.
Oh yeah, my poll is still ongoing. Just in case, drop by my profile and vote? :D