[OLD] Rise of the Brave Tangled Dragon One Shots

The Only Seat (Prompt)

Prompt: "We both hate each other but it's really crowded and your booth is the only one with an open seat."
AU: Modern.
Ship: Hijack/Frostcup (Hiccup + Jack)

Standing in the lunchroom, Hiccup desperately searched for another seat that wasn't next to Jack, though it seemed to be the only available one. Hiccup was never fond of Jack. Well, really no one was. Jack was the boy who nobody liked, yet he was the most well-known and popular boy in school. He wasn't a bully or anything like that, he just had his own quirks that made him an annoyance. One thing he was notoriously known for was not starting fights, but knowing how to finish them. He was also pretty manipulative and able to get what he wanted from people, mostly girls. It probably didn't help that his dad was the principal, and he was liked by good piece of the staff.

What bothered Hiccup the most, though, was the way Jack treated him. He wasn't mean, he was actually really nice, which was the issue. He always tried to talk to Hiccup, and he actively tried to avoid him. One time, Hiccup brought his cat, Toothless, to school and was inevitably caught. Jack stepped in and convinced the principal to let him off the hook. It really irritated Hiccup when Jack was nice to him, mainly because he wasn't like that with anyone else. Jack always spoke at least somewhat passive-aggressively towards the other students, or spoke like he was clearly trying to make them do what he needed. He was basically a jerk to everyone, except Hiccup. And that made him insane. Why? Why was he nice to him? Was he trying to get something?

Actually, now that he thought about it, Jack hadn't tried to speak with him for the last couple weeks. I hope he hasn't started hating me... Hiccup thought. Wait, what am I saying? That's exactly what I want! He shook his head. After taking one last look around, he let out a quiet groan and slipped into the seat in the booth opposite from Jack, trying to avoid looking at him.

Jack was going through his backpack when Hiccup joined him, but looked up at him when he sat down. He looked pretty surprised. After a few seconds of Jack staring at him, Hiccup looked up. "What," he asked, though it was more of a statement. "Nothing. Just, um..." Jack looked around the crowded lunchroom, seeing there were no other available seats, "hey." Hiccup didn't respond.

Jack continued looking through his bag for about a minute before letting out a sigh. "Crap. I forgot my math book," he said. Hiccup reached into his bag and slid his textbook across the table, without looking up from his book. Jack sat in silence, waiting for him to notice what he'd done. Hiccup snapped into consciousness after a few seconds, shooting up from his book, his face a light pink. Before he had the chance to do anything, Jack smiled warmly and pulled the book toward himself. "Thanks Harold," he said, opening the book to the page he needed. Hiccup looked around the lunchroom before speaking. "It's Hiccup," he muttered. Jack looked up from his work. "What?"

"That's what everyone else calls me."
"Everyone else?"
"The kids in my town."
"Oh. Cool."

Hiccup looked at Jack while he took notes from the textbook. He was feeling different for some reason. He wasn't really able to pinpoint what it was. He didn't feel like he wanted to avoid Jack as he often did. He actually felt happy now, sitting with him. Thinking about the way he felt made him go warm. It only took a moment for Hiccup to realize what he was actually feeling. I have to get out of here, the thought ran through his mind. He collected his lunch items and pulled his textbook back, placing it in his bag. "What's wrong?" Jack asked, in a concerned tone of voice. Stood up from the booth silently. "Sorry, did I say something?" Jack asked, wanting an explanation for Hiccup's sudden decision to leave.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Hiccup shut the door to the restroom stall and locked it shut. God, he felt like he was going to throw up. He sat against the stall door, putting his face in his arms. What was he supposed to do now? When he'd mistaken his love for Jack as hatred, that at least made Jack tolerable. Now that he's conscious of his real feelings, he could barely breathe! He knew he'd now be unable to talk to him without scaring him off. Ugh, that fact that that was even a concern of his made him sick. Maybe he could just ignore him? No, no way.

...But, why not? He'd fully have the ability to, since the boys only shared, like, one class together. So what was stopping him? His brain, that's what. That annoying part of him that knew he'd be unhappy spending his days avoiding Jack. He stood up from the floor, nodding to himself. He needed to tell him. He wasn't even sure if Jack liked guys, in fact, he was pretty set on the fact that he didn't, but he knew he needed to try, at least.

* * * * *

Jack stood outside the school, fiddling with a twig. His dad always had to stay late after school, so he would just stand outside until all the other kids had gone home. Was it weird? Probably, but what else was he supposed to do? He continued thinking about what happened a couple hours earlier. He felt awful, even though he didn't know what he had done. Why was he still so desperate to get Hiccup to like him? He was pretty sure he liked that blonde girl in his class anyways. Also, he's never even wanted to be friends. Why was Jack still willing to put in the effort?

Speak of the devil, Jack was broken from his thoughts when he heard Hiccup say his name. "Oh, hey again," he said, in a plain, but still polite tone. Hiccup looked around again before saying quietly, "Can I ask you something?" Jack felt his stomach fall. "Uh, sure," he said, trying to maintain his composure. Hiccup took a couple deep breaths before finally speaking. "I-I'm... You know I, uh..." he stammered. Knowing he wasn't going to be able to do this, he pulled his backpack in front of him and ripped a sheet of paper from one of his notebooks. "I'm not great at stuff like this. In real life especially," he said, writing on the sheet. "I hope that's not weird." He finished writing and shoved the folded slip of paper into Jack's hands, collecting his things and walking swiftly away. Jack waited for him to leave before unfolding the paper, revealing a neatly written phone number. He couldn't stop himself from smiling.