Seeing Isn't Always Believing

7: New Territory

A/N: Sorry its been a while, life has been crazy busy lately but here is another chapter for you guys, hope you like it :)

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Walking down the stairs, Jack could hear a familiar voice. Arguing with the guardians. "I know he's here. Let's cut to the chase. Go get him, or I will." Pitch growled. "He must be in his room. I'll go fetch him." Tooth replied with a scowl. Jack held his hand back to protect Hiccup. As Tooth flew over to them, putting a finger to her lips. "Hiccup, Jack. Oh, I'm so glad you worked it all out. Pitch is here asking for you, Jack. I don't think he knows you've managed to fix the issue." Tooth explained in a whisper. "Hiccup, stay here. I'll handle this." Jack whispered to Hiccup, who wasn't overly fond of this plan but trusted the guardians. So he sat on the steps with Toothless, watching Jack and Tooth leave to go see the evil spirit.

"Jack. How good to see you. How's the heartbreak going? " Pitch greeted him. "Can you just leave us alone now? You've already done what you planned to do." Jack replied, playing along. "No can do, I'm afraid your little boyfriend has disappeared before giving me my answer. That I can not allow. I know you know where he is. Tell me now, and it'll be easier for everyone involved." Pitch continued. "If he doesn't want to be found, surely that's answer enough there, mate." Bunny spoke up. Pitch scowled at him, "Can it, Rabbit. This is between Jack, me, and that dragon riding boy.  Such things do not concern you." Bunny frowned. "You are in our territory, so this plus that equals my concern." He replied as the Guardians all moved to his side. "Truth is Pitch, I don't know where he is. I've been riding the wind, no point moping on something that won't work." Jack sighed. Pitch frowned. Jack could tell he was buying into his lie.

"Well, you better find him and bring him to me." Pitch said. "Hard to convince someone who can't see me. Plus, not that you care. It'd hurt to see him. After... everything. Im probably the last person on his mind, " Jack replied, laying the sadness on thick. Hiccup around the corner was listening and smirking at Jack's words, thinking of ways to tease him about it later. "Right then, Rabbit, it's officially now your concern. He can see you so you fetch him." Pitch demanded and disappeared into the shadows. When completely certain that Pitch was gone, Jack went to Hiccup. "Come on, he's gone." He said, reaching out his hand for Hiccup's. "I'm sorry, who are you? Oh right, the last person on my mind, I remember." Hiccup laughed aloud. "Ha. Ha. Ha. Hilarious... anyway shall we?" Jack replied. "Or, shall we go upstairs and show you exactly how much you're on my mind?" Hiccup whispered in Jack's ear, watching him blush and bite his lip. Hiccup smirked and pulled him into a big hug, and pecked his lips. "Later, maybe. But for now, we have issues to attend to." Hiccup said, releasing him from his embrace. "I'm holding you to that." Jack smiled, reaching out his hand for Hiccup to take. Hiccup took it, and together, they wandered out to the guardians.

All the guardians were happy to see Hiccup and Jack together they were just mainly focused on the evil spirit, who was desperate to regrow his army of darkness however he  could. "Well, on the plus side, at least he didn't know you were here. It could've been a lot worse. But he is out looking for you." North explained. Sandman was trying to explain in his pictionary ways that as long as Hiccup had some fear of Pitch, the more hold that pitch would have over them. "I've faced too many power-hungry and ferocious vikings, some scrawny dark 'boogeyman' doesn't rate nearly as close to them..." Hiccup began, "Don't underestimate him. He's devious and has the power to spread fear with any tiny doubts you have." North interrupted, realising after the fact that it could worsen their chances by increasing the fear. "Even so. I work well under pressure and use it to my advantage when they think they have the upper hand so I can flip the score. Let's say I have a bit of a dramatic flair." Hiccup replied.

The guardians looked concerned, but Hiccup wasn't fazed. After all, he knew he had what Pitch wanted,  and he had no intention of throwing away his hard work creating a better image for the dragons for some guy to come and ruin it by making them the villain once again. "First of all, Bunny, you need to 'find' me and take me to him, alone. I have a counter offer for him." Hiccup explained vaguely. Jack was not eager to back up his plan. He knew Hiccup could handle himself, but Pitch was uncharted territory for him he had no clue what he's in for. "Sorry, Dragon Boy. No way in hell I'm letting that happen." Jack interjected. "Well, I hate to break it to you, but it's not really your decision, Frost. It's me he's after, and he won't stop til he finds me. This way, he thinks he's ahead while I'm the one with the map. You said yourselves the more we sit and worry, the stronger he becomes." Hiccup retaliated. Jack stepped back a little hurt that Hiccup could be so sharp but had always admired him for his recklessly brave nature. "I just don't want you getting hurt. What if..." Jack started up again. "He won't hurt me. He wants my help, remember. And since when don't you believe in me, I would've thought you wouldn't take believing in people for granted, given your history." Hiccup snapped back. He realised how harsh it sounded after he said it, but he could see the hurt on Jack's face. Jack was speechless. They'd never argued like this before, Hiccup was always stubborn, a true leader, always running head first into danger. But Jack was scared. "Look, we don't want to lose each other again, but you need to trust I know what I'm doing. I've done this before, remember." Hiccup continued, softer this time. Jack knew Hiccup was subtly hinting to more than just Pitch and opening the door to his concerns about the new relationship they were forming. But Jack didn't feel like confronting that in front of the rest of the guardians who were stood in awkward silence, trying to find a cue to leave the two alone. Jack shot them a look, and without a word, they all made themselves scarce.

"This isn't about Pitch now, is it, Hiccup?" Jack finally said. "Of course it is. What else would I be saying?" Hiccup lied, Jack rolled his eyes and leant on his staff. "Oh, I don't know, perhaps the winter spirit who's never been in a relationship, who doesn't want it to end so suddenly in a dark spiralling mess, and a certain Viking who can't confront his feelings long enough to come out to his family, so he hides his feelings away with quick transactions with whoever to keep him satisfied without the repercussions." Jack scowled, Hiccup was taken aback by Jack's bluntness. He had truly hit the nail on the head and drove it home. It hurt that Jack thought that he was just a 'quick transaction' although he couldn't fault Jack. That was all that he had previously done when it came to his sexuality. Hiccup never saw Jack that way, and that is what was making this so difficult, the fact he couldn't just turn his back on him like he had before with his sexual partners.
"Is that what you think?" Hiccup asked in a low, upset tone. "I heard you through the door this morning. I don't know what to think." Jack replied, honestly. Hiccup took his hands in his, "Oh Jack, im so sorry. But if it's any consolation, Vigor meant nothing to me, which is what made it easy for me to leave him behind when it got uncomfortable. You, on the other hand, have flipped my world upside down, and I love it. But it's hard to navigate with my life back home. But I want to." Hiccup admitted, Jack blushed and smiled a little. "Guess it's new territory for both of us then. And if you're serious about going to Pitch alone, I won't stop you, but know that I will kill you if something backfires." Jack replied. "I'd expect no less." Hiccup smirked.