Biology

Chapter 4

The next day Jack tried to fake sick so he wouldn't have to go to school. His father didn't buy it, of course, mostly because Jack hadn't been sick a day in his life. Indeed, North just gave him a flat, disbelieving look and then picked him up bodily and dumped him out of his bed onto the floor. Jack landed in a heap of blankets and cursing, the wind knocked out of him while North just chortled. Damn him for always being so jolly.

His first plan dashed, he moved on to the second, less appealing one: he got ready and left the house (with just a little scowl at his father), heading to school where he planned to scuttle around in the shadows and generally avoid even looking in Hiccup Haddock's general direction. He figured he could do it if he was determined enough. He'd always been good at fading into the crowds, after all.

This plan seemed promising for roughly twenty minutes, until he reached the grounds of Berk High and spotted Hiccup waiting for him on the front steps. Jack panicked and fled, dashing around the building to use the back entrance: it would make getting to his first class on time dicey, but at least he wouldn't have to actually face the other boy yet.

No, that would come with second period English class, which he was absolutely dreading. At least they didn't sit near to each other in any of the classes they shared. Hiccup always sat near the back of the room and Jack generally sat closer to the front. He wouldn't even have to look at him at all, right?

Wrong.

English class came and Hiccup was waiting for him yet again, leaning against the lockers outside of the room. Ten feet down the hall, Jack half-stumbled over his own feet, then froze in place. Green eyes watched his every movement intently when he finally ducked his head and scurried past the brunet into the classroom and took his seat. The tell-tale sound of army boots against the floor followed behind him, but Hiccup didn't say anything, just sat at his own desk and stared at him for the rest of the period.

After English Jack managed to miraculously escape again, and the next couple classes were safe, which left him with what to do at lunch time—he avoided the cafeteria and hid out in the library instead—and then the rest of the day to deal with. In general, it was a very difficult, long seven hours.

When the final bell rang and he was let out of his last class Jack all but bolted. Hurrying to his locker, he crammed in what he didn't need, extracted what he did, jammed everything into his backpack as fast as humanly possible and was just turning to run off again—

A hand clamped on his upper arm and blue eyes widened hugely, already knowing exactly what he would see when he was jerked around. Hiccup was glaring at him, annoyance obvious in his expression and Jack swallowed, his grip on his bag tightening. "L-let me go." He managed, rather weakly.

Hiccup's lips just twisted, and the next thing he knew he was being bodily dragged down the hall. The other students moved out of the way to let them pass, obviously unnerved by Hiccup's scowl, and whispers erupted wherever they passed. Jack tried unsuccessfully to free himself from the grip on his arm, but the fingers there just dug in more determinedly.

"I said let me go!"

Abruptly the dragging stopped—there was the creak of a door opening—and half a breath later he was being shoved into a closet. Jack yelped in surprise, back connecting with a set of rickety shelves, trapped there, and wide eyes watched Hiccup follow him into the small space and slam the door behind them.

He was at Jack in an instant, one hand slamming hard into the shelves, making them clatter. Pain jolted dully up his arm but he ignored it for the time being. "Stop. Avoiding me."

"I—I'm not—"

"Bullshit."

Hiccup sounded furious, but there was something in his eyes that made it clear he was actually just frustrated—and maybe a little hurt. Jack shook his head, his own eyes darting, trying to avoid eye contact again.

"F-fine. I'm avoiding you."

"Why?"

Jack sputtered. "Y-you're kidding right?!"

A deep frown. "All I did was kiss you. Not even really that." Hiccup studied him closely, tongue flicking out to lick at his lip piercing absently. "You not into guys?" He asked finally, a hint of confusion in his tone. "Because I have to tell you, Jack, you were giving me the wrong signals if that's what's up."

"Wait—what are you talking about?"

Green eyes rolled skyward. Hiccup made an irritated noise. "All the staring and stammering and blushing, idiot. God, it's like you've never flirted before!" But then a long pause and he levelled a flat look on the other boy. "Christ. You've never flirted before, have you?"

Jack's face went from white to the color of a cherry in about five seconds flat. "W-well excuse me if I've never—"

There was another short silence—and then Hiccup's lips began to twitch upward. A moment later he began to chuckle—and then laugh. His head fell forward against Jack's shoulder, auburn hair mussing against the other boy's shirt.

"Hey—!"

"Oh, man, you're a total fucking virgin, aren't you? Like, with everything." Hiccup's shoulders shook as he continued to laugh, leaving Jack pinned there awkwardly, face still blazing red. When the pale boy finally lifted a hand to shove at him, Hiccup shook his head and moved back to give him some space. "Okay, okay, I get it now. Shit, man, I thought I was way off for a second there!"

"So good to know your gaydar is working right." Jack grumped embarrassedly, looking away and adjusting his glasses. They had gotten jostled with all the dragging and pulling and shoving. He still wasn't sure how he felt about all this, aside from the vague thought that he should probably be decidedly humiliated. "Can I go now?"

Hiccup shook his head, lips tilting in that increasingly-familiar smirk. "Alright, geek boy." But he reached up to grab Jack's chin anyway, tugging his face around—and then another little lick of his lips and he leaned in, kissing him firmly for a moment. When he drew away he snickered at the flustered look on Jack's face. "Tomorrow after the game, meet me at the field again."

"No."

"Yes."

"M-maybe."

"Definitely."

Not sure what else to do, Jack eased out from between Hiccup and the shelves, squeaking out the door a second later. The hallway was thankfully empty, everyone else having already escaped for the day—and Jack only hesitated for a moment before he broke into a sprint, fleeing himself.

He needed to get home, lock himself in his room, bury his head under his pillow, and do some serious thinking.