The Sixteenth Year of Hiccup Haddock Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Summer with Merida
Summary:

   Chinese food, Summer, Bolt, bus rides

Notes:

   You are all very cool and totally kawaii. (Resists the urge to laugh) I was at a con, and ran into a couple (?) cosplaying as Jack and Hiccup.

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)
Chapter Text

"Good Morning, this is the St. North's customer service department, Jack speaking. Can I help you ?"

"Is this P F Chang's?"

"...No sir, this is St. North's department store."

"Do you sell Orange chicken at that one?"

"No sir." Jack sighed. "This is not a restaurant. We sell clothing,cosmetics, furniture,and home appliances. This is not a restaurant."

"But, what about my Chinese food?"

"Have a good day sir." Jack replied before putting the cordless phone on its cradle. He leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes, sighing. North had been talking a lot with Stoick recently. And, as fathers like to so, they had chatted about their sons. As Hiccup had recently started working, North decided Jack also needed more experience in the workplace. And so, Jack had gone from being the occasional worker to a customer service representative.

Jack didn't mind. He spent most of his time sitting at a desk and answering questions. Jack usually spent most of his summer in the store anyway, due to the air conditioning. He had a love-hate relationship with summer. It was nice enough to go out, but too hot in his opinion to do anything. Soon his lunch break arrived. If he stayed in the store he would be expected to work, so Jack left the comfort of St. North's and stepped out into the sun.

It wasn't long before he was wiping sweat from his brow. He headed for shade, ducking into the Hooligan gym. Hiccup was standing behind a desk, wearing a bright orange t-shirt. "Welcome to Hooligan's. Oh, Hi Jack." Eighties pop played as the citizens of Burgess whipped themselves into shape. Jim was stocking towels on a rack. He gave Jack a wave before disappearing into another room.

"How's work Hic?" Jack asked, leaning on the desk.

"Pretty decent. Are you on break?"

"Yeah. When are you taking yours?"

"In ten minutes. I'm just waiting for my replacement."

"Awesome! Let's get slushees from the corner store."

Someone cleared their throat loudly. A customer approached the desk. He was around their age with pale skin and a muscular build. There was a dark blue tattoo on his face that matched three claw marks on his arm. His hair was pulled into a long braid.

"Gimme ten tokens for the spinner."

"The max is six, Dagur." Hiccup replied. "And you used it already. Sorry."

"Oh please. Like anyone else in here is strong enough to use that thing. Hand over the tokens."

Hiccup crossed his arms. "..."

Jack stopped leaning on the desk. "Listen pal. Hic says you only get six. You got your six. Why don't you go have a protein shake or something?"

Jim walked up to them. "Okay Hiccup, go take your break. I've got this."

"Thanks, Jim." Hiccup stepped out from behind the desk.

Dagur blocked his path. "I'm not done talking to you,Haddock."

Jack stepped in front of Hiccup. " Yeah, you are."

Dagur and Jack were the same height, making their staring contest easier. Hiccup patted Jack on the arm. "Come on Jack, let's go." Jim went behind the desk, and Hiccup pulled Jack towards the entrance. Dagur and Jack continued their staring until Hiccup pushed Jack out the door.

"What's wrong with that guy?" Jack asked.

Hiccup sighed. "Well...Do you remember the Viking wrestling division?"

"Yeah. It was your dad...Stoick the vast, a.k.a the hairy hooligan. Your mom Valhallarama...Oswald the agreeable a.k.a the beserker..."

"That guy you just met is Oswald's son."

"What? No way! Oswald was the calmest guy I've ever seen in the ring. That guy seems like a total nutcase."

"Yeah. Dagur is a real piece of work. He wants to go pro. Apparently he moved here because he's going to Munsters University this fall."

"I hope he transfers to another college before we get there, then."

"Yeah."

They walked up the block to a small convenience store. They found Merida and her brothers by the slushee machine. "Now boys don't fight. Y'each get one."

"Hey Red, triple threat." Jack said, greeting them.

"What's up?"

"Just going to the park. What are you to doing out? Don't y'have work?"

"Lunch break." Jack said, fanning himself. Rapunzel appeared from further down the aisle. "Hey guys! Wow, Jack, you look like your melting! "

Jack nodded. "I feel like I'm melting." He wiped more sweat from his forehead. "Maybe I'll cut my hair again, after I dye it..."

"Dye? " Rapunzel repeated.

"I have to dye it back this Thursday...But I don't want the color to run. It's gross."

"Why do you have to dye it back?" Hiccup asked.

"Special event at the store." Jack replied. "I might just stop bleaching it for awhile. North wants me to work in the store for like...forever."

"No more Jack Frost." Merida said.

"Apparently." Jack sighed.

"But what color was it before?" Rapunzel inquired.

"You can't tell?" Jack frowned.

"Nope." Merida answered. "Well, yer eyebrows are dark, but so are Rapunzel's."

Jack ran a hand through his hair. "It's...brown, like Hiccup's. Well, it's not as nice and way darker..." He shrugged. "You know, boring."

Hiccup grabbed a cup. "So, brown is boring huh? Thanks."

"What? No. I was talking about my hair. Yours isn't boring Hiccup." Jack said, patting Hiccup's head. "Yours is soft and shiny and like, a bunch of different colors."

Rapunzel patted Hiccup's head. "You're right! It's really soft!" She grabbed Merida's hand and placed it on Hiccup's head. "Oh, yer right!"

Hiccup was getting redder by the minute. "Could everyone please get out of my hair?"

It wasn't long before they were all walking back towards the Hooligan gym. Hiccup slurped his slushy slowly. What would Jack look like with darker hair? He was already handsome, there was no question about that. They said their goodbyes and he headed back inside.

Jim was sitting at the front desk, looking bored. "Great, you're back. Break time!"

"Merida, Rapunzel, and the triplets are headed to the park." Hiccup said. "You can probably still catch them."

Jim nodded. "Alright." He came from behind the desk. "See ya."

The song changed as Hiccup took his place at the desk. He hummed softly to himself, drumming his fingers on the desk.

Jim jogged down the block and caught up with Merida, Rapunzel, and the triplets at the corner. "Hey!"

The boys giggles automatically when he approached. "Looook, its Jim." Hamish said. "Merida's boyfriend." Hubert added.

"Kiss him!" Harris demanded.

Merida turned scarlet. "Boys!"

Rapunzel laughed nervously and looked at Jim. "They uh, have overactive imaginations."

Jim chuckled. "I bet."

Merida tucked a few stray locks of hair behind her ear, the blush on her face receded slightly. "So...Yer on break?"

"Yup. I feel kinda bad leaving Hiccup there though. We have a real piece of work to deal with."

"What do you mean? " Rapunzel asked.

"This tool named Dagur." Jim sighed.

"Every time I turn my back, the next thing I know he's bossing Hiccup around."

"He sounds like a real jerk." Merida said. "How long has this been going on?"

"Almost two weeks." Jim responded. "Hiccup is a real trooper though. Anyone else would have decked him by now."

Hiccup stared at the clock. There were only a few hours to go. Another eighties rock ballad was blasting through the speakers. He pulled a registration sheet from a pile, turned it over, and began to draw. His Nightfury was pretty good now. He had painted it three times now and been pleased with the results. He thought about Toothless.

Would he be alright while he was on vacation? He had never been separated from his cat for such a long time...or his father for that matter. Hiccup had been surprised when Stoick told him he could go on the trip. Jack had apparently gotten on Stoick's nerve to the point where the hairy hooligan had given in just to shut him up. Hiccup had to admire Jack for his tenacity. He smiled. Jack was a real piece of work...

"Hey Haddock! Get your head out of the clouds and get me a ice pack!" Dagur was standing in front of the desk again, arms crossed. A angry purple blotch had formed on his arm. Hiccup put down his pen. "I warned you not to press so much weight. Does it hurt? "

"Only a wimp like you would think that-" Dagur began before Hiccup poked the bruise, causing Dagur to yelp in pain.

"Yep, I thought so." He pulled a ice pack from a mini-fridge behind the counter. "Be more careful, okay?"

"Thanks." Dagur grumbled as he snatched the ice pack and walked off.

Jim returned from his break twenty minutes later looking slightly disheveled. "Hey." There were grass and dirt stains on his shirt. "I had a run-in with the boys."

"I figured as much." Hiccup retrieved another shirt from behind the desk. "Those kids really like you."

"They're great. Of course, I always wanted siblings."

"I know the feeling, but you get to be a honorary DunBroch if you survive watching them three times."

"Really?" Jim said, taking off his shirt. "I'll keep that in mind."

He put on the new shirt. "Let me level with you Hic..." Jim rubbed his neck, nervously. "Do you think Merida likes me?"

Hiccup looked away, uncomfortable. "I dunno. I mean...do you really like her?"

Jim laughed. "I thought it was kinda obvious."

"Sometimes it isn't. You guys hang out alot but..." Hiccup rubbed his arm. "Are you sure she knows how you feel?"

"...Not exactly."

Hiccup looked him in the eye. "I'm not an expert or anything, but I think you should tell her exactly how you feel about her." 'Don't be a coward...Like me.'

The following day was peaceful, as Dagur did not show up. Merida, however, appeared around eleven. Jim and Hiccup were at the front desk once again.

"Hello, boys. How're things?"

Jim glanced at Hiccup before nodding at Merida. "Pretty good."

A pudgy man approached the desk. "Someone puked in the locker room...And it got on the ceiling."

Hiccup winced. "I'll go...take care of that."

Jim shook his head. "No, I'll do it." He gave Merida another glance before walking away. Merida waited until Jim was out of earshot to speak again. "Heccup..."

"Yeah?"

"What do you think about Jim?"

"He's a pretty decent guy. A real hard worker too." He rubbed his arm. "What uh...what do you think of Jim, Merida?"

"Ah dunno."

"Do you uh..." He swallowed hard and prepared himself for a punch. "Like him?"

Merida's eyes widened for a moment and Hiccup flinched.

She looked around. "Is it that obvious? "

Hiccup breathed a sigh of relief and tried not to smile. "To everyone in a five mile radius."

She gave him a playful punch on the arm. "You're one to talk."

"Ow!" Hiccup jumped back. "And what is that supposed to mean?"

"Heccup please." Merida rolled her eyes. "You might as well wear a sign on yer forehead."

Hiccup spent the rest of the day mulling over what Merida said. Was his crush on Jack that obvious? Then again, if it was, Jack wouldn't have thought he liked Rapunzel... He had the next day off, so he took a early morning walk. His feet took him to the park and eventually, downtown. To his surprise, St. North's appeared to be open. He headed over to the store. As he approached it, he gawked in surprise. St. North's was always a nice looking store, but today it looked extra special. The windows, floors, and door had been polished to a shine. A large welcome banner hung above the door. Men in suits stood by the front, giving shoppers intimidating stares.

As Hiccup entered he noticed Nicholas and a young man standing by the main counter. As he got closer he realized that the young man was Jack. Neither North or his son were the suit and tie type, so this was a odd sight. Jack had dyed his hair a dark shade of brown, making his blue eyes all the more dazzling. Both he and North wore a serious expression, making the scene even more strange.

"Hello Mr. North...Jack...What's going on?" He asked. "Everyone looks a little tense."

"Our biggest client is coming today." North replied.

Jack rolled his eyes. "The most annoying one too."

"Be nice, Jack."

Jack sighed. "You might want to get behind the counter Hic, you're in for a real show." Hiccup came behind the counter.

Lumiere handed him a tracksuit top. "Pleaze wear zis. As not to offend his highness."

"His highness? Is someone royal coming?"

"Yep." Jack said. "A royal pain in the-"

"Jackson!" North shushed him. "I hear the limo. Put on your best smiles, everyone!"

The front doors were opened wide. A small man in a white suit entered, followed by several woman carrying bags of rose pedals. Music began to play as a man with a wireless mic sitting on top a piano was pushed into the store, following several musicians.

"The hippest cat in all creation has come to grace your nation And maybe even buy a thing or twooooo..." Confetti cannons exploded, and soon petals and glittering pieces of paper filled the air.

Hiccup stared in shock. "Uh..."

The singer continued to serenade them.

"He's decided to grace your presence, with his always magnificent essence, so you better be ready to show him something newww!"

Acrobats and dancers entered the store entire procession was making its way towards the main desk.

"Don't stare like that, Hic. It'll piss him off." Jack warned.

"What's his name!?" The initial singer cried.

"KUZCOOOOO!" They all chorused. More confetti rained down.

A red and gold carpet was rolled out. More petals were thrown as a man entered. He had shoulder length ink black hair, and tanned skin. Large turquoise earrings hung from his ears, and Hiccup was sure each one was worth more than his house. He was dressed in a bright red suit, canary yellow shirt, and sky blue tie. His golden sandals were trimmed with gold. He struck a pose. "Boom, baby!"

"Is he incredible or what?"the singer asked.

"KUUUUZCOOO" They all sang, louder this time.

Hiccup stared in disbelief. 'I don't even know what to think right now.'

The singing died down as Kuzco approached the desk. Hiccup tried not to make eye contact with the man.

"Presenting his royal highness, his magnificent majesty, the one and only, Emperor Kuzco."

"What do you have for me boys?" Kuzco looked at Jack. "Yuck. What's with that dye job, kid? You look like a beaver died on your head."

Jack clenched his hands into fists, but did not speak.

Kuzco looked around.

"We have added several new designers to the store." North said.

"We 'ave selected clothing for your, your majesty." Lumiere said. "If you will follow me..."

Kuzco strode behind him, touching random items here and there. As he and Lumiere went up the escalator, Jack breathed a sigh of relief.

Hiccup blinked. If he had not seen it, he wouldn't have believed it. "Well...that just happened." He looked at Jack. "Does this happen a lot?"

"Almost every year since I was twelve." Jack replied. "Emperor Kuzco his royal highness, king of the tiniest country you've never heard of, comes here, makes a mess and buys like, half the store." He ran a hand through his hair. "If we're lucky. Last year he said my 'creepy old man hair' threw off his groove and he returned three hundred thousand dollars worth of stuff five minutes after he bought it."

Hiccup stared at the confetti covered floor. "Wow." He looked around. "If he's such a pain, why do you stick around? "

"Jack will be next owner of store." North answered. "He must be good friends with big clients."

Jack crossed his arms. "You might want to get out of here while you still can. If he sees you leave before him, he might freak out."

Hiccup rubbed his arm. "Oh...kay. Well, it was nice seeing you then, Mr. North. See you Sunday, Jack."

Jack smiled. "Okay, see you Sunday, Hic."



Anna dug through her closet until she found a green sun dress."What do you think of this one?" She turned to Rapunzel, who sat on the edge of the bed, surveying the mess around her.

"It's nice." Rapunzel replied.

"Okay." Anna tossed the dress to the left. "That goes in the maybe pile."

There were only two days until the big trip. Anna had yet to pack, and rummaged through her belongings.

Rapunzel laid back on the large bed. "I don't think you need so much stuff, Anna. It's only a few weeks."

"I know, I know...But we never go anywhere or do anything together! I want to have as much fun as I can, and look good doing it."

She tossed a shirt into the 'maybe' pile. "Speaking of which, I have to check Elsa's stuff. Knowing her, it'll just be a bunch of blue dresses."

Rapunzel laughed. "Jack is like that. He wears a lot of blue too."

A smile crossed Anna's face. "Perfect. They can be blue together."

Rapunzel sat up then. "Hold on."

"What? You said Jack is single right?"

"Yeah, but I don't think he's looking for someone right now."

"How come?"

"He's…. kinda in a thing with someone."

"A thing?"

"Yeah...There's someone who likes him...Who I think he likes back."

Anna dropped another dress on the floor. "Oh. Someone, huh? Is it you, Rapunzel? "

Rapunzel's eyes widened. "What!? No! It's H-H..."

"Heh?"

"Henry...etta. Henrietta! In our art class! Yes."

"Oh. Well, never mind then. But, you never know. Jack might change his mind if he saw my sister in a bathing suit." Anna laughed. "If she ever bothered to go near the water."

Sunday came a little too fast in Stoick's opinion. As he drove Hiccup to the bus station, he tried to give his son advice. "If you get lost, try to find a police box. And be careful crossing the street...There are a lot of car accidents in that state..."

"I'll be fine." Hiccup assured him, looking out the window. " I made Toothless a bunch of meals. Some of them are in the freezer. Try not to feed him the same thing two days in a row. He's picky."

"I'll keep that in mind." Stoick replied, as he brought the car to a stop. Hiccup could see Merida and Jim watching the DunBrochs and a woman he assumed was Jim's mother walk away.

"Well, see you in two weeks, Dad."

"Have a good time, son."

Hiccup hopped out the car and approached his friends.

"Hey." Hey dropped his duffel bag on the ground. Merida laughed suddenly, prompting Jim to look away. "What's so funny?"

"Oh...Jim was saying that before he met me...He liked you first."

"Wha?" Hiccup was confused. He looked at Jim, who looked at Merida as if she had two heads. She narrowed her eyes at him and nodded her head.

Jim suddenly nodded and looked away. "Yeah..." He looked behind Hiccup and then said in a louder voice. "I totally liked YOU, HICCUP. Before Merida."

"Isn't that sort of backwards?" Jack asked. Hiccup almost jumped. Jack was standing behind him. The dye had been removed from his hair, but he wore a bucket hat over it. "Now I could understand if it was the other way around." Jack said, slinging an arm over Hiccup's shoulder. "I mean, Hic here is nice and a good cook...And he doesn't punch you in the arm every time he disagrees with you, unlike some redheads I know."

"Are y'saying you prefer Heccup over me, Overland? " Merida asked.

"I'm saying any sane person would." Jack replied.

Hiccup stood, frozen. 'What...What does that even mean?'

He suddenly aware of the minty scent that often accompanied Jack's appearance. He glanced sideways at Jack. The distance between them had grown slightly, as Hiccup had to look up to see Jack's face.

Jack released him, picking up Hiccup's duffel bag. "Well, let's get going. The sooner we get to Arrendale, the sooner we get to the Arendelle's house and the sooner we start our vacation."

"We've been on vacation for almost a month, Jack." Merida replied, as they walked into the station.

"You've been on vacation, you mean. " Jack corrected. "The three of us have been working."

Merida rolled her eyes. "My mistake."

Jack looked at his phone. "Four tickets for the 3:30 bus...gate five."

He looked around. The station was bustling with activity, as travelers arrived, waited, and departed.

"Over there." Jim said, pointing. There was a short line at gate five, as the bus was already boarding ahead of schedule.

They quickly got in line and boarded, flashing their tickets at the driver. The bus was almost full. Seats were scattered here and there, leaving each of them to sit with a stranger. Hiccup snagged a window seat and stuck his backpack under the chair. His duffel bag was loaded under the bus. He put on his headphones and closed his eyes.

'Here's to four hours of solitude.'

Hiccup woke up two hours, later, to Jack shaking his arm. "Wake up, sleeping beauty." Hiccup rubbed his eyes. The bus was nearly empty.

"Did we arrive already? "

"Nah, this is just the rest stop. We have twenty minutes left. I'm going to get something to eat. Do you want anything? "

"Water is fine."

"Water? Okay, I'll be right back."Jack departed the bus.

Hiccup stretched. He checked his phone. "It's after five. I think Bolt is on..."

He watched the show until Jack returned.

"The person next to you was on the wrong bus." Jack explained, sitting down. "So she left. "

"Aren't we in the middle of nowhere? How is she getting back?"

"Actually, she left before we departed." Jack looked away. "I've been sitting next to you the whole time."

"Oh..." Hiccup sipped his water. "Sorry...and thanks, for the water."

Jack leaned back in the chair. "It's no big deal." He glanced at the phone. "They uploaded the new Bolt already?"

"Yeah. Do want to see it?"

"Of course! I want to see if Penny is going to have the operation." The other passengers returned to the bus, and soon they were on the road again. Jack and Hiccup occupied themselves by watching videos on Hiccup's phone. Delays and traffic elongated the ride. After awhile they grew bored.

It wasn't long before Hiccup was asleep again. He shifted, trying to find a comfortable position. Eventually he nestled himself soft, with the familiar scent of mint and pine... Startled, Hiccup quickly opened his eyes. Jack's head was resting on his own. His face was buried in Jack's shirt.

They had moved the bar separating their seats earlier, so there was nothing to keep them apart. Jack was of course, asleep. Hiccup resisted the urge to move. Jack's breathing was slow and even. It had a calming effect on Hiccup, but he resisted the urge to go back to sleep. As comfortable as Jack was, he was Jack. He was not Hiccup's personal pillow. But he was so comfy...

After the bus reached it's destination, the passengers slowly filed out. Merida paused before leaving the bus. She looked at Jack and Hiccup, who were still asleep.

Taking out her phone, she smiled. "Now there's a pretty picture."

She took several pictures before Jim asked; "Shouldn't we wake them up?"

Merida shrugged. "Ah guess." She pinched Jack, jolting him out of his sleep.

"Ah!" Jack swatted her hand away. "What the heck, Red?"

Merida laughed. "Sorry, but nap time is over." Jack groaned and looked at Hiccup, who was still asleep. He started shaking him, which caused Hiccup to turn away from him. Jack laughed, but kept shaking him. "Come on, Hic. Time to get off."

"Fine..."

After they gathered their belongings, they exited the gate. They found the Coronas were waiting for them on a bench outside the station. Rapunzel welcomed them with hugs. The are was cool, but far from cold.

"You guys are kinda late." Rapunzel said. "What happened? "

Jack shrugged. "Traffic."

Mr. Corona dusted off his pants. "Well, now that you kids are here, we can get on the road." "Perhaps we should take a break, dear." Mrs. Corona suggested. "They've been on that bus for hours."

"Ach." Merida rolled her shoulders. "At least let us stretch for a bit."
Notes:

   References for this chapter

   Dagur: DreamWork's Dragons Defenders of Berk

   Kuzco: Disney's The Emperor's new groove

   Henry: The default name for Hiccup used in a lot of frostcup fics... (or Henrik)

   Arrendale: town version of Arendelle from Frozen

   Bolt: TV show from Disney's Bolt