A project in my class, having to do with health and behavioral changes, is prompting me to choose an activity that will gear me towards a better lifestyle. One of the suggestions was to relieves stress for better mental and emotional health.

Naturally for that, I chose writing. For six weeks, I'll be posting a drabble every day (if I stay on track, that is) written in one hour or less. Feel free to send me prompts or suggestions!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but a laptop and certain plot elements.

Day 1: Email

Hey, Hiccup…

In reality, maybe it was a bit foolish.

After all, he was trusting empty words written on once-blank pages, smearing the white with trivialities and tired old greetings of "what's up?" or "good morning!~" and the occasional "hey…got a minute?"

I've been thinking about this a lot lately—

But of course that minute came and passed, hours too if Hiccup could help it, but perhaps what was the most foolish thing was that he didn't mind—never minded actually. Never minded that the entire day would be whittled away by playful conversations, heated arguments, and outright frivolity.

Never minded that he felt a deeper connection with someone he had only ever seen through a file attachment he had once requested out of curiosity (heartbeat and pulse racing, cheeks heating up, a slither of embarrassment creeping around his stomach) from the other. Never minded that this "Jack" he had "met" some months ago had slowly carved out a piece of his day and made himself at home in Hiccup's daily schedule.

And we've definitely been getting to know each other, yeah?

Maybe that was because he felt an actual connection with him. Maybe.

I know, I know, this doesn't sound like me. Believe me, it is! It's just that I…

Because it was so easy to whisper the burdens of the heart to a stranger, a stranger too far away that Hiccup'd figure "he could never hurt you, directly anyways," or throw his words back at his face because it was far too easy to look at that little red X at the corner of the screen and throw his heart out the window like it was never there to begin with.

And that was the awful thing. Well, maybe not awful, but it was pretty stupid too. His predicament, that was. Because he got comfortable. Too comfortable. Comfortable enough to get attached and that was just an awful thing too and terribly stupid, because—well, let's face it: a blurry photo of a teenage boy with a white smile, pretty blue eyes, and an outlandish dye-job (who made his heart pulse nervously, eyes widen, and hands fumble stupidly with the desktop mouse) wasn't exactly solid proof that the boy (if he was at all) was who he said he is.

Well, let's just say, if you're at a loss right now, that makes two of us.

But it was a frightening thing too. Because now this was real. This wasn't between two flickering screens, two gray faces trading a shared language, privy only to their limited realities.

This was them. There was a them now and that in itself was terrifying and so, so, so foolish. He didn't exactly plan for this. He didn't exactly hope for this. He wasn't expecting anything at all, really.

He didn't expect for Jack to warm up to him so fast.

He didn't expect for their exchanges to last well until the earliest rays of dawn began to blind him through his window.

He didn't expect that he'd be sharing his laughs, worries, anxieties, fears, excitement, and joys when they were paired for that Sociology pen-pal arrangement.

He also didn't expect for them to still keep in contact well after the assignment ended.

I just wanna say

But he did. Jack did. They did.

And hey, maybe it was foolish.

And please do not freak out about this. Seriously.

Then again, so was love.

But I think I'm in love with you.

.

When Jack clicked that little button, it was only after staring at the traitorous thing for a split-second longer that blue eyes widened and he almost howled with misery.

He clicked it.

He actually clicked it.

He clicked "Send."

He clicked "Send" on a message. A message with probably the shittiest, piss-poor excuse of a "confession" to the boy he had been emailing with nearly a year now.

And that should have been a good thing. Should have.

'Except we've never met in person…or talked…or you know…interacted outside of emails.' Had Jack seen his reflection on his computer screen, he would have noted the disturbingly distant smile on his face and his eyes, fraught with shock.

But instead, he sank down on his computer chair and rolled away from the screen and deposited himself onto his bed. Where he could scream into his pillow. Like a real man.

In all honesty, he didn't know why or how it happened.

It all sort of hit him. Hit him that the guy he had been talking to for nearly a year now had become such a central part of his daily life. Hit him that every little message at the start of the day would bring a smile to his face and a happy little beam when he turned out the lights and allowed himself a few more hours of sleep before his alarm started up. Hit him how every "lol" could almost be heard as messy little snort of amusement, how every smiley emoticon brought his mind back to a certain attachment saved on his computer of a crooked grin and lovely green eyes.

Hit him how he started associating the word "lovely" with the guy.

And it was stupid and he was being impulsive again but the little vice in his chest seemed to ease its grip just a bit as he breathed out and yeah, maybe it was impulsive. That didn't stop the fact that he sent it and he was glad he did.

At the very least, Jack was honest.

And he was honest too as he thought that he'd understand if Hiccup didn't want to "speak" to him again after reading that email.

But he wasn't quite so honest in explaining to his little sister about the racket that came from his room as the little notification bell sounded from his desktop, resulting in him tripping over his own two feet to get to the message.

There was a small moment of silence as the page loaded and Jack felt his heart nearly burst out of anticipation.

Nearly. What did him in was the response: I think I'm more than okay with that. And uh…in case you need any more clarification… I think I love you too."

Jack also wasn't very honest to his sister in explaining the house-rattling cry of, "YEEEESSSSS!" that resulted soon afterwards either.

So, there's that. One day down and forty-one to go!