Chapter 6—The Selbit Sawing

There was only so much one could do while waiting for your date to arrive at your restaurant, as Hiccup had discovered. He couldn't use his phone too much, because he'd look like a bored, conceited asshole. He couldn't play with the utensils or fiddle with the napkins because he'd look like a child. He couldn't draw or write because there were no materials at his disposal, and obviously he couldn't talk to someone unless he wanted to annoy the waiter. And so, as Hiccup sat at the restaurant, fidgeting in his nice suit, staring at the menu for what seemed like hours and playing with the cuffs on his sleeve, he began to feel anxiety bubbling inside of him like boiling water.

Jack wasn't even that late. In all honesty, Hiccup had gotten to the restaurant ten minutes early and it was only about five minutes past their agreed meeting time. However, it just so happened that Hiccup was a terrible ball of nerves and, for some terrible and utterly cruel reason, anticipation just made the wait worse.

So basically, whoever said "patience is a virtue" was an idiot.

Hiccup had spent the past two days mentally preparing himself to tell Jack the truth, and this time, he was going to do it. After all, he had an impending deadline ahead of him, and despite Astrid's reassurances and gentle pushes, he could see that the weight of his issues were large enough to crush the both of them. Of course, it wasn't like he didn't know this before; it was just more daunting now and definitely needed to be dealt with now more than ever.

However, in his mind Hiccup had had two terrible weights hovering over him the entire time like he was in an old cartoon. Each one dangled over him by gnarly ropes that wrapped around him from opposite ends, binding him and keeping him still in the spotlight. The crowd was hushed and curious, his mind was buzzing with anticipation—and Hiccup's next move was to decide which rope to cut first.

The sound of footsteps approaching him pulled him from his thoughts and he looked up, ready to tell the waiter that he'd order in "just a second."

However, instead of a sympathetic waiter, a certain white-haired magician stood at their table, clad in a black button-up, gray pants, and a blue tie that had been tied rather unevenly. Jack sat down at their table with an apologetic grimace. "Sorry about that, did you wait long?"

Hiccup hastily shoved the crumpled napkins off the table and gave him what he could pass off as a regular smile but was probably just an awkward grimace. "What? Who, me? No, I just got here," he lied.

Jack nodded distractedly, thanking the waiter as he handed him a menu, and tugged at his tie.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow as Jack scoured the menu, his pale fingers tapping rather anxiously on the table and his leg bouncing up and down. He couldn't help but notice the fact that Jack didn't make any clever jabs at Hiccup's obvious lie or the fact that Jack hadn't really looked at him in the two minutes since he had arrived. There was no greeting kiss, hug—not even a business handshake or a simple wave. Jack, who normally could talk Hiccup's ear off on their dates had fallen silent, and Hiccup was only greeted by the sound of other people chatting in the background, glasses clinking together, and a soft piano refrain.

"The pasta section looks pretty good," Hiccup began.

Jack looked up, his eyes wide like a frightened rabbit. He blinked when his eyes met Hiccup's. "Oh, is it?" he said distractedly. "I, uh—haven't really…"

Hiccup leaned forward, closing his menu. "Jack," he started, his voice even, "is everything okay?"

"Wh-what?" Jack stammered. "Of course, I mean—"

The magician paused, his eyebrows knitting together before an exasperated sigh. "Okay, no," he said, running a hand through his white hair. He returned Hiccup's concern with a worried look. "Look, Hiccup," Jack began. "I need to tell you something."

The look in Jack's eyes made Hiccup's heart skip a beat, however the young auburn-haired man kept his expression even and calm. Today was just going to be a day full of surprises, wasn't it?

"O-okay," Hiccup said, "but I have to tell—"

"Well," a low voice distracted the couple from each other and Hiccup almost jumped in surprise. The two looked up to see a tall, thin, dark-haired man in a black suit. His eyebrows were sparse and his skin was almost sickly pale. He had a grin spread upon his face that could be described almost as maliciously mischievous and Hiccup decided that he looked like the clichéd movie villain in every sense.

"I'm so sorry I'm late," he said , taking a seat as a waiter brought one over for him, his long fingers lacing together. As he gave Jack and Hiccup a calculating glance. He gave them a look of mock shock. "Don't tell me you weren't expecting me?" he said as he turned to face Hiccup. "I'm so terribly sorry," the man said to Hiccup, each word escaping his thin lips sending shivers down Hiccup's spine.. "I just assumed that Mr. Frost here would introduce me to someone like—"

"Hiccup," Jack interrupted a bit loudly, his uneasy glance suddenly switching to a stern gaze that scared even Hiccup. "Hiccup, this is Mr. Pitch Black—my manager," Jack continued. "Mr. Black, please meet Hiccup Haddock—my partner."

There was a pause as Jack and Mr. Black exchanged looks that Hiccup just couldn't place before the other man extended a hand to Hiccup, who took in tentatively. "It's nice to finally meet you, Mr. Haddock," he said, giving Hiccup a knowing glance that sent a horrible realization to Hiccup immediately—he knew.

"I-it's nice to meet you as well," Hiccup replied as Mr. Black opened his menu. " I-I didn't realize you'd be joining us tonight."

"Yes, I must apologize for interrupting your… arrangement," the man said his eyes moving quickly between Jack and Hiccup., "but unfortunately, I have quite a bit to talk to you about."

Hiccup's mind whirred and stirred, thoughts running through his head as he watched the looks exchanged between Jack and his manager. He noted Jack's bit lip and his hand clenched on the table. He noted their conversation and Mr. Black's cool and calculating look after they had placed their orders and, as the manager's mouth opened, a light bulb flickered on in Hiccup's brain and a horrible sense of realization hit him.

Hiccup hopped to his feet suddenly, bumping the table slightly with his knees as he did so. He opened his mouth, which had become rather dry, as he searched for an excuse. Jack and his manager stared at Hiccup in confusion before his excuse spilled out of his mouth quickly and barely understandable.

"Ihavetogotothebathroom," Hiccup excused himself, walking quickly to the men's bathroom as his realization washed over him like some horrible wave.

At this point, there was no doubt about the fact that Jack had known.

Hiccup's breath caught in his throat as he looked into the bathroom mirror, the lights beaming down on him harshly. Questions as plentiful as the freckles that dotted his face ran through his face and his face was etched with worries. Hiccup clutched the fabric in front of his chest with a hand, feeling his heart beat like a horrible drum. Another hand fell to the wet marble of the sinks, the cold sending a shiver up his spine that didn't help his situation in the least.

What did this mean for him? Hiccup asked himself frantically. What if this changed things for him and Jack—he would become nothing more than an opportunity for the performer. What if this was why Jack had been so odd? Was he upset with him? Did he dislike him? The last thing Hiccup wanted was for Jack to hate him, especially after finding out that Hiccup himself had fallen in love with the charming magician.

Hiccup ran a hand through his hair. "God dammit," he muttered, wondering what to do from here on, concerns still hopping through his mind like frantic bunnies and his stomach churning.

The bathroom door suddenly swung open and another man walked in, almost scaring Hiccup enough to make him jump and pulling him back to the real world. The young auburn-haired man lowered his head and made his way out of the dimly-lit bathroom and into the bright and inappropriately soothing atmosphere of the restaurant. Hiccup wondered how everyone in the room could look so serene when his world seemed to be crumbling around him. However, the calm helped him relearn how to breathe and his worries, which had weighed on him like a boulder began to chip away as he walked back towards his table.

Hiccup began to realize just how frazzled his brain was by the past ten minutes that, as he wandered the huge restaurant, he found himself utterly lost, muttering "excuse me's" and "pardon me's" as he slipped between waiters and chairs. When he saw a head of snow white hair peeking out from slightly behind a corner, he felt a wave of mixed relief and horrible foreboding.

Hiccup took a deep breath and straightened his back and walked towards the end of the corner.

"—wasting our valuable time!"

Hiccup froze as Jack's manager's voice rang throughout the room, turning some curious heads. He heard the voice of a waiter ask them if everything was alright only to get a hasty "it's fine," from Mr. Black.

"Calm down," he heard Jack say, his voice oddly steady considering the situation. "I told you—I've got this under control."

"You know, Frost," Black said, his voice close to a growl, "as much as I'd love to believe you, it's been a month already and we haven't got a show in the Haddock Theater, have we?"

Hiccup felt his heart stop as the conversation came to a pause. He pressed his back against the wall, his hands clenched into a fist.

"Look," Jack continued after a pregnant pause, "he's like putty in my hands—alright?"

"Are you sure about that," Black said darkly. "Are you sure it's not you that's bending to his whim?"

"I—I don't—"

"After all," he continued, ignoring Jack's objections, "you've been… dating for an entire month now. He hasn't mentioned the fact that he even works for the industry and, as far as I'm concerned, you haven't been very diligent in your work, have you?" There was a pause and Hiccup could only imagine the smirk on the manager's face. "It sounds to me like you think you've fallen in love, Mr. Frost."

Hiccup bit his lip, his heart pounding as he awaited Jack's response. He ignored the odd stares he received from the restaurant goers who noticed him slinking against the wall and his nails dug further into his palm with each second of silence.

"Well, you're wrong, then," Jack said, his voice cold. "This is all just business."

"I certainly hope so," Black said. "After all, I don't know why you'd waste any further time with something as temporary as childish puppy love when you are to be leaving this town soon anyway."

"I know," Jack muttered, his voice barely audible.

"Now, Jack," he continued, his voice taking on a tone so terribly sweet that it made Hiccup sick to his stomach, "you know I don't do this to be cruel." Hiccup heard the sounds of chairs shuffling across the carpet. "I'm only concerned about the state of our—I mean, your—well-being," Pitch said. "Why would you waste your time pining after someone who would never return your feelings as you are—childish, immature, and attention-seeking."

"I know."

"You've got a big future ahead of you, Jack," Black continued, backing away from table and into Hiccup's line of vision. Hiccup pressed his back against the wall again, holding his breath as he tried to stay out of sight. "I'm just trying to help you—you know."

"I get it, I get it," Jack said.

Jack's manager threw his coat over his shoulders, his long fingers fixing the collar. If another word was exchanged between the two, Hiccup didn't notice. He felt detached from the world around him, and he felt a pain in his chest that rivaled no other. His fists unclenched, leaving nail marks embedded in his palms.

In the back of Hiccup's mind, he had sometimes wondered how he would feel if he were to be betrayed by his lover. Considering himself, he always thought he'd just be dejected or heartbroken and, initially, he had felt numb as he heard each confession spill from Jack's lips—each word coming from his voice sounding bitter and cruel. However, now, as he peeled himself from the wall and walked back to his seat, his eyes cast downward and his fingers curling and uncurling, he only felt anger.

When he had sat down and looked back up at Jack, somehow the other man had managed to put on wide smile as he dug into his dinner. Hiccup felt his stomach churn as he picked up his fork and poked at his food absentmindedly.

"My manager had to leave before you came back, but the bill is on me so don't worry about it," Jack said, his voice inappropriately chipper given Hiccup's demeanor. In fact, Jack didn't happen to notice Hiccup's harsh glare at all since he had come back—a fact that made him furious.

"So," Hiccup began, trying to keep his voice from shaking, "why didn't you tell me you were going to leave soon?"

Hiccup looked up to see the performer frozen in his spot, his hand still holding his fork that had been making its way to his mouth, which was slightly agape. He saw something flash before wide, ice-blue eyes before Jack set his fork down. He looked up at Hiccup, failing to meet his eyes, biting his lip.

"How much did you hear?" Jack asked, his voice wavering ever so slightly.

"From 'waste of our time.'"

Jack looked at Hiccup, his mouth gaping open as he searched for something to say, as Hiccup returned his look with a cold stare that the auburn-haired man himself was surprised he could pull off, given the circumstances. In fact, Hiccup felt that even the most gentle of emotional nudges could cause tears to brim in his eyes at any moment—waterworks threatened to start and his nose began to stuff up. He could feel a lump in his throat and the air in his lungs crying to be set free along with every horrible accusation he wanted to throw at the magician. However, that would be unprofessional, wouldn't it?

And in the end, he supposed that this was all their relationship had come to.

How very fitting it was for them to end up like this—a magician trying to please the critic, searching every corner of their mind for a trick—something clever, charming, or miraculous. Jack's nimble fingers curled and uncurled themselves on the table cloth and his eyes wandered helplessly. The audience was hushed, curiosity gnawing at him, but the critic found himself unimpressed.

"Y-you probably misheard—"

"'Misheard' what?" Hiccup said, his voice rising a bit. "The part about you knowing what I work for from the first moment? Or are you talking about the fact that you were using our relationship to gain favors from me?" Hiccup became louder with each word that fell from his lips and he started to stand, pushing his chair back. "Oh, maybe you're talking about the part where you considered our relationship as 'just business' for a month now? Because I'm pretty sure I didn't misunderstand that."

Hiccup was panting at the end of his rant, his eyes darted around loudly at the other restaurant patrons who had gone silent and started to stare at them. Even though Hiccup was much too angry to feel embarrassed at this point, he wasn't an asshole, so he sat back in his chair and slid forward, crossing his arms and shooting Jack piercing glares.

Jack ran a hand through his hair and rested it on his neck, avoiding Hiccup's gaze. "Okay," he muttered slowly, "maybe you didn't mishear that."

"Jack, I'm not kidding around!" Hiccup said impatiently. "Did you think that this whole lie was going to end as neatly as one of your magic tricks?"

"Hiccup, I only said that to get my manager off my back," Jack said, finally returning Hiccup's gaze. "I mean—yeah, I started out with different motives, but I swear it's different now!" Blue eyes bore into green and Hiccup almost flinched. "Hiccup, I really like you."

Hiccup's heart skipped a beat and, for that single, fleeting moment, he was inclined to believe him. He wanted to give into how genuine Jack's voice seemed to sound and to let it all go.

Hiccup gulped, regaining his composure. "Is this another one of your tricks?" Hiccup said, his voice wavering. "How do I not know that you aren't just saying that to stay in my favor?"

"Hiccup—"

"Oh, wow," Hiccup said, smiling almost maniacally as he leaned back, running a hand through his hair. "You know what, that explains so much."

"What are you—"

"I mean, do you know just how much you were showing off during our dates?" Hiccup said. "You know, at first I thought you just had a really big ego, but I guess you were just trying to impress a client the entire time."

Jack's look of concern darkened and his pale fingers curled into his palm on top of the table. Hiccup returned his glare, crossing his arms.

"Well, I guess you can color me impressed," Hiccup taunted. "I don't think I know of any other performer who can keep up such a lie for so long."

"So, what?" Jack said, his voice low. "You're calling me a liar now?"

"Who, me?" Hiccup said. "Why would I call you that—I mean it's not like you built our relationship out of some ambitious farce or something."

"What about you then?" Jack said, his palms pressed on the table, ice blue eyes blazing. "You've been lying to me about yourself for the past month, too, but I'm the liar?"

Hiccup's eyes widened and his mouth opened for a retort that he couldn't find. Jack was right, after all, Hiccup realized. He had been so afraid of Jack turning on him this entire time that he had hid away details of his life that would have revealed him—how ironically that turned out.

Hiccup's throat ran dry along with his wit and he coughed. "My actions don't make you any less of a liar."

"And it doesn't make you less of a liar either," Jack shot back.

"Look, I-I have my reasons, alright?" Hiccup stammered, uncrossing his eyes and rising in his seat himself, determined not to let Jack intimidate him.

"Well, maybe you could've shared them with me?" Jack snarled. "Oh, wait, you don't share anything with me."

"I'm not required to share every detail of my life with you, Jack—it's unprofessional," Hiccup said coldly. "You wanted to do business, didn't you?"

"Can you stop turning this back on me—I'm not the only one making a mistake here," Jack replied impatiently. "Besides, you know what, at least my motives were actually productive—I wouldn't have talked to someone like you in the first place if—"

Silence fell over the two as Jack's eyes widened. The pale hands that had balled the tablecloth into its fists clapped over his mouths and he sat back down, looking back at his lap. Hiccup's heart felt like it was being wrenched out of his chest and he bit his lip, feeling tears began to well up in his eyes.

"Th-that wasn't what I meant," Jack finally said feebly as Hiccup rose from his seat.

"No, it's fine," Hiccup said coldly, looking away from the magician. "I forgot that the amazing Jack Frost had better options."

"Hic, wait—"

"Yeah, you know what, don't call me that," Hiccup spat, turning from the table before Jack could see the tears rolling down his eyes. As he stomped out of the restaurant, his head hunched over and his eyes staring blankly at the sidewalk in front of him, somehow maneuvering through the early evening crowd. The blaring of car horns and loud passing conversations became background noise to the thoughts that ran through his brain,

One of those thoughts was that that entire situation could have probably gone better.

Hiccup sniffed loudly, wiping his round nose on his suit sleeve. He was completely aware that his future self would be furious with him for making a mess of such an expensive jacket, but he pushed the thought from his mind. There were more pressing things, after all, than snot on pricey fabric.

He wasn't sure why he was so surprised at the turnout of his and Jack's relationship, after all. Hiccup had known that his actions had spelled out disaster from the first moment he realized that he could eventually just become a tool for Jack's success. People have tried to pull that trick on Hiccup before, but somehow he had deluded himself that Jack would be different. In a way, Jack had been different, for he had managed to delude Hiccup with his bright smile and charming words for long enough to make the auburn-haired young man fall in love with him before Hiccup could notice.

This confused Hiccup quite a bit—after all, people had come close before, almost gaining his trust before he noticed their attempt. His radar was never off and, when they had been revealed, it had never hurt him more than a slight pang that made him mourn for a second about a potential friendship or relationship.

Well, that was until now—for as Hiccup glanced around him at a street that had become nearly empty, his heart aching horribly and tears blurring his sight, he realized he had parked on the other side of the block.

Hiccup ran a hand through his hair and took a deep breath, the air filling his lungs feeling like some amazing painkiller. He rubbed his eyes, wondering for a moment if he should go back and pay his part of the bill.

Well, Jack did say he would pay this time, so Hiccup decided the magician may as well eat his words.

"Do you think he hates you now?" Astrid asked.

Hiccup pulled his covers around his knees again, his face neutral as he stared at the glowing TV, which was playing some sort of old black-and-white movie about a cheating man who had been killed by his wife (he found it rather fitting in a way). Astrid sat in the couch cushion next to him, wrapped in her own comforter, and letting him lean against her.

"Well, if he didn't before he most likely does now," Hiccup answered bitterly, reaching out to grab popcorn from the bowl on the coffee table.

"He's right there, you idiot, why can't—ugh, these oldies are horrible," Astrid complained, throwing popcorn at the screen. Hiccup felt her shrug before she continued. "You guys are kind of horrible, too, so I guess it makes sense."

"Yeah, I really needed you to remind me of that," Hiccup grumbled, burying his face in his blankets.

"Hey, you two both messed up big time—I'm just telling it like it is," Astrid said. The screen flashed different shades of gray before them as the two fell silent. Hiccup barely understood the course of the movie beyond a wild goose chase that had occurred within the first five minutes. Now it appeared that the main character found himself in the clutches of some sort of manipulative villain.

"Do you hate him?" Astrid asked after a while, tossing some popcorn in her mouth.

Hiccup opened his mouth, ready to utter an expected "yes." But his mouth ran dry again. He sighed, tired of lies and deceit and just ran a hand through his hair, pulling his covers to his face.

"I wish I could," Hiccup muttered, burying his face in his knees. "It'd make my life a lot easier."

"Well, I guess that's what they call the burden of being human," Astrid sighed, leaning her head on the covers over Hiccup's shoulder.

A loud, low-quality wailing erupted from the TV as a woman onscreen crumpled to her feet, covering her face in her hands as she cried. Astrid glared at the screen pointedly. "Oh, stop feeling sorry for yourself, moron," she scolded the character.

Hiccup sighed, looking back up at the screen. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he muttered.

"What was that?"

"Nothing, I just," Hiccup bit his lip and wrapped his arms around his legs. "I think I'll go talk to Jack and his manager tomorrow—do you have the address to their office?"

"Yeah, but are you sure?" Astrid asked, removing her head from his shoulder to give him a concerned look. "I can do it for you if you want, you know."

"It's fine, it's fine," Hiccup said, closing his eyes. "You said it yourself—I messed up and I'm not going to get over all of this by dooming the company."

The black-and-white display on the TV suddenly flashed bright neon colors as the movie cut to a commercial break. A commercial for the Haddock Theater played—the one that Hiccup had always thought was terrible, but passed the board anyway. Astrid's head found its way back to Hiccup's shoulder and she reached around to give him a comforting pat on the back.

"If it makes you feel any better," she said as the commercial ended. "I don't think he hates you either."

A/N: I DID IT! Like wow this chapter took forever to write I'm so sorry, but at least it's done! (Technically this chapter was supposed to be up like yesterday but let's face it this website has some serious maintenance issues)

Lots of stuff went down this time around, which means more stuff in the next two chapters! I'm hoping to get both of those finished by July because I have another multichapter hijack fic I really want to start, but don't quote me on that. Q v Q

So I guess this means two more chapters to go! I hope you guys liked it (hehe) and it'd be cool if you could leave some feedback for me (I'd super appreciate it)! See you guys next chapter! C: