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vampireasterisk · 7 years

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Gravity Falls Hijack AU Chapter 3

Part three of this ongoing series I’ve been working on. It’s been eight months since I wrote the last part but hey enjoy i guess. Hopefully the next part wont take another eight months lol

"Hiccup, breakfast is ready!"

Somehow, those simple words rose Hiccup from the realm of sleep. With that weird aftertaste in his mouth and disheveled hair and grogginess, Hiccup woke up and stretched and yawned loudly, idly scratching his back before he started to gather his surroundings. Still half-asleep, Hiccup groped around for his prosthetic and snapped it on with practiced easiness and then stood up from his bed, only to be woken up fully by the sound of something falling down in front of his feet. One quick glance told him he had dropped the Number 3 Journal; apparently, he had fallen asleep reading it, again.

Groaning to himself, Hiccup picked up the book and glanced meaningfully at the tattered cover leather and the golden six fingered hand with a 3 on it. He still couldn't believe he was holding something like this on his hands, he couldn't come to terms with the fact that there was real, paranormal stuff out there. That magic and fantasy was real. And that someone had documented all of these things in secret.

And yet, even this book wasn't completely forthcoming with answers. Amidst the pages and pages of entries there were some littered with codes and ciphers, some of the pages being fully written in this way. He had tried decoding some of it last night, but without the key to the cipher that was pretty much impossible right now. He would have to dedicate more time in order to crack the code... but not today.

Today, he had something else to do.

Getting ready, Hiccup put on a forest green t-shirt with a red skull on its chest, and some khaki cargo shorts, while also packing up a change of clothes and the journal in a small duffel bag. He was gonna need those for what he had in mind today.

Some moments later and Hiccup was walking into the living room downstairs, where the table was set with breakfast ready. Hiccup's favorite, chicken and waffles, was beckoning to him, but before he started to dig in, he spoke up:

"Morning mom, dad!"

Stoick, Berk's police chief and after mentioned father, lowered his paper and stared at Hiccup from across the table with a teasing glint in his eye. "Oi, looks like sleeping beauty finally rose from the dead."

"It's... nice to hear compliments to my appearance. Especially since I feel like I had the opposite of a beauty rest." Answered Hiccup with a chuckle.

"Did you stay up reading again?', asked Valka, Hiccup's mom and forest ranger of the Gravity Falls Nature Association.

"You know me too well.", said Hiccup with a smile before he started to dig in with haste.

"If ya keep that up you're gonna end up looking like a raccoon.", said Stoick as he too began to eat his food, just as Valka came to the table carrying her own stack of pancakes.

"A raccoon with a robotics degree at that!", said Valka, with a pride on her voice so palpable it could be felt on the room like a third person.

"That's just a maybe, y'know... not set in stone.", said Hiccup, feeling self-conscious all of a sudden. Sure, he had pursued a robotics degree in high school. There was nothing he wasn't more passionate about (aside from dragons, mysteries, and Jack), he felt right at home building robots and machines and he had a talent for that too! So when his teachers saw the skill he had, they immediately convinced him to apply to Harvard, stating he was good enough to get a scholarship or two.

Hiccup applied but he didn't really have any expectations of getting in.

"It may be more set in stone than you think, my boy.", said Stoick, suddenly joining in the parenthood pride Olympics with a big grin under his massive beard. With a swiftness that you wouldn't expect from a man his size, he tossed Hiccup an envelope from Harvard. Ripping it open and giving it a quick glance-over, Hiccup quickly understood the mood of his parents.

"N-no way... they're actually interested in my stuff?", he mumbled, his voice a whisper with a sliver of excitement and disbelief.

The smile on Stoick's face was so broad it was easily visible through his beard. You could say there was liquid happiness on Valka's eyes. Hiccup once more stared dumbly at the letter on his hands and the more he stared at it, the more a bubble of excitement started to rise on the pit of his stomach.

All those years... all those years of perfecting his craft, being made fun of for being a nerd, were finally starting to pay off.

"...I'm going to Harvard... I'm going to Harvard!!!", he shouted, a wide smile on his face. "Me! A guy from the sticks!!"

"Now now...", said Stoick, still smiling fondly, "It's not completely set in stone... yet. Don't get too excited... haha!", he said that but he couldn't fight the excitement either.

"I'm so proud of you, Hiccup!", said Valka as she gave him a tight hug. "And look, they even said they're gonna send a letter soon! You're practically in!" She finished as she gazed at the letter on the freckled teen's hand.

"I... I cannot believe this...", he said once more. This was the best day of his life and it wasn't even noon yet. He was happy beyond words. He... he was going somewhere in life! He really was. And all he did was be a huge nerd!

This day could only get better and better, he felt. And he hadn't even started it. That's right! He had stuff to do still with his friends today! He had to make Jack's heartfelt gift and considering the text he got yesterday while playing videogames with Jack (and winning), he had the perfect plan... though he still wondered why Jack agreed to these plans to begin with, all things considered.

Finishing his food, Hiccup stood up, washed his dishes and gave his mom a quick peck on the cheek and a hug to Stoick and waved good bye, a spring in his step that the other two hadn't seen in quite a while.

As the door closed after his son left, Valka leaned on his husband, a fond smile on her lips. "He's really come a long way since the accident, hasn't it?"

Stoick nodded solemnly. "Ya, he has.", he paused thoughtfully, and with a grunt, he continued. "And to think we have to thank that Jack kid for helpin' him along..."

"Yes, we do.", agreed Valka, the thankfulness in her voice slipping in a little. That white haired goofball had done a lot for her family as far as she was concerned.

A small lull of silence passed between the two before she spoke up, with a hint of laughter in her sentences. "So... when do you think Hiccup is gonna tell him?"

Stoick sighed. "I donno, but the boy has certainly been takin' his time. He better make up his darn mind before some girl sweeps that Jack kid away."

"I don't think Jack would do that, the way he looks at our son... I do wonder if he has realized his feelings though...", commented Valka, her voice trailing off with wonder.

Stoick sighed once more. "And to think I hoped for grandchildren... Guess we gotta deal with the card we are given, huh?"

At that comment, Valka punched him lightly on the shoulder, the bigger man breaking out laughing and say "I kid, I kid!" In between breaths.

=====

"So, are you gonna ever tell us why in Black Shuck's name are you wearin' a t-shirt with a hole in ya chest?", asked Merida as she stared at Jack who, like the rest of the people there, was in a normal swimming ensemble... all except for the light blue tank top with a massive hole in the front.

Jack looked completely unconcerned, a bright smile on his face as he answered. "Isn't it obvious?", he then proceeded to flex in front of her. "So that people can see my awesome physique! Y'know, sate their curiosity before I even take off my shirt?"

Rapunzel giggled and Merida rolled her eyes before poking Jack's belly, making the white haired teen wince and laugh, breaking out from his flexing pose. "Yeah right, Jack. Can't keep 'em fans wondering how many freezey pops you ate to achieve that impressive gut."

"I take great offense at the fact that you're insinuating I have a gut!", said Jack, pouting a little, while Merida, completely unphazed, kept going with a sly smile.

"I'm not implyin' anythin'. I'm sayin' you have one."

Before Jack could reply to her, Rapunzel spoke up.

"So, why is your shirt like that?", asked the blonde as she readjusted her mint green tote bag with a chameleon stamp.

"Did you lose a bet against Hiccup again?", asked Merida, her smile growing into teasing proportions.

Although the blush on Jack's face was telling, his answer never came because said brunet came up to them, a smile on his face despite the sweat collecting on his brow.

"Heya! You guys ready?", he asked as he settled the duffel bag in a more comfortable position. And as he did he was greeted by the sight of his smiling friends and... a sight he regretted causing. Why did he agree to Jack's dumb bet? Now he had to deal with the fact that he was being taunted by the sight of his crush's bare torso. He wished the week ended already so the effects of that bet were done and dealt with... but today's activities would probably leave him a haunting image. Well, looks like Hiccup was gonna have material for relieving himself tonig- FOCUS HADDOCK!

"Yup!", said Jack as he adjusted the platypus float tube around his waist. "I'm ready to be crowned King of the Pool!"

"Maybe of the kiddie pool...", mumbled Merida to Rapunzel, who giggled.

Hiccup kept looking at Jack, but this time not with lust but with worry and wonder. "Y'know... Jack... Why did you even agree to this? You can't swim so...", his eyes wandered to the float tube on the white haired teen's waist.

"Well, we humans can't fly and we still go on airplanes!", said Jack as if that made the most remote amount of sense.

"But... Jack...", interjected Rapunzel, looking worried too. "Hiccup has a point... you can't swim and you've never agreed to come with us ever before... ever since that time... so why...?"

Jack's smile faltered a little, for just a second, but Hiccup noticed even if the others didn't, before he answered with renewed enthusiasm. "Well, I thought it would be nice for a change to shake things up! And it's never too late to learn how to swim right? I'd bet it would be tons of fun!"

For some reason, Hiccup didn't think that was the real motivation behind this abrupt decision. That faltering smile he saw... made the brunet wonder if the real reason why he had decided to learn how to swim was because of that incident... back at the lake...

But seeing Jack trying to move on, to better himself all with a smile he was surely putting up with an incredible amount of effort... Hiccup couldn't bring that up and question the white haired teen now. So instead, he smiled and gave Jack a pat on the back. With the other teen's attention on him, he said. "Yeah! And I'll..., Uh, we'll help you learn, right guys?"

"Sorry for being the bringer of bad news but I don't think that's gonna happen, guys.", said a familiar, female voice. The group of friends turned around to see Astrid walking towards them, clad in a sun hat, sunglasses, a striped tank top and green shorts and khaki sandals. Behind her came Hiro, but it didn't look like they came together as the boy had a bright expression in contrast to the sour one in Astrid's face.

"Hey guys! I'm not late aren't I?", asked the Japanese kid as they joined the group on the intersection's sidewalk in front of Rapunzel's house, the place closest to the Gravity Falls Public Pool. Hiro was already clad in his swimming outfit, wearing ladder shades and sunblock on his nose, sporting some red swimming trunks and looking really ridiculous wearing his trademark hoodie on top of his bare chest.

"You can't be late to a thing that is not happening, no.", answered Astrid with a huff.

"What are ya goin' on about, Astrid?", asked Merida to the blonde girl.

"Yeah, I thought you were gonna save us a spot at the pool and that's why you went ahead.", added Rapunzel, confused.

"Well, there's not going to be a spot for ANYONE after you see this.", said Astrid as she walked away, leading the confused group of friends towards the direction of the pool.

====

"You got to be kidding me.", said Hiccup as he and everybody else took in what they were seeing.

He had to blink once, no TWICE, to believe what he was reading. The sign that usually said "Gravity Falls Public Pool" had been torn down and over it a big neon sign with obnoxious colors and lights read "Kuzcotopia". To further cement this awful new reality, a notice had been pasted over the wired fence/slash door that led into the pool that read: "This property now belongs to Kozmotis Enterprises and is set to be demolished in the future. Entry is forbidden to any unauthorized personnel."

"I'm so gonna deck him in the face.", threatened Merida with a low growl.

"Save some from me.", said Astrid in a similar tone.

"But w-wait...", interjected Rapunzel nervously, "Maaaaybe this time it wasn't him...?"

"Oh come on!", shouted Hiro as he gestured with his hands towards the neon sign. "This has all the signs of him! The gaudy, obnoxious lighting, that stupid notice of his adoptive father's company... The name of the place!"

"Yeah... it had to have been him... Kuzco bought this place for his personal enjoyment... Again.", said Hiccup with exasperation clear in his voice.

"Did someone use my name without paying up again?"

The group turned to greet, with disgust, the after mentioned man who was as usual being carried on the back of the biggest of his lackeys, a muscular, tan man they only knew as Kronk. Accompanying them was the smarter, and older, of Kuzco's lackeys, a bitter woman named Yzma. Effortlessly jumping down from his seat that was strapped on Kronk's back, the thin 18-year old jumped down and tossed a dog treat at the muscular man as a reward. "You know the rules. You say my name, you have to pay me 5 dollars."

"Ugh, that's not even a REAL rule, Kuzco.", said Jack, rolling his eyes and crossing his arms. "You made that up to swindle tourists."

"Oh yeah, I did that, didn't I?", said Kuzco with a smug smile. "Then again, since MY company owns like, what? 80 percent of Gravity Falls? I might as well be in charge of this stupid hick town and of the rules that govern it."

"Hah! Ya wish, you lousy princess!", said Merida, her temper flaring up. "My father's in charge ya know! There's no way he's handin' this town over to a diva like ya!"

"And yet, I got my hands on this here pool.", answered Kuzco in a tone mocking Merida's accent. "I guess poor Mr. Poolcheck had enough of y'all breaking the rules with impromptu water fights, huh?"

While Jack whistled nonchalantly, Hiro spoke up. "So, now what? Are you going to rebuild this in a garish, self-aggrandizing attraction styled after your image again?"

"You hit it right on the nosey, my dear Hiro!", said Kuzco with enthusiasm, soon after clapping. "Yzma, the blueprints please! And don't forget to hand out the pamphlets!"

With a roll of her eyes and a grunt, Yzma handed over a roll of paper to Kuzco and gave each of the teens a copy of a pamphlet while Kuzco explained. "After I bought the laser tag and the skating park, I realized I didn't have my own personal summer villa... so I thought... why not just buy that dumb pool and make it into something more grand! More fabulous! More... me! So I pulled some strings... did some convincing..."

"More like convincing puppy eyes to his father...", said Astrid to Merida who snickered in response.

"* AHEM* SOME convincing!", continued Kuzco, visibly annoyed, "And thus we arrive to today! Kuzcotopia will kick the sorry behind of any water park that exists on the earth, and the best part? It's not the water slide my friends, oh no... it's that it's gonna be entirely mine and only for me, me, me!"

"Sounds... great...", said Rapunzel, her face saying otherwise.

"So, what? You're gonna build a whole water park for yourself? And at the same time depriving the entire town of it?", asked Hiccup, trying to keep his outrage down but failing little by little. "And you don't even feel bad about it?"

"Hmm, let me see... in order... Yes, yes and no to your questions.", answered Kuzco, pretending to stop and think before answering curtly. "Also, just so you know, you are in private property so I'm gonna ask Kronk to make you leave. Like 10 minutes ago."

"Uh... do I really have to do that?", asked Kronk, actually looking unsure about all this.

"There's no need.", said Hiccup with a sigh, though still looking visibly angry like his friends. "Let's go guys. Let's leave Prima Donna Kuzco to his kiddie pool party."

All they could do was walk away as a smug looking Kuzco watched them, before climbing back to his seat and ordering Kronk to carry both him and Yzma back home.

===

"Well, this blows!", exclaimed Jack as he kicked a nearby empty can into the shrubbery. The dejected group of friends had walked away from the public pool sit and now were sitting around in a nearby clearing in the woods surrounding the place.

"Tell me about it!" Lamented Hiro as he pointed to his backpack, "I had packed away a ton of pool fun in this Quantum Pack of mine and now it's gone to waste! Do you know how much it took to pack all of this last night?"

"Y'know what?!", shouted Merida as she stood up, anger visible on her roundish face, "I'm gonna give that blockhead Kuzco a piece of my mind! And my fist!" "I'll help you with that!", offered Jack as he noisily cracked his knuckles, an act Merida copied gleefully.

"No, no... we are not getting in a fight with Kuzco and his croonies AGAIN.", Hiccup interjected, trying to reason with the feisty duo.

"Yeah, I had to really wrap you good in bandages after last time.", mused Rapunzel.

"You didn't have to use THAT much bandaging last time, y'know? It was just a few bruises.", said Merida, an eyebrow raised.

"Hey guys, relax! I'm as upset as you are with Kuzco but really... we're here to have fun, right? So let's do fun stuff instead!", proposed Hiccup.

"But I really wanted to go swimming, Hiccup...", said Rapunzel.

"Weelll... maybe we can still do that.", said the freckled teen as he reached into his bag, an action that garnered excited looks from Hiro and Jack, but a confused reaction from the rest of the group.

"Hiccup, what is that book?", asked Astrid as soon as she saw the red leather cover of the Journal.

"This is...", began Hiccup, giving looks to the book and Astrid, Rapunzel and Merida, "OK, remember how I always said that there was always something weird about this town, what with the feeling of being watched, seeing shadows out of the corner and that one incident with the noodles at school?"

The three girls gave him a nod.

"Well, you see...", and at once, the brunet went on and explained the book's nature and the circumstances behind its discovery. At first, the three girls were reluctant to believe the words of the freckled teen, but with Hiro and Jack supporting Hiccup's explanation, the three came around to believing him.

"So that there was the reason I was all doused in the middle o' da street with the rest of them townsfolk, en'it?", asked Merida, recalling the incident with the Pulveritum.

Hiccup nodded.

"Yeah! I remember I sniped you from like 10 feet away right in the face!", said Hiro proudly, earning him a punch in the shoulder from the red haired girl.

"It all sounds so fantastically unbelievable... and yet I can't deny it...", said Astrid, musing all the information she was just given. "It would explain that weird afternoon with the entire town waking up wet in the middle of the street, though..."

"Oooh, this is so exciting!", said Rapunzel, shaking her fists enthusiastically, "To think there is a book in Gravity Falls I haven't read yet! And full of mysteries too!"

"Yeah, it's pretty cool, right?", said Hiccup with a smile, "I just wish I could read all of it... some of its contents are encrypted with this weird cipher symbol thingie..."

"Maybe I can help!", suggested Rapunzel, almost prying the book from Hiccup's hands, a glint in her eyes. "I've read every book in the library and there were a lot of encryption methods documented there!"

"Before we turn this into the bookworm happy hour, though!", interrupted Hiro, separating Hiccup and Rapunzel with a pool noodle he had, Hiccup presumed, pulled from his Quantum Backpack, "Why did you take out the Journal, Hiccup? Do you think it can solve our current problem?"

"Oh, right!", Hiccup said, remembering the very reason why he had pulled it out of his bag. "You see, this journal has a lot of info on mysterious creatures, but It also has information on peculiar places and a map of the town. So maybe we could find a nice lake or creek to swim on, using this."

"Oh! Oh! My turn, then!", said Jack as he snatched the journal from Hiccup's hand. "It's my turn to choose today's adventure!", he declared as he went through the journal's pages at a blinding rate, leaving the freckled teen at bamboozled.

"B-b-b-but... Jack-!", began Hiccup but he was interrupted by Jack's sudden "Eureka!" Shout. While Rapunzel mumbled in the background that that wasn't how Eureka was pronounced, Jack showed the group the page he had landed on. On it was the detailed drawing of a beautiful waterfall surrounded by forests, a pristine looking lake at the bottom of the rushing water. The page's title read...

"Monotreme falls, eh?", read Merida out loud as she scanned the pages.

"Never heard of it before." Admitted Astrid, who had an interested look in her face.

"Well, it's only natural," interjected Rapunzel, "it says here on the page that the place was famous with the settlers of the town, but it was forgotten with the passage of time."

"Looks pretty, doesn't it? I bet it's the perfect place for a good swim or my middle name isn't Frost!", said Jack, positively glowing with excitement.

"Your middle name isn't Frost, Jackson Hubert Overland", said Hiccup with a set of narrowed eyes and a scowl."

"Shut it, Horrendous.", answered Jack with a deadpan tone of his own, before turning back to the other members of their group. "So, what do ya say? There's even a map to the place here, so I'd say a little trip to the Monotheme-"

"Monotreme", said Hiro.

"That", continued Jack, unperturbed. "Is in order! Who's with me?"

"But, Jack!", shouted Hiccup, looking like he had lost his composure. "We can't just go on a whim to the first place you see in there! You know very well that the things in that journal are potentially life threatening!"

"That's rich coming from the guy who thought it was a good idea to do bungee jumping with a home-made-non-complying-with-standard-safety-regulations bungee cord.", retorted Jack, unamused.

"Listen, we agreed to never bring that up again.", insisted Hiccup, index finger raised.

"Please, Hiccup!", begged the white haired teen. "This could be the chance we need to have some mad Summer fun! And it could also be the chance for me to get over my phobia of water."

"B-But...", began the brunet before being interrupted by Astrid.

"C'mon Hiccup. It's not like you to back down from adventure.", said the blonde with a smile.

"We're already carryin' around all these bloody swimming junk and we're packin em swimsuits on so why not?", insisted Merida.

"Besides! Look at this passage here!", declared Jack as he shoved said excerpt of the book in Hiccup's face. Green eyes scanned the pages. Hiccup found what Jack was referring to at the very bottom of the page.

"Aside from the rather innocuous nomenclature and secluded location from civilization, the Monotreme Falls are a rather picturesque location, perfect for relaxation and perhaps some cavorting and swimming."

With a sigh, Hiccup took his eyes from off the Journal and looked at the expectant group of friends. Succumbing to peer pressure, he ran a hand across his forehead and shook his head. "Alright... fine. Let's go. I hope we don't regret this."

As soon as his words left his mouth, sounds of celebration from his friends reached his ears and then he suddenly found himself in a strong embrace. It took Hiccup a few seconds to recognize the fact that he was being held rather tightly by Jack and as soon as he processed the fact that he was getting a closeup of Jack's hair, Jack's biceps showing as he hugged the hell out of him and Jack's bare torso making contact with him... he felt color quickly rushing to his entire face.

"ThankyouThankyouThankyou Hic! You won't regret this!", shouted Jack, squeezing his friend once more before joining the rest of his friends in celebration.

Yeah, Hiccup wasn't regretting his choice after that little show.

------

The group looked quite silly in their swimming get up, Hiccup thought, as they made the trek into the depths of the forest, following the map on the Journal to the specified falls. In normal circumstances, the dimly lit, eerily silent and towering presence of the trees that surrounded them would have put anyone in high alert... but the group seemed to be too into whatever thing they were talking about that they barely noticed the creepy atmosphere. Well, Hiccup did notice it...

"But does anyone ever listen to Hiccup? No, they don't." He muttered under his breath before sighing and looking at the book on his hand, making sure they were following the right path.

"So, what in blazes is a Monotreme anyways?", asked Merida to everyone in the group, her head tilting to the right slightly as a confused expression adorned her face.

"Oh, oh!", began Rapunzel as he hopped slightly with excitement. "Monotremes are basal mammals of the genus Prototheria that lays eggs instead of giving birth to live young like marsupials and placental mammals do! There's only four species of Echidnas and the duck billed platypus in this order of mammals and they're super fascinating and super duper cute!"

"There's that encyclopedia-like obsession of yours.", said Hiro, teasingly but visibly impressed. Rapunzel blushed slightly.

"Huh. So what you're saying is... there's platypus living in the middle of Oregon?", asked Astrid.

"That's almost as weird and unusual as the nymphs that attacked us.", said Jack impressed.

"Definitely.", concurred Merida.

"Oh, but this is great! We're gonna swim with platypuses! It's gonna be so cute and safe!", said Rapunzel.

"Er, you do know that platypuses are venomous, right?", interjected Hiccup, but they didn't seem to mind.

And the conversation carried on in this same manner for a while, jumping from one inane topic to another, the group of teens having fun with and at the expense of each other. Amid the lush and calm greenery and the sounds of laughter and camaraderie, Hiccup started to ease off a little. He was still overly alert but not like before, where the drop of a pin would make him hyperventilate. It didn't take long for even that to completely subside once they arrived at their destination. "Whoa...", was all the group could say once they saw the scene before them. It was almost out of a fairy tale, really. In a clearing where the trees parted away laid the Monotreme Falls. A cliff covered in moss rose in front of a crystal clear lake, the waterfall coming down with enough force to be beautiful but not deafening. Hiccup could even see some fishes swimming in the sizable lake.

"That is peculiar...", said Hiro all of a sudden. "There's obviously a river flowing into the lake but there's no river flowing from this lake... Where does all the water go?"

"Maybe there's a subterranean river?", suggested Astrid.

"Guys. Guys...", said Jack as he stepped forward. "We could certainly deliberate nerdy reasons for why this cool as hell place defies all kinds of logic... orrrrrr.... We could jump in and have the time of our goddamn lives!" And without further warning, the white haired teen took off whatever remained of his shirt in a swift motion (an action that embarrassed Hiccup to no end) and jumped into the lake, loud laughter heard all the way up to when he plunged into the lake.

…

"He totally forgot he doesn't know how to swim, didn't he.", said Astrid, dumbfounded.

"I'll get him.", said Hiccup, panic clear in his voice as he ran into the lake and jumped in to save his white haired crush.

------

After that little mishap, which ended with Hiccup carrying a soaking wet Jack to the shore, the friends started to get ready for their outing. Hiccup changed his normal prosthetic leg into one more fitting for swimming (one that he had built with... someone's help.) and took his now wet shirt. Astrid and Merida started to set up some towels in the grass for the group to sit on while Rapunzel passed around some sunblock after applying some on herself. Hiro, spot of sunblock on his nose, took off his Quantum Backpack and with a flourish that got everyone's attention, dropped it into the lake. It only took some moments for the contraption to resurface, suddenly transforming in front of their eyes into a floating inflatable boat.

"Captain Hiro, ready to take on the seven seas!", exclaimed the Japanese kid with a proud smile on his face.

It was an almost cliché scene straight out of a teen flick, one would think, if they saw the group of friends having fun like this. Merida and Astrid were challenging each other in swimming races from one edge of the lake to the other while Rapunzel dived into the clear waters of the lake and chased and looked at the colorful fishes swimming around her, Hiro helping by throwing bread crumbs from a sandwich he was eating into the water to lure the fishes near.

Meanwhile, Hiccup and Jack were well underway into their swimming lessons.

"I think I finally got this buoyancy thing down, Hic!", said Jack excited as he floated in place momentarily before dipping a little below the water's surface and rising above it again, quickly grabbing ahold of Hiro's boat.

"It's all about breathing, Jack.", reassured Hiccup. "You think you're ready for the next step?"

The white haired teen looked from the boat, to the water, and into Hiccup. It was clear he was still very nervous, but he was also confident and a risk taker by nature, so he nodded. Hiccup smiled, trying to reassure him.

"So.", began Hiccup, realizing he was gonna need reassuring himself for the next step. "We're gonna practice the actual swimming now."

"A-Already...?", said Jack, his smile faltering a little. "Aren't we going a little fast, Hic? I can barely keep afloat and now you want me to swim?"

"Well, swimming IS floating... and moving.", Stated Hiccup before shaking his head. "Don't worry, its easy. Here, I'll help you." Said the brunet as he slowly extended both of his hands towards a confused Jack. "Hold on to me. I'll... pull you while you practice kicking to move forward and keeping yourself afloa-"

Jack took Hiccup's hands so fast the freckled teen lost his train of thought. It was such a simple gesture and sure, his friend had no romantic intentions behind the action but it still made Hiccup's heart flutter. The green eyed teen scrambled mentally to regain his composure.

"A-alright. We'll do some laps around the lake to get you used to it and then you'll try it solo, OK?", asked Hiccup, to which Jack just nodded.

Just as Hiccup had expected, despite Jack's bravado, he was so nervous he took the kicking exercise a little too seriously as he splashed water all over noisily and frantically, the poor guy apparently scared with the idea that he was going to sink if he ever stopped kicking. Gradually, however, Jack started to relax, breathing in and out slowly and making his movements less frantic and more precise. Soon enough the anxious smile on his face became more relaxed and genuine. Hiccup even dared to say he looked like he was having fun. As proof, Hiccup had been holding Jack's hands firmly through the exercise (an action that set Hiccup's heart aflutter) but as Jack gained confidence he started to let go slightly more and more, against his own carnal wishes, in order to ease Jack into trying for himself. It was at the end of the second hour that Hiccup was only leading Jack by the tip of his fingers, pulling him along only slightly.

Two hours where Hiccup had Jack's undivided attention. It was weird to call this an intimate moment but Hiccup thought it was. No one had started to tease them or even bother them or talk to them during the whole lesson. They probably sensed this was an important thing for Jack, and Hiccup assumed the same as well; that is... the true reason Jack was trying to learn how to swim.

"Looks like you still can't move pass that, despite how much you try to look like you did, huh Jack...? Hiccup thought to himself.

It was the only thing that explained Jack's newfound determination to rise above his phobia of water. And how could he not be afraid of it? Water was heavily associated with the accident that cost Jack his sister. Ice skating and swimming were taboo for the group of friends and Jack himself, so it was surprising that Jack had been the one to propose this idea of swimming. But Hiccup understood, well everyone in his friend group understood, that this was Jack's idea of trying to move past that. Stuck in the past yet trying to move forward, a veritable human contradiction.

Given all of that, there was no way Hiccup wasn't going to help him. This was beyond helping out someone because it was your crush; it was what Hiccup thought, the least he could do for his best friend of all time. He owed him this much and Odin damn it all if he was going to let him down.

The bright smile on Jack's face bolstered Hiccup's resolve to him through this even more. The white haired teen looked beyond ecstatic with his progress, and in a sudden surge of confidence, he let go of Hiccup completely and swam away on his own. He struggled a little to keep himself afloat at first, but he eventually smoothed out his form and he couldn't look-and be- happier.

"Look, Hic! Look! I'm swimming! I'm like a goddamn sea otter now!", yelled Jack, his blue eyes alive with happiness.

He was simply breath-taking in the water, Hiccup thought. He had been trying so hard not to sneak a peek at his almost-completely-bare chest back when he was still wearing the shirt with a hole on the chest from their last bet, but now that he was shirtless it was unavoidable and the brunet had been trying his darnest to not outright ogle his best friend's lean but toned and defined body, not having a lot of muscle definitely but enough to tease the mind... Slightly marked abs and some nice pecs and that nice happy trail that betrayed Jack's natural auburn hair color...

Hiccup thanked the Norns that his lower half was underwater, making It harder to appreciate the hard on he was sporting. He had to control himself. There was always time for that later... waaay later...

He decided to focus on helping his friend instead.

"Alright, sea otter, don't get too excited and swim too far away or a shark might eat ya!", teased Hiccup as he easily caught up with Jack, offering pointers to his friend.

=====

Hiro had to hand it to himself, he had outdone himself this time. How many teens can say that they had built a storage unit capable of carrying a motorboat sized float that actually works like a motorboat with all the necessary implements for navigation and water motion? Not a lot, he ventured. Yep, Hiro was proud of himself. And he was sure that that person would also be proud of-

No. Nope. Not going down that path again. Moping and dwelling on the past was not on the menu today.

Trying to steer his mind away from that train of thought, Hiro redirected his attention to the myriad of buttons, lights, levers and screens that bombarded the Japanese kid with information on the current state of his invention. After all, this motorboat was outfitted with the latest cutting edge technology in the world, with sophisticated sensors, highly maneuverable parts for the best control in the world and the most comfortable seats this side of Oregon-

"Hold on, what is THAT?"

Hiro had been focusing so much on focusing his focus away from that awful topic he didn't want to focus on that he realized he wasn't really focusing on what currently was on his eye's focus. Now that he was actually focusing clearly, he had realized that his Freaking Outstanding Cool Ultra Scanner had gotten something on his focus.

A weird shape was moving, no, swimming, at an inhuman speed. And there certainly wasn’t anything human on that shape aside from the number of limbs, at best. Hiro recalled at once how weird this town was, how the supernatural and unscientific was real, and alarms blared on his mind. And also outside of it as he pushed the big emergency button on the boat's dashboard. He clumsily leaned towards the microphone connected to the boat's intercom system and spoke at once.

"Hey, guys! This is your captain speaking.... GET OUT OF THE WATER AT ONCE! I REPEAT! GET. OUT. OF THE WATER. AT ONCE!!"

As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Hiro turned his attention once more towards the F.O.C.U.S' screen, searching frantically for the unknown interloper lurking in the waters of Monotreme Falls. Maybe it was because of the combined noise coming from the intercom and the alarms but the humanoid figure had stopped swimming around aimlessly and was now swimming... towards the retreating figures of their friends.

An extreme fear seized Hiro's heart as he saw the figure encroaching on his friends. He hurried towards the steering wheel, hoping he would make it in time.

-----

Everyone, including Jack, was confused once the alarms started blaring. But that confusion gave away as soon as they heard their friend's frantic plea. Still unsure of what was going on, but being smart enough to realize that whatever that was going on was serious, they followed Hiro's orders and made their way to the shore. Astrid and Merida were the most used to swimming, so naturally, they left them behind and reached the shore shortly after the warning was given, with Rapunzel trailing behind mostly because of the weight of her braided hair. Well, that and the fact that she had to give up the pretty rocks she had found on the lakebed.

Jack was getting frustrated, and perhaps a little worried and scared, at his own lack of swimming finesse. But mostly, he was getting angry at himself for putting Hiccup at risk, since said boy refused to leave his side, swimming alongside him, his reason being that "he wasn't going to leave Jack alone with whatever was scary enough to send scientifically-inclined Hiro into such a freak-out".

Jack admired Hiccup's self-sacrificing nature but it also pissed him off. It wasn't fair that Hiccup was in danger because of someone else's fault. His own fault. It wasn't like Hiccup did this for everyone, he only made those acts towards people he trusted. Or those that used to bully him back when he was smaller and awkward-er. It was a quality Jack liked and hated at the same time.

"Hic, please. Just get out of here, OK? I know you can swim faster than this.", urged Jack, knowing the answer to his plea already.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "I told you, I'm not going to-"

The rest of that sentence was cut short as Hiccup was suddenly, and violently, jerked underwater, his surprised scream drowning beneath the rippling surface of the lake.

Jack's blood went cold. The scene unfurled in front of him so fast to even react, and yet also in such a slow motion Jack had the time to scan the sudden fear and surprise on Hiccup's face. He didn't like what he saw. No, he didn't like how this was developing at all. A scared Hiccup, a Hiccup that was getting hurt because of his own stupid fault, a Hiccup that was in danger. A Hiccup that was going to die because of his own failings.

He was going to lose Hiccup just like he lost Emma.

Franticness in his heart and actions, Jack quickly shot his arms towards Hiccup and, miraculously, managed to grab onto a freckled hand. Never in his life had he gripped someone else's hand this strongly. He pulled and pulled desperately, trying his best to not sink along with him, but despite his best efforts, he was starting to sink along. But he wasn't letting go, he wasn't going to lose his best frien-

All of a sudden, the force pulling both of them down gave up and Hiccup resurfaced abruptly, coughing and splattering water out of his mouth. Relief washed over Jack and he pulled Hiccup along in towards the shore at a frustratingly slow pace. Thankfully, whatever had tried to drown Hiccup didn't attack them again and, with the help of the girls, they climbed out of the water. Hiccup collapsed on his back, still coughing, and Jack fell down on his own rear, both of them breathing heavily.

"Oh my gosh, are you guys alright?!", asked Rapunzel, worry clear on her eyes as she looked at both of them, no doubt looking for injuries. She had brought Hiccup's bag towards him, handing towels to both of the boys.

"Hiccup, where is your leg?", queried Astrid.

She was, of course, referring to Hiccup's prosthetic leg. Jack noticed it was indeed missing. The freckled teen coughed out his words as he spoke. "Had to... undo it...", He took a deep breath before continuing. "Or else that thing was going to... pull me under."

"What thing?", asked Jack.

A loud splash behind them was the answer. The shadow of something sailing over their heads caught the group's attention. Something had jumped out of the lake and had landed a few feet away from them. And that something was definitely not human. Hiccup went for the Journal, recognizing the creature that stood in front of them.

"A glass dome filled with water and surrounded by a crown of seaweed on top of their head, blue reptile skin, a duck's beak, a turtle shell on their back and webbed hands and feet that allow them to swim at incredible speeds." Said Hiccup as he read off the passage, "The Kappa is a Yokai or Japanese folk ghost of worldwide renown. Known for their supernatural strength, superb swimming skills and love for wrestling and cucumbers, one should never swim in areas where these monsters live lest they invoke their wrath and end up being drowned."

The entry on the Journal and picture on said entry matched the creature in front of them perfectly. And on its left hand was...

"Knickers, he has your darn leg on its hand there Hiccup!", pointed out Merida.

"B-but...!", said Jack as he took the Journal from Hiccup's hands and flipped the pages to the Monotreme Falls entry and showed it to his friends. "The Journal says this at the bottom of the page!"

""Aside from the rather innocuous nomenclature and secluded location from civilization, the Monotreme Falls are a rather picturesque location, perfect for relaxation and perhaps some cavorting and swimming."

As soon as Jack finished reading the passage, impressively, from memory, the bottom of the page unfolded slowly, revealing an extra passage on it.

"If it weren't for the local population of aquatic and dangerous Yokai, that is. Never swim here, ever"

A dead silence enveloped the group as this revelation dawned on them.

"Y'know...", began Hiccup. "That gag would have flied better if this was a visual medium"

"Who the fuck writes a book like this?!", shouted Jack, angry at the author of the Journal for this stupid decision.

But before they could argue or talk anymore, the Kappa lunged at them, barely giving them any time to scream or react as the otherworldly being closed in onto them. Jack closed his eyes, preparing for the worst as feelings of fear raced through his mind. He only hoped the suffering would end fast, regret filling his heart as he thought how he had put all of his friends in danger and how there wasn't anything that he could do to help them or himself. All he could do was savor the last minutes of silence left in his life as the end surely came.

And that’s the end. RIP Hiccup and Co.

nah just yanking ya leg this will be a two parter. like i said i hope it doesnt take too long to write the other half. killer cliffhanger tho right?

see ya all in the flipside

#hijack #frostcup #jaccup #doofen drafts #WHOO IT FEELS GOOD TO WRITE AGAIN #ITS BEEN A WHILE MAN

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