Archive of Our Own ^beta

“Crib Cafe - Noun - A coffee shop wherein the establishment space is divided into double decker cells. Each cell has a small table and pillows and is only large enough for a few people to sit down or lie in.

Example sentence - Hiccup asked Jack out on a date to a crib cafe and Jack happily accepted.”

It was a new kind of hangout place and Hiccup wondered if there was an official term for these things popping up around the city.

...Cubicle cafe? Cozy? Niche? Is it even a cafe?

Hiccup mused on this working definition to calm himself during his commute to the meet up point. He considered slapping the nerves out of himself, before pulling himself together. It’s just Jack he’s meeting up with, his best friend! Nothing to be nervous about!

Well, Jack was his best friend up until a month ago, when they officially became boyfriends.

That thought sent his heart racing into overdrive again.

Things won’t suddenly change between them just because of a label, Hiccup reasoned out to himself. This date will be proof of that - they’ll just do things they’ve done already: lie down, play games, watch shows and eat snacks. Totally normal things. Hell, even sneaking in cuddles and kisses became part of their routine in their last month of high school, while they were getting to terms with their newfound feelings before they properly gave their relationship a label. Now that they will be in a somewhat private ‘crib’ away from people they know, it’ll give them more chances to be affectionate. Hiccup blushed at the thought of that.

His nervousness didn’t have a chance to rest as his stop came into view. After a quick last check of the things in his backpack, Hiccup waited for the bus to come to a halt and got off the bus. Not seeing Jack yet at the designated meet up point, Hiccup just stood there watching people passing by. It was a pretty busy area after all.

It only took a couple of minutes before Hiccup noticed white hair sticking out in the sea of people. Ignoring the sudden burst of butterflies in his stomach, Hiccup walked over to meet Jack halfway, eager to get this date started.

“I destroy your creatures and I attack for seven, you’re dead!” Jack declared with a grin, moving his creature cards across the table.

Hiccup had to take a moment and assess the situation, caught unaware that he was suddenly in a losing position. After a few back and forth glances between the cards in his hand and on the table, he surrendered, causing Jack to give a whoop of triumph then promptly collapsing to the pillows around him.

“You know I love playing this game with you Hiccup, but it’s too much brain activity!” Jack groaned as he gathered more pillows around him.

“Aww, that’s sweet of you!” Hiccup said, cleaning the cards up to free the tablespace. “But really, it isn’t that complex! Just have to get a few more games under your belt. So how about one mo-”

“No no no nope that’s enough brain frying for one date!” Jack wailed in protest while Hiccup giggled in amusement, scooting over to Jack, so he can use his lap as a pillow.

“Just kidding Jack, don’t worry.” Hiccup promised, bending down to kiss Jack’s forehead and combing his fingers through Jack’s spikes. “We got other stuff planned out didn’t we? Come on, let’s order some cake.”

Jack excitedly stood up at that, putting his shoes on so he could run to the counter and pick out whatever caught his fancy. Hiccup brought out his earphones and prepared the show they were going to watch together.

A few milkshakes and snacks later, Hiccup found himself cuddling with Jack in the middle of their tiny crib’s floor. They ran out of saved videos to watch and just decided to continue talking or just zoning out together, cycling through various postures in their need to get comfy. Jack, the ever sleepy boy, actually managed to get moments of sleep once in a while in between the stories and shows they shared.

Hiccup embraced his boyfriend and took in everything - his scent, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, how his hair tickled against his shirt, the rise and fall of his chest with each breath - Hiccup was in pure bliss.

Moments like these were going to be rare, with them studying in different universities. Not to mention that their families knowing was not a possibility just yet. There will be a lot of challenges from here on out, Hiccup knew that, but he had no doubt that it would be all worth it in the end.

One of Hiccup’s last thoughts before he himself drifted off to sleep was that he wished that he could have Jack in his arms everyday.