17. Break-up Breakdown

A few days have passed, and it was now time to lay the foundation for the new house.

Mirabel made a big deal out of it. She dragged her whole family to help no matter what they were doing, even though it really wasn’t much to do. Just putting up some wooden beams. When asked, she said it was symbolic.

Hiccup was there too, he had come with Ignacio. But Mirabel insisted he stay close to her. He appreciated her wanting him to be included, but it just made him feel weird. He wasn’t part of her family.

Looking at the fully erected foundation for the new home, Hiccup felt uneasy. It was like looking at the skeleton of someone you once knew.

Though in this instance, it’s more like you constructed a new skeleton of that dead person so you could slowly build a lifeless version of them.

…Hiccup decided to stop this train of thought.

There were a few slight differences in the house’s design, though. The most important one being a new space up where the rooms were to be constructed. Mirabel would finally get her own room, instead of being an entire teenager still sleeping in the nursery.

She was incredibly excited about this. She chatted Hiccup’s ears off about the possibilities her own bedroom would allow her. How she could decorate it, where she’d place her bed or her dressers, and the prospect of finally having some privacy. The boy was just happy that she was happy.

Later on, he was taking a stroll through the town. A hobby he’d started up recently. He could never take walks in his home village, everyone would just insult him or Snotlout would come beat him up. But in the Encanto, he could wander undisturbed.

He stopped walking as he heard a voice call his name. A voice he was familiar with, and unfortunately a voice he didn’t have good experiences with.

“Hey, Hiccup! Wait up!” Out came Isabela, who looked quite different these days. Streaks in her hair and dress were highlighted shocks of diverse colors from dyes she’s acquired, the hues being different each day. She was bolder, more outspoken. No longer hiding what she truly felt in an effort to appear perfect.

Hiccup knew this for a fact, when she outright told him she didn’t like him. He honestly appreciated this more than her phony friendliness back at Antonio’s gift ceremony.

“Hey, I…” She paused, looking more sullen than bold. “I just wanted to say thanks, for helping the town last week. I didn’t mean for all that to happen…” He gave a non-committal shrug. “Eh, don’t worry about it. We all have weird days. Some people lose their favorite mug…” He grew a mischievous smirk. “Some people destroy their town with giant plants!”

She looked quite annoyed, and was just about to tell him off. But she then looked at something behind Hiccup, and her face lit up in shock. Looking around for something, anything to hide in, she dove into the nearest bush.

Just as Mariano came by.

Hiccup and Mariano have pretty much never interacted, but the teen thought he seemed like a decent guy. Apparently, his nose kept getting busted, and unfortunately Julieta couldn’t heal him this time. A shame.

“Good morning, Hiccup! Hope you’re doing well.” He greeted politely. Hiccup responded with his own greeting, and he continued. “I thought I heard Isabela over here, do you know where she is? I’ve been trying to talk to her all day…” Hiccup was about to answer, when he heard a quiet, whispered, pleading “NO!”

As Mariano stroked his chin in thought, the scrawny teen saw a pair of desperate eyes in the darkness of the bush. Begging him not to reveal her location.

Hiccup couldn’t say he understood, but he obliged. “Nah, she’s not here.” Mariano nodded his understanding, kindly thanked the boy for his time, and went of in search of his beloved fiancée.

With a groan, Isabela pulled herself out of the bush. Covered in leaves in thorns. “I know you’re going for a new look, but don’t you think this is a bit much?” The teen had to quickly dodge a smack to the back of his head, laughing while doing so. Soon he grew more serious. “So, what’s up? Why’re you avoiding him?”

She was initially reluctant to share with the little geek, but he did just do her a favor. With a sigh, she explained. “I never wanted to marry Mariano. He’s a nice guy, but I just don’t feel that way about him. I was only doing it for the family…” This, Hiccup knew. Mirabel had told him. “Now that we’re trying to, you know, be a better family, I guess. Abuela offered to break the engagement for me, but I told her I could do it myself.” The boy raised an eyebrow. “That doesn’t look very broken up to me…”

She grunted. “I know! I just feel so…awkward around him! I don’t even wanna stand near him!” His raised brows furrowed. “If he thinks you guys are still together, you’re gonna have to tell him. It’d be wrong not to.” She knew he was right, and she hated it.

But then, she got an idea. Her face bloomed into her most practiced of charming smiles, and she daintily batted her eyelashes at the boy. “Hiiiccuuup!” She sung in a sickeningly sweet tone.

He didn’t like the sound of that.

“You’re such a hero, you know that right? Always trying to help those in need…” She playfully flipped her hair. “I mean, you definitely- “He interrupted her with a deadpan expression. “Cut to the chase.” At his insistence, she dropped the act.

“I want you to break up with Mariano for me!”  Yeah, he didn’t like the sound of that at all. “And why would I do that?” She didn’t give him an answer, she just continued to beg. “Come on, Hiccup! Please?” He waved her off. “This is your problem, Izzy. And you have to deal with it.” He turned to leave.

Suppressing her disgust at being called Izzy, she shouted after him. “You know, if you want my sister to like you, you should start by being nice to her family!”

That stopped him in his tracks.

He faced her once more.

“She already likes me, we’re friends.” Her smile grew very smug. “You know that’s not what I meant.”

Hiccup honestly didn’t. But for some reason, he felt a very strong impulse to stick it to her.

…By doing exactly what she wanted.

It was an odd impulse.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

He found Mariano still wandering around, looking for Isabela.

He strode towards him, trying his best to work up the courage to break the poor guy’s heart.

“Hey, Mariano! F-Fancy seeing you here!” He approached the lovestruck man, awkwardly smiling to hide his discomfort. “What ‘cha up to?” In response, Mariano sighed. “I’m still looking for Isabela, I can’t find her anywhere.”

Hiccup started to sweat. “Yeah, about that…”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Hiccup had never seen a grown man sob before.

Upon telling him that Isabela didn’t truly love him, and wanted to call off the wedding, Mariano seemed alright at first. Clearly disheartened, but he took the news well.

It wasn’t long before his walls broke.

“Well, if that’s how she feels…” He was starting to sniffle. “I mean, I’d never want to make her do something she wasn’t comfortable with…” His eyes were squinting as he fought tears. “I wish her all the happiness in the world…” His voice was cracking now. This was a man who was clearly about to lose it. “…Excuse me.”

He abruptly ran down the path before turning a corner. As soon as he was hidden from Hiccup’s view, the scrawny teen could hear anguished wails coming from the other side.

He could only sigh as he listened to the heartbroken man’s cries. He made a mental note to never get involved with other people’s love lives again. He turned to leave-

And was faced with a very befuddled Mirabel.

“Why was Mariano crying? What’d you tell him?” Hiccup grumbled. “I had the pleasure of informing him that his bride-to-be didn’t want to-be…” The bespectacled girl looked to Hiccup, then to the source of the weeping, then back to Hiccup.

“You mean…Isabela hadn’t told him already?”

“Guess not.”

“But she told us she would a week ago!”

“Maybe it slipped her mind…”

“How could calling off the engagement that almost ruined her life slip her mind!?”

“Mariano’s single?”

It was a small voice, barely above a whisper. But it still put a stop to Hiccup and Mirabel’s back-and-forth instantly.

It was Dolores, her eyes wide and questioning. “Did you two say…Mariano’s single now?”  Neither of them really knew what to say, but Hiccup answered. “Uh…yeah. Why?” In response, Dolores jumped with a squeak, before frenetically trying to compose herself. “Oh, um, uh, no reason…” She quickly fled, clasping her hands tightly together.

After a moment of silence, Mirabel gasped. “Oh my gosh! Hiccup, did you see that?”  The boy grew an inquisitive look. “Yeah, I did…how does she manage to shuffle away so fast with such a long skirt?”

“No, not that! Did you see how she reacted when we told her Mariano was single?” She donned an excited grin. “She likes him!” Hiccup nodded in understanding. “Well yeah, he’s a cool enough guy. I’m pretty sure most people like him…” His sentence trailed off as he noticed Mirabel’s bemused expression.

“No, Hiccup. She like-likes him.” Oh, that made more sense. Her grin returned. “You realize what this means, right?” Hiccup did, and he didn’t like it.

The girl took on a heroic stance. “As her cousin, and her cousin’s best friend, it is our solemn duty to ensure true love prevails!” The scrawny teen was not as enthused. “Or maybe we could just let nature take it’s course and let them figure it out themselves?” She waved off his concerns. “Pfft, come on Hiccup! We’re not gonna get too involved! We’ll just…nudge them in the right direction!”

Hiccup had a bad feeling about this, but he found it very hard to say no to Mirabel.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The plan was simple.

Mirabel would go after Dolores and encourage her to admit her true feelings to Mariano.

While Hiccup would go to Mariano and tell him why Dolores would be a great girlfriend.

He winced as he looked down on the sobbing man, curled up into fetal position and crying his eyes out. Hiccup started and stopped several would-be conversations, not knowing what exactly to say in this situation. As he nervously rubbed his arm, it was Mariano who spoke.

“I should have seen the signs, you know?” He asked in that despairing tone. “Some part of me knew her heart wasn’t in it, but I ignored it! Because I loved her too much!”

Before Hiccup could interject, he kept going.

“I used to buy her flowers, but she said she didn’t need them because she could make flowers! I used to buy her chocolates, but she told me she was watching her figure! I used to write her poetry, and you know what she said about it?”

Hiccup took a seat besides the saddened man, and shrugged his response.

“SHE SAID IT WAS NICE!” After that exclamation, he buried his head in his hands. “Every single one, no matter what it was about, she just said it was nice…” He now looked very depressed. “I’m not angry with her, I could never be. I just…wish she had told me. Because now I’m in love with her, and our love can never be…”

Despite being very uncomfortable with this situation, Hiccup did feel bad for the guy. Stiffly, he extended a hand to pat Mariano’s back.

As soon as his hand made contact, he was pulled into a tight hug by a weeping Mariano. “You’re right, Hiccup! I just need time to mend my broken heart. I have so much love to give, I can, no, I will love again!”

Hiccup did not say any of that.

Still hugging the boy, Mariano continued. “Thank you, Hiccup. You have helped me in my time of need, and for that I am eternally grateful.” “He lifted a hand to ruffle the scrawny teen’s hair. “You are truly a gentle soul, Hiccup. Never forget that...”

What in Thor’s name was happening?

Finally releasing the perplexed boy, Mariano stood and smoothed out his shirt. “I’m going to take some time to focus on myself, I’m sure the right girl will come along eventually.” Hiccup was still puzzled, but he had to ask. “Are you…gonna be okay?”

Mariano looked down with wet eyes. “No…”

And then a sad, but hopeful smile. “But I will be…”

And then he left, leaving Hiccup more confused than he’d ever been.

He sat there, pondering just what had happened, until Mirabel entered the area.

“Alright, I tried to get Dolores to confess, but she wouldn’t budge. So, I think we need to stage a meeting between her and Mariano! We’ll have Dolores drop her books in front of him, and then- “

“I think we should leave them alone.”

The girl froze. “But…But Hiccup! True love, Hiccup! TRUE LOVE!”

As she firmly gripped his shoulders, he elaborated. “If there’s anything I’ve learned today, it’s that messing with other people’s love lives is usually an exercise in frustration. I really think we should just let them figure this out on their own.” He groused, before a slight smile graced his face. “If it’s meant to be…then it’ll happen!”

Mirabel sighed. She knew he was right, but she didn’t like it.

“I just wanted to do something nice for Dolores. She needs something to take her mind of this whole…thing. And from what I’ve seen she’s liked him for years. I just want her to be happy…”

“Of course…” thought Hiccup. “Of course she had noble intentions, Mirabel doesn’t have a selfish bone in her body.”

Recalling something that had just happened, he reached over to ruffle her hair. “You’re truly a gentle soul, Mirabel. Never forget that.”

Mirabel was terribly confused.