✒⸻ August

• A Marvelous Light by Freya Marske; I just found it funny

╰┈• “Er,” said Mrs. Kaur. It was the most diplomatic single syllable Robin had ever heard.

✒⸻ September

• Of the Northmost Winds and Skies by xxiiyu (RoTG and HTTYD crossover fanfic, HiJack)

╰┈• Jamie swallowed down the lump in his throat. “I’m sorry I didn’t believe in you sooner,” he mumbled.

Jack’s laugh was short-lived, but it was the first laugh in the past minutes that sounded real. He hugged Jamie tighter. “You believed in me sooner than I thought anyone ever would,” he said. “And that moment was invaluable. I’d have it no other way, Jamie.”

╰┈• “What’s it like to fly?” he asked, as if he didn’t know. That wasn’t why he asked. Jack couldn’t fly anymore, but at least he could somewhat relive it if Hiccup told him how he experienced it.

Hiccup was quiet beside him for a few seconds. Jack almost turned around to see what the matter was, but then he said, “Do you want to find out?”

Jack frowned. Slowly, he turned around. Hiccup was watching him with a hopeful, if not a little nervous, look in his eyes.

“What happened with not trusting me?” Jack asked.

“You heard what I told Jamie,” Hiccup said.

Jack stared at him. His heart was beating faster. “…You’ll get in trouble,” he said.

“Only if we get caught,” Hiccup countered.

Jack began to grin. “I like the way you’re thinking,” he said. “Never took you for a rebel.”

“You clearly don’t know me,” Hiccup replied, not with an unnoticeable tinge of smugness.

“I’m starting to feel like I want to,” Jack said.

There was a small pause. This time, the silence was filled with anticipation. Hiccup got to his feet.

“Toothless,” he said. “You rested up yet, buddy?”

Jack didn’t get how Toothless understood, but he got up immediately with an expectant expression, like Abby did when Jamie asked if she wanted to go for a walk. Hiccup held out his hand to Jack, and Jack took it, letting himself get hoisted to his feet.

“Um, Jack?” Hiccup said. “Where are your shoes?”

“Oh, those,” Jack said, looking down at his bandaged feet, and then up to the cliff he’d jumped off earlier. “Up there.”

Hiccup opened his mouth as if to say something, but then just shook his head and walked over to Toothless. After hopping onto Toothless’ back, he held out a hand to Jack. Toothless looked at him as well, the gummy smile of his filled with anticipation. Jack could do nothing but grin back. He took Hiccup’s hand, seating himself behind him.

“Ready?” Hiccup asked.

Jack was surprised to feel a tinge of nervousness in his chest. He guessed it was different to take to the skies now that he wouldn’t be able to save himself if he fell. This must be how Bunny felt when they boarded North’s sleigh.

“Yeah,” he said. He didn’t know where to put his hands, and awkwardly put one on Hiccup’s shoulders. The other was holding the staff, which might become problematic, but no way Jack was leaving it behind. Thankfully, Hiccup didn’t question it.

“Alright, bud, you heard him,” Hiccup said.

Toothless burbled happily. His wings spread out, and Jack’s heart sped up. Then he took a leap off the edge and beat his wings. Jack almost expected them to fall, but immediately they shot towards the sky. He gasped as the wind whipped against them. A feeling like electricity ran through his body. It had only been three days, and yet it felt like a lifetime since he had sped towards the clouds like this.

Hiccup was heading for the cliff to get Jack’s shoes, but Jack tightened his grip on Hiccup’s shoulder.

“No!” he said. “Forget them. We’ll get the shoes later!”

“What? Why? They’re right there!”

“I don’t want them,” Jack said with a laugh. He straightened his legs, closing his eyes. “It’s better like this.”

“It’s cold, you know?”

“I can deal with cold,” he said. “Just go higher! Come on!”

Toothless seemed to make the choice before Hiccup did, because Hiccup gave a small yelp when their course changed, becoming steeper and faster as they soared towards the clouds. Jack’s arms instinctively moved to cling around Hiccup’s chest, and Hiccup barely avoided getting hit in the face with Jack’s staff. Yeah, flying was definitely scarier when Jack wasn’t in control. He almost felt bad for messing with Bunny back then – almost.

“Careful, Toothless,” Hiccup said, glancing back at Jack.

“It’s okay!” Jack promised, looking over his side. The ground was getting further and further away, and Toothless was heading out towards the ocean. The clouds were getting closer too. He felt every beat of Toothless’ wings like a jolt through his body; every movement of his muscles made Jack keenly aware that he was sitting atop of a living creature that could choose to drop him at any moment. It was a whole new kind of flying, and Jack loved every second of it. His cheeks hurt from grinning so much. “Higher!” he ordered happily.

Hiccup let out a surprised laugh. “You know, most people tend to be a little more nervous the first time they ride a dragon,” he said.

“I’m not most people,” Jack replied easily. “You should know that by now.”

“Yet you keep surprising.”

Jack’s face hurt from smiling. “Wouldn’t be any fun otherwise,” he said.

The temperature kept dropping as they got closer to the cloud layer, and then the world turned white. Jack closed his eyes, breathing in the crisp, cold air. He still clung to Hiccup, because gravity would pull him backwards off Toothless if he let go. That still didn’t mean Jack didn’t have to use all his willpower not to let go and spread his arms out to the wind. In the moment, he couldn’t even remember the feeling of falling after jumping from the cliff. In the moment, he was still Jack Frost; all he had to do was let go, and he would be himself again.

They broke through the clouds, and sunshine washed over them. Toothless evened out, and they soared serenely through a kingdom of fluffy, towering mountains and spires, painted orange and pink in the afternoon sun.

A shaky breath escaped Jack. A painful jolt of yearning mixed with his euphoria. His hands quivered as he let go of Hiccup and raised his arms to the sky. If his sight became a little blurry, he blamed it on the wind.

“You okay?” Hiccup asked. It was easier to hear him now that Toothless was just gliding and the wind was no longer thundering in their ears.

Jack didn’t answer immediately. “…Yeah,” he then murmured.

“What’s your verdict, then?”

“What?”

Hiccup turned around, looking at him sideways. His expression was kind, if not a little worried. “Flying,” he said. “How does it feel?”

Jack looked back at him and couldn’t stop the laughter. It was a little bit shaky. He let his arms fall. “Like…” he started, but it was hard to decide. It felt like home. It felt like freedom. In some ways, it felt like safety, even if this certainly wasn’t the safest hobby you could have. Jack took a deep breath. “…I’m where I belong.”

Hiccup’s smile widened, and Jack grinned back at him.

The clouds disappeared under them, and they were flying over the glittering ocean. Berk was far behind them, and Jack could see smaller islands scattered in the blue, strangely shaped sea stacks rising out of the water and, just for a moment, something slithering in the waves and then disappearing into the deep again. Jack shivered. What kind of world was this?

“Toothless,” Jack said. “How fast can you go?”

He swore Toothless side-eyed him, like that was a dangerous question.

“You should hold on,” Hiccup said.

Jack didn’t ask. He hooked is arms around Hiccup again, careful with his staff this time. Hiccup leaned forward, gripping onto the saddle, and then did something with his foot. There was the sound of metal against metal, and Toothless dived.

Jack thought he heard someone screech – it might’ve been himself. His voice caught in his throat as they plummeted towards the ocean and he tightened his grip on Hiccup, feeling himself get lifted off the saddle. Then Toothless made a sharp turn. Water exploded around them, and they shot forward. They were approaching the towering sea stacks, and Jack almost closed his eyes, halfway convinced they were going to crash. But Toothless zigzagged between them like it was nothing, and then they were heading upwards again. Jack yelped as Toothless spun in the air. They were upside down for a second, and then soaring downwards. Jack had snuck onto a rollercoaster once or twice in his life, but that was nothing compared to this.

All too soon, Toothless slowed down again, and they were high in the sky. Jack only realized he was giggling like a crazy person when Hiccup sent him an amused grin.

“Fast?” he asked smugly.

Jack dried his eyes. “Fast,” he agreed.

Toothless made a strange sound from deep in his chest, like he was laughing.

“Oh, man…” Jack muttered airily. “Have you ever fallen off?”

“Oh, loads of times,” Hiccup said.

Jack raised a brow. “And…? You use your flight suit to save yourself?”

Toothless grumbled.

“The flight suit is a fairly new invention,” Hiccup said. “Here have been many close calls. But as you now know, Toothless is fast. And I guess the gods must be looking out for us, because luck has saved us more times than I can count.”

Jack had an idea.

“So Toothless can catch you if you fall?” he asked.

“Uh, well, there’s the problem with flying on his own, so some falls are more dangerous than others.”

“So if I were to fall…”

“Toothless would’ve been able to catch you. But don’t worry, you won’t fall,” Hiccup said, turning halfway around with a reassuring smile. “We know what we’re doing.”

Jack grinned impishly. “In that case,” he said, and let go of Hiccup. “Catch me!”

He slid off Toothless with a whoop.

“Wha—Jack!” was all he heard Hiccup shriek before the wind thundered in his ears again.

Jack spread his arms and legs, holding his staff tightly in his hand. His new cloak fluttered wildly around him. He flailed and turned around in the air to look up, moving with the ease of one who had done this a thousand times before. Toothless and Hiccup were diving towards him, but once they’d caught up, Jack wasn’t yanked out of his free fall like he expected. Toothless just fell alongside him and smiled with his tongue flapping in the wind. Jack cackled.

“This is awesome!” he roared.

Toothless roared too, before he turned and grabbed Jack by his legs. He changed course just in time; Jack’s fingertips almost touched the water before they soared upwards again.

Hiccup leaned to the side to give Jack a look that was as impressed as it was exasperated. “I take it back,” he said. “You really are crazy.”

Jack laughed again, and then yelped as Toothless did a sudden flip. He didn’t register how, but in the next moment he was in the air, and then he landed on his stomach on top of Toothless’ head. Hiccup burst out laughing and grabbed onto Jack before he could slide off again.

With their course steady, Jack held onto Hiccup and carefully crawled onto Toothless’ saddle, crouching right in front of Hiccup with a wide grin.

“That was fun,” he said.

“Get behind me, you lunatic,” Hiccup laughed.

It was a bit difficult, but he managed to climb around Hiccup and sit back down behind him. As much as he wanted fly on his own again – or rather fall on his own – he let himself enjoy the rest of the ride without giving Hiccup and Toothless any more heart attacks.

By the time they were heading back to the cliff to get Jack’s shoes, the sun had begun to set. The closer they got to the ground, the heavier Jack’s chest felt. He didn’t want to stop flying. They’d probably been up there for at least an hour, maybe more, but it felt like the blink of an eye. Maybe it was because Jack was having so much fun, or maybe it was because an hour was a second for someone who’d lived as long as Jack had. Either way, the heavy feeling spread to his throat when they landed on the cliff and became painful.

It was dumb; he felt like a child throwing a fit because he didn’t get it his way.

Hiccup dismounted Toothless, and Jack followed.

“Oh, I am hungry,” Hiccup muttered, patting his stomach. “What about you, Jack?”

Jack ignored him in favor of walking up to Toothless. Toothless perked up when Jack stopped in front of him.

“Thank you,” he whispered.

Toothless tilted his head to the side, then headbutted Jack playfully. Jack giggled, before turning his attention to Hiccup.

Hiccup was frowning at him.

“Are—are you okay?” he asked worriedly.

Jack blinked. “Huh? Oh.” He wiped a tear off his cheek. “Yeah. Just the wind,” he lied, and smiled at him. “That was incredible, Hiccup. Thanks for breaking the rules for me.”

Hiccup didn’t look convinced, but he shrugged, offering a modest smile. “No problem,” he said, then hesitated. “It’s not the first time I’ve done it. And it doesn’t have to be the last. And…And by that I mean…What my dad doesn’t know won’t hurt him, right?”

Jack almost laughed at how sheepish Hiccup sounded.

Hiccup pressed his lips together. “I mean, I’m saying if you want to fly again—”

“I know what you mean.” Jack beamed at him. “Of course I want to fly again. Just try not to get caught.”

Hiccup shrugged. “I’ll keep my mouth shut if you do.”

“Good. I’m great at keeping secrets,” Jack said.

Hiccup’s lips parted, his eyes narrowing in a silent question. Jack winked, then turned around to slip his feet into his boots, letting Hiccup ponder over that statement.

╰┈• “You must be a good singer, then,” Jack said, in response to Hiccup’s retelling of how they had to constantly sing or play music for the dragon to be manageable.

Hiccup barked a laugh. “Absolutely not.”

“Oh, come on.”

“Jack—”

“Hiccup.”

“I can sing,” Jamie interrupted. “Chestnuts roasting on an open fire—”

Jack sent him a long look. “Don’t go there.”

“Jack Frost nipping at your nose—” Jamie gave a sound between a shriek and a laugh when Jack bonked him on the head with his staff.

Jack switched over to English. “Propaganda! It’s all propaganda!” he exclaimed, but was quickly laughing as well.

Hiccup rolled his eyes good-naturedly. “I’ll assume I just witnessed an inside joke,” he said.

“If only,” Jack snorted, then bumped into Hiccup, very much on purpose. “I’ve not forgotten about you. I will hear you sing. One day.”

╰┈• There was something strange about his voice. Hiccup didn’t know if it was yearning or sorrow, or a mix of both, or neither of the two. His own heart was beating rapidly.

“Would you have stayed behind?” he heard himself ask, then immediately regretted it; what a selfish thought.

But Jack laughed again, and he must’ve rolled his head towards Hiccup, because suddenly Hiccup could feel Jack’s breath against his face. “If you’d have me,” he whispered. “Maybe.”

Hiccup became very aware of his own breathing pattern. He should say something, but his head seemed empty except for the urgent observation that Jack was so very close right now, and he probably didn’t even know what it was doing to Hiccup. Oh, this definitely counted as an attempted murder. He, Hiccup, only had to lean a little bit forward. Should he? No. That would be bad. Or would it? How would Jack react to that? Horribly, probably, that was just Hiccup’s luck, wasn’t it? No, Jack hadn’t made any hints like that…He didn’t even seem like the kind of person to feel that kind of thing for anyone.

But still…Hiccup wouldn’t know unless he tried. He inhaled slowly.

“You’d have to get used to Berkian cooking, then,” he said with a shaky laugh. He turned his face forward.

“Gods, you’re right. Didn’t think about that,” Jack laughed. If there had been a moment at all, he didn’t show any signs that he’d noticed it. Either way, the moment had passed.

Hiccup sat still, staring into the darkness. A thousand dragons were spitting fire inside his head. He didn’t try to stop the weary sigh building up in his chest.

“Getting tired?” Jack asked.

You have no idea, Hiccup wanted to reply. “Not really,” he said instead, because he knew he wouldn’t be able to sleep for at least another hour after that. “You?”

“Nah. Maybe. I don’t know.” It was Jack’s turn to sigh. “I don’t wanna dream.”

“What if I watch over you while you sleep?” Hiccup suggested. “Wake you if you start tossing and turning.”

“Hm…Will you sing me a lullaby too?”

He almost sounded serious. Hiccup shoved lightly at him. “Nice try. You’re not gonna hear me sing.”

Jack laughed. “One day,” he promised, “I will.” Then he shifted. Hiccup heard him patting the floor, then realized what he was doing when he fetched one of the blankets Idun had lent them. “If you’re just gonna sit there, do you mind if I use your legs as a pillow?”

Hiccup almost felt like crying. “Sure,” he chuckled. He’d just lean against Toothless if he got tired. And even if that hadn’t been a possibility, and he would’ve been forced to sit upright the entire night so as not to wake Jack, he’d still have said yes. Now, as Jack settled down and rested his head on Hiccup’s thigh, all he had to do was fight the urge to play with his hair.

Thor almighty. When had he turned into such a sap? This was a disaster.

Jack made a content sort of hum. “Thanks. See you tomorrow, Hiccup,” he mumbled in a yawn.

This truly was a disaster.

“Yeah…See you, Jack.”

╰┈• At some point, Jack found himself humming a melody that was stuck in his head. He couldn’t remember where he’d heard it, and wasn’t even aware he was doing it before Hiccup shook his head.

“That’s not how it goes.”

“What?”

“The song,” Hiccup said. “’Not the Settling Kind.’”

Jack nodded slowly. “Oh, right,” he said, keeping his face straight. “How is it again? Where the wild winds blow the foam—”

Hiccup shook his head again. “The wild wind blows. And it goes up at the end.”

“Where the wild wind blows the foam!”

“Now you got the middle part wrong.”

“No, it’s wild wind blows the foam—”

“Up!” Hiccup protested. Then he demonstrated: “It’s, where the wild wind blows the foam!”

Jack grinned. “What was that?”

“Where the wild wind blows the foam. Why are you laughing? You—” Realization dawned on Hiccup’s face. He slowly shook his head. “Oh, you sly little…” He picked up some snow and launched it at him.

It caught Jack off guard, and he clumsily shielded himself. He gasped in mock offence and answered by throwing snow right back at him. “What? You have a lovely singing voice!” he laughed, then rolled out of the way when Hiccup attacked again.

Toothless snorted in what sounded like exasperation. Jack could swear he even saw him shaking his big head.

It wasn’t until Jack was on his feet and the world started wobbling that he realized how wrong he’d been about the effects of the alcohol. It distracted him just long enough for Hiccup to land an attack right in his face, probably a bit harder than intended. Jack yelped, and Hiccup brought his hands to his mouth.

“Sorry—” he stared, but got no further, due to the snow which in the following second was stuffing his mouth. Jack cackled, and the war continued. It was ridiculous how difficult it was to remain on his feet when the ground was both slippery and going around in careening loops. In the midst of it all, Jack was singing ‘Not the Settling Kind’, purposefully warped to make Hiccup correct him.

“You’re ruining it!” Hiccup cried. “Why would you do that?”

“I’m a rebel at heart,” Jack boasted, then caught himself on Hiccup when the world tipped suddenly forwards. “Where the wild wind—”

Hiccup put his hands on each side of Jack’s face, staring intently at him. “It’s, where the wild wind blows the foam.”

He said something else too, but Jack completely spaced. Was it normal to love a face this much?

“Where the wild wind blows the foam,” Jack tried again, bobbing his head lightly to the melody.

Hiccup laughed. “There you go,” he said, then continued on to the next line: “Come get lost with me, love, and the sea shall be our home.”

Jack thought it was the alcohol making the ground tip back and forth, but gradually came to realize it was Hiccup, leading him into a tentative sort of dance. And then he realized he was grinning, and he started the song again, taking a hold of Hiccup’s upper arms and turning them in clumsy circles.

It was a nice, calm moment up until the point where they gradually began upping the tempo and the spinning got faster and faster, and then Hiccup tripped over Toothless’ tail – which Jack was almost positive hadn’t been in their way just a second before – and they landed in the snow. Jack’s forehead crashed into Hiccup’s chin, but his face was no numb he barely felt it. Hiccup gave a grunt, but was soon laughing, rubbing his chin with the hand that wasn’t still holding onto Jack.

Jack looked at the faint crow’s feet wrinkles that came out whenever Hiccup smiled this hard. He committed it to memory. Maybe coming back to Berk was the single good decision he’d made during his time in the past; Hiccup hadn’t laughed like this in a long time.

And Jack hadn’t felt this good in a long time either. It was exactly what he’d needed.

“Is it working?” Hiccup asked, as if reading Jack’s mind.

Jack had yet to move, lying halfway on top of Hiccup. He thought about it for a moment, rolling over to lie beside him instead. He carefully dipped his toe into the part of his mind that harbored all his worries, but it all seemed so far away now. All that mattered was the present. This present.

“Hiccup,” Jack said, peering at his face. “Do you think…Do you think I’d look…weird with blue eyes?”

Hiccup looked surprised. “Why do you ask?”

“Just a question,” Jack said, wondering if maybe that hadn’t been as subtle as he’d hoped. “I mean, blue is pretty different from brown.”

“They’re more like hazel,” Hiccup said, before pressing his lips together. He hummed. “I don’t know. Not weird, I don’t think. Different, sure, but…” He shrugged the best he could in his position. “Blue would suit you too. It would still be you.”

It was suspicious how he knew exactly what to say. Jack squinted at him.

“What?” Hiccup said with a nervous laugh. “Um. What about me? Blue eyes aren’t so different from green, I guess.”

Jack resolutely shook his head. “I like your face as it is,” he told him.

Hiccup looked back at him as if Jack had just challenged him with a particularly difficult math problem. (Not that Jack had ever learned math). He opened and closed his mouth a few times.

“Back at—” he started, then hesitated. “Um…Back at Idun and Rune’s place, did you say you saw your sister in the vision?”

For some reason, Jack could tell that wasn’t what Hiccup had been going to say. He nodded. “The last one and the one before that,” he replied slowly. “How so?”

“Just…thinking about what you said,” Hiccup murmured. “How you thought the one before the last might be the final one, and the things you talk about when you wake up. How do they even work?”

Jack blew out some air, looking up at the stars. “I have no idea,” he said. “I think.”

“You think?”

“Yeah. They might be connected. Might not. It’s weird.”

“Very insightful,” Hiccup said. His speech was slightly slurred, but that didn’t stop him from being sarcastic.

“You try connecting the dots between magic crystals that send your soul to all kinds of places,” Jack said, kicking him halfheartedly. “It’s confusing. You have to find the crystal in there too. And it’s always somewhere significant. Something that holds emotional value.”

“Was you sister, you know…involved in the whole magic-business?” Hiccup asked.

Jack laughed softly, letting his head loll to the side so he could look at Hiccup again. “Not in the way we are,” he said. “But she believed everything I told her. And I told her…well, I told her many things, but there’s one thing that’s really strange.” He held Hiccup’s gaze, but in his mind’s eye, the image of a miniature castle came into view. “I told her the wind was a friend of mine. It wasn’t exactly true at the time, but I said it as if the wind was an entity.”

Hiccup just blinked, and Jack realized this wasn’t common knowledge.

“Did I never tell you about the wind, Hiccup?” he asked, and the way Hiccup’s expression turned slightly wary told him no. Jack smiled though the reaction saddened him. “It’s nothing to worry about. The wind is still just the wind. As harmless as it is dangerous. But it’s true, what I told Emily. The wind is a friend of mine.” He paused. “Well, at home it is. Doesn’t seem to recognize me here. I guess that makes sense.”

“Why does it make sense?” Hiccup asked, obviously in disagreement.

“Because there are several wind spirits,” Jack said. “Just as there are several winter spirits.”

“There are several winter spirits?”

Jack blinked, cursing inwardly. “Uh…yeah, that’s why I thought it was such a good idea to go look for the Snow Queen,” he said. “But, yes, wind spirits. They hang around.” He lowered his gaze. Maybe the alcohol was wearing off. He didn’t feel as giddy anymore.

Hiccup shifted, turning on his side so that he faced Jack fully. “What’s wrong?”

Jack hesitated, but mirrored his movement so that they lay face to face. It took a few seconds before he figured out how to start his sentence. “Would you…” he started, but his voice broke off into a whisper. He let out a shaky breath and tried again. “If you could, would you…choose to forget about what we’ve seen? The magic, and all.”

“Forget?” Hiccup repeated. “Is that possible?”

“What if it was possible,” Jack said, and couldn’t help averting his eyes for a moment. “The world might seem a bit safer again. A bit more in control. Winter would just be a season. The wind would just be the wind. You wouldn’t need to be afraid anymore.”

“But they’d still be out there,” Hiccup said. “At least now I’m prepared.”

Jack picked up some snow, letting it filter through and melt on his fingers. “If you don’t believe, it’s all but non-existent,” he murmured. “It wouldn’t hurt you anymore.”

Hiccup looked down, a thoughtful look on his face. His hand drifted across the snow between them, mimicking Jack’s motion. “You know,” he started, “when I was a kid, I used to have nightmares about dragons almost every night. Especially Night Furies. But, as we all know…” He trailed off and looked back at Jack again. “I met a Night Fury, and it changed everything. In the middle of a war that had lasted generations, that one moment brought it all to a halt. I had no reason to believe the dragons were anything but monsters. But here we are.” Hesitantly, Hiccup reached for Jack’s hand and squeezed it. “I know how much you care about that world. Your magic. And yeah, it’s scary, but…you’re already a reason not to give up on that world.”

Jack stared at him. “What—” he started, but his voice came out as a croak. “What do you mean?”

Hiccup’s gaze shifted, looking just as nervous as Jack felt. “I mean, if it hadn’t been for magic, I’d never have met you,” he said. “I wouldn’t have traded that for anything. So, no, I wouldn’t ever want to forget.”

It was a difficult thing to hear. It elated him and devasted him at the same time. When Jack didn’t respond, Hiccup started looking sheepish and made to pull his hand away, but Jack gripped it before he could. It made Hiccup’s eyes snap back to Jack’s like a rubber band.

“I wouldn’t trade it for anything either,” Jack blurted. To his horror, he felt his eyes begin to water and he cursed, sitting up. Why was it always him tearing up?

Hiccup followed his lead, sitting up and letting out a soft laugh. “It’s okay,” he soothed.

“I don’t want to leave.”

This created another excruciating silence.

Hiccup’s face fell. He squeezed his hand again. “Then stay,” he said.

Jack didn’t know what to say. He knew it was impossible, but hearing it still made it feel like he was turning into pure electricity, or dissolving into snowflakes. But Hiccup’s hand remained firm around his own, and his gaze bore into Jack’s. And then, when it became clear Jack had lost the ability to speak, Hiccup’s shoulders sank in a sigh and he brought Jack into a tight embrace.

“Don’t cry,” he pleaded. “This night was supposed to be about forgetting.”

Jack made a choked sound. “I’d say it’s the alcohol, but this is just my natural charm,” he managed to mumble. He pressed his face into Hiccup’s neck, clinging onto him like it was life or death. “Will I remember this tomorrow?”

Hiccup made slow circles on his back. “I don’t know. Do you want to remember?”

And Jack laughed again. What a stupid question. If this night had to end, he wanted to remember every second of it.

╰┈• Jack went back to his pond. He stopped at the edge of the moonlit water, watching the silvery reflections. The corners of his eyes felt stiff. It was likely the only reason why he’d learned how to hold in his tears, since there was never a point in hiding them from others; they had an annoying tendency to freeze before they got very far.

He was happy to see Jamie reunited with his mother. He was happy to see Joyce too, and for the first time take note of everything she had in common with Emily, and even Jack himself. Maybe he was imagining it, but the thought was comforting anyway. At least he still had that victory. He was happy that he had accomplished what he promised, despite all his doubts and fears.

But…there was always a ‘but.’

Jack stepped forward. The water froze beneath him as he touched the surface. Maybe he shouldn’t do this in the middle of – what month was it anyway? Definitely not a winter month, that was for sure. He hoped Jamie wouldn’t catch another cold because of the sudden change in temperature. As for the pond, he was fairly sure the people of Burgess already had a feeling there was something special about it. Strange things tended to happen around this pond.

He supposed that was why he lingered, instead of going back to the Pole. It was his pond, the place he’d called home for three centuries, where his journeys both started and ended. It felt like the only place he could be right now.

The ice spread out from his feet to the edges of the pond, the frost inching just beyond the water and into the earth. It wasn’t entirely intentional, but Jack couldn’t bring himself to care. The fact that he had self-control enough to stop it from snowing was already noteworthy. The ice thickened beneath him. He was trailing his staff across it, making swirling, glowing patterns, when he felt the wind rustle his cloak and hair. He smiled softly.

“At least you’re still here,” he mumbled to it.

The wind seemed to caress his face, like it was trying to comfort him, before going still. Jack closed his eyes. The world was suddenly very, very quiet.

“Looks like you made it home safely.”

Jack opened his eyes. He stared blankly ahead, though the voice had come from behind him. It couldn’t be real. He’d hallucinated before, when he’d been at his loneliest. It couldn’t be real; he couldn’t allow himself that hope. And yet he found himself turning around.

A figure stood by the center of the pond. He wore a cloak made of brown fur and leather armor. His hair was dark and unruly, his eyes were a brilliant green, and instead of a left leg there was a metal prosthetic.

It was Hiccup.

But it couldn’t be Hiccup.

Jack dimly registered that he was staring, speechless, when the boy that looked like Hiccup inclined his head slightly sideways, his mouth turning into a nervous smile.

“Uh…Jack?”

Hearing his own name in Hiccup’s voice felt like falling from the sky. It was wonderful and terrible at the same time. He wouldn’t hope – not again. This was just some trick of his mind, some cruel dream born from overexposure to Sandy’s dreamsand. Jack opened his mouth, but each time he thought he was going to speak, the words perished at the tip of his tongue.

“Don’t be scared,” the boy who looked like Hiccup said, holding up two trembling hands. If any of them were scared, it was him.

“I’m not,” Jack said. His voice was barely there. “I’m…con-confused.”

The boy who looked like Hiccup smiled a little. He took a step forward but stopped when Jack tensed. He opened his mouth to speak, but Jack beat him to it:

“This isn’t…Is this…real?”

The boy who looked like Hiccup laughed softly. “I find it hard to believe myself. Standing here, talking…talking with you. Actually talking.” His voice quavered faintly, the way Hiccup’s voice tended to do when he was nervous. “But yes. It’s real. It’s…It’s me, Jack.”

Jack closed his eyes again. When he opened them, the boy who claimed he was Hiccup was still there. But it couldn’t be Hiccup. Even if he looked exactly like Hiccup – the same age as when Jack had left him, the same windswept hair, the same eyes that seemed to hold the whole sky in them – there was something different about him. And it wasn’t just the outfit. He seemed…older, somehow. Much older.

“I, uh…” the boy who looked like Hiccup started, his arms gesticulating halfheartedly by his sides. “I’ve been going through this moment in my head a few times. Many times. Like, a—a thousand times, probably. I always imagined myself a lot smoother than this. I mean, it started off well – that home journey-thing, I’ve been planning it for a while, and even that wasn’t as cool as I thought it—”

“How are you here?” Jack interrupted. He took a tentative step towards him, then another. “You—you were supposed to live. You promised you would live!”

“I did!” The boy who looked like Hiccup held up his hands soothingly, taking a step towards Jack as well, slowly, like Jack was a cornered animal. “I lived. A whole life. I promise.”

“Then h-how…” Jack started, but his voice broke away. Again, he had to close his eyes, and he shook his head. “Don’t…” he pleaded. “I can’t…Not again.”

He gasped when he felt fingers brush against his own, and looked up to find Hiccup in front of him. Jack’s hand reacted on its own, reaching out to Hiccup’s. Hiccup’s mouth parted, his breath coming out in shaky puffs of mist. Jack knew that reaction well – the shock of touching after going without it for a long time.

How long had he waited?

“Hiccup,” Jack whispered, feeling his eyes widen and refill with tears.

Hiccup looked up as if Jack had slapped him. Then he smiled, almost incredulously, and nodded.

Jack’s staff clattered onto the ice. He threw his arms around Hiccup just as his legs went out beneath him, and the two of them sank to their knees. Jack wasn’t sure if he was laughing or crying, or if the words he tried to speak were in any way coherent. He felt Hiccup’s arms around him, strong and desperate and familiar, his chest all but heaving against Jack’s.

Jack leaned away and put his hands on Hiccup’s cheeks, checking again if it really was him. And it was. There was no doubt in it. Jack hadn’t even been aware he’d memorized the exact location of each one of his freckles, but here they were, just as they had been centuries ago. And there was the scar on his chin, and his bushy eyebrows, and his big, round nose. A laugh – partly sob – bubbled out of him. He kissed his nose, then his forehead, then his cheek. Hiccup began to laugh too, but stopped when Jack pressed their lips together. Jack felt a tear trail onto his hand.

He broke the kiss, but didn’t move away. The only reason he dared open his eyes again was because he could hear and feel Hiccup in front of him; he wasn’t an illusion or a dream. He was real. And he was here.

Jack brushed the tear away with his thumb. “How?” he whispered.

Hiccup cracked his eyes open. The green seemed even brighter against the faint red at the corners. He put a hand over Jack’s and closed them again, leaning into his touch.

“It’s a…long, somewhat confusing story,” he murmured. “It might take some time to wrap your head around it.”

“I have time,” Jack said.

Hiccup’s lips pulled up into a smile. He moved his hand to the back of Jack’s head and kissed him again. “I know,” he said. “So do I.”

Jack began to grin, but faltered. “You do,” he said, pulling back a little to look down at Hiccup’s outfit, and then back up at him. “Why is that?”

Hiccup’s eyes brightened. “I guess I should reintroduce myself,” he said, and moved a little more away just to give a halfhearted bow. “Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, protector of the northmost winds and skies. It’s a mouthful, I know. As if my name wasn’t long enough already, but I didn’t really have a say in it.” He nodded up at the Moon.

“You’re a spirit,” Jack said.

“People used to say I had the heart of a chief and the soul of a dragon,” Hiccup said, his eyes glazing over for a moment, like he was pulling forward an old memory. By now, Jack understood that was exactly the case, but he couldn’t imagine it; he’d just said goodbye to Hiccup a mere few hours ago. “I spent my life fighting for the dragons and our coexistence. I’ve spent my second life doing the same. Plus some extra responsibilities.”

“But the dragons…” Jack started reluctantly.

Hiccup looked back at him. “The dragons,” he agreed, a certain familiar light in his eyes. “They’re still waiting. Which reminds me – I know a guy who’s been aching to see you again.”

Jack stared at him. “You’re joking,” he decided.

Hiccup snorted. He looked up and made a strange noise – it hardly sounded human. It sounded like it was supposed to come from a—

The same noise echoed from above. Jack looked up, and at first all he saw was the dark, starry sky. But then some of them began blinking out in succession, and Jack gaped as moonlight fell upon the shadow shooting towards them.

Toothless landed elegantly on the ice.

“You’re flying on your—” Jack started, but didn’t get any further before his vision was filled with dragon. Toothless knocked Jack over and Jack gave an undignified shriek, which then turned into a cackle as he tried to shield himself against Toothless’ tongue. Hiccup did little to help him.

It wasn’t until Jack was all but dripping that Toothless allowed himself to be pushed away, and he grinned wildly at Jack, tongue hanging over his toothless gums. He looked just the same as well, except for the matching black tailfins and some extra flaps across his back. Jack shook his head, unable to stop grinning.

“Toothless…How can you be a spirit too?”

Toothless all but purred, raising his head proudly.

“You say it as if you’ve never met an animal spirit before,” Hiccup commented, amused. He ran a hand over Toothless’ head and gently pressed their foreheads together. “We’re the bridge between human and dragon kind. I guess I sort of always knew I’d end up here with him, on some subconscious level.”

Jack peered at them. “How is this real?” he asked faintly.

Hiccup crouched beside him, and Toothless lay his head in Jack’s lap, looking expectantly up at him until Jack started scratching his neck.

“Surely not the strangest thing you’ve experienced?” Hiccup grinned.

Jack looked up at him, studying his face. He reached up with his free hand and cupped his cheek.

“What happened?” he asked. “After we left?”

Hiccup nuzzled Jack’s hand instead of immediately replying. The movement struck Jack as almost animalistic, like the way Toothless had leaned into Jack’s touch just before they left – as if Hiccup had spent so much time with just Toothless, he’d adopted some of his behavior.

“…It’s hard to describe,” he said, his eyes going distant again. “I remember my life. Clearly too, but…at the same time, it’s far away. It’s me, but at the same time…” He trailed off uncertainly.

“Like Jack Frost isn’t, but still is, the same person as Jackson Overland,” Jack supplied. “I get it.”

Hiccup met his eyes, and it was his turn to study Jack. Then he took his hand and got to his feet, pulling Jack with him and ignoring Toothless’ protests. “Let us show you,” he said, “what we’ve been up to the past, er, thousand years, give or take.”

Jack frowned, holding Hiccup back before he could mount Toothless.

“Were you alone?” he asked.

Hiccup’s eyes softened. “Never,” he said, squeezing Jack’s hand. “Come on. You should join me on Toothless, or you might get lost.”

“Lost?” Jack repeated, a bit offended, but followed Hiccup. “I thought you said ‘northmost’. North, cold – do you know who I am?”

“And yet you had never been to Berk,” Hiccup pointed out, jumping easily onto Toothless, like he weighed nothing.

Jack levitated but didn’t sit down immediately. He peered at Hiccup. “But Berk isn’t…”

Hiccup’s smile was smug. “Gods, it feels good to know something you don’t for once,” he said.

Toothless didn’t wear a saddle anymore, but that didn’t matter. They weren’t dependent on each other to fly anymore, but that didn’t matter either; they both preferred to do it like old times, as much as possible. And now Jack was with them too.

Hiccup felt like he was dreaming. He could only imagine what Jack was feeling; he hadn’t even had time to prepare for this reunion like Hiccup had. Jack sat behind Hiccup, his arms secured around his waist like they were both still human. The world around them turned unfocused as they flew, moving through the plane which only spirits could navigate. Meanwhile, Hiccup started telling Jack his story:

He’d lived a full life. It wasn’t painless, and it wasn’t always how he expected it would be. He’d found things, and he’d lost things. He’d been happy, and he’d been devastated. But it had been a good life, which came to an end when it was supposed to.

That was strange to think about now. Those years as Chief felt as clear as yesterday and as distant and hazy as childhood memories; precious and personal, but also like they belonged to a completely different person.

“But why do you look like this?” Jack asked.

“Like a teenager?” Hiccup scratched his cheek. “I don’t know for sure. The Moon isn’t very talkative like that.”

“I’ll drink to that,” Jack commented under his breath.

“I woke up, and at first I didn’t remember anything,” Hiccup said. “I knew I was Hiccup, and I felt…I felt like I did when you were with me, though I didn’t realize it at the time. So I’m not sure, but I think…I am the version of myself that I was when I decided to protect the magical world.”

Jack leaned over his shoulder, studying his face. “Do you feel like an eighteen-year-old?” he asked with an amused glint in his eyes.

“Do you feel like an eighteen-year-old?” Hiccup shot back.

Jack sank down on Hiccup’s shoulder, leaning against his neck. “I see your point,” he mumbled. His breath tickled Hiccup’s skin and sent a shiver down his spine.

At last, the clouds parted.

“We’re here,” Hiccup announced.

Jack perked up. “There’s just ocean,” he said slowly.

Hiccup put a hand on his cheek. “Look again.”

Jack’s eyelashes fluttered against Hiccup’s little finger. Then he gasped.

Berk appeared far beneath them. It didn’t look the same as when Hiccup lived there. No human had lived there for a long, long time. As for animals and other creatures, that was another story.

“I can feel it,” Jack breathed. “The Archipelago. Has it been here all along?”

Hiccup glanced at him, smiling at his awestruck expression. “The Archipelago is packed with magical beings, as you know. More than anywhere in the world, as far as I know. That’s why nobody knows it’s there, and why someone needs to look after it.”

“’The Archipelago is in good hands,’” Jack muttered. “Freya. That’s what she said. She was talking about you?”

The memory blossomed to life in Hiccup’s mind. He mentally dusted it off, and suddenly his cheeks felt very hot. “I guess she was,” he mumbled sheepishly.

They flew towards Berk, but not where the village used to be. Even after all this time, Hiccup felt the sting of loss seeing how much the island had changed. He’d often wondered if that was why the memories seemed distant; it was a way to protect himself and to move on.

“Come on,” Hiccup said.

Then he slid off Toothless and let himself fall, feeling a little too much satisfaction at Jack’s panicked yelp. He fell and then spread his arms out. The flaps on his flight suit sprang out, perfected from the first time Jack saw it in action, and then he was gliding smoothly along the wind.

Jack appeared beside him, his eyes wide. “You can control the wind,” he yelled.

Hiccup smiled playfully. “I can control a wind,” he corrected. “There are many wind sprites, but only one wind spirit. Like someone once said, I’m sort of the boss.”

Jack’s mouth hung open. Hiccup could see the gears turning in his head, but before he could figure it out, they had to hit the brakes before they crash landed. Hiccup touched down easily, but Jack stumbled a little, looking a bit out of it. He turned around, taking in his surroundings.

“Where’s Toothless?” he asked.

“He’ll be back,” Hiccup said, waving a hand. “He has stuff to do too. Dragons to look after. Winds to command. That kinda stuff.”

Jack looked puzzled. “You have the same job?”

Hiccup scratched his head. “Sometimes it feels like we’re the same person,” he admitted. “Two sides of the same coin and all.”

Jack continued to stare at him. He was still confused. One didn’t need to know him as well as Hiccup did to see it. But now there was something underneath that – a slow realization.

Hiccup gestured for Jack to join him and sit by the cliff edge. “Remember this place?” he asked.

“Of course.” Jack carefully sat down beside him, still with that searching look. “It just looks a little different, but…this is where we first talked, right? And where I rode Toothless for the first time. Consciously, anyway.”

Hiccup laughed, his mind ringing with the clear-yet-distant memory. “You finally told me a little about yourself,” he said. “So I thought it was appropriate to come here to talk.”

He paused, but Jack was quiet, waiting for him to continue.

Hiccup turned to the ocean and took a deep breath. “When I woke up as a wind spirit, I found out pretty fast that it had been a while since Hiccup Horrendous Haddock was Chief. The Archipelago was already different. It was hazy at first, and I remembered things very slowly. Still, I always knew what to do, in the same way you always knew what to do as Jack Frost.”

Jack frowned. “But haven’t you been lonely?” he asked, his voice small. “How long have you waited?”

“That’s where things get a bit confusing,” Hiccup said. “I’m not always…awake, I guess. There are times where I’m dormant. I’m around to make sure the Archipelago and the dragons are safe, and to make sure the wind sprites don’t go off the rails. I’ve been a spirit for a while, but I’m not always, you know…corporeal. Time feels different in that form.”

Jack’s brows twitched. He opened his mouth, but no sound came out.

“It’s a lot to take in,” Hiccup mumbled self-consciously.

“N-no, it’s fine,” Jack said, but there was a strain in his voice, like he was afraid. “It’s just…do you choose to do that? To go dormant?”

Oh. Hiccup leaned in and kissed his cheek. “I won’t leave you,” he promised. “Not after waiting for 300 years.”

Jack blinked. “300?”

“And some more.” Hiccup smiled sheepishly. “I didn’t forget. Not completely anyway. There was this drawing – I think it was Jamie’s work?”

Jack brought a hand towards his mouth – a gesture Hiccup knew he’d picked up from Jamie. “Oh no,” he muttered. “That was my Christmas gift from him. I can’t believe I forgot it.”

“Maybe it was meant to be,” Hiccup said. “That’s what I choose to believe anyway. I found it, and I knew…I just knew it was important, but I could never figure out why. And then, centuries later…I see you.” He paused, taking in Jack’s face. “Jackson Overland, and…and Emily Overland.”

Jack’s jaw went slack.

“You were sitting on a hilltop,” Hiccup continued, “building something. A castle, I think. You kept hurting your fingers. I hope you got a little handier after working in the forge.”

Jack laughed suddenly. It was a wobbly sound. “You were there?” he asked.

Hiccup’s chest twisted. They were getting awfully close to the only part of this reunion he’d been dreading. “You said the wind was a friend of yours,” he murmured. “I didn’t recognize you at the time, but…I felt like you were talking to me. Like you knew. But after that, I…I lost track of you. When I came back, Jackson Overland was gone. And then, a few years later, I saw Jack Frost, and…” His voice faltered. That memory was as clear as ever. “It all came back, all at once. You, Jamie, Baby Tooth, the Snow Queen – as if it had just happened. And Jack, I swear…”

He glanced at Jack, who was staring at him, his face blank with surprise. Hiccup swallowed heavily and turned fully to him, taking both his hands in his own.

“You were in so much pain, but I didn’t want to risk changing anything,” he said. “If you saw me, you’d recognize me once you went back in time. I didn’t know—”

“I understand,” Jack interrupted, voice faint. He closed his eyes and slowly began to smile. “You were there. You were always there. Weren’t you?”

Hiccup hesitated. “Not in…Not in a creepy way,” he mumbled.

Jack’s smile wavered, like he was holding back a laugh. There were joyous tears in his eyes when he opened them. “You’re the wind,” he said. “That wind. All the time I spent talking to it…I was talking to you.”

Hiccup smiled uncertainly. “I tried making myself as clear as possible,” he said. “Not that easy, when you’re just…. well, wind. But I hoped it would make you a little less lone—”

Jack kissed him.

“I love you,” he murmured against his lips.

Speaking of spending a bunch of time in wind-form, Hiccup felt as if his body was dissolving. He melted against Jack, holding his hands close to his chest.

“I’ve tried saying that a thousand times,” he whispered. He met Jack’s eyes, smiling helplessly. “I love you.”

Jack had the audacity to look embarrassed. “I see that now,” he said with a small laugh. He pressed his forehead to Hiccup’s, squeezing his hands tightly. “I see you.”

“I see you too,” Hiccup replied softly.

• The Golden Light by alkaline_frog (RoTG and HTTYD crossover fanfic, HiJack, OTNWAS spinoff)

╰┈• "You know, I never wanted to be chief,” he said. “Not at first.”

That got Jamie’s attention. He stared at Hiccup in confusion.

Hiccup smiled and shrugged. “It’s true. When my dad first told me he was planning to hand over the title, I was out the door before he could even finish. I went on a long flight with Toothless, running as far away as I could that day.”

His gaze became distant as he relived the memory. “It was just so much responsibility that I wasn’t ready for. And on top of it all, I thought I had to let the part of myself that I loved most go… let the dragons go. I thought I had to leave Toothless. We both did.”

Jamie’s eyes widened. It didn’t make sense. Hiccup and Toothless were inseparable in both of their lifetimes – mortal and spirit. Two halves of one whole. He couldn’t imagine a world where they weren’t together.

Hiccup turned to face him, and Jamie easily guessed what the next part of the story was. The way Hiccup’s eyebrows furrowed over his intense green eyes told him that he would have never let that happen. He was far too stubborn for that, and even more so, too brave.

“The first years were hard. I was out of my depth. We lost so much because of my leadership. But we got through it because we learned to do it together with the dragons. We created a world where dragons and humans could live as one. And now in our second lives we still fight for that balance. We are the guardians of the bridge.”

As he spoke, Jamie watched in awe as the air around Hiccup rippled. Around his shoulders, a large cloak of fur appeared, held up on his amor by two shining metal clasps. "The heart of a chief…" Jamie realized.

Hiccup smiled and looked him in the eye.

"And the soul of a dragon," he finished and Jamie realized he had said the words out loud. "I learned that I didn't have to abandon that part of me to be a leader. My dragon side was what gave me the strength to lead."

Jamie didn't know how to respond. Hiccup was always so fun to banter with, so warm and approachable, and sometimes just downright goofy. Here he was reminded of how strong of a leader he was. Looking at him now, all he saw was the mighty Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, Chief of Berk, and Protector of the Northmost Winds and Skies.

"You're not selfish for wanting us in your life, Jamie. And I promise, we'll always be there watching over you. No matter where you go." Hiccup's voice softened. "And no matter if you can see us or not."