• That feeling of apricity by CopicsForNameless (RotG, HTTYD crossover, HiJack)

╰┈• “Alright Icarus so am I the sun to warm you or to melt your wax?” It was almost snapped. He was tired and they went in circles and he was so glad Jack was back but he felt like he was being torn down by the leaves. like they saw him and whispered to jack he wasn’t worth his salt. Wondered what they thought of salt. He was regarded, again.

Jack one hand in the bushes holding on to a stick between in thumb and pointer. his left foot already over the line like they could pull him through.

"Like all of the suns.” He didn’t understand. Would have said so but jack was— he thought maybe still sick with fever but his eyes were fine, pretty, present and holding Hiccup’s. Saw there was no recognition from Hiccup and continued. “Like the northern one and the suns that make up my Ursa Major your Dain. Like the ones racing across the sky to prove things are infinite, unending, the stories on the pages that haven’t even become trees yet. You. Are a race. Across a finish line that doesn’t exist. So warm, I guess. If you want to define it that way. I was never Icarus..”

╰┈• His dads hands had always dwarfed his own, as a child he had thought it was comforting. Knew his dad could hold up the entire world in those hands. In his manhood it had been another way he didn’t measure up. Hiccup had such small hands, how could he hold Berk up.

╰┈• “Aye.” He realized, horribly, his father was rubbing his shoulders and they were shaking as he tried to hold himself steady. So damn angry, he hoped his face wasn’t as red as it felt. He just— it was too familiar and he’d done this before hadn’t he?

What did he need to lose the other leg to make them understand? He’d do it. Rather it didn’t come to that. Toothless made a sound of disagreement, didn’t think it was a good idea. Fine but if it came to that.

“They’re a good family, He’s a good lad, Hiccup I’m not denying that. Cares about those kids, Berk even, your friends, you.” He paused, and Hiccup knew he looked over his hair, wasn’t even trying to be subtle. Had kind of wanted to talk to his dad when he got back to Berk before everything went bottom end up.

“Aye... it was too soon. We can talk about this when you’ve had more time.” But that, he couldn’t handle that. His dads face pitying, understanding, knew a thing or two about losing people. “then you can tell me what’s really going on.”

Hiccup dipped under the weight of the those hands and Berk around them and the world. Closed his eyes just a second.

“And when we do, when we’re standing on the other side of this conversation a week from now.” He stared up at his father. “When I’m saying the same thing.”

“You still won’t listen to me.”

And that, was why when someone, anyone, Jack said please just trust me. He did, he would, he had. Because he believed in people, and his friends, and the things he could see. Gave the benefit of the doubt that even if he didn’t understand why it worked one way, that they could figure out the why or how later. And he would figure it out, liked deciphering things.

╰┈• He idled up behind the kids, silent as he like. They were all so preoccupied by the woods they didn’t notice when he stood behind them to watch. The eldest boy threw a rock into the trees and he heard it scare away a squirrel. He leaned down with his hands supported by his knees to get a better view.

There he is, he’s come back to the leaves, little boy blue, they’re throwing mean things.

He knew. He knew. But it wasn’t their fault.

“Oof that was a close one. You almost hit rocky and then who would Bullwinkle hang out with.” He said, making his presence known to them. Four kids jumped to him wide eyed and nervous. The eldest pushed himself to the front.

“You’re that— you’re the elf boy.” He accused with a wag of his finger.

Ah so he was an elf now was he? He was just a bit too tall. Jack peered into the woods a little closer and the kids followed suit. Tried to catch a glimpse of something glistening between the trees.

“Oh? I don’t look much like an elf.” He looked down at his fingers and his toes, stretched out his arm and leg to check both. The kids looked to each other questioning. “They’re only about yeigh high, and they have pointy hats. I don’t wear hats.”

“You got weird hair!” The same kid reasoned, Jack contemplated that With a nod, held his chin. Then looked down at the boy to regard him.

“So do you, it’s red.” The boy pulled down his shoulder length hair to check it. Glared at his handful of curly orange locks, then fixed Jack with the same intensity. Told him he had perfectly normal hair, and he wasn’t falling for any tricks.

Jack copied the motion, pulled bis technicolored hair into his eyes. Was it always past his cheek?

“Hmm. Is it really weird? I can’t really tell. Well I still think I would know if I was an elf. Elves twinkle when they walk.” The children looked to each other.

He wasn’t very short. No, and he didn’t jingle when he walked.

“You do have bare feet.” The girl said he and he smiled.

“Well that’s because a dragon ate my shoes”

“Why don’t you buy more?” The child asked, the one with short brown hair that hung very straight, and bright blue eyes like his once. nervous as they pushed themself a little closer to the front of the semi circle. Jack patted his pockets, pulled them out to show he hadn’t brought any money. They nodded and turned to the littlest boy. It made sense, it was a logical reason. His shoes had been eaten and he couldn’t afford another pair.

“My mom says your dangerous. Called you a fairy.” He. Jack didn’t like that. But. Not the kids fault. The brunette corrected their friend. Told them; Vanir and you oughtnt speak mean to them. Not to their faces.

“Hmm.. well, I think you would know if I was a fairy. They’re pretty easy to differentiate.” When the majority of the children looked too him interested, wanted to know how to spot a fairy if they ever came face to face with one. “They’re even smaller than the elves, they’re called the little folk Y’know. They’re about… oh. Here ill show you.”

Jack crouched down to block a red and black fuzzy caterpillar’s path. It paused, only for a second. Asking him, friend or foe? And Jack told him with a look, friend, always. So the caterpillar had taken his open invite and crawled over his knuckles. Tickled as he walked.

The brunette was shy. The littlest boy grinned. The girl thought he was pretty. And the almost nine year old stayed diligent, made sure Jack wasn’t going to bake them into pies.

Jack held out his hand to show the children. “There we are. A very small fairy.”

“That’s a caterpillar.” One said and he agreed.

“That’s not a fairy.” The girl said, wringing her hands in her dress until the fabric was worn bit by bit.

“Not yet. But give him a few weeks and then he’ll grow wings and he can tell you himself.” The children looked to one another. Thought, if anyone knew it must be the weird kid who suddenly showed up in their town. But couldn’t be sure. One of them, with the short brown hair and blue eyes, told him it would be a butterfly then, gently like they we’re overstepping, they weren’t. “And how is that different from a fairy, or a Changeling?”

The kids didn’t know. They would both have wings, they both are beautiful colourful creatures, they could change their entire selves.

Jack held the bug out to the eldest boy. He looked nervous. Teetered. “Well, go on then. You were throwing rocks at them weren’t you? Here’s one now. You can crush it easy I think.”

And so he did, because he could.

The boy brushed it off Jack’s hand quick, it fell to the ground. One kid as another whined. Jack Placed his hand over his little friend and let his fingers get crushed under a heavy boot.

A trade… a poor sad trade.

Yeah but one that had to be made.

There was a squish, but his fingers would be just fine. The girl was crying. Helga, he heard someone shout her name and knew she was the littlest boys sister. Because his big sister could stop any bad thing from happening. The child with no name that fit just yet shook their head. Angry.

“Putrid why would you do that it was just a caterpillar.” They asked.

The littlest boy whispered poor fairy.

It was a fairy now.

And Putrid, poor little Putrid. Didn’t know why he did that. Because his mom had said so and his mom was right about most things. His little eyes weld up with tears that threatened to roll down his face. But he had to be the big kid in front of the others. He stared at jacks hand where he heard something crush.

His game of sticks and stones wasn’t fun anymore.

Jack waited.

Until their eyes met, his full of regret, Jack’s gentle.

“Did that feel good Putrid.” The boy said nothing. He couldn’t, he put himself in a box and until someone opened it up, until someone saw him, he was mean. “Hurting someone very rarely ever does.”

Slowly, Jack pulled his hand back. And showed the kids they hadn’t needed to be worried. It wasn’t that Jack reached out too late. He had covered their little friend with his hand, and he had happily munched on the grass under his cupped palm.

Little ones. Little boy blue. Little folk.

Jack let the fairy crawl back into his hand, tilting it with his path even if his fingers stung. Held him out to Putrid for a second time.

“There we go, careful now. He’s just fine, nothing to worry about.” The caterpillar was placed onto Putrid’s hand and he closed his eyes tight, turned away. Like the fairy might still take him away into the woods. But Putrid laughed when it tickled his hand. “Some things in the woods are dangerous. Sometimes we can fall or hurt ourselves or get lost and not everyone is kind. So we use our eyes, to see what can’t be seen by our heads, and our heads to think what can’t be seen. But just because it’s different doesn’t always mean it’s bad, we make a calculated decision.”

Jack paused to let the boy regard his newest friend. One eye blinking open after the other, still nervous. But Jack Could tell that’s what they were, when Putrid held out his second tiny hand to provide a new path. Wouldn’t drop him now that Putrid was in charge of holding up the fairy.

reached out half his body and the boy moved his thumb to the section cup legs.

“But usually, We got to always remember to look out for the little guys, Putrid.”

”How will I know?” He asked. Jack poked the boy in the chest, gentle.

“You got to use that too.”

Wasn’t it kind of cool how the fairy had lived to tell the tale? And the others weren’t mad anymore; no harm no foul. One crouched to smile down at the fairy. Helga stopped playing with her tunic in worry. Her brother joined the circle and held her free hand.

A fairy ring…

He glanced back up at jack.

“But I think you’re pretty good at looking out for the little ones, knowing when to be clever or brave?” Putrid looked at his friends, he was the oldest, he had to be brave. When he looked at Jack he wasn’t afraid anymore. “And when to be kind.”

“I’m sorry I pushed him to the ground.”

“Well maybe you ought to tell him that.” Jack said, with a canter of his head. Where Jamie stood holding his sisters hand.

╰┈• "well the wind told me how.” He finally said.

Hiccup shook his head, and Jack was sure it was fond, from the wildness in those green eyes and how his smile was wide over gaped teeth that was rather becoming on him, how he tweaked his large nose and and Jack was close enough to count the freckles on his face. From pretty braids in hair that meant something.

And because the leaves told him so.

May the wind under your wings bear you where the sun sails and the moon walks.

“What did you say?” Hiccup whispered, turned in his saddle to try and send the words back at Jack, but theyed been missed, carried on a breeze maybe. 

“Just something I know.”

╰┈• As they had reconvened, the sun had drooped further in the sky, painting a rendition of fire. In reds and pinks and oranges that hit the tips of all the dragons wings and outlined the riders hair and edges. Like they were on fire too, where the sun could still reach them. Where Berk wasn’t darkening with the blue dusk.

And Jamie Bennet had thought, as he watched the tight group of friends, that Some day. One day.

Jamie wanted to be like that.

Like something someone wrote a book about once. Unique, and a little bit crazy but clever enough to outweigh the crazy and that no matter what. No matter how big or scary or difficult or strange something was he wanted to be someone who overcame those obstacles.

Would use his eyes, and head, and heart. And maybe be a little bit like a dragon, or a dragon rider, or a boy with a sword, or a boy with a plan.

Something from a story he’d heard once But as he saw Toothless and Hiccup both shift at the hairline reaction from Jack, saw the night fury drop towards him. He thought he just wanted to be a boy, who could last until sun fall

╰┈• “Stories. I think… I think a legacy is the story we tell those who come after us.” Jack bounced back at that, surprised. Stared up at him eyes wide and bright. Blinked. Had thought he’d give a different answer, but might have liked this one more. Loved his stories, wrapped himself up in them like they were a warm blanket. Like they could keep him company and Hiccup hoped they had. A little bit. Would listen to all of them to prove he wasn’t alone anymore.

Jacks voice was funny. A little wet on a cough or just wet from everything he talked about.

“And… and what sort of story are we telling?” Jack looked back down, fixated on their hands. Well if he didn’t know Hiccup would tell him.

Leaned forward until he could tip Jack’s head back, and Jack had let out that breath again, it hit Hiccup’s chin.