Author's Note: I was feeling depressed, so I wrote some (more) angst. Then I was feeling cryptic too, so I tossed in a jumble of symbolism and parallels that probably don't make any sense (if you manage to find them, that is). Not that there's much of a plot in the first place. Please pardon my horrible writing.

With references to Skyfall, for those of you who recognize the opening sequence of that film.

Disclaimer: I do not own Rise of the Guardians or How to Train Your Dragon.

Whispering Winds

Aster found him on the roof, sitting precariously on the northern ledge with his legs hanging over the side of the building as he stared at the setting sun across the horizon.

With a resigned sigh, he made his way over and sat down next to him, facing the opposite direction. The other man barely acknowledged his presence, as if he already knew Aster would find him sooner or later, and he merely took another long drag of his cigarette before exhaling noisily.

"You dodged Medical again," Aster said, casting a worried glance at him.

He didn't receive a reply. No surprise there.

"You took two bullets during your last mission. I don't care how you managed to not bleed out all over Manny's office during your debrief. Get your ass to Medical or I'll do it for you."

Aster growled at the agent's stubborn silence. He reached out to grab his shoulders and pull him back when he noticed that the other man had begun to lean forward.

"Damn it, Jack! Do you have a death wish?" the Australian hissed angrily. "You can't keep doing this! You've become more reckless ever since H–"

Aster's world turned upside down as he was flipped over and pinned to the ground. Jack had moved so fast that he hadn't seen it coming. The white-haired agent was breathing heavily from the effort and trembling slightly, and Aster found it hard to tell whether it was because of his injuries or the fact that he had struck a nerve.

"Look, mate. Getting yourself killed isn't gonna bring him back," Aster grunted, wincing as Jack dug his knee deeper into his spine. Knowing that there was nothing he could do while Jack was in another one of his moods, he remained still and waited for him to snap out of it. Sure enough, after a few minutes of tense silence, Jack released him from the arm lock and stepped away.

The door to the roof slammed shut before Aster could pick himself off the ground.

Everyone in the observation room held their breaths as they watched the array of screens hanging from the walls. Not one week after his last mission, Agent Frost had been deployed to India for reconnaissance and things had been going smoothly up till four hours ago, when his contact was revealed to be a double agent. Frost's cover had been blown from the start and his handler immediately ordered him to abort the mission when they received intel about the deception, but the agent was determined to take out the mole.

"I've got him, but I might hit Frost," came the static-filled voice over the intercom.

"Hold your position Ana," Manny ordered. He had sent the female agent as Frost's backup and she was able to track him down after he went off the grid to search for the man who had double-crossed them. Her handler was typing furiously away on the keyboard, feeding her information about the train that was quickly passing her by. She had positioned herself in a building across the bridge that the train was due to cross, and her vantage point allowed her to see the tiny forms of the two men duking it out on top of the last carriage.

"Sir, any longer and I'll lose them."

"…Do it."

A sharp crack suddenly echoed through the speakers, and absolute silence followed the sight of the white-haired agent toppling off the train, over the bridge, and into the ice cold waters of the river hundreds of feet below.

"Take my hand."

Jack whimpered and shook his head, stepping back in fear.

"I won't let anything happen to you," Hiccup promised, reaching out even further. He waited for Jack to come to him, knowing that forcing him would only make things worse. Slowly but surely, the white-haired boy began to inch his way towards the children's pool, where his best friend was waiting for him.

Hiccup was determined to help Jack overcome his fear of the water and teach him how to swim. Ever since Jack had nearly been drowned by their school's bullies in the lake during summer camp, the boy had refused to go anywhere near extended bodies of water. It got so bad that he even avoided the fountains and small ponds in their town's park.

"You don't have to go in right away. You can just sit at the edge and put your legs in the water," Hiccup said when Jack came close enough. The brunet suppressed a wince as his hand was grabbed in a death grip, but his face lit up with a proud smile when Jack finally dipped his toes in the water. He didn't go any further than that, but it was progress nonetheless.

"See? That wasn't so bad, right?"

"I-I guess…"

The water lapped at Jack's feet where he sat at the edge of the pool with his knees pulled up to his chest. Hiccup couldn't help but laugh at the way the white-haired boy was practically balancing on his backside, leaning so far back as though a giant wave would emerge from the water and crash down on him.

"You're gonna tip over and hit your head at this rate," Hiccup chuckled as he moved to sit in front of him. The children's pool was shallow enough that the water level only reached up to just below his neck, and the brunet patted his friend's feet reassuringly. "Don't worry, I'll catch you if you fall in."

Jack frowned and squeezed his eyes shut, shaking his head stubbornly.

"Trust me! I'll make you into the best swimmer in the world! You'll be able to swim the oceans no sweat, and then you can do that water parachute thing just like in those super spy movies!" Hiccup silently cheered to himself when he spotted the small smile spreading across the other boy's lips. He dipped his hand into the pool and flicked stray droplets of water towards him, grinning at the way Jack's face scrunched up in annoyance.

"Cut it out, Hic!"

Another flick of water. "Not until you open your eyes."

"Hiccuuppp…" he whined.

"Open your eyes."

Blue eyes fluttered open and Jack found himself washed up on an unknown shore, staring at a full moon hanging in the starry night sky. The constellations reminded him of freckles for some reason, but the thought left his mind as quickly as it came before he could make any sense of it.

Most agents never made it to retirement. It was a fact that was widely accepted in the Agency, and everybody knew exactly what they were signing up for when they were recruited. Besides, those who did manage to outlive the majority of their colleagues found that retirement was too dull and boring for them anyway, and almost all of them chose to continue serving till the end.

Of course, that didn't mean Jack couldn't appreciate a good vacation every now and then.

He knew the Agency would have presumed him dead even though they never found his body. By all means, the fall should have killed him, but he had miraculously survived somehow. Not completely unscathed (the bullet wound in his side still hurt like a bitch, like the stupid agent who was supposed to have his back, not shoot him), but at least he was still alive.

The sea waves lapped at his bare feet as he walked across the wet sand, catching sight of a small quaint beach house from the corner of his eye. It was the safe house he retreated to when he wanted some time to himself, and no one but him knew its location, not even the Agency. If there was anywhere he could see himself retiring, it would be there. The island it was built on was isolated and secluded, and the only way one could reach it was to navigate through a hazardous combination of rocky outcroppings and strong currents.

Which was why Jack had to do a double take when he spotted two children playing in the sand nearby.

They seemed to be around ten years old, building sandcastles in the distance. The smaller brunet was busy placing little seashells on the towers of sand while the taller brown-haired boy was diligently digging a moat. Jack frowned and was about to call out to them when the older boy suddenly whipped around and stared at him.

The agent's breath hitched and he found himself unable to speak, standing frozen as he locked gazes with a familiar childish face, a face he remembered seeing in the mirror many years ago. The other boy gave him a sad smile before shaking his head and turning to his companion.

"Come on, Hiccup! Let's go get some water!" he said excitedly, picking up a pail with one hand and tapping the younger boy's shoulder with the other. Jack made a strangled choking noise when the smaller brunet lifted his head to reveal emerald green eyes and constellations of freckles, but the child paid him no heed and merely bobbed his head in understanding.

Jack's eyes followed them as they raced each other towards the sea, running past another figure who had appeared without him noticing. This time, the agent literally backpedalled at the sight of the man drawing pictures into the sand. He looked so different from the last time he had seen him, beaten black and blue and practically drowning in his own blood. Jack remembered mercilessly gunning down each and every single one of the terrorists who had invaded the control room, not caring about the dark red staining his white dress shirt as he picked up the limp figure on the floor and cradled him to his chest. He remembered running all the way to the hospital, his hands tightening their grip for the barest of moments before allowing the doctors to relieve him of his precious cargo. He remembered the head's surgeon apologetic look hours later, and Aster's disappointed stare when he didn't even bat an eyelid and only turned around to walk away.

So there was no way Hiccup was standing in front of him, happily scratching lines into the sand.

"Hiccup?" Jack whispered, unable to believe his eyes.

The other man looked up at the sound of his name and his face lit up in delight. "Jack!" he grinned, dropping the branch in his hand and breaking into a sprint towards him. Jack's feet started to propel him forward, his arms outstretched and ready to engulf the younger brunet in an embrace –

Only to shiver violently when Hiccup phased through him like a ghost, leaving behind a hollow feeling of emptiness and loss.

Jack gasped in shock and skidded to a stop, turning around just in time to see Hiccup fall into the arms of his doppelganger, another Jack who hugged him tightly and spun him in a circle. The brunet reached up to pull him into a passionate kiss, and Jack's copy smirked at the agent when their lips met, as though taunting him with what he could never have.

Hiccup was in his own heaven now, and it was Jack's personal hell.

When they broke apart, Hiccup laced their fingers together and started talking excitedly, but even though Jack was only several feet away, he realized that he couldn't hear his voice at all. There was no sound coming out of Hiccup's moving lips even though the other Jack's reply was loud and clear. The pair didn't even look back once as they began to walk away, slowing fading into the distance.

Panting heavily, Jack whirled around to where Hiccup had been just moments ago. There were footprints in front of him, but it took him a while to realize that they were his own, having done a full lap around the island without noticing. The children had vanished, their sandcastle turned into a lump of sand, washed away by the waves lapping at his feet.

Jack's footprints shrunk in the seawater as he continued on his way, and if he tried hard enough, he could almost pretend that the smaller set next to his were Hiccup's, walking right beside him.

Author's Note: I'm such a sadistic bastard, aren't I? Torturing Jack with hallucinations like that.

Thanks for reading :)