Routine. It was something that they had told themselves that they would avoid as much as possible; if for nothing else, than for their own safety. However, certain habits were hard not to fall into. This is why when Hiccup opened his bleary eyes, he wasn't surprised to find the space on the blanket beside him empty.

The teen (now a young man at nearly 17, he had to keep reminding himself) let out a yawn, and stretched his stiff and tired arms high above his head until a satisfying crack was heard. His eyes drifted closed once more for a moment, while he struggled to adjust to the morning light as it sifted through the trees overhead.

A few long minutes slowly ticked past, until Hiccup all but forced himself to rise and face the morning for all it was worth. In all honesty the young man wondered why he should even bother. He no longer had to worry about lessons to keep, and business to attend to; and what's more, they were at least a decent three days ride from the nearest town with little chance of anyone happening upon their camp site. However, lazing about as he was so often prone to doing lately, simply wasn't the same without that extra warm body pressed against him to keep the loneliness at bay.

After pulling on his boot over his good foot, Hiccup rose to his feet and left their makeshift bed, leaving their blankets in a heap. He would tidy them after, he told himself. Right now, there were more pressing matters to attend to.

Hiccup followed the sound of flowing water, already having a decent idea where his partner had wandered off too. While he had told the man time and time again that they had no schedule to keep, and really, he had no need to pamper him as he did, the strict life of a slave was the only one his partner knew. And even though the pair had been on the road for almost four months now, despite his best efforts Hiccup had yet to be able to teach him otherwise.

It was a short walk to the river, and as expected, Hiccup quickly spotted the man he was looking for. A small, crooked grin tugged at his thin lips as his eyes landed on the very familiar figure standing ankle deep in the cool water. Although he could only see the back of the man, Hiccup could imagine how his bare toes were twisting in the muddy banks just by watching how his hips shifted with his weight. Lord alone knew how long the man had been standing there; and knowing him as he did, Hiccup knew that he must have gotten bored long ago.

It was with a heavy, but amused sigh that the younger of the two crept forward, making no effort to conceal his location as he closed the distance between them. "Jack.." He purred as his lankey arms wrapped around his partner's thin waist and gave an affectionate squeeze. "If you stay there much longer, your little toes are going to freeze off.

The other, Jack, smiled wryly and repositioned one of his hands from his makeshift fishing pole to instead rest over one of Hiccup's little wrists. "Yeah, but number one, if I don't catch anything, we won't have any breakfast. And number two, if you keep leaning on me like that you're going to slip and then we're both going to fall in."

Hiccup rolled his eyes, but his grin stayed firmly in place. "Yes, and good morning to you too." The young man ended his sentence by planting a kiss on Jack's shoulder, and then sighed. "And I told you. You're not going to catch anything in water this shallow. Not unless you fancy frogs and toads."

"I thought you wealthy people liked frog legs?" Maybe I'm just trying to give you a taste of the good life again. "Its my job after all."

Hiccup curled his lip at the thought. "I never liked frog's legs." He mumbled with the bitterness of a child who was forced to kiss his great grandmother on the cheek. "if you're going to catch me anything, catch me some roast beef. A-and besides." Now Hiccup spoke louder, more confident as he stood on his tip toes to rest his chin on Jack's shoulder instead. "I've told you time and time again: its not your job to cater to me. You're not a slave anymore. You do know that, right?"

Jack said nothing as he felt Hiccup's hand shift and twist to awkwardly brush a length of his unruly silver white hair behind his ear. It really was getting long, he thought absentmindedly. "Yes, I know. But I still want to. E-even if I'm not a slave, I'm still your lover right? And, so we're family… and I should provide for my family… and that means catching a big fish for breakfast."

Hiccup sighed again and watched the fishing line bob along with the river's gentle current. It was impossible to get through to Jack when it came to matters like this. They'd known each other since they were children, and the routines Jack had adjusted himself too had been drilled into his mind for just as many years. "We have enough rations to last us another two days. Long enough to last us until the river widens. When it's a little deeper, there will be fish there and you can catch an entire feast if you really wanted to. But for now… How about catching some milk to go with our bread?"

Jack turned his head to face Hiccup the best he could, and let his grip on his fishing pole slacken just a tad. His nose brushed against the younger's forehead, and gave it a small nuzzle. "Milk?" He asked, genuine amusement seeping into his tone. What happened to the roast beef?"

The young man chuckled, noticing how the pole dipped slightly, and felt pride that he had distracted Jack from the work he had invented for himself, even if it was only for a little while. "Not for breakfast. If you really must, I think porridge will be better."