The party was in still in full swing by the time Rapunzel, Jack and Hiccup arrived in the Gryffindor common room. The music was blaring and people were shouting, talking animatedly and dancing.
"It looks like someone threw up confetti everywhere." Jack drawled, brushing off several pieces of gold and red confetti that had been enchanted to drift from the ceilings like large fat snowflakes. Rapunzel looked around in awe, she had been to parties, but none quite as obnoxiously red and gold as this one. The dancing was looking very fun and the blonde didn't know how long she could resist from joining in.
The victory over the Slytherins had been an epic one, a showdown for the ages! Gryffindor and Slytherin had been breathing down each others necks all game, until Slytherin caught an unlucky (lucky for Slytherin) lead and pulled so far ahead it was nearing impossible for Gryffindor to defeat them. But then, just before the Slytherins had scored another goal that would have secured their win as their seeker had just spotted the snitch, Gryffindor's seeker pulled a heart stopping, death defying move that had those in the stands shouting and shrieking with terror. And yet, Gryffindor's seeker had emerged unscathed and victorious! The snitch clutched tightly in Merida's hand and her chest heaving with adrenaline as she hoisted her fist above her head and gave a victorious shout. It was that moment that the audience had waited with baited breath, their eyes wide with horror at what they'd been sure to witness as a horrible death, and then the cheering exploded. Rapunzel had nearly fallen from her seat and off the side of the quidditch stands, her shriek of sheer terror for her friend turning to a whoop of joy when she realized that Merida was okay, and had gotten the snitch!
What followed appeared to be one of the most epic and possibly loud Gryffindor quidditch victory parties that followed. If the state of their common room was anything to go by, it had been a very successful party. No one even did a double take at the presence of a Hufflepuff, a Ravenclaw and a Slytherin at the Gryffindor victory party, as most were too used to the presence of Rapunzel, Hiccup and Jack within the Gryffindor common room. The mesh of friends had been a fixture in the common room from their first year and now in their sixth year, no one questioned it anymore. Occasionally they received weird looks from the first years at the beginning of the year for hanging out in a different house common room, but seeing that none of the older years said anything about it meant that their presence was largely accepted in the house common rooms.
"Where is Merida?" Hiccup asked, looking around for the telltale flaming red hair that they often searched for in a crowd.
"There yeh are!" And there was the hero of the hour herself, the wild haired Merida DunBroch. Her accent was even more pronounced then usual, mixed in with a bit of a slur. She had a glass of deep amber liquid in her hand, though it was almost empty.
"What are you drinking DunBroch?" Jack asked, taking the glass from her hand and sniffing it. He smirked and downed the rest, handing Merida back the empty glass.
"Hey!" Merida said indignantly, "Tha was mine!"
"Firewhiskey." Jack explained to the curious looks Rapunzel and Hiccup were shooting him.
"Oh." They both chimed, nodding understandably.
"Merida where did you get the firewhiskey?" Hiccup asked curiously. Merida was still under the age of seventeen and should not have been able to buy the harsh alcoholic drink herself.
"DunBrooooch!" A tall, seventh year slurred loudly, interrupting their conversation. "That was a killer catch you made. Have a drink on me!" He clapped Merida on the back roughly and poured her a hearty glass of firewhiskey before staggering off into the depths of the party.
"I guess that explains things." Rapunzel remarked in a chipper tone.
"I think you've had enough Merida." Hiccup said gently, prying the glass away from her lips carefully. Merida shot him a pout.
"But tha's mine." She pouted, looking up at Hiccup with her wide blue eyes. Hiccup gulped and looked to Rapunzel and Jack for help. Jack snickered and Rapunzel was doing a poor job of hiding her smile behind her hand. Both were well aware of the feelings that Hiccup had for Merida, and knew how helpless he would be against Merida. Neither of them would be any help to him, damn them.
"Uhh…" Hiccup held the glass away from Merida's reaching hand, looking desperately for an escape. Finally, he decided on the course of action that would at least keep the drink away from Merida. Hiccup quickly downed the glass of firewhiskeyit—nearly choking on the taste. He coughed violently as the firewhiskey went down, the burning sensation that followed almost sent him into another coughing fit. Jack hammered on his back with a smirk; the bastard had made it seem so easy to just down the alcohol. Why wizards and witches preferred the overpowering burning taste of firewhiskey had always made Hiccup wonder.
"It's all gone." Hiccup managed to choke out. The burning sensation of the alcohol filled his head and stomach with a warm, fluttery sensation. Merida glared at him for a moment before smiling suddenly, lunging forward and grabbing her three friends.
"Time to dance!" Merida announced, laughing as she dragged her friends towards the throng of dancing Gryffindors. Hiccups heart leapt in his throat when Merida grabbed his hand and he blushed, trying to hide it but failing miserably. Thank god the red headed hero of Gryffindor was distracted otherwise she would have noticed the pink that spread across his cheeks. Rapunzel and Jack sure did at least. Rapunzel gave Hiccup a knowing smile and Jack just laughed. They joined the boisterous throng of bodies and began to move to the music, dancing to the sounds of the Weird Sisters on the Wizarding Wireless that blared.
Hiccup didn't normally try to dance; he was so gangly and awkward that it really just looked as if he was having muscle cramps and spasms. But the fire whiskey had loosened him up a little, and Hiccup found himself actually enjoying himself as he danced to the music with Merida, Jack and Rapunzel. He was definitely feeling the effects of the fire whiskey, but it wasn't unpleasant. The alcohol in his system made him feel lighter, and just brave enough to dance with his friends. Jack moved as only Jack could, with stylish dance moves that appeared effortless, though the effect of his dancing was completely opposite to the wild and unpredictable movements Rapunzel made. Merida was a vision as she moved, her hair flying wildly as she spun and moved to the music, grinning from ear to ear. Hiccup could scarcely take his eyes off of her as they danced into the night, and even when Rapunzel and Merida danced together in a silly and twirling dance that was hazardous to those around them. Even stone cold cool Jack gave up his stylish moves and simply was grooving to the music, a wide grin on his face as he danced and laughed with his friends.
Hiccup watched as Rapunzel and Merida laughed and giggled as they spun each other around, Merida moved so fast that her hair looked like fire trailing behind her in the dim lighting of the Gryffindor common room. In mid spin Rapunzel released Merida's hand, letting Merida fly in Hiccup's direction. Hiccup was caught off guard as he tried to catch and steady both himself and Merida, but instead the two of them fell to the ground in a tangled heap of limbs and hair.
"Hiccup!" Merida chortled as they attempted to untangle themselves from each other. Hiccup was blushing and stuttering, attempting to disengage himself from Merida's limbs without appearing clumsier then he already did.
"Let me just… Ow! Why would you do that?" Hiccup groaned loudly, as Merida accidentally elbowed him in the ribs when she tried to stand up.
"Aww, wee lamb." Merida laughed, offering her hand to Hiccup to help him up. Hiccup took her hand in his and she hauled him up with more force than he expected which nearly caused him to fall into her this time. Rapunzel shot Hiccup a sly look, smiling innocently when he glared back at her for her less than obvious attempt to get Merida and Hiccup closer.
"We'll be right back Mer!" Rapunzel said happily, noticing that Merida had yet to let go of Hiccup's hand after hauling him up. The petite blonde grabbed Jack by the collar of his uniform and dragged him off with surprising strength. Jack protested mildly, though it was easy to see he really did not mind being manhandled by Rapunzel.
"Hiccup." Merida called Hiccup's attention back to her, and he gulped nervously when he realized they were now alone with each other. The throng of dancing and talking people were all around them, and yet the two of them seemed to be all alone in their own little world.
"Yes Merida?" Hiccup cursed his voice for cracking slightly as he turned to her once more, suddenly aware of how close they were. Merida's form was so close to him that he could feel her red curls tickle his face slightly.
Her gaze was more focused now, the fire whiskey still affected her, but she was definitely not as effected by the alcohol like she had been before.
"They're calling me the hero of the day yeh know." Merida's gaze lowered and Hiccup could see her eyelashes against her fair, freckled cheek. When her gaze met his own again, he could see the mischief in her eyes.
"An I don't know abou yeh, but I've heard the hero always deserves a kiss after their heroic deed." Merida said boldly, Hiccup swallowed nervously as his eyes flickered down to her lips before quickly returning to meet her beautiful eyes again.
"Are you telling me that I am the damsel in this situation?" Hiccup couldn't help but ask, his voice no more than a teasing whisper.
"I think yeh're cute." Merida admitted, a fierce pink blush blooming on her cheeks as she leaned towards him.
"Cu-cute?" Hiccup sputtered, blushing just as hard as Merida was now. She nodded, looking unsure suddenly as she looked up at Hiccup searchingly. The red headed Gryffindor reached up slowly and grasp Hiccup's face with her hands, softly caressing his cheek as she gave him plenty of time to pull away if this was something he did not want. And then she kissed him.
Hiccup had always heard about when you kiss the right person and it just feels so… so… indescribably amazing. Gobber had once told him it was like having a dragon bowl you over it just left you so breathless. Not that Merida was by any means a dragon, but her kissing him was sending off feelings in Hiccup that he didn't know he could feel. In fact, the Ravenclaw was pretty sure it had rebooted his brain because Merida started to pull away, her face worried because he had not responded at all. Hiccup panicked and did the only thing he could think of. With a surprised squeak from Merida at the sudden movement, Hiccup all but lifted her from her feet in his haste to envelop her into his arms and met her lips with his. Their noses bumped together at the abruptness of his movement, but soon he could feel Merida melt in his arms. Hiccup snagged one arm around Merida's waist and tangled his other hand in her wild hair. Their lips melded effortlessly together, her arms coming up to wrap around his neck as Hiccup pulled her into him. Hiccup could taste the firewhiskey on her as he lightly ran his tongue against her lips. Merida made a contented noise that seemed to come from her throat, startling Hiccup as he realized that they were not actually alone.
It was at that moment that they ended their kiss when the two became aware of the catcalls and good-natured cheering coming from the rest of the room. Hiccup blushed immediately, having forgotten that they were in the middle of a Gryffindor victory party. Hiccup could see Rapunzel and Jack grinning and waving from the balcony just above the common room.
"I uh…" Hiccup stumbled as he turned back to Merida, who also had a blush on her cheeks as he turned to look at her.
"Jus' kiss me again." Merida laughed, before Hiccup could only smile back and do as she said. There were many more catcalls and hollers as their lips met once more, but it was only after when Merida was resting her forehead against Hiccup's that she heard him say.
"My hero." In a fake, nasally, damsel in distress voice. Her rather unladylike snorting laughter filled Gryffindor common room before the two were bombarded by a hyper with happiness Rapunzel and a slyly smiling Jack.
'"Finally!" Rapunzel burst out, hugging both of them fiercely.
"I knew it all along." Agreed Jack with that trademark smirk of his. Through the ribbing of their friends and Rapunzels' exuberant ranting about how they were going to have such cute little babies and she dibsed being an auntie, Hiccup reached out and grasped Merida's hand in his. She returned his squeeze with a mischievous smile. Finally, they both agreed, enjoying the feeling of each other's hands in their own.