Wow, thanks for the reviews so far, I really appreciate them!

just a heads up: i put up character designs and some other art for this story, and if you'd like to check it out, visit my tumblr! it's linked in my sidebar.

Chapter Overview

Rating: K+

Words: 4, 840

Author Notes: i edited this chapter a bit so it's different from tumblr's version. there's some evil scheming. we do some exploring of Burgess and meet Toothiana. also, Hiccup and Jack meet for the first time.

"Dinner by the light of the moon, and only the light of the moon," Gothel chanted, gazing out the window. "Romantic, wouldn't you say?"

An elongated table sat in the middle of an empty room, with two tall chairs placed at either end. The figures resting in them had less than good intentions.

The dark figure sitting across from Gothel on the other side of the table chuckled. "You amuse me, Gothel. This is merely the lighting I prefer to eat under."

Gothel took a long sip at the wine in her hands. "Right. Well. I promise you, Pitch, this boy is the perfect candidate. He was one of the first to show up once I had reopened the building."

"No need to make promises, dear Gothel," Pitch replied. "I believe you well enough. You say this boy desires to rise from his place among the lower class?"

"More than anything." Gothel said. "He has a sister, you know. And he only wants the best for her and the orphans."

"I believe that can work to our advantage." The figure smiled, the crooked teeth behind them revealing themselves.

Gothel nodded, shifting around what was left of the beverage in her glass.

It's strange and bit too far fetched upon first glance, but adopting Jack in order to take over three entire cities from the inside was a flawless plan - especially under Pitch's management.

Gothel knew, however, that Pitch was one to use fear in order to reel in followers and coerce even the strongest to submit, and because of that, she knew the General's final move in this plan would result in one of the most...terrifying confrontations, possibly in the history of Burgess, Berk and Dunbroch combined.

Gothel wasn't sure how to make sense of it by herself, but Pitch had such a corrupted and black aura that a supernatural force of some sort seemed to be present within him. Shadows radiated off the man and demons likely followed his every move.

And somewhere in Gothel's mind, she could feel it. She could feel something prodding in the back of her mind. She was worried - worried that she got so much more than she bargained for when agreeing to help the General, and now there was no turning back.

"Pitch, I must ask you," Mother Gothel placed her glass down on the table. "How come you're not worried about anyone finding out before this happens? Or the military response to everything, once it's all said and done—"

"Why must you doubt me?" Pitch's grin disappeared as he leaned forward, the moon casting light to the haunting features on his face. "Do you not know what I've done in my years as a general?"

Gothel remained silent, eyes wide and brimmed with fright.

That supernatural force was present.

"Do you not know this power I possess?"

The walls seemed to close in on Gothel, the shadows surrounding her soon after. Gothel retreated back into her chair, fear settling deep within her. She remained quiet, anxious under the general's stare.

Pitch smirked once again. "No one will expect a thing."

"But do we have to visit Toothiana?" Monty whined, tugging on Jack's sleeve.

"Yes, she's a great friend of mine." Jack said, "She's gotten me out of trouble more times than I can count…"

"She's always lookin' at our teeth all weird, though," Claude said.

The morning after Mother Gothel fled in the middle of the night was quite the beautiful one - even literally speaking. Jack woke up to singing birds and cooked breakfast for everyone, bringing the pleasant news to the other orphans along with a nice, filling meal to the table.

Although the amount wasn't very much, Mother Gothel left him some money and told him that he was free to spend it however he wanted.

At least that's how he interpreted it.

"And it's just a dumb jewelry shop, not like I'll see anything interesting in there." Caleb added, making movements with his hands.

Cupcake crossed her arms. "Maybe some of us like the pretty necklaces, Caleb." Caleb shrunk backwards, and Jack found himself intervening.

"Okay, okay. If it makes it any better, we can visit Bunnymund's afterwards and—"

And of course the first mention of Bunnymund's Chocolate Shop was followed by multiple voices shouting together in glee. Jack rolled his eyes and shrugged. "It's decided, then."

He was trying to avoid having to face the pooka-hybrid on a day like today, but he'd do anything to make the children happy. Even if it meant having to argue with someone who grated at your every nerve most of the time.

Jack pushed on the front door of Toothiana's Jewelry Parlor, and the tiny bell at the top jingled with the movement. He held the door open, gesturing for the children to walk in before him.

"Tooth?…Tooth, are you here?"

The muffled crash of an object that was probably made of something valuable replied. The shuffling of various boxes could also be heard before the door to the storage unit was opened, and Toothiana's round face was revealed. Her head poked out from behind the wooden door, earrings moving with every slight of her head.

She seemed to pause to assess the state of the room before recognizing who was present. "Jack!" Her wings fluttered and she sped forward to wrap her arms around him. "It's so good to see you! I haven't seen you in a few weeks. What happened?"

"Uh, well," He chuckled. "I haven't really left the orphanage much since…you know…the whole thing with…"

"Elliot?" Toothiana asked, "He's still pretty ticked off about it, you know."

"Stubborn kangaroo. I figured as much," Jack replied, looking down at Emma. "I brought the others this time!"

"I know!" She squealed in excitement, looking at the others. "And they've been good, I trust?" The children all nodded their head.

Sophie laughed and pointed at Toothiana. "Pretty!"

"Oh my, thank you, dear, I—" The fairy came to a stop, and gasped. "Wait. Something's off."

She looked around the room. "Mother Gothel isn't here."

Tooth was a busy body, and she was definitely the type of person to overlook many things due to her speedy schedule, including someone's absence.

"What of it?" Jack asked.

"Where did she go? She usually never lets you out of her sight."

"…On a business trip. For three days," Jack said, running fingers through his platinum blonde hair. "I'm taking the kids out for fun for once. It's better than, you know, watching Mother Gothel drool all over your jewelry all day."

"Ah," Tooth said, nodding her head slowly and her expression falling. "I guess they'd much rather not be here, then, if it may remind them of Gothel. I don't even have anything to offer for them to—Oh!" Her entire figure perked up with her words. "I have dental floss in the back somewhere!"

Jack blinked, before laughing. "Tooth, that's really not necessary…"

"I'll be right baaaack~" She flew into another room - her office, where she kept everything handy - and Monty pulled on Jack's sleeve for the second time. "Let's leave now, while we can!"

But Tooth was back in a flash before Jack could respond, and she passed little round, engraved boxes out to everyone in the room. The children raised their eyebrows at these gifts before shoving them in their pockets.

"Floss every day, children! After every meal, if you can!" She put her last case into Jack's hands, and chuckled. "Not sure if you need this, Jack. Your teeth are so white I'm sure you've been doing your job."

The teenager chuckled. "Yeah, well…I guess we better get going."

At those words, Monty was the first one out the door, and soon the others followed him out with the same haste.

"Okay, Jack." She said to him, eyes glimmering. "If you ever need anything, just call." She placed a hand on his shoulder, and he smiled sincerely at her.

Emma could hear a faint "take care!" as her older brother shut the door. She opened and closed her box of floss a few times before turning to Jack.

"Why is that lady so obsessed with teeth?" She asked. "Every time we go there it's like we're at the dentist."

"I still think it's really weird." Caleb muttered, juggling his floss in his hands. "That's probably why she goes by Miss Toothiana."

"You all are giving her too hard of a time. Think of her as…the tooth fairy," Jack said, his arms gesturing towards the sky. "She only wants you to take care of your teeth and treat them like they're your own personal gems, much like how she treats every piece of gold and silver in that shop."

"Huh," Jamie said, already picking at his teeth with the floss. "I've never thought of it that way before. It makes sense…Do you think you could get her to give us money when we lose our teeth, too?"

Jack laughed. "Now, that's a good question—"

"Jack! We're here!" Pippa pointed at a nearby, glamorously decorated window scene. The borders of the glass were painted with bright colors, and the sign above it displayed the name of the shop in intricately written cursive "Bunnymund's Chocolate Shop."

Behind the window was sample upon sample of the many assortment boxes Bunnymund offered year round - "Strawberry Smiles", "Truffle Treatment" and "White Chocolate Wonder" were among the labeled packages they could see, and Jack could sense their mouths watering.

"Chocolate!" Sophie squealed. Jamie held on to her hand and looked up at Jack, expecting him to succumb to their eager innocence.

It worked, of course.

"Alright, alright. I'll buy us all one package," Jack said, happy to receive a positive reaction out of the young orphans. He peered on the inside, however, and Jack both felt an overwhelming sense of relief and disappointment. There were people of all shapes and sizes in every open line, and not a single menu was in his line of vision.

At least he wouldn't have to confront the rabbit so soon.

Jack reluctantly turned and sighed. "…On second thought, guys, it's pretty crowded in there. This'll have to wait another time."

They all immediately frowned, and Claude loudly groaned. "Aw, but it is so worth the wait! I haven't had his chocolate in months!"

"I highly doubt Bunnymund will have anything you want by the end of this wave of customers, at least not for the next few hours." Jack pointed out. He frowned at their disappointed faces and glanced at the large wall of brick next to Bunnymund's shop. There were many fliers and signs plastered against it, some of new businesses and some of old businesses that had already been long gone.

But something drew him towards a particular poster - it wasn't one of the larger ones, but in spite of its size, it was very…colorful.

"North's Toy Emporium - VISIT TODAY!" was bolded across the top in a visually appealing font along with the address, and the man on the front smiling from ear to ear with flushed cheeks was none other than Santa Claus himself - a nickname North was commonly referred to as.

The Emporium had only been in Burgess for two years, and for both years, it had been a major success - more so than other businesses, it almost seemed. It was no surprise, as the majority of the population of Burgess was under 18. Burgess experienced a baby boom not long after a war ended with an invading country years ago.

Jack had never been to this emporium, however. He had never actually been to that section of the town, since it didn't particularly interest him to come in close contact with the people of the upper class.

Jack was willing to make a few sacrifices this time, though.

"I have an idea." He said, turning towards the others.

Emma took a few steps towards him. "Are we going to the park?"

"No, no - something better. Trust me." Jack reassured his younger sibling before taking her hand in his. "Everyone follow me, I think you're going to like what I'm going to show you."

So going to North's Emporium was actually the perfect idea, and it's a wonder Jack hadn't thought of it before.

He knew from multiple stories from Mr. ManSnoozie and Toothiana that North was a kind and generous soul who appreciated the entire public, and not just the rich. Perhaps Jack would be able to face the looks of disdain from the primped and polished in order to meet this man.

A few blocks later, the children were still confused and Jack was still very much excited. In the distance, Jack could see the multicolored sign on top of a very tall, very large bricked building - complete with lights, fake snow and many decorations ornamenting the structure.

Their steps sped up as they got closer to their destination, and realization began to dawn on the young children.

"Is that—"

"Whoa!"

"No way." Jamie whispered.

"Yes way." Jack said, crossing his arms as he coasted to a stop. "North's Toy Emporium."

"North's Toy Emporium," Jamie repeated, gleaming up at the sight. "Jack, you're amazing!"

Emma remained silent, although her mouth was agape, and her eyes were filled with so much excitement it was a wonder she could contain herself.

The least Jack could ever ask for was for the spark that appeared in Jamie and Emma's eyes every now and then. He lived for moments like this.

"Is this real life?" Monty asked, pushing his glasses back on top of the bridge of his nose. Pippa, Cupcake and Claude laughed, while Caleb stepped forward to mess with the fake snow in the bushes near the side windows.

Seconds later, a small, lanky boy exited the shop with something covered in his hands. He was wearing what seemed to be an apron and an employee outfit underneath, complete with dark green slacks, a cucumber colored button shirt and brown leather boots.

Jamie was the only one to take notice of this boy as he sat down on the bottom of the steps, slowly pulling off the cover from whatever was in his hands.

Jamie's eyes grew larger in fascination as the blanket was finally removed and stuffed into the boy's side pocket. The object underneath it made him blink twice.

"…Whoa!" Jamie exclaimed, pushing past everyone and running towards the steps of the building.

Everyone else was busy gawking at the emporium's decorations - there was a moving train track - but Jack noticed Jamie had run off ahead of them. He was momentarily confused, but followed in Jamie's footsteps, motioning for the others to follow him as well.

Jamie finally caught up to the boy on the steps, smiling from ear to ear.

The employee looked up through brown bangs, revealing freckled cheeks and dark green eyes. "Oh, hey there, can I help y-"

"Is that a dragon?" Jamie asked, excitedly. "Is it?"

The employee chuckled, before pressing a switch on and making the creature come to life. "Yes, that's exactly what it is."

"Does it have a name?" Jamie continued, reaching out to touch it.

"I call it the Terrible Terror…but as far as an actual name, no. It's just a prototype, I tend not to name them, but…I mean, I guess you could give it a name if you like," The employee handed the dragon to Jamie, and the dragon practically leapt in his arms.

Jamie laughed, letting the dragon crawl up and down his arm span. He turned around in time to see Jack and the others catching up, their mouths immediately dropping open at the scene. "Guys, guys! Check this out, it's a dragon!"

Emma was the first to approach Jamie and the Terrible Terror, an expression of disbelief on her face. "Wow! It's actually moving!"

Jamie laughed as it crawled on top of his head. "I know, it's so cool!"

"Does it breathe fire?" Cupcake asked, poking its nose. The dragon shook its head in response, making her jump slightly.

"Well, no…I made this while thinking of children. Fire breathing dragon robots and children are not a good combination." The employee answered, kneeling down in front of them. Jack looked at him, eyes moving back and forth at the employee and the toy itself, wondering how in the world someone could make anything like that.

"Did you really make this, Mister…?" Claude tried to peer at his name tag. The employee immediately covered it, before taking it off and putting it in his pocket.

"Call me Hiccup," He said, taking the dragon back from Jamie. "Funny name, I know, but I've been going by it ever since I was ten."

Hiccup, Jack said to himself, stepping closer the group. He was being so nice to the kids. He was being really nice to orphan children - not that he even knew, but Hiccup could probably tell of their less than fortunate origins by the way they all dressed.

"Want me to show you something it can do?" Hiccup asked, lifting the dragon up on his arm. He switched on another button on the toy, and the Terrible Terror took flight, causing an array of reactions to be pulled out from the children - and Jack, as well.

Ten seconds of flight wasn't very long, but it ascended back down to the very impressed group of children. All of them lifted their arms to coax it into landing on them, but it sped past them and landed at Jack's feet, rounding his ankles twice before curling up and sitting.

Everyone's eyes eventually fell on Jack, and Jack carefully picked up the bronze creature, bringing it forward to them.

"Did you see that, Jack? Wasn't it really amazing? You can't tell me that wasn't amazing, because it was!" Jamie jumped up and down excitedly, before pointing at Hiccup. "He made that, with his own two hands! Can you believe it?"

Jack laughed at Jamie's elated display of emotions, before turning to Hiccup. "This is really cool what you've made here, Hiccup."

"Thanks," Hiccup said, taking the dragon from Jack's hands. "Granted there are a few issues - such as it powering down after flying - but I'll work out the kinks as time goes by."

"Why do you call it the Terrible Terror?" Jamie asked.

Hiccup turned his attention away from the seventeen year old and back to the child, eyes immediately lighting up. "Well, let me let you all in on a little secret," Hiccup said, leaning in closer to the children. "They're all based off of real dragons that live in my hometown, Berk."

And this guy is from Berk, Jack added to his thoughts. Now I understand the name.

"Berk?" Pippa asked, tugging at her hat. "The city of dragons?"

"Precisely why it's called that, my dear." Hiccup grinned. "The Terrible Terror is the smallest of all dragons, but don't let that fool you. Unlike this prototype, it actually breathes fire, and its bite could probably give you more than you bargained for."

Hiccup further explained the concept of real life dragons to the children, and Jack watched on as their faces changed with every detail Hiccup revealed about the nearly mythical creatures. As the conversation went on, however, he found himself staring longer and longer at Hiccup.

The enthusiasm in his eyes, the expression in his brow, the curve of his upper lip, the freckles highlighting his face —Jack was starting to pay attention to all of it, and a sinking feeling began to wash over the boy.

A switch turned on somewhere within his mind, and Jack wasn't exactly sure what was happening.

"…Would you like to come inside?" Hiccup finally inquired, rushing up the steps. "I know you'll find lots of other cool stuff in here."

The orphans hastened towards the door as Hiccup opened it, rushing inside the Emporium as if the greatest thing lay behind those very doors.

In this case, it actually did.

Jack was left standing at the bottom of the doorsteps, a smile still fresh on his face from a fit of laughterhe went through watching Cupcake and Monty nearly get stuck in the doorway. He caught Hiccup's eyes mid glance, and for both of them, everything came to a stop.

Five unbearable seconds of an awkward silence, and Jack shook his head out of a trance. "O-oh…Wow, I'm so sorry, Hiccup I'm-I'm a little out of it right now."

"It's fine, it's fine, I just…you know, I guess I'm used to it. Er-uh. Well, people being out of it, that is. Maybe." Hiccup ran a hand through his dark brown locks, before sighing. "Sorry, I like to ramble. You're coming in, right?"

"Yes," Jack chuckled, climbing up the steps. "Yes, I'm definitely coming in."

"You first," Hiccup lifted his hand, watching Jack walk in with a half smile on his face. He closed the door behind them both.

Jack looked up in astonishment. This place was literally everything it had advertised.

The foyer was magnificent, and the fact that it was only a foyer completely mystified Jack. A chandelier hung from the ceiling, casting light upon every corner of the room. The floors were checkered black and white and the walls were dark brown, wooden and shelved - nutcrackers and porcelain dolls rested upon them with years engraved in gold underneath them. A grandfather clock was placed against one of the walls, and it ticked away, interfering with the music that could be heard in the next room. In the center of the foyer was a dark, wooden desk, with maps and fliers on top of it.

"There's a map to this place?" Jack asked, picking up one of them.

"Yeah, well…" Hiccup laughed. "I don't know how it happened, but this place is a lot bigger on the inside. There's even an underground level."

Jack raised an eyebrow at Hiccup. "But…how?"

Hiccup laughed, immediately looking down. Eyes as blue as his shouldn't be legal. "I'm not sure how to describe it, but I guess you could say there's something really magical about North."

Jack only nodded, and eventually walked towards the hall to the right of them. "Where do you think they went?"

Hiccup shrugged. "I don't know." Jack made a face at Hiccup, and Hiccup coughed. "Uh, I mean- I don't know, but it shouldn't be hard to find them."

"Okay," Jack continued walking forward, pointing down the lengthy way. "I think the most of them would be in the room of stuffed animals, so let's go catch up to them."

As soon as he said something, Jamie came rushing down the hallway, a stuffed brown bunny in his hands. "C'mon Jack, I want you to see something! You too, Hiccup."

"Where's Emma?" Jack asked, a bit concerned.

"Oh, she's with Cupcake and Sophie messing around with the stuffed animals." Jamie waved his hand."The others are messing with the steambots and stuff."

Jack nodded, following Jamie further down the hall.

After an extended period of silence aside from Jamie's happy humming, Jack turned to glance at Hiccup. "Hey, uh. I know your name, but you don't know my name. It's Jack. Jack Frost."

Hiccup blinked. "Like the -"

"Yes, yes, like the myth. I used to think it was cool, but now people actually make fun of it."

"Really? How?"

Jack sighed. "People around my neighborhood sing 'little Jack Frost, get lost, get lost!' and stuff like that. Best part about it is that they actually mean it."

"That's not very nice, people wanting you to go away like that. Sounds a lot like what I go through, actually…" Hiccup trailed off.

Jack turned around, but continued to walk backwards. "What do you go through?" It wasn't hard to figure out from his frame, but he decided he'd ask to be polite.

"Uh, um. Well I," Hiccup stumbled over his words in mix of laughter. "I'm not entirely keen on telling you that part of my life just yet but —agh!"

Being caught up in conversation pretty much drew Hiccup's attention from his surroundings and onto Jack Frost. Obviously he wouldn't have noticed the fact that there was a long, cotton-filled snake conveniently placed in front of him for his foot to land on. How Jack managed not to trip over it, Hiccup didn't know, but gravity was pulling down on his being fast, especially with the metal dragon in his arms.

Jack reacted on instinct. He did the first thing that came to mind and that was to valiantly swoop the skinny boy (he appeared skinnier than him, somehow - so fragile, why does he even leave his house?) into his arms.

The instant he saw Hiccup close his eyes and scrunch up his nose, there was an ache in his chest. The details in his expression were almost endearing. It wasn't humanly possible for someone to be this awkward and this cute and just…Hiccup.

Jack really didn't know what the hell he was thinking about, so he stopped thinking altogether.

Meanwhile, sturdy arms held Hiccup up, and he hesitated to open his eyes, because he knew exactly who it was who saved him from permanent brain damage.

He was in such close proximity to this boy - who was, oddly enough, cold to the touch - that he knew that having Jack's bright blue eyes boring into his would be something akin to pure torture.

"U-Uh, Hiccup? It's okay, you didn't fall."

And Hiccup opened his eyes.

Dammit.

Clouding up his line of vision was the absolute perfection that was Jack Frost's face - flawless pale skin, a strong, angled jaw, and the deepest blue eyes Hiccup had ever had the pleasure of gazing into. Which was actually never, aside from the times he had a staring contests with the girls and guys back home, but that's another story for another day.

He shifted his gaze to the room. Everyone else was staring at them - and Jamie, the closest, seemed to have a hint of a smirk on his face. Did he think it was funny? Because it wasn't.

Jack lifted Hiccup up onto his feet, patting his back a little. Both seemed to feel like it increased the tension between them.

"Y-you okay?" Jack asked, as Hiccup dusted himself off.

"What-oh. Yep! Yeah, I'm fine. Totally great. Just a little shaken, no big deal. I'm glad you caught me. You saved me from a life of eternal pain. Or death. You know…ahaha." Hiccup held his prototype closer to his torso.

"…Can we see the dragon again?" Monty asked.

Hiccup sighed in relief, at least it was something to get his mind off of whatever just happened. "Sure…sure thing, guys."

Jamie and Jack both watched him make his way over to the others, Jack staring intensely at him and Jamie switching his view in between the both of them.

Jamie's eyes widened, and not a moment later, a huge, toothy grin spread across his face. "Jack…"

The tone of Jamie's voice made Jack wonder if he really wanted to know what was going to come out of his mouth next. "What?"

The younger boy giggled. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you really fancy mister dragon boy over there."

Jack vocalized some sort of choke-chuckle hybrid. Jamie's grin only increased in size.

"I…I really want to know what made you come to that conclusion."

"I just know, okay? I'm very observant for an 8 year old."

"I know you well enough to believe that you're teasing me right now. We've only just met. That's ridiculous."

And Jack didn't know if he was lying to himself or not. To be quite honest, he wasn't sure what to make of what he felt while witnessing how Hiccup interacted with the kids, or what he felt when he began to ramble on and on to Jamie about dragons. He wasn't sure what to make of the overwhelming sensation he felt throughout his body when coming in close contact with the freckled boy. It was puzzling, and almost alarming to him.

Maybe he was just getting a cold.

Jamie looked down at his hands, playing with his thumbs a bit. "All those stories you've told me about love at first sight, and you say it's ridiculous? Whatever you say, Jack."

Jack didn't respond to Jamie's words - he couldn't, because he was rendered speechless. He forgot how well of a counterargument Jamie could make.

The seventeen year old rubbed the back of his neck, averting his gaze back to the freckled inventor. He was showing Emma the teeth of the Terrible Terror. Emma watched him point out every screw and scrap of metal with curious, eager, honey-brown eyes.

What Jack least expected was for Hiccup to lift his head. His eyes immediately fell on Jack's face, and the eye contact lasted for a whole three seconds before Jack managed to look the other way.

And the epiphany seemed to swallow Jack at that very instant.

He really did like him.

He liked his freckles and his hair that changed colors with every room he entered. He liked his lopsided grin and the nervous laughter he grew fond of after only minutes of knowing him.

He liked this lanky teenager, who was somewhat clumsy, but kind enough to invite them all inside in spite of their ragged appearance. He liked how well he could engage with the kids he called family, how well he responded to their questions, how well he treated them.

He especially liked his name - Hiccup. He wasn't even sure if that was his real name or if his parents had decided to name their son after a bodily function, but regardless, the name suited him in the oddest way.

Jack was fascinated by Hiccup. And Jack knew that this fascination would lead him to wanting to know so much more.

"Jamie," Jack started, "I think we're going to be paying a lot more visits here in the future."

hope you liked it. this'll probably be updated within the next week or so - i have a new beta reader, so the process might take a bit longer than it usually would.