So, first things first, I am DEEPLY SORRY ABOUT THE HORRENDOUS DELAY. Basically I was taking a very short break from the story after the previous chapter – wasn't supposed to be more than five days before I would be getting back to writing. But then that break ended up being longer than anticipated because too many things ended up happening that distracted me.

It's pretty lame, I know. But the important thing is that the update is here now. Woo! Let's cheer. And have tea, that's always a cool thing to do.

Oh, but it seems like some people were worried that I had ended the fic? Like I got some guest reviews who were urging me not to stop it there and all. Ahaha, I dunno where you guys got that idea but rest assured, the story isn't over. We've still got a ways to go.

I would like to once again thank every one of you for your support and all the tons of reviews. Did you guys know Apocryphal Gallery is now the #3 Most Reviewed Hijack fic on FF? That's insane! Thanks to each and every one of you amazing, awesome readers, and sorry to those whom I cannot respond to due to being guest reviewers, haha.

Last but not least, let's have a hand for this chapter's Cover Artist, Snow-Runt / AiTaiOrihara (Tumblr name and FF name, respectively), who drew that adorable piece currently adorning the fic! (By the way, at the time that this is posted, it is almost her birthday. So happy friggin' birthday, Tai).

I've spent enough time talking and you guys probably just want to read now, right? Okay, here we go.

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Chapter 9

Inking, Phase 2

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The passage of Thursday and Friday were a dull murk of monotonous school days, preparatory lectures for the upcoming tests, awkward silences with Stoick (what was eating the man so much? Hiccup was legitimately becoming curious), and late nights of listlessly browsing the internet, punctuated with the mounting anxiety of the approaching show day, Astrid's daily training regimen with Stormfly, and the biting feelings of misery that were now providing Hiccup with their nightly company.

Thursday morning, much to Hiccup's dread, brought the confirmation that things most certainly were not about to 'normalize' between Hiccup and Jack. From the first greeting they exchanged at first period, the air had been tense and heavy and it was plain as day that there was a subject that was eagerly being avoided. Hiccup felt like he was walking on eggshells any time he was even somewhat 'alone' with the boy, even if that just meant being left alone at their lunch table for a moment while Astrid or Fishlegs excused themselves to the restroom. The lingering awkwardness of Wednesday night continued to be an elephant in the room that haunted the two.

Sure, it wasn't so much an issue when they were in the company of others. If even one other person was around, it was almost like nothing had changed – Jack would joke and tease, Hiccup would mouth off smartly, and the routine seemed to be back in effect. But across the mere two-day span, anyone paying attention could tell that even that was merely a façade. Jack's jokes seemed shallow, forced. Hiccup's quips weren't as instant as they should have been, his laughter more nervous than sardonic. And of course, any and all physical interaction – shoulder nudges, head taps, and a variety of other pointless touches that the two had perhaps unconsciously developed as part of their routine – had halted entirely.

Hiccup was almost worried that Astrid might have started noticing these changes, and feared that she might question him on the matter. But, aside from the occasional odd glance, the girl didn't seem to be thinking too deeply on it, too focused on training Stormfly with the obstacle course to notice the now-and-then weirdness that had settled between the two boys. Fishlegs, meanwhile, seemed much more perceptive, but whether through lack of familiarity with the situation (having just learned about it days prior) or some other reason, he too held his silence.

Hiccup simply chose to try and avoid thinking about it, letting the competition and Astrid's progress serve as powerful distractions for him. He timed every run through the obstacle course, helped Astrid manage the Collie's coat, and constantly stayed on top of any last-minute updates the blonde might need to be aware of for show day. It worked well enough during the day time at least. But as he found himself staring at the ceiling each night, fighting valiantly to ignore the horrible hollow feeling in his chest, he knew that he couldn't keep his mind away from it forever.

On Friday evening he found himself calmly wondering if this is what heartbreak felt like. He assessed his situation, staring at the bare greens above him and methodically made a small list. A sinking feeling of increasing despair? Check. A feeling like a clamp on his chest whenever the thought of 'He's not like that, you freaked him out, just like you thought you would' echoed in his mind? Check. A strange depression that made him question getting out of bed that morning? Yep. It was Hiccup's scholarly opinion that he was indeed suffering the effects of heartbreak, in all likelihood.

You know, he'd told Astrid this would happen, but did she listen? Nope. He sighed. It wasn't her fault, of course, and he wasn't about to make it out to be. But stuck in the state he was in at the moment, he didn't feel he really wanted to talk about it to anyone at all, let alone her. Perhaps if he'd been in his usual sorts, he might have had a moment to scoff at himself for these thoughts – gods, Hiccup, you're being such a dramatic teenager right now – but alas, he most certainly was not in his usual sorts.

Still, he eventually managed to put himself to sleep that night, and considering that it was now Saturday morning, he could at least come up with several reasons to get out of bed, those very reasons being exactly what he needed to distract him from his depressed funk. As the boy gathered his belongings – coat, phone, wallet, satchel of supplies for the short road trip, etc. – in preparation for the outing that was to come, any worries regarding his situation with Jack were presently being pushed as far back in his mind as possible.

"Today's the day, Buddy!" Hiccup told his feline companion excitedly, but Toothless seemed to be in no mood to share in his excitement, curled into a furry huff at the corner of Hiccup's bed. "Heeeey, come on, don't be like that. You know I'd love to take you if I could."

The cat simply ruffled the fur along his body briefly before smoothing it out.

"Toothless, come on, it's a dog show. That means dogs. Lots of dogs, buddy. And not all of them are as friendly toward cats as Stormfly."

Toothless replied with a small growl.

"Yes, you're ferocious and awe-inspiringly terrifying, Toothless, I know. But you'd also be heavily outnumbered. It's a fiasco I'd rather avoid. Now come on, bud, at least see me off."

But as Hiccup reached out to pet the Burmese, he sprung up as though he had eyes in the back of his furry head and darted beneath the bed. Probably to sulk.

Hiccup puffed a cheek out and shrugged. "Fine, fine, suit yourself. I'll see you tonight. Your feeder is rigged for the day, so don't bother my dad for food."

Seeing as how Toothless had nothing further to say to him, Hiccup paced his way into the hall and trudged down the steps, deciding he'd better catch a decent breakfast before the trip. He was greeted, unsurprisingly, by the sight of his father in the midst of cooking a meal. Stoick, on the other hand, did seem surprised to see Hiccup up and about so early on a Saturday.

"Son. Good morning." he greeted, blinking.

"'Morning, dad. That smells good."

Stoick raised a bushy eyebrow at the pleasant remark. Hiccup seemed to be in rather good spirits. "Just pancakes and bacon. Are you going somewhere?" he asked, noting his son's rather busy appearance.

"Oh, yeah." Hiccup affirmed, taking a seat. "Astrid's taking me into Bogsvale today to see some wrestling."

Stoick temporarily halted in shifting the bacon strips around the skillet, eyeing Hiccup quizzically. "You like wrestling?"

"Well, no, not really," he replied, shrugging. "But Astrid didn't want to go on her own, so she's bringing me along. I don't dislike it, though, so…"

"Ah." Stoick nodded, seeming to find that that explanation made much more sense. "And were you going to tell me before running off to the next town over?" he asked, turning back to his cooking.

Hiccup swallowed, glad he wasn't questioning the 'wrestling' excuse any further, but realizing he probably could have stood to tell Stoick about this little outing a few days in advance. Driving somewhere that was an hour or so away wasn't exactly the same as spending the day in town, no matter how old Hiccup was. Parents do tend to worry.

"Sorry dad, guess it kind of slipped my mind."

"Just be back before too late. When does it start?"

"Around five-ish? I'm gonna be leaving in an hour or so, though, take in the city a little before it starts. It'll probably let out around eight, so I'll be home no later than ten." Hiccup recited, trying to make it sound not quite as rehearsed as he knew it was; the dog show would be done with quite a bit earlier than that, but the time that Hiccup had cited would allow the group some buffer space to enjoy Bogsvale for a bit afterward.

"Be sure that you do. And be careful. Bogsvale is a busy place, and there's more crime after dark." Stoick spoke without turning away from his pancakes, lifting them via spatula onto a couple of plates.

"I know how to take care of myself, dad, don't worry."

Stoick grunted and brought the steaming, appetizing dishes to the table, setting one before his son. "You've been over at the Norths' house a lot this week."

That was… a rather random observation. From Hiccup's point of view, at least. He took a bite of pancake, savoring it for a moment, before answering. "Er, yeah? Is that a, uh, problem?" he asked with a somewhat confused expression.

Stoick's eyes widened a touch and he coughed, shaking his head. "No, no, not a problem." he replied quickly in a disarming tone. "Just not used to you being out so often."

"Oh." Well, that was true. Hiccup usually limited his time outside to visits to the cove, or the plaza, and was almost always home before Stoick got back from work (whenever that was on any given day), and friends usually came to his house rather than the other way around. He shrugged. "Well, you know."

It was hardly a very good response, but anything else he could have said ('I like hanging out with Jack', 'His house is fun', 'It's nice to get away from here') would probably sound awkward. And of course there was the matter of keeping silent about the training.

Stoick ate his bacon in thoughtful silence, as though trying to figure out what it was 'he knew', according to Hiccup. From the corner of his eye, Hiccup watched him carefully. He was still more than a little perplexed at his father's odd behavior lately. It was going beyond the usual awkward rapport the two Haddock men were known for, and the longer Stoick wore the impression of being troubled by a silent something, the more troubled it made Hiccup feel by consequence. He felt as though an invisible guillotine hung by a precarious thread over his head, and Stoick was just waiting for the right time to snip it.

"How's school?"

Hiccup almost jumped at the broken silence. He sighed inwardly. Yet another sudden, seemingly random question. "It's a little stressful. Tests start on Monday, so it's been a lot of studying and review."

"Ah, well, you always do well on those…" The distant look never left his eyes, his answer carrying an absent quality as he chewed.

Hiccup almost wanted to growl. This was getting ridiculous. Never before had he wanted to seize his father by the shoulders and tell him to 'spit it out already!' as much as he did right now. And he had never been more relieved to hear the sound of a honking car horn.

Stoick's attention was finally drawn back to the here and now, staring in the direction of the front door. Hiccup sprang to his feet, taking a few more bites of pancake and finishing his bacon strips before he adjusted the strap of his satchel on his shoulder.

"That'll be my ride, dad. See you later!"

And with that he was hurrying for the door, closing it behind him and moving towards the dark green car that idled in front of the house. He could see Astrid waving from the front seat, Stormfly somewhat crammed up there with her, and in the back… there was Tuffnut, head propped against the glass of his window and yawning. Hiccup took a breath and opened the back door, hopping into the seat behind Astrid's.

Tuffnut, having probably been dozing, snapped back to full awareness when the door was firmly shut, blinking blearily at Hiccup a few times before scowling. "You didn't tell me he was coming." he spoke accusingly to his sister in the driver's seat, who rolled her eyes and navigated away from the curb.

"Shut up, Tuffnut."

Hiccup aimed his eyes forward, away from the grumpy blonde and toward the large, furry body of Stormfly, who was peeking over the edge of Astrid's seat at the new arrival. The brunette smiled and offered her a quick pet while Astrid urged the canine down.

"Settle down, girl, you can't be climbing all over me!"

After the brief exchange, however, things seemed to silence in the vehicle, Hiccup feeling awkward tension while Tuffnut glared at nothing and pressed himself up against the other door in an effort to share as little space with Hiccup as possible. Astrid wasn't talking much, and Ruffnut appeared to be focusing on the drive, navigating toward the large road that would eventually lead to a freeway.

A buzzing in his pocket offered the boy a distraction for which he almost sighed in relief, ignoring Tuffnut in favor of checking the text message he had received.

'Hey! We just got fishlegs. Were gonna start heading out as soon as i googlemap where i need to go.'

There was a rather odd sensation in his stomach, a cross between a twinge of sadness and a warm fondness. Hiccup smiled just slightly, glad for the reminder that he wouldn't just be sitting in the stands with the twins, and never not pleased to hear from Jack. But of course, given present circumstances (which he was supposed to not be thinking about, come on Hiccup!), it still made it hard for his smiles to reach his eyes.

'Oh, cool, good. Just don't get lost.'

'Hic come on isnt it like just one big road and then a freeway for like an hour'

'Yeah, but I wouldn't be surprised if you still managed to get lost.'

He chuckled quietly to himself at the indignant response that followed, but he had to admit there was maybe a shred of legitimate concern for the situation; sure, following one road seemed simple enough, but Berk was one of those out-of-the-way locales that was pretty much separated from any and all surrounding cities and towns by at least an hour's worth of distance. Distance that was occupied by a few roads, railroad tracks, a freeway, and lots and lots of forest. The last thing they needed was for Jack to get the bright idea that taking a detour through the woods was a good idea. But then, he did have Fishlegs with him, so things probably couldn't get too bad.

Probably.

'How did you get the car, anyway?' Hiccup typed quickly.

'Pft dude i just asked. Told north i wanted to borrow the car and go to bogsvale with you guys for the day for the show and mary tossed in some begging. He couldnt say no!'

Ah, that's right. Hiccup kept forgetting that North had finally been filled in about the dog show and its surreptitious nature, and had tentatively promised his silence on the matter. It hadn't occurred to the brunette that an effective means of getting something from an adult was to simply ask them for it. What that said about his life and how he led it, he'd rather not dwell on.

Before he could respond, another text from Jack arrived.

'Anyway i have the directions so i need to focus on driving now. See you when we get there.'

Hiccup nodded at the screen, regardless of how dumb it was to nod at someone who couldn't see him. He considered replying with an acknowledgement, but decided against it. Jack knew he got the message. And to be honest, Hiccup was still uneasy about extended communication with him. That dark, heavy feeling in his chest showed no signs of subsiding, regardless of distractions – it only dulled, at most – and every little thing that stuck out as different between them only made it worse. Namely, the fact that even Jack's texts over the last couple of days had been sparse and more impersonal. They lacked his usual tendency toward ridiculous smiley faces. Such a small thing, but it stuck out to Hiccup.

The silence of the drive had been relieved, thankfully, once they had hopped onto the northbound freeway to Bogsvale, and Ruffnut flicked the radio to life while starting up conversation with Astrid. It was difficult to tell what it was about, what with the loud sound of wheels on pavement that came with such speedy driving, as well as the sound of the radio helping to drown it out. It also nearly stifled the sound of the teen beside him, who suddenly spoke up in a relatively quiet voice.

"Hey."

Hiccup's eyes were drawn to the other passenger, who was now looking at him with something akin to disdain, arms crossed like a pouting child.

"Did you say something?" Hiccup asked while Astrid chatted up front, seemingly unaware of this new conversation going on behind her.

"Yeah." Tuffnut replied. "Is your head alright?"

"Is my…?" Hiccup furrowed his brows, bemused. Then he thought back to the football game weeks prior, and his confrontation with his cousin. "You mean th- Uh," he rubbed at his neck, cocking his head to the side a bit. "Yeah, it's fine."

Tuffnut turned away, slouching in his seat and still looking like he was in an angry huff over something. "Good."

"…That all?"

"Yes."

"…Sooo, I don't suppose you can tell me where Snotlout's been since that-"

Tuffnut groaned and rolled his eyes in an incredibly dramatic fashion, leveling a glare at his unwanted companion afterward. "Stop talking to me."

"O-Okay." Hiccup answered quickly. His cheeks puffed up as he rolled his own eyes away and back toward his window, letting the air out as he tapped his hands against his lap.

Silence.

The brief exchange went unnoticed by the two girls, and they continued to entertain themselves in their own world, Ruffnut only loosely paying attention to the rather empty stretch of road. Hiccup's hands began to tap out a beat on his thighs as he listened to the music on the radio, small claps keeping time to the rhythm. He quit doing that as soon as he saw Tuffnut aiming a scowl at him for it.

What a regular ray of sunshine, this guy…

When Ruffnut had pulled off to the shoulder to stop for gas, roughly half an hour into the trip at a rest stop, Hiccup felt like he couldn't get out of the car fast enough. Astrid had already hopped out after her friend, letting Stormfly out to stretch her legs and run around a bit, but Hiccup's escape into the outside world was halted by the voice of his fellow passenger, once again speaking up.

"Hey."

The freckled boy paused with his hand poised at the door handle. "Yeah?"

"He's sorry."

"He- what?"

"Ugh, I said he's sorry. You wanted to know why I asked about your stupid head, right? Snotlout wanted to know if you were okay, and he's sorry for hitting you."

Okay, seriously, what the hell? Where was all of this coming from? "Uhh… that's great, Tuffnut, really, but maybe Snotlout could, oh, I don't know, tell me that himself? Or for that matter, he could have done that back when it actually happened, now there's a thought."

"Whatever!" Tuffnut retorted, seeming exasperated. "He's just sorry, alright?"

"No, Tuffnut, not alright, because again, it'd be nice to hear that from him. And frankly, I'm a little weirded out that you're telling me this out of the blue like thi-"

But Tuffnut didn't let him finish that sentence. Instead, he simply opened his own door, grunted in nihilistic frustration, and stalked out of the car and toward the main building of the gas station.

Ruffnut watched him go while she pumped the gas, raising a questioning (though equally nihilistic (seriously those twins seemed really good at that expression)) eyebrow at Hiccup. Hiccup gave her a shrug.

"What is with that guy…?" he muttered.

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"Wow!" Mary cried, face pressed eagerly against the window as she took in the rising buildings surrounding their vehicle. "Jack, look, it's like we're in New York again!"

"I can see that, Squirt." Jack called back, smiling at her wonder. Mary had always had a thing for tall buildings, though he wasn't entirely sure why. He eased his foot onto the break as he came to a stop light, noting the significantly heavier traffic they had become immersed in. It was quite the sudden shift – miles and miles of barren highway, and then suddenly a flood of vehicles almost as soon as they had arrived within city limits.

"I think this is the first time I've been to Bogsvale by car." Fishlegs spoke up beside him, smiling appreciatively. "Every other time Hiccup, Astrid and I have been, we went by bus, and we didn't go this route. This was a lot faster, too!"

"Ahah, that's great, Fish, but uh," Jack smirked at his friend and jabbed his index finger at the phone Fishlegs held tightly to. "I kinda need to know where we go from here, before the light turns green."

"Oh!" Fishlegs fumbled with the device sheepishly, for a moment forgetting his role as navigator. "Right, well, you're gonna take a right at the next street up, then continue down to Wideberth road, where we go left. The convention center where they're hosting the show is right down at the end of that road. Aaaand we should probably try to hurry," Fishlegs added as he scrolled to another menu on his phone's screen. "Hiccup says they're already here and Astrid is starting to have a nervous breakdown or something."

"Oh no!" Mary spoke up from the backseat, leaning forward between the two front seats and jerking a finger dead ahead. "Step on it, Jack!"

Her brother laughed and nodded, seeing the light switch to a bright green as traffic started to move. "Sure thing. But sit back!"

After she had complied back into a safe sitting arrangement, Jack nodded his approval and eased his way into the flow of moving vehicles, pleased to see that things weren't moving at the snail's pace he had been expecting.

Following Fishlegs' directions carefully, it wasn't long before the convention center the boy spoke of came into view, along with multitudes of dogs and their owners all milling about the general area, some entering the large building while others lingered outside and conversed with one another. Jack found himself thinking that the whole event seemed like a comic-con for dog-lovers. Pretty appropriate that it's being held at a convention center, then, he thought with a chuckle. Mary was poking her head forward again, looking at all the dogs they drove past as Jack navigated through the thick stream of cars – he figured most of this traffic was likely on account of the show in the first place – and laughing excitedly.

"Looks like there's a parking lot right there." Fishlegs pointed out, and Jack frowned heavily.

"Yeah but it's like twenty bucks, Fish! That's insane, we can find a cheaper lot." he reasoned.

Fishlegs waved the comment off. "I'll pay for it. I had a feeling parking would be trouble, so I asked my mom if she'd help with that." And with a slightly smug grin, the large blonde produced a green bill from his pocket, waving it around. "And it's the closest lot! If we can afford convenience, why not go for it?"

It took a bit of arguing (and cajoling from Mary), but Jack eventually agreed to just let Fishlegs pay for the stupidly expensive parking, and it wasn't minutes later that the trio were on their feet and moving toward the convention center, Mary and Fishlegs bubbling with eager excitement while Jack simply smiled and hid his nervousness. He'd been doing that a lot lately.

He hadn't stopped feeling like the biggest idiot on the face of the planet since that dumbass stunt he pulled days prior, and every time he let his thoughts wander over to the fact that he'd be spending basically the whole day with Hiccup… he wasn't making it easy on himself. Sure, Fishlegs and Mary, and apparently Ruffnut and Tuffnut, would all be in the stands with him, but that didn't really help things too much. After all, he wasn't really expecting to be striking up conversation with the twins, and knowing Fishlegs, he'd probably be really engrossed in the technical aspect of the show, possibly pointing things out to Mary as she bobbed her head (the girl always seemed interested in what Fishlegs had to say). Jack, unfortunately, lacked the confidence to say that he'd probably be too absorbed in the show to pay too much attention to Hiccup, but he hoped to be proven wrong.

Of course, that thought made him furrow his brow at himself irritably. You hope you won't be paying any attention to Hiccup? The hell kind of thing is that to think? Hiccup was still his friend, right? Sure, Jack had almost done something he was very sure he was going to regret, and sure, Jack was currently dealing with certain feelings he felt were best left forgotten, but at the end of the day he still wanted to be friends with Hiccup, didn't he?

He frowned. Of course I do.

The problem was that that wasn't all he wanted anymore, and he knew it. And knowing that was enough to remind him why everything was probably ruined now. Not just because of his own issues, but simply because he was quite certain that Hiccup had not just gone home and forgotten about the incident. The two had barely spent any time together or communicated at all over the past couple of days, and every time they did there was just something incredibly awkward about it. It wasn't natural. It wasn't them. And Jack could tell that Hiccup was probably still freaked out about that almost-kiss that might have possibly happened on Wednesday if Jack hadn't gotten ahold of himself.

If only he had managed to do that a few seconds sooner, maybe they wouldn't be in this mess. Because cowardly as it seemed, Jack hadn't been able to work out any solutions to the issue at hand other than, well, avoiding extended contact with Hiccup, and doing that never ceased to make him feel like a dagger was running through his heart. He hated that feeling.

He was barely paying attention as he followed Fishlegs and Mary into the foyer of the large building, both of them too lost in the sight of all of the dogs running around to pay him too much notice. Jack attempted to bring himself back to reality, seeking a diversion from these thoughts as he drank in the sight of Mary happily petting a large German Shepard some woman was kind enough to introduce to the excited girl.

"Are you already making trouble for people?" Jack asked teasingly as he approached, to which Mary stuck her tongue out at him.

"Oh, it's no trouble at all!" the woman replied, laughing a bit as her dog licked Mary's face to a chorus of small giggles. "But we do need to get going now. I've got to get to the front desk for check-in."

Mary stood and thanked the woman, who smiled as she and her dog trotted off. Jack looked in the direction she was headed, the very large desk area where many of the would-be competitors seemed to be signing in, and after looking around for a moment he managed to spot a familiar blonde plait and a trademark fringe.

"Guys, Astrid's right over there."

Fishlegs followed the direction of Jack's pointing finger, having been looking around already, and sighed in relief at having spotted his friend. Mary took off immediately, running across the crowded antechamber and calling loudly to get the older girl's attention.

"Astrid!"

The blonde's somewhat widened eyes shot in Mary's direction before she smiled welcomingly. Her hands fell from her braid, where they had been worrying, and were spread wide as Mary dived in for a hug.

"Hey you!" Astrid greeted with a gentle smile, Stormfly wagging her beautiful tail beside the pair as she nosed at Mary's cheek.

Jack and Fishlegs approached moments later while Mary made protesting cries of 'Cold!' at the Collie, and she offered them her worry-tinged smile as well.

"Hey there," Jack waved, ginning. "Where's everyone else?"

"They're already inside." she replied, standing and reaching into the bag she had slung over her shoulder. She pulled three rectangular slips of paper from the back pocket and held them out to Jack. "They already started seating, so I had Hiccup go in to save a row of seats for you guys. These are your guest passes – you'll need them to get into the stands."

Jack blinked as he took the passes, nodding. Somehow it had managed to slip his mind that they probably wouldn't be allowed to just stroll right in to watch the show without some kind of ticket. "These didn't cost you, did they?" he asked, suddenly feeling as though he was imposing by being here.

Astrid shook her head. "Not much. I was entitled to four free passes because I'm competing, and the other two I got at a discount, so don't worry. Anyway," she glanced down at Stormfly, who was sitting obediently by her side and panting lightly. "It'll be another hour, maybe, before they start the show, but you guys should probably get inside. I'm gonna head to the competitors' area now that you're all here…"

Jack noted how her hand returned to the end of her tighter-than-usual plait, fiddling with it as she watched the ground.

"Hey." he called, placing a hand on her shoulder and grabbing her attention. "You're gonna do fine! Relax, alright? Stormfly looks great, like wow, her coat is awesome!"

"Yeah!" Mary chimed in, eager to offer her support as well. "It looks really shiny, and feels super soft!" And she pet the dog for emphasis, running her hand through long strands of fur as though they were water.

"Her teeth look good, too," Fishlegs added. "Definitely a mark of a healthy diet, the judges are gonna be impressed with that!"

Astrid's shoulders shook a touch, as though she had let out a single, silent chuckle, and she nodded. "Thanks guys. I just… I really want to do well."

"You will." Jack assured her. "We've all seen how hard you've been working. You can do this!" He offered her shoulder one more squeeze before pulling his hand away, using it to grab Mary's and pull her to his side. "We'll be inside, alright? Knock 'em dead!"

Astrid laughed. "When did you become a motivational speaker, huh?"

"Eh," he shrugged, ignoring Mary's giggles. "I just take note from all the TV shows and movies I've seen where someone gives a motivational speech."

Icy blue eyes rolled in their sockets as Astrid crossed her arms, assuming a slightly more sure posture. "Great, a recycled shpeel from a bunch of bad TV shows is going to carry me through the competition." The group shared a laugh and after a brief sigh, Astrid inclined her head. "Well, better than nothing I guess. Thanks, Jack. Hiccup could take a lesson from you, he's pretty sucky at the whole motivation thing."

The subconscious implication of speaking with Hiccup caused a very brief flash of discomfort in the white-haired teen, and he strained a smile. "Yeah, doesn't seem like the type, right?"

"Look, I'm… I'm not good with this stuff."

The words echoed in Jack's mind unbidden, and he coughed when Astrid fixed him with a confused expression – now was not the time to have her start asking questions. "Anyhow," he continued, looking to Fishlegs and Mary for confirmation. "We should head in. We'll be cheering for you, alright?"

"Right. Thanks." Astrid nodded again and smiled softly, some of her nerves dissipating as Mary waved her goodbyes and Jack led them toward the spectator's area.

"Alright, Stormfly." Astrid spoke to her dog, trying to put some pep into her voice, once they were gone. "Let's do this, huh?"

.


.

"You know, I really didn't figure Astrid to be the type to be into this kind of thing." Tuffnut stated blandly, leaning back in his chair with one foot propped up on the one in front of him, arms crossed lazily over his chest. He seemed altogether disinterested in this whole affair, watching the competitors down below as they prepared for action, his eyelids resting at half-mast.

"Yeah, well, keep quiet about it." Ruffnut told him, her posture almost equally lax. Though she seemed to be paying slightly more attention than her brother, keeping a lookout for Astrid and eyeing whatever it was the judges were up to as they set things up.

"Whatever."

Hiccup, seated with a few seats of distance between him and Tuffnut, cleared his throat lightly while gripping his knees. "Really, Tuff," he stated, giving the boy a serious look. "Astrid doesn't want this getting around. Please don't say anything about it."

"Would you be quiet?" Tuffnut shot back, less venom in his voice than he probably intended as he slouched further in his seat. Hiccup idly wondered if everything Tuffnut did was done lazily. "I know not to tell secrets, so shut up."

"Okay then…" Hiccup sighed back, rolling his eyes in a 'why-do-I-put-up-with-this' sort of fashion.

"I think it's right around here- Oh! Hiccup!"

Hiccup's eyes swiveled to the left toward the aisle at the sound of his name, the twins glancing over as well, to see Fishlegs waving and making his way into their seating row, Mary impishly squeezing past him as she hopped several seats to greet the brunette.

"Hi Hiccup!"

"Hey there Mary! You guys made it, huh?" he greeted the girl, glancing back at Ruffnut and Tuffnut as they took in the new arrivals. They had only just recently been made aware that they would be having company, discovering this due to the fact that Astrid was having them save their seats. Tuffnut, of course, looked unimpressed as usual, while Ruffnut merely let out a breath and turned her attention back to the competitors' area.

"Hi! I'm Mary!"

That is, until the young girl hopped over Hiccup's seat and approached the pair, eyes lit up in that wondrous way that seems to come to every child who sees a set of twins. She was aiming her smile up at Tuffnut, hands behind her back as she rocked back and forth on her feet.

"…Hi." he managed, eyeing her quizzically.

"What's your name? Are you one of Jack's friends?" she asked.

"That's Tuffnut," Hiccup said to her, waving a hand in introduction. He opted not to comment on the matter of their friendliness. "And that's-"

But Tuffnut cut him off with a scowl and a loud "I can tell her my own name!" Mary backed up slightly with mildly widened eyes, and Tuffnut dropped the scary expression and coughed, straightening up in his seat a bit. "…I'm Tuffnut." he repeated, unsure what else to say.

She laughed a bit. "Hi Tuffnut. Is that your sister?"

"Yeah, that's Ruffnut."

Ruffnut nodded at the little girl with her eyebrows raised in apparent interest.

"Wow, your names rhyme!"

"Uh, yeah, they do, I guess…"

Hiccup almost wanted to laugh. Tuffnut looked like he was totally lost regarding how to deal with children, and Ruffnut was just holding what looked very much like an amused silence. Fishlegs chose that moment to wedge past Hiccup, taking the middle seat between him and the twins while Mary continued to talk to Tuffnut. For whatever reason the child just seemed enthralled with his pauses and vaguely uncomfortable reactions to her questions. Hiccup was about to laugh for real, until a familiar voice from behind reminded him of who else was, of course, present.

"Hey, kiddo, where do you wanna sit?" Jack was asking, and Hiccup couldn't help but to glance around at the boy who was standing unexpectedly near, eyeing the two remaining seats on either side of Fishlegs.

Hiccup might have entertained the hope that Mary would choose to sit between him and Fishlegs, sparing him the awkward silence he'd undoubtedly be sharing with Jack, but he could already tell what her answer was going to be. And it looked like Jack could, too.

"I wanna sit next to Tuffnut!" she called back, looking up at the twins with puppy dog eyes. "Is that okay?"

Tuffnut shrugged, glancing away while Ruffnut seemed to be holding in laughs. "Sure, I guess…" he replied. Mary did a small cheer and hopped into her chair, nestling herself comfortably between the male twin and Fishlegs.

Which, of course, left the seat between Fishlegs and Hiccup as the only one available for Jack to take. He sat quietly for a moment while Mary continued chattering and Fishlegs began looking through the small program brochure he had picked up on his way in, nodding here and there and looking excited.

Hiccup sighed. If he ever wanted things to go back to 'normal', he was going to have to make an effort.

"So you made it, huh?" he spoke up, catching Jack's attention. The other boy looked surprised to have been spoken to, but managed a somewhat-fake-sounding chuckle and nodded.

"Of course I did. Did you really doubt me?"

"A little. You definitely seem like the type to get lost just by following a straight line."

"Your words wound me, Hiccup. They cut right into my self-esteem, you know."

Hiccup quirked a small smile. This was good, they were bantering. "Hey, someone's gotta keep that big head of yours grounded. Might as well be me, right?"

"Oh, naturally," Jack replied, visibly relaxing a bit. "If I didn't have you to stomp all over my hopes and dreams on a daily basis, there's no telling how carried away I'd get, huh?"

"Too true, Jack, too true. Which reminds me, you'll never be prom queen, so you might want to drop that notion right now."

Jack snapped his fingers. "Damn."

"You two are ridiculous." Fishlegs piped up, nose still buried in his program but with an undeniably amused little grin on his face.

The two boys shared in a laugh at having been overheard, though it wasn't particularly as though they had been attempting to be quiet. Jack leaned forward in his seat and turned in Mary's direction, the girl still yammering at Tuffnut and Ruffnut, both of whom were nodding along.

"Hey, Mary, maybe you wanna give it a rest? I keep telling you about how you're gonna yak people's ears off."

"Shut up," Tuffnut replied suddenly, though there was a surprising absence of malice in his voice as he said it. Rather, it was more a plain statement as he looked at Jack. "She can talk to me, I don't care."

"See Jack?" Mary shot at her brother, smiling a cheeky grin and looking quite pleased with herself. "Other people don't mind my talking!"

"Well that's nothing short of a miracle." Jack quipped, and Hiccup saw Ruffnut actually smile for a moment, which was… new. Well, for Hiccup at least. He'd never seen the girl offer anything remotely close to a genuine emotion before. Other than perhaps violent glee.

"Attention guests; the event will begin in thirty minutes. All spectators, please locate your seats if you have not yet done so. All competitors should be present in the competitors' lobby."

"Ooh, looks like it's almost show time." Jack observed, joining Ruffnut in scouring the area below for any signs of Astrid.

"I can't wait!" Mary announced, bouncing in her seat. "I just know Astrid is gonna win! We all have to cheer really loud for her, okay?" she asked, turning her wide gaze on the five teens with a very serious expression. She was not satisfied until each of them gave her a nod.

"I'm, uh, sure she'll do great…" Tuffnut commented awkwardly, straightening up in his seat a bit as even he started to pay attention.

Hiccup smiled and made a mental note that having a child with you was a surefire way to disarm the grumpy twin. Conversation resumed at that point, and in light of the impending show time and the looming excitement, Hiccup had actually managed to temporarily forget about his worries with Jack, the two falling into their first natural routine in days, joking and tossing barbs back and forth and chatting with Fishlegs until the lights dimmed very abruptly, and the center arena was lit up.

The show was beginning.

.


.

"How do you think she did?" Mary asked Fishlegs, shaking his arm, though her eyes never left the arena, where Astrid was standing (looking incredibly nervous) with Stormfly, the judge that had just been inspecting her already moving on to the next contestant.

"Well, he didn't look displeased at all." Fishlegs replied, paying just as much attention.

They were already mid-way through the grooming round of the competition. Roughly twenty minutes beforehand, all of the different competitors and their dogs had come parading out into the arena, taking neat, orderly positions around its perimeter as they were introduced (the gang had made sure to cheer extra loudly when Astrid and Stormfly's names came up), and without any further delay the judges had begun their inspection, checking the various canines' states of cleanliness, health, condition, etc.

"Yeah," Ruffnut spoke up, oddly focused on the events with narrowed eyes. "The guy who looked her over. Every time he sees a dog he's not impressed with, his face doesn't change at all. He's smiling really fake. But when he sees one he likes, it looks more legit."

Tuffnut was leaned forward, elbows propped on his knees and chin resting against his bridged knuckles. He nodded along with his sister as his eyes held that same squint.

Hiccup blinked. "You noticed something like that?" he asked, a tad amazed. They weren't exactly far from the arena, but neither were they especially close.

Ruffnut simply waved the comment off and remained focused. "It's not hard, you just have to look." she stated as though it were as plain as day. "He's really liked maybe half of them so far. Astrid was one of them."

Hiccup exchanged a glance with Jack, both of them clearly surprised at this level of observation, and shrugged lightly. Who knew?

It wasn't much longer before the judges had completed their rounds of the competitors, moving back to their desks and comparing notes with one another. Many of the contestants looked a little antsy, Astrid included. Actually, she looked like she was barely holding her composure from here. It was so odd. For as long as Hiccup had known Astrid, she had always been extremely cool-headed when it came to competition. She stayed focused, sure, and didn't worry. She was a confident track star in school, and one of the gymnastics team's aces. Seeing her looking so flustered now, though, was a completely different experience.

"You're doing fine, Astrid…" he found himself muttering, trying to mentally will the confidence he felt for her to reach the girl.

"We will now be commencing the Obedience and Obstacle round." announced one of the judges on the PA system while several photographers in the upper rows were snapping photos of all the dogs that were presently lined up. "All competitors, please return to the lobby while the arena is prepped for the course."

"There's gonna be an obstacle course?" Tuffnut asked, this apparently being news to him.

Ruffnut rolled her eyes and swatted him on the back of the head, earning her a scowl. "Yes, Tuffnut, it's like the most important part."

He didn't respond, and simply kept watching.

"I'm a little worried, Hic."

Hiccup shot his eyes to his right, noting the hushed voice of Jack beside him. "Yeah?"

The boy nodded. "Look." He gestured to the various black-clad men who were moving about the arena and setting up the course. It looked much more professional and fine-tuned than the rough setup the small group of teens had managed to set up in Jack's back yard. "It's… a little different. I mean, not majorly, but yeah."

Hiccup sighed. "We knew from the getgo that we weren't going to be able to perfectly replicate everything."

"Yeah, and that's why I'm worried. The course isn't quite the same as what Stormfly is used to, and comparing the noise we were making to distract her in my back yard against this crowd is like comparing a fish against a giant-ass whale."

"We just gotta believe in her, Jack." Hiccup replied, seeming resolute in his conviction. "Believe in her and she'll do just fine."

"Believe, right…" Jack muttered. Hiccup couldn't say he blamed the skepticism.

But it was easier to believe in someone else than oneself, and right now he was willing to give all of his belief to Astrid.

.


.

When the course had been set and the dogs had begun to run it, one by one, the entirety of the auditorium was filled with near constant cheers, watching as the dogs each did varyingly good jobs (some doing absolutely excellent while others were only so-so), and cooing delightedly at some of the tricks and stunts the canines performed.

And when at last it was Astrid's turn to hit the stage, Jack was confident that Mary's cheers were louder than anyone else in the audience, the girl practically standing in her seat to send her support to the blonde and her collie.

And Jack had to say, for all the nerves the girl had been demonstrating earlier, she seemed to have finally managed to get a grip on herself by the time she was out in the arena, cancelling out the world around her and just focusing on Stormfly. She started with the obedience regimen, and much like she had demonstrated each day at Jack's house, Stormfly flawlessly ran through the list of commands with seeming ease. From the simple and rudimentary 'sit' to the more impressive counting commands, and of course, her signature 'tail flip' trick.

The crowd was eating it up, cheering in wowed appreciation at the intelligence that was demonstrated. There had only been a few other dogs, Jack was pretty sure, that had gotten that big of a reaction, and it made him smile with renewed vigor at Astrid's chances.

"Do you hear that?" Mary exclaimed excitedly, smiling at everyone. "They love her!"

"I think she's doing really great!" Fishlegs added, sharing in the girl's excitement and applauding along with everyone else.

The twins applauded as well, and Jack was growing increasingly amused at the growing level of attention and interest that the male twin was exhibiting.

The judges were all writing what was assumed to be scoring notes while Astrid stood patiently, awaiting further instruction. Moments later, the go-ahead was given and the girl and her dog turned toward the starting line of the course.

"As always, the clock starts as soon as you begin." a judge spoke into the PA, repeating the same reminder that he had given to each previous participant.

Fishlegs peeled his eyes in rapt focus, Mary curling against his side and gripping his arm as she watched just as eagerly. Astrid led Stormfly to the starting ramp, and the dog, to her credit, didn't look as confused about the course and its slight differences as Jack was worried she might. He swapped a glance with Hiccup, both of them smiling somewhat hopefully at each other before returning their gazes to the stadium. The bored expression that usually decorated both twins' faces was absent now, Ruffnut demonstrating reserved interest, mouth slightly agape, and Tuffnut leaning against the chair in front of him.

Astrid gave Stormfly a scratch, looking to be speaking to the dog quietly for a moment. And then with a wave of her hand, it began. Stormfly took off as the clock started ticking and the audience started softly cheering again. Astrid jogged alongside Stormfly as she ran up the starting ramp and sprinted across the narrow planks, much like she had done at Jack's house, her voice providing constant guidance as the dog leaped through hoops and carefully scaled the ridged inclines of yet more ramps, a test of her coordination.

For anyone to have expected perfection was a bit too optimistic, and Jack could tell there were mistakes – Stormfly snagged on a couple of the hoops as she went, and her time was already seeming slower than what her best time on the practice course had been. All the same, he added his voice to the chorus of cheers, supplying all of the support he could muster for the canine.

She was still doing remarkably well, much better than Jack had been dreading in light of the subtle differences in the course, and at the very least it certainly didn't look like she was anywhere close to the worst finishing time of any of the dogs that had competed thus far. Stormfly performed a few more graceful leaps at another hooped section, this time passing through each of them with no trouble, and her pace picked up as she bounded through the plastic tunnel section, not bothered in the slightest about having temporarily lost sight of Astrid.

She emerged to the sight of Astrid's excited face on the other side, and Astrid resumed her run as Stormfly chased, racing up a final ramp and charging across a long, slim plank without tripping or falling off, and then finished the course with a high, elegant dive over a set of hurdles, crossing the finishing line and stopping at last.

The audience erupted into more cheers, Mary screaming delightedly and Hiccup boldly shouting "Yeah!" beside the white-haired teen, eliciting a grin from him. Astrid lavished Stormfly with affection down below, scratching and petting and offering the dog some water, and what looked like bacon. She turned her gaze to the judges table as one of them announced that they would be giving their scores.

Jack held his breath, and he was almost certain that everyone else had as well, when the first judge raised their sign, a large '8' visible on it. He grinned. The second judge raised her sign, this one showing a '9'. People were applauding loudly. Two more judges raised their signs, earning Astrid one more '8', and another '9'. Finally, the fifth judge, who had already demonstrated that he was the hardest to impress of the group, held up his sign, giving the girl a '7'. The applause picked up all the same, and hoots and hollers were beyond plentiful. Jack had to take pride in the fact that the vast majority of the people here had never seen Astrid in their lives, and yet were cheering for her like a fan favorite. It seemed she was pleased with it as well, smiling up into crowds and hugging Stormfly tightly.

"Do you think she'll win?" Mary asked, both excited and slightly worried after seeing those scores. Other people had gotten higher than Astrid, that was for sure, but Astrid still had some good scores!

"It'll depend on the other two rounds." Ruffnut answered the girl, eyes narrowed in thought. "Just based on the obstacle course scores, she doesn't have enough. So she'll need to have scored really high in grooming and obedience."

Mary nodded at this without question, but Jack found himself exchanging another perplexed glance with Hiccup. Ruffnut hadn't really seemed the type to be very… what was the word… she didn't seem like the thinking type, he supposed, based on what he'd seen of her in his brief time in Berk, and Hiccup had never made any allusions to the contrary. In fact, the brunette boy seemed just as pleasantly surprised by the girl's observations and thoughtful remarks thus far as Jack himself was.

"I'm sure she did fine." Tuffnut also spoke up, glancing down at Mary as though trying to reassure her (and Jack had to smirk at the effort). "She was pretty cool down there, there's no way she didn't get good scores."

There were still yet more contestants who needed to take their runs, but now that Astrid had performed, the group of teens (plus one child) found that time was practically flying by now, each new performer seeming like mere blinks before they were gone (though a few particularly impressive dogs had stood out, including the nice woman with the German Shepard from earlier). Another hour had passed by the time the last contestant finished their run through the course, but it hardly felt like that long to Jack, whose heart was now beating at a quickened pace as the judges announced they were going into final deliberations, and then the winners would be announced.

As the stagehands began stripping the course down, removing the sundry items from sight, the competitors were asked to gather and line up around the arena's perimeter again, much like they had at the start of the show when they were introduced. Jack frowned as he noted Astrid's facial features, and the disappearance of the cool confidence she had briefly managed to regain during the obstacle run. She looked fretful again, nervous, and Jack found himself elbowing Hiccup lightly in the side.

"Ow! What?" Hiccup grunted out, pulling his eyes away from the stage.

"Do you see her face? She looks kinda awful."

"Yes, thank you Jack, I noticed that." Hiccup replied with an eyeroll, tossing in a retaliatory elbow nudge. "She's just nervous about the results. There's nothing we can do about it right now."

"Well," Jack responded thoughtfully, puffing up one cheek. "I wanted your opinion, actually. How well do you think she did? Think she actually has a chance of winning anything?"

Hiccup tossed a furtive look around his friend, looking to Mary who was fidgeting nervously in her seat, Fishlegs and Tuffnut both trying to soothe her (and he tried to ignore how hilarious that looked). He kept his voice low as he spoke to Jack. "I think there's a chance, yes. But I can't say for sure. But she did really well, I think, and there is an honest chance that she can take something home."

Jack raised his eyebrows, somewhat relieved at Hiccup's confidence on the matter. He really wanted to believe him, knowing how important this was for Astrid. "I hope you're right. I really do."

It wasn't like he didn't think Astrid had done great. Because he felt she really had! Stormfly had looked great, her coat was superb, her tricks were awesome as ever, and she was only a little tripped up by the course. But Jack certainly didn't consider himself an expert dog judge, and he really had no idea if the girl had been good enough. Silence hung over the now worrying group as the recess persisted, everyone eager to learn the results of the competition, and holding out silent hope for Astrid's success.

The judges finally returned to their tables a few moments later, grabbing everyone's attention as the head judge made for the center of the arena, accompanied by an assistant who bore a small tray. Colorful ribbons could be seen decorating the tray's expanse, and the head judge smiled a bright, flashy smile as she raised the microphone to her expertly colored lips.

"I am pleased to announce that, after deliberating and tallying scores, we have settled on our winners!" her voice boomed over the speakers, eliciting cheers from many and prompting Jack to hold his breath. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Mary doing the same thing. "First, we will be awarding the ribbons for Best Obstacle Performance!"

The twins inched forward in their seats.

"3rd place: Norbert Harris!"

There was applause as a man with a somewhat disheveled-looking beard and an odd look in his eye approached the judge and claimed his ribbon. Ruffnut sighed, though she hadn't expected Astrid to place in this division. Norbert, by her recollection, had one of the lower total scores, along with Astrid, so there was no way the girl was going to claim first or second place. Sure enough, the judge rattled off the remaining names, two unrelated individuals who claimed their ribbons as well among cheers from the audience, and Astrid could be seen visibly deflating, but didn't seem too surprised. Fishlegs patted Mary's head comfortingly.

"Don't worry, there's still more!" he urged.

The judge raised the microphone again after shaking the 1st Place Performer's hand, turning back to the remaining competitors. "Next," she announced, "We'll be awarding the ribbons for Best-Groomed!"

The judge plucked up a small piece of paper off the tray, pausing for a brief moment of suspense. "3rd Place: Eleanor Skorvich!" More cheers as a woman emerged from the lineup to claim her ribbon, looking quite pleased. The judge shook her hand and then returned to the list. "2nd Place: Astrid Hofferson!"

Mary practically shrieked and leaped to her feet, clapping her hands together furiously while the crowd around her applauded as well. To the rest of the group's credit, they did their best to compete with Mary; each of them sprang to their feet and cheered and hollered, even the perpetually uncaring Tuffnut, who applauded and grinned challengingly, raising his fist in appreciation. Beside him, Jack could see a truly ecstatic expression on Hiccup's face, and the sight of the boy seeming so happy and proud for his friend sent a familiar warmth coursing through the taller boy, and he allowed himself a small sigh in response, sure that it would go unheard amidst this racket. He shook his head then, turning back to the arena. Now was not the time to be thinking about this. In fact, he'd been doing a great job of not thinking about that for the entirety of the show thus far, and he wasn't about to start now.

Astrid, down below, simply looked beside herself with shock and happiness, almost running forward with Stormfly to accept the ribbon with a sense of disbelief. The judge gave her a warm smile and shook her hand, and Astrid kneeled down to clip the ribbon onto Stormfly's collar. The collie looked incredibly pleased with this, seeming as though she very much understood the momentous prestige associated with the odd object.

When at last the applause in the auditorium had settled, and the group had returned to sitting properly, the judge resumed the award ceremony, granting the first place ribbon to a woman who had probably the fluffiest poodle Jack had ever seen in his life.

"And now, last but certainly not least!" the judge called, gesturing to the last set of three ribbons on the tray, the most brilliantly-colored of the lot. Jack could see Astrid eyeing them hopefully. "The awards for Best in Show, which is a conglomerate award for the best overall competitors we had the privilege of seeing this evening! May I just say that you all performed absolutely admirably, but these three awards are for the three of you who wowed us the most in all fields!"

Astrid scratched at Stormfly's chest soothingly, eyes focused. Mary gripped Fishlegs' arm, neither twin blinked, and Hiccup's fingers gripped his knees tightly. Jack rested a hand at Hiccup's shoulder, much as he had with Astrid earlier, and offered him a squeeze. It was a gesture he didn't put much thought into. He simply wanted to share in the boy's support for his friend. Hiccup cast a glance his way and smiled softly at the move for a moment before fixing his eyes somewhat determinedly forward again. Jack felt his cheeks flush a bit as he let go.

"And now, our 3rd Place winner for Best in Show: …Astrid Hofferson!"

While the auditorium cheered, there was actually a brief moment of stunned silence among Astrid's group of supporters, none of them wanting to admit that their hopes hadn't been so high for this division, and now each faced with the utter amazement of the realization that Astrid just came in third place for freakin' BEST IN SHOW. Mary was the first, unsurprisingly, to spring to her feet once again in celebration, and the others joined her shortly afterward as they watched Astrid step forward a second time, hardly able to process the information as she graciously accepted the brilliant red ribbon and returned to the line. The judge went on to announce the other winners, both of whom had also won previous ribbons, but Jack's eyes never left Astrid. He watched as her face remained a tad blank, still digesting what had just happened, before the happiest smile he had ever seen her wear appeared on her face. Her hands were raised to her mouth, no doubt stifling a wave of euphoric laughter, and her eyes were creasing at the edges as she finally realized that she, regardless of the fact that she didn't get first place in anything, still placed in her very first competition, despite having so little time to prepare.

There was pride in Jack's heart on her behalf, and he knew that everyone else had to be feeling it as well.

.


.

"Con-grat-yoo-lay-shuns!" Mary bit off each syllable distinctly as she wrapped her arms around Astrid's waist, squeezing and stamping her feet and yelling and generally making a spectacle of herself.

The competition had dismissed moments earlier, and people were milling about everywhere, some making their way out of the auditorium, others moving from the stands to find and congratulate their competing friends, much the same as Hiccup and his group were doing now. They had raced down through the throngs of people as quickly as possible, Mary exploiting her small size to her full advantage and being the first to fly at Astrid in a hug.

The others weren't far behind though, and very soon the blonde found herself beset upon by Fishlegs' ecstatic chatter and words of congratulation, followed by Jack joining Mary in hopping up and down and performing a victory cheer in her honor. Ruffnut and Tuffnut approached as well, Ruff punching Astrid lightly on the shoulder and smiling at her, and Tuffnut even managed a nod and a slight grin. Hiccup watched this with a tender smile, appreciating how Astrid's face was simply lit up like Christmas day. The girl almost looked like she might have started crying if no one was around to see it.

She spotted Hiccup then, somewhat behind the others due to his slower pace, and charged at him, wrapping her arms tightly around him and burying her face in his shoulder.

"Thank you." she spoke into his jacket with a vulnerable, soft voice, and he smiled and returned the hug as tightly as he could muster.

"For what?" he asked, chuckling lightly.

"For continually pushing me to do this. And for getting us all to build the practice course. And for just supporting me. Thank you Hiccup."

He sighed quietly. "Any time, Astrid."

Releasing him, Astrid turned back to the others and gave each and every one of them a hug as well, thanking them in turn for coming out and supporting her (Tuffnut's reaction to this was a particularly priceless blank stare), and then proceeded to show off her two shiny ribbons (one red, one green) with jubilation.

"Excuse me, Ms. Hofferson?"

Astrid whirled around at the sound of her name to spot the head judge, painted lips turned upward and hands folded in front of her. Astrid tucked a bit of hair behind her ear and smiled at her. "Yes ma'am?"

"I apologize if I am interrupting anything," the woman spoke, nodding at the girl's friends.

"Oh! It's no trouble." Astrid assured her, stepping forward. "Can I help you with something?"

Hiccup eyed the woman curiously, noting the genuinely happy expression the judge wore, as though she was just itching to blurt out whatever she wanted to say.

"Well, first, congratulations once again on your victories today! You did wonderfully."

"Thank you so much." Astrid replied, still a touch giddy.

"I wanted to ask: as I understand it, this was your first competition, was it not?"

"That's correct, ma'am, yes."

"Well, then may I say that your performance was especially admirable then. First-timers don't usually place at all, let alone in two different areas! And you even managed second place for grooming! Which, incidentally, is what I wanted to talk to you about. I must say, your dog's coat is absolutely stunning! I have graded many Rough Collies over the years, and she stands out as one of the finest I have ever encountered."

Astrid wasn't sure how to respond to such praise, stammering out 'Thank yous' and shuffling her feet.

"May I ask about your grooming regimen?" the judge finally inquired with avid interest.

"Oh! Well, I actually used an original recipe shampoo for her coat, after researching how to do it." Astrid answered meekly, fingers moving to fiddle with her flaxen fringe. "I was a little worried about it at first, but after some tweaks it came out pretty good, I think. Oh, and I've been experimenting with what she eats, increasing her proteins and trying to splash some vegetable vitamins into her meals."

"Remarkable…" The woman was clearly impressed. "I don't think I've ever had the privilege of meeting a first-time participant who was as immersed as you already are. Have you ever considered a career in animal care and grooming?"

Astrid took a step back and blinked. Hiccup glanced over at Jack, whose eyebrows had shot straight for his hairline, and then moved his gaze to Fishlegs. The larger boy met his stare with bright, hopeful eyes.

"N-no ma'am. Er, not seriously, I mean, I never thought I'd… Well, I guess I have thought about it, I just didn't figure I'd ever actually-"

The judge raised her hand gently to silence the stammering, smiling with renewed kindness as she fished through the pocket of her smart-looking vest and handed Astrid a business card. "Well, if you ask me, you have a lot of potential for a very promising career. If you'd like, I'd love to hear from you very soon and discuss your shampoo and food recipes. There are a lot of scholarships out there for people with your kind of talent, young lady."

Astrid took the card delicately, a huge smile breaking out upon her cheeks. "Ma'am, thank you! Thank you very much!"

The judge offered her goodbyes then and departed, having other people she needed to speak with, but left with the reminder that Astrid should certainly give her a call. It was almost too surreal, and as soon as the woman was out of sight Hiccup led the group in a new wave of cheers, congratulating Astrid on her success.

"Hey, who thinks we should celebrate!" Jack called loudly, glancing around for approval. "We should go and find a restaurant or something, come on!"

The suggestion was met with near uniform approval, through the twins exchanged glances for a moment as though worried about intruding. Astrid quickly assured them that they were "more than welcome", and "just as much a part of this now as any of us."

As the group departed from the convention center, alive with conversation and good humor, Hiccup found his gaze lingering at the back of his friend's head, taking in her laughs and smiles and success.

And he found himself wondering if he might ever be so fortunate to have things work out for him that way. And for the first time in a long while, he was reminded of the art showcase, still looming in the future. And yet… for once, he found himself actually feeling hopeful toward it.

"Hey, you okay?"

He looked up to see Jack, suddenly very near (but not quite too near – there was a carefully maintained distance between the two), eyeing him curiously.

"Huh?"

Jack smirked. "You kinda had this zoned-out look on your face for a second there."

Hiccup shook his head, and a small laugh was released like the slightest puff of air. "Was just thinking about the future. Might not be so bad, you know?"

An odd expression occupied Jack's features, but he nodded along all the same. "Yeah."

Hiccup had the worrying impression that Jack didn't quite mean it.

.


.

"Tuff, I'm not eating that." Hiccup stated adamantly, eyes narrowed suspiciously at the salted, greasy, chocolate-coated piece of potato that was being shoved in his face.

Tuffnut rolled his eyes. "Come ON," he demanded. "How can you say it's not good if you don't even try it?"

"Because dipping french fries in chocolate milkshakes is illogical to the taste buds."

"Screw your logic, just eat it!"

How Hiccup found himself in this situation, with Tuffnut so insistent upon the idea that Hiccup try his bizarre french fry, certainly would have seemed baffling maybe an hour or so earlier. It was an interesting development, he'd give it that much.

Having plenty of hours to burn before they needed to head home, it was agreed upon unanimously that they'd find a nice, casual restaurant to hole up in, eat plenty of food, and generally have a good time while it would last. With the SATs coming up on Monday, everyone wanted to enjoy this trip to Bogsvale as much as they could, after all. They had found a lovely little diner before too long, thankfully lacking in heavy crowds, and it wasn't long before they had been seated at a large booth and were making merry with the free french fries the restaurant so graciously kept the table stocked with. Hiccup was surprised to find that steadily, possibly thanks to how included he'd been thus far, Tuffnut was really starting to loosen up around him. He'd stopped sending him death glares every five minutes, after all, and the more time he spent around Mary, the more pleasant his general disposition seemed to have become.

It was this pleasantness that encouraged Hiccup to speak more freely to him without worry that he'd fly off the handle over something or other that Hiccup said, and for a while it was actually working. The two actually managed to hold a small conversation, revolving around school complaints, which Jack and Astrid were quick to join in on with their own two cents. They shared laughs over common woes, and it seemed that only Fishlegs and Ruffnut didn't have any particular complaints they felt like voicing (Mary, meanwhile, lamented loudly the apparent horrors she had to look forward to when she got to high school).

And then Hiccup observed Tuffnut very casually dipping a french fry into his chocolate milk shake, and made the mistake of making a grossed out noise. This, naturally, prompted Tuffnut to immediately defend his actions, and eventually led to the predicament Hiccup was now in.

"Quit being a baby and try it!" Tuffnut was saying, leaning across the table and brandishing the food item.

Hiccup leaned further back and angled his face away, glaring at the very poorly-hidden sounds of laughter that were bubbling up from his so-called friends all around him. None of them, of course, were making any effort to try and stop the blonde boy and his disgusting french fry.

"No!" Hiccup replied petulantly, looking for all the world like a toddler that wouldn't eat his applesauce.

"Come on, Hiccup!" Mary decided to add, taking Tuffnut's side on the matter. "He's right! You can't call it gross if you never try it!"

"I don't see you trying it."

"I'll do it." Jack announced easily, reaching for one of the fries in the basket and hovering it above Tuffnut's shake. "May I?"

The male twin smirked as he finally settled back into his seat, relenting on Hiccup for just a moment in light of having someone else prove his point. "Go ahead."

Hiccup watched in horror as Jack dipped the fried potato into the creamy, chocolaty, frosty beverage, gathering a thick coating of the stuff and then popping it into his mouth. He chewed and swallowed.

"Hm. Not bad actually. I think I prefer my fries as they are, but still."

"See?" Tuffnut aimed at Hiccup.

"Still not doing it."

Astrid grinned darkly at her friend, nudging his arm. "Oh don't be such a prude, Hiccup." she admonished, grabbing a fry and imitating Jack's actions with no pause whatsoever. Hiccup stared at her.

"Come on, not you too!"

And then, apparently eager to join in on the fun, Fishlegs followed suit (hiding a grimace at the taste by forcing laughter because it would be worth it to make Hiccup crack), followed by Mary (who seemed to legitimately love it), and even Ruffnut (who called all of them morons but ate the thing anyway).

And then there was Hiccup as the sole occupant of the table who hadn't eaten the milkshake fry.

"You know, this is seeming a lot like peer pressure to me, and didn't they spend all of middle school drilling it into our heads that that wasn't okay?" he observed.

"Come ooooooooooooon, Hic," Jack whined, slapping the table a few times as everyone was chuckling. "Don't you know all the cool kids are doing it?"

"Yeah, you wanna be cool, don't you Hiccup?" Astrid added.

Ruffnut then loudly pounded the table with a fist, not caring if anyone else in the restaurant heard her, and smiled challengingly at the freckled brunette. "Come on, eat the fry!" she called, pounding her first three times against the table to accompany her chants. "Eat the fry! Eat the fry!"

Jack picked up the activity quickly, joining the chant and pounding his own fist against the table with each word. Predictably, it spread like wild fire, and Hiccup found himself surrounded by five teens and a little girl who were all making a giant racket with their fists and voices, singing tauntingly at him.

"Eat the fry! Eat the fry! Eat the fry! Eat the fry!"

"Aaaaaaarrrrrrgh, fine!" Hiccup finally broke, grabbing a fry from the basket. "I'll eat the stupid fry!" And, eager as he was to get it over with, he quickly dipped the thing into Tuff's milkshake and accidentally made a slight splattery mess, but didn't care anymore. He brought it to his mouth with slight hesitation and finally bit down, chewing through the odd mix of flavors that honestly did not sit well on his pallet.

After the small cheering session had died down, Tuffnut leaned forward expectantly. "Weeeeeeeeell?"

Hiccup fixed him with a stern, sure look. "Don't like it."

Tuffnut fell back in his booth with a lopsided smile. "Whatever. You're crazy, then."

"Well that was anti-climactic." The brunette replied, rolling his eyes and finally returning his attention to the long-neglected pizza he had ordered. The laughs around the table were indication enough that the result itself hardly mattered. Hiccup found himself smirking in spite of his misgivings – the generally friendly, lively atmosphere was still really nice, he had to admit.

"Jack, can I play on the claw machine?" Mary suddenly asked, pointing at the machine stationed near the front of the restaurant eagerly. She had had her eye on the thing all night.

"You know those things are money traps, right?" Fishlegs pointed out with a light smile. "It'll just eat all your quarters and won't give you a thing."

"Well not with that attitude." Jack shot back, standing up from the table and grabbing Mary's hand. "Come on kiddo, we'll definitely win you something."

The girl cheered as she followed Jack out of the booth, eager to see his apparently patented claw machine technique. He swore he had an actual patent and everything.

"What do you bet they get nothing?" Ruffnut asked Astrid, watching them go.

"Eh, I'll give it 50/50. Jack gets pretty determined when it comes to making his sister happy."

Ruffnut cocked a small smile as she leaned her cheek against a fist. "Must be nice."

"I'm right here." Tuffnut cut in, smacking his sister on the shoulder.

"Oh, what, like you get really determined to make me happy? All you do is give me headaches." The girl retorted, tossing a punch to the gut into the mix.

"Wow. Wow!" Tuffnut stood from the table then, apparently excusing himself to go join the Overland siblings at the machine. "Maybe if I had a sister like her I'd be more willing!" he called over his shoulder haughtily.

"…Did you two just have a fight?" came Fishlegs' tentative voice.

Ruffnut glanced over at him, blinking, before smiling in a surprisingly disarming fashion. "Pft, nah, don't worry about it. That's just normal."

"Oh. O-okay then." Fishlegs replied, glancing down and away as he poked at his food.

Ruffnut cocked a brow but said nothing more, instead turning to Hiccup. "So we were 'supposed' to be at a wrestling match, right? What do we tell the folks when we get home?"

"Oh, right, right," Hiccup replied, fishing for his phone and pulling up the page he had saved earlier. He refreshed the newsfeed in his phone's browser, scrolling through and mumbling a quiet "Hang on a second…" A moment later and he raised his voice a bit louder, reading off the results. "Alright so apparently tonight's matches were: the Hairy Hooligan versus the Whispering Death, Dogsbreath the Duhbrain versus the Terrible Terror, and Madguts the Murderous versus Grimbeard the Ghastly. Jeez, these names…"

Fishlegs was laughing quietly while Astrid shrugged her shoulders. "A little more weird than even most people in Berk, I'll admit."

Hiccup nodded with a chuckle. "Anyway, the winners were the Hooligan, the Terror, and Madguts, in that order. Oh, and some highlights, in case anyone's parents asks for some details: apparently halfway through the Terror's fight, Dogsbreath got help from the Hooligan, who jumped into the ring and ambushed the Terror. But, luckily, the Whispering Death came to his rescue with a chair, and got revenge on the Hooligan for the loss he had just suffered, and the Terror ended up taking the fight after pinning Dogsbreath. So, typical WWE treachery, I guess."

Ruffnut was chortling loudly, slapping one hand on the table. "Wow, I almost regret that we weren't actually watching that instead."

Astrid nodded her agreement, holding in her own laughs. "I gotta say, that would have been a hell of a show."

"You guys talking about that wrestling alibi?" Jack asked as he returned to the table, looking somewhat sullen while Mary was parading about with a brand new stuffed yak.

"Oh, wow, you actually won something." Astrid remarked, glad to see the little girl smiling.

"Well, I didn't…" Jack replied and Mary laughed at him, looking at Tuffnut instead.

"It was Tuffnut! He said Jack's technique stunk, so he showed me his and won me this!"

Tuffnut looked almost like he was preening, gesturing at himself with one hand. "You were wise to seek help from the world's most expert claw…grabber…person." he finished lamely, eyebrows furrowing at the unimpressive title he'd managed to come up with before simply shrugging. "It's me."

Hiccup smirked and shook his head. "Aaaanyway, yes, Jack, I was just telling everyone about the wrestling match. Not that you really need to know about it, since North knows where you two really were."

"You guys are liars~" Mary sang at the table, bobbing her new toy around in front of her face as though it were dancing. "For shame, says Lulabelle the Magic Yak!"

"Yes, well, speaking of lying to parents," Ruffnut interjected with a light smile in Mary's direction, "I told our folks we'd be home by, like, twenty minutes from now. So we're already gonna be late as hell. We should probably get going, Tuff."

"Oh," her brother replied, shoulders sagging a bit. "Yeah, alright."

"I should come with." Astrid announced as she stood from the table. "I left with Ruffnut, so I'll need to go home with her unless I want dad asking weird questions."

"Awwww, you guys really have to leave?" Mary asked, Lulabelle sagging in her grip.

"'Fraid so." Astrid kneeled before the girl, giving her a bright smile and ruffling her hair. "But thank you so much for being here today, Mary, it meant a whole lot."

"Of course!" she replied, diving in for a hug. "Congratulations on your wins again! And I hope you tell your dad soon about it, because it's really important to you."

The blonde returned the embrace and rubbed a soothing circle on the girl's back, to which she squirmed happily. "Don't worry. I'm planning on it."

This caught Hiccup's attention. He met Astrid's gaze questioningly, mouth just barely agape, but she simply gave him a satisfied smile and mouthed 'talk later' at him.

"Well, it's been real," Ruffnut stated as she stood and stretched, grabbing her things, before commenting in an entirely too offhanded manner: "Today was fun. We should do something like this again some time."

Tuffnut jerked his head a couple of times, meeting no one's eyes. "Yeah, I'd be good with that. See you guys around, and stuff."

"Bye guys! Drive safe!" Fishlegs called as Astrid moved to join the twins, her leftover food already packed into a box for Stormfly, who was patiently waiting outside. "Congrats, Astrid!"

Jack and Mary returned to the now emptier booth, tossing in their extra congratulations and goodbyes as Astrid and the twins finally exited the building, waving behind them as they went.

"So, what should we do?" Jack asked of the remaining duo (not counting his sister), and counting the money Ruffnut had left on the table just to make sure she hadn't shafted them with her bill (she hadn't).

Fishlegs shrugged. "I don't have to be home till later, so I'm good to keep hanging out here for a while longer. And I guess Hiccup is riding back with us now."

"Well it's either that or walk, so yeah," Hiccup remarked. "Anyway, I told my dad I'd be back by ten, latest, so I'm good for now too."

"You know, I think I'm gonna try my luck at that machine." Fishlegs decided as he stood from the table. "I wanna give it a go."

"Ooh, I wanna watch!" Mary called after him, hopping back out of the booth and following.

And then, rather abruptly, Hiccup found himself alone at the table with Jack.

And there was a thick silence.

"…Soooo." Jack was the first to speak, looking away and sipping at his beverage. He scowled at the heavily watered-down taste. He'd let that ice sit for too long…

"Yes. So." Hiccup replied, drumming the fingers of his left hand lightly against the table. Cheeks were puffed full of air and slowly deflated as he exhaled, and his eyes searched the nearby window for anything interesting.

Oh gods, is this really what it's going to be like? he thought, internally groaning and feeling his heartbeat pick up with distress. Is this what's happening to our friendship? All because I just had to try and fucking kiss him…. Arrggggh!

"Hiccup, I-"

"Jack, look-"

Having spoken at the same time, both boys paused with their mouths halfway open, and then coughed and cleared their throats, muttering and apologizing.

"Uh, you go ahead," Jack said, gesturing at Hiccup with a splayed hand.

"No, you go first," Hiccup insisted, hands moving to grip his drink so as to have something to occupy themselves with.

Jack pouted a bit, and Hiccup wanted to punch himself for finding the expression cute. Now was really not the time to be thinking like that. After a pause, the boy's mouth opened, and Hiccup was equal parts eager and terrified to hear what he was planning to say.

"Jack! Fishlegs won a fish!"

If Hiccup were a lesser man, or had even an ounce less self-control, or simply if he knew he wouldn't feel horribly guilty about it afterward, he would have picked up his empty plate and chucked it right at Mary's happy little face for choosing the worst possible moment to interrupt ever. But alas, Hiccup's reserves of inner strength were clearly more potent, and his conscience was much stronger, and as such he refrained from doing this.

Instead, he simply forced an incredibly strained smile as Mary waved the stuffed fish around that Fishlegs had apparently just won, and tried to ignore how irritated he felt that Jack had gone right back to paying him zero attention, using his sister and Fishlegs as a newfound distraction and demanding to know how the large blonde had done it. Hiccup just let himself slouch further in his seat. He thought for a moment that he saw Jack shoot him a regretful glance, but he wasn't sure if that was just his imagination or not.

Their stay at the restaurant didn't last much longer after that, as there was a lack of much more to do, and the conversation seemed to have died out for the most part after a short while. As such, when the sky outside began to darken and the moon cast its silver glow across the landscape, the decision was made that it was finally time to return home.

.


.

The drive home was far more awkwardly quiet than Jack would have liked. But it really couldn't be helped. Mary had started to doze in the car as they drove along the monotonous highway back to Berk, the cloak of night eliminating any potential sight-seeing opportunities beyond the car windows, and Fishlegs didn't seem to have much to say either, burying his nose in his phone and apparently reading. That simply left Hiccup, who had taken the front seat this time around instead of Fishlegs, but aside from blandly reciting the GPS directions Jack needed to follow, he had said nothing else. And Jack kept being reminded of the tension between them, and how he had been interrupted from saying… saying what? What was he even planning on telling Hiccup back there at the table?

He wasn't even quite sure, himself. Maybe an apology? But to apologize would be to acknowledge out loud that it had happened. And he wasn't sure he really wanted to do that. He was still entertaining the vain hope that, maybe if he and Hiccup kept refusing to actually talk about it, then it'd eventually go away, forgotten by the brunette, and Hiccup could stop being so obviously weirded out with every interaction he and Jack shared. It was painfully clear how uncomfortable he was every time Jack was around lately, and it was killing the white-haired youth to know that. He just wanted things to go back to normal. Wanted to go back to before he'd almost made a move on Hiccup in the dark of his bedroom like some weirdo.

Why couldn't life have a rewind button? Or save points. He'd kill to reload from an older save right now.

In any case, after the lengthy, empty drive back, Fishlegs was dropped off first by matter of convenience, saying his quiet goodbyes while Mary still continued to nap, and Jack made quick work of getting to Hiccup's house afterward.

They idled outside for a few moments, and Jack was curious as to why Hiccup hadn't excused himself already. Instead he just sat there, hands fisting against his knees and eyes focused on his sneakers.

"…Hiccup?"

He glanced up, eyes connecting and setting a low flame burning in Jack's chest and fucking damn it come on Jack! This had to stop. He couldn't keep… feeling this way, if he wanted things to return to business as usual. He broke the eye contact and stared ahead.

"I'll see you Monday, yeah?"

A pause.

"Yeah."

And with that monosyllabic reply, Jack heard the passenger door open and close softly. It was only then that he looked in Hiccup's direction again, just catching him looking back before he opened his front door and disappeared inside.

Fingers tightening against the leather grip of the steering wheel, Jack steadied his shoulders and tried to shove it out of his mind. The trip home flew by, the youth hardly noticing it as he placed himself on auto-pilot, and it wasn't until he was pulling up to park on the curb in front of his house that he even realized they had arrived.

"Mary, hey," he called, reaching back and nudging the girl.

She stirred after a moment, yawning and blinking away the sleep. "Oh, are we home already?"

"Yep. Come on, let's get inside."

She smiled lazily. "Carry me."

He offered her a long-suffering look that was tinged with a smile and rolled his eyes, stepping out of the car and opening up the back door. The girl had her arms spread wide expectantly, and her brother picked her up easily, resting her against his chest and nudging the door shut with his rear.

"What's with you being so sleepy? It's not even that late." he asked, rocking her a bit as they moved up the pavement towards their door.

"Long day." she answered simply. "Lots of excitement."

"Yeah, you can say that again."

"I'm really glad for Astrid."

"Me too, squirt."

"What's wrong with you and Hiccup?"

He paused, steps faltering for a moment. "What do you mean?"

"You two aren't the same. You're acting weird. Are you fighting about something?"

Jack released a shallow, humorless laugh, and the sadness in his smile went unseen by his sister with her face pressed firmly against his shoulder and arms around his neck. "I don't think I'd call it fighting."

"Then what is it?" Her questions all still held the remnants of sleep, as though she were struggling to remain conscious while she sought her answers.

"It's…" He had arrived at the door now but simply stood there beneath the golden rays of the porch light, making no move to open it. "…I dunno."

"Mm." she mumbled. "Well whatever it is needs to stop."

"Yeah, that'd be nice, kiddo, it really would."

He adjusted his grip on the girl (Yeesh, she was getting heavy!) and reached with a freed hand for the door knob, letting the wooden barrier swing open on its own after a gentle nudge from his foot.

"Ah! My children!" North called far too loudly, spotting them as they stepped inside. He placed a hand over his mouth when he spotted Mary dozing on her brother's shoulder, lowering his voice as he scooped the girl away from him. "Ahh, tiring day, eh?"

The girl chuckled and nodded, eyes staying fixed shut as she adjusted her new grip on North's wider shoulders. "Daddyyyyy, take me to beeeeeed." North shushed her lovingly, rubbing his nose against her forehead as he made for the stairs and muttered sweet Russian nothings at the girl to lull her back into dream land.

Jack waited patiently by the couch, certain North would have questions for him, and sure enough when the man returned a few moments later with his usual jolly grin, the first words out of his mouth were: "So how is car?"

Jack laughed. "It's fine, North, just as nice as when you left it with me. I was very careful."

"Good, good." North nodded approvingly, and then a mischievous glint took his eye. "I know, Jack, how nice the speeding down the road can be, ohoho. But for Mary's sake, I am glad you took it easy. Yes?"

"Yeah, of course. I wouldn't pull any dangerous maneuvers with her in the car. Now, if I was driving with you…"

"Ahaha! Maybe we go for a drive sometime soon, eh?"

Jack laughed again as he made for the stairs. "Yeah, North, sure thing."

"Jack, a moment more, please."

The boy halted, turning to face his adopted father somewhat wearily, though not particularly directing it at the man. "Yeah?"

"You are troubled by something. Did the show go alright? Disappointed?"

"Ah, no, nothing like that…" he replied, scratching his head. "It actually went great! Astrid landed second place in grooming and third place for best in show!"

North's thick brows shot up, big blue eyes widening in captivated amazement. "Chudesnyy!" he exclaimed, clapping his hands together loudly as a great grin broke out on his face. "Sounds like it was worthwhile, no? Oh, am I still supposed to be, ahh, hush hush on that?"

"I think so." Jack avowed. "Though she said she was going to talk to her parents about it. One of the judges actually approached her about a scholarship or something, said something about a future in animal care. So I dunno, might not be a secret for much longer."

"More good news then! Oh, but may I ask, how much longer is that obstacle course going to be in the back yard?" the man inquired, seeming amused.

"Right, right. Sorry about that North, I'll talk to the others about getting that cleaned up as soon as possible, okay?"

"Is fine, Jack, I am in no hurry."

The large, imposing man rested his powerful hands on his hips then, giving Jack a scrutinizing look that made the boy aware that he hadn't forgotten his earlier observations about Jack being troubled by something. He waited, wondering what tactic North would pull next since the direct approach had been deflected.

"You know, Jack, I have finally caught up with work." he settled on, smirking proudly.

"Oh, really?" Jack asked, genuinely surprised and a bit pleased to hear this. North had been pretty busy basically nonstop since their arrival in Berk, having explained that the previous manager had fallen behind as it was, and then there was a four day delay to further set things back before North had taken over. "So, everything's all up to current?"

"Indeed! Which means not so many late working days for me. I was thinking, maybe we all go out on Monday, spend time as family. What do you think?"

Jack thought about it for a brief moment, as that was all it took for a soft smile to melt onto his features. "That actually sounds great, North. I'm sure Mary would love it too."

Well, that was most certainly a pleasant reaction! It was something of a step forward for Jack to willingly partake in 'family functions' that involved North, as he normally put up a bit more… resistance. North found himself wondering if Jack's new friends had been helping him to open up a little more toward him. He owed them a great bit of thanks, if so.

"Well, it is settled then. We'll go out on Monday, eat, see movie perhaps!"

"Sounds like a plan. I'm gonna head up now, alright?"

North's expression fell slightly as Jack quickly turned to the stairs and dismissed himself, bidding a quick goodnight to the man. Once Jack was gone, North could only sigh, one hand resting on his belly. Something was definitely bothering his son. Something deeper than the usual dark clouds that always surrounded the boy. Those, it seemed, were actually lightening up more and more as time passed. But in their place was something new, heavier, settling over Jack like an unshakable shadow. And whatever it was, it was most definitely something bad.

The belly did not lie.

.


.

The moon hung as it always did in the dark sky, partially obscured by shadow as though it were winking knowingly at Jack, who could only stare upon its silvery surface through the glass pane of his window. His breath fogged against the chilled glass, which grew chillier still as the temperature outside dropped. Clouds had made their way into the sky, and the building storm that had been making idle threats for over a week now finally seemed as though it had had enough of its own empty promises, and was now spilling a fresh coat of dancing stars onto the small town.

Jack watched the flakes falling, a soft flurry that gradually increased in intensity with the speed of the wind. The clouds were starting to swirl, and their frozen depths were beginning to curl against the outline of the moon, promising to devour it in shadows and rob the world of its illumination, but each time the wind shifted the clouds to spiral more closely inward, another gust seemed to push them right back, determined to keep that pocket of sky open so that the moon could persist in its nightly watch.

Jack watched it battle the darkness with melancholy eyes, staring as he often did in the vain hope that maybe if he stared hard enough, the moon would somehow give him the answers he was looking for. And maybe, just this once, it was feeling generous in spite of the desperate war with the clouds it was engaged in, for staring at it eventually brought Jack into a world of introspection, and he found himself mulling over everything with a serene state of calm.

Jack was terrified of losing people. It had happened to him too often, always by circumstances he couldn't control, circumstances which made him feel powerless. And so he had decided, years ago, that he wouldn't open himself up to it anymore. If Mary and North were the only staples in his life that he could count on to always be there, then that is all he would rely on. Or at least, that had been the plan.

And yet here he was. Somehow, without him noticing it at first, he had let himself grow attached. To Fishlegs. To Astrid. Even to Gobber and Phlegma to a degree. And… Hiccup. His heart hammered in his chest as he thought about the boy, about the understanding way he spoke with Jack, about how willingly he'd opened up to him… He thought of that kind, warm smile, those witty quips, the guy's amazing sense of humor, and that more-adorable-than-it-had-any-right-being way the brunette's face could morph through a thousand different expressions in the space of a second. He thought of the way that Hiccup made him feel alive again, in a way that no one else had managed for a long, long time. And it scared him.

He didn't want a repeat of Jamie. The memories of that bond still haunted at the edges of his mind, and sure, there were times when he simply thought to himself damn it, Jack, just get over it! But it really wasn't that simple. The boy had been the first person Jack had opened his heart to after his parents died. And they had gotten so close, and Jamie had meant the world to him. And then that had been ripped away, all too coldly.

Jack had tried, once, to rekindle the bond. He tried calling Jamie's old home phone number. Sent him a letter, even. But as fate's cruel hand would have it, Jamie had ended up moving not long after Jack himself had. He had no way of knowing where he was now, and he had long since accepted that that was the end of it. The world simply hadn't meant for the two of them to remain together.

And to have to deal with one friend after another coming and going through his life afterward, as he was subjected to move after move… The idea of coming to depend on someone so dearly, of caring so deeply for them, of loving them so much

And the ever lingering fear that they, like everyone else, would disappear.

Jack watched the snow fall, its heady flow never ceasing, the cold causing the windows to fog almost completely. But through what clarity remained he could still see the moon, and it was as though the clouds were losing their war. They had been pushed back further, and the clear space of sky through which the moon's rays continued to shine had only grown, repelling the encroaching darkness with the gentle, yet firm, light.

And Jack remembered hope. The mantra that Aster had drilled into his head, the words that Astrid had echoed to him. He remembered, in some far-gone corner of his heart, what it was like to have hope for the future again. He recalled that feeling he had had when North first adopted him and Mary, and he had finally started to accept that maybe things really could be okay again, even if his parents weren't around anymore.

If Jack had to pick something to believe in, was it going to be despair, or hope? It was easier to be afraid, to be cautious. But didn't everyone always say 'No reward without risk?' ''Tis better to have lived and lost, than to have never lived at all?'

He'd heard that second one used with 'love', as well, come to think of it.

His eyes settled once more on the crook, perched as always in the corner of his room. Jamie's Crook. And then he scanned his belongings, finding the still unopened model that waited on his shelf. The model he had purchased because he'd wanted to build it with Hiccup. Only now, with his eyes opened as they were, did he realize that he probably had subconsciously intended for that to be a date.

He was still scared. Because hadn't Hiccup reacted badly the other night? Hadn't the awkward tension between them only grown thicker with each passing day? What was there to possibly gain with this risk?

…But hadn't Hiccup had something to say to Jack tonight? Something he hadn't gotten the chance to say at all? Hadn't Hiccup yet lingered in the car when he could have simply hopped out immediately? Didn't it seem, now that Jack thought of it, like Hiccup was fighting just as hard as Jack was to pretend that things were normal when he might have thought… that maybe they weren't?

The moon kept on shining, and the moonbeams softly illuminated the box as Jack stared at it, considering his options and feeling almost like he couldn't breathe, like the ground had dropped from beneath his feet and he needed to decide now if he'd just accept the fall or try to fly. Even if trying meant the possibility of failure, and the pain that came with it, pain that would only add to the impact. But trying also meant the possibility of succeeding, and avoiding the fall altogether.

Did the possible reward justify the risk?

…If it was Hiccup, then yes. Of this, Jack had finally decided.

Maybe.

He rested his forehead against the cold glass again, eyes closed, and suddenly found himself laughing breathily, an airy laugh full of derision, as though he was simply making fun of himself. Ridiculing the mess he'd managed to get himself into.

"I really do love him, don't I?"

.


.

So it would seem that the subconscious war Jack has been having with himself has finally reached a conclusion.

Maybe.

Do I really know? Well, yeah, actually, but there's more to be done before you get to find out. Hah.

Also, I do hope that whole last bit wasn't too philosophical or waxy or rambly.