A great deal of gratitude goes to all you readers who keep this story thriving the way it is now. It's a pleasure to know that you enjoy what I love to do.

Just Call Me Endy and AncestorsEcho—well you know the drill: endless gratitude for all the advice and support you've given me, for the reassurance and critiques, and for being overall awesome. Also a big shout-out to Kat and Scorpion (you know who you are)! Thanks for saving my tail!

So, uhm, longer chapter too and sorry about the wait. Lots of things happen. Enjoy. Also...gah...Regionals this Saturday...wish me luck ;;

Disclaimer: I own nothing but a laptop and certain plot elements.


There remained something reminiscent about the act of hiking through the forest path. Numerous wisps of fleeting memories trailed off into evanescence like the puffs of exhalation on a frigid winter day until he found himself wading through a sea of cringe-worthy missteps and face-palming regrets; nostalgia swam through the afternoon air as anticipation budded and clenched with trepid tendrils amid internal chaos. Yet the simple act of placing one foot in front of the other took place again and again through the slush of snow and despite the berating voices in Hiccup's head at the head-shaking decision he made. The scenario was aptly familiar, the product of one's obstinate nature—hubris if anything else. Yes, it was all too familiar…

"Oh the Gods hate me…" the teen groaned. Snowboard under his arm and Toothless at his heels, he made his trek uphill while lamenting of his fate. Not too far behind him were Jack…and the kids. "Some people get talked into skipping school or goaded into asking someone out…no, not me. I managed to get roped into making a spectacle of myself for the amusement of a horde of children and their leader—"

"Oh would you quit complaining?" The Guardian flew overhead while ducking under a few branches. Jack grinned heartlessly at the sight of Hiccup's disgruntled expression. "You agreed to this after all."

Hiccup eyed him with weary exasperation. "—a Winter Spirit with a Peter Pan complex." Behind him, Toothless glowered at said spirit.

Jack scoffed. "What does that make them? The Lost Boys?" 'And you, Wendy?' his brain traitorously added.

Hiccup sidestepped a large boulder protruding from the snow. "Yup. It fits."

Jack smirked. "I agree." 'Though you're a bit of John as well.' The Spirit of Winter took a good look at Hiccup: all decked in his snowboarding gear and seeming to struggle under the weight of it all, Jack did feel a little bad; there was no way the kid would follow through. "You know, you could always back out," he offered. He frowned at the dry stare he received in return.

Hiccup sighed for what seemed to be the umpteenth time that day. "I know. I also know that I'm not going to." He resumed his pace, a little quicker, his back just a bit straighter.

Jack shook his head. 'Your funeral…' "A man of your word huh?"

"More like stubbornness issues," the teen retorted with a casual air.

The spirit smiled, slightly amused and slightly worried. "Probably gets you into a lot of trouble." He looked up to the hill's peak, looming in silence. He frowned as he spied trees scattered about the wintry terrain nearby where he hoped to form some slopes. He'd better help Hiccup stray away from them.

For Hiccup, he kept his gaze directed to the summit—an easy enough course. He didn't quite know what Jack expected out of him with just a straight downwards path. Nonetheless, he shrugged. "Where I'm from, it's an occupational hazard."

.

Hiccup stood awkwardly, strapped on to his board, overlooking the hill's zenith. He turned to the Winter Spirit, some several yards away at the side of the hill. "So, uh, how are we gonna do this?" he called.

Jack chuckled. "Well, you just do your thing and I'll take care of the rest." He covered his ears as the miniature entourage cheered and yelled for Hiccup in anticipation. "C'mon! Don't keep your fans waiting!"

The teen rolled his eyes before lapsing into silence. Taking his stance, he took a breath of the brisk morning air, cleansing his system before he put pressure onto his lead foot; it was slipping back into a familiar dance, an old song to sing, reliving a piece of the past, and soon he careened down through expanses of snow, jolting a bit as frozen ramps and snowy half-pipes erupted from the ground. He grinned and accepted the challenge, flying through ice and rime as he rode through winter.

Exhilaration: pure adrenaline rushed through his system. Dopamine thrummed through his vessels as innately as the wind's biting chill allowed him to taste freedom, absolute and pure from science and nature, from physics and winter's wonder. He vaguely noted the shrieks and shrill cries of others, afire with delight and excitement, but it was drowned by the blood pulsing through his veins and the tempo of life reverberating through the moment. With each turn, from the tips of his toe-side to the heel-side, he allowed his body ride the frost-ridden ramps, miniature explosions of euphoria erupting from his mouth as he touched the air—the closest experience he'd ever had to flying. Skilled control and sharp turns steered him with grace and fluidity, effortlessly riding through each new obstacle that Jack decided to invent for his performance.

Meanwhile with Jack, it was only after a few heart-stopping moments did the spirit realize that Hiccup, the clumsy little fishbone, actually knew what he was doing. He swore he nearly dove after the boy each time his body twisted oddly and leant a little too forward or backward (like what he was doing right now…that little showoff). Still, the boarder remained balanced, enjoying the gentle little breaks of pure snow before Jack decided a little more action was needed to satisfy both of them—

—all of them, he means. Yes, all of them. They were there for the kids' enjoyment as well.

He grinned as Hiccup went airborne again on a Jack-made half-pipe, not losing face even as the Winter Guardian deconstructed the snow beneath him to make another curve of ice for the boy to showcase his abilities on. Even as Hiccup seemed to wobble from the slight shock, Jack ignored it; he'd be safe. Besides, as much as he kind of hated to admit it…Hiccup can definitely handle himself.

Hiccup was probably little bit more than halfway down the hill. As he picked up momentum, he leaned forward and balanced his weight on his toes; after Jack's little stunt back there, maybe it was his turn to give the Guardian a scare. He raced down the hill, expertly shifting his weight and allowed gravity to work its magic. He laughed as he blazed past each little obstacle Jack created, using sharp and wide turns to throw off the Ice Spirit's game. As each ramp was created, the moment it was solid enough not to be crushed by Hiccup's ninety-plus pounds, he was again kissing the sky's eternal blue before he was welcomed by the forgiving earth (or more likely the little slope Jack clumsily put together out of panic.)

The Spirit gulped, watching warily as Hiccup once again got dangerously close to colliding with the ice he used for the ramp's foundation. He shook off the concern as he concentrated in creating more ramps before they ran out of incline. The kid was fast—okay, scratch that, he practically flew on snowy ground—but he was Jack Frost—Harbinger of Winter, Guardian of Fun—

Jack almost had a heart attack as Hiccup jibbed down solid ice, board tilted precariously as Hiccup remained steady while gravity threatened to tip him over. Still, the boy remained calm and once back on the snow, began to race downhill. It was evident that catching up with him was growing steadily difficult, but Jack wasn't deterred.

He loved the chase.

If Hiccup went fast enough to where Jack couldn't design the course and obstacles for him, then he'd just have to anticipate the boy's moves so the little fishbone could really show the Guardian what he was made of. And it was in this unfortunate mindset that collided with Hiccup's own. The end-result was, upon a massive jump from Hiccup from a previous incline, a steep ramp materialized beneath him. Without enough time to react, the teen landed roughly, eyes widening at the sight of frost attempting to accumulate beneath him as he sped downwards on solid ice.

For Jack, he gravely misjudged how much ice he could produce, especially at such a scale. His breath hitched as the gathering ice caught the base of Hiccup's board, lurching the boy forward painfully. The kids screamed in horror; thankfully, the brunet was secured by the straps.

Jack called to him, anxiety bleeding into his voice. "Hiccup!"

"Uh…Jack?" Hiccup gulped. "A little help here?" Well, he could honestly say he had never been caught in this situation before: stuck on a little slope made of ice...meters and meters above ground.

The Ice Spirit sighed; at least he was okay. "Right, uh, sorry about that! You were kinda going too fast!" He held in a snicker as Hiccup began to fidget under the discomfort.

"What?" Actually, Hiccup heard him the first time.

Jack sighed; it hurt to admit— it really did. "I said you were going too fast!"

"What?" Hiccup repeated, fighting back a smirk.

The Guardian ground his teeth. "I said you were going too—wait a minute—you little shi—"

Hiccup tsk'd. "Language, Jack!" It did not help at all that the children began giggling behind the Winter Spirit. No, that little comment did not help Hiccup in his situation very much at all.

"You know what, get yourself down!" Yes it was juvenile; what was your point? Jack sent him a haughty look only to be a little put off a second later when he remembered that Hiccup couldn't see him. And even if he could, Hiccup was too far.

Hiccup sighed. "Oh c'mon!" It was seriously getting a little bit unnerving up there; he had no idea how long the ice would hold his weight.

Jack pretended to inspect and clean a nail while quietly assuring the kids that it was just a joke. "Nah, you can do it Mister Viking!" The kids burst in giggles and barks of laughter while Jack checked on Hiccup from the corner of his eye; the teen started to shake just a little bit…

Out of rage. "Ugh, it's like talking to a block of ice…" the brunet muttered underneath his breath.

Jack frowned. "What was that?" He heard 'ice' in there somewhere…maybe he should get Hiccup before he actually took him seriously.

"Nothing!" Hiccup replied with a falsely sweet tone. He looked down, not finding the height very frightening; with some luck, he could safely slide down the ramp if he could get free. It was the stability (or lack thereof) that had Hiccup worried. Well if Jack wasn't getting him, then he certainly wasn't going to wait for some Hail Mary pass of a savior to fetch him; he wasn't some ditzy dame. "Ugh, fine, I'll get down myself." He bent over to undo the straps, wobbling a bit as he regained freedom of his own two feet…his own two feet that never fared very well under slippery surfaces. He inched towards the edge of the board, careful to peek over to ramp…only to find that Jack had not finished it. He sighed. Of course. And of course, he misjudged the slipperiness of the slanted plane. "Wo-woah!"

"Hiccup!" Eyes open in shock, the Guardian raced to the teen as he slid closer and closer to the edge. His breath left him as the brunet screamed. The Winter Spirit hastened, mere feet away before the ice ended and the open air plummeted the teen down, down, down.

Jack honestly tried his best. He really did. But when a ninety-pound fifteen-year-old falls straight out of the sky, the possibility of said ninety pounds falling into his arms in a picturesque fashion was really all too farfetched. In his mind, maybe there was a slight hope that he'd catch Hiccup as a knight may rescue his damsel; sadly, no. Instead, the brunet crashed against him, hurling them out of control and flying off to a distance. Both teens collapsed into the snow-cushioned earth, the landing hailing a pained chorus as their limbs sprawled everywhere. It was a good thing that, technically, Jack didn't need to breathe.

But the good news was that at least Hiccup's head was lying on Jack's chest—

purely for the reason that he didn't crack his skull open that is. Yes, it really would be a shame if all of Jack's endeavors surmounted to naught. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that the other boy's weight and warmth was making Jack feel disgustingly (and a bit happily) woozy on the inside.

For Hiccup, his wooziness leaned towards the nauseatingly-dizzy sense as his vision fought to regain singularity. He gingerly lifted his head, semi-aware that Jack's arms were entrapping him once again in a strangely protective embrace. Looking straight forward, there were currently four familiar shadows in his sight right now… but something else captivated his attention altogether.

The Guardian flushed red at coming face-to-face with Hiccup staring directly at him. But there was no way his blush could rival Hiccup's: the brunet's cheeks were burning in that pretty shade of red that put even firelight's breathing embers to shame, mouth slightly agape as little puffs of breath escaped past lips pinked by the wintry atmosphere, and eyes focused solely on him, dazzling little orbs of viridian that exuded a brightness that blinded the Guardian from an emotion that its owner couldn't quite name. The wind picked up around them, sweeping dangling auburn locks from Hiccup's face; a snowflake or two kissed a freckled cheek but Hiccup didn't seem to mind it at all. Instead, the beginnings of a smile made its way to his lips; the small act set the Guardian's eyes alight with the knowledge that in the end, Hiccup probably had a lot of fun today—with him.

Jack was again quite relieved to know that Hiccup couldn't see what was probably an awe(love)struck look on his face. Even more so, he found himself frozen (almost literally…it was definitely getting colder) from making that one little action that would connect their mouths – and would probably result in Hiccup's fist connecting to his face. He had enough sense to know what that kind of thing would lead to; he lacked enough of it, however, to stop himself from enjoying the view just a little bit longer...

Until a sickening crack broke through the amorous air followed by a thud and the harmonized shrieks of children.

It was Hiccup that fought to move first, but with his leg tangled around Jack's coupled with the fact that the Ice Spirit was attempting to sit up as well, all the unnecessary squirming and shifting only succeeded in tangling them further. It was rather difficult when one person had donned weighty snowboarding apparel and the other was only slightly visible to the one on top.

Jack grimaced as Hiccup's elbow came dangerously close to winging him in the nose. "Ow, Hiccup, move your—"

"Wait—hold on!" Hiccup tried shifting his weight to his knees. "Just lemme—"

Jack inhaled sharply, resisting the urge to whimper; oh, the pain… "Ugh—! That was my—"

"Ah, geez, sorry! Was that really your—?" Hiccup cringed.

"Yes! Yes it was!" the Guardian gasped, not liking at all how Hiccup seemed more keen on hiding his amusement than being actually sorry. Pushing himself off his back with a bit of help from the winter winds, Jack caused the pair doubled over, reversing positions due to Hiccup panicking and grabbing the Ice Spirit by the waist for balance.

Feeling thoroughly suffocated, Hiccup twisted and squirmed to get rid of the weight crushing his lungs and diaphragm. "Augh, get off!"

"That's what I've been trying to do!" Jack huffed, annoyed at the other's snappiness.

"Well, get on with it! You're heavier than I am!" the brunet wheezed.

Why was it that Jack couldn't go more than a few hours without Hiccup insulting him? "You little—are you calling me—"

"Uh…guys?"

The pair turned and met the confused and slightly disturbed faces of the children and Toothless. The latter did not look all too pleased at the sight of the Ice-Child straddling his little human. Said human was also blushing profusely in mild horror and excess mortification as half of the children broke out in wide grins and giggles.

"Oooh, having fun guys?" Jamie teased.

The twins snickered. "You two wanna be alone?"

Pippa smiled. "Aw, how sweet!"

"He can do better…" Cupcake grumbled. Monty silently agreed.

Now thoroughly embarrassed, Hiccup rolled his eyes and refused to acknowledge how warm his cheeks became. "Haha, very funny guys. Now Jack, would you please get off of me?" He hoped his voice didn't sound too pleading.

Jack laughed nervously. "Can do." At least he could now since Hiccup stopped his fidgeting.

Scrambling to his feet once the Winter Spirit's weight was lifted from him, Hiccup examined each and every child with frantic eyes while doing a mental headcount. "Who screamed? Are you guys all right? What happened?" He knelt down to their level for a closer inspection, taking Sophie's arm and turning her this way and that. "Any broken-anything?"

"No, no! We're fine!" Pippa reassured, drawing the little girl back from the fretting babysitter.

"Can't say the same about your board though…" Claude held up one half of the once whole snowboard, a jagged edge near the once-middle.

Caleb held the other half. "Sorry Hiccup…"

It was difficult not to seem too crestfallen; it was the last board he made back at Gobber's shop before moving. He put on a sheepish smile. "Well, it's just a snowboard. I'm sure I'll get another." At least it could still be used as a memento. Standing up and brushing the snow off his pants, the brunet sighed. "So, what happened exactly?"

"We tried getting it down from the ice Jack made," Cupcake explained. It was hard to tell, but the girl was apologetic for its current condition.

"But for some weird reason, the ice started cracking!" Jamie continued.

Monty nodded. "Yeah the board went down and hit Jamie on the face!"

The Guardian's eyes widened. He bit his lip as a bubble of shame rose up to his chest, making the area ache. A wave of guilt flooded through his mind though he tried not to let it show. Sure it happened before, but he was a Guardian now. It was his responsibility to keep them safe and he let his emotions get the best of him. He was startled from his thoughts as Hiccup subtly gripped the sleeve of his Jacket—an understanding. Releasing the material with one final brush of his hand, Hiccup said nothing more. He knew it wasn't Jack's fault.

Hiccup leaned down and examined the boy up close. "Well Jamie, are you okay?" There was a small bruise flowering on his skin, a splotch of purple. Hiccup winced; it would spread, he was sure of it.

Nonetheless, Jamie looked positively ecstatic. "Yeah! More than okay! Look!" He held out his gloved palm; the sight of the object resting on the polyester made the color drain from Hiccup's face.

"Oh no! A tooth!" He ignored Sophie's excited squeal at the sight of her brother's…rather bloody cuspid. In fact, he ignored everyone's look of anticipation and approval. 'Da, da-da—I'm dead...'

Jack snickered. "No Hiccup. Here, that's a good thing!"

Turning to the Guardian, Hiccup caught himself before berating Jack as to how losing a tooth could ever constitute as a 'good thing'. "Wha—oh right…the Tooth Fairy."

Claude grinned. "Yeah! Tooth Fairy money!"

"Way to go, kiddo! For your sake, you'd have better been flossing. You know how Toothiana gets." The Winter Spirit smiled as Jamie nodded enthusiastically while the other kids gathered around to examine the rather impressive dental specimen; it even had a bit of his gums still stuck on it. Jack turned to the brunet, grin faltering at the sight of the other's disoriented expression. "Hiccup, you okay?"

Hiccup faked a smile. "Hm? I'm fine." 'Not sure how Jamie's mom'll take him losing a tooth under my watch though…' When Jack turned towards the children again, Hiccup breathed out his anxieties. Toothless mewed in concern, black tail whishing back and forth as the Norwegian Forest butted his head against Hiccup's leg. Bending down to carry the feline in his arms, Hiccup cast his gaze skyward; it was getting a bit late in the afternoon. "We should probably get going…and Jamie, we'll need to take care of that tooth and your bruise when we get to your house."

His suggestion was well-received: "Okay!", "I'll carry the snowboard!", "I'll carry the other half!", "I'm hungry!", "Starving!", "Let's get food!", "Yeah!"

The teen chuckled. "All right, all right. Let's see what I can cook up when we get there." And so began the long journey home. Heading down the trail with a train of children and one immortal following after him…it did uphold some Peter Pan-esque qualities. Not that Hiccup would bring that up again.

Behind him, the Winter Spirit noted that Hiccup had yet to eat anything today. "You should really get some lunch too, Hiccup. Then maybe you wouldn't be so much of a fishbone." He grinned as Hiccup harrumphed and walked a little bit faster to get some distance between them.

"Oh haha, very funny…" the teen drawled. Jack frowned as the cat comfortably curled up in Hiccup's arms seemed to glare at him over the brunet's shoulder. He gladly returned it before taking the hint; the little demon and Hiccup might want to be alone for a bit. Hiccup did seem to have an awful lot on his mind…must've been queasy from the sight of Jamie's tooth. He joined with the children's cheerful conversations and carried Sophie when she got tired from walking. The air was alight with peals of laughter and nonsense that carried off woes and worries far beyond the treetops, away from the pure white of falling frost and the stillness of the wild.

But as they trekked back where soil and snow became sleet and pavement, to busy streets polluted with the bustle of life and throngs of restless souls flowing with the currents of secular affairs, the quiet brunet thought back to the illusory and incredible, an afternoon of gliding through snow and speeding with the winds —and to the one strange moment of what might've been magic.

And maybe it was from the fall and maybe it was because he didn't even have anything to eat that morning and maybe it was just a little bit of wishful thinking (on both their parts)—but this time Hiccup was pretty sure that when he had looked at that shadowy face—

He caught a brilliant glimmer of ice blue that mirrored his own wonder.

.

Jack rested his weight on his staff as the Bennett siblings settled down for bed; bedtime was always an interesting affair in the small household. He gave a baffled smile at Sophie's strange fascination with her older brother's tooth considering her aversion to loose teeth in the past; that or maybe she wanted a visit from the Tooth Fairy as well. He turned to Jamie with a grin. "So, you excited to see the Tooth Fairy again?"

Jamie returned a wide smile, revealing a gap in between the upper half of his neat row of teeth. "Yeah! It's been forever since I last saw her." He placed the cuspid beneath his pillow, shaking his head as Sophie whined to see it once more.

"Don't worry, Soph. You'll be losing your baby teeth soon enough." The little girl giggled and she tested each little tooth for any sign of loosening. To Jamie, he resumed the conversation. "Brushed your teeth?"

The boy nodded eagerly. "Yup! I made sure to floss extra too! I can't wait for her to come; mom even let Sophie sleep here tonight so we can see the Tooth Fairy together!"

The Ice Spirit chuckled. "Bet Toothiana or Baby Tooth'll be thrilled." The excited atmosphere dimmed when Jamie poked his tongue through the gap where the tooth once resided. Jack cleared his throat uneasily. "So, uhm…you're okay right?"

Jamie nodded vigorously once more. "Yeah! I mean, this kind of thing happened before so it's nothing to worry about. My mom didn't even blame Hiccup for it!"

It was a bit of a relief to hear that the babysitter wasn't convicted for crime (perhaps future incarceration when his dad found out, maybe), but it didn't do much for the spirit's conscience. "Yeah, but back then, I—I mean I managed to keep you safe, right?" He paused. "Well…most of you." In truth, he did feel a little bit responsible for the sofa incident…but it could've been a lot worse without his help!

(He tried not to focus on the fact that it was his fault Jamie sled through town in the first place.)

The nine-year-old settled underneath the covers while Sophie dug around under his pillow for the tooth again. When he resurfaced, he flashed the Winter Spirit a placating smile. "And just like before, I'm okay."

"I—all right, that's good to hear." Still partially unconvinced, Jack eyed the small bruise forming on Jamie's face. Though luckily Hiccup had been able to treat it when they got to Jamie's house, the mark left him feeling a bit discomfited.

Seeing that the Guardian's thoughts were elsewhere, Jamie himself thought back to events earlier that day. With a perplexed look, he rubbed his chin. "So, what happened out there?"

Jack turned his attention back to the boy. "Hm? Whadya mean?"

The boy snickered. "You know, when you—"

No more explanation was required. "That," Jack defended, "was an accident."

"Mhm…" Was the Winter Spirit detecting a hint of sassiness in his tone? Perhaps Hiccup was a bad influence on the kid…

"And I really hope you didn't think anything else happened," the Guardian declared.

Jamie shook his head as Sophie gave a secretive little giggle. "I know, Jack, I know." He tickled his little sister, making her squeal and release the tooth from her hand. He snatched it and buried it deeper into his pillow this time.

Jack watched the display with a bemused smile at the unique exchange. "Good."

It was peaceful for a moment before Jamie decided to open a can of worms: "But you still like him."

"I—ugh…" Jack swiveled around, hoping that Jamie didn't catch the pink dusting on his cheeks. He knew nothing good came out of refuting the claim, so he didn't. That didn't mean that he was any happier about taking the verbal torment.

"You should tell him," the nine-year-old advised; Sophie concurred with something a noise that sounded like a, "Yah!"

Jack's face fell, feeling doubly betrayed. "What?" Great, now two were ganging up on him?

"Yeah! C'mon, Hiccup's a great guy!" The Guardian cringed; both siblings were practically beaming with anticipation and animation in their eyes while asking him to commit an act more difficult than swallowing needles. They, however, were looking at him like Christmas was coming twice this year.

Still, it helped to know that someone was on his side… Jack sighed. "I know that but—"

"And it'll be so cool to have you two together!" Jamie looked to his sister for encouragement; she concurred with an enthusiastic nod, bouncing on the mattress in giddiness.

Jack ran his fingers through his hair. "Jamie, do you even know the first thing about dating?" He was glad the desperation didn't seep through. 'Because I don't! Really, I'll gladly take any advice at this point—with the exception of confessing.'

Jamie ignored him. "And from what his dad says, he's single!"

Jack heaved a heavy sigh. "It's not that sim—" He halted, backtracking. "Single, you say?"

.

Dinner was a silent affair; it usually was. During long days, his father wasn't really up for talking. In fact, he often dozed off every few minutes if it got a little too quiet. But as the large man started moving about in cleaning up the dishes, a bit of conversation sparked between the two to break the bleak monotony.

"So son, how was your day?" Stoick passed a plate for Hiccup to put away into one of the cupboards.

Drying the dish carefully, Hiccup leaned over the counter to place it among the number of others. Back to his father, he concealed his wary expression. "Pretty good. Jamie lost a baby tooth while he was playing, but he didn't mind. His mom didn't either." He held his breath for the coming reaction.

"Is that so?" Hiccup sighed in relief at the neutral tone of intrigue in his father's voice; at least he wasn't blamed.

Grabbing another wet dish from his father, Hiccup proceeded to wipe it down before storing it away for another meal. "Yeah. Tooth Fairy and all."

"Hah. Tooth Fairy." The laughter that left his father rumbled unpleasantly through the quiet atmosphere. "I wonder when she'll let the boy grow up." He passed a glass to his son.

Hiccup hesitated before taking it from his father's grip. "I'm not sure, but it's good for him to enjoy his childhood." Unwillingly, his thoughts traveled back to memories best left forgotten. He shook his head. No, not now; not when he found something—someone— that proved it all wrong.

Soaping the last bit of silverware in the sink, Stoick watched the grime fall away, leaving the utensils dull and scratched from his vigorous cleaning."Yes, but it's important for him to move on from such nonsense." He handed them to the teen.

Hiccup stowed them away, thinking of how quickly the once gleaming metal lost its luster. "Right…"

"I mean, with you…" The large Norwegian turned to gesture to his son before pausing. He knew it was never a time to bring that back up again. "Ah, it's a rite of passage. Everyone deserves to know the truth of how this world truly runs." He stroked his beard, partly out of pondering, mostly out of discomfort. "Magic's nice and all, but when you start filling your head with these foolish ideas, you run the risk of losing yourself in a fantasy while real life just passes you by." He looked to his son, the lanky little fishbone of his own flesh and blood, and smiled when he saw the tiny brunet look him in the eye and nod his head.

It was difficult keeping his face impartial and his tone agreeing. "I know, dad." Hiccup fought the urge to reject what his father said, the very notion that nothing in the world was worth believing in, but the words were locked behind his lips out of fear. Fear of making his dad worry, fear of making himself sound crazy…fear of being crazy.

"I know you do, son." Wiping his dripping fingers with a paper towel and disposing of it, Hiccup's father stretched the tiredness out from his system. "Now, brush your teeth then it's off to bed with you. School's starting pretty soon after that 'blizzard' as the people here call it." He chuckled at the very thought; winters at Berk would really give these people something to panic about.

A little thankful for the conclusion of their rather tense talk, Hiccup headed to upstairs right away. "'kay. Good night, dad."

Stoick hummed in acknowledgment. "Good night, son. Oh…and Hikke?"

Hiccup's head peeked out from the banister. "Yeah?"

"You should think twice about snowboarding around these parts." Hiccup visibly and drastically paled. "You should also know that nothing happens around here without me hearing about it, especially when it involves you." All the while, his father kept a nonchalant tone. Hiccup wasn't fooled; he was never off the hook.

Sighing, Hiccup accepted his fate. "Right…sorry."

"Good, and Hikke? You're what they call…" The man mocked a gesture of contemplation before snapping his fingers in 'Aha!' " 'Grounded'." As Hiccup groaned, the teen swore he saw a sliver of a smirk on his dad's lips, obscured by the red forest of a beard on his face.

Defeated, Hiccup trudged up the stairs. "Of course I am."

.

Departing from the bathroom, dressed for bed and his mind still buzzing from the day's events, Hiccup frowned as a cool gust of wind greeted him as he opened his dark bedroom door; had this truly been a horror movie, Hiccup was pretty sure he'd be the first victim and this would be his final scene alive. "Jack, I know you're there." He sighed and closed the door, eliciting a startled meow from Toothless who had been crouching over menacingly before a seemingly empty spot in the corner of the room.

The Ice Spirit's laughter bounced off the dark walls, eerily echoing in the dim, enclosed space. "Aw, how?"

Moving about to find the switch, Hiccup blinked as a quick flash of light consumed his bedroom. "A: It's pretty cold in here. B: For a spirit, your breathing is kinda noisy. And C: Toothless was hissing at something in the dark." He sighed as he spotted a shadow sitting rather innocently in the middle of his bed. 'Another impromptu sleepover, I'm guessing?'

Jack stretched himself languidly on the covers. "You must think you're pretty darn observant, don't you." The mattress must've been new from when Hiccup moved here; it had yet to be broken in properly. He was startled as Toothless hopped on to the foot of the bed. The feline gave him one last warning look before curling up in a ball, facing away from him.

Hiccup snickered as he turned on the bedside lamp. "Faster than you on ice too, if today proved anything." The lights were out once more with only the dull orange glow providing refuge from night. He took his place at the opposite side of the bed, smirking expectantly at his shadowy companion.

Rolling his eyes, the Guardian sat up, none-too-pleased. "Augh—okay fine. I admit it Hiccup, you're pretty awesome at snowboarding. And you do not have the grace of a beached walrus."

The teen gave him a mock-bow. "Why thank you, Jack Frost."

"Yeah, yeah." The Guardian smirked as he settled himself under the covers. "So, heard you got grounded for it. Well, at least I think I heard the word 'grounded' in there." His father spoke surprisingly good English from the few sparse words he heard float upstairs to where he waited—not that…Jack was waiting for Hiccup like some puppy…or something…

He scoffed. "No thanks to you."

Jack leaned over to the brunet, allowing his mirth to be heard through his voice. "Hey, how was it my fault that you get talked into things too easily?"

"It's—I—ugh." It was getting pretty difficult in controlling the amount of annoyance in his tone. Hiccup hmph'd and turned away, drawing the blanket towards himself in retaliation. "You're right. I guess I should ignore you from now on."

"What? Aw, c'mon don't be like that!" Jack would like to say that there was more laughter in his voice than actual panic; he would also like to say that there was a lot less whining as well. At least, he'd like to say so.

Hiccup rolled his eyes as Jack started shaking his shoulder. "All right, fine. You still owe me that explanation though." Batting the spirit's hands away, Hiccup rolled over on his back, simply staring at the ceiling.

Jack tried his best to sound bewildered. "Explanation?"

"Remember your bet?" Hiccup closed his eyes and willed his irritation away; it would not bode well for him and for Jack for his father to suddenly burst through the doors at the slightest indication of a ruckus. "Why you came into my room last night?" 'And why you're here again?'

"Because you…opened the window?" This was the second time the Guardian had seen Hiccup almost bristle.

"Jack…" That sounded like a warning growl too; maybe it was Hiccup that took after Toothless?

The thought had the Ice Spirit chuckling. "Okay, okay…I dunno…I just…did." He scratched his head, abashed. "We had a lot of fun and I kinda didn't want that to end just yet." As he spoke, his voice drifted off, a little self-conscious, a little awkward, and a little unsure—of what he meant and how Hiccup would interpret it.

Hiccup blinked. "Oh. That's it?"

The laughter that left the Guardian's lips sounded hollow and off and had Hiccup been able to see him, he would've noted that the easy smile on his face didn't make his eyes light up the way they usually do when it was genuine. "Yeah. What other reason could there be?" 'Except for another reason…that I can't tell you.'

The brunet shrugged. "I don't know; that's why I asked." Hiccup moved to turn off the light, but stopped as the Ice Spirit continued.

"And…maybe because I was a bit scared…" Jack would strangle himself later for revealing this to him, but right now, there was no way he could dispel the bizarre tension between them if he didn't come clean about everything.

(Well, almost everything.)

"What?" The teen turned towards him, puzzled and curious.

The Winter Spirit bit his lip but relented; it was already too late to take back what he said anyways. "Okay, you won the bet fair and square, so I'll be straight with you." 'Well, as "straight" as this is going to get at least…' He sighed and continued on to say,"I still wonder if you know…you'll ever get to really see me."

Beside him, Hiccup studied his words, seeking something more behind what was merely said, scouring beyond the imperfect implications. Whether he found something or not, the teen simply replied, "That's…really important to you, isn't it?"

"To be seen?" 'By you?' A shade of pink tinged the Guardian's cheeks. "Yeah."

"I can understand that." And then Hiccup thought back to wind, ice, and snow, to falling and colliding, to pain and protection, to eyes of blue and then nothing more. "Well, I wouldn't worry about it right now. We just met a few days ago." A few days? Was that all it took for such a drastic revolution in his reality?

"Yeah, but—Hiccup?" Jack was definitely going to regret this…

"Hm?" Jack suppressed another nervous bout as Hiccup fully faced him.

"Who am I to you? Hey—don't laugh! This is a serious question!" Honestly, from the moment the other's lips quirked to a quick smile, Jack knew that getting a straight answer from the little fishbone would take a bit of work.

"Well that's new." Hiccup didn't have to see it to know that Jack was currently scowling (pouting) at him. "Kidding, kidding." But that was a pretty intriguing question…so Hiccup supposed he'd have fun with it. He counted off one finger: the index. "Well, to me I guess you're the creepy guy that stalked me in the shower—"

Jack reddened, mortified. "I told you that was an accident!"

"—the careless prankster that pelted me with snowballs—" The middle finger.

"You left yourself open," he attempted to rationalize.

"—the brash dolt that dragged me through snow and sleet –" The ring finger.

"Again, it was not that bad."

"—and the reckless idiot that gave me some pretty interesting injuries from that crash-landing today." The pinkie.

Jack cringed. "…really?"

The teen shrugged and decided to take an old friend's philosophy on it. "Yeah…but don't worry. It's only fun if you get a scar out of it."

The Winter Spirit nodded, a little dismayed to by the information given to him. "Oh…uh, so is—"

"You're impatient too," Hiccup interjected.

"Thank you, really," he returned drily.

The brunet was smiling now, seemingly pleased that he had knocked the spirit down a few pegs; he might as well throw the guy a bone. "You're…also a really fun guy, surprisingly innocent despite your demeanor that some might label as mischievous, really love kids, and it's important for you that everyone has a good time." Hiccup flushed a little before continuing, hoping that the weak lamplight wouldn't give him away. "You're also surprisingly honest and strangely kind when you want to be. You love making people smile and though you like to cause trouble, you don't mean any harm. You crave attention and hate being ignored because you've been through enough of that your entire life. You're afraid of screwing up because others might get hurt. And…you're probably really uncomfortable with all that I just said right now, huh?" Because Valhalla knows Hiccup was.

Jack shook his head, affection evident in his eyes. "You must think you're pretty darn observant, don't you." He was afraid some of it leaked down into his words; ah, no matter. "But you know, you really didn't answer my question."

"Huh?" Their gazes met again and Jack was somewhat delighted to know that the brunet's words didn't just affect him; nothing on earth could hide such an adorably blatant blush.

"You told me things about myself that I already knew. Now, tell me something that can only be told from your perspective." He leaned towards him again, unconscious of the shrinking distance between them. "Who am I to you?"

"You're…" Hiccup paused, eyes darting away before straying back to the shadowed being before him. "A reason to believe again," he breathed. Suddenly aware of what he said, he struggled to backpedal and explain properly. "I—I dunno. I guess. Just knowing that you're here, that you exist…it changes things. No, it changes everything. It's terrifying to think so, but it's lifting at the same time. Everything I was taught was wrong and everything that I hoped is real. That nothing's really impossible now and that faith actually does have a solid foundation to build on. So…I guess I owe you my thanks." His face was red again; the same color of red that reached the tips of his ears down to his neck and made every freckle almost disappear in the wake of its vibrant shade. "Thank you, Jack Frost. In truth, maybe the world we're shown isn't so bad after all." But the red covering his cheeks didn't stop the wan smile on his face, nor the truth in his sentiments.

And Jack loved that blush. "You're welcome." He chuckled breathlessly with the knowledge that he was probably redder than Hiccup. "I guess I wasn't what you really expected then, am I?"

"Nope. I'm not too disappointed though." Hiccup laughed as Jack gently whacked him with a pillow.

When sleep lulled the teen to night's embrace, the Guardian lay awake; lost in half-reveries and private musings; blind beads of thought collided and strung together: a snake devouring its tail. Connecting the worrying cycle is the shared object of Jack's affections, having taken permanent residence in the Guardian's mind. It was disconcerting to know that, while trapped in a stalemate by certain barriers, there still persisted this sprouting glimmer of hope, pushing through frigid doubts and icy realities; it was a tiny bud that enclosed fragile wishes and muted desperation, tiny and strong, rising and thriving.

But it was still a little crazy.

The guy had positive feelings about him and was starting to recognize him separately from Jökul Frosti; that was all Jack knew. Attraction was a long shot. And if he even had an inkling of those sentiments towards the Guardian, wouldn't he have been a lot more concerned about sharing his room—sharing his bed—with the Ice Spirit? Jack groaned and flung an arm over his eyes in an attempt to quell the little train-wrecks that dotted the railways of his thoughts. The other arm lay adjacent to his head, fingers clenching as though trying to grasp an imaginary answer, a net trying to catch the wind.

Maybe it was chance, maybe it was that bastard Fate, but just for tonight, maybe the world was trying to send the spirit a sign as Hiccup rolled towards him. The teen's arm, having previously been used to elevate his sunken pillow, now rested on the opposite cushion…with his hand laying on Jack's. His fingers curled against the Guardian's, vulnerable, innocent, and endearing as the brunet slept blissfully on under the shroud of sweet oblivion. His face was at peace tonight, unmarred by exhaustion, undisrupted and void of cinematic illusions that danced behind eyelids.

And maybe dreams weren't needed—not for now.

Not when whatever was happening between them was still too young and still too frail to be tainted by worries and labels. For now, it was what it was. Futures were built with the actions of "now," brick by boring brick. And whether it would build ruin or a bridge between them, Jack supposed he was lucky enough to just have this chance.

Jack turned towards the sleeping teen, careful not to wake the other with his movements. Between empty sheets and a breath's distance away, Jack closed his fingers around the other's hand and shut his eyes. Tomorrow would be another chance to keep moving forward as the future unfolds. His final thought of the night brought a grin to Jack's face.

He wondered how Hiccup would react to finding them holding hands in the morning.

.

It perhaps occurred when Jamie's eyes began drooping or when his sister's light breaths started to lull him with its repetitive cadence, but it was probably with those first flickers of Dreamsand that danced strange and vivid fantasies through his mind that jolted him awake. He blinked the images (of the Easter Bunny riding on a sleigh with a sack full of toys thrown over his shoulder and Santa in fairy wings collecting teeth) out of his brain. Sure it would've been really cool if they could trade jobs for a bit, but he guessed it was for the best if they stuck with what they knew.

When his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the room, he also guessed that it would've been a bit more terrifying to find a colorfully-feathered woman hovering over his bed with a surprised face.

But that didn't faze Jamie Bennett at all. "Tooth Fairy!" With a great show of exuberance, the boy nearly jumped out of bed to greet her. He turned to his sister and began shaking her shoulder. "Sophie, Sophie wake up! It's the Tooth Fairy!" The girl only whined in return before resuming her unresponsive state.

"Oh hello Jamie!" Toothiana gave him a pleasant wave. "No need to wake your sister; she's a growing girl and needs her sleep." She gave an affectionate look to the child upon seeing the little blonde grin and murmur amid her slumber.

Jamie smiled apologetically. "Right, sorry. She just wanted to see you again."

Toothiana clapped her hands in delight, her wings fluttering excitedly. "Aw, that's so sweet! I'm glad to see you both, but from what I can see, she's enjoying her dreams right now…" She gestured to the little grains of Sandy's creation, gliding in whirls above Sophie's head; airy wisps of clouds, cats, and snowflakes waltzed in fluidity as a giggle escaped past the young girl's lips.

Jamie chuckled, taking a guess as to where those dreams might've come from. "Yeah, you're probably right." He turned and grabbed for the tooth beneath the pillow, frowning when he found it gone.

"You're sister's a sneaky one," Toothiana giggled. In her hand, she held the tooth to the moonlight for closer inspection. "Found it under her pillow! They're so cute at that age," she cooed.

Jamie rolled his eyes but agreed nonetheless; Sophie sure was getting adventurous.

"So tonight we have an upper cuspid I see! Oh, you flossed! I'm so proud!" She flitted about, dazzled by the little dental marvel.

"Thanks!" Jamie grinned, revealing the small gap between rows of white. "But you can thank Jack for this one."

The Tooth Fairy giggled. "Again? Well, as long as you're okay…"

Jamie nodded, enthusiasm threatening to burst. "Yeah! It was actually really awesome! It happened when my new babysitter was snowboarding down the hill but he was too fast for Jack to make the ice-ramps in time so he—"

"Wait…babysitter?" Toothiana frowned. She hoped Jack wasn't messing around with adults again.

"Oh yeah! My new babysitter can see Jack! Isn't it great?" Jamie was practically bouncing on the mattress, beaming with joy. "He just moved in last week and met Jack a few days ago and they're already really good friends!"

Toothiana's expression, however, juxtaposed with the boy's emotion. "Babysitter… wait, Jamie—how old is your babysitter?" The confusion was evident in her face but slight panic rising to her heart was a different matter.

The boy hummed as he thought back; his mom introduced his new neighbor as a teenager and he was…"Oh, he's like…fifteen?" Jamie scratched his head; yes, that sounded about right.

"Fif—," The Tooth Fairy squeaked before clearing her throat and composing herself. "And you're positive he can see Jack?" Her wings were nearly vibrating the air particles about her as her hands fidgeted nervously; this was serious, this was definitely not good.

"Well, yeah! I mean, you can ask Jack yourself." He pointed to the window, a quiet winter night devoid of blustery gales and harrowing howls of the wind. "He's over at Hiccup's right now!"

Toothiana raised a brow, face revealing blatant confusion. "He…is?"

"Yeah." Jamie bit his lips, stifling a laugh. He cupped a hand over his mouth before whispering, "Between you and me, I think Jack likes him. But, uhm, if he asks, I didn't say anything." He looked around, wary of any telltale signs of the Harbinger of Winter.

Under the guise of night and the pallor of moonbeams, the color that drained from the fairy's face went unheeded. She swallowed back a fit of dread that threatened to sink into her system, nearly overriding reason and logic. "O-oh right, of course Jamie! Don't worry—not a word! Haha, oh Jack…that's certainly something!" Her laughter quivered off-key, the tone anxious and unpleasant. "Well, uhm, I'll be off now! Lots of teeth to collect and all!" She gave Jamie a smile, strained with worry and the feather-weight of a white lie, pearly and crooked like the memories she adored.

Jamie hesitated before giving her a wave of goodbye. "Okay, bye Tooth Fairy!" Whether the boy recognized the beginning of a problem or whether he rationally assumed that another dental-related emergency needed the Tooth Fairy's presence at that moment, he settled down to bed without qualms or outright suspicion as the lady in vibrant plumes flew to the window.

Toothiana veiled her troubles with a smile, making sure it was genuine enough before turning to Jamie. "Good bye! Remember to brush and floss! Oh, and the money's under Sophie's bed!"

Baffled by the sudden about-face, Jamie scratched his head as the Guardian of Memories fled his room and flew into the night. "All…right?"

.

Toothiana zipped through the brisk air, all too soon finding herself before the house once occupied by Edith Greene, a girl whose gumball addiction made Baby Tooth as well as a few of her other fairies frequent fliers to the Greene household a few years back. If Toothiana's calculations were correct, Edith would be nineteen now—a college student; her parents probably settled down to more affordable accommodations to support their child. *

But the new resident of this house… Toothiana shook her head. Fairies often lost track of children until the next loose tooth.

There was still a slight possibility that perhaps the boy was younger than Jamie had speculated; after all, it was more or less a guesstimation on the nine-year-old's behalf. The same went for Jack's seeming "like" of this boy. There was still a chance that there was absolutely nothing to fret over. Besides, what did that word mean anyways? 'Like.' She began her ascent to the bedroom facing the solemn street—Edith's old bedroom.

Toothiana shivered as a conversation between her and a certain woman crossed her mind. "Did you know that I love puppy love the best? Because even though you know that once what they shared has been tainted with the trials and tribulations that come with being in this sickening thing people call a 'relationship', that feeling—that wonderful feeling of being completely immersed in love when you know your 'I like you' is reciprocated—I get to know that even though it was brief, even though it was fleeting, it existed. For that time and place, those two hearts beat as one…and it's the most beautiful thing you can possibly imagine."

Cupid had said that one day, a short visit she took out of courtesy (she met all the Guardians, save Jack, at one point); they had never met before until then. The older woman said that as she took a fairy's collected tooth—the memory from Aaron Bazan, then an elementary student who gained his first love and lost his lower canine. But from the vast amount of memoires that Toothiana collected, she willed that particular talk away; it was best not to jump to conclusions.

It all turned to dust as her eyes widened and mouth parted in a silent gasp as she absorbed the scene through the window.

It was difficult to tell through the glass, but there was no mistaking that familiar head of snow-white, wildly windswept hair beneath those sheets. There was also no mistaking that there was an unfamiliar figure lying beside her fellow Guardian, both cuddled awfully close to one another. At least…that's what it seemed from here. With Jack's back to Toothiana, it was difficult to tell. She adjusted her angle as her wings flittered madly, craning her neck to read the entirety of the situation.

The sight had Toothiana taken aback in shock. There was truly no mistaking it, not with the way the teenager had his hand on Jack's, not with the look of absolute contentment the Guardian of Winter had in his smile, not with the intimate atmosphere that enveloped them, not with the words that echoed in Toothiana's ears from an ancient cynic: "I love puppy love best…because it starts with that 'I like you,' and there blossoms a chance that this 'like' turns into the 'love' that most people end up searching for and dreaming about their entire lives…"

The fairy floundered, dazed on what to do before darting off to the sky, adrenaline and panic rushing through her wings as the cool night air numbed her of initial terror. Still, that didn't stop her or her brain from acknowledging the gravity of the situation at hand. The Guardian of Memories sped through the night, northward and to the other Guardians as an inner mantra echoed in crescendo within her mind.

'This is bad…this is really, really bad!'


*= Jamie and Sophie's neighborhood isn't a rich one. Hiccup was volunteered (by Stoick) to babysit Jamie and Sophie, so he does it for free. I suppose I should put in a flashback or something of how Jamie, Sophie, and Hiccup met. Oh and the name Edith Greene and Aaron Bazan just popped into my head for some reason.

Don't worry Jack, Hiccup's getting there… (maybe) and uh, so…did I ever say how much I love How to Train Your Dragon? (Sorry for all the references.) And geez, I think I made it look like Jack was just caught sleeping around with his mistre(ss). Uhm…no FrostBite or RainbowSnowcone or another name I can't think of, though. This little panic session will be explained later on the next chapter.

The entire snowboarding scene was derived from my crappy imagination, a lot of instructions from various websites, a video of Hiccup snowboarding, and some great advice from AncestorsEcho. Even with all the help, I apologize.

Brick by Boring Brick – a song by Paramore. Pretty much parallels with a major theme in the story.

(You can try to guess what part of Jack Hiccup accidentally brought pain to.)