So...it's been a while. Again. It's the holiday season so I've been pretty busy, but I was able to push something out that I think you guys will enjoy! Not sure if I'll be able to get one out by the start of the next semester, but with all this extra time I have, who knows? Guess I'll just have to cross my fingers!

Anyways, the last time we saw Hiccup and Jack, stuff happened.

And now, here's more stuff:

Chapter 21

The bright and colorful lights engulfed Hiccup, circling around him for only a moment or two. Before he could even begin to try to make sense of the lights around him, he found himself stepping on something hard and sturdy, unlike the vast emptiness the portal felt like. His eyes still adjusting the brightness of the portal, Hiccup tried to look around and get a good idea of where he was.

From the look of things, he was in a large room, strange but yet enticing aromas filling his nose. The room itself was colorful, large pillars extending to the ceiling, large windows letting in plenty of light, and a large fireplace with a large fire dancing inside. While for the most part the room seemed normal, it only lasted a few seconds. Hiccup looked to his right and was almost immediately run over by a cart carrying buckets of paint. He stepped back just in time to see the large yeti pushing it give him a weird look. His jaw dropped a little when he then saw a gray and white creature with large ears and feet, working on a boomerang and giving him a look of what Hiccup could only assume was a mixture of anger and surprise.

A gasp was heard over the sound of the machinery, and Hiccup looked over to see a bright and colorful woman with wings and covered in feathers approaching him. "Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed as she circled him. "Who is he? What is he doing here? Who are you? What are you doing here? NORTH! JACK! Who is he and WHAT is he doing here?"

"Uh, uh, well I was just uh, I-I-I don't know how to, uh-" This was a dream. All of this clearly had to be some kind of messed up dream that Hiccup was having. Magic people attacking Berk, portals, magic sand? Hiccup was closer than ever to just giving up and accepting the fact that he had hit his head too hard and was imagining this whole thing.

The sudden feeling of having Toothless against his back, pushing him forward with his head and working his way around him in order to keep a safe watch over him in case any of the odd-looking strangers tried anything.

"North!" Bunny shouted as he hopped closer to North, who was talking to Jack about something Hiccup could make out. "North, why would you bring the kid here?"

"Why wouldn't you even tell us where you were going?" Tooth added.

Hiccup heard something float over his head and looked up just in time to see the little gold man float right over him, giving him a small smile and wave before turning to North and multiple pictures appearing over his head.

Toothless looked at Hiccup, confused and hoping he might have some answers. Hiccup only draped his over the Night Fury and gave him calm and safe pats on his side. "Yeah, I got no idea either, bud."

"You've got some explaining to do here, North," stated Bunny.

Jack stepped forward, pointing his staff at Hiccup as he announced, "This guy is cool, alright? Would you guys just relax for a minute?"

"You can't just take people from their home, Jack!" Tooth went on. "What would his parents say?"

"Everyone just be quiet!" North shouted, his voice booming and echoing throughout the workshop. That thankfully got everyone's attention. "We did not kidnap him! Who do you think we are? And, for the record, he wanted to come. We worked out everything with his father. Everything will be okay."

"His what?!" Bunny asked, a large question mark appearing over Sandy.

North shrugged. "His father is believer now. Is strange, I know. But do not worry, everything is under control. He is here to help."

Everyone looked at Hiccup, the three Guardians looking at Hiccup as if they were inspecting him or something. Hiccup didn't know what to do? Should he stand there and do nothing; let them think things over? Should he actually try to say something and make himself useful? Whatever he did, he couldn't turn around and go back to the campsite. Instead he just waved his hand and said a simple, "Uh, hi."

As if they didn't hear him, the Guardians went on. "Well what about the dragon? You know, the fire-breathing, flying animal? In your shop?" Bunny asked, accusingly. "Mate, I'm trying to wrap my head around how this is a good idea, but I'm just not seeing it."

"They're kind of a package deal, Cottontail," Jack answered. "And it has a name you know."

Hiccup backed up, unsure if he was really welcome with the large rabbit, but didn't get far before Jack came over and placed a hand on his back. "Well, whaddya think?" he asked, gesturing to the workshop. "Cool, right?"

"That's one word for it," Hiccup answered, feeling a little better now that Jack was standing beside him. At least now he didn't feel so awkward standing there by himself and feeling as if he was sticking out like a sore thumb among the crowd. He nodded towards the Guardians, seeing the others up close for the first time and asking Jack, "So that's Bunny, that's the Tooth Fairy person, and Sandy."

"Yeah?"

"Okay," Hiccup said with a nod. "Just needed to double check." Hiccup heard a jumbled mess of incoherent words and looked behind him to see two yeti's carrying a large piece of wood over their shoulders walking right past him. Not another second passed before he felt a tug on his pants leg. He looked down to see the tiniest person he had ever laid eyes on. It handed Hiccup a cup with some kind of milky-looking liquid inside. Politely declining the offer, Hiccup looked back to the Guardians as Toothless glared at the elf who only scurried away at the sight of the angry dragon glaring at him.

Stepping forward, understanding how strange and difficult this situation might be to Hiccup, North reached out to Hiccup with an open hand and asked, "Would you like to sit down somewhere?"

Hiccup nodded, stepping closer to North. "Yeah. Thanks."

"Is no trouble," North answered as he snapped his fingers, grabbing the attention of a passing by Yeti. "Bring me a chair please!" The yeti quickly went off in search of a chair for the newcomer.

No one said anything else to Hiccup until the seat arrived, not even Jack. Once the chair was brought and settled in a comfortable spot in the den area near the fireplace, Hiccup sat down and looked at the Guardians, all eyeing him curiously.

"So, uh, no what?" Hiccup asked as Toothless sat beside him.

"Well to be honest," Jack went ahead and answered, "we're all kind of wondering the same thing."

"Speak for yourself," said Bunny. "I'm still trying to wrap my head around the fact we actually brought this kid here."

North turned to address everyone, ready to vouch for the young Viking. "Hiccup was brought here to help us, understand?"

"Hiccup?" Tooth repeated.

Sandy, still looking at North, pointed to Jack. North nodded in response. "Yes, Jack's friend. The same."

Jack crossed his arms, boastfully smiling as he looked to the other Guardians. "See? I know what I'm doing."

"How is he going to help us?" Tooth asked. "Does he have some kind of secrets we could use about the island or something?"

"Better," North answered. "This boy is going to teach us about the dragons!"

The Guardians were silent for a moment, each of them glancing at Hiccup for a brief moment in their shock. "Seriously?" Bunny asked.

A small book appeared over Sandy's head, slowly opening and a small dragon appearing from its pages.

"No, no. He has no book," stated North.

Hiccup looked at Jack, hoping he hadn't already screwed up. "Sorry, was I supposed to bring one?"

Jack shook his head before speaking aside from the Guardians. "Nah, you're good. North's just buttering them up is all."

Hiccup nodded in understanding, remembering that the book itself was still on Berk. Although, hidden in his room, it surely wouldn't be worth the mission back to Berk to retrieve it.

"This boy, if what Jack says is true, knows more about the dragons than anyone!"

"Really?" Tooth asked. She looked at the boy and, for the first time, smiled at him. She slowly approached him, keeping her smile as she hovered in front of him for a moment before she spoke. "Hi," she said with a wave. "I'm the Tooth Fairy. You can just call me Tooth."

Smiling back, hoping he wouldn't make a bad first impression, Hiccup gave the fairy a small wave. "Hi. Uh, yeah, Jack already told me a little bit about you guys."

"Oh?" she asked.

"Yeah." Hiccup pointed to each of the Guardians as he spoke. "You're Tooth, you're Sandy, Bunny, and you're North."

The large man laughed, placing his hands on his sides as he waved a finger at the Viking. "The boy is a clever one. What else has Jack told you about us?"

"Good things, I hope," Bunny said, looking at Jack. The winter spirit only smiled and showed off his teeth with a shrug.

"Yeah, yeah all good things. Kinda. I mean they were all just kind of the usual stuff I guess?" Hiccup looked around trying to remember what Jack said they were the Guardians of. He first looked to Tooth since she was after all still right next to him. "I think he said you were, uh, memories?" Tooth nodded. "Sandy, you're dreams, that's easy." The Guardian of Dreams clapped in response to Hiccup's correct statement.

Hiccup looked to Bunny next, then to North, and slowly shook his head. "I-I'm sorry. I don't remember what you guys are."

North waved his hand. "Is no problem." He pointed to himself, "Wonder," and then to Bunny, "Hope."

Hiccup looked at the two Guardians and silently repeated what North told him, doing his best to memorize their titles. "Gotcha."

"Well, we're glad to have you here, Hiccup," Tooth said, eyeing Hiccup's teeth as he smiled and slightly surprised at how clean they were. They weren't perfect by any means, but she was surprised at the lack of yellow. She looked at the dragon and still kept her smile, despite the fact she was extremely nervous being around the animal that was constantly sniffing and inspecting her.

"Thanks," Hiccup said as she backed away. He tapped his fingers on his knees before he looked at Jack and asked, "So, when should I get started?"

"Started?" Jack asked.

"Well, yeah. You guys brought me here to teach you stuff about dragons, so I figured I should start sometime soon, right?" Toothless nudged against Hiccup before yawning loudly. He lied down, crossing his front paws and resting his head but still keeping his eyes open so as to watch the rest of the Guardians. As tired as he was, he wanted to listen in on their conversation with Hiccup.

Jack snapped his fingers and pointed at the sleepy dragon. "He has the right idea, Hic. You should probably get some sleep."

"At this point, all things considered, I think I can manage staying up another hour or so."

"Very well," North said as he clasped his hands, rubbing them together for a moment and giving a small sigh. "So, are there any questions you might have for us?"

"For you guys?" said Hiccup.

"You know, to break the ice and such," North continued.

Hiccup hadn't really thought about it. He just assumed he would show up and begin teaching them what he knew about the dragons they were sure to fight. Sure there were plenty of things he wanted to know about these Guardians. One was a giant talking rabbit, a curious sight Hiccup couldn't pass up wanting to know more of! Still, the dragons seemed like a more important issue. But then again, Hiccup might not have another chance to sit down with all of them like this and not talk about dragons, so he might as well enjoy it while he could.

"Okay, uh, I guess I could start with," he pointed ahead towards the large globe, covered with tiny lights, that slowly spun around, "what's that thing?"

Everyone looked to the globe, not entirely sure how to explain it to someone who had no idea what even a light bulb was. "That," North began, "is my globe." He turned around to look at Hiccup before going on. "I use it to keep track of all of my believers. Each light represents a believer we have all around the world."

"Wait," Hiccup said, standing up from the chair. "You mean, that's, like, it?" Hiccup walked past the Guardians, his eyes fixated on the large globe. "As in, like, everything else that's out there?" He stepped closer and closer until he was right at the control panel, mesmerized by the vastness that the globe was showing him. "Where's Berk?" he called over his shoulder.

"Oh!" North quickly walked over and twisted a knob, halting the globe for a moment until it started to turn the other way. "Just a moment, just a moment," North repeated until he twisted the knob once more, making the globe stop completely. He placed a hand on Hiccup shoulder as he leaned down and pointed to the globe. "There, you see that?"

Hiccup tried to look at where North was pointing, but wasn't sure what he was supposed to even be looking at. "I don't know. I see a lot of things."

"You see that one light?" North stepped behind Hiccup, trying to get a better view in order to show Hiccup. "Right there, towards the top? Surrounded by the water?"

It took Hiccup a moment, but he saw the light, shining in what looked like nothing. A large group islands here and there, all a mixture of small and large islands. The one light was shining on a small island, practically taking up the whole space. "Is that me?" he asked.

"No. That's your people on whatever island they're on now." North pointed to the very top of the globe. "You're up there, but I don't know if you can see it. We're at the very top of the world after all."

Hiccup glanced to the top of the globe, but soon went back to looking at the many islands. They all looked so tiny compared to the rest of the world. Hiccup thought he had discovered lots of new lands, but from the looks of it, he hadn't even touched on the real world. "It's so…big," he said softly. He felt another hand on his shoulder and turned to see Jack looking at the globe with a smile.

"I've seen it all. Trust me, this is nothing compared to the real thing," Jack told Hiccup.

"Really?" Hiccup asked, looking back to the globe, his jaw still hanging open slightly in amazement and wonder. "What I wouldn't give to see it all."

Jack shrugged. "Hey, who knows? Maybe one day you can. You're, uh, friend on the other hand," Jack turned to look at Toothless, who was slowly falling asleep by the chair, "he'll have to stay behind."

"No promises," Hiccup said as he made his way back to the chair, taking one more look at the globe before he turned around. "He can be pretty unruly if he goes without me for a few days."

North twisted the knob, setting the globe back on its normal turn. "You should try seeing it all in one day."

"Is that even possible?" Hiccup asked.

"Of course. I do it every year. So does Bunny."

Bunny smirked. "It's a little easier than it sounds. Going around the world itself is the easy part. It's visiting all the kids that's the hard part."

"Wow," said Hiccup softly as he sat back down in the chair, staring at the globe, still in shock at how big it was. "I've got to try that one day. I gotta see what's out there."

"Eh, put it on your Christmas list. Maybe North can take care of it for ya," Jack commented, patting North on the back as he went to join the rest of the Guardians.

"Uh, sorry, a what list?" Hiccup asked.

"Oh. Uh, n-never mind. Go on, ask more stuff," Jack said, ignoring the small chuckle he heard North having.

Hiccup saw another of the large furry creatures and new right away what he wanted to ask next. "So, the giant furry things with the moustaches are what, people in desperate need of a haircut?"

"Close," North answered with a shrug. "Those are my yeti's. They help me around the shop is all."

"Oh, so those are yeti's," Hiccup said with a nod, not quite sure how to respond to their animal-like appearance. "And the little guys with the pointy hats?"

"Elves. They're…well, they try to be helpful."

"Alright," Hiccup said before looking at Tooth. Elves, yeti's, at this point he was expecting a griffin to pop out of nowhere and tell everyone dinner was ready or something. "So, you're like a real fairy?"

"Yep," Tooth giggled. She turned her back to Hiccup to show off her wings. "These guys kinda give it away, huh?"

"That, and the name."

"True," Tooth said as she turned back around.

Hiccup looked around the group, finally taking it all in and realizing who was standing in front of him. "So this group is really made up of a large man, a dead guy, a fairy, a giant bunny, and a little gold guy who doesn't speak?"

Jack looked at the rest of his team, trying to stifle his chuckling. "Well, when you put it that way, you make us sound like a bunch of weirdos."

"I've seen weirder," said Bunny.

Hiccup looked to Sandy next. "So, is there a reason you don't talk?" The little man pretended to zip his lips, lock them, and throw away the key. Hiccup looked at Jack, unsure of how to respond to Sandy's reply. "Was that an answer?"

"You know, we're not exactly sure. He gives that answer a lot," Jack responded.

"So, is there even an answer?"

"We came to the consensus it's a reflex of his," Bunny stated. "You know, so he doesn't wake anyone up when he's doing his dreaming thing."

"Makes sense, I guess," Hiccup said with a shrug. Sandy gave the Viking a thumbs up and a smile, to which Hiccup mimicked, still unsure how the little guy was able to go about his life without saying a single word to, well, anyone.

He heard the small jingle of a bell as an elf made his way right though the Guardians, acting as if they weren't even there, carrying a small tray and presenting it to Hiccup. He saw that the tray was filled with an assortment of, well, Hiccup didn't know what to call them.

They looked like they were flat pieces of bread, formed into small circles, that had either been baked for too long or not long enough. Some even had some kind of powder on them while others had colorful decorations on them. He guessed that he was supposed to take one, but didn't know which. He reached out for one, but had no idea what to expect should he take one. He heard Jack clear his throat and froze, looking at Jack as he leaned in close and pointed to the tray.

"If I were you," he said, pointing to the individual pastries, "I'd get that one, it's just a simple sugar cookie, that one has chocolate chips, and that one is still chocolate but it has frosting, aaaaand that one's lemon. Ask for a snickerdoodle next time, those are really good."

Not having a single idea as to what Jack was talking about when he said 'cookie' or even 'sugar', so he just grabbed the first one Jack pointed to and decided to trust Jack's opinion. "So, uh, if you don't mind me asking, what's a sugar?"

"A sugar?" Jack repeated, trying not to laugh at Hiccup's ignorance which he understood wasn't his fault. "Well, sugar is just this really sweet thing you put in food and stuff."

"Okay, and I'm guessing a cookie is," he looked at the small bit of food in his hands, "a sweet cracker or something?"

"Kinda?" Jack answered.

"Is more commonly used as a dessert," North chimed in. "My cookies are always the best. I get recipes from all over the world! Trust me, you will love it." He waved to the elf before continuing, "Leave the tray! I'm sure he'll want to try more." The elf sat the tray down beside Hiccup's chair, stepping back and anticipating Hiccup's first bite of one of North's sugar cookies.

Hiccup looked once more at Jack before he took a small bite of the cookie, already surprised at how crunchy the outside was yet how chewy the inside was. One small bite was all it took however. Once he took that small bite, he practically melted in his seat. Whatever was in this thing he had to take it back to Berk. There was no way he could leave this place and not take the recipe with him. He finished the rest of the cookie in only two bites, hearing North chuckle in delight.

"I'm guessing you like it?" Jack asked, smirking as Hiccup reached down and grabbed another cookie.

"Like it? I love it! Oh Gods these things are fantastic!" He showed the yellow cookie he had in his hand to Jack. "What's this one?"

North gestured towards the pastry, smiling gleefully knowing how well the cookies were being received. "Ah, that would be a lemon cookie with frosting. It's not a 'sweet' cookie but is still pretty tasty if I do say so myself."

"Last I checked, that belly of his did all the talking," Bunny commented to Tooth.

Hiccup took a bite out of the cookie and froze. The cookie tasted fantastic, but all he could do was chew and just look at Jack as he nodded. "Odin help me. I don't wanna leave this place. Like, ever."

Jack glanced at North and shrugged. "Looks like your kitchen is gonna have a big order to fill."

North laughed as the elf went off, unsure of whether or not he should go ahead and tell the yeti's and elves in charge of the kitchen to go ahead and whip up some more cookies for their new guest. Everything seemed to be going well with the new guest. He seemed comfortable, he loved the cookies, all the Guardians seemed to be at least content with his presence, things were going right. All that was left was to get his room situation taken care of before they could start work on the reason he even came to the Pole.

When Hiccup went to take another bite of his second cookie, he paused for a small moment, looking at the globe and remembering why he was taken to this place. He took one more small bite before he set the cookie back down on the tray. "So," he began after he swallowed his small bite, "what's next?"

"What do you mean?" asked Tooth.

"I mean Pitch and the dragons and…you know. What do we do now?"

The Guardians looked at one another, unsure of how to respond. Should they go ahead and start now or wait till later? The best option of course was to get started as soon as they could. The sooner the better after all. But it was North who spoke up first. The large man stepped forward, waving off the idea of work before he placed his hands on his hips.

"Bah, no need to worry about that stuff now," he said.

Hiccup was surprised. No need to worry about it? That was much easier said than done. "How am I supposed to not worry about it?"

"Just don't worry about it. For now, anyways," North answered. "In the meantime, I will show you to your room."

"My room?" Hiccup asked as he stood up. "Why-why do I need a room?"

"I thought we went over this," said Jack.

Hiccup shook his head. "No. No I mean, I-I don't think I should stay. I mean my dad and my friends, I don't even know if Toothless is okay with staying here." The Night Fury perked up, waking from his short-lived nap and looking at Hiccup. "I mean, look at him! He's a dragon! Do you guys even have the right kind of fish for him? Is the weather outside alright for flying? Plus, I mean, he's gotta go outside to take care of his, you know, business."

Bunny grew wide-eyed, looking at North before he warned, "Woah, mate, I don't know much about dragons but what I do know is that something that big certainly has to take care of its business outside. You don't want that kind of mess in here."

Again, North didn't seem to mind at all. "All will be taken care of; I will make sure of it."

"You're gonna get fish, dozens and dozens of fish, for this dragon to eat every day?" the Pooka questioned.

"Is piece of pie. Trust me. I will take care of it all." North looked back to Hiccup, rubbing his hands together in excitement. "So, shall I show you to your room?"

"But, what about the dragons?" Hiccup asked. "Shouldn't we, you know, get started or something?"

Sandy waved his hands and got Hiccup's attention, a pillow appearing above him as he placed both hands on the side of his head and pretended to fall asleep.

"He's right," Tooth spoke. "You should probably get some sleep."

Hiccup didn't actually realize just how tired he was until now. He hadn't slept in so long, but with all the excitement that had happened, he had all the energy needed to stay awake for as long as he did. "So, I guess we can just start with the planning and stuff tomorrow then?"

"Truth be told," Bunny added, "I think we should start now. But, sleep is important so, it's best you get some shut eye. As for the tour, that's another story."

"What?" North exclaimed. "What is wrong with a tour? Everyone loves the shop!"

"The kid's had a long day North. Look I'll try to be alright with the fact we need his help, but if he's gonna be here then I say we take care of business first."

"If he is staying here then I think he should know where things are and what is what. The simple things, I will not show him everything," North assured.

"Come on, rabbit," Jack broke in, "A little tour won't kill the guy. Besides, how could he not like this place?"

"You know," Hiccup spoke up, "I wouldn't mind looking around, in case anyone is wondering."

Jack extended his arm towards Hiccup, staring at Bunny as if to say 'told ya so'. "See?"

North clapped his hands and called out two yeti's who quickly ran to his aid. "Prepare the guest room. And make sure it is spacious. We need room for his pet."

"Uh, I'm uh not sure if this will help but he likes to sleep on rock. They like to sleep on hot beds so a flat piece of stone is the best thing for him to sleep on indoors," Hiccup stated.

"Not to worry. The room has stone floors, he will be no problem," North assured.

"Are you sure? Those fires can get pretty hot," insisted Hiccup.

North shook his head. "All will be taken care of, Hiccup. Trust me. I will see to everything." He looked back to the yeti's. "Prepare the beds, light the fire, just make sure it is ready." The yeti's nodded in understanding before running off to take care of Hiccup's room.

Jack gave Hiccup a pat on his back, shaking him a little before optimistically saying "Welcome to your temporary home."

Hiccup smiled as Jack welcomed him, jokingly giving Jack a small shove in return. "I'm not gonna get too comfortable here. I got people to help."

"And why exactly do you think you're here?" Jack retorted.

Hiccup felt something bump against his back and knew right away it was his four-legged friend. He looked just in time to see the Night Fury nudge his head against Hiccup's. Hiccup tried to push Toothless away, but didn't get his friend away before the dragon was licking his face repeatedly. Regardless of how much Toothless loved him, Hiccup grew tired of the constant annoyingly wet and slobbery affection. Through his annoyed laughter, Hiccup tried to get away from his friend and exclaimed, "Toothless! Stop, it's okay! I know, I know! I'll be fine!"

Toothless let up, lightly bouncing where he stood and glancing at Jack, who held his hands up defensively. "Do me a favor and keep that tongue in your mouth, okay?" As if to mock him, Toothless stuck his tongue out and slowly crept towards Jack. "Hiccup? You wanna help a friend out here?"

Hiccup only crossed his arms, doing nothing to stop Toothless. "Hey, I can't control him. He's his own dragon, he does what he wants."

"Okay," Jack said through his nervous laughter, "how about you turn off the smugness and actually call of the animal?"

"You know what? No." Hiccup stepped back. "Not if you're gonna call Toothless an animal."

"Oh come on, Hiccup. I-" Toothless gave Jack's face a big and wet lick, cutting his plea with Hiccup off short. Toothless was kind however and only gave the Immortal the one, backing off from him once the 'kiss' was done. Now it was Toothless' turn to look smug and prideful.

Jack wiped off the dragon saliva, flicking his hand and glaring at his friend. "Gee. Thanks."

"Don't mention it," Hiccup said as he gave Toothless a congratulatory pat on his side. "Nice work, bud."

"Bunny, Tooth, Sandy!" North said to the rest of his friends. "Will you want me to prepare you some rooms? You will be spending a lot of time here it seems."

Each of them shook their heads, politely declining North's offer. "Sorry mate, but we've got our own jobs to take care of," Bunny apologized.

"Those teeth don't collect themselves!" Tooth chimed in.

North looked to Sandy. "Well old friend? Perhaps you can take one night off?" As North expected, Sandy again denied his offer, shaking his head as a small 'x' appeared over his head. "Worth a shot, yes?"

Jack, wiping off his face one more time, glanced at Hiccup and came to a realization. He was worrying about Hiccup when he was 'safe' back on that island with his father and the dragons, and even then he didn't feel that anyone on that island was truly safe with Pitch still out there. And yet, even now that Hiccup was safe in North's shop, he didn't feel any better leaving him alone.

He had to stay, even if to just keep a watchful eye on Hiccup. He cared about him too much. Regardless if he didn't want to say it out loud, or even admit it to himself, he cared about Hiccup. Jack knew that the feeling wasn't a mutual one with him and Hiccup, but that didn't matter to him. All that mattered to him was Hiccup's safety. Even then, he was starting to second guess himself. If he cared so much about Hiccup, why did he bring him into this? Now that he's helping the Guardians, it now makes him an enemy of Pitch. If anything, that's worse than how he was off back on that island.

Jack wondered however what might had happened if Hiccup felt the same way about him. Would he still have come? Would he have wanted to help even more? Would he have wanted to be with Jack?

The Guardian bit his lip, trying to clear his mind of the thought. Now wasn't the time for dwelling on the 'what if's' of his and Hiccup's relationship, no matter how nice the 'what if's' were. Now was the time for preparing for what was to come, but first and foremost making sure Hiccup was well-rested for when that time came.

Jack cleared his throat, twirling his staff in hand before speaking, "Uh, North?" The Guardian turned to look at Jack. "I can stay."

"Really?" asked North.

"Really?" asked Hiccup.

"Really?" asked Bunny.

"You know, if it's gonna be that much of a problem I can just leave!" Jack pointed out, pointing his staff to the windows.

North chuckled, stepping forward and placing his hands on Jack's shoulders. "Nonsense. You are more than welcome here my boy."

"I'd love to stay a little while longer," spoke Tooth, "but I really gotta go check on my fairies. I promise I'll be back as quick as I can."

Sandy nodded in agreement, telling North how he had the same idea.

"No worries. Do not rush yourselves, my friends. It will be long time before we start." North looked to Hiccup before continuing, "Our new comrade must rest, after all."

The two waved goodbye before flying off, hurrying to their work.

"Well," said the Pooka, "as much as I would love to stay and chat about what exactly we're going to do with this kid, I've got eggs to prepare."

"Isn't Easter not for, like, a long time?" asked Jack.

"Come on Bunny, what is a few more hours?" North begged. "I can have my kitchen whip up some delicious carrot cake," he teased in a high pitch.

"Give it a rest, North. I'll see ya in a few." He tapped his large foot on the floor and jumped through the small hole that appeared in front of him.

Hiccup stared at the hole as it closed up, a small flower appearing in its place. He looked to Jack and pointed to the flower. "Is that normal?"

"Yeah. He does that a lot," Jack answered.

"Come, come, Hiccup, I will give you a small tour now," North said, walking down the hallway. "And Jack, since you want to stay I'll have a room made for you too!"

"Sweet!" Jack felt a harsh bump against his shoulder and turned to see Hiccup, smiling and putting his fist by his side.

"I don't need a babysitter you know," said Hiccup, walking after North.

"Are you kidding?" Jack teased. "You totally need one! A big klutz like you; you need my help more than you know."

"Please," Hiccup scoffed.

"Keep up boys, keep up!" North called out.

Hiccup continued, "If I didn't know any better I'd say you're worried about me."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Jack responded before following Hiccup.

"It means you care about your dear friend, Hiccup. Oh, now isn't that just adorable." Hiccup even added a small pout to his tease just for good measure.

Jack rolled his eyes, returning Hiccup's playful punch on the shoulder. "Alright, Haddock. Do me a favor and tone down the sass, alright? Don't make me regret letting you help us."

Hiccup would have made a quick sarcastic comeback, but he felt it wasn't necessary. Not when Jack was making a good point. And besides, so what if he cared about him? If anything it was kind of nice to have someone care like this. Sure his dad loved him, but then again Jack wasn't his dad. Jack was something else, in more ways than one. Jack was just a close friend who had every reason to forget about Hiccup amongst all the other believers he might have, or even just going about with his normal duties as a weather spirit.

Yet, there he was, telling the rest of his team how important and valuable he could be to them. While he still wasn't entirely sure how useful he could be, Hiccup did feel in a way that he was definitely needed to help the Guardians stop Pitch from doing whatever it is he needed with the dragons. If it wasn't for Jack, who knows what kind of plan they would have undertaken to try to stop Pitch.

It was all thanks to Jack. Jack really did feel like more than a friend. He hoped Jack felt the same way about him, but in a way he already knew that Jack must obviously think of Hiccup as a close friend. And that was all Hiccup wanted it to stay at. A close friendship. He couldn't possibly act on those thoughts he had about Jack, could he? There was no way Jack felt the same, surely not. It was crazy to even think of those ideas. No good could come of them. Ever.

Besides, they probably meant nothing. If he ignored them, they would go away. They had to … right?

North started pointing things out to Hiccup, trying to show off as much as he possibly could. "Over there is where we stuff the dolls. There is our painting department. And up there is-"

"DUCK!" Jack shouted, grabbing Hiccup's shoulders and shoving him down as a giant bright blue and yellow machine in the shape of a turtle flew right over their heads and right past North's. Hiccup looked at the contraption in wonder and amazement, watching it as it dove down to the lower level.

"Wow," Hiccup said softly as he stood up.

"Yeah," Jack said as he followed suit, "you gotta watch out for those things."

A crash turned all of their attention behind them, all of them watching Toothless try not to step on the tiny bits of plastic building blocks he had made splatter all over the floor. Hiccup wanted to shout, but knew that North was probably going to do enough for him.

"Well, can't say I didn't see that coming," Jack commented.

Hiccup quickly turned around to North. "I am so sorry. I promise I'll make sure he doesn't mess anything else up. I-I-I can clean them up if you want me to."

"Relax," North told Hiccup. "Is no trouble. That happens all the time."

"It does?" Jack asked.

North looked at Jack, keeping his calm and relaxed posture and expression. "Yes. It does. Common problem, no need to worry." He nodded towards the dragon before continuing, "But, I suggest your friend stays on this floor. Too many fragile things elsewhere."

"Will do. I'll make sure of it," said Hiccup, kneeling down beside the small bits of plastic and pushing them out of the way, making enough room for Toothless to step over them. "And I wouldn't worry about him flying off either. That's kind of a two-person job."

North breathed a sigh of relief as he went on with the small tour. "Well, most of the toy making doesn't happen here. Your friend won't be in the way that much."

"Thankfully," Jack mumbled under his breath.

North went on pointing out where everything was for Hiccup, though Hiccup was only half paying attention, still mesmerized by the bright colors that littered the workshop. "Well if you need to eat, the kitchen is right around that corner. I think it best if the teaching will be in that room we were just in, and if you and your friend want to fly then you must let me know. Pitch is out there planning his next move. We need to be sure he won't hurt you or your dragon."

Hiccup looked at Toothless, wondering why Pitch didn't even bother going after him. "You think he could come after us?"

"Well it all depends if he even knows you're here," answered Jack. "I wouldn't worry about it. Even if he did, why would he go after Toothless? He's got his own army already."

"Toothless is a pretty powerful dragon after all," Hiccup stated. "If he got his hands on Toothless then things would definitely get bad for us."

"Still, if he even knew you guys were here," Jack reiterated. "he probably still thinks you're with the rest of Berk on that island."

"I guess."

"Ah, here we are!" North said, opening a door and standing back, allowing Hiccup to be the first one to enter the room. "Here is where you will be staying," said the Guardians as Hiccup walked through the doorway.

He was surprised and even perplexed at how expansive the room was. It was twice the size of his house, maybe even more! A large bed covered with many pillows sat to the right of the room against the center of the wall, and directly across from it on the other side was a large fireplace, the wood inside bursting with bright and inviting warmth from the flames. Two dressers sat on both sides of the bed, two large windows with open red curtains on the far side of the room, a circular table with four chairs, and a large red and black rug complimented the room.

Hiccup didn't know how to react as he and Toothless walked inside, never before seeing a bedroom this massive. While he appreciated the room and the kindness North was showing him, he couldn't help but feel that it was all a bit much. "This room is huge!" he finally exclaimed.

"I know," North said as he and Jack entered. "I thought you might like it."

"Are all the guest rooms like this?" Hiccup went on, talking to North over his shoulder as he went to look out the window. "Really, this room is too much. I-I don't need this much space."

"Oh pish posh," North refuted. "All the guest rooms are the same size."

Hiccup looked out the window and finally got a chance to see how wide and open everything was. Not to mention white; practically everything was covered with snow! If he and Toothless ever got the time to go fly it couldn't be for long. Enough time out there and they'd surely freeze to death. "So, you just have guest rooms for all the other Guardians ready to go?"

"Of course," North answered. "I have rooms for all of my comrades. Although to be fair, this room didn't start out as a guest room."

"Really?" Hiccup asked, still talking over his shoulder. "Then what was it?"

"Well," Jack answered for North, "if I remember correctly, didn't this use to be my old room?"

Hiccup looked away from the window and looked at Jack. "Really?"

"Yep," Jack said as he started to fly over to the bed, grabbing one of the pillows and tossing it in his hands. "This room used to belong to yours truly."

"You had a room here? Like, you used to live here?"

"Eh, not exactly."

"What do you mean?"

North went to stand by the fire as he explained. "When I gave Jack this room it was so he could have a real place to stay. A little home I made for him should he ever be in need of it. But, apparently Jack did not think he needed it."

Hiccup looked at Jack with confusion. Why would Jack want to give up a place he could actually call home? "You seriously didn't want this place?"

Jack held the pillow close, crossing his legs as he hovered above the bed. "Well, yeah. I mean, this place is nice and all, but I mean I didn't need it. Besides, I don't like being tied down anywhere."

"And yet you go back to Burgess how many times?" North countered.

"Only because of Jamie!"

"Excuses, excuses."

"Hey, I used this room, didn't I?"

"Yes. For one week. And only because you said you wanted to try things out."

"Well see? There ya go! I gave it a shot!"

"Ahem," Hiccup interrupted, "are you guys gonna do this for a while? Because, if you are, I might like to get some ear plugs?"

North backed off, sighing as he looked around the room. "Well, I suppose there is nothing left but to leave you to your rest." He started for the door, stopping only for a moment to look back at the other Guardian. "Jack?"

"Oh, I'll, uh, I'll catch up with you in a minute," Jack responded, leaving North to walk out of the room by himself and leaving the door only slightly open. Once he was gone, Jack landed on the floor and stood only for a moment before sitting down on the bed. He set his staff down on the mattress, rhythmically patting his knees as Toothless made himself comfortable and used his fire to heat up his new makeshift bed.

"That's definitely gonna leave a mark," Jack commented.

"I told them to get something for him," Hiccup remarked. "But, then again, no one ever listens to the dragon expert until it's too late."

"Think they can scrub that off?"

"Ha!" Hiccup cried, stirring Toothless in his half-asleep state. "We tried that. Only made things worse in the process."

Jack looked at the scorch marks that Toothless had made and shrugged. "Maybe he can paint over them?"

"Yeah, I guess he could."

"It's not going to smell, is it?"

"For Toothless? No. But for a Gronckle, totally."

"Why a Gronckle?" Jack asked, leaning closer to Hiccup.

Hiccup moved away from the window, looking at the fire as he clarified. "Gronckle's don't really spit fire. They kind of…throw it up, there's no continuous stream. It's all one big blast. So it kinda smells like old fish and vomit if it sits for too long."

Jack scrunched his nose, trying to best imagine the foul smell that was old Gronckle fire. "Ew."

Hiccup nodded in agreement as he knelt down beside the flames. "Yeah. It's even grosser in person."

"I bet." Jack got up from the bed, wondering what other knowledge Hiccup might have to pass on to the Guardians come tomorrow's first little session. "You think that'll come in handy when we're going up against old gray face?"

"Unless we wanna make that big ugly nose of his just pop off," Hiccup quipped.

"I hear that's what happened to his eyebrows. Except it was when he looked in a mirror," Jack replied with a smile.

"Yeah!" Hiccup started laughing, feeling another small weight being lifted off his shoulders as he felt the familiar feeling of laughter. Real laughter. "I bet they jumped off right before the mirror broke!" Hiccup went on through his laughter.

Jack joined in on the laughter, patting Hiccup's back as he ignored the heat emanating from the fire. It felt good to see, to even hear Hiccup's laughter again. At least now Hiccup knew that things looked hopeful. Sure things would get stressful later on, but for now it seemed that things might be easy. Or at least, easier than they think it will be.

"Wait a minute," Hiccup said as he slowed down his laughter. "This used to be your room, right?"

"Yeah?"

"Then," Hiccup looked back to Jack, "then why does it have a fireplace?"

The Guardian of Fun scoffed and rolled his eyes, running his hand through his hair as he sarcastically replied, "What? A Winter Spirit can't warm up every now and then?"

"No. No I would think not."

"You know just because I had it doesn't mean I had to use it."

"The same could be said for, oh I don't know, this entire room?"

"Oh be quiet, Hiccup." Jack moved away from the fire, cracking his knuckles as he stretched his arms above his head. "So, what's the plan for tomorrow?"

Hiccup said nothing, smirking as he waited for Jack's response to his silent treatment.

"Hellooo?"

"Oh I'm sorry," Hiccup said, still looking at the fire. "I thought you told me to be quiet."

"You know what?" Jack asked as he snatched his staff off of the bed and pointing it towards Hiccup.

"What?" Hiccup asked before he felt an intense feeling of cold air whisk around him. He held his arms tightly, shivering despite the large flames right in front of him. Hiccup turned to glare at Jack, knowing that he was obviously the cause of the chill. "Really?" he asked, hoping the wind wouldn't cause the fire to die. "Do you mind?"

Jack chuckled smugly as he pulled his staff away, the wind around Hiccup slowing down. "There. Happy?"

"Very," said Hiccup as he tried to warm himself up once more.

"Now, back to what I was saying, tomorrow? That's the plan?"

Hiccup stood, sighing as he tried to think of what he could do. Things might be a little easier if he had actual dragons to show off the weak spots and fire attacks and such. But being that the only dragon he had was Toothless, all he could really on was his artistic abilities and his words to teach the Guardians. But even then, where would he start? Whereas in the Academy they were all taught new things as they discovered them, these Immortals were new to the whole thing. They knew nothing about any of the dragons except what they looked like, and even then they didn't know the proper names.

"Uh, I guess I can start with the basics," Hiccup answered, scratching his head as he turned around to look at Jack.

"Which would be?"

"Oh Gods, I don't know." Hiccup started walking towards Jack as he continued, "The basics? You know, names, types of fire, number of shots, things like that."

Jack nodded in understanding, folding his arms as he responded, "Sounds boring, tedious, and a pain." He gave Hiccup a small smirk. "I can't wait to get started."

"Great." Hiccup was glad that Jack at least was looking forward to the teaching. He stood just a few feet away from Jack, leaning against the large bed as he got lost in thought. "You know, besides the teaching, I'm not so sure what else I can do to help. I mean teaching you guys about the dragons is good and all, but other than that I'm not much help."

"Hey, you never know," said Jack with a shrug. "You might teach us something that'll be the difference between life and death."

"Yeah, well I'm hoping it doesn't come to that."

"Relax. Besides, you'll only be here a few days at most. After that we can go right on to Pitch and kick his evil butt."

Hiccup looked at Toothless, watching the dragon as he drifted off to sleep. "Well, you've taken care of Pitch before. It's that army of his I'm really worried about."

"You just said you could teach us about the dragons!" Jack pointed out. "If you teach us how to fight dragons then we can take on his army!"

"You can fight dragons. Can you fight Pitch's dragons?" Hiccup clarified.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"He calls it an army. He can teach them war maneuvers, new attacks, new strategies even I don't know about. Besides, they're not normal dragons. They're made of that shadowy sand stuff of his." He looked back at Jack as he explained further, "What if their attacks are different than the ones I'm used to? What if they don't have shot limits? Pitch created them after all. Who's to say he didn't figure out their weakness' and, I don't know, tweak them? Make his dragons better?"

"And if he didn't?"

"And if he did?!"

Jack threw his hands up in annoyance and aggravation. "Then all is lost? I don't know Hiccup!" He took a single step closer to his friend. "I don't know. All I know is that we're closer to having a fighting chance than we would have been than with your help than we would have been without."

"But is just teaching you guys even enough? How do I know it's enough to fight back? I mean, wouldn't it be better if you guys had something like hands on experience?"

"If you wanna convince North to bring a Monstrous Nightmare in here then be my guest, just don't expect me to help you control it."

Hiccup smiled, imagining Jack trying to control the large dragon as he burst into flames. "That would be something."

"Yeah, preferably something I don't want to happen any time soon, thank you very much." Jack tucked his staff under his arm and looked at the door, wondering if North might be out there listening in on their conversation. "Look, I know you're nervous."

"Oh I'm not nervous," Hiccup stated.

"So then what's with the nervous babbling, hm?" asked Jack.

"I wouldn't consider it nervousness! Just, let's say cautiousness. I'm trying to be careful. I don't wanna overlook anything, no matter how small."

"So then why don't you just try this?" Jack switched his staff from one hand to the other and began walking for the door. He kept his body turned towards Hiccup however as he spoke. "How about you get under those blankets, put your head on that pillow, and close your eyes and go to sleep? When you wake up, you go get yourself a warm breakfast, and all will be right with the world."

"I wouldn't really consider all that's happening in the world 'right', Jack." Hiccup said, watching Jack go.

Jack shrugged. "Yeah, well, things could be worse."

"Trust me, I'm well aware of that."

Jack smiled before he stopped walking. He gave Hiccup a small goodbye wave before saying, "I'll see you tomorrow, teacher."

Despite being considered an expert on dragons, Hiccup wasn't entirely sure if he could get used to the new name and hoped it was just a onetime deal. It did have a nice ring to it however, showing that he was still in charge when it came to teaching all there was to know about dragons. "And don't you dare be late!" Hiccup warned in a deep and playful tone.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Jack turned around, reaching for the door handle before snapping his fingers and turning back around to Hiccup. "Oh, before I forget. The sun's not going away anytime soon," Jack said, pointing to the windows.

"Really?" Hiccup asked, looking at how bright it was outside.

"Yeah, so I'd just go ahead and close those curtains." Jack had no idea why he would give that kind of obvious advice to Hiccup, but it wasn't like he could take it back now. "So, uh, … yeah. Goodnight!" Jack closed the door as he left, letting his head rest against as he sighed in annoyance at, well, himself.

He could tell he was letting his personal feelings cloud his mind. He should have left Hiccup alone when North left. All he was doing now was making things harder on himself. He had to find another way to make things easy other than to just ignore them, but really was there any better alternative? It was either that or tell Hiccup and get them off of his chest. Or if not Hiccup, at least someone. He'd tell Manny, but he knew he was watching everything, so he might as well already know how Jack felt. Jack would bet he was up there right now just looking at Jack and practically dying from secondhand embarrassment that his new Guardian was acting like a fool over a simple Viking.

Jack collected his thoughts and went on about his business, wondering if there might be any warm freshly baked cookies in the kitchen that would help him calm down.

Hiccup just stood there when Jack closed the door, ignoring the obvious advice he gave him about the curtains, whatever that was about. Whatever kind of moment he just had with Jack was, in a way, exciting. It was like everything made sense when it was just the two of them. Everything was so clear and it felt as if, even when they were discussing Pitch and the rest of his army, that they could take him on and come out on top no matter the odds.

It all just…clicked.

It was Hiccup felt like he belonged there, with Jack at least. How he felt just then, when the two of them were goofing off and laughing together, that was how he wanted to feel every day for the rest of his life. And it was all thanks to Jack.

He wanted to be happy, but knowing the root of these feelings, he knew he couldn't have them. Not how he wanted them. Hiccup just had to wait and see how things played out. Perhaps over time he would grow out of it all and resume life normally. A life where he wasn't attracted to an immortal winter spirit. It almost angered him how he felt. He knew Jack was nice and kind and funny and the like, and he knew how he felt about Jack, but he knew that it couldn't work out. He never felt this way towards anyone in a long time and…it felt nice.

By now he had accepted the fact that he had feelings, there's was nothing he could do about it now. All he had to do was try to sort them out and hope that in the future, preferably the near future, he would make the right decision.

He went to close the curtains as he tried to forget about the whole thing for now. Worrying about it would only make things worse. The best thing he could do now was go to sleep and hope the thoughts of Jack would go away on their own. And if they didn't, then the only thing he could do was hope that he could deal with them as time went on. Besides, it wasn't like he could act on them. What would he do even if he could?

As Hiccup went to close the curtains on the second window, he thought about what he would even say should Jack ever become aware of the situation. "Hey Jack, I think you're kinda cute and funny and I don't know, I think I may like you?" Hiccup mumbled quietly. Oh Gods, none of this was making any sense! He squeezed the curtains tightly, clenching his teeth as he heard the words spoken out loud.

A bad idea.

This was getting harder. He knew this wasn't something he could go after, he just knew it. There was no way it could end well. There was no way his dad would approve. There was no way to know for sure that Jack would even feel the same! "What's wrong with me?" he thought aloud.

A small coo brought Hiccup back to reality, opening his eyes and turning around to see Toothless looking at him curiously, wondering what was wrong. The Night Fury stood and walked towards his friend, looking at Hiccup and trying to see if there was any way he could help.

Just the dragon's presence was enough to get a smile out of Hiccup. He started to pet the dragon, running his hand over the top of Toothless' head as he breathed a heavy sigh. "I don't know what to do here, bud."

Toothless cooed again in response.

"I mean, it's not like this is just any other normal crush you know?" Hiccup went on, making sure to talk quietly in case someone would hear what he was saying. "I'm just, you know, me: a simple Viking from Berk who hasn't done much compared to him. And Jack is well…he's him. And I mean that in more ways than one."

The Viking moved to his bed, still thinking out loud as he walked. "I mean, he's, you know, a-a-a guy. I've never really thought of something like this happening. I mean, I just-I just never considered it actually happening, you know?" Another coo from Toothless let Hiccup know his friend was listening. Hiccup sat on the edge of the bed, taking off his boot before continuing, "I knew these kinds of feelings existed, I just never thought they'd happen to me. I never really saw anyone on Berk like that so I just kinda figured, 'Hey, it's not for me'. I'm not opposed to it but it just never happened with anyone on Berk, you know?"

He looked to Toothless and gave a small smile. "Guess that just means there's no other guy on Berk that's good enough, huh?" The dragon carefully leaned forward and placed his head against Hiccup's, letting his rider know that he was there for him no matter what.

Hiccup sighed before he brought his legs up onto the mattress and shuffled himself under the blankets. "Wow, this thing is comfier than it looks. What the heck have I been sleeping on my whole life?"

Toothless, instead of going back to where he first slept, now went to curl up at the foot of the bed, not scorching the floor this time since he knew the carpet would surely burst into flames. Hiccup looked at the ceiling, his hands placed under his head, as he wondered what all of this could really mean.

True he had never felt this way about any other guy on Berk, but then again, there was no one else like Jack. As cheesy as it sounded, he knew it was true. The only person he ever felt this way about was Astrid, but Jack was no Astrid. Not by a long shot.

He ran his hands down his face as he groaned in aggravation. Worrying would do him no good. His feelings about Jack weren't important. All that mattered now was trying to get some rest. After all, tomorrow was going to be a big and important day.

Wow. Now wasn't that stuff interesting? If you thought so then comment and let me know! If not...I'll do better next time I promise.