Hiccup was awake.

It was the darkest part of the night, everything in Astrid's room still and silent. For several moments, he lay still with his heart thudding in his chest, eyes wide open, listening for whatever had awoken him. After a long silence, he heard the sound again: a soft tap tap tap on Astrid's window.

Next to him in the bed, Astrid was sound asleep, face down on the mattress so that she wasn't much more than a mop of blonde hair showing under the blankets. Hiccup got up, careful not to wake her, and crept to the window. On the other side of the glass, Jack was crouched on the roof shingles. When he saw Hiccup, he grinned and waved.

Hiccup slid open the window pane. "What is it?" he whispered. "What's wrong?" His heart was still going too fast.

Jack's eyes widened. "Nothing," he said sheepishly. "I just want to show you something. A part of Faerie."

Hiccup let out a breath of air. "Show me something?" he repeated, rubbing at his eyes. "It's the middle of the night."

"Well that's the only time you can see it." Jack studied Hiccup, his eyes raking over Hiccup's face, taking in the dark under-eye circles and tired lines. "You can go back to bed if you want?"

But Hiccup was already up, and the cold air seeping in from outside had him wide awake and alert. He didn't feel like going back to bed. Besides, he told himself, when else was he going to have a chance to see a part of Faerie? Without Pitch or his minions messing things up?

"Okay," he said, barely even hesitating. "Should I meet you out front? Is it far?"

"It's a bit far to walk. Not much to fly though. I can carry you."

Hiccup remembered the last time Jack had carried him while flying and shook his head frantically. That had been a catastrophe. "Oh no. Not again."

"Oh, come on."

"No!"

Jack scrunched up his face, half in amusement, half in exasperation. "I'll piggyback carry you," he offered. "Is that better?"

"…fine."

Licking his lips nervously, Hiccup scrambled out the window onto the roof, the shingles rough against his bare feet. Jack crouched down and Hiccup climbed onto him as gracefully as he could, but he still managed to knee Jack in the ribs.

"Oof."

"Sorry."

Impatient, Jack grabbed Hiccup under the knees and hoisted him u. Hiccup didn't get any time to orient himself before Jack leapt off the edge of the roof and into the night air, and then everything was rushing past them. Wind and woods and moonlight all slid together into one long whooooosh. Hiccup clamped his mouth shut to keep himself from screeching and clung onto Jack's neck for dear life, burying his face against the back of Jack's neck.

Jack yelled something.

"What?"

"I said you don't need to choke me!"

Hiccup tried to loosen his grip and dug his fingers into Jack's hoodie. He didn't know how long he stayed like that. They went up into the sky, over and through the tops of trees, and the ground far below slid away and away underneath their feet. The wind carried them.

After a while, Hiccup realized they were descending. There was another whoooooosh of tree branches flying past, and everything came to a stop. Jack was standing on a protrudent tree branch, his hand braced against the trunk of the pine for balance. Hiccup glanced around and then Jack leapt downward, angling off the tree branches until he reached the ground.

"Here," he whispered to Hiccup.

Hiccup unfurled himself from the small, clenched lump he made of himself, stretching out until his feet touched the ground and he felt slick pine needles under him. He caught his breath and looked around.

They were standing by a wide pond. The surface of it was smooth inky black, the edges laced with frost. At their feet the dark bank of it curved away, tangled with the thick roots of the trees that grew right up to the edge, reaching down under the earth and water. The air was thick with silence.

Jack took Hiccup's hand and pulled him carefully toward it, stepping over pine cones and twigs. They found a place where the tree roots made a perfect seat against the earth, and Jack sat and patted the ground next to him.

Hiccup hesitated before he slowly lowered himself next to Jack, leaving just enough space between their shoulders so that they weren't touching.

"What is this place?" Hiccup whispered.

"Just wait." Jack was looking for something, staring intensely out over the water, his eyes reflecting the faint moonlight that filters through the tree tops. Hiccup turned to watch.

Minutes passed. Everything was quiet, except for the occasional whisper of wind that sets the tree swaying and sighing. Ferns grew along the bank around them; the edges of their dark feathery leaves just brushed the water's surface. Jack was warm beside him. Hiccup had no idea what they were waiting for, but he was glad they were here, glad that he was getting to see something peaceful and soft in Faerie before it was too late. Before Jack was gone for good.

With a shudder, he realized that he didn't want Jack to go.

Mistaking Hiccup's shudder for a shiver, Jack leaned his shoulder against Hiccup's. When Hiccup turned to stare at him, he gave him a small smile.

Fuck, thought Hiccup. I made him promise to leave. If we get out of this…I… Feeling lost, he returned Jack's smile automatically. His mind was chasing itself around in circles, reeling. I should ask him to stay — but he doesn't want to stay — but I want him to stay — but it doesn't matter what I want ––

Talk to him!

He cleared his throat, feeling dry-mouthed all of a sudden. "Jack…"

"Oh!" Jack grabbed Hiccup's arm in excitement, voice still hushed. "They're coming out!"

Lights were beginning to glow in the ferns and foliage, appearing gradually the way stars come out. At first so dim it was hard to see them, they winked into existence, glittering bright. Like fireflies, they drifted, free-floating, through the air and over the water. The smooth, dark surface of the pond reflected them in a perfect symmetrical mirror image. As they grew thicker, there were so many of the floating through the night, it was like a field of stars.

"Ohhh…" Hiccup breathed. "What are they?"

"A type of wisp." Jack sighed in satisfaction and relaxed against Hiccup's side, curling toward him almost subconsciously. He hooked one foot under Hiccup's ankle. His fingers folded against Hiccup's palm and Hiccup stretched his hand out without thinking until their fingers were threaded together.

"Oh," he said.

They fell silent. The lights — the wisps — spun slowly through the air, cosmic and seemingly infinite. Hiccup took a deep breath of the cold night air; he felt good right now, clear-headed and alive.

"So…this is Faerie?"

"Yeah," said Jack. "A part of it. It's…not all bad, right?" Tentative, he looked sideways at Hiccup.

"No," said Hiccup slowly. He looked back at Jack. Why can't I ask him? he wondered. Belatedly, he realized he'd been staring too long and looked away. "Not all bad." He took a deep breath. "Jack…why did you bring me here?"

The wisps seemed content to simply drift where they were, admiring their own reflections in the still water. One alighted on the tree roots by Hiccup. At the center of its glow, Hiccup could barely see a pair of wings buzzing like a firefly's. He reached out his fingers to brush it, but it startled and flitted away.

"None of the court fey know about this spot," Jack answered him after a while. "I come here sometimes. To hide."

"Ah." Hiccup understood that. This was Jack's version of a secret library corner.

"Ah?" Jack echoed.

Hiccup leaned back against the bank and shifted to look at Jack. "I understand why you come here, but…" he swallowed, "it didn't really answer my question: what am I doing here?"

They were still holding hands; Hiccup had honestly forgotten, it felt so normal. Jack turned Hiccup's palm over absently to trace patterns on the back. "I wanted you to see it," he said quietly. "I just… I shoved my way so thoroughly into your life, I thought maybe I could even the score a little. Show you a secret piece of mine."

Jack's head was lowered. Hiccup couldn't see the look in his eyes, but his posture radiated vulnerability, and Hiccup felt like all the air had been stolen from his lungs. "Oh," he said. He wasn't sure what else to say to that right now.

Jack looked up at him. "If you want to go back, I can take you."

"No!" Hiccup sat up quickly. "I like it."

A smile quirked up the edge of Jack's mouth, wry but hopeful. "Yeah?"

Hiccup couldn't help the grin that spreads across his face. "Yeah."

Something charged and unspoken passed between them. A shiver ran down Hiccup's spine again, goosebumps creeping pleasantly across his skin. Jack looked at him and his eyes widened.

"Sorry," he said, letting go of Hiccup's hand so that he could pull his hoodie off. "I forgot, you get cold."

"What?" Hiccup glanced down at his arms; he was still wearing the t-shirt that he'd been sleeping in, but he didn't feel cold. "No, I'm fine. I'm good, actually."

Jack stilled; the hoodie slipped from his fingers to settle on his shoulders again. "You're not freezing?" he asked in surprise.

"No," Hiccup said wonderingly. He ran his hands over his bare arms. "I feel better out here, actually. Like more awake?"

"Better?"

"Yeah." Hiccup wrapped his arms around himself and leaned his head against the tree roots, relaxing. "Less tired and sick."

Jack let out a snort. "I always feel better out here in the woods," he said, stretching his arms over his head. "Cleaner. Lighter. More peaceful. And also less tired and sick. There's no human iron or metal to poison me out here."

"Well yeah, you're fey," said Hiccup automatically, before the realization of what they'd just said sunk in. They both went still at the same moment, each unwilling to voice the thought that had just occurred to them: that Hiccup was developing the same reaction to metal that the fey had. That he was losing his humanity faster than he should have been.

Hiccup looked down at himself; his freckly pale arms, wrapped around his torso, are dark against the white shirt he's wearing.

"What's happening to you?" Jack breathed so quietly that Hiccup hardly caught the words; it was perfect to pretend like he couldn't hear then. And that was what he did, pushing on to a different subject.

"What will you do when you're free?" he blurted out.

"I don't know," said Jack with an easy shrug. "Celebrate."

"No, I mean," Hiccup cleared his throat, "where will you go?"

"What?"

That was their original deal: Jack had promised Hiccup that if he helped free him, he'd leave Hiccup alone to live his life. Now, the memory of that promise almost smacked Jack upside the head; in everything that had happened, he'd forgotten about it until now.

Jack opened his mouth to protest Hiccup's question, then closed it as he remembered his promise. He bit down on his lip a little too hard and turned his face away.

Before all this, he'd wanted to travel, find a new place to belong, but now he felt that the only place he could ever belong — ever wanted to belong — was already right here. Could only be right here.

"I don't know," he managed to say. "Why do you bring that up?"

Because I want you to stay, Hiccup thought. He opened his mouth to say it, but his throat closed up and he couldn't. "Oh," he said instead, "just… wondering."

The mood had shifted. A minute ago they'd been holding hands as if it were the most natural thing in the world to do, but now Hiccup felt like he couldn't touch Jack. Like he didn't have any right to.

He so badly wanted to move his hand and forearm — just a few inches and he could slide his arm through Jack's. His arm practically ached at this angle. He swallowed, edged his hand forward a few millimeters, then got cold feet and leaned back on his hands. His fingertips pressed into the soft tree bark beneath, moss — damp and slightly squishy — crushed under his palms.

Jack turned his face toward Hiccup, looking quizzically up at him. His eyes caught the reflections of the wisps, reflecting them in silver slivers.

Hiccup tipped his head back to look away. He couldn't think of anything else to say. They fell into observant silence, not looking at each other. It felt stiff now, not like the comfortable silence they had a few minutes ago.

A distant strain of sound reached his ears. Through the woods drifted a noise, like bells or chanting. "Hang on…" he sat up straighter and looked around. Far off through the trees he could see a distant glow, flickering. "Do you hear something?" he whispered.

"What?" Jack lifted his head.

Hiccup shushed him. "Listen," he breathed.

The sound was getting louder. It was definitely music. Something throbbing and primal, with high sweet notes that seemed to call to him, made his blood hum.

"I hear it," Jack whispered back. Hiccup started to rise to his feet. Jack seized his hand. "Where are you going?"

"To find out what it is."

Jack hung onto him as he followed him to his feet and they crept across the forest floor. They headed toward the light.

As they got closer the darting shapes evolved into forms. Fey creatures of all shapes, sizes, colors, spun and danced around an enormous bonfire. Three of them were crouched at the foot of the flames, long curled fingers pulling at twisted, alien instruments.

"What…" Hiccup's voice faded away, swallowed up by the sounds of music and shouting.

"We should go, right?" Jack raised his eyebrows at Hiccup, concern written into his face.

But Hiccup was entranced by the dancing figures, his eyes glued to their swooping, winding forms. They were so fluid, graceful, they seemed the music personified, the notes made solid into flesh; they bent and writhed so perfectly in time.

"Hiccup?"

He could feel himself craving to join them, his heart rate speeding up, his feet itching to move. "Do we have to?"

"You want to stay?" Jack leaned in closer, his hand snaking higher around Hiccup's wrist. His eyes lit up with mischief, reflecting now the warm glow of the bonfire. The corners of his mouth quirked up.

"I shouldn't." Hiccup pulled back automatically, withdrawing into the shadows, but Jack held on and followed with him.

"They're totally plastered," he said. A short laugh escaped him. "They won't remember you. I don't think they'll even recognize that you're human. Besides, you've already eaten faerie food. What more could happen?"

Hiccup paused. "…you think?"

"Only if you want to stay." Jack bit down on his lip as he grinned at Hiccup. His hand loosened, only to curl around Hiccup's and lace their fingers together.

Hiccup took a deep, excited breath. "Okay," he said at last. "Let's do this."

They crept forward. As soon as they stepped into the circle of warm orange light, they were swept up, like leaves in the wind. Hands were reached out toward them and they were pulled along. Faces all around them laughed. Hiccup found himself doing his best to keep up, feet flying over the ground, somehow, miraculously, moving in time with the beat.

It was like before, in the court, everything wild and untouchable and under his skin. The world around him melted away, everything he'd been carrying on his shoulders evaporated.

Coherent thoughts dissolved. His head grew light and dizzy, everything was a swirl of color and sound that he was floating on. His body seemed to move without him telling it to.

A cup of something was pressed into his hands. He looked at Jack, who just shrugged. "What's it going to do?" he called over the noise.

So Hiccup tried a sip. It was light and sparkling with an undercurrent of something thick and spicy. He downed the whole thing in several gulps. The effect was almost immediate. HIs skin tingled all over, he could feel every pulse of his heart, he felt warm and vibrant and alive. Nothing mattered anymore and that was the most amazing thing. Someone handed him another and he drank it. Swallowing down mouthful after mouthful. His head was swimming but he had never felt more alive.

He pulled Jack closer, and Jack came willingly, laughing. Their hands tangled together as they swayed nonsensically to the music, losing the beat and then catching it again, noses almost bumping. Time began to disappear, one moment running into the next, blurry and indistinct.

"Wow," Hiccup tripped over a rock [or something?] on the ground. He almost knocked Jack over, but a faery behind his caught him by the shirt and up-righted him without even breaking stride. For a second he was swept away in the arms of a girl with a braid almost down to her feet, then he was passed between hands and handed back to Jack again. Jack caught him with a laugh and pulled him back from the wild ring of dancers. They collapsed on the grass.

"Nnnnngh." Hiccup stretched out lazily on his back, grinning. "I'm kinda drunk," he confessed. He turned his head to smile widely at Jack.

"I…" Jack looked very serious for a second, took a deep breath, and then snorted and started laughing. "Me too!"

That made Hiccup start laughing again. "Too much…whatever that stuff is."

"Faery wine." His laughter dissolved into breath. Jack rolled onto his side, head propped on one hand. "Gods, I haven't had this much fun in…months. Years. A long time. It's not important."

Hiccup snorted. "Whatever you say, old man."

"Hey." Jack shoved him gently in the shoulder. "Show some respect to your elders."

"Never." Hiccup chuckled again, then quickly sobered up, staring at Jack. His mind was still buzzing, but he remembered…there was something important… "Jack," he said suddenly, intensely, "you're going to leave."

"What?" Jack's eyes widened like he'd been slapped. He sat upright and stared down at Hiccup.

"I…" Hiccup's face felt too hot. He turned his head away. "Nevermind."

There was a pause. Then Jack's cool fingers were there against Hiccup's flaming cheek as he reached over to turn his head back to look at him. Jack had shifted so that he was laying against Hiccup's side propped up on one elbow, looking down at Hiccup's face. Hiccup blinked. "I don't want to."

"Huh?"

"I don't want to leave."

Jack's hand was still on his face. His thumb stroked along Hiccup's cheekbone. Hiccup reached up and put his hand over Jack's. "Okay," he said, a little choked. "Then stay here."

A small frown tugged at the corner of Jack's mouth but he said nothing, merely studied Hiccup with intense, dark blue eyes.

"I can't. I made a promise. A fey promise."

Hiccup's sluggish brain took a moment to catch up to that. So no matter what, Jack would leave, and there was nothing he could do to stop it. "Come on." Hiccup pushed to his feet suddenly, staggering a little at standing up so fast. "I need some more wine."

"Wait, Hiccup—" Jack stumbled up after him.

Dragging Jack behind him, without looking back, Hiccup plunged into the chaos and let the music and the energy sweep him up again.

Some day, Jack would leave. There was nothing Hiccup could do to stop that eventuality.

The music picked up again. He grabbed more to drink and the liquid was warm and golden down his throat, and for now, for this moment, Jack was right here, hand in hand with him, and that would have to be enough.