Heyyy...so, uh, I graduated college the other day. Sorry I've been really busy lately. And it's only going to get busier once my internship starts. So like I said before, I can't promise when uploads will be, but I can at least promise I'm not giving this fic up. Not yet anyways.

Moving on, this chapter is pretty short unfortunately, but I think you guys will like it anyways. I might be able to another one later this month if things go like they are now with this little bit of free time that I have. So, here you guys go!

Chapter 25

His heart raced, beating against his chest furiously. "Crap. Crap. Crap. Crap!" he thought as Jack stepped closer. He knew this would happen. Sooner or later this had to happen. He had to answer for what he did to his friend. Though he knew he had to face it with his head held high, he couldn't help but feel all the guilt that he had right before he encountered Pitch returning to him. He wanted to leave the Pole and never return, to never have to face the embarrassment and ridicule of explaining to his friend why he thought kissing his cheek was a good idea.

Still, he didn't let Jack know how nervous he was. He was always good at hiding his emotions…for the most part. Really all he had to do was keep a blank expression and merely sound intrigued and hopefully it would throw Jack off. It had worked before on numerous occasions on others, so it should work just fine now.

"Talk?" Hiccup repeated as he turned on his bed in order to properly face Jack. "About what?"

Jack knew this was serious. He couldn't jest about this in any way. He had to be straightforward and make sure Hiccup understood him completely, no matter what questions Hiccup might have for him. Granted it was a rather unusual situation they were in, but Hiccup deserved to know what Jack had to say, even if he himself wasn't quite sure what this meant or could mean for them. He took in a small breath, preparing himself before answering, "It's your people. Nothing's happened to them yet. Everything on the island is fine."

Confused, Hiccup looked at Jack as if he had completely missed the point of what he was trying to say. He put it so bluntly and as-a-matter-of-fact-ly that he thought there might have been some underlying meaning to his statement. "O-okay?" he said, glancing over to Toothless to see if the dragon had any idea what Jack was saying. The Night Fury's ears were indeed perked a little, but other than that he had nothing to say. "Well," he said as he looked back to his immortal friend, "that's good right?" His mood started to get better, no longer worried about Jack mentioning the kiss. "I mean, that has to be. Everyone's safe. Pitch hasn't done anything to them. That's what we wanted, right?"

"Exactly," Jack began to clarify. "Pitch hasn't done anything." He sat on the edge of Hiccup's bed. "Think about it. He's-he's got his own Night Fury now. What's stopping him from taking your people as a show of power? Or going after anyone, really. Plus, he knows you're here. Clearly he wanted you for something, so why not use that army to come and get you.

Well that was a thought that made Hiccup blink in surprise. "You're right," he spoke softly. "Well, to be fair, I think he only wanted me because you guys wanted me. I'm not even sure if he knows why I'm here other than the fact I believe in all of you guys rather than just him."

Jack shook his head, staring at the sheets for a moment as he got lost in thought. "It doesn't make sense," he went on. "All this power, all of that force, and he hasn't done anything with it yet."

"Maybe it's a blessing in disguise," Hiccup tried to point out. "It's weird, yeah, but at least this is giving us time to prepare?"

"Prepare for what, though?" Jack asked. "Pitch isn't one to wait around for anything, Hic. If he wants something, he goes out and he takes it," he said as he grabbed at the air in one swift motion. "No questions asked. So why is he waiting?"

"I don't know."

"Exactly. None of us do." There was a brief moment of silence between them before Jack pressed on, "He knows where your people are hiding out, right?"

"Unfortunately," Hiccup responded. "He said there was no way a large group of his only believers couldn't move without him sensing their fear or something like that."

Jack bit his lip as he nodded. "Yeah, I figured as much." Frustrated and annoyed, he smacked his fist on the bed, giving a small grunt of aggravation as he did so. "What kind of game is he even playing here?" He didn't like this. Not one bit. It seemed as if Pitch was just toying with them. Like he was just standing on that island, looking out over the waters as he waited for any sign of the Guardians to show up so he could welcome them with a smile, a quick quip, and unleash his army upon them.

"How is everyone though?" Hiccup pried. "My family, my friends, are they all okay?"

Jack smiled, the mood of the subject almost instantly changing to one of reassurance instead of warning. "Oh yeah, they're all fine. The yeti's came back with a report and said everything was okay."

"Well that's good to hear," Hiccup said with a sigh of relief. After Pitch told him where his family was, he couldn't help but worry every so often that they would be attacked, every single one of them taken from him in the blink of an eye. He looked down at his blanket, wondering what would happen if such an act occurred. He didn't know what he would do if that ever happened to him. It was bad enough when he thought he just lost Toothless, or his dad, or even Astrid, but to have it happen to all of Berk? He wouldn't know what to do with himself.

Jack could see the worry in Hiccup's eyes. It was fully understandable and even called for. He moved a little closer to his friend, keeping his smile as he moved a little to lean down and get a better look into Hiccup's, tenderly placing his hand on the brunet's shoulder. "Hey, you don't need to worry about them, alright?" Jack reassured, Toothless even purring in response to let Hiccup know he agreed with Jack despite the fact that he too was beginning to worry about what might happen to his friends back on the island. "We've got this. Trust us."

Hiccup nodding, wanting to believe Jack, but nothing but worry and doubt clouding his mind. "I know. I know. I just…I worry about them, you know?"

"I know you do, and believe me you have every right to." Jack gave Hiccup a little shake before going on. "But I know that, if Pitch hasn't done anything now, then he might not touch them at all. North said the team he left behind is on high alert. They'd let us know the second they saw anything suspicious, okay?"

"Are we even so sure about that?" Hiccup asked as he moved off of the bed, his prosthetic clinking against the stone flooring as he started to pace. "I-I mean, what if Pitch knew that North had people there watching them, you know?"

"Are you sure you should be out of bed?" Jack asked, standing up and reaching out for Hiccup in case he should fall, though he knew that at this point Hiccup was more than capable of walking around without any kind of assistance.

Hiccup groaned as he turned to look back at the Guardian. "Focus here, Jack!"

"I'm trying my best."

"What if Pitch got to those guys that North sent? What if something happens to them and we don't know about it, and then Pitch just wipes out all of my people without any of us knowing until it's too late?"

"If Pitch was going to do something then he already would have done it," Jack reassured. "You're getting paranoid, Hic."

"Well I think I have a pretty damn good reason to, don't you?" the freckled teen snapped back. He even surprised himself with how loud he had just spoken, his eyes widening just a little before he ran a nervous hand through his hair. "I don't know what to do here, Jack."

The Guardian didn't hold any of this against Hiccup. He was right after all. He had a very good reason to be worried about his friends and family. He took a careful step towards his friend, not wanting to upset him anymore than he already was. "Hiccup, I need you to listen to me, okay? You're getting paranoid. Which is fine, it's fine. Completely understandable, but I need you to try to relax okay?" Jack knew that it was quite the impossible thing he was asking Hiccup, but he knew it was what Hiccup needed to do. "Just take some deep breaths, alright?"

"I'm sorry Jack but I can't right now." Hiccup continued to walk around, pacing as he looked at the ground and watched each step he took. "I-I guess Pitch just got to me out there, you know? But if he said all of those things then surely he must have a plan, right? Why else would he tell me he knew where everyone was if he wasn't just toying with us?"

"That's exactly what he was doing, Hiccup!" Jack clarified. "Don't you get it? He said all of that just to set you off. He wanted to get you worked up just to get inside your head. You're giving him exactly what he wants, Hiccup!"

The Viking stopped in his tracks, his hand slowly sliding down and falling to his side as it left his tangled hair. Jack was right. He was falling right into Pitch's trap. Even know the Nightmare King was probably back on Berk laughing his stupid face off, proud of how he was able to make the Viking squirm with just a few simple words that held little to no truth in them whatsoever. "I just want them to be safe," he spoke.

Jack closed the distance between the two of them, turning Hiccup to face him and placing his hands on both of his shoulders. "Hey, listen to me, alright? You've just gotta have a little hope is all."

"I thought your department was fun."

"I don't think Bunny will mind if I steal his gig for a bit, don't you?"

Hiccup chuckled a little, his smile however soon faltering afterwards. "How do we know we can stop him?" he asked, looking back to his friend as Toothless came to stand by his side.

"We will," Jack assured.

"But how do you know that?" Hiccup pressed on. "I mean, at this point, Pitch is near unstoppable. I'm sorry, I've faced some real danger back on Berk but this, Jack, I'm not sure if you guys can even stop him with everything I'm teaching you. Just the five of you against that army, even if I told you everything about dragons, I don't know if it's enough."

"You can't think like that."

"It's true though!" Hiccup went on. "I mean, my village, we knew almost everything about dragons and yet we still lost almost our entire village with every dragon raid every time they showed up just to steal our sheep. Imagine what Pitch could do with an army bigger than I've ever seen!"

It was becoming very obvious to Jack that this wasn't something that Hiccup could be brought down from with just a few words. They had been over this before, so he knew what to do next. He pulled Hiccup into a hug, resting his chin on the Viking's shoulders as he spoke. "Hiccup, you need to breathe. You need to relax and have faith. You've got to trust us. Believe me, we're not taking this thing lightly. We want to get rid of Pitch once and for all."

Hiccup, nervous at first, slowly accepted the embrace and wrapped his arms around Jack, hugging him back and listening to everything that Jack was telling him.

"I know you're scared," Jack went on, "and believe me, I don't blame you for it. I'm a little scared myself. But you've gotta trust us again. You've gotta get rid of all of this doubt."

"It's not doubt," Hiccup said. "It's just…worry, I guess." He sighed, knowing how pathetic he must seem to Jack right now. "I'm sorry."

"Hey," Jack moved away from the hug, keeping his hands on Hiccup's shoulders as he looked him in his deep green eyes. "You don't have to apologize. I told you, I don't blame you for being worried. You have every right to be."

"It's not exactly helping though," Hiccup pointed out.

"But it's not hurting. You're just speaking your mind, and you know what, it's good. Because now I know I get to help you. Now I know what to do in order to make sure you keep on fighting like the rest of us."

Hiccup had seen this before. This was starting to look familiar. This was almost exactly what had happened the last time he freaked out in front of Jack. And during that time, right after Jack comforted him, was when he gave Jack the kiss on his cheek. He wouldn't let himself make that same mistake again, no matter what kind of look he thought Jack was giving him, but he knew that what he wanted more than anything was for Jack to hold him again. Except, maybe this time, just not as a friend, but as something a little more. A Guardian of sorts, so to speak.

Jack however didn't recognize this situation like Hiccup did. He merely saw this as an opportunity to make Hiccup feel safer; an opportunity he was sure to not waste a single second of. "Are you gonna be okay?"

Hiccup went to answer, but was quickly interrupted by a certain dragon who playfully bumped his head against Hiccup before nudging him with his paw, smiling as he hoped to see Hiccup's mood improve. "Yeah," Hiccup said through a small bit of laughter as he let his hand rest on the Night Fury. "I think I might be." While he wasn't fully rid of his doubt and worry, he felt a small bit of hope returning to him, which at this point was all he could really ask for.

"Great," Jack responded, feeling accomplished now that he could see his friend smile again. "Great," he repeated, smiling as he moved just one step away from the hug, but keeping his gaze focused solely on the brunet.

Hiccup felt the urge again to kiss Jack; to just reach out, grab him, and pull him in for one more quick kiss. These feelings, he realized, were never going to go away. Not like this. Not confined like they were despite the fact he had made it very clear to Jack that he liked him. He was still smiling, but on the inside he could just feel his self-loathing behavior start to rise up and start to nag at his brain again. He couldn't take this wondering much longer. He had to do this now. He had to know what Jack thought of him.

"Hey, Jack? There's, uh, something else bothering me."

"Shoot!" Jack said, placing both hands inside his pocket as he waited for Hiccup to go on.

Hiccup looked at Toothless for a moment, gathering himself before he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath. "I…I'm sorry. About…before."

Jack was confused at the apology. "I told you, Hic. You don't have to apologize for being worried about your friends. It's totally fine! Don't worry about it."

Hiccup shook his head, closing his eyes as he tried to properly explain. "No, no not for that. I mean, I-I'm sorry about the…the uh..," he looked up at Jack and place two fingers on his own freckled cheek, giving Jack a hint as to what he was really talking about.

Jack's brows were raised, his mouth hung open a little as he took in his own deep breath, the sudden realization of what Hiccup was talking about making him want to say a simple 'oh' in response. "The kiss," he said. He had almost forgotten about it. It itched in the back of his mind even after Hiccup was brought in after Pitch got to him, but it never left him alone. He had just been occupied with so many other things, not to mention him trying to not have any feelings for the mortal, he just never focused on it as much. But he knew it had to be talked about now that it was brought up. And perhaps it was for the best, for both of them really.

"Yeah," Hiccup answered with a nod, his guilt and shame coming back to him as Jack slowly started to nod his head in understanding. "Just, before you say anything, I just wanted to let you know that…I'm sorry. It was stupid of me and I thought that maybe you…" a nervous chuckle escaped him as he rubbed the back of his head, glancing at Jack for just a moment before he looked back down at the ground, only seeing Jack from his bare feet up to his waist. "Well, I guess it doesn't really matter what I thought, does it?" He shook his head, biting his lip before continuing, "But, I know it was stupid and ridiculous and I-I shouldn't have done it without making sure that you were even remotely interested and I just thought that-"

"Hiccup," Jack interrupted, staying right where he stood but reaching out for Hiccup with one hesitant hand, placing it back on Hiccup's shoulder as he tried to calm Hiccup down even just a little. "You're fine. It's okay."

Though he suspected that Jack wasn't as upset with him as he first thought he might have been, Hiccup was surprised at the response. He looked back to Jack, puzzled by his answer. "Wh-I'm sorry?"

"No, actually, you don't have to be sorry," Jack teased, giving Hiccup a small and reassuring smile. "Look, I get why you did what you did. Was I surprised? Yes. But am I mad at you for doing it? No. I'm not upset about anything." He shrugged before going on, "I guess, if you really wanted to apologize for it, then I forgive you. But otherwise, you don't need to worry about it."

"A-are you sure?"

"I'm positive. I forgive you. It's all in the past. What's done is done and there's nothing either of us can do about it." Jack smiled, hating the words that came out of his mouth. He didn't want to accept Hiccup's apology like this. He wanted to tell him that apology was worth nothing and that he was stupid to think Jack didn't appreciate the kiss. In fact, he wanted the kiss to last longer than it did! "It just, uh, took me by surprise, you know?"

Hiccup blushed in embarrassment, looking away from Jack again as he rubbed the back of his neck. "Heh, yeah I-I know. I just, I thought that maybe you kinda liked me back so I just…yeah."

This was killing Jack, but he knew it had to be done. It was for the best. "I understand. I mean, come on, I've been told I'm not exactly bad to look at, so I don't blame you."

Hiccup looked at Jack with narrowed eyes. "Yes, because that's your only charming feature. Not your annoying jokes or your stupid powers or your aggravating and so-called charm you seem to think you have."

Jack's eyes widened a bit as he smirked deviously. He leaned away from Hiccup, folding his arms as he spoke, "So, you think there's more to me than just my good looks them huh?"

Hiccup felt like he was in some sort of trap. His mouth moved, but no words came out. He stuttered for a moment only to roll his eyes and move back towards his bed. "Shut up."

Jack couldn't help but laugh just a little. He had to get at least one joke in, for his sake. But he knew this was a serious and very personal moment for the young Viking. He head to try and make this lighthearted for him. "Alright, alright, I'm sorry. I really am. But, to be fair," he said as he followed Hiccup, "I didn't even now you were, you know, interested in me like that. Or, actually, I didn't know you were interested in guys at all."

Hiccup shrugged, smiling just a little bit as he sat on the edge of his bed. "Yeah, well, neither did I until you came around." There was a slight pause. "Actually, correction. I thought about it before and it didn't really bother me. You were just the first guy that I ever really thought about that way. Everyone else on Berk was too-"

"Viking?"

"Exactly," Hiccup answered with another small chuckle.

"I understand," Jack said as he moved to sit next to Hiccup, silently thanking Manny that the door was closed and that there was no one standing there and listening in on their conversation. He placed his hand on Hiccup's back, giving him a few love taps before grabbing his shoulder and giving him a gentle shake. "So, you think you're gonna be okay?"

At first, Hiccup wasn't sure how to answer. Of course he was disappointed that Jack didn't reciprocate his feelings for him. But then again, it didn't matter. His friendship wasn't ruined by his mishap. All in all, he was just glad to know that Jack was still his friend. It even made him smile just a bit. He looked over to the Guardian and gave him a small nod. "Yeah. Yeah I think I'll be okay."

Jack thought this wasn't fair. At all. He at least deserved a chance with Hiccup, but he couldn't let himself. He wanted so badly to pull Hiccup into his arms and return the kiss and give him one right on his stupid freckled cheek, maybe even give him one right on his stupid little lips. He knew this would be hard, but he didn't expect it to hurt this much. But he kept his smile, not wanting Hiccup to know how hurt he truly was on the inside to have to tell the brunet 'thanks but no thanks'.

"Good," Jack said as he gave Hiccup's back one more pat before he let his hand rest on his lap. It was then that he noticed the sketchbook sitting on the small beside table, the worn down pencil poking out from between the pages as a bit of a bookmark. "Hey," Jack said as he reached out and grabbed the small book, careful not to open it or lose Hiccup's place, "I didn't think you brought this with you."

Hiccup was nervous at first to see Jack reach for his notebook, but was relieved when he didn't appear to make any attempt at opening it. "Of course I would," he answered. "I bring it with me wherever I go."

Jack showed the book to Hiccup, giving it a little shake before he asked, "May I?"

Hiccup, unsure at first, was willing to show Jack some of his sketches again. But only the ones he approved of. He took the book from Jack and opened it to his most recent page. Both of the pages were one large picture of the room, the fireplace lit, the curtains open, and Toothless lying by the fire and curled into a ball as he slept. "I did this one the other day."

Jack was once again amazed by Hiccup's attention to detail. How he managed to get his pictures to look this good with just that one rugged and worn out pencil was beyond him. "This is amazing," he said in awe.

"Thanks." It always brought Hiccup happiness to see his talents outside of dragon training be appreciated. Though he was a little nervous to see Jack inspect his drawing so, knowing that it could look just a little better had he had a smaller tip so he could add a little more details here and there. "I figured I had to have something besides my memories to remind me of this place, you know? I'm gonna hopefully grow old one day and I want to make sure I remember this place."

Jack smiled, rolling eyes a bit before he playfully bumped Hiccup with his elbow. "Like North wouldn't want you to come back here. When we stop Pitch, I bet he'll throw a feast just in your honor."

Hiccup chuckled a little bit. "Don't be ridiculous."

"I'm not," Jack insisted. "He threw me one when we first took down Pitch."

"That was because you became a Guardian. Of course he was going to have a little celebration."

"Ah, details, details," Jack waved off. "Now show me something else in your book!"

"Well I can't just show you everything!"

"Why not?"

"Because!"

"Oh. Because? Well that clearly makes a lot of sense."

Hiccup groaned in annoyance, though he did feel a little happy and even slightly accomplished since Jack was taking a liking to his sketchbook yet again. "Fine," he said. "I guess I can show you a few more." He held the book close, making sure Jack didn't see anything new that he knew wasn't ready. Though he hadn't work on any really detailed pieces just yet, all he had left to show Jack was a small sketch dump he did of all of the Guardians, though the only one he was really proud of was the page with two small sketches he had done of Sandy. "I wanna draw the rest of you guys, but here's what I got so far," he said as he handed Jack the small book. Hiccup purposefully neglected to tell Jack though that there were already four whole pages in the book dedicated to Jack. Try as he might, he didn't think he truly captured Jack's child-like and happy-go-lucky spirit in any of those doodles.

But what Jack didn't know didn't hurt him in this case, and he was focused solely on looking at these wonderful pictures that Hiccup had drawn of his Guardian friend. He didn't know how Hiccup did it, but he still kept on surprising Jack. "These are really good!" he complimented. "Let me guess. You made these to remember us as well?"

Hiccup nodded in response. "Mhm. I didn't know if I would be able to see anyone else after all of this so I needed to get you all down while I still could."

Jack rolled his eyes, closing the book and handing it back to Hiccup. "You act as if you're never going to see me again for the rest of your life when this is over."

"Well I know I'm gonna see you again!" Hiccup went on. "Of course I am! You're like the only one here who doesn't take his job as seriously."

Jack feigned taking offence to that statement, gasping just a little before pointing at Hiccup. "Excuse me, Viking, but I will not have you slander the good name of Jack Frost!"

"Oh no. No, no, of course you wouldn't," Hiccup said as he placed his book back on the small table. "You do that all on your own."

"I'm sorry, are you trying to ruin our friendship here?"

"I'm just stating the obvious."

"I'll remember that the next time you guys are actually wanting to play in the snow."

"Go ahead. I always hated winter anyways. Those patches of ice always made my prosthetic a living Hel."

Jack laughed for a moment, wrapping his arm around Hiccup's shoulders and pulling him close. He was so thankful to see Hiccup back to his old self again. To hear him laugh and to see him smile, it reminded him of how things were. Back when things were normal. He sighed before he asked, "You don't really hate winter do you?"

Hiccup rolled his eyes with a small smile. "If it makes you feel any better, I don't absolutely hate it."

"Absolutely?"

"It has its perks."

"Such as?"

"Do you want a list?" Hiccup asked before he started to count off his fingers. "There's snow, great winds, and Snoggletog. But then there's also ice, icicles, snow storms, freezing temperatures, and little to no sun. There. Happy?"

Though the odds were more for the cons of winter five to three, Jack smiled pridefully. "Yes as a matter of fact, I am."

"Gods," Hiccup said with a sigh, moving out of Jack's embrace. "You're nuts."

"And you believe in me. Who's more nuts?"

"Still you."

The boys shared a good laugh after that, neither of them remembering why they were so worried or upset just a few moments ago. For now, it seemed like everything was perfect. Just the two of them, three including the eavesdropping dragon, having a good time with each other. Things were starting to look like they might get better, memories of their happy and fun-filled past filling their minds. This was what both of them missed most. Just a chance to be with the other and simply have a good time.

When their laughter died down, and they both remembered the gravity of the situation they were in which included both Pitch and the details of their relationship with one another, their smiles faltered just a little bit. But they never fell. They still smiled despite the odds being stacked against them.

Hiccup knew now what he had to do. Regardless of what he was worried about before; that was all in the past. He knew now that Jack would still be his friend, and he was beginning to have hope again that things could change and that they could still win this thing. There was no reason for him to have to leave the Pole. Not when he was needed this much. "I'm gonna stay you know," he said, looking over to Jack. "I'm gonna stay and I'm gonna do whatever I can to help you guys. I don't care how long it takes."

Jack thought it was certain that Hiccup was going to stay regardless if he had spoken up or not, but he did find it comforting to hear him say it out loud. He placed his hand on Hiccup's back, smiling still as he let out a small chuckle. "Good. I'm pretty sure we'd be lost, and or dead, without you."

"Dead," Hiccup responded with a single nod. "Totally dead. No question about it."

Jack rolled his eyes, scoffing just a little at the remark. "Well gee, thanks for having such faith in us, Hiccup."

"I'll have faith when you tell me what the shot limit of a Gronckle is."

"Seven?"

"Six."

"Ugh! I second-guessed it! I totally knew that!"

"Uh-huh. I'm sure you did."

Again, the boys shared another small round of laughter, Jack playfully shoving his friend as the brunet laughed at Jack's expense.

"Well," said Jack, "I guess I'll just have to stop by later for my own little private study session?"

"Don't act like that makes you special. Everyone gets their own private session," Hiccup pointed out.

"Either way, I think it'll do me some good," Jack said as he stood up, stretching his arms above his head before kicking up his staff and grabbing it before it even begin to fall back to the floor. "You on the other hand, you might want to get up and move around a bit more."

Hiccup raised a brow as he smirked at his friend. "Are you kidding me? I've been walking around almost all day. I just gotta hope those yeti's don't see me or else they might just throw a fit."

"Either that or they'll realize you're feeling better and they'll have to stop pampering you and treating you like a sick little baby." Jack looked over his shoulder, smirking at the Viking with narrowed eyes. "You evil mastermind, you."

Playing along, Hiccup raised his hands above his head, surrendering to Jack with a roll of his eyes. "Oh yeah. You caught me. Take me to North, he's definitely going to want to have a word or two with me about my so-called evil behavior."

"Not to mention your accomplice," Jack said with a small nod to the Night Fury who promptly looked surprised that Jack would even consider turning him in. "What?" Jack asked as the dragon narrowed his own eyes back at Jack's. "You're an accomplice! You saw what was going on and didn't report it. You're just as bad as freckles!"

Toothless only spat out a small fire ball towards Jack, who quickly ducked out of the way as the ball fell to the floor behind him in a small 'splat', steam rising as it sat there on the stone floor. The Guardian looked back at the dragon and pointed at him with his staff. "Not cool, buddy. Not. Cool." The dragon only chortled in response.

Hiccup said nothing. He knew it wouldn't matter even if he did. Those two would always get onto each other like that. But as long as they weren't trying to kill each other, then this was really the best he could ask for. Besides, Toothless knew by now how much Jack meant to him, so it only seemed fair that the dragon not try to kill him…burn him a little maybe, but not kill him or hurt him beyond repair.

"You wouldn't get mad at me if I left before this thing tried to burn my hair off, would you?"

"It's not me I would worry about offending," Hiccup said with a cross of his arms. The Night Fury in question smiled at Jack, taunting him in his own way as Hiccup took his side.

Jack wasn't too surprised by where Hiccup's allegiance lied. But what really got on his nerves was the way Toothless seemed to tease him as if he were a child boasting and gloating about how they were the favorite kid. "Whatever," Jack said as he stood up straight before walking backwards towards the door. "All I know is that one day, that dragon's attitude is gonna get him in trouble."

"Oh believe me, it already has." Hiccup looked at his dragon with a raised brow. "On multiple occasions." Toothless didn't seem to mind the sudden switch his rider had done on him. Instead he simply lied down beside the bed, resting his head on the mattress by Hiccup's leg.

Jack sighed, turning around to open the door and let himself out. Before he left the room however, he turned to look at Hiccup one more time and give him a small nod. "I'll see you around, okay?" He tried to sound hopeful and optimistic, as if he wanted to make sure that Hiccup still wasn't worried about the relationship between them. Jack didn't feel that this should affect Hiccup in any negative way, despite the fact that things didn't go exactly how the brunet had planned. It wasn't his fault after all.

Hiccup smiled, knowing what Jack was trying to do. True he was hurting just a little on the inside, but he wouldn't let it affect him. He was fine. They were fine. Everything was as it should be. Hiccup was just grateful that he and Jack could still be friends after everything that had happened. "See ya. And you better study!" he said with a point towards the Guardian.

"No promises" Jack said with a chuckle as he left the room, closing the door behind him and leaving Hiccup alone with his dragon. When the door had closed, Jack's smile began to fall, no longer having to put up the charade for his friend. That was hard. Harder than he had imagine it would be.

He knew that he had made the right decision, but something inside him was telling him it wasn't. He couldn't decide whether it was his gut, his heart, or even his conscience. He had to practically force himself from not going back in there and pulling Hiccup into a tight embrace, never wanting to let him go and to just have one chance to show him, to tell him how he truly felt. He sighed as he started to walk away from the door once he realized that opportunity had already come and gone. Now there was nothing he could do but try to be like Hiccup and move on. He knew that this situation was fair, even though it clearly felt like he was being cheated out of something that would make him feel happy. If his own guilt wasn't driving him away from this, the looks and talks he would get from the rest of the Guardians would.

He could hear them all now. Near shouting at Jack why he would even think having any form of a romantic relationship with a mortal was a good idea. Bunny was the loudest of the group in his mind, whereas North was more disappointed and Tooth was more inquiring as to why such an idea would even cross Jack's mind. Sandy however just sat there in more silence than usual. He couldn't see any good coming out of them finding out about his feelings for Hiccup.

Then again, perhaps they didn't have to know? That kiss, even if it was just a quick one on his cheek, felt wonderful and dare he say magical. He wanted more, he wanted so much more of it. This wasn't fair. He felt like the Man in the Moon was punishing him all over again. Was there some other important lesson he was trying to teach him? If he was then he had a really funny way of going about it. Jack walked away from the door, moving towards the railing of the other side and letting his fingers run along the top of it as he walked past, careful not to freeze the wood.

He felt…not alone, but lonely. And as stupid as he felt because of it, only Hiccup could make feel otherwise at the moment. He mind wandered and he soon thought of what North told him just earlier that day. He told Jack to do what he felt was right. He didn't know Jack's current circumstances, but his words still rang true. This didn't feel right. Had he made the right choice by deciding not to pursue anything with the Viking? It truly had to be. A mortal with an Immortal would only end in heartache for the both of them. But what would happen if Jack simply admitted his feelings and told Hiccup that a relationship just wasn't possible? Would he understand? Would it only make things worse? Jack knew that only time could tell. His best bet would be to just wait and hope that things only got better with time; time he could use to try to move on. But this was one decision he couldn't mess up. He had once chance to be with Hiccup, and if he hadn't just wasted it, then he had to make sure he got this right. Hiccup deserved that.

Short Chapter was short, right? Anyways, I'm sorry for the wait and the short/lame excuse (and chapter) but I hope things will get better in the future. Maybe I'll post again before the month is out. Who knows. Here's hoping things go right.