Chapter 2:
"Alright, buddy. Guess what I got today?" Hiccup yells into the forest, his eyes on his bag. It's filled with fishing supplies. Today, they'll be eating live bait. Well, Toothless will. This is exactly why Hiccup also brought the correct seasonings and tools to cook his over natural fire. He doesn't know why he brings the fishing rod, but something tells him to do it. Mainly, the remaining saliva that rests on the fish when Toothless catches them, even after being cooked.
Never washes out, Hiccup muses. He flings the bag back over his shoulder, finally noticing the silence. That's weird, he's usually here by now. Hiccup scratches at his beard, watching the trees closely. Suddenly, he catches a flash of black. Hiccup's shoulders lift with a grin until he notices the black speck isn't moving. Well, it is - but it's unnatural. Like it's floating in mid-air, invisible glue holding together little black dust to form something. It's too far away to tell, but with the winter wonderland, Hiccup can see enough to tell him that it isn't Toothless. Switching to the usual casual mode whenever he encounters something unordinary, Hiccup wanders forward. He walks forward, acting as if he's still watching the trees.
Then, everything clicks together. When Hiccup gets close enough to see the specks turn into a horse, something else appears within a tree's shadow. He's just as black as the horse - his skin the same shade as one of the lightest shadows. His gold eyes gaze at the horse with a haunting adoration, but his attention wavers to Hiccup when he hears the snow crunching. Once again, Hiccup looks right through him with practiced ease. After a while, he got used to his 'imaginary friends' and just opted to ignore them altogether. Just like they did when he asked for help. Hiccup works hard to keep the frown off his face. After all, the past is best left forgotten.
Oh, Toothless. Please be alright. Hiccup turns his head to the sky, trying his best not to shiver as the stranger scrutinizes him. Well, he isn't a stranger. Hiccup doesn't know him - he knows of him. Boogeyman. His village's worst nightmare back in the dark ages. He's only heard stories, but after one particularly horrible night, Hiccup knew he was real. The thought makes him shudder, so Hiccup pulls his jacket closer - acting as if it's simply the cold getting to him.
A funny thought - he's been frozen alive once or twice.
Hiccup unconsciously freezes, right next to the Boogeyman as he spots something flash in the sky. Welp, now he knows where Toothless is. Alright, buddy - stay up there. Hiccup unconsciously grins, dashing further into the woods. He's well aware of the man following him on his trusted steed - but Hiccup can't care less. He starts sprinting, the horse right beside him.
"What a strange man," Pitch muses. Something about the stranger in his woods, Pitch finds familiar. Which isn't all that normal - unless he's given someone a memorable nightmare. It's probably just that. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"
Hiccup ignores him, keeping his eyes on the sky. He knows the forest well enough, he's sure he won't run into anything. Until he slams face-first into a tree. Alright, who put the tree there!? Hiccup groans, trying not to snap as the Boogeyman starts to snicker.
"There's a tree there."
Hiccup snorts, acting as if he sneezed when the Boogeyman looks back at him. Yeah, I couldn't tell. It's not like my nose is bleeding. Hiccup slams his head into the snowy ground, allowing his head to be swallowed up by the freezing cloud. He's gonna have to postpone his little adventure - this guy isn't going to leave him alone. Then again, he doesn't want to lead the king of nightmares to his house with his two kids. Hiccup groans, slowly pulling himself out of the snowbanks.
He shakes himself off, flinging his hair like a dog to try and get some of the snow off of him. Then, with his now bloody hand holding the bridge of his nose with his head to the sky, Hiccup begins the trek home. He follows his footprints, stumbling only a few times. Family outings are going to have to wait.
By the time Hiccup gets home, his nose stopped bleeding. Good news - it's still snowing, so the evidence of his crash is currently being covered over by a layer of snow. Shaking himself out once more, Hiccup enters his house. Quickly taking off his boots - allowing his prosthetic leg to be in full view - he moves silently through the house. He shuffles into the living room, placing his bag into the main closet and slowly taking off his gear. His equipment's upgraded throughout the years - and Hiccup is very grateful for the supplies within the newer period.
Right as Hiccup is about to sneak into the kitchen for his routine coffee and a nice clean, he hears his wife clear her throat. He freezes, knowing that the Boogie-dude is still outside his window and watching as Hiccup slowly turns to his wife. He grins, opening his arms wide with a yawn for show.
"Hey, honey. Sorry about that, did I wake you? I just woke up for a second."
Astrid is quiet, crossing her arms and staring at Hiccup with a raised brow. Hiccup sighs, releasing the stress on his shoulders and giving her a real smile - although, it's a sheepish one.
Astrid sighs, shaking her head. "You have to stop doing this. We have kids now - and so does he! You agreed we would leave them alone. And you're caked in blood, right now."
"I know, honey - but I saw him this time! He's looking for me too, I know he is!"
Astrid shakes her head, turning around and leaving for the bedroom. Hiccup rushes after her, never seeing his son sitting at the top of the stairs and watching them. He wanted water - and, apparently, so did his parents.
"Honey, come on - talk to me!"
Astrid turns around, her hair whipping around with her. Her features are set hard, and both husband and son notice the completely disappointed and agitated glare she gives Hiccup.
"I am talking to you - I've been talking to you for years now! The problem is you're not listening! You're telling our children childish stories, ones you still manage to believe in! You're going to ruin them! You're going to ruin us - all of your outings are growing to the point I don't see you until after work! We have a life, now. You need to grow up."
Hiccup stares after his wife as she walks away. He had folded into himself some point during the conversation. He doesn't have the energy to change that. He sighs, sliding to the floor with his back against the wall. They've had this conversation many times before. He almost lost Jamie because of it. Hiccup bangs his head against the wall, loudly, making Jamie flinch. The little boy stares at his father - a man he's always looked up to. No matter how many times people bring him down, his dad always puts a smile on his face and stands up for what he believes in. But now, it doesn't look like he's planning on getting back up again. Right now, his dad looks on the brink of tears as he bangs his head on the wall repeatedly.
Right before Hiccup's eyes wander to Jamie's hiding spot, the little boy runs off to his room. He closes the door with a quiet click, throwing himself in his bed and curling into the sheets.
He sits within the silence, replaying the fight over and over again in his mind.
The only reason Hiccup even notices that something is up is when he notices the devilish smirk Pitch sends towards his son's room. Starting to panic, Hiccup gets up as slowly as possible to make it seem like he hadn't noticed anything. But when Pitch's black coat disappears from his line of sight, Hiccup bolts up the stairs to Jamie's room. Stopping at his son's door - decorated with dinosaurs and aliens - Hiccup stops to calm his heart rate. He still doesn't want Pitch to grow suspicious - that'll put his family in even more danger than his son is in right now.
Finally evening out his breathing pattern, Hiccup calmly struts into the room. He holds back a strike of fury when he sees Pitch looming over his son, who's squirming and panting in his sleep. Moving quickly, just as any normally worrying parent would, Hiccup stands right in front of Pitch. He's careful not to touch the spirit, knowing he won't just faze through the spirit like everyone else. However, that doesn't save him from the line of fire. His son's nightmare suddenly becomes his own - and he starts sweating with the effort to keep it at bay. Pitch doesn't need to know his fears, the only thing he needs is to get away from Hiccup's family.
Hiccup is so close to revealing himself just to beat the guy to oblivion.
Gently sitting on the bed, Hiccup watches as Jamie starts to calm down. However, painstaking enough, his tears continue to flow. Glaring at nothing, Hiccup gently lifts his hand and starts shaking his son's shoulder. Immediately, Jamie bolts up. When he sees his dad sitting beside him, forehead creasing with worry and his few gray hairs starting to show - Jamie can't stop himself from throwing his arms around his dad's neck.
"Woah, buddy. It's alright - just a dream," Hiccup reassures, ignoring as Pitch's anger grows at the statement. Hiccup focuses on his son, rubbing the kids back in a slow pattern and keeping him close. "No matter what, I will always protect you."
In a flurry, Pitch is off with only the muttered words about 'Tooth's Palace'. Hiccup doesn't bother with him. Jamie fell asleep a few minutes ago, and Hiccup stayed by his side to block Pitch's powers. Even now that the looming threat is gone, Hiccup sits with his son. Though, he moves to Jamie's desk. He sits there for hours, keeping an eye on his son as the boy sleeps. Why would Pitch choose that moment to target Jamie - what happened to catch Pitch's interest? Was it my fault?
Knowing Hiccup's luck - it is his fault. Hiccup sighs, running a tired hand through his hair. What if he was watching? Hiccup's heart aches at the thought. He throws his head back, glaring at the ceiling. He can't do anything without screwing up, even in his old days. Everywhere he goes he's ruining someone's life - and now it's turning to his son. Hiccup runs a hand through his hair, looking back at Jamie. The boy's sleeping peacefully - a small smile on his face. Hiccup can almost imagine Jamie's golden dreams dancing above his head.
But he doesn't want to.
Astrid's right - it's time to get over this. So, what - they're real. What am I proving - that I'm special, that another world far beyond the normal exists? It doesn't matter, there's a reason that the world stays hidden. It's making me lose my mind - and my family.
Hiccup gives one last sigh of resignation, looking at his son with a sad sort of determination. Finally, he lets his eyes flutter closes for a short nap, even with the blood still caked on his hand and his face. He never wavers from his seat, and he stays vigilant throughout the night. He's never been a good sleeper, especially now that his kids are involved. Some things will never change - though the empty pillow besides Astrid's head says otherwise.