AN: Special update for a friend. I hope it can make you smile :)
. o O o .
Chapter: 3
Mrs Ingerman was proven right – at least when it came to them not being able to work on their cottage on the following day. The storm had been getting stronger over night, not moving on as the weather report had predicted but staying in place practically right above the bay.
It only took Hiccup and Eret one glance outside and a shared look to decide that, unfortunately, their cottage would have to wait. What followed was a good day, all things considered. Comfortable. The rain and the howling wind outside made for a cosy atmosphere, supported by the warmth and never-ending cracking noises from the fire in the hearth within.
Eret used the time to type away at his laptop, continuing to write his book about Life In The North, how people used to live here during the past thousand years or so, what crafts and techniques they used, how nature provided for them, what stories and legends they told each other – and how that still influenced how people lived here today.
Hiccup actively had to suppress a grin whenever his boyfriend placed yet another seemingly innocent question to their host. Not that Mrs Ingerman seemed to mind in any way. It was obvious that her son Justin, who was a good friend of theirs and the reason they'd ended up buying the old cottage in the first place, had inherited more than just her love for good food. When confronted with the right kind of questions, it was nigh on impossible to make them stop talking.
Not good at holding up prolonged social contact at any given time, Hiccup mostly blended their conversation out though, and focused more on his drawing tablet. As much as he was looking forward to getting back to working on their future home, having a day to draw in peace again was good too. He'd put himself on a hiatus, all commissions and remittance work paused for now, but that didn't mean that he wouldn't want to draw, whether it was for an interesting commission or just for fun. He drew many things that day, Eret and Mrs Ingerman as they were in deep conversation about local healing plants, some colour practise using the fire as inspiration, and even a picture of the storm and the churning ocean behind the windows.
"What's this?" Eret's sudden voice surprised him, and with a low grunt Hiccup looked up.
"What's what?" he asked, yawning and stretching, and gladly accepted the mug of steaming tea Eret held out to him. It smelled delicious, the warmth it emitted very welcome.
Eret sat down beside him, his own tea in hand. "This here." He pointed toward Hiccup's drawing tablet, to the picture of the storm – and a small light golden spot amidst the dark green, almost black waves.
Frowning, Hiccup stared at the unexpected spot of bright colour. "Erm…" he made unintelligently. "I have no idea. I didn't think much while drawing this, to be honest." He leaned down closer as if that would make the shapeless spot clearer. "Maybe the reflection of a light in the window?"
Chuckling, Eret threw an arm around his shoulders to draw him into a cuddle and placed a light kiss to his temple. "You're so adorable when you're entirely absorbed in something," he mumbled against his skin.
Hiccup rolled his eyes at his idiot of a boyfriend, but then turned his head to kiss him nonetheless. "I could say the same, you know? I saw you and Mrs Ingerman had a good talk. What was it about? Something interesting for me to know?"
Eret shrugged and retreated a little to sip his tea without threatening to spill anything over Hiccup's valuable tablet. "Maybe. She told me of the ruins of some medieval castle somewhere up the coastline. I might go to take a look at some point, to see if it's something worth adding to my book."
"A castle, you say? I'm game. Got a commission for some medieval AU thing, those ruins might be the perfect reference for the background."
"Yep, that's what I thought," Eret nodded. Then he leaned closer, close enough that his breath tickled at his ear. "Plus, it's supposed to be very remote. We'd be completely alone there."
Hiccup shuddered, both at Eret lightly nibbling at his ear and at the implication alike. His boyfriend knew about his 'outdoor kink', after all. Eret chuckled at his low moan, then got up again with an undeniable mission accomplished look on his face.
"I'll leave you to your drawing again," he announced, winking mischievously.
Chuckling quietly to himself, Hiccup watched Eret return to his laptop, his eyes not at all glued to the firm butt hidden beneath low-hanging jogging pants. Maybe this break from working on their cottage during the last days had yet another merit than just catching up on their usual work. They'd be, for once, far less exhausted tonight.
Trying to ignore the eagerly pooling heat in his belly, Hiccup focused back on the picture in front of him. With a clearer head now after the short break, that golden spot really stood out. How was it possible that he hadn't noticed it before? Bewildered, he glanced back out of the window liked he'd done a lot already today, at the untamable sea. Once again, he lost himself in the sight of waves raging against the shore, at the spray bursting high and getting carried far by the wind, and at the pattern the rain drew onto the never-resting surface.
It was captivating.
Mesmerising.
It took Hiccup quite some time before he noticed the difference between the picture he saw through the window and the one on his tablet. Frowning, he looked around the room but nothing had changed. All lights were still lit, none had gotten turned off or moved or suddenly got blocked by furniture. Once more, he glanced at his drawing, at the strange golden spot, and then back out the window. But no matter how he shifted his head or tried different positions, the result was always the same.
There was no reflection of any of the room's lights in the window.
. o O o .
All day, she lingered close to the shore.
She knew that she shouldn't do that; it was an instinct older than she was herself. When the day and its light came, she had to retreat into open water or the dark depth of the ocean, couldn't risk for a human to spot her. Dangerous things happened when humans were involved, deadly things. She had to avoid them.
But the storm made the day nearly as dark as the night.
And she couldn't bring herself to swim away anyway.
All day, she'd watched the humans' construction, their brightly lit home. Their warmth.
Around her, the waves invited her to play with them, the wind singing her a song of freedom and eternity. But for once, they held no appeal to her. For once, all she was interested in were the figures she could see moving inside their building.
Wrong, wrong, wrong.
With a high-pitched scream, she threw herself into the waves and swam away, as fast and as far as she could. She couldn't get close to humans.
It was never worth it.