AN: Yay, next chapter! :D

. o O o .

Chapter 7

When Eret woke, he found that the bed beside him was already empty. He pouted at the lost opportunity for cuddles, but couldn't say that he was surprised. Even with how Hiccup usually slept in – since he was prone to forgetting the time when he was drawing in the evening – him being awake early had become a fairly regular occurrence since they'd moved out here. By now, he was probably outside, using the lighting of the sunrise as inspiration to draw.

Yawning, Eret stretched and wandered on into the kitchen to prepare himself a cup of coffee. After a couple of weeks living in their new home, it was easy to find the way even sleepy as he was. He'd just taken a sip, humming at the bitter-sweet taste that promised wakefulness, when he noticed that Hiccup's favourite cup was still standing by the sink, clean and clearly unused.

Eret frowned at the cup for a moment, then threw a worried glance out of the window. If Hiccup had been so distracted that he hadn't even gotten himself a cup of tea... With more uneasiness than he wanted to admit even to himself, Eret hurried out of the backdoor that led right to their garden. It was a strong word for the small terrace where only a simple table and a bench stood, and the probably once beautifully arranged flower beds were overgrown and barely distinguishable from the wild nature around them. Especially since there was no fence any more to separate both spaces.

Which was exactly the problem.

"Oh, not again!" he muttered as he spotted Hiccup standing a good distance away from the house, amidst the knee-high grass and staring out over the ocean. He jogged over, not even bothering to call out for his boyfriend. By now, he knew that Hiccup wouldn't hear him, would only react to direct contact. "Hey there, are you sleepwalking again?" he asked, his hand on Hiccup's shoulder. He'd meant to sound jokingly, but somehow he felt as if he'd failed.

As always, Hiccup needed a minute or three before he fully came to his senses again. "Oh, hey," he greeted Eret with a broad if dazed smile. "Morning, love. I didn't know you're awake too, or I'd…" He blinked, looking around in puzzlement. Then he slumped down, leaning against Eret's chest, and chuckled weakly. "Oh damn… I'd ask how it's suddenly bright already… but I guess I know the answer. It happened again, didn't it?" He chuckled again, leaning even more heavily against Eret.

Eret, however, just nodded, unable to find any of this funny. "Let's head back, hm?" he suggested, and wrapped his arm tightly around Hiccup to support his wobbly legs.

By the time they were back in their kitchen, Hiccup was mostly himself again. With fluid motions, he prepared breakfast for them both, scrambled eggs on toast, and even joked again.

"Gods, that Undine is really getting to me it seems," he said cheerfully. "Sometimes I wonder whether we will ever see her. I'm curious, you know? I mean, sure, Mrs Ingerman said she doesn't have a fishtail or something. But how does she look? Do you think she'd have pointy ears, gills, or webs?"

But Eret just rolled his eyes. "You know that something like mermaids – or the Undine Mrs Ingerman told us about for that matter – don't exist, right? Those are nothing but fairy tales, and I think we are too old to believe in those," he said teasingly, even as he didn't really feel like joking. Because every bit of logical reasoning aside… even he couldn't explain what was happening to Hiccup.

Absentmindedly, he sipped his coffee and ate his breakfast, trying to think of some other sensible explanation, when Hiccup interrupted him with another topic.

"So, are you coming along to town today? Fair warning, I'm going to be pretty busy. There are at least four customers I need to check in with, maybe five. That's going to take a while."

"Oh, right. That's today. Uh…" Eret pondered for a moment, but then shook his head. "No, I'll stay here if that's all right with you. I've got to catch up on my book, and I feel like today is a great day for writing."

Hiccup nodded, smiling. "Sounds good. And yeah, no problem. I'm going to drop in at the shop on my way back; is there something you want me to get for you?"

Eret thought for a second, then shook his head. "No, not really. Just the usual – and maybe not too heavy food for dinner? I have plans…" He grinned, making Hiccup smirk accordingly.

"Can't wait."

It didn't take long after that until Hiccup was ready to leave, wearing a black leather jacket Eret adored on him and his backpack with his laptop. "See you later, love," he said cheerfully, and stretched to give Eret a quick goodbye kiss.

But Eret wouldn't have that. The moment he got the chance, he wrapped his arms tightly around his boyfriend's waist, and pulled him close into a deeper kiss. Hiccup gave in easily, chuckling against his lips, and brought one hand to the back of Eret's neck, drawing him even closer.

"Mmh, don't take too long," Eret mumbled, and released him with a regretful sigh. Their life out here was pretty easy and relaxed, but sometimes, there were still appointments they couldn't miss.

Once Hiccup and their truck were out of sight, Eret prepared himself another big mug of coffee, and got ready to get to work himself. It was a beautiful day, already warm even so early in the morning, and it probably wouldn't be long now until they could go swimming in the ocean. He decided to set up his laptop outside on the small terrace, and it didn't take long before he sat comfortably and with his document open, ready to start.

It should have been an easy task, writing out his notes in full. But he wasn't able to concentrate, his mind constantly drifting back to the morning and to Hiccup. What was it that was up with him? Was he turning into a sleepwalker all of a sudden? Whatever it was, it was a little disturbing, but Eret refused to believe even for a second that his behaviour could come from the influence of some mystical creature. Things like mermaids or dragons or spirits didn't exist. He'd researched enough of those myths to recognise the pattern. Someone had made up a story once, and then everything – from the weather to cheating partners and the death of children – got ascribed to that one explanation. But Eret wouldn't fall for that.

Maybe it was just living out here that affected Hiccup, he mused as his eyes wandered over the ocean's surface. The quiet and solitude out here was immense, and only got interrupted by the constant rushing of the sea, the only sound far and wide. It was fascinating, Eret had to admit as his eyes followed the waves, watched them crashing against a single rock some 50 yards away from the shore. Soothing yet never boring, and the light breeze on his face almost like the caress of a lover.

It was beautiful, mesmerizing. The feel of the wind, the sight of the glistening sun on the ocean, the brine in his nose and on his tongue, the sound of the waves almost like a melody. So beautiful...

Eret flinched as something warm landed on his arm. With a low gasp he shook his head, weirdly hazy all of a sudden, and it took him a moment to realise that someone was talking to him. He had difficulties focusing his eyes, especially as what he saw didn't make sense.

"Hiccup?" he asked, bewildered. "W-what are you doing here? Did you forget something?" He felt strange, tired, exhausted even, and his eyes were playing tricks on him. Everything had the wrong colour.

"No, I didn't," Hiccup sighed, then tugged at his arm, one hand wandering around his waist to guide him. "But let's head back toward the cottage and sit down before we talk, all right?"

Eret blinked, confused, but followed Hiccup's lead. Back to the cottage? But… but he'd never left it! Slowly he let his bleary gaze wander around, taking in his surroundings. They were at the end of the small headland a good 100 yards away from their cottage, surrounded by the knee-high grass and on three sides by the ocean. How had they ended up here?

Next, Eret understood why everything looked so strange. The sky and everything around him was tainted in red and gold by... the setting sun?

"What happened?" he asked a few minutes later after Hiccup had sat him down on the bench in front of their home and had brought him a woollen blanket. Eret thankfully took the blanket and wrapped it around himself, shivering. His eyes fell on his laptop, the display dark and only the blinking light indicating that is was still on, and his mug of coffee, cold by now and with some bug having drowned in it. "I… I was sitting here just now, getting started after you'd left… this morning... and… and then…" His gaze wandered back to the headland, his mind unable to comprehend. What had happened?

"It's disturbing, isn't it?" came Hiccup's soft reply, and when Eret looked at him there was an even softer smile on his face. "And I don't know what it is, what happens. But it's… something. Maybe you're right and it's not Mrs Ingerman's Undine. But what is it then?"

To that, Eret had no answer. He didn't resist when Hiccup suggested getting back inside, and a perfectly done steak and a well-seasoned bowl of salad later, he almost felt normal again. He still couldn't wrap his head around that he'd dreamed away the entire day, but when Hiccup told him of the conversation he'd had with his customers and employer it eventually sank in for real. And no matter how much he enjoyed watching a film after dinner or the quick messy tryst with Hiccup afterwards, there was still this one thought on his mind when they cuddled to sleep, a thought that frightened him a little.

What if this legend was real?

. o O o .

For weeks now, the creature had been watching them. Her heartbeat quickened whenever she spotted one of them outside, humming a low tune in delight. She couldn't even say why, but they gave her a warm feeling, and she barely ever dared to leave least she missed them.

Today had been a lucky day though. They'd both been there, coming close to the shore for her to watch them for hours, and once they'd retreated out of sight into their small construction, she was unable to hold back. Laughing in delight, she left the rock where she was usually staying out of sight and jumped through the waves, playfully, happy.

She didn't even understand it herself. All her instincts told her to stay away, that humans were dangerous, that getting involved in their world meant death. And yet, she was unable to stay away, spending more and more time each day watching the construction and the headland, her two humans, wanting to be near them. It was insane, illogical, stupid. But still, it wasn't enough.

That night, she couldn't keep herself from doing something that she knew she shouldn't do. She'd never done it before even though she instinctively knew how. It had never appealed to her, she'd never been interested. For all her life, all those countless decades, she'd been content with staying where she was. Living between the waves was all she wanted, all she needed.

Or had been until now.

Slowly, hesitantly even, she glided closer to the water's edge, to where the waves lapped at the rocky ground and the thin beach. Behind the shore, the small construction stood in darkness now, and yet so warm and alluring that she barely could turn her eyes away from it. She shouldn't get any closer, should turn and swim away again.

Once again the thought of leaving the bay rose in the back of her mind. The bay certainly would do without her for a few years, she could move to another place where she was needed too, could forget this place and its humans until they had left this world. It would be the right thing to do, the wiser choice.

And yet, it was impossible. She'd learned that much from her last try. She couldn't stay away, and she honestly didn't want to anyway. All she could do was try and solve this mystery.

Humming nervously, she drifted closer and closer to the solid ground until the water got too shallow. Her head poked out of the water, the moonlight casting a pale silvery shine onto her hair, but that was nothing unusual. She liked to look around, over the waves and into the sky. What came next, however, was new to her, daring.

Slowly, she rose out of the water, her form solidifying without her having to think about it. Her body knew what to do, forming skin, muscles, and bones to support her weight and keep herself together. It felt strange, weird, distracting. She felt heavy and trapped, as if she couldn't move, couldn't breathe. Her eyes darted around, vision bleary, until they landed on the small house. Without her help, her arm rose, reaching out – and her gaze fell on her hand.

It was trembling, foreign in its shape, its movements alien. Not right. Not her!

Keening, she threw herself back into the water, her body flowing apart into its usual shapeless form, and without looking back even once, she swam away. Humans weren't worth it, she reminded herself. They never were! It would be better to stay away.

But she already knew that that wasn't an option anymore.

. o O o .

So... apparently, it's not just Hiccup who's affected... :|