AN: So, I broke my knee in May, and I've been far too preoccupied with my injury to actually write anything. This has been sitting half finished in my drafts for two months. But! I'm back! Yay!

"Look, Mrs. Overland, I really appreciate the offer, but you really don't have to pay for my storage unit." Hiccup's hands went up in an attempt to calm her down, maybe bring her to a reasonable stance. "I have the money. Physically making my monthly payments on my behalf more than enough. That's already so much work-"

"Nonsense, sweetie," Jack's mother, sitting across from Hiccup at the table in the Overland household, said as she reached across for his hand.

The four of them - Jack and Emma sitting opposite each other and between Sarah and Hiccup - were gathered around the kitchen table. Jack had convinced Hiccup to let him talk to his mother about what to do with Hiccup's belongings during his absence.

"But you're already letting me stay with you now. Really, this is so...this is so kind of you, but-"

"But nothing," Sarah cut him off again. "It's no trouble letting you stay here until you leave. Your lease ran out last week! There was no sense in renewing it for such a short amount of time when you're going to be gone for four months!"

Hiccup's family (his mother), relatively wealthy, was funding the excavation...or at least, contributing whatever the Norwegian government couldn't. So, theoretically, Hiccup could stay for the entire time because his mother was in charge and could afford to have him there. But Hiccup's school had informed him that they couldn't let him go longer than four months. Technically they hadn't found any proof of dragons having resided in the caves despite the anomaly of the mountain itself, so it was strictly classed as an archaeological affair. Hiccup's major was draconology, so even though they could let him go without losing his scholarship, four months was all they were able to allow.

"Okay, but-"

"I'd stop 'but'ing her, Hic," Jack piped up, smirking a little. He and Emma weren't a part of this conversation, not really. Even if this was Jack's idea to bring his mom into this and let Hiccup stay at their house, ultimately the decision was hers and this was something that she and Hiccup alone needed to discuss. Jack and Emma... Well, Hiccup suspected they just wanted to watch them go back and forth.

"If it makes you feel better, we can split the cost between us. You're only interning at the excavation, aren't you? You won't be making any money. It's just not financially responsible to try and pay for a storage unit like that."

Gods, Sarah Overland must have been where Jack and Emma got their stubbornness. She wasn't backing down from this, no matter what Hiccup tried. "Mrs. Overland, my mom's got enough money to handle it while I'm not working. Letting me keep my valuables here when I leave - a-and not to mention, letting me stay here while I look for a new apartment! It's more than just generous. I-I don't even know what to say, I can't accept anything more."

At that point, Sarah closed her eyes and took in a deep, steadying breath. Her brows were furrowed together in what Hiccup assumed was frustration. Briefly he was worried she was frustrated at him, but instead she turned to look at both of her children.

"Jack. Emma. Go outside. Have a skateboarding lesson. You can use the street as long as you keep a close eye out for cars. Hiccup and I need to discuss this and you're both very distracting."

Jack and Emma looked at each other, then back to their mother. Emma hopped out of her seat immediately and ran to the door to put on her shoes. "C'mon, loser!" Jack was a little slower, stopping to put a comforting hand on a very worried Hiccup's arm. He rubbed his shoulder just a bit, smiling at him, before following after his sister.

Sarah waited patiently for the sounds of her children to go outside and shut the door behind them. Once she was sure they had actually left the house as requested, she sighed and looked him in the eyes. "Are you worried you and Jack won't last while you're gone?" she asked, rather bluntly. Hiccup felt his face heating up. "Is that why you're so resistant for my help?"

Damn it. He wasn't sure what was more embarrassing - how apparent his worries seemed to be, or that it was his boyfriend's own mother who saw those fears written on his face? This was exactly what he was afraid of - either her or Jack finding out what he was thinking. Thankfully...thankfully, Jack hadn't seemed to figure it out yet.

"I... Yeah." Hiccup conceded, having gotten to know the Overland family well enough that Sarah was an hawk-eyed-badass. She had to be, to control two kids like Jack and Emma. "We've only been together for two months... And I'm kind of worried what that kind of separation will do to us. You know we've barely been apart."

"Sweetie, look..." Sarah started to say something, but she hesitated. Her breath caught in the back of her throat and she sighed. "I'm not going to try and convince you that won't happen. I obviously can't predict the future. Whether or not you stay with Jack is between you and him, and something you'll have to decide between yourselves. I can't help reassure you. But that has nothing to do with this. My son asked me for this favor, so I'm going to help you out. But...you do need to talk to him."

Hiccup sank in his chair. She had a really good point, and had left him little room to decline. He definitely didn't want to seem ungrateful...and he really could use the reassurance that he'd have a place to stay when he returned to Burgess.

But now...now he needed to talk to Jack. He was dreading that more than anything... Jack could be pretty sensitive under that mischievous smirk and Hiccup didn't want to give him the wrong idea (because Hiccup didn't want to break up with him!)...or sugar coat what needed to be said and let him down later (because it was a possibility).

Gods, this was gonna be hard.

"...You're right, Mrs. Overland," he finally sighed. "It... You doing this, it really is such a big help and I'm... I'm so incredibly grateful for your generosity."

Finally, Sarah smiled. There was a triumphant gleam in her eyes as she leaned back in her chair. "So, remind me again when you're supposed to leave?"

Hiccup took that as a sign the conversation was over. She had won.

Hiccup stared at the sleeping boy next to him. The moonlight shone into Jack's room through the half-open blinds, casting strange lines of silver light across the bed that made his boyfriend look like he was glowing. Humans may have been made from stardust, but Jack he swore was just made of stars. He really was an ethereal being, especially now as he slept. He looked so peaceful and beautiful, it almost hurt for Hiccup to look at him.

'This is mine,' he thought. 'He's mine. At least for now, he's all mine.'

Hiccup hadn't ended up talking to Jack. It had been a week since his talk with Mrs. Overland, and he was due to leave now in about two days. But Hiccup had been scared that Jack would be so upset he'd break up with him if he brought up what was on his mind.

And now, with his departure date looming over his head, Hiccup was almost out of time and he was so...scared. What if he waited too long and left Jack worrying about them breaking up after Hiccup got on the plane? What if he ruined the two days he had left with him by bringing it up over breakfast? When was the right time to bring this up? Should he even mention it?

He sighed softly, and leaned in to kiss Jack on the forehead before laying his head on the pillow again, trying to shut his racing brain off and get some rest.

"Hic?"

Shit.

"Hm?" Hiccup opened his eyes again, met with Jack's squinting against the light. "Did I wake you up?"

"Mmhmm..." Jack's arms wrapped around Hiccup's waist and pulled him close. He nuzzled into Hiccup's chest and sighed, the sound muffled. "What time is it?"

"It's two," Hiccup whispered. "I'm sorry...go back to sleep, babe."

"Mn..." Jack slowly pulled back from Hiccup's shirt, blinking a few times trying to push sleep away. "What's wrong?"

"What?"

"You have that look you get when you're worried... Somethin's up...s'that why you're up at two?" It figures Jack would be able to tell in the dark that Hiccup looked upset. For being an airhead, Jack could be pretty perceptive at times. Sometimes people underestimated how smart he was. Sometimes he did, too.

"It's nothing, babe."

"Hiccup." Jack was sitting up now, rubbing one eye, looking exhausted but staring down at him stubbornly. He clearly wasn't going to go back to sleep until Hiccup told him what was on his mind.

"Jack..." Hiccup sighed, flopping back onto the pillow again, covering his eyes. "Come on, don't do this..."

"I'm doin' it. You need to talk about somethin' and I'm not gonna just fall back asleep on ya."

Gods, Hiccup didn't wanna lose this idiot.

"...Jack..." He sighed and closed his eyes, not wanting to see Jack's face. "Do you think we're going to last while I'm gone?"