There's Always More

by AlicevsWonderland

Hogwarts AU. When Hiccup's secret of being the first to train a dragon is revealed, he struggles to handle his new popularity among the other students. Jack decides not to bother him like many of the others, even though he is also curious about the whole story. Despite this, an unlikely friendship blooms between the two boys and eventually turns into something more. Rated M!

8. Damaged People

Author's note:

The title of this chapter "Damaged People" comes from the Depeche Mode song of the same name.

---

The sun was peeking out from behind the majestic mountains surrounding the ancient magical castle, as Hiccup made his way back towards the Ravenclaw dormitories from the small forest. The gentle rays lit up the sky in beautiful layers of orange and pink nuances, and the scattered trail of golden clouds calmed his mind. He let the fresh morning air fill his lungs, while walking past the Quidditch pitch. Flying with Toothless always filled his heart with happiness.

His boot and his prosthetic squished against the wet grass bathed in morning dew. Mornings were always so peaceful and he'd come to enjoy having this time to himself, before everyone else woke up. The gentle breeze ruffled his hair and he rubbed one of his eyes. His thoughts started to wander and landed on Jack.

Humans are weird creatures. Someone new can enter your life, bringing out new habits, new experiences, new thoughts and suddenly these things become a fixture in your life. Even though you'd lived your whole life without them, all of the sudden their absence would bring a strange sensation of missing something familiar.

Hiccup reached the castle, and when he wandered down the stone corridors, he already missed the crisp morning air outside.

It was weird, how Jack had suddenly become a constant presence in his life. It'd been about two months, since they'd had their first real conversation that evening in the library, but to Hiccup, it seemed like much longer. But when you've grown close to someone, your mind plays tricks on you. The habit of having them around makes the time before they entered your life seem much farther away.

He smiled, when he found himself back in the dormitory, and saw Fishlegs rolled onto his side, drooling on his pillow. He started taking his armor off, bit by bit.

Jack had become a part of his daily life. The thought was pleasant and unnerving at the same time. Jack confused him at first with his friendly banter and playful smiles. Hiccup hadn't been sure, if he actually wanted to be his friend, or if he had an agenda like everyone else. But Jack never asked him anything dragon related or anything about his childhood. He seemed content just getting to know each other and having fun.

A part of him wanted to trust Jack with some of the things that weighed heavily on his mind, and another part wanted to keep them under lock and key, guarded by a million dragons. Because even though he'd started to trust Jack, there was always a risk when it came to people.

---

Hiccup savored, how quiet the old stone corridors were today. Only a few people passed them by here and there. It was the weekend, so most students were busy spending time with their friends in the common rooms, the dormitories or outside on the castle's massive grounds.

He liked peace and quiet, and crowded hallways always made him feel watched. Even before he became popular, he disliked being in crowds, because the eyes of people burned into his skin, making him self-conscious. Now, it'd become worse, since people were actually approaching him, talking to him and keeping their eyes on him more than before.

He, Jack and Flynn were making their way through the corridors, going towards the owlery to send letters to their families. He'd actually written quite a long letter to his dad, updating him on how everything was going, not just with him, but also with Rapunzel, Fishlegs, Astrid and Toothless. He'd ended his letter with a bunch of questions about, how things were at home, especially with the hostile tribes.

Jack had his arm around his shoulder. It was sort of their little ritual by now, and Hiccup had come to enjoy it. It was familiar and comforting and somehow, it made him a little less awkward, whenever the hallways were full of people, watching and whispering. It seemed that the other students in the castle had become used to the sight of him and Jack doing this, because no one shot them curious looks anymore. It was a relief. He had enough people staring at him. Any decrease in attention was a good thing.

He spotted Wallace walking towards them behind a small group of Slytherins, a couple of books clutched in his arms. Every time Hiccup saw him, he had the urge to punch a wall. Wallace glanced at them and did a double take. His eyes widened. Hiccup stared at him, cold eyes, lips pressed together. He'd restrained himself and not punched the guy after he deliberately injured Jack to the point that he could have died, but Wallace shouldn't forget Hiccup's words to him. If he ever tried to hurt Jack again, Hiccup wouldn't be holding back next time.

Wallace tightened the grip around his books and hurried past them, his head lowered, long dark hair covering some of his face from view.

Hiccup took a deep breath and listened to Jack's and Flynn's conversation about how Flynn's dad had gotten a new girlfriend. The tension in his body faded. It helped that he was more well-rested than usual, his stomach was full from breakfast and he was enjoying the company of two of his friends and the usual closeness between him and Jack.

A few moments later, Jack stopped in his tracks and pulled his arm away. Hiccup instantly missed the warmth.

Jack spun around, and Hiccup recognized the girl standing there with one hand on the sleeve of Jack's hoodie.

Hiccup suppressed the urge to sigh. Abbey Hewitt, a Gryffindor a year younger than Jack and Flynn. Her freckled rosy cheeks, long, loose ponytail and thick knitted sweater with a snowflake pattern gave her that whole healthy, outdoorsy vibe. She was very pretty, Hiccup had to reluctantly admit. Too bad her personality didn't match.

"Uhm, hi, Jack," Abbey said and let go of Jack's sleeve.

Oh, for Thor's sake. Hiccup rolled his eyes. He knew what this was and wished he could avoid it.

"Hey, Abbey. What's up?" Jack said with an amused smile that told Hiccup, he'd also figured it out right away.

Abbey wrapped a hand around the end of her long ponytail and shot a glance at him and Flynn.

"Come on, Hiccup," Flynn said and motioned down the corridor with his head.

He reluctantly followed Flynn, until they were far enough away to not overhear anything. Flynn kept watching Jack and Abbey with curiosity, while Hiccup decided to look out one of the windows, where the clouds covered the sun from view in soft waves of light and dark grey. He tapped his fingers on his thigh in an uneven rhythm. Leaving Jack alone with her didn't sit well with him.

He'dnoticed that lately he'd become more annoyed, not just by girls approaching himself but also by the ones who approached Jack. He wasn't sure why. Jack wasn't awkward like himself, so he shouldn't get all protective about it. Maybe it was because it happened so often, and it seemed so shallow. Most people who wanted to talk with him or Jack had absolutely nothing to do with them in their daily life, so maybe he considered it an intrusion in Jack's life as well as his own.

He sighed to himself and tapped his leg some more. Something was off about this and it was unfamiliar. He was usually pretty good at analyzing his emotions.

He and Flynn waited in silence. Despite his intention not to look, he ended up doing just that. Abbey gestured with her hands, as she explained something, and even though he couldn't see Jack's face, he had no doubt that he was being nice and attentive as usual.

After a few minutes, Abbey smiled fondly and touched Jack's arm. Hiccup wanted to shove her hand away and he rolled his eyes at his stupid protectiveness. It was ridiculous to waste energy on negative feelings in this situation, but gods, he hoped Jack would never be with someone like her.

"Sooo, what happened, Jackie?" Flynn said, when Jack was by their side again.

Jack shrugged. "She likes me," he said and put his hands in the pocket of his blue hoodie.

"Oooh," Flynn said and nudged Jack's shoulder. "Are you going do something about it?"

"I don't think so," Jack said without much emotion. "I don't really know her."

Hiccup stayed silent, while the three of them wandered down the corridor again, heading towards the owlery. He didn't look at the few students they passed, but stared at the stone floor. Flynn started firing questions at Jack about what Abbey had said. Hiccup chose not to participate, because he was definitely biased. He didn't want to meddle. He knew, how annoying that could be. Jack needed to make his own decisions, even if they might frustrate him.

"Hey, Hic?" Jack said, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah?" he said and tore his eyes off the floor to look at him.

"You're awfully quiet. What's going on in there?" Jack said with a grin and knocked on the side of Hiccup's head with a gentle hand.

"Nothing," Hiccup said and shrugged, but as soon as the words left his mouth, he knew he'd sounded irritated.

"I know that's not true. Something's aaaalways going on in there," Jack said and smiled at him.

Well, Hiccup couldn't deny that. He was always thinking about something and sometimes that could be a real pain, when he had trouble resting his mind.

"It's not important," he said and shook his head. It'd be best to drop it. What was the point in talking about his negative feelings towards Abbey?

"Aww, come on. When you say that, it's definitely important," Jack said and nudged his side.

"It's not, really."

"Come on, Hic. Just tell us already."

"Yeah, just tell us," Flynn said.

Hiccup sighed. He wasn't getting out of this.

A first year Hufflepuff came skipping down the corridor with a big toad resting in her hands and he waited until she'd passed them, before he spoke again.

"Abbey doesn't like me and the feeling is mutual," he said and grabbed one of his braids, pulling on it and twisting it.

"What? Why?" Jack said.

"Yeah, she's always seemed so nice?" Flynn said, sounding baffled.

"She's not. Not to me, at least," Hiccup said and shrugged, despite knowing Jack and Flynn weren't going to settle for his vague answer though.

"What? Did she do something to you?" Jack said, eyes full of determination like he'd keep asking Hiccup about this forever, until he got his answers.

"You could say that," Hiccup said.

"What did she do?" Jack said, narrowing his eyes.

A small smile crawled onto his lips. Jack's reaction was touching. He had no doubt that Jack felt just as protective of him, as he did of Jack.

His smile melted off, when he thought about his previous interactions with Abbey. "Well, let's see… She once tripped me on purpose in one of the corridors, when I was still getting used to my prosthetic, much to the amusement of everyone around us," he said and kept his voice steady, despite the sting of recalling that particular memory.

"What?!" Jack blurted out.

Flynn seemed to be just as surprised, staring at him with huge eyes.

"Aaaand once, I was apparently in her way, when she was going to class, so she shoved me into the wall and called me a pathetic cripple," Hiccup said. He was comfortable with his missing limb, but it had taken a while to get used to and comments like that hit a nerve. It was lucky he'd had such a massive growth spurt, making it harder for anyone to shove him or physically intimidate him. "There's been other stuff too, but it's been a while since she did anything except make stupid comments once in a while. Usually, I just throw some sarcasm in her face, but yeah… That's the reason I don't like her."

For a moment, the only sound was their footsteps on the stone floor of the corridor. They turned a corner and Hiccup glanced at Jack and Flynn, who had matching looks of disgust on their faces. He appreciated that they felt so strongly about it. They were good friends.

Jack shook his head. "I'm never talking to her again."

"What?" Hiccup said.

"Come on, don't look so surprised. I don't like twats and especially twats who bother my friends. Apparently, she's not the person, I thought she was," Jack said.

"Yeah, it's weird…" Flynn said. "She's always smiling and joking around and even helping some of our House mates with their homework. I never would have thought she was actually an asshole."

"A lot of people seem nice. I don't know if she has something against amputees or if she just hates me in particular," Hiccup said. He looked at the floor, but he could feel their eyes on him. He didn't want to elaborate. So many people appeared to be kind and sincere but then, when it was more convenient not to be, they changed.

"Either way, she's a waste of space," Jack said and put his arm around him again.

After climbing all of those diabolical stairs to the West Tower, they finally reached the owlery. The sounds of owls hooting and the smell of straw invaded his senses, as he stepped around the huge, drafty room, trying to locate his owl. After a few minutes of glancing around, taking in all the different owls, he spotted the familiar medium-sized owl, resting casually on a perch.

"Heeey," he said softly and stroked Villieldr's* beautiful feathers with a gentle touch. The face, chest and stomach of the owl were covered in soft white feathers, while the bird's back, wings and the top of the head were a reddish brown colour that always appeared orange in the sunlight. In the background, he heard Jack and Flynn finding their own owls.

"How are you doing today, buddy?" Hiccup said.

Villieldr let out a hoot in response, making him smile. "Well, that's good to know."

"Talking to birds now, Hic?" Jack's amused voice said from behind him.

"Yeah, why not? He's a friend," Hiccup said and motioned to the owl.

"A friend, huh?" Jack said and raised his eyebrows.

"Yup."

"Got many animal friends?"

"A fair few," he said and stroked Villieldr's head. "I often like animals more than people."

"No kidding. I would have never guessed that," Jack said with a grin on his face.

Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Case in point," he said and motioned to Jack.

"Aw, come on now. Do you prefer that pile of feathers to this?" Jack said and pointed at himself.

"Oh, definitely."

Jack grinned. "You're a terrible liar, Hic."

After Hiccup sent Villieldr away with the letter, the three of them headed towards the castle entrance. Much to Jack's disappointment, he and Flynn needed to spend a few hours today studying, since they were paired up for a Potions assignment. Jack complained about it all the way down the many steps from the owlery, and Hiccup couldn't keep the smile off his face. Jack was amusing, when he was whining about something.

Hiccup had promised to meet up with Merida by a secluded spot in a part of the forest surrounding the lake to help her with her archery practice. He was looking forward to that. When he was away from home, he missed the regular weapons training. He and Fishlegs would practice some hand to hand combat at least once a month to maintain their skills, but Hiccup had always enjoyed weapons training more.

After saying goodbye to Jack and Flynn, he hurried towards the lake. He'd grown quite fond of Merida already, and she seemed to feel the same way. They'd begun to joke around with each other and their archery training was slowly becoming a regular thing. They shared an interest in weapons and fighting, and Hiccup often found himself thinking Merida would make a good Viking.

---

After working for two hours in the crowded library with Flynn on their Potions assignment, Jack's head was throbbing. The suffocating warm air in a closed off space full of other students always did that to him. The sounds of eager discussions, quills scribbling and parchment rustling bouncing off the walls of the old library didn't help either.

It was time for lunch, so they headed towards the Great Hall, eager to not only get some food in their bellies, but also see their friends. They met a few people they knew along the way, and a shy Ravenclaw girl gave Flynn a note and scurried off. They were in the middle of talking about Quidditch practice, when they rounded a corner and stopped in their tracks.

Hiccup and Rapunzel were in some kind of argument with three Slytherins that Jack recognized, but couldn't remember the names of. The Slytherins all had relaxed shoulders and amused expressions on their faces like this was just an encounter with a couple of friends.

But Hiccup was a different story. The stiff posture. The deadly glare. He looked like he wanted to smash the guys' faces into the stone walls. It was a huge contrast to his usual calm and gentle demeanor. What the hell was going on?

"What's it like being friends with a blithering moron?" one of the guys said. The combination of his wide mouth and small eyes gave him a hippo-like quality. Jack already felt like punching him. No one got to be hostile to his friends.

"I wouldn't know. You and I aren't friends?" Hiccup said with an unfamiliar coldness.

Jack smiled but it disappeared when he noticed how Rapunzel's eyes darted back and forth between Hiccup and the three guys.

"Watch it, Haddock," Hippo-face said, before his broad mouth stretched into a mocking smile. He turned his attention to Rapunzel, who was fidgeting with her hands. "One day he'll get tired of sticking up for a fucking thick-headed toddler like you."

The two other Slytherins snickered and shared a delighted look. Hippo-face was clearly the leader of this little twat troupe.

Hiccup took a step closer. "I don't have a box of crayons on me right now, so it's hard to explain this in a way your little mind can understand, but as long as you keep doing this, I'll keep doing this."

"Careful, Haddock," the guy spat, put his hand on Hiccup's shoulder and tried to push him. But Hiccup stayed in place and glared at him.

Oh hell no. He did not just lay his hands on Hiccup. Who were these tossers?

"Let's go," Jack said to Flynn, who gave him a nod.

Hiccup, Rapunzel and the Slytherins looked at them as they approached with brisk steps. Rapunzel let out a sigh that seemed relieved, but Hiccup didn't change his icy expression.

The Slytherins watched them with cold eyes and tight lips like they'd interrupted their fun.

He and Flynn stopped in front of Hiccup and Rapunzel like a protective barrier. Those idiots needed to leave their friends alone now.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Jack said, narrowing his eyes. He wanted to break something (or someone) and he didn't bother hiding it. Beside him, Flynn had his arms crossed, eying the guys in silent contempt.

"What do you care, Frost?" Hippo-face said, almost spitting out his surname. The two other Slytherins watched him and Flynn with hostility, maybe trying to intimidate them. That wasn't going to work though. Jack would never back down, when someone bothered his friends and he knew Flynn felt the same way.

"Just leave them alone from now on, twat," Jack said and crossed his arms.

"Oh really? And what if we don't?" Hippo-face said with his head held high.

"Then you're going to have a serious problem with us." Jack motioned to him and Flynn.

The three guys shared a look, probably considering whether or not it was worth getting into an argument and potentially a fight. Jack was hoping they'd back down, but if they didn't, he'd be mentally prepared.

Hippo-guy looked them up and down, before gesturing to the two others to follow him. Jack breathed out slowly, watching them leave. Good. The conflict ended here.

Further down the corridor, Hippo-face spun around. "Your new friends are freaks, Frost!"

"I know, they're great, right?" Jack said and a huge grin took over his face.

Flynn chuckled.

The Slytherin was thrown off by his enthusiasm, if the way his forehead wrinkled was any indication. He and his backup twats disappeared around a corner in the stone corridor.

Rapunzel's head hung low and her shoulders were slumped, making her look smaller. It was such an unfamiliar sight. Hiccup stared down the corridor, where the Slytherins had just been. His eyes were blazing.

"Are you okay?" Flynn asked, his voice soft. Moments like this just confirmed to Jack that his friends were beginning to think of Hiccup, Rapunzel and Fishlegs as their friends too. That thought made him feel warm inside and loosened up some of the tension from having to deal with idiots.

"Yeah," Rapunzel said quietly, watching the floor.

"What was all that about?" Jack asked, looking at Hiccup for an explanation. Why would those Slytherins be bothering Rapunzel and Hiccup? Had something in particular happened or was this a regular thing?

Rapunzel continued to avoid eye contact, and Hiccup glanced at her with a frown.

"They were bothering Rapunzel, calling her stupid names. Those three have had it out for her since we were all first years," Hiccup said and took a deep breath like he was calming himself.

"What? That's ridiculous!" Jack said. Rapunzel was such a good person. She didn't deserve to be stepped on by pathetic assholes like that.

"Yeah, what's their problem?" Flynn said.

"For some reason they've always disliked Rapunzel's bubbly personality," Hiccup said and rubbed his forehead, sounding tired. He'd probably had to deal with those gits for years. That thought made Jack's chest feel tight.

"What are their names?" he said.

"Jarvis, Know and Kinney," Hiccup said, his face twisting like the names tasted horrible.

Jack remembered Hiccup mentioning those names before in annoyance, and he made sure to file the information away in his brain for future use.

"Tell us if they ever bother you again," he said and was unable to keep his voice from sounding frustrated. He still couldn't believe what those wankers had said to Hiccup and Rapunzel and that one of them had even tried to shove Hiccup.

"We can take care of it," Hiccup said with a dismissive wave.

"I'm aware of that, Hic, but I still want to know about it. Friends protect each other, right?" he said. Of course, Hiccup could take care of himself and help Rapunzel too but it was always easier to fight your battles if you had support.

"Yeah, you're right," Hiccup said with a small smile.

Jack smiled back at him before he turned to Rapunzel, who was still looking at the ground.

"Don't let them get to you. They're just pathetic twats, who need to be cruel to other people to make themselves feel just a little better about their miserable lives. You're a great person, so don't listen to anything they say," Jack said softly.

When their eyes met, she gave him a hesitant smile. "Thanks, Jack."

"Any time," he said and smiled back. He'd quickly grown fond of Rapunzel and her enthusiastic personality. It would be heartbreaking if her child-like spirit was ever ruined.

Rapunzel took a few steps towards him but stopped. She fidgeted and looked like she was preparing herself for something, so he let her take her time. A moment after, she closed the gap between them, wrapping her arms around him. He stiffened but pulled himself together and hugged her back. It was unfamiliar but warm and comforting.

When they pulled apart, her eyes and her smile looked brighter.

"Come on. Let's get some food," Jack said and motioned for them to follow.

On their way to the Great Hall, Jack told Rapunzel and Hiccup how he had Quidditch practice later and was dreading what drills Astrid would have in store for them, since she'd said last time that it would be brutal. Walking through the corridors, Jack slung his arm around Hiccup's shoulder and hoped that the familiar friendly gesture would comfort Hiccup after the tense encounter he'd just had. Hiccup gave him a small smile and Jack already felt his irritation towards the Slytherins melt away.

---

After lunch, Hiccup spent time with Fishlegs and Rapunzel in the library, listening to the two of them working on homework for Magical History, while he kept himself occupied by sketching.

He leaned back in his chair, carefully working on the shadowing of Jack's face. He started working on it yesterday, when he and Jack were hanging out together, just having some quiet study time. During one of their breaks, Jack had been leaning against one of the huge oak trees and closed his eyes, just enjoying the peaceful surroundings. Hiccup had begun sketching him, much to Jack's amusement. It was the first sketch, he'd ever done of Jack, but it made sense to draw him. His sketchbook was filled with drawings of his other friends, so why not Jack?

After their quiet time in the library, the three of them headed towards the lake to meet up with their friends. The air was pleasantly cool and crisp, and the gentle autumn sun was shining down on trees with fiery foliage. A few soft wisps of clouds were scattered across the striking blue sky.

Heading down one of the hills, something hit Hiccup right in the face. Cold. Wet. He stopped dead in his tracks. The cold drops trickled down his skin. What the…?

He blinked a few times, trying to get his vision to focus. He rubbed his eyes with a sleeve.

Fishlegs and Rapunzel chuckled next to him. Traitors.

When his vision was no longer blurry, he looked down at the remains of the thing that hit him. A water balloon?

His eyes darted across his surroundings. He quickly located Jack, who was grinning at him with his hands on his hips.

"You!" Hiccup yelled, pointing at him and doing his best to sound angry.

"Me?" Jack asked innocently and gestured to himself like he had no idea what Hiccup was talking about.

"You!" he said. "You devious little snowflake!"

"Awww, come on now, Hic. Can't a tough Viking like yourself handle a little water?" Jack said.

Oh, that smug idiot. He made a decision. Jack was not going to get away with this.

He sprinted across the wet grass. Jack ran away from him to avoid retribution, his laughter echoing through the crisp autumn air.

They quickly reached the lake, where he spotted Flynn, Merida and Mavis sitting on a blanket. Next to them was a little pile of colourful water balloons. Apparently, that was why Jack was running this way, and Hiccup felt a grin spread across his face. This was definitely going to turn into a war.

Jack stopped by the pile and stuffed water balloons into the pocket of his blue hoodie with impressive speed. He instantly took off again, running across the wet grass.

Hiccup stocked his own pockets with some water balloons as fast as he could, while Flynn, Merida and Mavis laughed. He grinned at them before he ran after Jack.

"Get back here, Snowball!" he yelled.

"Never!" Jack shouted, followed by that familiar bubbly laughter.

"I will have my revenge!"

"You'll never catch me, Clumsy Foot!" Jack shot back, and Hiccup grinned at Jack's translation of his Old Norse nickname.

They ran around the grounds by the squelching shore, swerving around massive trees, jumping over logs and big rocks, their footsteps leaving imprints in the soft, wet grass. The chilly autumn wind ruffled Hiccup's hair and sunk into his cheeks.

Jack's happy laughter was infectious, and Hiccup found himself laughing so much, his stomach was starting to cramp. It was amazing how Jack always managed to bring so much joy and laughter into his life. But Hiccup hadn't forgotten his mission: Beating Jack and getting his revenge. No one attacked a Viking and got away with it.

Jack made a sharp left turn, dodging a few large rocks. Hiccup could see the side of his face now. He threw a purple water balloon through the air and it expertly hit Jack right on the cheek.

Jack groaned and wiped his eyes with his hands, but he didn't stop running.

"Served you right!"

"Whatever, Dragon Boy! One hit doesn't mean you win!"

"I know, Frosty, but I'm going to take you down!"

Jack jumped over a log, turned around for the briefest of moments and threw a blue water balloon towards Hiccup. It hit him in the chest. The water soaked through the fabric and left a wet chill on his skin.

Jack grinned and sprinted around trees, not wasting any time. That snow-loving idiot was actually pretty fast.

After about ten minutes of running back and forth, throwing water balloons at each other, his and Jack's clothes were drenched. Despite Hiccup's high tolerance of cold, he was beginning to get goosebumps on his skin from the chilly water and the crisp air. His soaked clothes were heavy on him and clung to his skin. They'd managed to run far away from their friends and were now all by themselves, shooting insults at each other and throwing balloons, becoming more and more breathless from running and laughing.

He was definitely better at this than Jack, dodging a lot more of Jack's attacks than the other way around. His aim was also better, so he got more hits in. His Viking background came in handy now.

Jack ran around a massive oak tree and Hiccup chased after him, wet clothes dripping onto the grass. An idea popped into his head. He turned and ran the other way around the tree.

They crashed into each other and fell backwards onto the wet grass, limbs entangled. It took Hiccup a few seconds to register what had happened.

Jack was lying on top of him, their faces incredibly close. He could feel Jack's warm breath on his skin. Their chests rose and fell quickly against each other and their wet clothes stuck together.

They stared at each other. Time had slowed down. Hiccup's heart smashed against his ribcage.

His mind began working again. The sharp jab of self-consciousness set in. He needed to pull himself out of this weird moment. Now.

"Uhm, Jack?" he said.

"Yeah, I know," Jack said, sounding a lot more calm.

They got to their feet, wet shirts clinging together, exposing Hiccup's stomach to the sharp chill of the autumn air.

His cheeks burned. He didn't meet Jack's eyes. Why was he reacting like this? Yes, it was pretty embarrassing to crash into someone and land like that, but even so… It was just Jack. There was no reason for him to be embarrassed around him.

He took a deep breath. His heartbeat raced behind his ribs. Ugh. He was probably overthinking this as usual.

"I think I'm going to get a bruise from this," Jack said, pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Yeah, me too," he said and pulled his sticky shirt away from his stomach.

"We should probably coordinate our moves better next time," Jack said and chuckled, brushing some blades of grass off one of his sleeves. He didn't look too affected by their little crash.

"Next time? Are you planning to ambush me again?" Hiccup said. Not that he would mind. This water balloon fight had been so much fun, except for the weird ending.

"Definitely. Maybe not with water balloons, but definitely," Jack said and rubbed his hands together like he was scheming.

"Good to know. I'll be hyper-aware at all times then."

"Please, like you could ever prepare yourself for one of my brilliant attacks. I'm like a bloody ninja," Jack said and kicked the air.

Hiccup shook his head with a smile. He loved Jack's smug attitude. It never failed to entertain him.

They agreed to go back to their respective dormitories and get a shower and a change of clothes, since they were drenched and beginning to feel cold. When Hiccup once again made his way towards the lake to spend time with his friends, he enjoyed the fresh feeling of his newly washed hair and the way his soft long-sleeved green shirt enveloped him in a comfortable warmth. When the others came into view, he spotted Jack's white hair. Apparently, he'd been quicker than him to shower and change clothes.

"Hey," he said to them and plopped down on the blanket next to Rapunzel.

"Nice and dry now?" she asked with a grin.

"Yeah. It's not every day you get ambushed with water balloons," Hiccup said and smiled.

"You had it coming," Jack said, putting his hands in the pocket of a dark blue hoodie that resembled his favourite one but without the frost pattern.

"What!? Why?" he said, pretending to be outraged.

The others chuckled at his outburst.

"Well… Just by existing really," Jack said without much emotion and shrugged.

"Wow, that's harsh, Snærflekkr [Snowflake]. I didn't know my existence was such a burden on you," Hiccup said and suppressed a smile.

"Oh, it totally is, but I can handle anything," Jack said and puffed out his chest.

"I seriously doubt that."

"What? You think a Viking is too much to handle for the Guardian of Fun?" Jack said like it was the most ridiculous thing he'd ever heard.

The others chuckled at the comment.

"The Guardian of… Seriously?" Hiccup said and raised his eyebrows.

"Yup," Jack said and ran a hand through his hair, clearly content with that self-assigned name.

"You actually gave yourself a title?" he said and pressed his lips together to avoid grinning.

That was just typical Jack.

"Of course. Someone as awesome as me can't go through life without a title to match, you know."

"Just a tad pretentious, don't you think?"

"Actually, "brilliant" is the word that comes to mind," Jack said like he was correcting an obvious mistake.

"You're unbelievable," Hiccup said and rolled his eyes, but was unable to keep a small smile from appearing on his lips.

"I know, right?" Jack said and grinned like it was a compliment. Which it sort of was. But Hiccup wasn't going to admit that when they were bantering. "You should have a title too, Hic."

"I'm already buzzing with excitement," he deadpanned.

Jack hummed in contemplation and tapped his chin. "Well, you could be appointed the Guardian of Awkwardness?" he said with a teasing smile.

"I don't think anyone actually needs to guard that," Hiccup said, making their friends chuckle.

---

A calmness washed over Jack, while he took in the sounds of the rustling treetops, the water lapping against the shore and Rapunzel's eager voice. She was telling him and the others a story about how she, Hiccup and Fishlegs had once snuck out of Ravenclaw Tower at night in their second year to go exploring around the castle.

"- and Hiccup suggested that we shouldn't wear shoes, because it would be quieter not to and-"

A crooked smile spread across Hiccup's lips, while he listened to the story.

Jack thought about the weird ending their water balloon fight had had. Luckily, the tension between them had quickly disappeared, but the whole thing still left him with questions.

"- but Fish almost changed his mind, when we actually stepped into the corridors, because he saw a shadow and thought it might be a murderer."

"Hey, that's a legitimate concern!" Fishlegs said.

Jack fiddled with the hem of his hoodie. He snuck a glance at Hiccup, who was grinning at Fishlegs.

In that weird situation between him and Hiccup, his mind had gone blank, and that brief moment seemed to last for hours. When his mind started working again, the awkwardness and embarrassment puzzled him. He'd definitely felt a blush creep into his cheeks, and Hiccup was careful to avoid eye contact at first. It was strange.

"- almost got caught by Professor Bunnymund, but Hiccup was prepared and had brought a rock that he levitated and dropped around the corner, so Professor Bunnymund went to investigate and we could run away and-"

Jack chewed on his lip. He and Hiccup were generally so comfortable around each other like they'd been friends for years. But on the other hand… the two of them lying on top of each other like that in combination with Hiccup's awkward personality that made him uncomfortable about a lot of things… Maybe it wasn't so strange that Jack had become a little flustered too?

He was pulled out of his thoughts when the others stopped their conversation.

Jack followed their gazes and was surprised to see Astrid approaching them in the distance, her blonde braid resting on her shoulder and holding a couple of books under one arm. She was wearing a dark brown skirt, dark blue wooly tights, and a long-sleeved red shirt. Like Hiccup, Fishlegs and himself, she didn't wear a jacket yet, even though the autumn air was brisk and chilly.

"Hi, guys," she said with a smile. "I was just going to read for a while down here, and I saw you and thought I'd just say hi."

"Do you want to stay and hang out?" Mavis said and patted the blanket.

"Uhm, I don't know. I do kind of have some homework to catch up on…" Astrid said and glanced at the shimmering lake.

"Aww, come on, Astrid," Hiccup said and gestured next to him.

Apparently, that was enough to convince her. She nodded with a warm smile and sat down next to Hiccup, placing the books on the blanket.

"Your braids have almost unraveled," Astrid said, observing Hiccup's brown hair.

"Oh?" Hiccup said. "Well, it's been a while since anyone did them and… I sort of got into a water balloon fight with Jack," he said with an amused smile.

Astrid glanced at Jack and he gave her a bright grin. She smiled back and shook her head.

She scooted closer to Hiccup and reached out her hands. Hiccup didn't move. She let one hand glide through the side of his hair in a strangely affectionate way, before redoing the two small braids.

Why did she have to do that? She should really just stop finding all those little ways to touch Hiccup. He hadn't noticed it before they became friends, but now it was impossible not to notice.

He chewed on his lip again. Why did it bother him so much? His first thought was that maybe it seemed kind of… possessive? But he had no way of knowing if there was any truth in that, or if he was just reading way too much into this.

When Astrid removed her hands from Hiccup's hair, she smiled at him. Hiccup looked at her with a soft expression.

Jack frowned. Bloody hell… in moments like this, it practically seemed like they were dating, even though he knew they weren't.

"Þǫkk,*" Hiccup said and Jack didn't have to be fluent in Old Norse to figure out that it meant "thanks".

Astrid just smiled fondly.

"So, Astrid… We haven't talked in a while," Mavis said, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

Jack knew Mavis didn't spend as much time with Astrid, as she wanted to, whereas he and Merida saw Astrid more often because they had Quidditch practice together.

"How's everything?" Mavis said and leaned forward, resting her elbows on her knees.

"I've been really busy. You know, developing new strategies for the Quidditch team, actual Quidditch training, homework, classes, friends, prefect duties. It's all sort of been piling up lately," Astrid said with an apologetic smile.

"Well, that's understandable. You always have so much stuff going on," Mavis said. "Maybe you should lighten the load a little before you wear yourself out."

"Like that will ever happen," Hiccup deadpanned.

"Hey, I'm not that bad," she said and punched Hiccup on the arm, which made some of the others chuckle.

"Oh yes, you are," Hiccup said, rubbing his arm where Astrid had hit him. "You're constantly doing all kinds of stuff. You're probably the most driven person, I've ever met."

"Oh please… You should talk. Back home you're always doing something, and you're up at dawn and gone the whole morning before anyone else even realizes the sun is up."

Jack frowned.

Okay… What was Astrid talking about? Why was Hiccup gone the whole morning every day? That seemed… strange.

More secrets.

He sighed to himself. He needed to be patient. Sometimes it was just hard.

"Well, I have stuff to do… and I like being gone the whole morning. It gives me time to think," Hiccup said, gesturing with his hands.

Jack couldn't help but smile at that. Typical Hiccup.

"Yeah, I know that," Astrid said. "I'm just saying, you're pretty bad yourself."

"Fine, you win," Hiccup said and crossed his arms, but he didn't stop smiling.

"I aaaalways do," Astrid said and grinned.

"That's just not true," Hiccup said.

"Oh really? When am I not right?"

"Remember when you made that yak nog and insisted it was great?" Fishlegs said with a grin on his face.

"Yeah?" Astrid said, forehead wrinkled, clearly not really liking where this was going.

"That was a dark time," Hiccup said, making everyone laugh.

Astrid punched him on the arm and Hiccup winced. Bloody hell, she really liked to communicate with Hiccup through a mix of affection and violence.

Merida rummaged through one of her pockets and took out a bag of wine gums. She tore it open and started throwing the colourful wine gums into her mouth.

"Bloody hell, Red. I know you have an endlessly expanding stomach, but how are you not full after you practically ate for five at lunch?" Flynn said with a teasing smile.

"Shut it, Rider. I eat what I want and when I want to," Merida said and chewed on the sweets.

"You better stay out of it, mate," Jack said with a grin. "Nothing comes between Mer and food."

"True," Flynn said. "We're pretty lucky she hasn't tried to eat us yet."

"Yeah, well, I wouldn't be surprised if she tried one day. A lot of things disappear into that black hole over there," Jack said and pointed to Merida.

She stopped chewing and narrowed her eyes at him.

"What did you just call me?" she said, her voice low.

Some of the others chuckled.

Jack's face split into a huge grin. "I'm just saying there are probably more things lost forever inside that stomach of yours than in the Bermuda Triangle."

Merida got up from the blanket in seconds.

Shit. He knew what was coming. He scrambled to his feet and ran to Hiccup. He crouched behind him, gripping his shoulders, using him as a shield against Merida. He did not want to get a tickle attack.

"Oh, really, Jack? You're going to sacrifice my life to save yourself?" Hiccup said, pretending to be offended, but Jack could practically hear the smile in his voice.

"Think of it as an honor, Hic. We'll always remember your brave actions."

"Using me as a human shield is not an honor, idiot."

"Back off, you evil Scot! I have a Viking to protect me!" Jack shouted at Merida, whose face lit up with a grin.

"Oh really, Frosty? I'm not so sure Hiccup wants to put his own safety on the line for you," she said and punched her palm with a fist.

"What? Of course, he does!" Jack said and gripped Hiccup's shoulders tighter.

"I really don't," Hiccup said and glanced at him.

"Shush, you don't know what you're talking about. You're obviously confused," Jack said and punched Hiccup gently on the shoulder, still crouching behind him.

"I'm really not," Hiccup said, and Jack could imagine the amused smile on Hiccup's face.

"Didn't I just say "shush"?"

"You should just surrender to her and get it over with. You can't possibly win this," Hiccup said.

"I'll never surrender!" Jack said and dug his fingers into Hiccup's shoulders.

"Jack, what happened the last time you didn't listen to me?" Hiccup said with a hint of smugness.

"I don't remember," he said.

He remembered it vividly.

"Oh yes, you do. What happened?" Hiccup said and even though Jack couldn't see his face, he was absolutely sure that Hiccup was loving this.

"I might have… gotten drunk on diabolically delicious Viking booze," Jack said and rubbed the back of his head.

"And?" Hiccup said.

"And… ended up with a massive hangover the next day," he said reluctantly.

"That's putting it mildly. You were hugging the toilet and moaning the whole day like you were dying," Flynn said and grinned.

The others laughed.

"Well, Hic obviously put something in it that poisoned me!" Jack shot back. He was not going to admit he couldn't handle it without a very good reason.

"Riiiight," Hiccup said. "Except I drank it too."

"Well, maybe it's a poison that Vikings are immune to?" Jack said like that was a genuine possibility. For all he knew, it could be.

"If there was such a poison, I would have definitely used it," Hiccup said.

"Wauw, Hiccup really wants to protect you, huh?" Merida said and laughed, clapping her hands together.

"You can have him," Hiccup said without hesitation.

Jack slapped him on the top of the head. "Shut up. You're totally ruining our dramatic stand-off with the enemy."

"You mean, your cowardly stand-off with her?" Hiccup said and glanced at him with a smile.

"Be quiet, Dragon Boy. When you signed that contract to be my friend, you agreed to protect me from evil Scots and their tickle attacks."

"I don't remember signing anything."

"You're a heavy sleeper. Let's just leave it at that," Jack said with a grin and their friends chuckled.

"Well, you've convinced me, Snow Queen. It's obvious that Hiccup is just too eager to risk his own safety for you, so… I'll find another time to ambush you. When you least expect it," Merida said and slumped back down on the blanket.

"Yes, it worked!" Jack said and jumped up in triumph. "Attack averted! Thanks, Hic."

"Don't mention it," Hiccup deadpanned.

Jack laughed and ruffled Hiccup's hair. He let his hand linger in Hiccup's soft locks a little, before sitting down again on the blanket.

He met Astrid's eyes, and her gaze seemed almost… analyzing? What was that about? Was she still questioning his intentions for spending time with Hiccup? He hoped not. A childish defiance swirled inside him at the thought.

He continued to look straight into Astrid's eyes, not wanting to break eye contact first, while he listened to the conversation taking place between Merida and Hiccup. Merida told him she was planning on getting up early tomorrow to practice with her bow.

The moment stretched on between him and Astrid, as they kept watching each other intently. This was clearly some kind of weird contest, and Jack was definitely not going to lose.

Luckily, he didn't. Hiccup nudged Astrid's shoulder.

"What?" she asked.

"I just told Merida about that bow I made for you last year. It's pretty similar to the one I made for her, except for the wood type and the different carvings," Hiccup said and shared a smile with Merida.

Astrid's face brightened. "Oh. Yes. I'd actually love to see the bow Hiccup made for you sometime, Merida. And you can see the one he made for me."

"What? You brought it here?" Hiccup said, his eyebrows drawing close together to give him that wrinkle between his eyes. "You know you're not supposed to bring weapons here."

"Come on. You know how much I love that bow," Astrid said with a soft voice.

Jack frowned. There seemed to be something more behind that statement, but he couldn't figure it out.

"Yeah," Hiccup said. "You practice with it almost every day back home."

"Yeah, well… It's the best bow, I've ever had," Astrid said.

The two of them smiled at each other and it looked soft and fond.

"Maybe you could make a new Svartr* blade for me soon, Hiccup?" Fishlegs said, interrupting the tender moment between Astrid and Hiccup.

Not that Jack minded that. He sighed and put his hands in the big pocket of his hoodie. He seriously needed to figure out, why he was having all these negative feelings all of the sudden.

"What's wrong with the one I made you like six months ago?" Hiccup said, pushing some hair away from his face that the breeze insisted on whipping right back there.

"Uhm," Fishlegs said and looked into his lap, fidgeting with his hands. "Ruffnut sort of lost it."

Jack chuckled at that despite his confusion. Fishlegs looked like he was confessing to murder.

Hiccup ran a hand over his face. "How?"

"Wait, what's a Svartr blade?" Jack said, doing his best to pronounce it the same way Fishlegs had done. Man, Old Norse was tricky.

"It's a sword with a built-in function that makes smoke seep out all around it," Hiccup said, moving his hands around to imitate slithering smoke.

Well, that was… interesting. "Sounds cool, but what's the purpose of it?" Jack said.

"It's mostly just for show to scare enemies, although… if you use it the right way, you can distract your opponent by making them cough and get watery eyes," Hiccup said and looked to Fishlegs. "I'll make you a new one when I can. Just keep it away from Ruffnut and Tuffnut, not to mention Snotlout."

Flynn and Merida burst out laughing at that, while Mavis grinned.

Jack laughed along with them, even though Hiccup hadalready told him about the two mischievous twins with the weird names and his cousin with the even weirder name.

An amused smile stretched across Hiccup's lips.

"Seriously?" Flynn said, his eyes wide. "Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Snotlout?"

"Yep," Fishlegs said with a toothy grin.

"Snotlout?" Merida said, looking like she was questioning her faith in humanity.

"Yeah, he's my cousin, actually. Not too lucky with the name though," Hiccup said and looked back and forth between them.

"Oh really, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III?" Rapunzel said and poked him on the side.

Hiccup groaned. "You know I hate it when you use my full name."

Jack laughed, followed by Flynn and Merida.

"That's your full name?!" he said.

Hiccup had never told him that. Back when they got sorted into Houses, only the first and last name was called. Wauw. That was a seriously wild name.

"See what you've done now?" Hiccup asked Rapunzel and gestured to Jack.

"Horrendous. Seriously, who names their kid that?" Jack said and flailed his hands around. This was great stuff for future banter.

"Rapunzel, you owe me now. You've handed over a huge load of ammunition to… that!" Hiccup said and pointed at Jack.

Jack broke down laughing again. Hiccup wasn't wrong. He was definitely going to use this piece of information to tease him. Usually, he'd never tease someone because of their name. He'd learned his lesson after he laughed at Hiccup's and Fishlegs' names when they got sorted, and realized later on how insensitive that was. But with close friends there were different rules, and he knew Hiccup wouldn't actually mind.

"Come on, Horrendous. Don't be like that," he said and grinned

"Aaaand it's already begun. Oh joy," Hiccup said and rolled his eyes.

As the hours ticked by, their friends eventually left, having homework and other obligations to deal with. Because he and Hiccup were partners on a Transfiguration assignment, they decided to stick around by the lake a little longer and discuss it.

Hiccup rummaged through his satchel, looking for parchment and his quill to jot down some notes. He pulled out his sketchbook, some charcoal pencils and a book, so he could better find the stuff he was actually looking for.

After a short discussion, where Hiccup scribbled down what they agreed on, they decided to head back to the castle. Hiccup packed his things back into his satchel, except for the sketchbook that he put in one of his pockets.

When they began walking towards the castle, the worn brown sketchbook fell out of Hiccup's pocket and landed in the grass. It must have been too big to fit properly. Hiccup didn't notice and kept walking.

Jack picked it up and without thinking twice about it, he looked at the drawing on the open page. His eyes widened in awe. On the paper, a sleek, mighty black dragon with captivating green eyes stared back at him with a fierce look of determination. The drawing was incredibly detailed, every scale drawn with commitment.

"Hey, Hic!" he called out.

Hiccup stopped in his tracks. "Yeah?"

"You dropped this," he said and held up the sketchbook.

Hiccup came back towards him, watching him with hesitant eyes.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to look. It was open on this page when I picked it up," Jack said, hoping Hiccup would believe him. Building trust with Hiccup was a fragile balance, and Jack didn't want to do anything that could risk ruining it.

Hiccup's expression changed when he noticed the drawing Jack had been looking at. He took in the page with fond eyes and a tiny smile that was barely there.

Jack smiled. His chest felt soft in that familiar way, when he saw his friends being happy or touched by something. At least Hiccup didn't look like he was upset with him. The gentle splashes of the water against the shore and the breeze gliding through the trees filled the silence, while he waited for Hiccup to speak.

"That's Toothless," Hiccup said and motioned with his head to the sketchbook still clutched in Jack's hands.

"Is he… your dragon?" Jack said and tightened his grip on the book.

Hiccup stared into his eyes, seeming like he was searching for something.

Jack's mouth was dry. He wasn't sure if he was pushing Hiccup too far now. Hiccup was a guarded person, and almost every mention of dragons from people made him tense. Shit. Had he screwed things up now?

"Not that you have to tell me if you don't want to. You know that," he added, the words tumbling out of his mouth with impressive speed.

He'd avoided asking Hiccup anything dragon related in their friendship, but now that Hiccup had brought up Toothless' name by himself, Jack felt that maybe, just maybe, it was time.

"He's my dragon," Hiccup said with a longing look on his face. "And he's my best friend… and amazing."

Bubbly energy surged through Jack's veins and he couldn't hold back the smile on his face. Hiccup was actually confiding in him about his dragon? His patience was paying off. Hiccup was beginning to let him in! Hearing him actually confirm he had a dragon for the first time was surreal though. Hiccup had never told him anything about dragons, so in a weird way, it was easy to push it out of his mind. But now Hiccup's words turned it into reality. Jack actually had a friend, who had a dragon.

"What kind of name is Toothless?" Jack said with a smile, so Hiccup wouldn't take it the wrong way. It was a strange name. There had to be a story behind it.

"Well, when I first met him, he had his teeth retracted, so I actually thought he was toothless. The name kind of stuck, even when I found out he had plenty of teeth," Hiccup said.

Jack looked at the drawing of Toothless again. Yup. Definitely loads of sharp teeth.

"Thanks, Hic. For telling me about him," Jack said softly. "I know it's not easy for you to trust people." It was incredibly touching that Hiccup had chosen to share this with him. It meant a lot to him that he'd gained Hiccup's trust.

Hiccup had a tiny smile on his lips. "No, it isn't easy for me, but… we're friends now, so I thought maybe I should take a leap of faith."

"Don't worry. I won't tell anyone. Not even Flynn and Mavis and Merida. You can trust me," Jack said and handed the sketchbook back. Hopefully, Hiccup believed him. He'd never stab Hiccup in the back and it was important that he knew that.

"Thanks, Jack," Hiccup said and took the sketchbook. The wind played with his brown hair and he tucked some of it behind his ear.

"And look, I understand if you don't want to tell me anything else, but I hope I get to hear the story of how you two became friends one day," Jack said and gave Hiccup a bright smile to let him know, he wasn't trying to pressure him.

Hiccup watched him in silence, searching his eyes again. It was becoming a familiar look by now and Jack was certain that each time, Hiccup was deciding whether he should tell him more or not.

He dug a nail into the side of his leg. Did Hiccup feel pressured now, despite his attempts to avoid that? It was a delicate situation with him and those massive emotional walls that almost no one was allowed past.

"Sit," Hiccup said and motioned to the ground.

Jack plopped down on the spot, not caring that his trousers became wet.

Hiccup sat down across from him. He seemed to be mentally preparing himself for something, tapping his fingers on his leg.

He let Hiccup take his time, even though he was practically bubbling over with curiosity. He picked at his nails to do something about the restless energy inside him.

"You can tell this to Flynn, Merida and Mavis if you're absolutely sure they can keep a secret, but no one else," Hiccup said with serious eyes and a firm tone.

Whoa, was he actually going to hear the story of how Hiccup trained a dragon? Holy shit.

He eagerly nodded. "They can keep a secret. I promise." He had no doubt he could trust his three best friends with anything.

"Good, because if I tell you this and it gets out somehow, then…" Hiccup trailed off and stared at his hands with a frown.

Jack picked up on the underlying warning. If he or any of his friends betrayed Hiccup's trust, their friendship would be over.

"I get it, Hic. Really. Don't worry," he said and did his best to give him a reassuring smile.

Hiccup had no reason to be concerned. He'd never share any of Hiccup's secrets and he knew Flynn, Merida and Mavis could be counted on too. But he couldn't blame Hiccup for being cautious. A lot of people were trying to get close to him just to find out more about the dragons.

Hiccup nodded and a hint of a smile appeared on his lips.

"Is the whole secrecy thing about the dragons somehow to protect them?" Jack said. He'd had that thought several times since they became friends. Hiccup was a logical person, so there had to be some well-thought-out reason for his huge need for secrecy.

Hiccup gave him a crooked smile. "You're very perceptive when you want to be."

"I know, but thanks," Jack said and smiled back. "How are they in danger?"

"Well, dragons are powerful creatures, and some people want to use them for their own selfish reasons and even hurt them to accomplish that. I can't let that happen, so the fewer people who know about us and how we've trained the dragons, the better," Hiccup said.

Jack nodded. It made sense to him. The dragons were already gone from Romania. They'd probably disappear with depressing speed from the archipelago too, if the outside world knew too much.

"It's also to protect ourselves. People with bad intentions might want to invade us and take away our dragons if they found out too much about our relationship with them. And there are also hostile tribes in the archipelago, who don't like the fact that we've made peace with the dragons. They're dangerous too and they shouldn't have too much knowledge about dragons either. The more information we keep to ourselves, the safer we and the dragons are," Hiccup said, hands flying around in choppy movements.

The tug of concern in Jack's chest was overwhelming. He had the strong urge to guard Hiccup against anything that might hurt him, even though it was impossible.

"I didn't know it's that dangerous to live there. I mean, I knew it's a brutal place from everything you've told me but… this is different," he said.

What if Hiccup got hurt… or killed? The thought alone was enough to make Jack's chest feel tight.

"Yeah, I know," Hiccup said with a look of understanding.

A few moments of silence passed between them before Hiccup spoke again.

"During a dragon attack on Berk, I shot Toothless down with one of my homemade weapons. I told my dad about it, but he didn't believe me, because I'd never been able to fight properly or shoot a dragon before," Hiccup said, looking at his hands.

Jack listened eagerly to every word. He was finally going to hear this story and collect another vital piece of the puzzle.

"I was pretty much hopeless at everything, so the thought of me shooting down a dragon was incomprehensible to him. When morning came, I searched for Toothless in the woods, where he'd landed somewhere. I'd almost given up when I came across some damaged trees and a trail. I found him shortly after with ropes wrapped around his body from my weapon. I approached him slowly and I was determined to kill him because I wanted to make my dad proud and finally be a part of the tribe…" Hiccup trailed off and picked at some blades of grass.

Jack took all this information in. Hiccup had approached a dragon all alone? That was practically suicidal. He frowned and had the urge to pull Hiccup into a warm hug, but he needed to let him finish telling the story. Did Hiccup have no regard for his own life back then? He'd hinted that his childhood hadn't been great, and that night when they drank mead together, he'd told him that he used to have very dark thoughts.

"But when I looked into his eyes, I realized that I couldn't do it," Hiccup said softly. "He was scared. He wasn't some monster. He was a being with feelings and thoughts and fears… I looked at him and I saw myself. So, I decided to cut the ropes and set him free. He pinned me to the ground and roared in my face before running off into a cove. I followed him. He tried to fly but couldn't. Then I realized he was missing a part of his tailfin because I shot him down, so he was trapped in the cove," Hiccup said with a pained expression. He probably still felt guilty for hurting Toothless.

"I came back to the cove every day, bringing some fish with me. At first, I just stayed there with him, giving him the food but keeping my distance, so he knew I wasn't a threat. Then I came closer and closer as time went by, and one day he actually let me touch his snout. From that day on, we became friends. I designed an artificial tailfin for him and he actually let me put it on him. Then we started trying to fly together, me sitting on his back and controlling the tailfin. After a lot of practice and loads of accidents, we managed to make it work and we flew around together in the archipelago," Hiccup said with a soft smile on his lips.

Jack wanted to say something, but the words were stuck in his throat. Bloody hell. Hiccup had not only trained a dragon but built a new tailfin, so they could fly together? He'd never actually considered that Hiccup would regularly fly around on the back of his dragon. That was unbelievable.

"Then the day came when I was asked to kill a dragon," Hiccup said, his smile vanishing. "I'd been in dragon training with the others, where we learned how to kill dragons and defend ourselves against them. I did really well, using all the knowledge I had gained from my friendship with Toothless, so I could subdue the dragons without actually hurting them. Then I had to kill a dragon in front of the whole village. But of course, I couldn't do it, knowing now that dragons weren't monsters. When the other Vikings released the dragon, I was supposed to kill, I refused to do it. The dragon got scared from all the noise around it and began to attack me. Toothless heard it from the cove and came to my rescue, but my dad and the rest of the village captured him and didn't listen to me when I told them he wasn't dangerous. Then my dad took Toothless and sailed away with the rest of the Vikings to find the dragon queen's nest because only dragons could find it," Hiccup said and gazed over the sparkling lake with a faraway look in his eyes.

Jack was frozen in place. He stared at Hiccup, imagining him in all those situations. Dragons, Vikings, life or death. It was so far removed from their daily life here at Hogwarts, he had trouble fully taking it in.

Hiccup cleared his throat but still didn't look at him. "I convinced the others, including Fishlegs and Astrid, to take the remaining dragons that were locked up in the arena to go after my dad and get Toothless back. But when we got there, the Red Death, the dragon queen, was already attacking everyone, trying to kill the intruders and protect her nest. Astrid, Fishlegs and the others distracted it in different ways, while Toothless and I shot at it, trying to bring it down, but it was too big to get any serious damage from our hits... So, I decided to lure it way into the sky, beyond the clouds and then dive straight down. It followed us and when it was just about to swallow us, I told Toothless to spin around and shoot a plasma blast straight into its mouth, because that seemed to be its only weak spot. That's how it died. When it came crashing down through the air, I was hit by its massive tail, so I fell off Toothless and into the sea of flames it left behind. Toothless dived after me and wrapped his wings and legs around me to protect me from the impact," Hiccup said and started ripping up blades of grass again. "You know how I lost my leg fighting the dragon queen?"

"Yeah, of course," Jack said. How could he ever forget that?

"Well, to save me, Toothless had to grab on somehow, and that's how I lost it. He saved my life. Since that day we've lived in peace with the dragons," Hiccup said, tearing his eyes off the shimmering lake to look at Jack.

"That's amazing," Jack said, his voice almost a whisper. "I mean… that's like something you read in a storybook."

Seriously, Hiccup had done all that? Formed a close bond with a dragon despite everyone telling him they were monsters, put his life on the line to save the other Vikings, lost a limb in the process and created peace between the Vikings and the dragons? That was incredible. Hiccup was incredible. He tapped his fingers on his knee over and over to deal with how soft he felt inside.

"Thanks," Hiccup said with appreciation in his eyes.

"You must be considered a hero back home now?"

"Some people see me that way," Hiccup said and looked at his hands resting in his lap.

Jack could read the conflicting emotions on his face. Countless times, he'd wished he could magically fix the massive holes in Hiccup's self-esteem, so he could see how amazing he was. He deserved to feel good about himself instead of constantly beating himself up, and Jack was determined to help him repair as much damage as he could, even if it was going to be a terribly slow process.

"So… back home you actually fly around on Toothless?" Jack said, eager to learn more about Hiccup's bond with Toothless. It also didn't hurt to change the subject to something Hiccup was more comfortable with.

"Yeah, it's the best," Hiccup said with longing, a faint smile on his lips. "There's no feeling that could ever compare to it."

"Isn't it pretty dangerous?" Jack said and leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees. It seemed like the kind of thing that could end badly if you weren't careful.

Hiccup shrugged. "Of course, there are always risks, but we take precautions, like strapping myself to Toothless' saddle with a harness."

"That's a good idea," Jack said and smiled. "Are you the only one on Berk who flies around on a dragon?"

"Oh no, almost everyone on Berk has a dragon now."

"What? You're saying Fishlegs and Astrid have dragons too"? he said, his eyes wide.

"Yeah," Hiccup said and chuckled at his surprise.

He shook his head. Fishlegs and Astrid had dragons too. He needed a moment to let that sink in. Three students at Hogwarts had had dragons for over two years now and no one even knew about it until a few months ago.

Hiccup opened the sketchbook again. He flipped through the pages before finding what he was looking for and put the sketchbook on the grass.

Jack looked at the page. It was a beautiful detailed drawing of Fishlegs standing next to a brown dragon with a short body and a huge head with two yellow eyes, a wide mouth and a big snout. It had a long club-like tail that seemed to be a pretty effective weapon and two small wings. Definitely smaller and less dangerous-looking than Toothless, but even so… It had a quiet strength about it.

"That's Meatlug," Hiccup said, tapping on the drawing with a finger.

Jack chuckled. "Do all your dragons have such weird names?"

"Most of them, but not all… My dad's dragon is named Skullcrusher."

"Wow, that's a badass name," Jack said and tried to imagine a huge, strong dragon that would fit that name. Definitely the kind of name that would deter enemies.

"It really is," Hiccup said and flipped through the pages in the sketchbook again.

He showed Jack a new drawing. It was Astrid standing proudly next to a big blue and yellow dragon with large wings, a big round head with yellow eyes far apart and some kind of big horn above its massive snout. It had long spikes on top of its head and several smaller spikes along its tail.

"This is Stormfly," Hiccup said.

Jack nodded. "This is all just… amazing."

Hiccup smiled at his excitement.

Now he wished more than ever he could go to Berk sometime and see the dragons for himself. It'd be incredible to actually meet a dragon and Berk was an island filled with them.

"It's almost impossible to believe you guys actually have dragons and fly around on them," he said and shook his head.

Hiccup smiled fondly at him. "I know."

"So, where do you like… keep them?"

"Anywhere and everywhere," Hiccup said and chuckled. "Toothless sleeps in my room with me," he said like it was the most natural thing in the world.

"What? Seriously?" Jack said, his mouth splitting into a huge grin.

That sounded unbelievable. A dragon sleeping in someone's room like it was no different from a cat or a dog.

"Yeah, but some Vikings prefer to have a little stable outside their house, where their dragon sleeps."

"How many dragon species are there?" Jack said. He didn't know much about dragons, except the tiny bits he'd learned in Care of Magical Creatures. Their professor had made it clear that genuine knowledge about dragons was very limited, because dragons were not only rare but incredibly dangerous and wary of humans, which made it difficult to study them.

"A lot. So far, we know of 30 different species, but we regularly discover new ones."

"What kind is Toothless?" Jack said. He reached out and flipped the pages of the sketchbook back to the beautiful drawing of the black dragon.

"A Night Fury," Hiccup told him with a smile.

Jack could swear he heard a trace of pride in Hiccup's voice.

"Wow, cool name," he said and glanced at the drawing.

Silence passed between them.

Hiccup observed the calm blue water of the lake. The breeze ruffled his brown hair.

"You said there were hostile tribes, who want to keep killing the dragons?" Jack said and clenched and unclenched his hands to do something with the sudden restlessness inside him.

"There are."

"Do they cause problems for you guys?"

"Yeah, they do. They've managed to gain a lot of profit through the years by killing dragons and exporting their parts to the wizarding community for potions and wands and such. But the whole archipelago except three tribes has agreed to outlaw the unnecessary killing of dragons and trading of dragon parts… Some of the tribes don't agree with that, so they continue to do it and sell the parts to the highest bidders, and we try to stop them. Ever since the dragons died out in Romania, the archipelago is the only place in the world that still has them, so their parts are very valuable," Hiccup said, his voice quiet. "We need to protect them."

Jack nodded. "I get that," he said and had a thought. "When you said: "We try to stop them." Are you seriously a part of that?"

"Of course," Hiccup said without hesitation.

"That sounds insanely dangerous," Jack said and dug a nail into his thigh.

"Life in the archipelago is dangerous, Jack. It's important to me to protect the dragons," Hiccup said with determination in his eyes.

"Yeah, I know. It just worries me," he said, deciding to be completely honest.

A tiny smile crept onto Hiccup's lips. "Well, don't worry too much. Me and Toothless are a team and we protect each other."

Hiccup's words did soothe his concern a bit, although he still didn't like the thought of Hiccup being in conflict with hostile tribes. That sounded like it could have fatal results and Jack did not want to think about that.

A familiar thought popped into his head. He hesitated, considering whether he should ask. It could be sensitive, and Hiccup could become guarded in an instant.

He looked into Hiccup's eyes and Hiccup smiled softly at him. He decided to do it.

"Hic, I've been thinking about something… Have you ever fought anyone for real?" he said and watched Hiccup's face for any changes in expression. Maybe he wouldn't want to talk about it. Maybe he'd had bad experiences.

"Yeah. It's happened a couple of times when we've defended the dragons from trappers," Hiccup said with a conflicted expression.

That was to be expected. Hiccup was a calm, peaceful guy and even though Jack now knew he could defend himself, he was the kind of person, who'd always try to avoid violence.

"Have you ever… killed anyone?" Jack said, the words hard to get out of his mouth. Somehow, he just needed to know. Needed to find out how much horror Hiccup might have seen. But even asking was a big risk.

"No… and hopefully I won't ever have to," Hiccup said and tugged on one of his braids.

"I hope so too," Jack said. Life among the Vikings seemed risky and brutal. With some luck, maybe Hiccup could avoid being involved in too many conflicts.

They talked a while longer by the lake. He asked Hiccup more questions about the dragons and the Vikings' relationship with them, and Hiccup answered most of them. There were some questions though, where Hiccup told him that he couldn't share that information, like how many Vikings and dragons lived on Berk, weaknesses of the different dragon species and what methods they used to train them. Jack didn't take it personally though. Hiccup had already opened up to him a lot more than he'd expected.

When the two of them made their way back towards the castle, Jack noticed the fondness that spread inside him. Hiccup had trusted him with one of his secrets. Something only the people closest to him knew about.

He nudged Hiccup's shoulder. "Last one to the castle entrance is a rotten Fire Crab!" he yelled and took off, rushing towards the castle.

He heard Hiccup laugh and chase after him, so he kept going as fast as he could, wanting to win this little contest.

He had a head start, and he managed to stay in the lead. When the castle entrance came into view, a grin spread across his face. He was going to beat Hiccup, earning him the precious right to gloat.

A pained noise made him stop dead in his tracks.

Hiccup grabbed his bad leg with one of his hands, leaning forward.

Jack wasted no time and ran towards him.

"Hic?" he said. Fuck. Was this his fault? Was Hiccup in pain because of him?

Hiccup lifted his head. As soon as he met Jack's eyes, his entire face changed from pained to a huge grin. He took off like a bullet towards the castle.

Oh, that little shit! Jack spun around and ran after him as fast as he could. Hiccup's laughter echoed through the air and when he reached the castle entrance first, he jumped in triumph and practically beamed.

"Yes!" Hiccup yelled.

"You cheated!" Jack said and pointed a finger at him.

"Oh please. You had a head start, so I had to level the playing field," Hiccup said.

"I can't believeyou actually faked being in pain to trick me!" Jack said and shook his head, but he couldn't keep a big grin off his face.

"Well, being one-legged should have some advantages," Hiccup said and laughed.

There was still an hour or so left before dinner, so the two of them split up to head towards their respective common rooms to find their friends and spend some time with them. Jack was itching to tell Flynn, Merida and Mavis the story of how Hiccup and Toothless became friends. He was sure they'd love it and they'd appreciate Hiccup even more, just like he did.

---

It had been an entertaining day of classes so far for Hiccup. In Potions, he'd threatened Jack with retribution when he played a prank on him by dropping some star thistles into his cauldron, which made the potion turn into thick slimy goo that bubbled over and spread across his and Fishlegs' workstation. The idiot had been unable to contain his childish laughter fit and Hiccup couldn't stop from laughing too. However, he made sure Jack knew he was going to pay for this little stunt. Not that Jack seemed concerned. He appeared more amused than anything. The only thing that soured his mood in the class was noticing how McGowan and Levin kept glaring at him, but he had ignored it and, after cleaning up after Jack's prank, he even managed to brew a perfect batch that Professor Creek complimented him on.

When Potions was over, he, Flynn, Jack and Rapunzel had Transfiguration next. They'd broken into several hysterical laughter fits as they practiced turning frogs into dogs, which was quite a difficult transfiguration to perform. At first, he'd been skeptical about the spell, because he was worried it might be distressing for the animals but luckily, they didn't seem to be affected by it.

Hiccup caught on fairly quickly and he transformed his frog into a cute big black dog with green eyes that barked happily and ran around the classroom until he had to break the spell, because it started to knock over students and jump onto tables.

Jack wasn't far behind though, and he transfigured his frog into a small white dog with thick fur and friendly brown eyes. Unfortunately, it seemed to have taken on Jack's mischievous spirit, because it immediately darted through the door and down the corridors. He and Jack ran after it, chasing it through the corridors, unable to keep their loud, joyful laughter from echoing through the air. They got a lot of curious looks and laughs from other students, while they rushed after the little white dog with their wands out, trying to transform it back into a rock. They finally managed to do it after about 10 minutes, when the dog ran into another classroom and had no way out.

When he and Jack made their way back towards the Transfiguration classroom, Hiccup found himself thinking that he was actually glad he'd told Jack the story of how he made friends with Toothless. Now that Jack, Flynn, Merida and Mavis knew about this part of his life, he felt closer to them, like their friendship had evolved.

He'd been nervous about it, but now it'd been a few days and it hadn't spread to the other students, so Hiccup felt reassured that he was right to trust Jack. Fishlegs and Rapunzel had been surprised to learn that he'd told Jack about it, but they told him that they weren't worried that Jack would tell anyone. Apparently, they trusted Jack too. Astrid had been less than happy when she found out about it. She'd said that he didn't know Jack well enough to tell him such important information, but Hiccup had dismissed her worries and asked her to trust his judgment.

As Transfiguration was their last class of the day, he, Jack, Flynn and Rapunzel went to the lake by their usual spot afterwards to wait for the rest of their friends and spend some time together. It had practically become a ritual of theirs now and they'd do it almost every day, unless other things like homework and Quidditch practice got in the way.

When they reached the lake and slumped down on the blankets, they quickly became occupied by a discussion on whose transfigured dog was cuter, his or Jack's.

"Mine was clearly cuter," Hiccup said. "Did you see those green eyes and that shiny black fur?"

"What? That's just not true," Jack said. "Did you even look properly at mine? It was all fluffy and adorable!"

"Yeah, I think Jack's was cuter too," Rapunzel said.

Hiccup looked at her with dead eyes. "Friendship over."

Rapunzel stuck her tongue out.

"You clearly know nothing about dogs," Hiccup said.

"Flynn, back me up," Jack said.

"Nah, Jackie," Flynn said. "I agree with Hiccup."

"What?!"

"Yeah. Your dog was way too small," Flynn said. "It was more like a… hamster."

Jack huffed.

After a while, Mavis and Merida joined them. Merida's eyelids were drooping and her every movement was slow and heavy.

"You look tired, Red," Flynn said.

"Yeah, Earth Magic was brutal today," she said and let out a massive yawn. "One long lecture. No practical stuff. Ugh."

"That's rough," Jack said.

Hiccup smiled. Both Jack and Merida definitely preferred a more hands-on approach to learning magic than lectures.

Mavis began to entertain them with a story about how one of the frogs in the Frog Choir had burped so loudly that it echoed through the entire room and ruined the whole song. Jack almost choked on his own laughter, making everyone else laugh even harder.

Soon after, Fishlegs joined them and plopped down between him and Rapunzel.

"Hey Lǫngubak [Fishbelly]," Hiccup said with a smile.

"Hi Burlufotr [Clumsy Foot]," Fishlegs shot back and grinned at him.

"How was Ancient Runes?" he said.

Fishlegs shrugged. "Eh… It was okay, I guess, but McGowan was a git today."

"What? How?" Hiccup said.

The list of issues he and Fishlegs had had with McGowan through the years was incredibly long, and Hiccup found his patience dwindling every time another unpleasant encounter was added to it.

"He just tried to get me to do his work for him again," Fishlegs said with tired eyes.

"Gods, he's such an idiot," Hiccup said and dug his fingers into his leg.

"Yeah, he's a real tosser," Flynn said with annoyance in his voice.

"It's no wonder almost no one in our House wants anything to do with him," Jack said and crossed his arms.

"Except Levin… other than that he always hangs out with those two Slytherins and that Hufflepuff," Merida said, furrowing her brow.

"Yeah, well… I just told him that he needed to do his own work," Fishlegs said and shrugged.

Hiccup nodded. "Good. He needs to know that he can't just threaten people to get what he wants."

"Yeah, but unfortunately, he moved on to someone else and they were too scared to say no," Fishlegs said with a sad smile.

"It's unbelievable that he gets away with it. It's like the professors don't even see it," Jack said and rolled his eyes.

"They probably don't," Hiccup said. "Some bullies are very good at keeping the truth from anyone who has any power over them."

"Yeah, I guess. It's just wrong," Jack said with a look of disgust. "I remember once in our third year that some short first year boy accidentally bumped into McGowan in the corridors and he just lost it and started threatening him and slammed him against the wall. The little guy was terrified."

Hiccup sighed. "That's just pathetic... picking on someone who can't even fight back."

"Yeah, it is," Flynn said. "It was a good thing me and Jackie were around, because no one else was too eager to help him."

"I've always wondered why some people turn out like that," Mavis said. The breeze played with her black hair and she tucked a lock behind her ear. "Always feeling the need to threaten others and put them down."

Hiccup picked a few stray threads off the blanket. "People who've always been physically strong sometimes take it for granted and lose respect for it. They've never experienced what it's like to be stepped on, so they don't have much empathy for people weaker than them," he said, keeping his voice calm despite that familiar tension in his muscles. "And then… there are situations where they have experienced being abused or excluded, so they focus all their energy on bothering others, so they'll look strong and won't become targets again themselves."

"Sounds like you have some experience with this," Flynn said, his voice more subdued than usual.

"I have," Hiccup said but didn't want to elaborate. He glanced at Jack, who was watching him with a serious look on his face.

"Well, what you're saying makes sense," Mavis said and nodded. "It's a shame that it's not easier for the professors to spot it and intervene somehow. I mean, being bullied and maybe even threatened or beaten up… that can have serious consequences for people's lives."

She didn't need to tell Hiccup that. He had plenty of experience.

"Yeah… Unfortunately, some people will always have the need to put others down to make themselves feel powerful," he said.

"It's just strange because I don't remember him being that bad in our first year," Flynn said and scratched the back of his head. "He even told me once that he wanted to work with animals when he grew up."

"What? Seriously?" Jack said.

"Yeah. It's weird, isn't it?"

"Well… Something could have happened to him that turned him into the bully he is now," Hiccup said and shrugged. "Or maybe he just got worse as he got older, because he became bigger and stronger."

"Yeah, maybe," Jack said. "But we'll never know anyway."

"True," Flynn said, before his lips formed a grin. "But at least he didn't want to be a knight like Simba did."

"Hey, that's a perfectly legitimate profession, Rider," Merida said, trying to look threatening but failing because a small smile crept onto her lips.

"Sure, it is, Curly," Flynn said. "Especially in our day and age."

"Well, what did you want to be when you were younger that was so great then?" Merida said.

"A dashing brilliant master thief… or a king," Flynn said with one of those familiar, confident smiles.

Hiccup and the others chuckled, while Merida rolled her eyes.

"I wanted to be a doctor," Rapunzel said with wide eyes. "I've always really liked the thought of helping people heal."

"Well, I wanted to be a yeti," Jack said with a proud smile.

Hiccup shook his head.

"Of course, you did," Mavis said with a fond smile. "Living in some remote part of the Himalayas, surrounded by ice and snow, playing pranks on unsuspecting tourists and mountain climbers. What could be more natural for you?"

"Exactly," Jack said and gave Mavis a bright grin. "What about you guys?" he asked Hiccup and Fishlegs.

He and Fishlegs shot each other a look. Fishlegs was definitely aware of his predicament.

"Uhh, well…" Fishlegs said and twiddled his thumbs, "There aren't really that many options in the archipelago. I mean… you can be things like a smith, a farmer, a healer, a tailor, those sorts of things. So, there are options, but definitely not as many as here."

Hiccup stayed silent and appreciated that Fishlegs took it upon himself to answer.

When he met Jack's eyes, he could tell Jack had picked up on his reluctance to give an answer. But as usual, Jack didn't ask when Hiccup was uncomfortable with something and that was one of the things he valued immensely about their friendship.

"Or you could just be Viking warriors. Isn't that like a full time profession?" Jack said with a teasing grin.

"Not really," Hiccup said and smiled. "It's not like there are constant wars and conflicts, thank the gods. Anyway, we're dragon riders, in case you forgot."

"Well, that's probably for the best. You're obviously too weak to be a warrior," Jack said.

If anyone who wasn't his friend had said that, Hiccup would get the familiar sting of feeling inadequate, but since it was Jack, he was well aware that he was just trying to rile him up for fun.

"Oh really? Unlike you, of course?" he said and raised his eyebrows at Jack.

"Of course! I mean, look at me. This is obviously nothing but pure muscle and ninja reflexes," Jack said.

Some of the others chuckled at that comment.

"Riiiiight," Hiccup said. "I'm obviously no match for you, Snowball."

"I'm glad you've finally realized that, Hic."

"In case you didn't notice, because you're not the brightest: That was sarcasm."

"What!?" Jack said, pretending to be outraged. "How dare you? I challenge you to a duel!"

"Seriously? You're challenging a Viking to a duel?" Hiccup shot back with a smile.

Yeah… That wouldn't end well for Jack.

"Oh, you're saying that I don't have a chance?" Jack said and crossed his arms.

"That's exactly what I'm saying."

Jack got to his feet and covered the short distance between them. He leaned over and punched Hiccup repeatedly on the arm in a challenge.

"Seriously?" Hiccup said and suppressed a chuckle.

He and Jack both knew he could easily take him down, but Jack was clearly on a mission to entertain their friends.

"What? Are you scared, Viking Boy?" Jack said and kept punching his arm.

Well… He needed to wipe that smug smile off Jack's face now.

Hiccup jumped to his feet, snapped Jack's arm behind his back and forced him down on his knees. He smacked Jack's face into the grass, careful not to be too brutal. He kept a tight grip on Jack's arm and put a hand on the back of his head, so he couldn't move.

Jack squirmed, trying to break free, but there was no way he could do that.

The others roared with laughter at the sight of Jack being overpowered immediately, especially Merida and Flynn, who always seemed to take great pleasure in seeing Jack being put in his place.

"Do you surrender?" Hiccup said and loosened his grip on Jack enough for Jack to properly lift his face off the ground.

"Never!" Jack shouted.

Hiccup smushed Jack's head into the grass again.

Jack kept struggling and shooting insults at him, but it wasn't difficult for Hiccup to hold him in place.

After a few moments, he let Jack lift his head again.

"What about now? Do you surrender?"

"Fine!" Jack said and pouted. "I surrender… You stupid Viking."

Hiccup laughed. He let go of Jack and took his seat on the blanket again.

Jack scowled and plopped down across from him.

"Wow, Snowflake, you just got your ass kicked," Merida said and laughed, clearly loving this.

"Well, you would too, if you went up against a bloody Viking," Jack shot back and crossed his arms.

Hiccup grinned at that.

"Even more reason not to do that, Jackie," Flynn said with an amused smile on his face. "That was a stupid idea."

"Yeah, well… next time I'll just ambush him somehow, so he doesn't have time to react," Jack said.

"Please, like that would ever happen," Hiccup said and did a dismissive wave.

"Uh, Hiccup?" Fishlegs said with an uncertain look on his face.

"Yeah?" he said and frowned, sensing that this was going to be about something he wouldn't like.

"I forgot… Someone gave me a note to pass on to you. Should I just read it as usual?" Fishlegs asked.

Hiccup sighed. It bothered him that people had begun to approach Fishlegs and Rapunzel about him. Sure, he didn't like strangers trying to talk to him, but it was better to keep it contained to himself instead of his friends as well.

"Yeah, thanks," he said with a small smile.

Fishlegs took the note out of his pocket and unfolded it. Rapunzel scooted closer to him and looked at the note, reading the words on the page with interest in her eyes. She grinned widely.

Oh no… This was going to be bad. He just knew it.

"What's so funny?" Flynn said. "Amusing fangirl mail?"

"Actually… try: fanboy mail," Rapunzel said and giggled.

"What?" Hiccup said.

Fishlegs handed him the note. He scanned the words written on the crinkled piece of paper.

He felt a blush warm his cheeks, while he read the message. He couldn't help feeling conflicted, because it reminded him that his own sexuality wouldn't be accepted back on Berk. He looked at the name, and sure enough, it was from a guy. It wasn't just any guy though. Hiccup knew him. Well, he didn't know him, but he was aware of who he was and they'd even exchanged a few words in classes through the years.

Well, this was… interesting.

"Who's it from?" Merida said, leaning forward in anticipation.

"I can't tell you that," Hiccup said. This was a private matter, and he wasn't going to share the guy's identity. "I don't know if he'd be okay with anyone else knowing."

"Yeah, you're right," Merida said with a nod. "I just got too curious."

"Well, fanboy mail. That's impressive, Hic," Jack's amused voice said. "That's only happened to me a few times. What about you, Flynn?"

"Same," Flynn said with a smile.

"You're in an exclusive fan mail club now," Jack said with that stupid teasing smile, because he knew damn well that all these notes Hiccup was suddenly getting were a serious challenge for his awkward nature.

"Where can I sign up for the never-getting-any-fan-mail-whatsoever club?" Hiccup deadpanned.

"You've been banned from applying for membership there because you're too bloody popular," Jack said and waggled his eyebrows.

Hiccup sighed. "I need to do something to make myself less popular then. Maybe I should just punch you in the face in front of everyone?"

"That wouldn't just make you unpopular. That would start a bloody riot," Jack said.

"Oh please, people would love that," Merida said and grinned.

The offended look on Jack's face made them all laugh.

After spending time together by the lake, they split up and headed to their respective common rooms before dinner. When he, Fishlegs and Rapunzel reached the Ravenclaw common room, his two friends slumped down in two of the soft blue armchairs by the fireplace.

There were a few other Ravenclaws around, and they all waved or smiled at him, as he hurried through the room and up the creaking staircase towards their dormitory to grab one of his other sketchbooks and some more charcoal pencils.

He found what he was looking for in his nightstand and put everything into his satchel. A tapping sound on the window made him jump. His dad's black owl sat outside with a letter in its beak. He smiled to himself and opened the window.

The black owl jumped inside and he took the letter. It let out a content hoot, spread its wings and flew out of the open window, taking off into the brisk evening air.

Hiccup plopped down on his bed and opened the letter, eager to find out how everything was going at home. He was relieved to read there hadn't been more trouble with the hostile tribes, since his dad's last letter, and he smiled, when he read that the twins, Snotlout and Gobber were doing well and that there were no issues with the dragons either. But his dad made it clear that when he, Fishlegs, Astrid and Rapunzel came to Berk for the holidays in December, Hiccup would need to get more chiefing lessons.

He sighed to himself, as he folded the letter and put it in one of his pockets. There wasn't any way he could avoid the lessons, but they always served to painfully remind him of his future responsibilities, and how he'd probably never be ready to be a leader. How could he possibly rule an entire Viking tribe? How could he make all the unbearable decisions that could potentially end up hurting the people and dragons he cared about?

The familiar, suffocating melancholy washed over him and he knew he needed to be alone. He went back to the common room and spotted Fishlegs and Rapunzel still sitting in the armchairs by the fire, apparently discussing something amusing, since Rapunzel let out a bubbly laugh and covered her mouth with a hand. When they saw him, their smiles disappeared.

"What's wrong?" Rapunzel said.

"I got a letter from my dad," Hiccup said and gripped the strap on his satchel tighter.

"Oh?" Fishlegs said, shifting in his seat.

"When we come back for the holidays, he wants me to get more chiefing lessons," Hiccup said quietly, not wanting any of the other Ravenclaws to hear him. He really didn't need anyone else knowing about this part of his life.

"I'm sorry, Hiccup. I know how all of this makes you feel," Rapunzel said and wrung her hands.

Both Rapunzel and Fishlegs were well aware that he had trouble with his future role in the tribe, and that his dad's attempts to prepare him for it only made him feel worse.

"Is there anything we can do for you?" Fishlegs said, leaning forward with a hopeful look in his eyes.

Hiccup appreciated the offer, but he didn't know what they could possibly do. What anyone could do. He had a path he had to follow, whether he liked it or not.

"No, not really, but thanks… both of you," he said and gave them a soft smile. They were amazing friends. Always ready to listen and try their best to help. "I need to be alone for a while and think."

They both nodded in understanding, but their eyes were gleaming with concern in the warm light of the fire. It was a familiar expression on both of them by now. He'd seen it countless times through the years. They didn't like it, when he retreated outside to be alone, but they knew it was his way of dealing with things, so they reluctantly let him have his space, and he was grateful for that.

"If you change your mind and want to talk, you know we're always here for you," Rapunzel said and got to her feet and wrapped her arms around him in a warm hug.

He hugged her back and let the loving gesture bring him a sliver of comfort among his dark thoughts.

"And let us know, if you find out there's actually something we can do," Fishlegs said with a small smile.

He nodded. "I'll be okay. I just need some space."

---

Jack laughed at Mavis' joke and poured some more juice into his cup. The noise of cutlery, plates and chatter was invasive, but he focused on listening to his friends' discussion about whether it was worse to piss off a hippogrif or an acromantula. The heat from the massive fireplace behind the long table wrapped him in toasty comfort. Their three Ravenclaw friends were absent, but that didn't worry him too much. Dinner had only just started, so they'd probably be here soon.

"I'm just saying acromantulas have venom," Merida said and cut into the slice of steak and cheese pie on her golden plate.

Jack stuck his fork into a roasted potato and shoved it into his mouth. The taste of salt and thyme was delicious.

"Yeah, but a hippogrif can fly! You can't even grab a broomstick and escape into the air," Flynn said and motioned to the enchanted ceiling, where a sea of black stretched out above them, decorated with glittering stars and a bright full moon.

"Yeah, because you're constantly walking around with a broomstick, right?" Merida said and brought a piece of the pie into her mouth, chewing with plenty of noise and enthusiasm.

He stabbed a piece of broccoli, when movement by the Ravenclaw table caught his eye. Fishlegs and Rapunzel sunk into their seats on opposite sides of the table. With slouched postures and somber faces, they started putting food on their plates.

He put his fork down.

Hiccup wasn't with them.

He blocked out his friends' conversation and kept shooting glances at the Ravenclaw table. Rapunzel and Fishlegs were speaking to each other, but their .

Where was Hiccup? With the exception of that evening in the library when they'd had their first real conversation, Hiccup usually didn't skip meals. Something was clearly wrong.

He spun his fork between his fingers. What was going on?

"Jackie? Why are you so distracted?" Flynn said.

"I just…" Jack said and turned his attention back to Flynn, Merida and Mavis. "Hiccup isn't here."

"Oh?" Mavis said and shot a look at the Ravenclaw table.

"I'm sure he's fine," Merida said and stabbed a piece of pie.

"Yeah, he's probably just busy with something," Flynn said.

Their words didn't reassure him. What if something bad had happened? Judging from Rapunzel's and Fishlegs' serious faces, something was up. He spent the rest of dinner being quiet and pushing his food around on his plate.

As soon as he saw Rapunzel and Fishlegs leaving the Hall, he got to his feet and followed them. He quickly caught up with them outside the entrance.

"Hey, mates," he said and gave them a small wave. "Where's Hiccup?"

Fishlegs and Rapunzel shot each other a look and stayed silent.

That wasn't good. Something was definitely wrong.

"Well…" Rapunzel said, shifting her weight from one leg to the other and back again. "He got a letter from home, and it put him in a bad mood."

"Where is he now?" Jack said, his fingers twitching by his sides.

"Outside somewhere. He said he needed to think and he always does that outside," Fishlegs said with a sad smile. He was probably worried but wanted to give Hiccup his space.

"Okay. I just wanted to know," Jack said and did his best to give them a reassuring smile. "Thanks for telling me. I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?" he said and headed back to the others at the Gryffindor table.

He was quiet for the rest of the meal.

Later, in the Gryffindor common room, he and his friends sat in the soft red couches by the fireplace. Jim, Liam and Harry had joined them and usually, he'd be eager to participate in the conversation and enjoy their company, but his thoughts kept landing on Hiccup.

He stared into the hypnotic glowing flames in the fireplace. His friends' eager voices blended together in the background and he had no idea what they were discussing.

What had been in that letter Hiccup had received? Why had it put him in a bad mood? Did something happen to his dad? Or maybe Toothless? Man, he was really hoping it wasn't serious. What if Hiccup was really upset right now?

"Jackie!" Flynn's voice cut through his thoughts.

He flinched at the loud sound.

"Yeah?" he said, his heart sprinting from the shock.

"You've been quiet pretty much all through dinner and now you're completely distracted. What's wrong?" Flynn said, leaning forward in the armchair.

Jack looked around them to see if any Gryffindors besides him and his friends were close by. Luckily, there weren't.

He sighed. "I'm just a little worried about… Hiccup."

Flynn and Merida nodded, while Mavis looked at him with a tiny smile. Jim, Harry and Liam looked at each other in confusion.

"Why?" Liam said.

Jim, Harry and Liam had all talked to Hiccup a few times now that he and Hiccup were such good friends, but they didn't really know him.

"Rapunzel and Fishlegs told me he's in a bad mood and he's gone outside to think."

"Well, I'm sure, he's okay," Mavis said, watching him with reassurance in her eyes.

"Yeah, it's probably not anything serious," Merida said and took another bite of her liquorice wand.

"Maybe," Jack said and picked at his nails.

He made a decision. He wouldn't be able to focus on his friends until he found out what was going on, so there was really only one thing to do.

"I'm going to go outside and check on him," he said, shot up from the couch and headed towards the portrait entrance without giving them a chance to reply.

"Jack, are you sure that's a good idea? He obviously wants to be alone?" he heard Merida's voice say from behind him, so he stopped in his tracks and spun around.

"Yeah, I know, I know, but I'm just going to find him and ask if he wants to talk. If he doesn't, I'll leave."

Merida nodded, seeming satisfied by that.

As soon as he left the common room and was on his way down one of the staircases, he heard a voice behind him.

"Jack?"

His shoulders tensed. He turned around to face Abbey.

"What?" he said and it came out icy. But it didn't matter. After what Hiccup had told him, he didn't want to be around her.

"Did you think about what I asked you?" she said, wringing her hands. She'd probably sensed his annoyance.

"It's never going to happen, Abbey," he said and headed down the stairs again, eager to put some distance between them.

"It's because of Haddock, isn't it?" she said, her voice sharp.

He stopped in his tracks. "What?"

"He's lying, you know," Abbey said and crossed her arms.

"What are you talking about?"

He didn't like where this was going.

"Whatever he's saying about me… It's not true."

"Oh really?" Jack said and clenched his hands.

"Yes, really. He's always disliked me for no reason," she said and wrinkled her nose.

Jack shook his head. If she was seriously thinking that he would fall for this, she had another thing coming. What kind of weird strategy was this anyway? Trying to get him to like her by saying bad things about his friend? In what universe would that ever work?

Jack scoffed. "You really don't know anything about Hiccup, do you?"

"What do you mean?"

"He always has reasons… for everything he does," Jack said.

He was wasting his time with this bullshit. He could have been close to the castle entrance by now.

She huffed. Her eyes had become cold. "So, you're actually going to listen to a lying cripple instead of me?"

Oh hell no.

He stomped across the stone floor, stopping right in front of her.

"Don't ever call him that," he said, his voice so low, it almost became a whisper.

Hiccup's ego was bruised already, and even though Jack didn't know exactly what had happened to him, he was determined to do whatever he could to protect him from more damaging blows to his self-esteem.

"Well, it's true, whether you want to see it or not," Abbey said like he was a child who wouldn't accept some harsh reality.

"You know what? Don't bother lying about Hiccup to me, okay? You know why?"

He was done with this. He just wanted to get away from her, so he could calm down and go find Hiccup.

When Abbey remained quiet, watching him with harsh eyes, he spoke again.

"Because I'll always choose him over you."

---

Jack stepped outside the main entrance of the castle, the evening air brisk against his pale skin. There wasn't a single cloud in the night sky, and he took a moment to just watch the dark heavens, illuminated by thousands of bright shining stars and a full moon that bathed everything in a gentle glow.

The peaceful surroundings managed to calm him down. He needed to put his anger aside, so he could be there for Hiccup, if he wanted to talk about whatever was bothering him.

He took out his wand from his blue hoodie.

"Lumos," he said and the light from the wand covered the grass ahead of him, so he could find his way without stumbling over rocks or roots.

Where would Hiccup be? Probably the lake.

He walked across the soft, wet grass. The chilly breeze caressed his skin and he listened to the gentle sound of the rustling leaves in the night was so peaceful, and yet he had a restless energy flowing through him. He wanted to find Hiccup, so he could see him for himself.

When the lake came into view, Jack began scanning his surroundings. It was so dark that Hiccup could practically be anywhere, but he spotted a faint warm light from somewhere next to the water.

He smiled to himself. That had to be Hiccup. He hurried towards the lake, wanting to reach his friend as quickly as possible.

When he came closer to the water, he spotted him. Hiccup sat with his back to a tree, a lit lantern on the ground illuminating his face with a warm glow. He held his sketchbook, tracing his charcoal pencil across the paper.

Typical Hiccup. He was almost always sketching when he needed to relax or take his mind off things.

Jack approached him, the autumn leaves and twigs cracking under his feet. It didn't take long for Hiccup to notice him. Hiccup lifted his head for a moment, registered who it was and lowered his gaze to his sketchbook again.

"Hey, Hic… What are you doing out here?" Jack said softly, stopping right next to him. He tucked his wand away.

"Nothing… I was just thinking," Hiccup said without much emotion.

Jack shook his head.

"You do that waaaay too much," he said. It earned him a small smile from Hiccup, who kept his eyes on his sketchbook and continued to move his pencil across the page.

"I know," Hiccup said, not bothering with any of his usual sass and sarcasm.

Jack frowned. Now it was definitely confirmed that Hiccup was in a bad mood. He didn't just give in to his comments like that. He'd always have a snarky reply to shoot back at him.

Jack had a growing feeling in his gut that told him he needed to protect his friend. From what? He had no idea. But it didn't matter. He wanted to make Hiccup's problems disappear.

When Hiccup looked up at him, that feeling only grew stronger. Hiccup's eyes were dull and he seemed melancholy, sitting slumped against the tree trunk.

Well, that wouldn't do at all.

Jack sat down in front of Hiccup, not caring that his trousers became wet from the moist grass. He crossed his legs and rested his arms on them. The lantern bathed Hiccup's face in an orange glow, and he didn't look at Jack anymore, but kept staring at the sketchbook in his hands. Jack didn't like the silence that had descended on them. It was an unnatural presence.

"Is something wrong?" he said and did his best to approach this in a gentle way.

He didn't want to pry. He wanted to be there for Hiccup, but he'd always respect it, if Hiccup needed his space.

Hiccup closed the sketchbook. "Yeah, but I can't really talk to you about it," he said and sighed.

Jack had to admit that those words hurt a bit. He wanted Hiccup to trust him, to know that he'd be there when he needed it. But how could he convince him of that?

"Okay…" he said and clutched the hem of his hoodie. "Well… Look, I know it's difficult to tell someone about your problems, trust me, but I'm here for you if you need someone to listen. I'd never judge you or tell anyone about it."

He meant every word. Hopefully, Hiccup would believe him.

"I know… but it's more complicated than that," Hiccup said, staring at the sketchbook in his lap. His eyes looked dark in the warm light from the lantern. His voice had become miserable, and Jack suppressed the urge to sigh.

Hiccup seemed convinced that he couldn't share whatever was bothering him. But why? Wasn't there any way he could show him that he'd be there for him, no matter what the problem was?

Jack sighed. Tapped his fingers on his leg. Stopped. Started again. Was he really going to do this? He couldn't expect Hiccup to open up to him unless he was willing to do the same. So, he'd tell Hiccup something only Flynn, Merida, Mavis and his family knew about. He'd show Hiccup that he was willing to trust him with something incredibly personal.

Jack's stomach clenched in protest and nausea crawled into his throat. This was dangerous emotional territory that could end up hurting him. But he couldn't listen to his body's warnings. He needed to do this.

"Hic… Can I tell you a story?" Jack said with a smile, trying to hide his own discomfort.

"Of course," Hiccup said and his eyes looked less dull now.

That was something.

Jack took a deep breath.

This wasn't going to be easy. Talking about it reminded him of the guilt and the grief that he'd rather forget. He wouldn't back down now though. It was time for Hiccup to know.

"When I was 10 and Emma was 5, we got new ice skates for Christmas. We begged our parents to take us skating the next day, but they were busy and told us we had to wait, so… we decided to sneak out and go to the big lake nearby to skate by ourselves. It was so stupid… There was no one around to keep an eye on us. I was holding Emma's hand the whole time and everything was fine until she begged me to let her skate by herself for just a little while. I thought it was okay because it was only going to be for a brief moment and I would be right there to keep an eye on her… and at first it was fine… but then the ice started to crack under her feet," Jack said and dug a nail into his leg.

Hiccup's eyes widened.

"I took my skates off and walked across the ice, trying my best to do it carefully, so it wouldn't crack under me too… She was so scared and I tried to convince her she'd be okay, but she didn't believe me," he said.

The words were hard to get out like they had little thorns and fought to stay hidden in his throat. Images whirled through his mind. Emma with her huge frightened eyes. The tears gleaming on her cheeks. The sound of ice breaking apart.

"When I was close enough, I threw myself at her and pushed her out of the way. She landed on a thicker part of the ice, and she was finally safe. I was so relieved… but then the ice cracked under me and I fell into the water."

Hiccup bit his lip. His eyes were shining with concern.

"I tried to swim back to the surface but I was in shock and I was wearing all this thick winter clothing that pulled me down. I thought I was going to die, but suddenly, someone grabbed me and I was heaved out of the water and shoved across the ice. I tried my best to get up but everything was hurting and cramping and I just couldn't… and then I heard the cries."

The tears pushed into his eyes and he blinked them away. He took a moment to get his shaky breathing under control.

"My parents were in the water. Emma told me later that our mum had dived straight into the water to get me and my dad had tried to pull us both back out, but the ice was cracking all around us and he fell in too, " Jack said, doing his best to keep his voice steady, but he knew he failed.

Hiccup kept watching him in silence, but his eyes were filled with sadness now, and Jack had no doubt Hiccup knew how this story was going to end.

"I screamed at Emma to run and get help and she did, but it was too late. After a while, they couldn't keep themselves afloat anymore. And I couldn't do anything to help them. They sunk into the water and drowned. Afterwards, me and Emma were taken in by the authorities, because we had no other living family," he said and tore his eyes off Hiccup to look at the dark grass instead.

His throat felt narrow like he couldn't get enough air through it. His heart ached behind his ribs, heavy and sore.

"Jack," Hiccup said, almost a whisper. Jack met his eyes and saw the understanding, the empathy, the worry that shone in them.

Relief washed over him among all the pain. Hiccup understood.

"I'm so sorry," Hiccup said, his voice soft. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Jack gave him a small smile. "It was a long time ago... But it still hurts like hell."

Hiccup nodded with a sad smile.

"If we hadn't snuck out, they'd still be alive. If I had known magic back then, I would have been able to save them. It was our fault they died," he said, his vision blurring as unshed tears invaded his eyes, taunting him with their warm stinging presence.

He wiped his eyes with one of his sleeves, refusing to cry in front of Hiccup. It was so rare that he cried, but if he didn't count talking about the nightmares with Mavis, he'd only ever told this entire story twice… Once to the authorities after it happened and once to his three best friends.

"It was never your fault," Hiccup's gentle voice said, and he was touched by the level of emotion in it… but he'd heard those words many times before, and it never relieved him of the guilt and the grief swirling inside him.

"Yes, it was, but I've learned to live with it. Years of therapy made that possible. We were only kids… We couldn't have known what would happen. But it was our fault nonetheless. Nothing can ever erase that," Jack said, not meeting Hiccup's eyes.

More tears blurred the world around him and he rubbed his eyes with his hands to stop them from falling. He took a few deep breaths and willed them away. He needed to pull himself together now.

Jack expected Hiccup to keep trying to reassure him that it wasn't his fault his parents died. He was used to people doing that and he understood why they did it. They just wanted him to feel better.

But Hiccup didn't reassure him. He shot towards him and pulled him into a hug.

Jack stiffened at the unexpected touch. After a few seconds, he reached his arms around Hiccup and hugged him back.

Hiccup's warmth enveloped him, and it was safe and comforting like his doubts were melting away. Jack didn't even think about it before he rested his chin on Hiccup's shoulder, the soft fabric of the green shirt brushing against his skin.

He breathed in. Hiccup smelled like pine, and Jack smiled softly to himself. He grabbed fistfuls of Hiccup's shirt, holding on tightly. Hiccup's surprisingly strong arms were wrapped around him, and Jack let himself melt into the hug. Soft brown hair tickled his cheek when he leaned his face against the side of Hiccup's head.

It should be awkward, but somehow it wasn't. Jack was perfectly comfortable like this, and even though he couldn't see Hiccup's face, he knew he was too, because of the lack of tension in his body.

The warmth slowly spreading through him was perplexing. Affectionate touches had never truly brought him comfort in moments like this. So, why was Hiccup's closeness taking the edge off the dark emotions raging inside him? Making them more bearable. Jack couldn't explain it.

Hiccup pulled out of his arms and scooted back a bit. Jack missed the warmth that surrounded him like a soft thick barrier, shielding him from the world. He wished Hiccup hadn't let go just yet.

When he looked into Hiccup's eyes, he could see something new there. A sort of determination. That was a good change. At least he'd managed to remove some of the defeat from Hiccup's eyes.

---

Hiccup ripped up blades of grass from the earth. One small handful at a time.

Jack had watched his parents be pulled out of this world and had to live with the guilt of knowing that if he'd done just one simple thing differently that day, they'd still be alive.

He'd desperately wanted to soothe his friend's pain. That look on Jack's face, when he said it was his fault that his parents died, the way his usually bright eyes filled with unshed tears…

He needed to protect him, help him, ease his mind. When words didn't manage to do that, he'd turned to physical comfort. It was unusual for him to initiate it, but he knew just how soothing it could be. Luckily, it seemed to make Jack relax. And to his surprise, Hiccup had also found comfort in the warmth and closeness between them. Jack's familiar scent, his soft white hair against Hiccup's cheek, his arms around him… It was calming for both of their minds.

Hiccup looked at the scattered handfuls of grass on the ground, illuminated by the soft glow from the lantern. Was he really going to do this? It'd been difficult enough to open up to Jack about Toothless. It was insane to open up even more already… right? He needed to keep those walls up.

He met Jack's eyes again.

Jack gave him a small smile and Hiccup's resistance crumbled. How did Jack manage to do that?

He made up his mind. Nausea twisted inside him. Jack had trusted him with the most painful part of his past and now it was time that he did the same.

"Jack?" he said.

Jack nodded, encouraging him to speak.

"Do you ever feel like you can't meet someone's expectations?" he said, unable to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

Jack frowned. "It happens once in a while… but not often."

Hiccup was silent for a moment, considering how to explain this. He picked at his nails and focused on his hands.

"Whose expectations aren't you meeting?" Jack said with a gentle voice.

"My dad's," he said.

"Why?" Jack said, sounding confused.

"He has certain… expectations about what my future should be like. It's pretty much all planned out. But those expectations are very different from what I want," Hiccup said softly, watching a tree root, focusing on the grooves in the bark.

"You shouldn't spend your life unhappy just to please your dad," Jack said.

Hiccup appreciated the words. If only it was that simple.

"I know," Hiccup said. "But it's complicated."

And that was the truth. He'd been a failure and a disappointment. His ego had been bruised time and time again. And now people expected him to be the future leader of a whole Viking tribe? To be confident, wise, brave. To make tough decisions that affected everyone on the island. To be an example for all other Vikings. He never wanted that responsibility, and he wasn't sure if he could even do it.

"Hiccup," Jack said. His voice was soft and soothing and somehow it made Hiccup feel a little better. "Look at me."

Hiccup sighed. He didn't want to. He felt vulnerable and exposed when he let people look into his eyes when he was in a melancholy mood. He slowly looked up nonetheless.

There was a hint of a smile on Jack's lips.

"Don't live your life for someone else. You say it's complicated and I'm sure it is, but you have to ask yourself one thing: Is this your life or your dad's life? No matter what happens, don't you think he wants you to be happy? And even if you actually do disappoint him, he's a grown man. He'll get over it. We always try to plan life out, but unexpected things happen, and we adapt and move on. You have a choice, Hic… You can choose to be happy," Jack said.

Hiccup broke eye contact again, trying to shield himself. This was deeply personal and it was an unfamiliar experience sharing this part of himself with someone new. The ones who already knew had been in his life for years.

"I really wish you could tell me what's going on," Jack said in what sounded like a mix of concern and resignation.

Hiccup understood. It was probably difficult for Jack to be his friend sometimes, being kept at arm's length. But it was all he could do. It was safe and familiar to not let people in. That way they couldn't betray your trust or take advantage of you.

"I do too, but I can't. Not yet anyway," Hiccup said, the sharp guilt writhing inside him.

Jack was such a great friend and yet… he couldn't fully let him in. He didn't feel comfortable telling Jack about his future responsibilities, about everything he was supposed to do and be as a Viking leader… That and his other big secrets were something he needed to keep guarding.

"It's okay," Jack said, giving him a warm smile that showed he meant it. "You can tell me whenever you're ready."

Jack reached out his hand and squeezed his shoulder. The touch was warm and comforting and lingered on his skin for a while. Jack was so understanding and patient with him and Hiccup found himself appreciating their friendship even more.

"Thanks, Jack," he said. A small smile made its way to his lips and it felt good.

"Look, just for the record… I think you're such a great person. And you've done a lot more with your life already than most people here will ever do. It's just such a shame you can't see that," Jack said and there was nothing but sincerity in his eyes.

The warmth in his chest told Hiccup all he needed to know. He made a decision and he wanted to get it over with before he could change his mind.

"Jack?"

"Yeah?"

"Can I tell you a story?" Hiccup said and leaned back against the massive tree.

Jack smiled fondly at him. "Of course."

Silence passed between them. Hiccup tugged at his braids and tried to prepare himself for this.

Jack stayed quiet and let him take his time.

"What do you think about, when you hear the word "Vikings?" he said.

Jack's forehead wrinkled. "Uh… Big, burly warriors with helmets and axes."

"Exactly. And that's true for a lot of Vikings. They're strong and brave and they know their place in the tribe. They defend the tribe at all costs against dragons, against enemy tribes, against anything that threatens what they hold dear. They're never afraid of a fight or pain or death. In fact, the best death is dying in battle, so you can journey to Valhalla or Folkvangr, the greatest honor there is for a Viking," Hiccup said.

He could tell Jack didn't know where he was going with this, so he decided to jump straight to it.

"I was always different," he said and forced himself to keep eye contact with Jack. Shit, this was hard. He resisted the urge to wrap his arms around himself.

"I was short and scrawny and clumsy. I was hopeless at fighting of any kind since I could barely lift an axe or a sword and my coordination was all over the place. I made a mess wherever I went, accidentally ruining things all the time. And… the other Berkians were sure to let me know that I was completely useless and a failure. That I wasn't a real Viking. No one wanted to spend time with me or get to know me," he said, keeping himself still despite the growing urge to fidget. The tree's hard bark dug into his back.

Jack's eyes softened and a sad smile crept onto his lips.

Hiccup cleared his throat. "Now… my dad is a real Viking. He's big, he's strong, he always puts the tribe before himself. Everyone looks up to him. He was always disappointed in me. Every time he looked at me, I saw frustration, hopelessness, distance… I was never the son he wanted, that much was clear. We were practically strangers for many years. He rarely spoke to me, and I tried to keep away from him to avoid feeling like a failure. And I thought our relationship could never get any worse, but I was wrong."

He stared at the glowing lantern. Keep going. Just keep going.

"When I did well in the dragon classes, my dad was so proud of me. He was practically beaming with hope and joy every time he looked at me. I'd never experienced that before, and it felt good to get his recognition. But it was very short-lived. Like I told you a few days ago, I became the best in the classes, and the best student had to kill a dragon in front of the whole village. When I couldn't do it, and Toothless came to my rescue, and my dad found out about everything… About how I'd spared Toothless, trained him, made friends with him… My dad was furious and that look of pure disgust he gave me, I'll never forget. Right before he and the others sailed away in search of the dragon nest, he told me I wasn't his son anymore."

Those words had cut deep, and it wasn't easy repeating them. He sighed in relief when he finished the first part of the story. He was a little lighter now that he'd gotten it off his chest.

He found Jack's eyes again. There was something new there. Something sharp that looked intense in the orange glow from the lantern.

Hiccup went back to ripping up poor blades of grass. "Since Toothless and I defeated the Red Death, my dad's actually proud of me. He told me he was wrong, that he should have never treated me that way… And so did some of the others back home. I was suddenly a hero, and everyone wanted to speak to me, to hear my opinion on things, to get to know me. Since then I've been Berk's authority on dragons, and everyone still comes to me for advice on dealing with them and training them. I'm even the leader of the Dragon Training Academy... but I was always a disappointment and a failure until a few years ago when all of this happened. Now my relationship with my dad is finally a lot better and I might actually have to break it again if I want to be happy."

His heart was beating faster now. This was so unfamiliar and unnerving. He wasn't used to letting people in on his emotional damage and even though he could trust Jack, it didn't settle the restlessness inside him.

"Hiccup, I… I'm not sure what to say… That was… It…" Jack said and shook his head.

Hiccup stayed quiet and let him gather his thoughts.

"That must have been horrible," Jack settled on, his voice sounding like it could crack any moment. "Everyone treating you so badly, constantly saying you weren't good enough. That you weren't worth anything. No wonder you can't take a compliment," Jack said and his concerned eyes were difficult to look at.

Hiccup smiled. "Yeah, well… at least it got better. Everyone looks up to me now. They all admire me for my relationship with Toothless, for my knowledge about dragons, for my battle with the Red Death, but I'm not sure what'll happen if I choose my own path instead of following the one that's already planned for me," he said and fiddled with the hem of his sleeve.

"I'm sorry. I had no idea you had all those expectations looming over you."

"How could you possibly know? I never told you," Hiccup said and shrugged. He'd been very careful not to let Jack in on this particular part of his life… but now that door had been opened.

"What about Fishlegs? He wasn't your friend back then? And Astrid?" Jack said, seemingly still trying to process that Hiccup had been completely alone for many years.

"No, they weren't. Fishlegs and I became friends when we started here at Hogwarts, but back home we'd always go our separate ways because his parents didn't want him to have anything to do with me. And Astrid… She disliked me back then. She thought I was weak and not a true Viking, just like everyone else," he said and briefly thought about how surreal it was that he and Astrid were close friends now when their relationship had been so troubled in the past.

"Hiccup, how…" Jack said, shaking his head, trying to find the right words. "How do you not hate other people now? You had no one to turn to. No one to tell you that you were good enough just the way you were. No one to really talk to. Almost every experience you had with people was a bad one. I just… How?"

Jack's eyes looked pained now. It was touching how affected he was by this.

Hiccup sighed. "You get used to being alone, I guess…" he said and shrugged. "And maybe I don't hate people, because I know we're all flawed in one way or another. A lot of people back home apologized to me afterwards and told me how much they regret how they treated me. That doesn't erase everything that happened or make it okay. What they did… it affected me a lot and still does. But... seeing the change they've gone through since then makes me feel better about everything."

Jack nodded. "Look, I know you can't tell me everything yet, but just know that I'm here for you, okay? You can come to me with anything."

Hiccup smiled at him. Gods, Jack was such an amazing person. Always so patient and understanding with him. He shouldn't ever have doubted him. But questioning people's motivations had become second nature to him.

"Thanks. You're a great friend."

Jack smiled. "So are you."

The two of them sat in silence for a while. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, more like an air of understanding between them. Neither of them spoke and to Hiccup, it seemed like Jack was just as content as himself to just enjoy each other's company in the soft glow of the lit lantern.

They'd shared something painful and personal with each other this night and it had deepened their friendship.

Author's note:

Translations:

Lǫngubak: Means "Fishbelly" in Old Norse.

Burlufotr: Means "Clumsy Foot" in Old Norse.

Snærflekkr: Means "speck of snow/snowflake" in Old Norse.

Villieldr: The name of Hiccup's owl. Means "Wildfire" in Old Norse. He named it that due to its almost orange-looking feathers.

Jól: The Vikings' celebration of the days becoming lighter and milder, as well as fertility and peace, where they drank, ate, prayed- and sacrificed to the gods for the upcoming year to be a good one.

Þǫkk: Means "Thanks" in Old Norse. Is pronounced "Thokk".

Svatr: Simply means "Black" or "Blackness" in Old Norse.