yeah so anyway I think after I publish chapter 8 we're gonna move to biweekly updates as originally planned. College is a bitnch.

Summary: The Dragon Riders are reeling after the news; meanwhile Danny is scrambling to find a way to hide their dragons.

Anyways.

Sam and Tucker's words kept nagging at Danny.

Well, a lot of things were nagging at him, really – the fact that Clockwork, once again, seemed to be expecting him to figure this out on his own was one of the forefronters – but that one took the cake.

They were right: the dragons weren't going to be very safe here if the vikings' visit turned into more of a vacation – especially not if the Guys in White got word of them. Despite the fact that the winged lizards were neither human or ghost, Danny's core was nagging at him to do something about it.

The other vikings took the news about…well, about as well as expected. Without anything 'futuristic' around, a state of denial had manifested itself in uneasy scoffs and wayward explanations, which quickly dwindled into silence the more Hiccup, Astrid, and Danny explained.

Well, mostly just Hiccup and Astrid. Danny had tried his best to comfort them, but at some point he'd come to realize that his presence was creating more panic than anything else, so he'd backed off.

" –anny?"

"I'm listening!" He blurted, fingers tightening over his phone.

The silence on the other end was almost disappointed. A hefty sigh. "Anything you want to share with the class?" Sam asked.

"It's the weekend." was all Danny grumbled, shoving his hand into his pocket and kicking a pinecone.

He could imagine his friends giving him The Look. "You just let two vikings into Sam's house while we were in the middle of a Doomed run, grabbed a truckload of medical supplies, and dipped." Tucker deadpanned.

It was Danny's turn to sigh. He glanced over his shoulder to his company. It was pointless to try and hide the call anymore. He doubted the fear in the air could get any stronger. He could feel eyes on the back of his head as he turned back around.

"Danny, you gotta tell us something. Tucker's been looking around this place like reality's gonna start collapsing around us."

"It very well could, Sam! We don't know the repercussions of this –"

"Everything's fine," Danny said, if only to stop their bickering before it took off into something more. "The caretakers of the camp showed up. Shot one of their dragons – it's not serious, but they needed stitches. So they came looking for me…and ran into Val."

"And let me guess," He could practically hear Sam's eye roll, "She didn't try to use, oh I don't know, any critical thinking skills?"

"Give her a break, Sam." Danny shook his head, "would you have believed they were alive if you saw them wandering the suburbs in the dead of night?"

The goth remained quiet for a long while, at which point there was a bit of shuffling on the other end. Danny decided not to press her.

"Besides, she had some sort of software that recognized they were speaking a dead language." He switched the phone to his other ear restlessly, "I think it's a pretty easy mixup to make."

"That doesn't excuse the fact that she's still a 'Shoot-First-Ask-Questions-Later' hunter." Sam countered, "did you tell her that they were living?"

Danny shook his head. "I think…the dragons are safer if people assume they're ghosts. You guys were right. Too many people would try to take advantage of them."

Two hums of pitied agreement met his ears, and it almost made Danny want to scoff.

And then there was more shuffling.

"Why are you guys still awake?" Danny inquired, rubbing the bags under his eyes. They should be asleep. He knew for a fact that they both had finished their homework already.

"We weren't just gonna let you deal with this on your own," Tucker replied, and Danny sighed, "besides, you're gonna need an evacuation plan."

Instantly, Danny's eyes widened. "No. No, way –"

"Too late!" Sam interrupted, "we're bringing breakfast and two cars. If we don't find you guys, the police will. Or the Guys in White. Pick your poison."

A whine almost made its way out of Danny's mouth, and he bit his tongue to force it back. Agitation sparked in his core, and yet he couldn't deny that it was true.

"Tucker doesn't have his license." He observed, "You're not gonna break the law for me."

"Need we remind you that being a vigilante is equally illegal?" Sam retorted, and Danny felt his lips purse.

There was a smug tone in her voice as she continued, "but, yes, you're right. Tucker's a few months short. Which is why Jazz has volunteered."

"You brought my sister into this?" Danny exclaimed, feeling a headache coming on.

"I'm confused," Tucker interrupted, "do you, or do you not want us to be breaking the law?"

Danny's lips pursed just a bit more. He could almost hear the questions Jazz would force the vikings into answering.

Again, not helping his obsession. Danny knew how they felt. He still had nightmares about his own escapade through the future, and that was only ten years.

But he also wasn't going to add even more trauma by sending them to a lab.

Eventually, he clenched his teeth. "Fine," he ceded, "you can come, but just – don't park near the camp, okay? We're on the north side of the lake. And also, don't park too close, either? These guys are already stressed out enough as it is, I'll come find you."

"Okay, mom." Sam snarked, and then her tone softened. "We'll send you a GPS ping when we get there. We should be there in an hour or so."

He nodded silently, and gave a brief goodbye before hanging up. The sound of a distant thumping drew his attention.

He turned to find Astrid with her axe in hand. She was wailing at a tree a little ways into the treeline, and making scary progress for how erratic her swings were. Snotlout was next to her, red in the face and panting, leaning on a similar axe. He seemed to be rambling.

She didn't look like she was listening.

Danny turned back to the rest of the group: the twins seemed to be setting up a campfire. They paused as he neared, staring him down with such intense glares that Danny felt he needed to turn away. He supposed it was better than the blubbering from earlier – something about a chicken had left Tuffnut in a weeping mess once reality hit, and Danny was not about to crack that can of worms open.

His attention switched to the blue dragon (Stormfly?) instead. She seemed to be sleeping – deep, even breaths rustled the grass below her. Fishlegs and Hiccup were tending to her with nimble fingers.

Danny tilted his head cautiously, pocketing his phone. "How's she doing?" He asked once he caught Fishlegs' attention.

A sigh left Hiccup as he rubbed his arms. He then gestured with an awkward shrug to the dragon's wing. "Well…she's not in pain."

Relief trickled through Danny for a brief second, and he felt his shoulders drop. "That's good."

They nodded silently. They also avoided his gaze.

Danny chewed his lip, opened his mouth, closed it, and then opened it again. "How are you guys doing?"

"Horribly, thanks for asking!" the answer came from over his shoulder, and Danny whirled around to find the twins stalking towards him now. Their two headed dragon was hot on their tail.

"Ruff, Tuff…" Hiccup warned, but there was no fight in his voice. Not that it would have made a difference if there was, apparently, because they just kept talking.

"While you were off talking to the air, we've been procuring some questions to make sure you aren't lying!" Tuffnut jabbed a finger nail into his chest, and Danny blinked rapidly.

This was, uh…not how he expected the 'questions' phase to go.

Ruffnut presented a scroll of yellowed paper, licking her finger dramatically and plopping it near the top. "Question number one: assuming this is the future, and you're already dead, just when were you born? We need to know if we're working with someone from our side of the timeline or not –"

"Okay, Ruff, Tuff, that's enough!" Hiccup raised his voice, pointing angrily back to the pile of logs they'd left, "It's getting cold. Go finish the fire."

The twins' dragon hissed as Hiccup shooed them away, pinching the bridge of his nose tiredly. "I'm sorry. We're all just – a little frazzled."

That was putting it lightly, in Danny's opinion. There was a distant yell from the direction of the tree that Snotlout and Astrid were bullying that seemed to agree with that.

Danny shrugged, trying not to seem as intimidated as he was. At least they hadn't asked about his death date, he supposed. "It's okay to be frazzled. Frankly, I'd be suspicious if you weren't…" His gaze drifted back to the campfire as it sparked to life, and he found the twins still glaring at him. He quickly snapped his head back to Hiccup.

"Um, Sam and Tucker – you remember them, right? You just saw them – they're gonna bring some breakfast." Danny rubbed the back of his neck anxiously. "And, uh, so is my s– other friend, Jazz."

Hiccup visibly swallowed, and then nodded. "And they're not gonna give away our position…?" His gaze darted briefly to the treeline, like the caretakers of the camp would peel from the shadows.

"No, uh, we're gonna try and get you guys as far away from them as possible."

A guarded expression fell over Hiccup's face. Danny didn't miss the way he took count of his riders. He looked like he wanted to ask questions, but knew that he'd get nothing of them. A type of sorrow draped over Danny at the reminder.

A sigh left the ghost boy. "You can ask questions, you know? I'm…I don't have a reason to lie to you anymore."

He hated the way that sounded. It was such a pitiful string of words. It wasn't even an apology.

Still, after a few agonizing moments, Hiccup's dragon brushed up against his side and crooned. The viking's hand fell to his dragon's head, and a second later, he gave a miniscule incline of his head.

"Okay." he said, fingers dancing over scales, "Okay. So how are you getting us out of here?"

"Why are you getting us out of here?" Fishlegs interjected, causing Hiccup to shoot a brief glance in his direction.

A shaky huff left Danny as he tried to formulate his thoughts.

"Ghosts aren't the only things that'll be hunted around here if word gets out about your dragons." He started, eyeing Stormfly as she shifted.

The two vikings caught the hint with grim faces, and Hiccup raked his hand through his hair again. "I don't suppose you have any…futuristic invention that would make it easier to hide them?" He asked, and then a hysterical, overly-frazzled laugh burst out of him. He slapped his hands to his mouth with a horrified look. "I can't believe I just asked that…"

Still, it wasn't a bad idea, Danny began to think, but then Tucker's words from earlier that evening invaded his mind. Security cameras, tracking devices, heat sensors – he could rattle off only the things that would hinder the dragons and their riders, and frustration slowly grew as he tried to think of one thing that would assist them.

That frustration must have been evident on his face, because Hiccup spoke bashfully. "Sorry. I'm still, uh…processing."

"No, no, it's not that…" Danny trailed off again, "I just, um…" He trailed off again.

"I'll take that as a no, then?" Hiccup asked, voice dipping in defeat.

Danny nodded reluctantly. "Nothing that would work for very long."

It was unfair, in retrospect. He tried not to grow frustrated at the suspicious looks that both Fishlegs and Hiccup sent him. In an effort to seem trustworthy, he offered, "I can ask Tucker, when he gets here. He's the, uh, tech-whiz."

"Ask Tucker what?" Astrid's tone was angry, and Danny looked up to see her, axe slung over her shoulder, checking up on her dragon. He only caught her gaze for a split second, and it was a very tense glare.

"We're trying to find a way to keep the dragons hidden." Hiccup explained, "and since they're not exactly changewings…" He gestured helplessly towards Danny.

Astrid paused for a moment, and when she spoke, she sounded like her words brought her pain. "That…behemoth we fought. It was cloaking itself before you saw us."

"Yeah, it was..." Hiccup nodded his head, turning to her with a furrowed brow, "I almost forgot about that part."

Danny nodded, "Ah, yeah, uh ghosts can turn invisible?" he explained. He hesitated, before raising his hand and letting it flicker out of sight.

They stared like hawks until it reappeared, like they were scared it was gonna go in for a sneak attack. Which, yeah, okay. He deserved that, he supposed.

Eventually, Hiccup nodded to himself. "Okay," he clenched his jaw like he was preparing to ask a question – Danny could hear his heart pounding, "so if uh, you know…this place's technology is off the table, do you think there's a way to hide them like that?"

That took Danny by surprise almost as much as it took the others. Instantly, there was an uproar from some of the Vikings – particularly Snotlout, who jumped to his feet to point a finger at Hiccup, "Absolutely not! I'm not letting Hookfang get anywhere near that creepy ghost magic! Especially after what he's done!"

At the sound of his name, the red dragon lifted his head rather confusedly, and Snotlout promptly wrapped a protective hand around his maw, "Over my dead body, Hiccup!"

"For once, I agree with Snotlout…" Fishlegs said in a much more polite way. He caught Danny's gaze before his dropped back to the grass, "I-I mean, no offense, Phantom, but…Meatlug is rather sensitive."

Danny wasn't sure what to say to, well, any of them, so he was glad when, instead, his phone went off. He startled at the buzz, pulling it from his pocket.

The screen illuminated a link from Sam. Clicking on it brought up a pin located just to the west of them.

"I'll, uh, be right back." Danny muttered, typing out a reply. He tried to ignore the stares, instead scrunching his face in faux concentration. "And I promise that, this time. I've just gotta go get my friends."

As he pocketed his phone, he was very much aware how little his promises actually meant to them.

The beams of a couple flashlights guided Danny to two cars parked in the ditch of a backwood dirt road. Sam, Tucker, and Jazz were rooting through the trunks, speaking in hushed tones that he didn't want to hear, just in case it was about him.

"I hope the drive was okay," He announced his presence, crossing his arms over his chest as he landed, "considering, you know, you shouldn't've had to make it."

"Don't even start, Danny." Jazz rolled her eyes as she hoisted a tupperware container into her arms. "Here, take these."

"I still don't think they're gonna have a very big appetite," Danny protested, but took the container anyway as Jazz ducked back into Sam's trunk.

"Not just food," Sam said, "we've brought some more medical supplies." She nodded towards the other box Jazz was picking up.

"Yeah! Psychology 101, Danny. You must take care of both the mind and the body." She droned in her 'reading from a textbook' tone. It had, somehow, gotten worse since starting her first semester of college.

He rolled his eyes with a resounding sigh. "That'd better be the extent of it."

His sister stood back up with an offended look. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means that these people just found out they've been transported a thousand years in the future, and they already have enough problems to deal with without you prodding at their brains." He jabbed her forehead lightly, which she brushed away.

"That's exactly why they need this!" She exclaimed, "c'mon, Danny, this isn't something people are gonna take easily! They'll need someone to talk to."

Biting back a groan, Danny said, "yeah, well, it's too bad they don't speak english."

That made Jazz's eyebrows shoot to her hairline in sudden realization, and he snorted.

"Anyways," Sam interrupted, shutting the trunk of her car with her elbow, "We've got ten seats between us." She gestured between her and Jazz's cars, "So that'll fit all of us. Or one extra, if you want to fly ahead."

"I don't think one extra seat is gonna hold five dragons." Danny deadpanned, and there was a collective sound of air sucking through teeth.

"Any luck on that front, by the way?" Tucker asked, shining the flashlight he held into the treeline.

"That's actually what I was gonna ask you about." Danny said, following the flashlight's light as it panned along the brush. Instinctively, he sent out his ghost sense, but nothing came of it.

He turned back to Tucker, "I couldn't think of anything remotely related to hiding them. I promised them I'd ask our local tech-whiz." He gestured, palms upwards, to Tucker, who puffed his chest with an embarrassed smile.

It dropped pretty quickly, though, as he thought. "Unfortunately, the only thing I could think of would be some sort of – frequency scrambler, but that would only work for security cameras and such. Plus, they're hard as hell to come by. And it'll do nothing against people."

"That's what I was afraid of," Danny groaned as they began walking, "we need something to disguise the dragons. And it's not like I can just latch a hand onto them and keep them invisible all the time…"

"You're looking into ghostly solutions?" Sam inquired, and after a moment's hesitation, Danny nodded.

"I just don't know where to go from there." He admitted.

"Uh – Danny?" Jazz interrupted, and the ghost boy turned to his sister to find her wringing her hands together inquisitively, "What about Princess Dorothea?"

"What about her?" He asked.

"Well…" She gestured ahead of them, like she could picture the dragons in the trees, "I dunno, she's got that whole dragon thing. Maybe she can help?"

Sam shone her flashlight in Danny's direction, "She's right. She managed to fool all of us during the pageant our freshman year."

"Yeah, but I'm pretty sure her dragon form isn't her true form," Danny shied away from the light in his eyes.

"True," Tucker said, "But she still had a way to disguise herself as a human. Maybe she has some of that technology to spare?" His mouth was almost watering at the prospect.

Danny paused his floating just a bit. "You think Dora, the princess of a kingdom that has been stuck in the 1400's until a couple years ago, would have cloaking technology?" he replied incredulously.

"Maybe not technology, but some ghostly artifacts can't be that far fetched, right?" Sam said, eyeing Danny with a very similar look, "Since when are you the pessimistic one? That's supposed to be my job."

A sigh left him. He couldn't deny that he wanted the prospect to work, but it wasn't like the vikings had been very eager about a ghostly solution in the first place.

Like she could read the frustrations on his face, Jazz offered a smile. "Hey," she said with a sympathetic tilt of her head, "it wouldn't hurt to try, right?"

Danny glanced back to the trees in front of them, picturing the group some ways off.

Humming, he turned back to his sister, "...I guess not."

But that still entailed using 'Creepy Ghost Magic'.

Hiccup understood his dragon rider's concerns – really, he did. They'd been forced to blindly trust a ghost of all things, which was already a whole new category of thing that he'd rather not deal with. Then, that ghost turned out to be lying through his teeth about practically everything, and then the one discernable truth that ghost had told them was that they'd missed out on an entire millenia. And that he was the only one capable of getting them back.

Hiccup wasn't so sure about that last part, but then again he still knew next to nothing about ghosts.

But he also knew next to nothing about whatever this future entailed.

His gaze kept drifting to the…glowing…thing in Phantom's hands, to the strange wagons back in Amity, to, well, everything in the black and purple room they'd been to hours before…If things like that were common, there was no telling what other things were here.

His gaze snapped to the treeline again in worry, regardless of the fact that none of their dragons had alerted to anything closing in.

He turned to Stormfly, whose wing was hastily pinned to her side with a spare blanket.

As much as he hated to admit it, they may not have another choice than to use ghostly solutions to keep their dragons safe.

"Hiccup? Are you even listening to me?" Snotlout's voice made its way through his thoughts, and the dragon whisperer turned to look at his cousin with an annoyed glare.

"Yes, Snotlout." He hissed.

He faltered for a moment at his tone. "Wait…you can't seriously be considering this, can you?"

Throwing his hands in the air, Hiccup stood restlessly and risked raising his voice. "In case you haven't caught up yet, Snotlout, we're a thousand years in the future! As far as I'm concerned, we don't have many options!"

Snotlout looked like he'd tasted something sour. He opened his mouth to retort something back, but Astrid turned with her infamous look and he closed it again.

Fishlegs spoke up then, "Hiccup…"

"Fishlegs," Hiccup said right back, begging his friend not to say anything else. He seemed, at the very least, to respect that.

Suddenly, Toothless lifted his head, turning with perked ears towards the treeline. A second later, there was a beam of lantern-ish light in the direction Phantom had vanished.

Hiccup squared his shoulder as it neared, and soon Phantom was reappearing, trailed by Sam, Tucker, and another girl that looked to be around their age. Jazz, he presumed.

Sam and Tucker held the sources of the lights – strangely shaped lanterns that Hiccup was much too pressed to be intrigued by at the moment, while Phantom and Jazz set down a couple boxes next to the fire.

Looking back to his gang, Hiccup couldn't help but notice the suspicious glances each of them were giving the other group.

"Hey, guys, so you remember Sam and Tucker," Phantom stuttered, supposedly nervous as he gestured to each of his friends, "and this is Jazz."

Jazz gave out an overly enthusiastic wave, eyes grazing across the makeshift camp in nothing short of wonder. It did not look hungry in the way that Viggo's gaze did, but it was hungry nonetheless. Astrid took a protective stance in front of Stormfly, axe firmly in hand.

Hiccup couldn't help but notice the way Toothless' eyes narrowed in suspicion as well.

Clasping her hands politely behind her back, Jazz came to a stop as the lanterns in Sam and Tucker's hands shut, not flickered, off. She spoke, and her voice was sweet in a way that could calm a fussy hatchling.

Phantom grumbled under his breath at whatever she said, and retorted in their own language.

She shot him a look that was on the verge of being annoyed, but did not say anything further to the ghost. Instead, she turned to Hiccup, cocking her head to the side with an innocent curiosity. What was undoubtedly a question passed her lips.

"She would like to know how old you guys are." Phantom deadpanned after a hefty sigh.

"Oh." Hiccup blurted in surprise before he could stop himself, "Um…"

"I don't see how this helps us hide our dragons." Astrid cut him off, and Hiccup folded his lips in on each other.

"Not that we should have to hide them in the first place," Snotlout joined in, "Which, you know, we still don't have an explanation for, by the way, I mean dragons aren't exactly mice –"

"As you can see," Hiccup raised his voice, cutting his cousin off, "they're very good about staying on topic."

He sucked in a preemptive breath, placing his hands on his hips, "Most of us are, uh, nineteen." He decided to answer, if nothing more than to extend an olive branch to their only hope to get out of here safely. He nodded his head to the twins, "those two are a few months short."

"Great, now they're gonna do something nefarious with that information." Tuffnut exclaimed, leaning forward from where he was using Belch as a backrest.

"I'm surprised you even know that word." Fishlegs grumbled.

"Nothing nefarious," Phantom countered, "just, ah, curious." he paused. "Jazz is eighteen as well. She says it's nice to meet you."

Hiccup nodded, if for nothing else than to be polite. He eyed the boxes they'd brought with apprehension.

"They're uh, omelets?" Phantom supplied, "just, you know, egg, meat, cheese, some veggies, I guess…"

"Thanks, but uh," Hiccup gestured in a way he hoped was polite, "Astrid's right that…doesn't exactly help us get the dragons to a safe place. Or home, for that matter."

Unless food gained magical properties over the last millenia, he almost wanted to joke, but bit his tongue to try and save his sanity. He pushed that thought out of his head.

Phantom turned with a look that was very much 'told-you-so' towards his companions. "Right, well…" He turned and popped open another box, "we also brought more medical supplies for –Stormfly?" He held up a roll of bandages, which Astrid perked at the sight of.

"Why does this feel like you're buttering us up?" Fishlegs voiced Hiccup's thoughts out loud.

The ghost bit his lip guiltily. "It's not…buttering you up, it's just, well –"

He turned back to his companions, "we may have a plan to get all of you to safety. The only problem is you're not gonna like it." The ghost boy's gaze darted warily around the campsite.

For what felt like the millionth time that night, Hiccup sighed. "Lay it on us."

With a preemptive clap of his hands, Phantom's legs swung out in the air in front of him, avoiding eye contact. "Okay. So there's this ghost we know. She's got… experience with dragons. She may have a way to help?"

"And what does this supposed help intel?" Astrid interrogated, rubbing Stormfly on the nose.

"Hopefully, a way to disguise your dragons." Phantom shrugged self-consciously. His gaze turned to Snotlout, who had crossed his arms over his chest. "I can't guarantee anything without you guys being on board, though."

Snotlout bit his cheek and turned away from the ghost boy.

As Phantom waited for an answer from them, Hiccup felt his head begin to spin with yet another way-too-impossible problem, and he began pacing.

"And you're sure there's no other option?" He found himself asking.

"I honestly wish there was," Phantom shrugged helplessly, "but Tucker here's exhausted our options."

Hiccup felt disappointment twist on his face as he turned away. He sank to the grass, burying his head in his hands.

He just…didn't know what to do anymore. The world he knew was gone, and what little truths he did have were sandwiched between so many discrepancies that he didn't even know where to begin.

The nausea in his gut began creeping up again, and he sucked in a breath through his nose to well it down.

"Hiccup?" Fishlegs' voice drifted to his ears, and wordlessly, the dragon whisperer shook his head, palms pressing firmly into his eyes.

There was a damning silence.

"Don't make me say it," He muttered.

"Say what?" That was Snotlout's voice.

"The obvious," Hiccup sighed hard enough that the grass could have whisked below him, "We're at an ultimatum, guys. Don't make me…" He trailed off with a chuckle. Look at him, asking vikings to stop being stubborn.

Toothless crooned, swiftly laying down around Hiccup, and he finally lifted his head from his hands to find, unsurprisingly, everyone staring at him. He huffed, rubbing at his cheeks and then slapping his hands onto his thighs.

He threw his hands out in a very bitter manner, as if to say 'welp'.

"...Eh, ghost magic or no ghost magic," Tuffnut eventually broke the silence, "I don't really care. Just as long as Belch here stays, you know, not dead. No offense."

"None taken." Phantom deadpanned.

Hiccup blinked rapidly, and turned to Astrid to make sure she was hearing the same thing.

She did not humor him. Her brow was still low on her face and her body was still plastered firmly between Stormfly and Phantom.

Hiccup was reaching for Toothless' as well. Thankfully, his dragon pushed into his touch without question.

"Astrid?" He asked, and she finally met his gaze.

They held it for a long while. There was a conflict in her eyes that Hiccup couldn't quite read. Eventually, though, she turned with a not-quite-trusting gaze to Phantom.

"I just want Stormfly to stay safe." She dismissed, turning her attention back to her nadder.

Hiccup felt his eyebrows shoot to his hairline.

"Oh, fine…if you guys trust this, then I will. Meatlug's safety matters more than her comfort." Fishlegs shook his head as the gronkle grumbled, and he turned to cup her face to coo some reassuring words.

That left…

"Snotlout?"

His cousin's grimace seemed to only deepen at the rest of the dragon rider's responses. He stewed in silence before his eyes finally fell onto Hookfang. He stared at the Monstrous Nightmare for quite a while.

"...Whatever," Snotlout eventually grumbled and turned to walk back to his axe. "It's not like you've given us much of a choice." He stalked back towards what he and Astrid had ceremoniously dubbed the 'Problem-Solving Tree' without as much as a glance back towards them.

Hiccup let out a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding. He suspected the only reason Snotlout had agreed was because of the majority-rules law, but he'd take the victories where he could get them.

Phantom seemed to be a bit relieved as well. "Right. Well, then, I guess I'll head her way. Hopefully we can get this sorted before the sun comes up."

"I'm coming with you," Hiccup responded, to which he was met by a flurry of "what?!" He tried not to flinch at the glare Astrid was suddenly sending his way.

The ghost boy's face twisted apprehensively, giving Hiccup a once-over like he was imagining every possible tragedy that could befall him. "...Why do you want to come?" Sounding like he'd already made up his mind.

Suddenly feeling a little bashful, Hiccup shrugged, "If this ghost has experience with dragons…" He glanced around at the terror-less trees, and he could picture the empty sky on the way back with dreadful clarity. "...maybe she knows what happened to them." He finished, sucking in a deep breath.

He turned back to Phantom, "I'd like to ask her."

"Hiccup." Astrid sounded equal parts worried and sympathetic. He turned to give the shield maiden a knowing look. She hesitated, anger washing away only slightly, "...What if she doesn't have anything good to say?"

Just the idea sent his stomach twisting, but to be fair it had been twisting since Stormfly'd been shot. And besides. He no longer had anything in it, anyway.

He sucked in a steeling breath, "I have to know." He almost-whispered, shaking his head. He had to know something about this time. Even if it was the last thing he wanted to.

Astrid looked like she wanted to tie him to a tree – or slap him. But she didn't. Instead, she nodded solemnly – knowingly – "Okay."

Phantom fidgeted, visibly uncomfortable with the notion. After a moment of contemplation, he rubbed the back of his neck. "What happened to not trusting me?"

Hiccup had already turned to Toothless' saddlebag. "Like you said. You have no reason to lie to us anymore." The words rang in his ears as he repeated them. "I'd like to start collecting some truths."

He sent a stern look to Phantom. "Consider this an olive branch."

The ghost stayed silent for quite a while, frozen under his gaze, and when he eventually thawed, he rubbed the back of his neck.

"I guess I can't really make you stay…are you sure you want to, though?"

Hiccup wasn't, not for sure, but he nodded anyway.

"...Okay, then." Phantom returned the gesture, glowing gaze falling to the grass before they swiveled back to Sam, Tucker, and Jazz. He spoke to them, and Hiccup took that time to gather a few of his things – Inferno, mainly, but also his water flask.

He was surprised to see Astrid walking up to him, and he straightened up with an inquisitive look.

Despite the tenseness in her posture, she pulled him into a hug, kissing him briefly on the cheek as her hold lingered. A sigh of relief left Hiccup as he wrapped his arms back around her, holding her there until she pulled back.

Her gaze wavered near his nose before darting to meet his. "Tell me what you learn?" She asked eventually, voice cracking.

Blinking, Hiccup brought a hand up to brush her cheek gently. "Only if you want me to." He agreed, nodding gently.

Astrid sighed an affirmative. Her eyes fluttered shut. Her chin tilted down, and soon their foreheads were connecting. "Don't die." She demanded, and Hiccup almost didn't want to pull back from her.

"Wasn't planning on it," He affirmed, his gaze then darted to his dragon, "Make sure Toothless doesn't get into any trouble for me?"

Something that was almost a laugh left Astrid and she shook her head, "I'll try my best."

Hiccup took time to pat his dragon on the head before turning to Phantom and his crew, securing his flask and Inferno to his belt.

Jazz slung a ring of what looked like keys around her finger, and spoke in that same calming voice, nodding with an inviting smile.

"You'll be riding with me, if that's okay." Phantom translated.

"That sounds fine," Hiccup responded, and then hesitated. "Um…riding what, exactly?"

we about to get REAL self-indulgent in this fic from now on. You know, considering this was originally a "let Hiccup and Fishlegs geek out over future technology" oneshot. Obviously it needs to be earned, of course. I think 50,000 words has earned them that right ;)

Also next up comes what is the most GLARINGLY OBVIOUS THING that's not utilized in these crossovers: PRINCESS DOROTHEA MY BELOVED 3

I hope Sam isn't coming across as toxic when it comes to Val. Obviously in the show they had the love triangle thing, but I'm not going with that, so I'm trying to shift that dynamic into an "Overprotective Ghost-Rights-Activist V.S. Revenge-Bent Ghost Hunter", if yall catch my drift.

"Cuz if there's one thing I'm gonna do after having a stressful day? Imma come home and get naked and get in this bed. I'm talking about cooter swang out. Ass, just assin'. Tiddies? One over here and one over there. It's gonna happen." - user "manicakezzz" on tiktok

Until next time, my lovelies :)

~Local Dragon Haunt