Chapter Text
Jack sped through the air, the Wind granting his feet wings. Sixty years after awakening in the lake, he still only met with people who could see him every decade or so. All of them believed in him at some point in their lives, but eventually they lost the belief as childhood was stripped from their bodies and adulthood made their new mantle. It made his heart ache as he lost those friends, but something in his bones reassured him that there would always be new people, new children to bring joy to.
The Wind was whispering for him to head north. Scandinavia, to be exact. The thought made him grin as he allowed the gusts to usher him to a very special island. Berk was so fascinating! The Vikings were all buff and burly and bushy, and the native animals were the greatest parts. After all, he generally only saw dragons at Berk and the surrounding islands. The dragons that lived around the world were better at hiding from humans, or, like the ones in the Far East, preferred the mountains and lakes.
He landed on the top of a newly made house and eyed the area. Oh, there must have definitely been dragon attacks. None of the buildings were the same as when he was here last winter. Granted, he was early, but Berk was known for nine months of snow and three months of hail, so snow wasn’t too strange at times.
The sound of roaring drew his attention, and he hopped over to see a thick iron door close. The blacksmith of the village was lecturing the teens. “Heh…dragon fighters.” Jack rolled his eyes. “Big deal, not like you can stop them.”
A small figure broke away from the group, catching Jack’s curiosity. The boy was in a very casual walk for some time before he started running. “Hey, wait, I can’t see you if you go in the forest!” He zipped after the lad, staying above but doing his best to keep him in his sights. Jeez, green and brown clothes made for great camouflage, not to mention his hair was the same shade. Ugh, that just made it so much harder!
He touched down on the ground and followed from there after some time. The boy kept going deeper into the forest, until suddenly—he was gone. “Hey!” Jack ran to where he saw the boy disappear, and realized there was a hidden path behind the rocks. His curiosity had grown to mountainous proportions. There was only one thing to do: follow it.
Jack carefully picked his way down, finding himself (after ducking under a shield that was stuck in a crevice) in a small valley. And down in the valley, the boy was playing with—“A dragon…!”
The spirit of winter had always kept a careful eye out for the scaly creatures that lived around the world. Most of them held fire deep in their bellies, and fire plus ice does not make Jack a happy boy. Oh, there were some that were cool, such as the ones in the Far East that controlled the rains for the people. Around the European continent however the types that breathed fire (or lit themselves on fire) were much more common. And terrifying.
The way that this spindly little kid treated the black dragon, like a dear friend as they rolled in the grass, was strangely endearing. He let his staff drape across his shoulder as he leaned against the rock. It was fun to watch them.
When the dragon happened to look his way he stopped with narrowed eyes. Jack stiffened as the big scaly dangerous lizard rolled onto his feet and started to stalk toward him. He was about to fly off when the Viking spoke.
“Hey, Toothless, what’s going on—” The Viking stopped next to the dragon, eyes wide. Jack froze in place as he stared back. “…You’re not from around here,” the brunet said with eyes that slowly narrowed. “Who are you?”
Jack swallowed the gasp that attempted to escape. “You…you can see me?”
The human’s eyebrow went up. “No, I’m talking to the magical floating fish next to you,” he said with a deadpan look that had clearly been perfected over the years. “Of course I can see you. Why would you think otherwise?”
Jack bounced a bit on the balls of his feet, a wide smile startling the human and the dragon. “It’s been so long!” he said, jumping forward. In one bound he was in front of the Viking. The dragon immediately growled, but the human put a hand on his snout to calm him. “Ah, sorry,” Jack quickly said, stepping away just a bit to calm the beast. “I’m Jack.” After a moment of hesitation he put his hand out.
The brunet’s eyebrow was still up, but it was clearly more of curiosity than anything else. “I’m Hiccup. Great name, I know.” He rolled his eyes as he clasped Jack’s hand, before both eyebrows shot up to his hairline. “You’re freezing! Aren’t you cold?”
Jack started laughing, pulling his hand away to scratch the back of his neck. “Well, yeah, but I’m supposed to be. I’m Jack Frost. Ya know, the guy who brings winter and snow and fun times?”
“Not so much fun around here,” Hiccup said, hands on hips. “But wow, Jokul Frosti…so I can blame you for all the times I’ve slipped on ice?” he snarked with a smirk.
The winter spirit laughed. “I guess you could. I’m more snowballs and fun times though. Happened to have the Wind take me here a bit earlier than usual though.” He nodded toward Toothless, whose pupils had rounded properly again as he studied the spirit. “And this guy is?”
“Oh!” Hiccup scratched under the dragon’s chin, getting a purr. “This is Toothless, my best friend. Had a…rough first meeting.” Toothless grumbled and Hiccup rolled his eyes. “Okay, I caught him and was going to kill him but I wouldn’t. Instead I freed him, and after a lot of trial and error we’re best buds. Right, buddy?”
Jack was amused at Toothless’ nod. “Wow, he’s really smart.”
“Oh, most dragons are in their own way,” Hiccup said with an authority that Jack didn’t expect. The confidence that filled him was different from the boy he had seen leaving the training arena in the village. “The problem is, no one has taken the time to watch and listen, unless it’s how to take them down. You learn their mannerisms and customs, you learn the truth. They’re not what everyone’s always thought about them. For example, Toothless is not so much the unholy offspring of lightning and death as the offspring of cuddles and—” He was interrupted by a yelp as Toothless casually swept his tail to take out Hiccup’s legs.
Jack started laughing, leaning against his staff as Toothless looked extremely smug. “I don’t think he likes that description,” he teased.
Hiccup on his part grumbled and rubbed his butt as he stood up. “Brat,” he accused the Night Fury. Said beast gave a look suspiciously like a smirk.
“So,” Jack said, sparking the two to look back at him. “What’s with the saddle stuff, and the vest? You ride him?”
The brunet lit up and hopped over Toothless’ back to reach his other side. “Well, when he crashed he lost his tail fin,” he started with a gesture to the crafted replacement. “He needs his tail to steer him when flying, so I created a new one. Thing is, I have to ride him so he can fly. By using the pedal, I can adjust the tail so it’s the proper position depending on how we’re flying.”
One silver eyebrow went up as a sly grin curled pale lips. “Oh really~?” A cold wind passed through the valley, seeming to caress Jack lovingly before passing. “I wouldn’t mind a demonstration of your engineering prowess, Hiccup.”
The brunet’s ears turned red at the intonation. “Look, Vikings name their kids different things to try and scare away gnomes and trolls. I’d rather a more dignified name myself.”
“I dunno, it kind of suits you.” Jack snickered. “It’s better than some names, like Hamish. Besides, you’re small and cute, like a hiccup.”
Hiccup had no idea how to respond to that. The red from his ears crept down to his cheeks however. “Let’s just get in the air,” he managed after a moment or two. One moment he was on the ground, the next he was straddling Toothless.
Jack blinked and rubbed his eyes. “How did you—”
“Lots of practice.” Hiccup smirked as Toothless stretched his wings. “Think you can keep up, Frosty?”
“Oh please, it’s a piece of cake!” The wind returned, lifting Jack a few inches off the ground. “I have the Wind on my side!” He took off into the sky with a whoop of joy.
Hiccup patted Toothless’ side. “Let’s go, bud!” With a giddy roar the wings flapped, and in seconds they were speeding to catch up with the winter spirit. Toothless looked excited to just be in the air, while Hiccup was enjoying the idea of having someone to fly with, someone other than the dragon beneath him.
Jack looked to the side as the sound of leathery flapping hit his ears. “So how long have you been flying?”
“Oh, maybe a month? It’s taken a lot of trial and error,” Hiccup called back with a laugh. “What about you?”
“Oh, just sixty to seventy years,” Jack said casually, rolling so he was flying on his back. “Every decade or so someone can see me, but they’re usually kids. You’re the first who’s…okay how old are you? Twelve? Thirteen?”
“Fourteen,” Hiccup corrected with a bristle.
“Wow, no wonder you’re called Hiccup.”
“I don’t think I like you.”
“Awww, you just don’t know me!” Jack suddenly spun and fell into a steep dive with a laugh. Toothless growled playfully and tucked his wings tight against his body. Hiccup’s feet moved automatically in order to keep the two stable. Note to self, look into some kind of protective eye gear against the wind.
Jack looked up and saw that the two were quickly catching up to him. He grinned and kept the dive going. How far would they let themselves go before pulling out? The longer they stayed in the dive though, the more Jack started to worry. He was just about to yell for them to stop when he realized the ocean was coming up. “Whoa--!” He had to focus on himself to make sure he didn't land hard against the water.
“Whoo-hoo!” Toothless snapped his wings out just right, his claws skimming the water and causing tiny waves of froth in his wake. Hiccup grinned at the stunned Jack. “We’ve been doing this a while,” he said with a faintly smug tone.
Jack wasn’t one to take something like that lying down. “You think you’re a fancy flier? Let’s see you do this!” The Wind grabbed him and pulled him higher into the air. As he flew, little flurries of snow were left in his wake.
Hiccup and Toothless immediately took the challenge. The flurries were fodder for Toothless to zip around, and when Jack sent a design of ice toward them Toothless casually set it on fire. “Oh come on, Toothless!” Hiccup coughed a bit as the steam covered them for a brief moment. “At least it wasn’t a fireball this time.”
“How about a snowball?”
“What are you—!” Hiccup found himself with a faceful of snow. He idly thought to himself that he really should have expected that from the mischievous spirit. Toothless laughed beneath him before letting out a surprised grunt when a snowball hit his own snout.
Jack laughed at the two of them and zipped ahead. “Try and catch me!”
“Oh you are so going to get it!”
The boys flew around the rock spires, their moves growing fancier by the minute. Jack would do a loop, Toothless would do a barrel roll around a spire. Jack would shoot a design of ice along the surface of a spire, Toothless would spit out a shot of plasma and light the spire on fire. It was clear that the two were fighting for dominance of the sky, and all Hiccup could do was make sure Toothless didn’t get hurt.
As they reached the end of the spire forest Toothless shot up into the air. As gravity paused for a moment the loop that kept Hiccup tethered slid out of the hook. Hiccup felt his heart drop first, then his body. “Oh Hel’s skirts, not again!”
Jack felt his heart stop for a moment. Hiccup had said that Toothless needed him to fly. “Hang on!” The Wind sensed his urgency and gave him an extra boost. He watched as the two try to coordinate themselves to get close enough for Hiccup to pull himself back on. Just when Hiccup missed grabbing the saddle a fourth time Jack grabbed him. “Gotcha!” The sensation of heat on his hands was strange, almost painful, yet it was an enjoyable sensation prickling his skin at the same time.
Hiccup used the stability given him to hook his feet into the saddle again. Jack let go and Hiccup immediately worked the pedals. Toothless, panting in relief, was able to straighten himself out and glide along the wind. The brunet took a breath and let it out shakily. “I really have to fix that,” he grumbled. “Uh, thanks Jack.”
The spirit shrugged, trying to hide his relief. “Hey, can’t have the first person to see me in seventeen years to fall to his death the first day,” he tried to say casually.
Hiccup raised an eyebrow. “It’s been that long?” The Wind around them had calmed, so it wasn’t such a strain to hear each other. Toothless was mostly gliding and letting the current do the work as he caught his breath.
Jack nodded. “Usually it’s kids who can see me. And most of the time, the older they get the less likely they’ll see me. Everyone…well, they all forgot me by the time they became adults. Some of them manage to remember me, and the Wind takes me back to them…in time to see them one last time, you know?”
Hiccup nodded, frowning for a moment. “Well, I doubt I’ll ever forget you,” he said with a lopsided grin. “I mean, how can I forget the guy who saved me and my best bud?”
Jack laughed a bit, but didn’t let his hopes rise. It always hurt too much when they crashed and burned. “We’ll see, Hic.”
The two of them glided back to the valley, where Toothless promptly curled up in the sun and fell asleep. Hiccup patted his dragon’s nose with a smile. “Sweet dreams, Toothless.” He looked to Jack curiously. “So, how long will you be here?”
Jack shrugged, frowning a bit. “I don’t know. I stay as long as the Wind tells me to. When I’m needed elsewhere, the Wind pulls at me, really insistent. But I always try to come back whenever I can.”
“Well, Berk has nine months of snow, so you should be here a while,” Hiccup pointed out with a laugh. “Or it feels like nine months, anyway.”
“And I try to make that time less bitter and sharp,” Jack added with a grin. “It’s not fun when everything’s too…” He made a gesture as he tried to find the right words. “I soften the winter,” he managed after a bit.
Hiccup was about to respond when he suddenly slipped with a yelp. “Ow! Okay, this is the second time I’ve lost my footing.”
Jack gave Hiccup a sheepish grin, his staff tapping the ice that had spread underneath him as he had spoken. “Sorry about that. Sometimes it gets away from me.”
Hiccup did a funny crab walk to proper grass and stood up, dusting himself off. “Let’s hope you don’t freeze me in place,” he said with a dry smile. “I do have to get back though—the sun’s starting to go down and they’ll be looking for me in the mess hall.”
“Eh, I’ll come with you.” Jack fell into step next to him, the blue cloak fluttering around him. “What else do you do around the village, Hic?”
“I actually work at the forge,” he said with a chuckle. “I’m scrawny, but you don’t have to be big to work the bellows and keep the fire going. Dad apprenticed me to Gobber in the hopes I’d get big and strong like everyone else, instead of…this.”
Jack raised an eyebrow. “You just gestured to all of you.”
Hiccup’s lips tugged down as he thought of the disappointed looks he always received from the villagers. “Everyone does.”
“Well, everyone is just stupid.”
Hiccup looked at Jack, surprised to see the annoyed expression on the other’s face. “Well, they’re not exactly the brightest, but—”
“But nothing. Hic—you have done something no one around here has ever done! You caught a Night Fury, then freed him rather than killing him! And on top of that, you’re training him and yourself to work as one unit.” Jack clapped a cold hand on a startled Hiccup’s shoulder. “You, my friend, can fly. So they have no reason to be disappointed in what you’ve done, and most importantly, you have no reason to be disappointed in what you’ve done.”
It took a few moments for what Jack said to sink in, and then a strange smile pulled at Hiccup’s lips. It was strange to him, anyway—he couldn’t remember the last time anyone had ever said words like that to him. The praise from his “dragon fighting skills” felt hollow whenever he heard it, but this was genuine. “Thanks, Jack.”
Jack on his part felt something twinge painfully in his chest. When was the last time anyone had told this kid he was actually needed, or even more wanted? “Hey, if anyone tries to tell you otherwise, let me know and I’ll freeze their helmets to their heads,” he promised. The bright laughter that bubbled from the brunet was payment enough.