Chapter Text
Somehow, the grand and illustrious ambassadors Ruffnut and Tuffnut were nowhere to be found to receive North and his ambassador, Jack. And everyone had turned the island upside down looking for the twins. When Stoick received the final head shake from Fishlegs for failing to find the followers of Loki, Hiccup sighed heavily before hearing anything and stood up.
"Alright, then," he let out with slumped shoulders, pinching the bridge of his nose. He didn't know what to do with the twins. He was against giving them real responsibility, and now the consequences were here and he was the one who would suffer.
"I'll go too. I think two people to show them around Berk would be better suited to give them attention, right?" Astrid offered, and Hiccup could have hugged her for it.
"Of course," Stoick nodded and pulled Hiccup close by the arm. "Hiccup."
"Hey, Dad…" he muttered, looking at the table, not wanting to see the anxiety and demand in his father's eyes. Because he was tired of it. In the end, he'd be the one fixing everything anyway, as always.
So why the twins had been the ambassadors, he still questioned. It was stupidity.
"Son, North is a kind and very lively man. We don't know this Jack, but he's probably trustworthy. I need you to be… be a Viking!"
"Well, I thought I was one since I was born, but go on," he sighed, rolling his eyes up, and Stoick didn't seem to find it funny at all.
"I'm telling you to act like a leader! Welcome the guests, focus on guiding them and showing them the village so they'll want to solidify this alliance, and please this ambassador as much as you can!"
"Funny you ask that, when the twins were supposed to be the ones doing it…" he huffed, and Stoick shook him. Not as hard as he could have, but Hiccup felt his brain bounce.
"I'm serious, boy! The winter will be terrible and this will give us the peace of mind to survive!"
"Dad, I'll do it right. What? I'm the master of diplomacy!"
Stoick pressed his lips together, looking Hiccup up and down, and sighed. Indignant, Hiccup pulled away with a grimace.
"Just… show them that we are welcoming, but also dangerous," Stoick continued. "There's a fine line between an alliance and subjugating the weak. Everything depends on how the ambassador sees our people when he leaves."
"I thought you trusted them."
"All trust requires a bit of caution. Our coexistence and treaties have been prosperous, but now we're going to make it official and have this northerner with us for a few months. Learning about us. Our customs and maybe our secrets. We need to know how to carefully measure what we share with him."
Hiccup blinked at his father.
"In other words, I'm going to babysit the new guy and stop him from learning too much about the dragons."
"Exactly. You get it." Stoick smiled, slapping him on the back, which made him stumble forward.
Hiccup shook his head, exasperated, as he kept walking toward Astrid near the door.
"So…?" Astrid smiled, adjusting the cape on her shoulders.
"Babysitter," he huffed, and she offered a smug smile.
"So no stargazing rides on the back of a dragon."
"No. Just giving out treats, at most." Hiccup shook his head one last time and adjusted his posture, pushing the heavy doors to leave the hall. "But I wasn't planning on anything different anyway. The fewer people who know how to handle dragons, the safer we and they are."
"First time you've agreed with your dad. Is this what growing up is like?" Astrid massaged her chin and Hiccup smiled.
"I guess now I just need to grow until Toothless can't carry me in the saddle anymore."
At that, Astrid let out a laugh that she swallowed back down to contain herself, playfully hitting his arm for making her react like that, and they stepped out together into the calm snow that was starting to form a fluffy layer on the ground, right over the slippery ice.
Before them, Berk remained in an almost calm festivity (by Berk standards), eagerly awaiting the arrival of these twilight allies. There were flags hung up, and they had cleared most of the paths of the most dangerous snow. Everyone was in their best clothes and full of ornaments. Many had probably taken a bath for the first time that month, just that morning. It was unprecedented!
Hiccup adjusted the brooches on his cape, suddenly feeling nervous. He had only spoken to North once, when the man praised him for everything he had done and told him a bit about his own kingdom. About the constant ice, about his little elf subjects who were adorable but dysfunctional, and about the Yetis, big and strong, who kept everything running.
It was left to Hiccup's mind to just imagine it, since, when he asked about dragons, North had laughed and said they didn't have any where he came from, but they had creatures just as special. Hiccup doubted it, but he wouldn't judge until he saw them.
"What do you think this ambassador looks like?" Astrid muttered, her hand on the hilt of her axe.
"If he's anything like North, not too different from a Viking. A little more… cheerful. Maybe. But the twins liked him too, so I'd just be happy not to have a Snotlout to please."
"I'll agree with you on that." Her grimace made him laugh a little.
"And what about you?"
"I think he'll just be an idiot, like Gustav. Someone who's going to drool over the dragons and is full of himself. Nothing new. Your dad is being very careful because of the promise of supplies, but I wonder how they'll manage to help us if where they come from supposedly only has ice."
"You have a point." Hiccup considered that and stared out at the cliff. Many ships were docked. Allies' ships. Berk's ships. It was too many people for a rock that size, but somehow, they were all there and excited. "Maybe we should try to get that out of Jack when we meet him."
"Now you're talking like our Hiccup." She smiled, lightly punching him on the shoulder.
A commotion interrupted them from behind, people swirling around something coming fast through the forest. Hiccup and Astrid looked at each other and ran to the plaza, in contrast to the crowd that was already taking up arms.
Dragons flew from the treetops, fleeing from whatever was approaching, shrieking in fright. Hiccup placed his hand on Inferno's hilt as he waited, ready to whistle and call Toothless, when he heard the sound of hooves on the ground.
Hooves. On Berk.
It couldn't be possible. There was no plausible terrain for—
And yet, leaping meters between the rocky peaks, huge furry reindeer pulled a red wooden sleigh that thrashed around and by some miracle wasn't broken by the blows it took from the ground every time it slammed back down hard when a rough movement occurred.
He felt Astrid's fingers push his mouth upward, closing it, and he shook his head looking around to bring a minimum of order to the situation. The only place that thing could stop was the plaza.
Igniting Inferno, he raised it and began to wave it to get attention, and only knew he had been seen when the reindeer made a sharp turn in his direction.
"To the plaza!" he ordered, placing his hand on Astrid's shoulder and starting to run while she yelled for everyone to clear out.
It was an instant. The speed was terrifying.
The sleigh was suddenly too close, the sound of the hooves echoing absurdly against the stone. Hiccup stopped and raised his sword, hoping whoever was driving understood they should stop.
He heard a laugh. Two, actually. The reindeer began to slide across the stone and ice, braking the sleigh's movement until, even more surprisingly than them managing to run on that terrain, they stopped two inches from Hiccup, in perfect line, the sleigh intact.
The silence lasted two seconds before the sleigh door was kicked open and North's laugh echoed through all of Berk.
Hiccup felt a mix of relief and exasperation at that. It was good that they were allies, but what kind of way to arrive was that?
Running to get around those abnormally large and gingerbread-smelling reindeer, he stood next to Astrid a few feet in front of the sleigh, waiting for North to step down with open arms as he threw his head back and inhaled the air with such force that Hiccup thought he would be sucked right into the man's nose.
"Ah! Berk! Fresh as always!" North boomed. "What do you think, Jack? Incredible?"
"Give me a minute to stop seeing double. Now I understand Bunny. You're a terrible driver, North." The young voice surprised Hiccup, who glanced sideways at Astrid, and she just shrugged at him.
No one could see this ambassador; North was blocking half the sleigh, still standing there.
"Hiccup!" the man greeted, approaching and offering his hand. Hiccup smiled the best he could, hyper-aware of the ice on his clothes that dirtied him when the reindeer skidded, and his messy hair after all the commotion.
They locked elbows.
"Welcome back to Berk, North." Hiccup tilted his head. "This is Astrid. One of the best dragon riders in the archipelago."
"It's a pleasure," Astrid offered her hand as well. North accepted and repeated the gesture, but Hiccup noticed he was much gentler with Astrid. "Jack!"
"Hold on!" the voice asked again, and they heard a light thud behind North, who stepped aside only to reveal a boy adjusting his blue and silver clothes.
"Ah..." Astrid let out and snapped her mouth shut audibly.
Hiccup understood.
Jack—if that was Jack—was the kind of being that, if the twins had told him he was a fairy or an elf, Hiccup would believe it. Because someone like that shouldn't exist as a human.
His hair was white as snow itself, his eyes a blue so strong it resembled the clear winter sky. He was shorter than Hiccup, skinny in a way he hadn't seen in anyone else in that archipelago. Not malnourished or lacking muscle like he himself was once known to be, but in an elegant way that made it clear there was something there, even if it wasn't the brutality that thickened the skin they were used to.
"He's a fairy," Astrid verbalized. Hiccup didn't want to agree.
Jack blinked at them and looked around, seeming uncertain, and said something in another language to North, who laughed affectionately while placing a hand on his shoulder. Jack shrank back a little, looking shy.
Silence fell long enough for Hiccup to regain his composure, nudge Astrid with his elbow, and take a step forward with her.
"Jack, right? Our ambassador?" he asked, trying to be friendly, and Astrid, seemingly still shaken, extended her hand to Jack without introducing herself.
Jack stared at them, looking surprised that Hiccup knew his name, and smiled in a way that could destroy that island.
"I'm Astrid," she said, seeming to get anxious, her hand still extended. Jack seemed to notice and hurried to step closer; instead of a normal handshake, he took the girl's hand and brought her fingers to his own mouth, kissing her knuckles carefully.
Astrid froze. Hiccup froze. The air went still. Jack raised his head, tilting it slightly to the side, and smiled.
"It's a pleasure, Miss Astrid. Jack Frost."
North laughed loudly, drawing their attention, and Astrid took a step back, shocked. Was it a custom in the north to be gentle with women? Hiccup shrugged, extending his hand.
"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III," he introduced himself, and Jack blinked at him, smiling captivatingly, but didn't shake his hand.
No.
Jack repeated the gesture he had made with Astrid, bringing Hiccup's fingers to his mouth. A light brush of lips against his skin, before looking at him, head still bowed, and smiling.
"Jack Frost. It's a pleasure."
Maybe it was the shock. It had to be. Hiccup felt the heat rise from his chest to his face and yanked his hand back, startled, taking a step backward and bringing it to his chest as if Jack had burned it.
Even though he was only feeling a phantom sensation of that kiss.
What the hell was—
The twins' laughter echoed somewhere nearby. Astrid seemed to snap out of her catatonic state and looked around as if mimicking her dragon searching for troublemakers.
The horns of the twins' helmets appeared from behind a fallen piece of a log.
Hiccup connected the dots and wanted to throw himself off the cliff rather than having to embarrass himself in front of everyone again and address that situation, but he had a duty to be the one who thinks in that place. Clearing his throat, he opened his mouth to speak, but heard Jack laugh, staring at the exact same spot as Astrid.
"That was a good one," he said. "Embarrassing me in the first minute here, very clever, huh?"
"Jack," North went pale. "Just... let's go with them—"
"Oh, don't worry, North, it'll be quick," Jack smiled as if he wasn't the gentle boy kissing fingers seconds ago. It was something wild, sharp, and fierce. Moving fast in a way Hiccup didn't think possible, he dragged both hands on the ground, scooping up snow, and ran toward the log where the twins were.
"Jack! For the love of all Christmas and everything that exists, come back here!" North ordered, pointing his finger in a much milder way than Hiccup was used to seeing his own father do.
But Jack ignored him completely. He jumped to gain momentum off a post and, upon landing right in front of the twins on the other side of the log, smashed the snowballs into their faces.
Tuffnut and Ruffnut screamed and jumped over the log as Jack crouched to grab more snow; the panic in their eyes made it look like they were in real danger. Astrid let out a light laugh and then Jack smiled even wider, blew on the two snowballs he held in one hand, and threw them, hitting each of the twins in the back of the neck.
They fell dramatically forward, hands outstretched and faces buried in the snow. Jack clapped his hands to brush off the snow and approached again.
"I said it would be quick," he declared, tapping the back of his fingers against North's belly, who looked worriedly at the twins, but when he saw them sit up and point fingers at each other, he let out a breath.
"Well, I guess that went better than I expected," the man muttered, massaging his beard.
"Of course, I didn't hit them with real ice. Even though they deserve it." Jack moved his hand in the air, as if to grab something, and then frowned as he patted his back, touching the staff he carried, and huffed.
"Just… two more hours?" North tried, patting him on the head, and Jack rolled his eyes, turning to Hiccup and Astrid.
"Sorry if... doing that thing with you guys was weird. They told me that was how you greeted each other." Jack pressed his lips together, clearly embarrassed, but kept his gaze on the two of them. "If you'll allow me, I'm Jack Frost. Ambassador of the North Pole, and I'll be in your care for the next few months. I'll... I ask that you explain your rules and culture to me, since I obviously can't trust what I know."
Jack shot a sharp look over his shoulder; Tuffnut scrambled on the ice and fell on top of his sister. He let out a little laugh worthy of an imp and crossed his arms over his chest.
Hiccup listened, looked at Astrid, at her red face and bright eyes, smiled as genuinely as he could (which must have looked terrible) and pointed to the clear path ahead.
"Let's eat first. My dad wants to see you," he offered, and Jack nodded.
North approached Jack and placed a heavy hand on his shoulder, but he didn't even seem to feel it as he faced the man twice his size with patience and interest, lacking any of the submission Hiccup expected in front of a monarch.
"Oh, this is going to be chaos," Astrid said, and Hiccup groaned, anticipating it. "I like him."
"Of course you do!" he huffed, and Astrid laughed looking over her shoulder at the spot where the twins were trying to get away, but kept slipping off balance every time, falling back to the ground.
"At least he isn't like Snotlout," Hiccup muttered without even realizing it, and Astrid punched him in the side, but didn't say anything, her eyes returning to Jack's back with interest.
Hiccup was not looking forward to the next few days.
If Jack planned to freeze Ruffnut and Tuffnut's blankets, no one needed to know. His mouth tingled and the skin on his cheeks was already wet, the frost coming and going from the sheer embarrassment he felt. He tried to be the prince Baby Tooth talked about, obeying what the twins had said. He did think exchanging kisses wasn't very Viking-like, but both Ruffnut and Tuffnut greeted him like that for the entire three months they stayed together at the North Pole. How was he supposed to guess it was a very well-crafted long-term plan? It just seemed like part of the whole thing at some point! Just a weird quirk about Vikings frozen in time because of a radioactive magic bubble. Jack had seen worse things.
But he had never gone through that kind of embarrassment.
North rubbed his back, holding back laughter as he guided the boy toward a huge wooden building that radiated heat even from meters away. It was probably full. Jack didn't know yet if he would be seen by everyone. He didn't know how he was seen. Was he weird? Hiccup and Astrid had stared at him for a long time when he got off the sleigh. Maybe Baby Tooth and Phil had overdone it with the clothes and he looked like a stranger among everyone.
That made him feel uneasy, so he looked around to make sure that at least the way he was dressed wasn't the reason for the weird looks he was receiving. It was already weird to actually be looked at, but that intensity was already making him dizzy.
"Want to sit down?" North muttered, squeezing his shoulder, and Jack shook his head, wringing his own hands.
He missed his staff. If he could float away from the reach of those people, he would be calmer. But he wasn't going to give up now.
"It's fine," he stated, staring straight ahead. North gave him light pats on the back. "Can I hold my staff?"
"Jack, I think you can... if it's seen as hostile here."
"Ah," he muttered, feeling the blood drain from his face, his hand groping his back over his shoulder to at least brush his fingers against the wood.
He wasn't liking that.
The looks. The ground. The embarrassment. The heavy clothes. He wanted to go back outside and throw himself in the snow and, with any luck, the twins would drag him into a corner to pull some prank, and he could watch something fun happen from afar.
"I never thought you were shy," North smiled understandingly, and Jack swallowed hard.
"Three hundred years with only animals accepting me nearby and seeing me. I thought that after hanging out with the kids in Burgess it would be easy, but it isn't."
"If you want, we can go back as soon as the party is over," North offered, wrapping an arm around his shoulders, leaving a weight there so Jack would feel he wasn't alone. He was internally grateful and took a deep breath.
"No, I want to do this. It's just… new," he muttered, looking over his shoulder, seeing Hiccup and Astrid following them and whispering.
Astrid seemed to notice Jack looking at them and smiled at him. She seemed nice, but North and the twins had told enough stories about her for Jack to feel like he didn't want to make her mad. His gaze fell on Hiccup, who looked surprised that Jack was looking at him and raised a hand, looking shy or just as awkward and uncomfortable as Jack felt.
That helped a bit. He didn't want to be the only fish out of water, even if thinking of the chief's son as a misfit was hilarious.
"North!" a booming voice sounded, and North let go of Jack, gently pushing him back as a man who looked more like a mountain approached with heavy steps and hugged North.
Jack felt the strength of that squeeze just by looking. Neither of them was holding back and they almost seemed to be competing to see who could endure more.
A force stronger than his nervousness pulled the corners of his mouth up, and then, he coughed as the air was forced out of his lungs due to Tuffnut and Ruffnut throwing themselves onto his back.
"You two!" he hissed through his teeth and, turning around, grabbed them by the middle of their long hair. "Don't try anything funny in here!"
"Easy, little brother. Easy. We came to keep you company," Tuffnut claimed, delicately prying Jack's fingers from his hair. "No pranks in front of the boss."
"Yeah. And you're bluer than usual, and I'm not talking about the clothes," Ruffnut adjusted something in his hair. "Just go with the flow, popsicle."
"You made me kiss Hiccup and Astrid!" he gritted out, and the twins smiled like imps. "I'm going to get revenge. Just so you know."
"You already threw ice at us!" Ruffnut huffed, and Jack let go of the hair he was still holding, turning his back to them.
"I don't remember that. You don't have proof, do you?" he questioned, shrugging, and laughed when Tuffnut threw himself at him again, his arm pulling him into something that could turn into a wrestling move at any second, but Jack understood that was their way of being close.
"You should take a pretty girl by the arm in places like this, you know?" Ruffnut clung to his arm. "Although, out of all of us, you're what we call wife material."
"Shut up," he ordered, cooling his arm, and Ruffnut shrank back.
A tired sigh came from behind, and the three of them turned around. Hiccup was looking at them through his fingers, his green eyes shining behind them.
"I guess I shouldn't tell you not to pull anything else for today, should I?" he asked, and the twins started to scoff, but Astrid put her hand on her axe, raising her eyebrows. The twins stepped away from Jack rolling their eyes, but stayed by his side. "Jack, if they bother you, tell us," Hiccup offered, crossing his arms, and Jack looked at his friends before smiling and huffing.
"I'm fine," he said with more confidence than he felt, and, not thinking it was wrong, he relaxed a bit. "Thank you for worrying," he added, remembering to be polite like Baby Tooth instructed.
Tuffnut let out a gurgle that would have turned into a laugh if Jack hadn't elbowed him in the ribs.
"We're doing great!" he declared, and Tuffnut nodded.
Ruffnut seemed to lose interest, since Jack wasn't getting into rougher play with her, and walked past everyone, leading Jack by the arm to one of the tables near the leaders, where two other youths their age were already seated.
"Get lost, Snotlout, we have guests," Ruffnut ordered, pushing the head of a large, burly boy without any fear. He obeyed, complaining and swatting at her hand to push it away. Jack sat there and blinked at the boy sitting across from him, who raised a timid hand like Hiccup and greeted him with a surprised look. Jack smiled at him and extended his hand to greet him properly.
"Fishlegs," the boy said excitedly, his eyes darting over Jack's face. "Are you the ambassador?"
"Yes. Jack Frost."
"They sent a real fairy?" squawked the one they called Snotlout, leaning across the table to look at Jack. "A speck like Hiccup."
"Thanks, Snotlout, I'm always happy to be remembered in conversations." Hiccup appeared behind them, and Snotlout just laughed. "Everyone here? My dad will probably stick with North until they start serving drinks."
Jack blinked at that, looked around, and relaxed his shoulders, feeling relieved. There wouldn't be a grand introduction. He could just sit there and hang out with the twins without embarrassing himself any further. A sigh escaped his lips, and Astrid leaned over the table, sitting down next to Fishlegs.
"Relieved?" she asked, smiling less gently than the boy, as if she were hiding something sharp. Jack let out a chuckling snort and sat more comfortably.
"I don't like grand introductions."
"I wouldn't be so happy just yet." Hiccup placed a hand on his shoulder and pointed to the middle of the hall, where Stoick was staring at them intently and North was smiling with red cheeks, which always happened when he was excited.
Jack felt a tremor of anxiety run through his body, and the twins laughed once before each of them pinched one of his arms.
"Ow! What gives?!" he complained, rubbing where he was attacked, and the two stared at him before smiling.
"Go do the honors, Mr. Ambassador. We'll save your seat." Ruffnut smiled, and Jack shrank back, but Tuffnut stood up, pulled him by the arm, and pushed him to go where he was supposed to.
The laughter at the table came in surprised and amused waves. Jack managed to laugh a bit more calmly as he approached the massive men in the middle of the hall.
"Jack!" North grabbed him by the shoulders, dragging him until he was face to face with the mountain that was Stoick. "This is my boy, Stoick."
"Scrawny like mine."
"Very gallant. Really," Jack blurted out without controlling his own mouth, at the same time a "Dad!" came from behind him. The men looked at each other and laughed loudly as if they were two beasts, not adults and leaders.
Jack rolled his eyes, crossing his arms and smiling a little. North seemed happy, at home. Not like at the workshop, of course, which was his passion, but the way he seemed so at ease there was touching. Jack let out a small laugh.
"I heard you fell for the twins' prank." Stoick smiled at Jack, something almost predatory and hard as steel. He clearly wasn't a man of smiles. Jack shrugged, despite feeling the frost on his face again. With any luck, no one would notice and he could pretend to be normal.
"They were good. They worked hard for months to fool me. And someone helped them with it." Jack looked over his shoulder at North, who beamed brightly at being caught, showing no desire to look guilty. "Nice one," he laughed, and North patted his back.
Stoick watched this with special interest and placed his hand on Jack's shoulder, who looked up, curious. The man seemed more than interested now. He seemed almost enchanted.
"What weird people," he thought, but just stood there, not wanting to be rude with so much touching from strangers.
"Are you going to accept being our ambassador? Live and breathe like a Viking, Jack?" Stoick removed his hand, shivering slightly and pulling his cape lightly over his shoulders. Jack smiled, a thin and satisfied smile; North let out a sound in his throat in reprimand, but Jack didn't regret it.
He wouldn't be unpleasant, but he had his limits. It was a subtle withdrawal.
"Of course," he replied, tilting his head to the side. "It's going to be fun seeing what Ruffnut and Tuffnut kept babbling so much about. I'm sure that, with this, we'll be able to better figure out what we can offer in this alliance of ours."
"You already do a lot," Stoick said, sounding sincere. Jack nodded and, without warning, was grabbed by the arm and forced forward.
"My people of Berk!" Stoick roared, raising his free arm, making Jack's eyes widen. "Today we are celebrating our alliance with the North Pole and welcoming a new ally! This is Jack Frost! He will live among us, people of Berk, and our entire archipelago community. He will see and live with us through our hardships and joys. He will be one of us!"
Voices rose in celebration and agreement, and Jack found himself laughing as he soaked in that atmosphere.
"I want you to treat him as we do any brother! Any son or grandson!"
"Feel free to scold him too," North added in the same tone as Stoick, drawing loud laughs. Jack wanted his staff to hit him or at least freeze his nose hairs.
The latter didn't require a staff.
North sneezed uncomfortably multiple times.
"On this joyous date!" Stoick continued, without letting go of Jack. "Let's toast with meat and drink! May we all pass out from feasting so much and wake up tomorrow with the certainty that the people of the archipelago have grown stronger!"
More celebrations, and Jack found himself carelessly released by Stoick. His feet lost their balance, and he felt a chill down his spine imagining falling on his face on the first day.
"Whoa," Hiccup grabbed him by the elbow and pulled him back, helping him balance. "He's excited, don't mind him," he smiled, and Jack nodded as cold sweat ran down his spine, and let out a compulsive laugh.
"You guys are incredible," he said, unable to contain himself, looking around. "This place is really cool."
"Cool, huh?" Hiccup stepped closer with his arms crossed. "Well, I agree. And it's not even the best part yet."
"Dragons?"
"Dragons." Hiccup gave a crooked smile, and Jack was overcome with excitement.
He wanted to float right out and straight to where the beasts were, but he had to act like a prince for at least two days without upsetting Baby Tooth after all the work she put into making him presentable.
"What's wrong?" Hiccup furrowed his brows, and Jack blinked, looking at him.
"Nothing?"
"You seemed disappointed."
"Oh, no," he laughed, waving his hand to brush off the concern. "Just thinking about a friend."
"Ah... alright, then." Hiccup started walking and nodded. "Stick with us. We'll eat, and before everyone gets too drunk, we'll head out. We don't need you traumatized on your first day."
"Traumatized?" Jack laughed, looking around.
There was so much chaos, lack of boundaries, and warmth that he couldn't have found it cozier.
These were people. Alive. Happy and enjoying every second of what that meant.
His smile grew, and he touched his staff, sliding his fingers backward, under the scabbard.
"This place is a dream."
"It looks like we're going to have problems," Astrid noted, looking at Jack, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut fighting over an especially juicy piece of meat that originally belonged to Fishlegs. The boy had willingly offered it to Jack, the twins tried to take it from him, and now they were arguing with pointing fingers and shoving.
"My nightmare," Hiccup felt the blood drain from his face when Jack took advantage of the twins' distraction as they pulled their own hair to steal the meat and stuff it all into his mouth. "For the love of Thor."
Astrid laughed so hard it caught the attention of Jack and the twins. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were tangled up in each other's blond hair, and Jack looked like a squirrel with full cheeks. Not even Hiccup could hold back his laughter seeing that, and Jack swallowed, looking away from them and taking his embarrassment out on the twins with a shove, which made them fall off the bench and start wrestling right on the floor.
Jack pretended to cheer.
But he was rooting for the floor to beat them both.
Hiccup stared at Astrid in disbelief, and the girl was already red from laughing so much at that point. Snotlout approached Jack to watch the fight, and they exchanged a couple of words, slamming their hands on the table together, leaving coins to be bet, and started clapping for their champions.
Fishlegs leaned over the table to watch the match, and a mini-circle formed around the commotion; more coins were thrown on the table for the bet, and Fishlegs started keeping tally.
Hiccup didn't know who had won, but, at the end of it all, Jack was already on his feet and walking around, talking to several people and being called by name to grab a snack or get his cup refilled.
And Hiccup lost sight of him.
"Do you think I should go after him or…?" he started uncertainly, no longer finding the white hair among the people. Astrid scoffed.
"Someone who got hugged like that by all the Berkians in a matter of hours doesn't need that much surveillance." She drank from her mug.
"You're probably right," he laughed, drinking his mead, but he felt a slightly sour taste in his mouth.
Jack was, by all accounts, a stranger. He was skinny. He looked like an elf from a horror story and a foreigner. But there he was, vanished and getting pats on the back from everyone in the village in a matter of hours.
Something Hiccup, who only had the luck of being skinny, didn't get until he arrived riding a Night Fury.
Maybe it was too early for him to build resentment towards someone. But he couldn't help being bothered.
"Here, here!" Jack called out, running across the hall closer to the dragon riders, and everyone turned around.
But it wasn't them Jack was talking to.
A group of children followed him, holding beautifully crafted and detailed wooden dragon toys.
Hiccup almost choked on that and stood up to get a better look.
Jack sat on the floor with the kids and started narrating some story, pointing to each of them to get their participation with their respective dragons.
The adults began to walk by, looking with curiosity and smiling at that.
"Alright. He really is a fairy. Let's close that part of the discussion," Astrid declared as if closing the case, turning to see better, almost as if she were finding the story interesting herself.
"He managed to tame these little monsters too?" Snotlout muttered, downing all his mead in one gulp. Hiccup glanced at him, smiling at his cousin's sadness for still not being over losing the bet on the twins' fight.
Indeed, the floor Jack had bet on won, by trapping the twins' hair between the floorboards so that neither of them could move, causing them to start screaming for help and surrender.
Jack's coin pouch was now hanging from his belt.
"Play that one!" Gobber shouted, and the musicians started playing livelier tunes; people began to make room for dancing, and some women approached to take the children, who cried, wanting to stay with Jack. Two even held onto his clothes, crying for him to come along.
Jack just smiled affectionately and waved, promising to play tomorrow, and soon he was pushed by the opening circle until he was back at the riders' table.
"Hello again!" he greeted, and Tuffnut grabbed his hand and kissed his fingers, to which Jack promptly responded by smacking him on the head.
The twin just laughed and nudged his sister, who cackled. Jack looked embarrassed and annoyed, but sat down next to her anyway.
"If you act like that, they'll tease you about it forever," Hiccup warned, trying to help. Jack looked at him and shrugged.
"I guess by the time I go home, I'll have calluses on my fingers, then," he mocked, bumping Ruffnut's elbow just as she raised her mead cup, making her spill it on herself.
Hiccup had to blink a few times to try and figure out how he felt about that situation.
He had no answer.
"Three hours and he already broke you," Astrid mocked, sitting across from him, and he stared at her, raising an eyebrow.
"Well, someone froze for five minutes earlier. I think I win this round, huh?" he shot back, and the girl turned red from her neck to her cheeks, her eyes darting to Jack quickly, and then she hissed almost a growl at Hiccup.
He raised his hands in surrender.
He knew she had frozen because she didn't expect to be treated with gentleness and care. An approach like Jack's, kissing her fingers, wasn't something Astrid or any Viking woman had experienced very often. He understood her embarrassment for reacting like that.
He would still rub it in her face to make up for years of humiliation.
"Enough of this! Let's go see the dragons. Our guest must be excited about that!" Astrid blurted out as she stood up, stumbling slightly from the drinks, but caught her balance.
Everyone at the table moved excitedly, and Jack looked around, seeming lost. Hiccup saw the twins hitting each other and running outside and approached.
"Let's introduce you to the rest of the gang, come with us," he offered, and Jack stood up, looking at North and Stoick, seeming unsure.
"Should I stay here...?" It sounded a lot like a question. Mostly, it seemed like a plea for Hiccup to say no and give him permission to go.
That made him genuinely smile.
"Come on," he huffed, turning his back, and Jack didn't need anything else to catch up to him, almost skipping as he walked and followed the group toward the rocks where the dragons were waiting for the traditional post-party night flight.
"Man..." Jack sighed when Hookfang and Barf and Belch's heads appeared. Two shadows behind the hill, looking out at the sea with their long necks stretched. "They are huge!"
Hiccup smiled with satisfaction. Now they were entering his domain. His dad might have told him not to teach Jack how to ride or train a dragon, but they didn't really need to hide everything from him. It would even be less suspicious.
And, honestly, he wanted to be able to show off a little something, since Jack had already won everyone over in his own way.
But dragons?
Maybe it was a slightly selfish and overly sour thought to have about someone he just met, but Hiccup couldn't help feeling resentful somehow. Three hours, and Jack threw years of his efforts out the window and made it look easy to be accepted. But not here. Here was Hiccup's true kingd—
"Jack, no!" Astrid yelled, quickening her pace when Jack started running toward the dragons without even asking anything.
"Is he crazy?" Snotlout darted after him to the slope, where Hiccup watched Jack become a white blur in the dark as he jumped as if he didn't fear gravity.
"For the love of Thor!" he let out, running as well, his leg slipping on the ice, but he didn't have time to try and be graceful; the dragons would burn that idiot alive if he approached them the wrong way!
"Ruffnut and Tuffnut, why did you let him do that?" Fishlegs whined.
"You'd be surprised by how easily he can be..." Ruffnut started.
"Slippery," Tuffnut finished, and the twins looked at each other before laughing.
"This is no time for jokes!" he scolded, feeling his chest already start to freeze. The dragons' heads were already lowering and the Monstrous Nightmare's fire ignited. "Oh, my Odin, help us!" he whined, accelerating clumsily until he was at least at the edge of the slope.
And he really wanted to throw himself off it. Actually, Hiccup wanted to throw himself into the ocean once and for all, because that had to be a joke from the universe.
Jack was walking among the dragons, letting out little laughs and saying things to them as he ran his hand over their scales.
All at once. They all looked at him with curiosity and in a friendly stance.
Toothless was even wagging his tail at him as if they were old friends.
"What in the name of Helheim—" he started to say, and Astrid pulled him to go down the slope, skidding on the ice.
"No, no! No need for that, buddy," Jack was saying to Hookfang, who was offering his wing for him to climb on, looking from him to the horizon. Jack smiled excitedly and gave affectionate pats on Meatlug's head.
"He..." Astrid blinked. Hiccup looked back, seeing everyone approaching, shocked.
Well, everyone except the twins. Ruffnut passed a coin to Tuffnut.
"He tamed the dragons," Hiccup said with a grimace.
His bitter taste in his mouth remained, but something else made him narrow his eyes. That wasn't normal. Dragons weren't friendly with strangers, and Hookfang was definitely not the most accommodating of the group.
Toothless approached Jack, his ear plates flat against his head, and let out a sad croon. Jack turned to him, his expression tight, and crouched down on his heels.
"Don't say something like that. Of course you're useful," he said, petting the Night Fury's head with more confidence than anyone besides Hiccup would have done. Toothless moved his tail, showing the prosthetic, and Jack sat on the ground, letting it fall into his lap. Toothless laid down, rumbling again, and Jack blinked, petting the dragon as if he understood everything he was saying, and looked at all the others, who puffed out their chests with pride.
Jack sighed.
"I don't need your help. I came to meet you," he said more emphatically, and raised his hand to Hookfang, who immediately approached for the affection. "And Bunny was afraid you guys would burn me."
Stormfly squawked, offended, thumping her tail, and Jack laughed.
"Of course not. You guys are great." Meatlug crooned, and Jack turned his face to the dragon riders, a smile so bright that Hiccup even felt himself relax a little.
"He is a fairy," he declared, surrendering, and Jack laughed at overhearing it.
"Not a fairy. I'm not as graceful and nice as she is." Jack gently removed Toothless's tail from his lap and stood up, brushing the snow off his clothes. "So, is anyone going to tell me what happened to my dear toothless friend?"
"It's a complicated story," Hiccup approached, taking the lead of the group, which now seemed more tense. "But first... do you understand dragons?"
"Oh, yeah," Jack smiled, genuinely laughing as Barf and Belch bumped their heads against his. "They're great."
"H-how is that possible?" Hiccup finally asked, feeling something break in his brain, and stepping closer with more confidence, pointing at the dragons. Jack looked at him, confused and surprised. "No, seriously. They would have killed anyone crazy enough to do what you did. Why didn't they do that?"
"Did you want them to do it?" Jack smiled cheekily, and Hiccup felt his face grow hot.
He didn't want Jack to get hurt, but he wanted the introduction and magic of the dragons to be done by him. It was his thing!
"No. I was just worried," he stated, and Jack tilted his head to the side. Toothless let out a not-very-friendly croon and looked at Hiccup with judging eyes.
Jack blinked at the dragon and laughed, turning his gaze back to Hiccup, and he couldn't describe it as anything other than strange. It didn't seem like Jack was a stranger; it seemed like he could see right into his soul. An understanding of who Hiccup was so deep that he felt exposed and insecure about whatever it was he was seeing in there.
"Toothless likes you a lot, Hiccup." Jack petted Toothless's ear flap, his smile softening as he looked around. "All of them are kind of in love with each of you."
Hiccup shifted uncomfortably, his hot face breaking the momentum he had before. Astrid acted first, walking over to Stormfly and touching her carefully, as if she were checking to see if Jack was really that magnetic or if he had done something to her dragon.
Stormfly sniffed her affectionately, as always.
Silently, the riders approached their dragons, uncertain and sharing that same feeling Hiccup noticed slithering inside him.
Jack was not normal. And he didn't even try to seem like it.
As if sensing the tension, Jack looked at the twins, stepping away from Toothless as Hiccup approached. The twins shrugged, going to their dragons, and called him over in an almost normal way. Hiccup pressed his lips together and his gaze met Tuffnut's.
He was staring at him seriously. In a way Hiccup wasn't used to. Just like that morning. Jack turned to Ruffnut, seeming to say something very quietly, and the girl rubbed his back, forcing an enthusiasm that made him smile a little, but he chose to step closer to Barf and Belch rather than stay near the twins.
Tuffnut forcing enthusiasm. Hiccup thought he would never have that combination of words in his head.
Toothless nudged him, bumping his head against his side. Hiccup looked at him, and the dragon seemed bothered. He rumbled, clearly demanding some action.
"What do you want me to do?" he asked, exasperated by the tense atmosphere, and Toothless grunted louder, as if saying "you're the leader, do something!". But Hiccup didn't know what to do.
He was scared, upset, and, even though he was also curious, he felt too inhibited to do anything.
Because if Jack had done all this in a matter of hours, then what would be left for him at the end of those months? Stoick might swap them and send him to the North Pole, electing Jack as honorary son in his place.
Toothless smacked his wing against the back of his head like a slap, grunting in warning now, looking from Jack to him, and pushed him with his tail.
Defeated, Hiccup scratched the back of his head as he took the steps to close the distance, shivering slightly from the cold wind that seemed to get worse the closer he got to the twins.
"Alright guys, let's... let's calm down," he started, raising his hands, calling for attention. "There's no reason to be tense like this. Nothing went wrong."
Astrid shot him a sharp look, clearly disagreeing. Taming a dragon with such ease wasn't just being good with people or animals, it was putting Berk's safety at risk. Their biggest trump card was the dragons; if Jack didn't need them to do the same, then they could easily be subjugated by the North Pole.
Which led to a slightly funnier thought about Stoick's fear and his warnings. That planning of his father's fell apart before anyone even did anything. Hiccup could laugh.
He let himself laugh.
First quietly, and then he let out a laugh. If Jack did that without fear, it was because he always could. So the North Pole never considered dragons a problem or one of the things to gain as an advantage in that alliance.
Hiccup didn't understand what else the Berkians had to offer, but Stoick's fear and his presumption in that alliance now seemed so pathetic that he couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Now Hiccup has gone crazy," Snotlout muttered, and Fishlegs placed a hand on his arm.
"Hiccup?" he tried quietly, and Hiccup wiped the corners of his eyes.
"Well, that removes at least one worry," he muttered and shook his head. "I think it was too much all at once. Too much news." Hiccup stepped closer to the twins, who looked at him with suspicion but opened the wall they had created to hide Jack from the rest of them.
"Popsicle, he's talking to you," Tuffnut huffed, and Hiccup saw Jack shoot the twin an annoyed look as he stopped staring at the spot where Barf and Belch merged into a single body. He was perched on the dragon, touching the scales with fascination as if all that tension hadn't existed or just didn't matter.
"Huh?" Jack blinked at Hiccup and then around. "Oh, alright. Whatever you said." Jack took a step back, analyzing the junction of the heads with his hand on his chin. "Why does only this dragon have two heads?"
"That… is a good question." Hiccup looked at him with many doubts, but felt that if he raised his head, he would receive a not-so-friendly glare from the twins, so he cleared his throat. "But we can talk about that tomorrow, is that okay?"
"Tomorrow?" Jack finally looked at him for real and, a second later, looked embarrassed again, moving his hand in the air as if searching for something, but quickly bringing it behind his back.
"Yeah. We can talk about all the dragons and species tomorrow. But right now we're celebrating and half drunk, so how about a ride?"
"Hiccup!" Astrid hissed, and Jack looked at her and then at him.
"A ride?" Jack raised an eyebrow. Meatlug was the first to speak up, and Jack blinked, perking up immediately.
"Fly?" he asked, looking around, and the dragons crooned together. Jack looked like he was about to start jumping and laughed excitedly. "Who's going to give me a ride?" he asked, observing his surroundings and, to Hiccup's amazement—though not so much anymore—the dragons started pushing each other to get to the front and offer themselves.
Everyone, except Toothless, who took a few steps back, stepping away. Hiccup looked at him and followed.
"What's wrong, buddy?" he asked, concerned, and Toothless looked at him and shrugged, keeping his distance, now sitting down and staring at the horizon. Hiccup felt a squeeze in his chest and stared at Jack, who seemed to be watching the scene with a bit too much sorrow.
Confused, he pressed his lips together and pointed his hand at Toothless, looking at the northerner.
"Can you... explain it to me?" he tried, and the others looked at him, surprised.
Because Hiccup had a good line of communication with Toothless, obviously. But he didn't really talk to him the way Jack seemed to. And he didn't like seeing his friend like that.
"He's sad because he can't take me flying." Jack looked into Hiccup's eyes. "Not alone."
"Ah." Hiccup approached Toothless with a tight chest. Toothless huffed, got back on his paws, and looked at him before giving him an affectionate headbutt. "I'm sorry, buddy. You kind of depend on me just like I depend on you." Toothless pushed him harder and Hiccup heard Jack's laugh nearby; he turned around and found him standing by his side, his head tilted and eyes shining.
"He thinks you're an idiot for feeling bad about it. But he likes that you two are a duo. He's just upset he couldn't help a—" Jack stopped himself and scratched his cheek. "Anyway. I don't need help. It's fine. I really just came here to meet everyone."
Toothless huffed at him, and Jack pouted.
"I don't need to fake anything, Mr. Toothless." Jack crossed his arms over his chest. "And none of you here could beat me, just to be clear."
Toothless seemed to perk up at that, headbutting Jack, not so gently, as if provoking him, and Jack gave a crooked smile.
"I could kick your scaly butt anytime." Toothless bumped him again, pushing him to the point of losing his balance. Hiccup grabbed Jack's elbow purely by reflex and let go, looking at his dragon with relief. Toothless jumped and whacked his tail against Hiccup, signaling he wanted him to mount up.
"Wait, wait!" Jack laughed, raising his hands, and Toothless looked at him and huffed impatiently. "Even though I love the idea of making you eat my dust, I can't. Not yet." Toothless looked confused, and Jack laughed. "Human stuff."
That seemed good enough for the dragon, who shot a general look of impatience and annoyance at all the riders and then huffed again like a grumpy teenager. Hiccup laughed at that and Jack winked at him, turning his back and walking over to the twins.
"You guys better be better drivers than North," Jack made a face at the duo.
"We make no promises," the twins said together, already mounted, and Jack laughed, sitting in the junction of the heads in the most precarious way possible.
The other riders shrugged, preparing their dragons, who obviously looked bummed and shot betrayed glares at the Hideous Zippleback, who was clearly feeling very proud, chest puffed out, taking the lead ahead of all of them at the edge of the cliff.
Hiccup raised an eyebrow at Toothless, and the dragon complained once more, lowering himself so Hiccup could get on before joining the others.
"Jack, I don't think that's the best place for you to sit," he tried as he approached. "You could fall and get badly hurt. Sit with one of the twins in the saddle."
"Yeah, popsicle. Come give me a hug," Tuffnut teased.
"Hold onto me like I'm a princess you want to woo!" Ruffnut sang. Jack smiled at their nonsense, but stood his ground.
"I'd rather fall than hold onto them that closely," he huffed, and the two squawked indignantly.
Hiccup laughed and looked at Toothless for help, but the dragon looked at Jack with resignation and rolled his eyes.
"Jack, you can ride with someone else. Don't get hurt on the first day!" Astrid tried, seeming to weigh that an uninjured Jack was more important than her suspicions, but Jack rolled his eyes.
"Let's go!" Jack demanded, his hands gripping the dragon. "Last one there is a Terrible Terror!" he challenged, and immediately Barf and Belch flew off.
Toothless darted forward, barely giving Hiccup time to adjust everything, and went after them, but the practice only made him laugh as they shot ahead.
"Cheater!" Jack yelled at them when they passed him in seconds, and Toothless laughed.
"How about we have a little fun?" Hiccup offered, and Toothless gave him a knowing look.
Jack felt his throat ache from screaming so much with excitement. Ahead of him, the dragon riders seemed just as hyped, racing and doing risky maneuvers without a care in the world. They seemed free and fulfilled, smiling and shouting at each other.
Sitting where he was on Barf and Belch, it felt like being on a seesaw, his feet dangling in the air and holding onto the creature's necks. It wasn't like flying alone, but he still felt the wind around him, promising safety even if he slipped.
"How are things going down there?" Tuffnut asked, and Jack looked at the dragon's heads.
"All good! Can you guys go any faster?"
"Of course we can!" Ruffnut laughed. "We might come in third, but beating Astrid is really hard and Hiccup, impossible!" Ruffnut stared at the horizon, where Toothless was carving an arc upwards and falling like a projectile toward the ocean, making a turn right before and shooting like a torpedo between the stone pillars.
Jack felt the back of his neck prickle. He didn't know if he could be that fast. Maybe? He never tried to be. The Wind carried him across the globe, it was fast, but it involved a dose of magic. But he wanted to test his own skill.
The twins laughed.
"You look like a kid dying to get in the game," Tuffnut mocked, and Jack created a snowball, hitting him on the side of the head.
"I've never flown with company. This looks really fun!" Pushing himself up, he stood between the heads. In the sky, the moon was bright and full, making everything very clear and easy to watch, even in the middle of the night.
A point of light appeared on the horizon. Purple and blue, and then the sound of something buzzing and exploding. He saw Toothless and Hiccup appear close again, bragging that they were already heading back to the finish line, and Astrid yelled about injustices while urging Stormfly to go faster.
When he passed them, Hiccup said something, but Jack didn't hear it. His gaze was on Toothless and his arrogant growl questioning if Jack would actually be able to win.
Jack laughed and moved across the Hideous Zippleback, leaning on just one of the heads as he got closer to the Night Fury.
"Jack, don't do these things on top of a dragon in the air, for the love of Thor!" Hiccup begged, reaching out his hand to grab him, but without reaching him. Jack stopped right in front of Toothless, who smiled with a challenge.
"You can't beat me," he said, smiling, and Toothless scoffed, rolling his eyes. "Oh, you doubt it?"
"Jack, if a stronger wind blows you're going to fall!" Hiccup pleaded, leaning closer, and Jack was surprised when he grabbed him by the arm and pulled him onto Toothless with a gasp of effort.
Jack helped out once he had half his body over the Night Fury's head. And he sat properly on the dragon's neck, blinking at a clearly annoyed Hiccup.
"Do you have no love for your life?" he asked, and Jack laughed, petting Toothless.
Barf and Belch whined about Jack trading them, and the twins complained of betrayal, but Jack had something else in mind.
Standing up, he ignored Hiccup yelling that he was walking on a dragon in mid-flight and was going to fall, and made a face when he felt him grab his hands.
"I'll help you, just, for the love of Odin and everything that exists, sit down!" he pleaded, and Jack rolled his eyes, letting Hiccup uselessly help him sit in the back of his saddle. "Alright. Alright. You are crazy. You have no love for your own life. Let's breathe."
"You're the one panicking here," Jack mocked and patted Toothless's side. "You want to prove a point? Why did you want me to get on?"
Toothless growled a laugh and started moving toward the ocean again. Hiccup looked at Jack over his shoulder and seemed to decide it was too much work to try to understand or get in the middle of his fight with his dragon.
"Just… hold on," he asked, pointing to the sides of the saddle, and Jack obeyed just so the boy would look less pale. "Alright, you show-off, let's take this ride," he huffed, petting Toothless's neck, who perked up.
Jack heard a metallic clink from Hiccup's feet and leaned in to see a mechanical system down there. Raising an eyebrow, he lifted his eyes to meet Hiccup's.
"Ready?"
"Always am," he smiled, sticking his nose in the air, and Hiccup leaned forward.
"Let's go, buddy. Let's shut this ice elf up."
"Hey!" he complained, but in the next instant, he started screaming with euphoria again, feeling the wind hit his face violently, bringing saltwater and snow. His hands started slipping from the saddle, and even if he wanted to say he wouldn't fall, at that speed, he would at least spin around a lot before the Wind could stop him in mid-air and give him stability. His arms wrapped tightly around Hiccup, who laughed smugly before another metallic sound made them shoot forward even faster.
Toothless carved a curve in the sky and dropped into a steep dive, letting gravity pull them toward the ocean, and Jack felt a chill down his spine realizing he wasn't in control of the situation this time.
If that dragon decided to dive, even if he jumped off, he would also go to the bottom first. His scream turned from excitement to real fear and he squeezed himself against Hiccup, hating him for laughing at his despair, and when Toothless pulled up inches from the water, he felt the splash on his face, making him open his eyes to find himself gliding calmly just above the water.
Jack breathed heavily, trying to calm his racing heart, and let out a nervous laugh before loosening his grip on Hiccup.
Taking a deep breath, he opened his arms and tilted his head back, feeling the breeze around him and marveling at the strange sensation of flying by other means.
It was different. It took the control away from him and gave him an adrenaline rush from not knowing when things would change or exactly where he was moving.
But it was fun.
Really fun.
"So?" Hiccup turned back, looking over his shoulder. "Happy?"
"Very!" Toothless roared. "Okay, you're good! Happy?!"
Toothless roared again, and Jack huffed begrudgingly. He wasn't going to admit that he now had doubts about whether he could compete with Toothless, and the dragon laughed with even more arrogance.
Jack crossed his arms over his chest, narrowing his eyes, noticing that Hiccup was watching him.
"What?" he asked, and Hiccup laughed, shaking his head.
"Nothing. I guess this changes things." The metallic sound came again, and they made a sharp turn to start climbing straight up. Jack lost his balance from the lack of warning, and Hiccup pulled him back by reaching behind and grabbing the front of his clothes. Jack wrapped his arms around Hiccup's waist and hid his face against his back out of fright, and only let go when he started hearing Ruffnut and Tuffnut calling his name mockingly.
Pulling away from Hiccup, he let out a laugh and stood up, making the Viking yell about his recklessness again, but this time, Jack managed to escape his quick hands and jumped without hesitation toward the twins, landing carefully with the Wind's help on the backs of Barf and Belch.
"I think that's enough excitement for today," Hiccup let out, looking at Jack as if he were going to push him off that dragon himself, and Jack laughed, sitting down between the Hideous Zippleback's heads.
"Let's go then! Back home!" Tuffnut declared, and they turned around, heading toward Berk.