I live!

I have been planning this story for I don't even know how long, and waiting to post for almost just as long. Titles are super hard.

This fic is set after HTTYD2 and the first Avengers movie.

As always, many thanks to my beautiful beta MoonClaimed for her edits, love, and support.

I own nothing.

"I hate magic."

It was hard not to agree with Tony Stark. One minute, the Avengers were fighting an epic battle smack dab in the middle of Times Square, the next they were surrounded by the lush trees of a forest. It was impossible to say what exactly had happened, but he was pretty sure he had seen Dr. Strange right before the team vanished.

"Everyone here?" Steve asked, looking around and taking a head count.

"Looks like," Clint called from above. Leave it to the archer to be in a tree already. "Where is here, anyway?"

"Jarvis?" Tony questioned when the AI didn't answer on his own. He frowned under his faceplate. "J? You there?"

"Maybe the teleportation interrupted the connection," Bruce suggested. "Give it a minute."

"Well until then, my GPS puts us somewhere in… Norway? Damn thing just fritzed out on me," Tony griped before considering what he had just said. "How the hell did we get all the way over there?"

"Stranger things have happened," Natasha shrugged. "Like your tech going dark. Town nearby?"

"Yeah, few miles away."

"I can see some lights in the distance," Clint announced. "How's your Norse?" he asked Thor.

"The Allspeak covers any and all languages."

"I meant because you're the Nordic God of… no? Okay."

"Alright team," Steve said, taking his rightful spot as leader, "let's-"

"Hold on, guys," the billionaire interrupted the captain. "I'm picking up something on my sensors."

"What is it?"

"Something big. It's coming in fast. Barton, you-"

"Yeah, I got it," Clint said, drawing an arrow and readying his bow. "I can't tell what – Holy shitballs!" The archer reeled backwards, nearly falling off of his branch at the sound of a loud roar. A blast of fire filled the air.

"Hawkeye, are you alright?" Steve asked, falling instantly into mission mode. "What was that?"

"It, uh, it looked like a dragon," Bruce answered quietly after a moment of deliberation, questioning his own sanity.

"Hawkeye, report!" Steve demanded again, his teammate still silent.

"Holy," a hysteric laugh crackled over the comm link. "Did you guys see that? There was a dragon! It was a fucking dragon!"

"That's impossible," Natasha breathed, mostly trying to convince herself she had seen it wrong.

"Does your kind not have experience with such beasts?" Thor asked, shocked. "Why, on Asgard, we slay at least one a week."

"Uh, yeah, no. Dragons aren't a thing here," Tony said.

"Where did it go?" Steve asked, searching the skies as best he could through the trees.

"Looks to be gone. I'm not picking anything up," Tony answered.

The group stood in silence for a minute.

"So…dragons?" Clint frowned. "Is that what we're going with? Because last I checked we don't have those on Earth."

"Let's head for the town," Natasha suggested, still refusing to accept the explanation but unable to offer a counter. "Maybe they'll have some intel." She ran a hand through her hair, frowning at the grime from her most recent battle. "Or at least a shower."

Steve nodded. "Good idea. But stay on your guard; we don't know if that thing has friends."

"I'm thinking it does," Bruce said, pointing back towards the treetops. "And I might be mistaken, but it looks like there might be someone on it…"

Hiccup let out a joyful laugh. Flying on Toothless was a blast, but the flying on your own? The feeling of freedom was unparalleled. He looked over at his dragon, who was smiling his famous toothless smile. He rolled to the right to avoid a tree before landing on his best friend's back and clicking his prosthetic leg in place.

"Great job, bud," he said, petting Toothless. "What do you say we do one more lap before turning in for the night?" The beast grinned before shooting off like a rocket. "Woah!" Hiccup scrambled for a better grip, not ready for the sudden burst of speed, but laughing nonetheless.

The pair zipped over the island before Toothless decided to cut down so he could fly through the trees, nearly slamming into them but always just managing to jump out of the way right in the nick of time. Hiccup, long since used to dangerous maneuvers such as these, just kept smiling, trusting his companion not to kill them both – he hadn't yet.

He was only vaguely paying attention when a group of humans came into view just up ahead. "Woah!" he cried, startled. It seemed his dragon had noticed as well since they were suddenly soaring above the trees. He could have sworn he heard something about a beast having a human, and decided they must be talking about him. He was just about to tell Toothless that they should go greet the newcomers more formally (or at least spy on them to find out their intentions) when a man flew up next to them. Hiccup's eyes were like saucers once he finally processed that, yes, that was most definitely a man and he was flying. Not like the trick he used himself, but simply hovering next to him.

"Do not be afraid, tiny human," the blond man boomed, a hint of laughter in his voice. "I will save you from this fowl creature." He raised a hammer above his head, and Hiccup suddenly remembered how to speak.

"Wait, don't hurt him!" he shouted at the man. "He's not going to hurt me; he's my friend."

"Oh," the man said, lowering his weapon. "Why did you not say so earlier? Tell me, friend, how did you come to befriend a beast such as this?"

"He's…I'm… Who are you?" Hiccup asked, at a loss for words.

"Me? Why, I am Thor Odinson!" he laughed heartily, a crack of lightening flashing for what was most likely dramatic effect.

Hiccup stared at the man. "Thor. Like the god of thunder," he said, disbelieving.

"So you've heard of me," Thor smiled.

"You're the god of thunder?" the Viking asked, still not buying it.

"Not a god, per say, but yes, that is me."

"You're the god of thunder," Hiccup repeated. He eyed the man in front of him. He did resemble the god to an extent. Hiccup laughed. "The god of thunder." Toothless looked up at him, wondering if his rider was alright. He rubbed Toothless' neck comfortingly.

"Everything alright up here?" A gold and red metal man hurdled up to meet them, and Hiccup very nearly fell of the dragon in surprise.

"What the – how the – who are you? Another god?" Hiccup sputtered, scrambling for purchase. Sensing his rider's discomfort, Toothless bared his teeth.

"You're joking, right?"

Hiccup shook his head, wracking his brain for an answer. "…No?" he answered finally, unsure.

"You're telling me you've never heard of Iron Man?"

Hiccup shook his head. "Never."

"Tony Stark?" the genius tried.

"Nope."

"Seriously? Who hasn't heard of me? I'm on the cover of every newspaper and news site every day!"

"Do not be so hasty to judge. You yourself had never heard of dragons until just a moment ago," Thor said.

Hiccup stared at Tony like he was an idiot. "You've never heard of dragons?"

"Oh, I've heard of them. Just never believed they existed."

"You didn't believe dragons existed?" Hiccup frowned, thinking he must have misheard. "Where did you say you were from again?"

"America. Land of the free," Tony said with a flourish.

"Ameri-what?"

"Stark, Thor, report." Steve's voice buzzed over their communication link. "What's going on?"

"It is the most wondrous thing!" Thor boomed. "A boy has befriended the beast!"

Hiccup frowned at the god's sudden outburst, unsure to whom he was speaking with, but who was he to question a god that could smite him in under a second?

"Can you repeat that? I thought you said a human was friends with the dragon."

"That's right," Tony affirmed. "Kid rides him and everything. They're best buds and they've never heard of America."

"…Where did he say he was from?" Natasha piped up.

"Hey, kid, where are we?" Tony asked the boy.

"This," Hiccup said, motioning to the island below them, "is Berk."