Jack gets in too deep and relives the worst moment of his life. Hiccup tries to pick up some pieces before he learns that getting in too deep is contagious.

"Pitch's lair. I found it."

What an asshole.

Seriously. "What the hell is he thinking?" Hiccup hissed to himself as he ducked into the sewer. It hadn't been hard to find Jack's entrance into the sewer-a manhole that the sprite had left completely open in the middle of the sidewalk in the alleyway of his apartment building. That was the worst nightmare of at least a dozen people Hiccup knew, even if they saw it at eight in the morning. The smell had been a bit overwhelming before he had lowered himself down, but now that he was inside, he had to summon all of his willpower not to collapse in a coughing fit.

The sewer thankfully had decent maintenance passages on either side of the sewage… river, for lack of a better word. While the passage was damp and slightly sticky, it thankfully kept Hiccup away from having to walk around in the thick of the muck. Although Hiccup was certainly grateful for that fact, he obviously remained none too happy to go wandering around anywhere near sewage. Jack must have been experiencing some sort of psychotic break, Hiccup decided.

Speaking of Jack, Hiccup realized with an exasperated sigh, he had practically no way of tracking him. He knew Jack had his phone on him, at the least, and he could call if it really came down to it, but he didn't want to risk giving Jack's location away to anyone besides him if the ringer or even vibration was activated. When he talked to Jack on the phone, even the sprite was unsure of where he ended up. Hiccup did his best to replay the conversation in his head and try to make sense of his friend's half-lucid directions.

"As soon as I accessed the sewers, I started heading in the direction I best guessed to be the center of town. I was just going to branch out from there. I mapped out all his past attacks as best I could and they seemed to form a circle around the town's square, I guess." Jack broke off in a fit of coughing that Hiccup could hear him doing his best to smother through the line. Hiccup had Merged with Toothless the second he thought he was out of Astrid's range of sight, thankful yet again for the good cover the woods around the property gave him. He held the phone close to his head as he raced across the sky, knowing the growing light of daybreak would certainly not be on his side. Even with the sensitive hearing the Merge granted him, he had to really strain to hear Jack's weak voice over the wind. That was perhaps what made him the most nervous. Jack's voice, as annoying as it was, was always remarkably clear, even in the rare cases in which he lowered his volume. Hiccup had never heard it so faint.

"I tried to keep track of where I was headed, I took only right turns for as long as I could, but then I began just turning and turning, and every time I tried to force myself to stop and gather my thoughts I just took a new turn, it was almost like I was being led. I suddenly just ended up at his lair, so fast I didn't even realize it until I was staring him in the face, Hiccup!" Another strangled gasp wrung his ears and Hiccup had to force himself not to call out his friend's name to ensure he was okay, over the wind Hiccup would have to shout, and that was way too risky. "His Nightmares swarmed me immediately. I couldn't see, I could hardly breathe, it felt like they were wrapping around me like a boa constrictor. I don't think Pitch even touched me, it was only his Nightmares... They've gotten stronger, Hiccup. Just their touch made me terrified well before they showed me my worst fears. Then they dragged me away from Pitch. They dragged me so far. I have no idea where they've left me, but I-"

Jack's voice halted, and it was so quiet for a moment Hiccup wondered if he had lost connection. He nearly cried out in relief when Jack's apartment building came into view, Almost there, buddy, almost there. Just hang on.

"...I don't think I'm alone down here," Hiccup heard Jack's hushed voice once more before hearing the phone's dial tone. There was no mistaking that: this time, the connection really had been cut.

Hiccup began by taking all right turns, just as Jack had done, but he soon noticed by lack of footprints in the muck that the sprite must have-wisely-chosen to fly through the passages. Good for him to think of his health, at the very least-kind of, anyway-but that made it much more difficult for Hiccup to track his movement. Hiccup remembered Jack saying he had been dragged, so perhaps if he could get close enough to Pitch's lair without approaching it directly, he could find the drag marks and follow them. That was his best chance of finding Jack in decent time, he figured. Another interesting thing he remembered Jack mentioning: it seemed like he was being led to Pitch's lair. He didn't have to try after a time, his feet knew where to go. Hiccup would have to take much more care, however, not to end up in Pitch's lair like Jack did. So, keeping a close eye out for signs of Jack, Hiccup simply followed his feet.

And follow his feet he did... for nearly two hours before Hiccup finally found the scraping pattern in the muck, turned up from where Jack had been dragged. As worried as Hiccup was, he hoped Jack was unharmed enough for Hiccup to kick his butt once he found him. Although, judging from how far the drag marks ran, and how they cris-crossed, Hiccup began to doubt Jack would even be able to walk away by himself.

The tracks winded deeper and deeper into the sewers, and although they were relatively deep, they were truly hard to follow. They turned in seemingly random patterns, even circling around passages just to continue on the same path more than once. It seemed to Hiccup that if the Nightmare's point in dragging Jack around-if there was one, was to hurt and disorient him. If Hiccup's phone conversation with Jack and the fact that he, himself was beginning to get dizzy was any indication, Hiccup would say they certainly succeeded. Jack had been so out of it that if Hiccup hadn't been able to get as far as he had, there was very little possibility that Hiccup could see of Jack getting out of the sewers and getting himself help on his own.

Hiccup nearly jumped out of his skin when he heard a cough coming from the shadows ahead. He stared into the darkness until his head hurt, his eyes refusing to adjust, but finally, finally, he caught movement a few paces ahead of where he stood: a pale, barefoot shuffling closer to a figure huddled against the wall of the passage, shrouded in deep shadows. Hiccup resisted the urge to call out to him in relief, racing as quietly as he could to Jack's side.

"Jack! Are you-" Jack's eyes stopped his words in his throat. Jack was in his human form, sticky half-dried blood pasted in a thin line down the length of the side of his head. His eyes, usually a deep brown in this state, were a glazed over black. His breathing was shallow and labored, and Hiccup couldn't tell if it was from pain or from fear. When Hiccup had been attacked by a Nightmare and shown his worst fear, Jack had reported that his eyes were black, too. Hiccup had no doubt that his personalized deepest fear was what Jack was enduring. Hiccup gently placed his hands on his friend's shoulders, shaking gently and saying his name until the black began to flicker away and his brown eyes finally returned, unfocused and pained but alive.

Jack's voice was so raw, Hiccup winced when he heard it, "Hicc-" he broke off in a cough and Hiccup moved to his side. Jack's head hung low. For a moment, even though Hiccup was crouched right next to him, he didn't hear him crying until he choked on a sob.

He wrapped an arm around the sprite's shaking shoulders as his tears grew, "Shh," Hiccup soothed, trying not to let his voice sound as anxious as he was, "Jack, something might hear you."

"Where is she? Did you see her?" he asked, voice breaking.

"What? Who?" Hiccup asked. He looked around the passage they were in, but as far as he could see was nothing but still shadows. No signs of anyone else besides them. Now he didn't know if that was a good thing or a bad thing.

"I heard her voice," Jack whimpered, grabbing Hiccup's sleeve and pulling him down to his level. "I heard her."

Hiccup put his hands on the sprite's shoulders, "Jack. Whose voice? Was there someone down here with you?"

Jack's breath left him in quiet sobs, "My sister."

Hiccup wet his suddenly very dry lips, "Jack, you know these things better than I do, you were with me when I was attacked, you've seen what they can do. You said you haven't seen your sister since you became Jack Frost, just think: was it really her or was it just a Nightmare?"

Jack sniffled noisily. He was silent for a time, but finally he nodded, "It-it was a nightmare. I know it was, but it was just so... I was back there. It was so, so cold, Hiccup, and so dark and I couldn't breathe, I couldn't scream I-" he broke off into another coughing fit so loud Hiccup almost covered his mouth with his clawed hand. The question where sprang to his lips, but the realization hit him like a train before he could ask.

Jack had told him of the night he had...died? Not died? Been given a second chance? Whatever has truly happened to him, he had relived the night he had become Jack Frost. That was his worst nightmare.

"I heard her calling my name, and I knew she would want to try to save me, but I would have given my last breath to tell her no, run and get off the ice, keep herself safe!" he sobbed, and Hiccup's grip grew stronger on his shoulders, but he could never have told him to be quiet now, even if the noise would give them away. "In my memories of that night everything happened so fast: I fell in and then the moon's light was lifting me from the water. Maybe that was a gift from the moon, I don't know. But in the nightmare I felt everything, it was happening almost in slow motion... I've never been more afraid, even that night when I was so alone, and only the moon was there with me."

That part, he hadn't told Hiccup. "It had stayed with me, I could feel it everywhere I went that first night I was Jack Frost. In the nightmare, it was cold, too. It told me my name and then left me. It left me alone, it made me and left me ALONE, HOW could it DO THAT?" The way that Jack's eyes cast down as he raised his voice told Hiccup that he was no longer talking to him, he was shouting at the moon, as if it could hear him from all the way down in the sewers in the middle of the day. Jack had vaguely mentioned how the moon's light was the first thing he saw when he had surfaced from the lake that night, but the way he talked about it talking to him, saving him... he had said his story got impossible, and he hadn't been joking, it seemed. But the way his nightmare had twisted the moon for Jack the way it had twisted Astrid's fallen body in Hiccup's own nightmare must have been just as terrifying. Jack was hurt and scared, and he had felt abandoned by the very thing that had supposedly saved him from a terrible, painful fate. Hiccup wished he had the time to soothe Jack and pull him from the pain and terror he felt, but the tunnels would undoubtedly be filling with more Nightmares soon, brought to attention by Jack's cries.

"C'mon, Jack, stand up. I'm so sorry, but we have to get moving, now. We've spent too long down here." He gently grabbed Jack's arm and lifted him to his feet, trying his best to steady him and failing as the sprite pitched to the side and knocked his other shoulder against the wall he had been leaning against. Then, with a speed Hiccup wouldn't have thought possible in his current state, Jack sprung forward to grab handfuls of Hiccup's jacket, his fingernails scratching against the armored skin of his chest.

"We have to catch him off guard," Jack gripped him so tightly his knuckles were already beginning to turn white. "we'll never be able to win against him if he knows we're coming. We have to scare him, that's the only way to get his Nightmares to lose respect in him, he may lose control of them enough they'll abandon him. That's when we have the upper hand."

Hiccup gripped Jack's hands and tried to pry them open and let him go, "Jack, now is not the time. We'll strategize later, but right now we have to get out of here. Hold on to my shoulders as tight as you can."

Hiccup pulled Jack around to essentially give the sprite a piggyback ride, and slowly scaled to the surface. Getting the sewer grate to slide open was probably the hardest part, even harder than carrying Jack's heavy butt up that impossibly tall service ladder. He and Toothless hadn't been Merged for so long in...well, a long time, and his body was starting to wear down, so it seemed. It took all his strength to keep from flinging Jack and himself to the street before him, opting for the much safer and more covert option of peeking his head out and observing the area they had ended up in, praying there weren't many people out at-if the glaring sunlight already hurting his head from so long in the dark was any indication-mid to late afternoon to notice the two heads peeking out of the sewer grate, one a black demonic creature and the other a badly bleeding boy.

The universe must have decided to throw them a bone, Hiccup rejoiced as he turned his head 360 degrees cautiously. The opening was positioned in the center of the street, one end facing a line of small homes that stretched quite a few blocks, and the other an empty field, touched by a few groupings of treed and, thankfully, nothing else. Not a soul in sight.

Hiccup now hastily removed them from the sewer, not really having to put much effort into removing Jack's arms from his shoulders; his grip had become so loose and weak that Hiccup found it a near miracle he had held on for so long. He rolled over onto his back and continued to huff weakly, almost as if it had been he who had dragged them up to the surface. Before the sewer grate was pulled shut, Hiccup and Toothless split apart, the latter whining as he collapsed next to Jack on the road, tongue lapping tiredly against the boy's bleeding forehead.

"I'm so sorry, bud," Hiccup winced, immediately out of breath and sweaty. The outfit he had more or less put together in his haste to mask his identity when he had first flown to assist Jack as the Night Fury had become his default for the time being, and it was not a daytime ensemble. Beneath the mid-May sunshine, his all black clothes, minus the helmet he chose to leave behind that morning-thankfully-were not very breathable. Especially as he scraped his raw fingernails raw trying to shut the cursed grate. He really should have closed it before he and the dog had split, but he really wasn't sure if there was a limit to how long the two should be Merged. He had left his house just after sunrise, probably around seven or so, and now it was at least noon. Seven hours of being Merged after not eating breakfast could not be good for either of them, Hiccup could at least say that, limited as his knowledge of his own Merge abilities may still be to him. "Rest up, we may have to Merge again."

Toothless huffed but didn't give him any pointed looks or even growl to show his distaste, only continued to lick Jack's broken skin. The boy didn't stir, must have become dead to the world while Hiccup was struggling with the grate. Hiccup was able to see the majority of his injuries in the sewer with his excellent sight in the dark as Night Fury but in the light...

His friend looked so deathly pale, even in human form. The red against his hair, even though it looked like Toothless had cleaned most of it, was still very noticeable and very fresh, possibly still bleeding. His breathing had slowed down only marginally, but was still uneven and labored. Hiccup had no medical training beyond CPR classes, but he could still tell Jack needed some real help. He crawled over to where Jack lay and gently shook his shoulder, relieved when the brown eyes opened and focused hazily. Giving Toothless an apologetic look when he whined, Hiccup slung Jack's arm over his shoulder and carefully stood, hauling the sprite to his feet, even as he groaned and coughed.

"We're gonna get moving now, Jack. We're gonna get you some help. Toothless, stay close, bud." Jack's bare feet, now covered in muck from sitting in the sewer, scraped against the concrete between steps as they headed in the direction Hiccup hoped was Berk; he didn't recognize the area they had surfaced in, so it was most likely the far, far end of town. Of course.

What Jack needed was a hospital, but bringing his into one was not a good idea. They were both likely to be questioned by the police if Hiccup brought him into the ER claiming to have just found him in his current state. If Jack were delivered in Night Fury form, he would definitely be questioned by the police, and that wouldn't automatically make the Night Fury viewed as any less of a danger to the public when he left a young man badly injured under unknown circumstances at a hospital with no identification or insurance information. Jack had told him that he had no birth certificate, and he would be genuinely surprised if he had insurance in his name at all. He would likely be labeled as a John Doe until he recovered enough to give them a name… If he was even willing to. He probably wouldn't appreciate the suspicion and pile of debt he would wake to in a hospital. But Hiccup couldn't take care of him himself if he were to go home.

Home. His thoughts immediately flew to Astrid, who he had tried to make promise to stay put until he was finished coming to Jack's rescue. That had been how many hours ago? There was no way she was still waiting for him to return. And he didn't blame her one bit. Even so, could she help Jack if he sought her out? He knew she had been a lifeguard while they were in high school, and he knew she had been studying biology at Penn State but does that automatically mean she has a base knowledge in medical sciences? Probably not. Not that he could bring himself to ask her for help after all he'd put her through, even if most of it had been unintentional.

There was only one other place Hiccup could think to go, even though going there would mean exposing them both. But Hiccup had no choice if he wanted to help Jack.

A snarl from Toothless tore Hiccup from his own head and a cold feeling of dread swept down his back. He glanced back at the German Shepherd mix, facing the way they had come and baring his teeth, the thick fur along his back practically standing straight up. Hiccup pivoted himself around to glance behind them, already afraid of what he would see.

Leaking from the gaps in the sewer cover from which they had come, black Nightmare sand erupted in a thick, smoke-like cloud. They had already put quite a bit of distance between them and their exit point, but as he stood, dumbly staring at the cloud lift from beneath the ground, he soon noticed that wasn't the only access to the sewer on the street. Every fifteen feet or so there was some sort of drainage grate or manhole cover, and out of each, the thick cloud rose. If they didn't take to the air soon, they would be overtaken. What would happen to them if they were Hiccup had no idea, but he absolutely did not care to find out. He picked up his pace as he turned away, leading them off the street and into the field beside them, hobbling to the nearest cluster of trees. He didn't dare look behind them again until the shade of the trees relieved them from the heat of the sun. Collapsing against the grass, beginning to bristle and yellow from the lack of moisture and heat of the sun, Hiccup sputtered to catch his breath.

When he finally looked up to the street again, he wasn't sure what to think: the smoke was still steadily rising and looked to be coming from beyond the street they had been on, but it seemed to go no further than the street itself. It had yet to stretch to the field where they sat. Was that good or bad?

Hiccup didn't have the energy or calm to try to determine that. He reached for Toothless, the black dog giving him a weary look that made Hiccup feel guilty beyond measure, but he still moved loyally to his boy. Tangling his fingers weakly into the dark fur, hot from the sun, Hiccup pressed his damp forehead against the dog's shoulder and felt their atoms combining in a surge of heat.

Merged once more, Hiccup pulled Jack into his arms again, wincing when he noticed the strength that rested in his limbs when he was the Night Fury was only a shadow of what it usually was. This flight would have to be brief, and even though it was broad daylight, he couldn't risk being too terribly high off the ground, it would take far too much energy. They would have to stick close to the fields and far from the roads. Their odds of both not being spotted and making it to their destination with little damage weren't great, but they had to try, for Jack's sake. He took as many deep breaths as he could before taking to the air again.

0~~~~~~~~~~0

Hiccup stared at his clenched hands on top of the table while Toothless wolfed down hamburger-thawed in the microwave minutes before. The black dog had finished nearly all of Grump's dog food before the hamburger was retrieved and warmed. His own stomach pinched, but he was too stubborn to start on the sandwich that had been laid out for him. His nail was gouging a line into the skin of his thumb for so long, Hiccup felt the skin split as he sat there in silence.

"Are you gonna say something or are you gonna just stare at me all night?" Hiccup finally asked when the quiet had become unbearable. Gobber didn't answer. Only resumed his staring. His eyes had to be at least itchy by now.

"It looks like you're a wanted man," Gobber stated simply, nodding to the muted television as he side-stepped along the kitchen table where Hiccup sat to reach the liquor cabinet, pulling out his special decanter of scotch. Hiccup tried to ignore his surprise; His father had gifted him a new bottle of the stuff every year for Christmas, and the two would share a glass. It was such an old tradition Hiccup could remember a year or two that his mother had joined them for the special drink. The last time Gobber had brought it out since then was the day of Stoick's funeral when he had drunken it alone in his black suit. He could see the thick accumulation of dust around the bottle's shoulders.

His mentor was not exaggerating, Hiccup could see when he looked to the television. The local news channel played silently, casting a bleary light in the dark of the apartment, although if the national news were playing it would most likely be relaying the same scene. It showed a news helicopter view of the town of Burgess, covered entirely in thick black cloud, completely still but menacing. It had only begun to move in when Hiccup finally took to the air, but it had clearly moved fast. The information banner ran speedily beneath the live feed, "...has not yet moved to make any sort of attack, but it is reportedly stretching at about 10 feet per hour. It is not showing any signs of stopping, will likely reach neighboring town of Berk by midnight. Authorities still have no idea of Pitch's plan for attack, even though this had been his largest reach yet. There has been no sighting of Pitch himself, nor Jack Frost or the Night Fury, although this does not ease the minds of locals, for all three are only ever seen at the same time..."

He's feeding off their fear, Hiccup thought as he watched the muted scene, they're allowing him to get stronger and they don't even know it.

This was precisely what Pitch did whenever he sent his Nightmares out to cover the town square, or businesses, or now the entirety of the town of Burgess: media coverage to confirm that his motives, powers and even what he was are all unknown. That was more likely to spread panic than even the widespread attacks Hiccup knew good and well that he was capable of.

The light from the television cast a dim light on Jack where he laid on the couch, unmoving. The tense silence was so thick Hiccup could hear him breathing, but it was still just as labored as it had been in the tunnels. While the thick curtains in Gobber's apartment blocked out the early evening light, no shadows were moving. Even so, Hiccup couldn't help but wonder if his friend was having a nightmare, or was so hurt and exhausted that he was having no dreams at all. If that was the case, Hiccup considered that to be the first amount of fortune Jack had experienced it the short time he had known him. For Hiccup, even good dreams-of the best memories he had-made his chest hurt when he awoke. From what he had learned in the sewers, Jack probably had similar experiences at night.

Hiccup had-literally-dragged Jack through Burgess. The tops of his friend's feet had been scuffed up and bleeding by the time he reached a point where he and Toothless could Merge again. The two, after being together for hours trying to find Jack and the stumbling through town after not eating or drinking, had taken an especially long time flying to Gobber's. It really wasn't that far, but Hiccup felt himself straining to stay in the air for so long.

"I'm not going to pretend I understand how the hell you're capable of...whatever it is you are. I'm not going to pretend it doesn't scare me to death, either. But you asked for my help, and you know I'm going to do all I can to deliver, but I need you to do me the favor of telling what is going on in return."

That made Hiccup bristle. He was too tired to try to empathize with the whirlwind of emotions and thoughts that were undoubtedly going through the graying man's mind. He finally met Gobber's blazing eyes with his own, "You can't seriously believe what the news is trying to posit, right? That Jack and I are in league with Pitch or something? Gobber, you know me! I'm trying to stop Pitch, and help people!"

"If your father were here, what would he say about you risking your life like this?"

"Gobber, that's out of-"

"What? Out of line?" Gobber's shadow seemed to elongate behind him, and for once, Hiccup didn't immediately think of Pitch. The man before him was so much bigger than he, in ways that had nothing to do with his height. Or weight. "You're the one that's out of line. For months you haven't been yourself, and I know you've been grieving, I've been, too. But then the fighting began. I should have stepped in more then than I did, that's on me. I just never thought you would be capable…" his mentor glanced towards the television, muted as it replayed the same story over and over again. The subtitle screen whisked by, but from where Hiccup sat, he could see the warning, "...The insidious shadows continue to grow, reportedly reaching the town's borders. No attack has been attempted yet, but locals fear the worst with Jack Frost and Night Fury remain at large. Gobber rubbed his face with a weathered hand. His head hung, and when his hand went back to his drink it shook.

"I… I just want to protect people," his voice was so weak, he was almost surprised. It was the truth… or, at least, it was now. When he had first merged, it had been because Jack attacked him, and he had been so, so angry and afraid, even if the sprite only intended to bully. After his first encounter with Pitch, he had shifted his view and saw Jack as an ally: they had a common enemy who was capable of mass destruction as well as terrorizing people individually, just as he had with Astrid and now Jack. Beneath the need to protect those who could be affected by it, there had been genuine anger. He had been looking for an out when he first began, that much was true, he supposed. But that hadn't taken too long to change. And anger certainly wasn't what he was acting upon anymore.

"I should have made it clearer to you that I was here. Maybe if you felt like you could have come to me more, things would be different. I always thought it went without speaking. I'm sorry for that Hiccup. But… I'm here now. And crazy powers or whatever those are that caused this-" he gestured to the muted news station on the tv behind him, showing the cloud covering the city. Pitch had done this before, of course, that seemed to be one of his things. He had never covered so much area, however. As the camera panned back to show the reach of the thick darkness-clearly reaching gradually towards Berk-the prompt script beneath ran: locals are reminded to stay off the streets, and if Jack Frost or the Night Fury are spotted, to please call the police and get as far away as possible. "-aside, I'm afraid for you. Whatever that man has planned for you, he's too strong. It's not worth whatever you're planning to do now. I don't care if he rips the city apart from the ground up, I can't lose you too, lad."

Hiccup found that he couldn't speak, only stare, gaping so widely that if Gobber's ever-present trash flies had been paying attention his mouth would have made for a lovely target. The more Gobber spoke, the more Hiccup began to notice how run down his mentor looked. He was older and was used to hard work, of course, but there was a difference between the effects of age and the effects of loss, heartbreak, worry. The worry wrinkles on this forehead cut so deep they looked almost like scars. Beneath his eyes the skin was so dark and sunken, Hiccup's face burned with shame: yes, those had all been there for a while. They had gotten worse gradually, but Hiccup hadn't truly looked at the man-who had always been nothing less than a second father to him for as long as he could remember-in a long, long time. Far too long. Gobber sighed.

"You say you only want to protect people, and that's very noble of you. But I know you, Hiccup. That's not the only reason you're doin' this. You lost your father. Helping and protecting people was all he ever did, and you want to feel close to him again, I understand that, even if you don't just yet." Hiccup blinked his surprise and tried to speak, but his throat closed tight. He could only listen as Gobber spoke, hardly being able to meet his eyes.

"More than that though is that you want to stop what happened to you from happening to anyone else. You've always had the heart of a hero, Hiccup. Your father saw it, I see it... your mother saw it, too, no doubt. You feel like if you can save others from feeling that pain it may stop yours. It may lessen it, true, but that pain won't go away so easily." Hiccup's jaw clenched and his eyes stung as Gobber put his hand on his shoulder, "You need to lean on those who love you, Hiccup. That is what will help heal you the most. Not fighting in the streets and putting your life on the line. Talk to me, Hiccup. Stay here. Call Astrid. Don't throw your life away like this."

"I-" Hiccup's voice broke so weakly that his face burned with shame. He took a few breaths to steel himself before he was able to try again, "Okay. I'm gonna call Astrid."

He could see the tension ripple away from his mentor's shoulders. The corners of his eyes creased as he gave Hiccup a watery smile. He squeezed his shoulder so tightly Hiccup had to try hard not to wince. Then Gobber stood, finishing off the scotch in his glass and turning to his bedroom, "I'll give you some privacy then."

The decanter sat on the table, completely empty. Hiccup hadn't even seen Gobber pour it all, despite the fact that it had been half full when he first pulled the bottle out. Hiccup's chest ached and his eyes stung upon seeing it sitting there. He had been the reason Gobber drained his favorite scotch. Perhaps the weight of the trouble the boy was in had weighed on him so heavily he felt the need to feel the loss of gravity that accompanied drowning. Or perhaps he felt like he needed to draw strength his lost best friend. Either way, Hiccup had caused it. He could practically feel the weight of guilt bend his shoulders towards the floor.

Sighing through his nose for what seemed to be the hundredth time that week, he pulled out his phone and dialed Astrid's number. As he counted the rings, he didn't know what he was hoping for: Astrid's voicemail or her actual voice. Of course, it was the former. Why wouldn't it be? The tone of the machine chimed and Hiccup's words lodged in his throat.

"Hey. It's me, Astrid. I'm uh, pretty sure you're not at my house anymore. And who can blame you, honestly? What-" he huffed out a humorless laugh, "what could I possibly say to you now that could make up for all that I've put you through? I've done nothing but push you away since the moment you came back into my life when you only wanted to help me. I pushed you away until I couldn't anymore, and then when I let you close I lied and to you and kept secret after secret from you… I loved you, and in spite of that, I let you feel afraid because I was too afraid to tell you the truth. If I could go back and stop all of this from happening I would. I waited far too long to tell you the truth," Hiccup sighed. Then took a deep breath. "But here it is: you're right. About everything. I'm the Night Fury… although I didn't come up with that name, for the record. You deserve so much more than what I gave you, and I'm so sorry for that. I should have tried to be who you and Gobber and everyone close to me needed me to be, rather than what I thought I should be. I'm sorry it's taken me so long to realize that. I'm just-" he sighed, "I'm sorry. I… I'm sorry."

He pulled the phone away and ended the call before he kept on repeating himself. Standing, he moved across from the kitchen through the living room, turning off the tv and covering Jack with the spare blanket draped across the edge of the house. Once the sprite was snuggling weakly into the warmth, he moved to Gobber's bedroom.

Hiccup cracked to the door open, although he could already hear the snores before his hand even touched the knob. Hiccup's call to Astrid could only have taken ten minutes at the most, and he had only ever known Gobber to go to bed that quickly if he were hammered. Perhaps the decanter on the table was the reason, but Hiccup couldn't help but wonder if this had been the first time in a long time he had been able to speak soundly, thinking Hiccup was alright and not planning on doing anything stupid. His mentor had trusted him, and the possibility that Gobber may wake up the next morning to see the news broadcast that the NIght Fury had finally been brought down, with or without Pitch, broke a piece of him into a dozen pieces.

It was stupid of him, to say the least. And selfish. He didn't want to hurt Gobber any more than he already had, or Astrid, or Jack. But as long as Pitch was still out there and getting stronger with every fear and nightmare realized, wasting time was a luxury no one could afford.

Grump whined as Hiccup and Toothless left the apartment with only a single scratch behind his ears.

A/N: There will be an estimated 3 more chapters after this, the next one I'm partially finished with and I'm working on the outlines to the others now. Thank you so much for reading, hang in there!