Brothers - Chapter 3

A/N: Oh boy. Sorry guys, my writing muse vanished for awhile. On top of life in general, as well as Nano Wrimo this year, I've been cracking away at Braving Dragons, but Merida still will not cooperate. T.T

Merida: It's nae m' fault. Yer the one that takes forever to g' back tae work!

Me: You and your difficult brogue! *throws a Kleenex box at her*

ANYWAY. Braving Dragons has, unfortunately, gone on the much loathed hiatus. :/ Until I can get the story to work properly, and I have no idea when that'll be. If you guys have any suggestions about Merida's chapters(two in a row), I'd be incredibly grateful.

As it stands, I'm launching back into Brothers and starting a new little Treasure Planet/How to Train Your Dragon crossover called Treasured Dragons, for lack of a better title. Head over to my profile, and there should be a little summary there, if not the fic itself.

Sorry for the horribly long note .

-V

Hiccup blinked owlishly, sitting up with a yawn. Having only ever slept on wooden slats before, he found straw a nice alternative. Better than those dumb hammock things, too. How Jim managed to sleep in one, he didn't know, nor did he care to find out. He was perfectly happy down here with Toothless. A snapping sound brought him out of his stupor, and he blinked to clear his vision as the voice that had initially roused him got louder.

"…iccup? Wake up. Come on, wake up."

"Huh?" The ex-Viking rubbed his eyes as the older boy handed him a small roll. It was warm, smelled of butter, and had a piece of sausage cooked into the middle. Hiccup's mouth watered, and he wasted no time biting into it. "Thanks," he mumbled. Jim shrugged.

"You slept down here all night?" he asked, somewhat skeptical. Hiccup nodded.

"Yeah, well…I haven't been that far away from Toothless since we left, so…" He didn't finish his thought, and it would seem he didn't need to. Jim stood up, glancing over at the dragon warily as he did so. He still seemed…edgy around Toothless. Not exactly scared, no, but he definitely respected the reptile's personal space.

Which was just as well, since the dragon still snarled whenever he got too close.

"The ship's going to launch soon." Jim commented as he headed for the steps. "If you wanna feed him before it does, I suggest you get a move on." Hiccup allowed himself several more moments to collect his thoughts and finish his breakfast before he followed after the brunette.

The deck was crowded with people and creatures. They were far out at sea, far enough that any trace of land was swallowed up by the ocean. Since it was very unlikely the Gloriana would be seen by anyone, Toothless was allowed on deck as well as the alien members of the crew. He was also given permission to scout out the surrounding water to catch his own breakfast, and after this had been accomplished the dragon seemed content to lounge about on deck. Jim was talking with some of the crew members, in languages Hiccup couldn't understand. Feeling a little left out, the ex-Viking wandered over to the side of the ship. He still couldn't get over how big it was. He tried to picture what the look on his father's face might be if he ever came across such a ship. It would be a real challenge to get on board if they decided to attack.

Actually, no, Vikings would probably use axes and maces and whatever else they had to climb up the side.

Hiccup turned to see two...spacers moving two large, oddly shaped objects into place on either side of the ship, securing them to the deck by the metal locking mechanisms on the wood and the objects themselves. He wondered what they were. One of the spacers, a pudgy one with a face where a person's stomach should be, looked at him and smiled. He was missing teeth. He asked him something, and all Hiccup could do was shake his head and shrug. He couldn't understand them. Any of them, actually, with the exception of Jim and maybe the captain. He thought he'd heard him swearing in Norse earlier, after dropping something on his foot. He looked away in a hurry, glad that the spacer didn't seem to notice his discomfort. The sight of so many strange creatures shocked him, and quite a few of them had features that were nightmarish; long fangs that curved out of their mouths, jagged claws on their hands and feet, dozens of eyes, multiple extra limbs, skin and hair of all colors imaginable, and more. To say it was unnerving would have been an understatement. Had he not had Toothless with him, Hiccup would've run screaming towards the first village away from the blasted ship.

The boy sat down on the wooden ledge as a salty breeze ruffled his hair. He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. Toothless laid his head in his rider's lap, and Hiccup gently scratched his ear flukes. He had absolutely no idea what lay ahead of them. At first, when Jim had told him he was from an entirely different world, he hadn't believed him. His doubt had lessened when he'd seen the ship, evaporated when he'd seen the crew, and now in it's place there was a new feeling; dread. He didn't want to dwell on it, to think it all out. It wouldn't do him any good to do that. He knew where it would lead- he'd feel guilty for leaving, and he'd want to go back and fix things. At least try to. But the damage had been done. If he went back now, he'd only make things worse, and put himself and Toothless in danger. And he hated to think of what would most likely happen if his father ever met Toothless...

The sound of someone calling his name brought him out of his daze, and he realized Jim was waving to him. To be honest, he still didn't know what to think about Jim. He was still pretty much a stranger, and Hiccup was sure of one thing. He didn't trust him, at least not yet. But the guy had offered him somewhere to go, someone for he and Toothless to travel with, and that was good enough for him. For now.

"The captain says we're about to take off," he said as Hiccup walked up to him.

"Um, ok." A strange look flashed across his face, almost like confusion, but was suddenly replaced with an amused smirk.

"Find something to hold on to." Hiccup raised an eyebrow, and was about to ask why when a thought struck him. Well, more like a flash of memory. The lurching of his stomach as a certain dragon had launched itself into the air without warning, taking him with it. Jim said the ship could fly. He imagined that same lurching feeling...but perhaps on a much grander scale.

"But what do I-" Hiccup started to ask, but Jim darted off, and the younger boy lost sight of him. The crew was beginning to fill the deck, replacing the sails with the ones that glittered, the solar sails. The lights that ran down the main mast began to light up. Anxiously, Hiccup looked around. Where could he go? Perhaps the rail on the side of the ship? No, he'd fall over the side. The captain, standing at the top of a flight of stairs above deck, shouted something to the crew. The solar sails caught the breeze, expanding to their full width. A questioning warble grabbed his attention, and Hiccup turned to see Toothless giving him a mildly concerned look. "Uh, bud? You might wanna-" The captain shouted out something else, and with what sounded like a minor explosion, the ship burst forward. Hiccup was thrown backward, landing on his butt and rolling several feet before bracing himself against a wooden grating that let light into the crew's quarters. Toothless made a noise that sounded like a surprised horse. Through it all, the Gloriana only sped by faster and faster. Hiccup could hear the waves on either side of the ship, and bit back a panicked scream when his boot slipped from it's perch. He didn't slip very far this time. Something snagged him by the neck of his vest, and Hiccup looked up to see Jim...laughing at him.

"I told you to hold onto something!"

"How was I supposed to kn-whoa!" Hiccup yelped as his stomach dropped to his ankles. Suddenly, there was no water. For a second he felt lightheaded, and he was grateful that Jim obviously knew what was going on, because he shifted his stance just as the world stopped pulling them at an angle. Had he been on his own, Hiccup was fairly certain he'd have ended up face down on the deck. Jim's hold lessened and Hiccup sank to his knees, gripping his head in his hands. "Sweet Valhalla...oh Thor...oohh…" Jim hugged his arms around his stomach, he was laughing so hard.

"You scream like a little girl!" he managed to say. Hiccup shut his eyes and silently prayed for the world to stop spinning, but it didn't. Instead his stomach began to churn. Jim's laugh turned into a chuckle, which died in his throat. He put a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "Hiccup? Hiccup, look up. Hiccup!" Jim pulled him to his feet, shaking him. "Hey, come on, kid, open your eyes." Moaning, he did as he was told.

"What...was that?" he asked after a moment. Jim grinned.

"You're definitely a tenderfoot." Hiccup glared at him. Toothless came bounding over to them, nuzzling his rider and purring.

"I don't see how this is funny." Hiccup spat.

"I do."

"Yeah, I can see that."

"You were rolling all over the place."
"Shut up."

o~O~o

Reviews:

TheKillerJill: O.O Oh my holy cheese. TheKillerJill? As in PROJECT FLIGHT?! *faints* I can't tell you how awesome it is you like this little drabble thing, I LOVE your videos! XD

Imaninja41 - Jim: Um…should I be concerned…?

Me: Very.

Moonpie - I know right? XD

Jim: Wait- what- did I miss something?

Hiccup: *is picture of innocence*

Thanks guys!