Time changed, and Hiccup changed with it.

FIVE YEARS LATER

It had been an eternity since Jack had last seen Hiccup. He couldn't tell whether it had been one year or one hundred years, but either way it felt much, much too long. His heart broke the day he left, and the image of Hiccup's betrayed face was etched into his brain. He still remembered his screams, begging Jack to come back to him, shouting that he loved him. The words flew in his head, filling him with yearning and regret until he felt he would burst. He had stayed away from Berk for so long, afraid that if he ever thought about it he would fly straight over just to hold Hiccup in his arms. But he made the right decision, and kept Hiccup safe. Maybe his life would be better without Jack. The mere thought stung, and his expression soured. He knew it was childish, but he almost wanted Hiccup to be feeling the same pain he'd felt every day since he left. He really hoped Hiccup still knew he loved him, and still loved Jack in return. If he didn't, it would make Jack's visit to Berk a lot worse. He never planned to come back, but he couldn't stand the crippling loneliness anymore. His whole body ached for Hiccup, desperate to feel his warm skin and feel his breath against his neck as he lay cradled in his arms. Without him, there didn't even seen to be a point to anything anymore. Why smile if it wasn't directed at Hiccup? Why laugh if it wasn't shared with him? Why show off if he wasn't there to applaud him? Why exist if there was no Hiccup in his life? He told himself he wouldn't disturb Hiccup, just view him. Just see him one last time to make sure he was okay, and then he would leave. All he needed was one glimpse to make sure he had done the right thing. Just one visit.

. - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . - . -

Hiccup kissed Astrid on the cheek before leaving for the door, calling out a cheery, "See you later, sweetheart."

Astrid laughed and punched him on the shoulder lightly, a wicked smile on her lips. "I told you not to call me that. I'm a Queen, at least to you."

Bowing, Hiccup brushed his lips against her knuckles and grinned. "Of course, your Highness. I'll be back soon."

With that, he set off for the forest, Toothless by his side. He petted the dragon's scaly head, letting out a low whistle. "Marriage, Toothless. It's inevitable. Can't believe it's my wedding tomorrow."

The dragon grumbled in agreement and Hiccup smiled, nudging him playfully. Astrid had asked him to get more wood for the fire since their winter stock had ran low in the cold nights recently and he'd been only too happy to comply. He loved her, but she was becoming insufferable with demands and worries now that the wedding was so close, so he took any opportunity to flee the house. She constantly asked him to make sure everything was perfect, as Stoick had arranged to have the four neighbouring clans chief's come to the wedding in a sign of unity. Astrid was extremely excited to meet them and start up a training program so they could ride and train their dragons, too. She was always very proud of Hiccup for that, he noticed. It was nice. His feet crunched through the leaves, intending on taking his usual path by the lake, but for some reason he found himself walking in a different patch of the woods, a part he hadn't been to in six long years. It was the clearing where he has last seen Jack, and his pace slowed when he reached it. It looked the same as always, but the feeling of dread and pain filled him again at the sight of it. He walked towards the middle, stopping where he had been stabbed by his own father. He remembered the pain intently, the metal slicing through him like he was made of butter. But the physical pain was still nothing compared to the pain of seeing Jack walk into that forest, never to return. Anger and bitterness stirred inside Hiccup, and he took a deep breath, forcing it down. It had been six years, he needed to get over it. Jack never loved him, period. But he had a beautiful woman who did. Even if she didn't truly understand him, and they fought, she did love him. And he supposed that he'd grown to love her, too. He didn't need anyone else. As he sat there, snow began to fall and he cursed, catching some in his hand. "Ugh."

A silky voice spoke timidly from behind him. "Still not a fan of my work?"

Hiccup froze, his whole body unable to move. He knew that voice, he could never forget that voice, but it couldn't be happening. It wasn't real. He resisted the overwhelming urge to turn around and faced forward, concentrating on his breathing. It wouldn't be him. It couldn't be him.

The voice came again, this time sounding closer. "Hello, Hiccup. Long time no see."

Hiccup rose, his hands shaking in anger so hard that he balled them into fists. His joints felt as if they were rusty metal, protesting when he tried to force them to move. Slowly, he turned around, attempting to brace himself from what he was about to see. But nothing could have prepared him. Jack stood before him, the same as ever. Hiccup was as tall as him now, having shot up in the past years. Jack's skin was still that same untouched porcelain, his eyes the most vibrant and vivid blue that Hiccup had ever seen. His long white hair blew in the breeze, and his eyes settled on that lop sided grin, the beauty of it causing his heart to miss a beat. He was still the most ethereal, beautiful thing ever created, and Hiccup hated him. He fought to keep his voice calm. "Six years to be exact."

Jack's dark eyebrows shot up and he nodded, his mouth forming a small 'o'. "Six years? It felt like six hundred without you."

Hiccup ignored him. "What do you want?"

Jack's brows knitted together at Hiccup's tone. This was not the sweet lovable boy he had left; this was a strong angry man. "I just wanted to check up on you." He said softly. " You've certainly...filled out." It was true. Where once Hiccup had been a young boy with spindly arms ans twig legs, he was now broad and muscled, the outline of his biceps poking through his shirt. He was taller now, the same height as Jack, and his auburn hair was longer and thicker, with small pleats tied in it. His jaw had thickened, a faint sheet of stubble forming, and his cheekbones became more pronounced. He wore on him leather and scales, with buckles and cord tied round his legs and waist, and Jack couldn't stop staring. He was hot.

"Really?" Hiccup seethed, taking a step closer to Jack. "You just wanted to 'check up on me'? Why is that again? Oh yeah, I remember. It's because you left me, distraught and brokenhearted, all for some stupid 'fun' that you wanted to have with me. While I am so glad I got to play your fool, Jack. Get away from me."

The words hit Jack like a blow, and he faltered, failing to find the words. "Hiccup, no, please, you have to listen to me. It was never a trick, I loved you! I still do, please. I had to leave, I had to keep you safe."

Scoffing, Hiccup ran a hand through his hair, glaring at Jack. "No, no you don't love me. And you never did. Because if you loved me, you would have come back sooner. You wouldn't have left me, Jack. I waited for you, everyday for a full year. I didn't sleep, I didn't eat, all because I didn't want to miss it in case you came back for me. You left no sign for me. No hope. Wen you left, you broke my heart."

Jack felt a tear sliding down his face and he stepped forward, his arms outstretched, but Hiccup batted them away fiercely. He cried, "I did love you, Hiccup. I always have and I'm always going to, please just believe me. I'm so sorry, I never meant to do this to you, I thought I was keeping you safe from Stoick and Astrid. I thought that, that if I could just keep you safe..."

The next thing Jack felt was a punch slammed into his jaw, and he fell sideways, shock coursing through him. Hiccup had never hit him before in his life, but now he stood, bitterness and anger in his eyes, looking at Jack. "Shut up. Just shut up. You could've told me your plan, you could've come back and told me that it was fake, or that you would be back, or even that you wouldn't. Because it wasn't the waiting that hurt, Jack. If you told me you'd be back in two years I would've waited those years without complaint, because that's what you do when you're in love. It wasn't the waiting that hurt. It was the not knowing. I had no idea where you were, how you felt, if this was real or fake or if you even loved me or what I had done wrong that had driven you away. I was so alone and so confused, and you ripped out my heart, and you broke it."

Jack lay there, sobs huffing his chest. Hiccup was right, he hadn't done anything right and now he'd driven away the only good thing that had ever happened to him in all of his life. He choked on his words, desperate to make this right, to find a way. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, you're right. I messed it up, I didn't tell you anything and I should've. I thought that once I was out the picture, you'd forget about me, and you'd be able to move on. I thought that I would never be able to be with you again, and when you're immortal, and the one thing that makes your life worth living is taken away, it's just easier to hide, and pretend it didn't happen. I was selfish, Hiccup. I'm so sorry, I deserve all of this."

Hiccup's lip quivered and a tear rolled down his own cheek. He sank to his knees next to Jack, ignoring the throbbing pain in his hand from where he'd slammed it against his marble jaw. It hurt to see him lying there, crying. He was so beautiful, too beautiful to cry, Hiccup decided. His heart still missed a beat whenever those blue eyes caught his, and Hiccup wrestled between his emotions, desperately trying to figure out what he should be feeling. "How could I ever move on? My life was just a sky of stars before you. But then you came in, you were the brightest, biggest comet, and you lit my sky up in every colour possible. But then you left, and you took all the stars with you, and I lived in darkness, Jack. I was alone for so long. It was Astrid who put me back together, after a very long, tiresome three years. You were gone, and she became the only star in my sky."

"What are you saying?" Jack asked lifting his head to look at Hiccup. He raised a finger and, very tentatively, brushed away one of Hiccup's tears. He had forgotten what the wash flush of Hiccup's skin against his own had felt like, and it sent shivers down his spine. "Don't you love me anymore?"

Hiccup closed his eyes, his fingers grabbing at fistfulls of snow. He didn't know what to say, what to think, and his head was aching. he looked up, crying harder. "I'm saying that you're too late. I'm marrying Astrid tomorrow."

Jack sat in silence, unable to comprehend what he'd just hard. Hiccup and Astrid. Getting married. He thought about it, confused as to what he was feeling. Didn't he want Hiccup to be with her? Isn't this why he left, so Hiccup could have a normal relationship? If Hiccup was happy, then why did it hurt so much? Jack knew he should be happy for him, but all he could give Hiccup was a long, pained look, shaking his head slightly. "Don't say it's too late. Please."

"The wedding is tomorrow, Jack. I'm sorry, but you broke me and she picked up the pieces. She loves me."

"I love you." Jack cried, grasping at Hiccup's hands. "Can't you see? I did this because I love you. I was an idiot because I love you. I left because I love you. When that sword hit you Hiccup, I felt like my world stopped. I couldn't breathe, the earth stopped moving, and all I could think was 'no.' I never wanted you to be hurt like that again, my elska. Leaving you was the only way to keep you safe from harm, Hiccup. I did this because I love you, more than you could possibly ever understand."

A shiver went through Hiccup's spine as he was hit with another wave of nostalgia at his long forgotten nickname. He stared at those beautiful intense eyes, long black lashes stuck together with tears, and sighed. He felt his anger melt away and hesitantly, he placed his forehead against Jack's. "I understand. A part of me knew that you couldn't have faked us. We were too real, too alive, too in love for it to be a joke. But that was the tiniest bit of hope in a sea of pain and doubt. And sometimes hope is like using string to pull in a drowning man from sea; it's just not strong enough to hold onto."

Jack lifted his head up from Hiccup's, placing his palm on his chest instead. He looked at him intently, his eyes begging. "But you have held onto it, Hiccup. I know you have. You've kept it buried in your heart for so long, but it's there. Because I know you still love me, Hiccup."

Hiccup sighed wearily. "I love...Astrid, Jack. We belong in the past, things have changed now. Astrid is my future."

"I love you." Jack said simply. "And unless you can look me in the eyes right now and tell me you don't love me, and that you never want to see me again, you know that you love me, too."

Hiccup looked at him, really looked at him. He looked at the curve of his cheekbones when he spoke, the sharpness of his jaw, the way his thick lashes brushed against his cheeks when he blinked. He looked at how his long tapering fingers fit perfect against his own, and how his pale lips were soft, with the slightest hints of pink, like a fresh rosebud. He noticed how his skin had no imperfection, and how his long white hair blew in a breeze only he felt. But he looked beyond that. And he saw a boy, who loved him so deeply and unconditionally that he would sabotage their relationship to keep him safe, and force him to move on out of a pursuit for Hiccup's happiness. He saw someone kind, and brave, and loving and powerful, but who had no defenses up right now. Hiccup could swear that he could see into Jack's soul, and it was pure, and gentle and soft. He saw amusement, and loyalty, and there was not one sign of maliciousness. Hiccup closed his eyes. He knew now for sure that Jack had not made Hiccup a fool. As angry as he was for being left for so long, his sky was filled with the comet again, and he couldn't let it leave. Jack had his heart, and always would have it. He didn't know much, but he know that he was impossibly in love with Jack Frost. The words came out in a whisper. "I love you."

The next thing he felt was Jack's lips pressed against his, kissing him with an intensity that he'd never expected. He gasped, shock flowing through him, and kissed back, trying in a vain attempt to pour all him emotions of the past years into it. Their lips moved together in a motion so perfect, like a dance only they knew, as if they had complete symbiosis. Hiccup's hands tangled in Jack's hair and he drank him in, the taste of the other boy filling his mouth. He tasted fresh and cool, like a mountain river, untouched by anything else. It was as if Hiccup was in a desert and Jack was the only drop of water; he couldn't get enough. Hiccup's stubble scratched Jack's face slightly and he smiled into the kiss- he had started pursuing this kiss when Hiccup could barely grow a chin hair, and he was finally getting it when he was on his way to growing a beard. Jack placed his hands on either side of Hiccup's face and drew back, breathing heavily. "I have waited seven years for that kiss."

Hiccup laughed and kissed him again, this time softly. "Was it everything you expected?"

"No." Jack said, giving a grin when Hiccup's face fell. "It was much, much better."

Hiccup laughed, but then his smile faded. "Jack, what am I going to do? I'm supposed to get married tomorrow."

Jack sighed, his fingers twirling Hiccup's hair. "You have to choose, my elska. If you pick Astrid, you can't be with me, because you know how she feels. And you'd have to tell her it was no trick, or they'll hunt me down, and possibly you too. So you would have to keep me a secret, and if we were ever to meet again, it would be sparingly. If you pick me, then we'll leave your wedding, and I'll take you away somewhere safe, where we can live together. You wont be able to see your family anymore, but you can bring Toothless."

Hiccup bent his head and groaned, leaning into Jack. He felt such betrayal to Astrid, the woman who had sat by his side patiently over the past six years and helped him. Who'd made him eat when he didn't want to, who encouraged him to go outside and fly again and join in on the games and get back to being the 'Hiccup' he used to be. She was so excited for the wedding, so excited to potentially form better alliances with the other clans and be married to the Chief's son, who would one day be the Chief. She loved him, but it was not enough. Hiccup sighed. "I said it before, so I guess I'll say it again. It's always you, no choice."

Jack smiled sadly, aware of everything Hiccup was giving up. He planted a small kiss on his cheek. resting their heads together. "Well, you better leave now. You have a wedding to stop."

Author note: Hey guys, I just want to remind you all to review this please with honest opinions as criticisms are appreciated and compliments of course keep me going! Let me know what you think so far, I appreciate all feedback.