shoulder the sky

"Well hello there Chief-son. What are you doing awake?" Jack questions, dodging the obviously more pressing question.

Hiccup ignores him to ask it, "If you thought I was asleep, were you going to watch me sleep?"

Jack tuts at him. "You oughta know answering a question with a question isn't how you solve your problems, Hic. Now tell old Frost why you're awake."

"And if I don't want to?"

"I didn't ask if you wanted to."

Hiccup wishes he was actually annoyed enough to groan. Unfortunately, he's quite fond of his snowy friend. Jack only visits Berk sporadically to bring a light snowfall. His time with Hiccup in the comfort of Hiccup's home is limited. The easy joy Hiccup attributes to just Jack existing overpowers the annoyance of his bratty nature. Though, that's usually the case. Without much consideration, Hiccup relents. He wants to complain anyway. He waves Jack away, only mourning their separation for a moment. Jack settles on the floor besides his bed, crossed arms on the bed. He rests his chin atop them, allowing Hiccup to stay laying down.

"My back hurts."

"Who's the real old man, now?"

Hiccup glances over, eyes narrow. "I seem to remember you have, I don't know, about 3 centuries over me?"

"I don't see your point."

Hiccup rolls his eyes and continues, "It's been getting worse when I take Toothless flying. Not sure why. I can't get the ache to go away." He shifts into his side, as if to prove his case, wincing.

Jack looks unimpressed. "You can't be serious."

Hiccup gives him a flat look. When Jack just stares back, eyebrow raised in defiance, Hiccup finally groans like he was meant to. The smile Jack barely hides only confirms this was part of his plan all along.

"Jack-"

"You spend all day curled up like an overcooked shrimp-"

"Hey!"

"-pushing against the Wind," Jack continues, "which is already hard enough. AND you're turning with Toothless the whole way tensed up half the time doing spins this past week. You're really wondering why your back hurts?"

Hiccup frowns, hiding indignantly. "I've been doing this for years! Besides, flying has been really easy lately. Toothless must be getting stronger because it hardly feels like there's any drag lately. Although," Hiccup trails off, eyebrows pinching. He gets that far away look when he's thinking through something. "...Now that I think about it... That doesn't make sense."

The room suddenly feels slightly colder. Hiccup focuses back on Jack as the winter spirit laughs oddly, leaning off the bed. He starts picking frost off of where he was settled. It's dark in the room besides some moonlight falling in through the door to the landing Jack clearly entered from. Still, Hiccup could almost swear Jack looks... Blue in the face?

"Oh, so Toothless's strength suddenly makes you immune to the force of the Wind?"

"Well..."

"Be careful how you answer. The Wind might not like your stance," Jack teases.

Hiccup knows this could be a joke, but the Wind is Jack's actual friend so... He might need to tread lightly. He chews on the pros and cons for a moment as Jack's grin gets wider. A draft of Wind pushes Hiccup's bangs up, forehead out in all it's glory. Hiccup quickly pats it back down, shooting Jack a glare and huffing.

"You're not responding. So I'm going to assume I win this argument." Jack hums impishly. Hiccup heaves a sigh that could rival his father. Jack snickers but says no more on the subject of the Wind. "So that's it? Why don't you ask Gothi-"

"It's the dead of night."

"That it is."

Jack taps his staff in his lap, slowly raising until he's floating in the air upside down again. As he muses, a light sprinkle of flurries rain down in Hiccup's room following his aerial treading. He mutters to himself, voice soft and whispering along the Wind. Hiccup can't understand a word he says. No matter. Jack's muttering is familiar. Comforting. Hiccup curls up under the blanket and leaves Jack to his thoughts. It doesn't take long for Hiccup to go back to his frustration. Gods, his back really does hurt.

A while later, Jack snaps his fingers and races out the window. Hiccup stares at the open sky and waits. He's very good at waiting for Jack. Does it more often than he cares to admit. The atmosphere just feels... Emptier when Jack is gone. It takes a longer while for Jack to come back. Hiccup is face down on the bed seething in his discomfort by then.

"You're already in position. Perfect."

Hiccup gasps turning over quickly at the sound of Jack above him. He's holding his staff out to the side, a bag of something quite heavy-looking hanging from the crook. It's steaming.

"uh..."

"Turn back over before they cool down!"

"but-"

"Hiccup, please. I'm trying to help."

Hiccup once again considers that befriending the winter spirit is possibly the oddest thing he's ever done. But Jack has been the second best thing in his life after Toothless even when he's impulsive or won't elaborate on things. Hiccup diligently lays back on his stomach.

He hears what he can only assume is struggling and the shifting of clothe. A weight is deposited with little grace onto his back and Hiccup yelps. It's VERY warm. Wrong. It's hot.

His voice cracks as he warns, "Jack-!"

"Wait a second! I know! It's just stones! The blanket is under them. You won't burn. Just try to relax."

Hiccup isn't sure how that's supposed to relax him but he obeys. The stones(?) are shifted around until they're layered evenly across his back. A few seconds later, Hiccup sighs in relief. The heat of the stones and the weight of them are divine. He sinks further into the bedding.

"What," Hiccup purrs, "is this?"

Jack laughs softly coming down to rest back at his spot on the side of the bed. "Hot stones from the forge. I cooled them down a bit. It's a method I've seen used by other tribes. Supposedly it helps you relax."

Hiccup moans lowly in response. The room drops a couple of degrees again and it only makes him groan in delight. It keeps getting colder.

"Can you close the window," Hiccup asks with his face smooshed in the pillow. "I think the Wind is running around in here."

A gust of Wind blows around his hair to prove his point.

"Sorry, Im just enjoying the heat," he mumbles apologetically.

The Wind blows harder at his head as if annoyed. He hears Jack make a strange noise but hears him listen. The landing door closes with a dull thud. The temperature rises just a bit. Jack returns to his spot. They slowly fall into soft conversation. Where has Jack been the last few weeks? How are the kids doing in dragon training? Has Leif's Nadder given birth yet? What kind of snowball fights had Jack started recently?

As they chat, Jack moves the stones around and nudges them with his staff to check if Hiccup's skin isn't burning. Soon though, the heat begins to get to Hiccup.

" 's hot." He mumbles.

Jack blows on his body, a breeze too cold for Hiccup making him shudder. Jack blows on his face which earns him an indignant squawk. He then goes to remove the stones. Hiccup does not like that option either.

"I can only do so much, Hiccup. I'm a part of Winter remember?"

"Ok, then be winter. Just don't freeze me," Hiccup whines grumbles.

The room is still for a moment. Then Hiccup feels the temperature by his head slowly decend until he feels chilly fingers lay across his forehead. He sighs again leaning into Jack's hand.

"... Better?" Jack's voice is off. Maybe a bit high?

Hiccup leans away worriedly. "Is this uncomfortable? You don't have to-"

The hand rests fully on his forehead again.

"You talk too much," Jack says and that's that.