12 Days Of Shipmas (A Multi Fandom Compilation)

Eleven Pipers Piping (Hijack from Rise Of The Brave Tangled Dragons)

   Hiccup darted behind the tree, a giggling Rapunzel by his side as they dodged the hail of snowballs pelting against the foliage. "You'll have to do better than that, Berk!" Jack crowed down to them triumphantly from his vantage point riding the wind above their heads.

Hiccup smirked at his partner and she gave him the thumbs up. "We're not defeated yet!" he called out as they bolted back into the clearing, hastily scooping up snow as they went. Jack was already zooming down to greet them, hopping back on the ground and ducking as they hurled one snowball after the other. "How'd you like that, huh!" Hiccup gloated, but it was short lived as a mass of red hair came barrelling down upon him.

"Not so fast, laddie!" Merida laughed, shoving clumps of snow down his shirt and making him squeal. Rapunzel tried coming to his rescue, but Jack was too quick for them, using his magic staff to sweep up a whole swathe of snow, dousing them all. "I'm supposed to be on your side!" Merida protested, shaking the snow from her hair back towards the other boy.

Jack just grinned though. "In a snowball war, there are no sides," he informed them, nipping back and forth between the volleys flying through the air from the girls.

"Oh, really?" Hiccup said, a look of devilment in his eye as he scanned the clear blue sky. "Well, in that case-"

He whistled and the sound of bounding feet met their ears as Toothless came charging over from the tree line where he'd been resting. "No fair!" cried Rapunzel, jumping out of the way as Hiccup's loyal dragon companion used his impressive wings to fan another bank of snow over his opponents.

"That's cheating!" Jack accused, though he didn't really mean it as he advanced on Hiccup, the two boys smashing handfuls of snow against each other, breathless with laughter.

"Says the snow-god who can control the weather," Hiccup teased, rather pleased with himself for holding his own against Jack – he'd been the one to actually bring them the snow after all.

But then Jack growled, a glint in his eye that made Hiccup pause for just a second, something funny fluttering in his belly. It was all Jack needed to lunge for him, knocking them both into the snow.

"Ah!" Hiccup yelped as they rolled over and over. "Cold! It's cold!"

Jack grabbed his shoulders and pinned him down, straddling his hips and leaning above him. "That's generally how snow works," he grinned, his breath misty between them.

There wasn't a lot of room between them though, Hiccup realised, and he blinked up at his friend, that strange sensation curling in his stomach again. Why wasn't he shoving him off, getting some snow down that blue hoodie he always wore? Why were they just looking at each other?

His eyes were the same colour as his sweater, Hiccup realised. Icy blue, and they crinkled as a soft smile pulled at Jack's mouth.

"I-" Hiccup murmured.

And then they were pummelled with snowballs from a certain Scottish princess and her long-haired accomplice. "Get them, get them!" Rapunzel cried, Pascal the chameleon raising his little green fist encouragingly from the safety of her pocket.

The moment broken, the boys rolled apart and joined forces against the girls, but Toothless made sure that everyone (including Hiccup, the traitor) got a regular flick of snow to keep them on their toes.

The battle raged on as the light dimmed in the sky. Hiccup found he couldn't help but keep glancing at Jack, the way he laughed, the way he hopped about like he was dancing on snowflakes.