Two days later, Hiccup felt it had been weeks as so many things had happened. He had been rushing here and there, keeping an eye of the building of the village – the vikings seemed really found of this idea to make the New Berk there – he had solved many arguments as several vikings were fighting over a specific spot, he had also been plagued with so many questions about Kosmozis and Joke's pregnancy.
The Hairy Hooligans were quite the gossiping, once something happened in the village everyone knew about it within the day, or the following day if the secret was lucky.
Joke was feeling better. Now that Goathi and him knew what had caused the symptoms, they knew how to handle it, especially with Elska's help. But once he got out of the former-healer's tent, he had been swarmed by curious vikings, asking details about his condition. Luckily, Astrid and Gobber had come to the rescue, becoming bodyguards for him.
Their friends also came to see him. Fishlegs was as excited as if Meatlug had laid another egg. The twins made fun of him, Tuffnut talking about a strange spirited-guide story that was not going to be any of use, Ruffnut telling him he was going to ail. Snotlout, for his part, didn't believe it and didn't try to hide he found this pretty weird, but he ate humble pie when Astrid's fists threaten him.
After that, the fierce young woman walked her brother to visit the Furies, which allowed him to realise Lumiverse had known for a while about his condition. Now, he understood why she had gotten this mania to sniff or nudge his belly and purr without evident reason. Dragons were really smart.
Just like Hiccup, he noticed the eggs were nearing their term, and beamed about it. He couldn't wait to see the new Night Lights and began to think about their names. He shared his ideas to Astrid, who made some propositions too. They had a lot of ideas, some of them simple, others more like the viking tradition. Night, Death Night, Bad Omen, Dark Omen, Augury, Darklight, Midlight, Dawn, Twilight, Twinight... They had plenty ideas.
As Joke was adding more names to the list, his voice seeming to lull the Night Lights to sleep, Astrid let her thoughts wander and looked at her brother's belly. His tunic may be tight and him on his fourth month of pregnancy, it was not visible. His belly was only slightly plump, like it would be for someone starting to get weight.
''And him ? Any ideas ?'' She asked.
Joke hesitated and looked at her, not sure about which dragon she was talking about. He then saw where she was looking at, and did the same before putting a hand on his belly.
''I didn't think about it yet... I still can't get used to it.''
''I understand.'' She smiled, softly patting his back. ''It's a surprise for everyone. At least, it means Hiccup and you don't need plan B anymore.''
''Plan B ?''
Astrid laughed at his puzzled face, but with everything Hiccup had to deal with, she suspected he didn't had found the time to talk about it to Joke yet.
''Hiccup wanted my children to inherit the throne.''
Joke smiled.
''He couldn't have made a better choice.''
''But he doesn't need to, in the end.'' She laughed. ''It just would have been better we had noticed this sooner, that heirs story shook him pretty hard.''
''Yeah, don't tell me. Gobber almost drove him crazy with this.''
Both laughed about it, teasing about the black-smith lack of tact. They stayed with the Furies until night fell on Berk.
When Hiccup finally got back to his tent, he was exhausted. His day had been particularly long and busy, he had almost missed lunch, had nearly failed to visit the Furies in the early afternoon, and as he was calling it a day, he had been called out in the last minute to handle a fire lighted by a Monstruous Nightmare, burning down to ashes two in-building houses.
Hiccup was completely exhausted, yet he forgot everything about his rough day as he looked at his bed, seeing someone laying on it. It didn't take long for him to recognize Joke, and that made him smile.
During the day, he had heard he was feeling better and had left Goathi's tent, but he didn't have the time to check it out. He felt as if it had been forever since he last saw his husband, last time had been when the news of the pregnancy had fall. He had missed the white-haired young man.
He undressed from his leather equipment and took off his boot, getting closer as silently as he could since he didn't want to wake him up. He waited for the last minute to remove his peg leg and slowly slipped under the furs to lay next to him.
Joke was sleeping peacefully, laid on his back and his head slightly tilted towards the entrance, towards him. Hiccup contemplated him. With his closed eyes and slow and soft breathing coming out of his parted lips, he seemed perfectly fine. The young chief had forgotten everything about his tiredness as he was watching such beauty. He couldn't tell how long he admired him like this, he could only say that, after a while, his gaze went downward.
Joke had pulled the fur up to his chest and had his arms over it, his hands resting around his belly like a protective cocoon. The young chief gazed at the tiny mass, feeling his heart racing without his control, and took the risk to move. He sat up, placed himself lower, next to his husband tights, waryly removed his arms and pulled down the fur. Then he gently placed his ear against the belly.
He didn't know if he could hear or feel something, he still tried. He hold his breath but the only thing he felt was Joke jolting. He looked at him and met his blue eyes full of surprise.
''Hi... Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up.''
''S'no probs.'' Joke rejoined with hesitation.
Hiccup could feel his husband was uneasy. He didn't had realised at first, but Astrid made him do so by punching him : the way he had left after hearing the news had been confusing, and deeply worried Joke. Hiccup felt bad for this and knew he had to apologize, if not make it up to his lover.
''I'm so sorry, babe, I should have never left like this, the other day. I just-''
''You were worried about Kosmozis. I know, Astrid told me.''
''I'm such a looser, I should have stayed with you, reassure you, instead of running away like a coward... I care so much for you, Joke, and this baby... it's a miracle, I wouldn't bare it if something happened to you-''
''Hey...''
Joke put his hand on the viking's cheek, gently tilting his face up.
''That's not going to happen, and we'll find a way to get rid of that guy.''
Hiccup would have like to be sure of it, but they had no guarantee. He still forced a smile and sighed. Then he noticed his hand was resting on Joke's belly, stroking it lovingly.
This unconscious gesture surprised him, then draw a real smile on his face.
''Do you feel him ?'' He enquired.
''Not really, no.'' Joke shrugged. ''Mom says he would begin to move by next month.''
Hiccup didn't reply but smiled even more, letting his second hand stroking the blue tunic too. He remained like this for a moment, before leaning in to kiss the belly.
When he looked back up at his husband, he found on his face an expression he had never seen before. A mixture of joy, serenity and tenderness. Such a face made the viking's heart race faster, and filled him with the hurge to kiss him. He did so without hesitation, with delicacy and passion at the same time.
Joke smiled against his lips and kissed back, before letting him lay against him. Hiccup wrapped his arms around him, squeezing him with love but also cautiouness towards his belly, as if it was a fragile baby bird.
''Good night, my little family.'' Hiccup said, kissing him just behind the ear.
Joke chuckled and replied in a faint half-asleep whisper.
''Good night, love.''
* * *
The following days appeared almost like bliss for Hiccup as they were calmer. He had asked his friends and Gobber for some help so they would share his chieftain chores, which unabled him to free some time to think about Kosmozis' case, and also keeping company to Joke.
The young man had took back his job as healer, treating vikings and also helping Elska taking care of the dragons. He wanted to keep working while he could, and it gave him an excuse to keep the Furies next to him, he wanted to be there when the eggs would hatch. And he was there to see it, just like Hiccup.
The couple watched as their dragon friends were bustling about around the crackling eggs. The incubator as been designed to resist to and contain the exploding hatch, releasing the baby dragon afterward. The black one was the first to open, unveiling a small female Night Light that surprised them. She looked a lot like Toothless and Duskstorm. Unlike her other siblings, her tail fins were round liker her mother's. She had the exact same green eyes as her father.
The upper part of her belly, the end of her tail and whole tail fins, the bottom of her paws and the tip of her biggest ears where white, and her back, wings and head were covered dark grey stripes.
When she finished to break her egg and get out of it, she shook her back with energy before falling. Lumiverse gently nuzzled her and licked her tiny head, which made the small beast squeal. Well, small... New born Furies were still as big as adult Terrible Terror, which was quite big for a baby.
Toothless beamed and pounced while the three older Night Lights remained behind him, cautiously eyeing their new sister. She yawned and licked her lips before seeing them, then tilted her head on the side. She was starting to lean too much on the side and was about to fall but got startled as the second egg started to crack. It hatched faster and let out a very agitated male who seemed impatient to discover the world.
He was a light grey, almost white, his eyes were the same light mauve as Lumiverse. His lower belly, up to the tip of his tail, was a dark grey, just like his paws to the ankle and the several stripes covering him everywhere. Just like his newborn sister, his tail fins were round, though he also was the only Night Light who didn't have horns on the head. The stripes were covering his head, back and wings, but also paws, ears and tail fins.
Hiccup and Joke remained sat next to each other, looking at the family getting larger, watching as the two new born were meeting their parents and siblings. Hiccup smiled even feeling his husband resting his head on his shoulder, he gladly wrapped his arm around him to keep him close.
''So, how are we gonna name these guys ?'' The chief asked.
''Astrid and I agreed on Daylight for the guy.''
''Seems like a good idea, how about her ?''
Joke rose his head while looking at the black Night Light. She was facing Duskstorm, who was crouched on his front legs in a playful demeanor, shaking his tail back and forth. The new born dragon girl looked intently at the tail, then rose on her back legs in try to catch it, not to avail. Actually, she just needed to take one or two steps forward to catch it, but she was too young to understand that.
The white-haired young man thought about it for a moment. He liked the name Death-Night, but it seemed too violent for her, she was too beautiful and seemed too shy to be deadly, even if they knew any Fury was deadly. Plus, he found this name because her egg was completely black, while she had all these stars on her skin. Looking at them, he was comparing them more and more to the canopy of heaven, and that gave him an idea.
''Nightsky.''
Hiccup smiled at it. Between Nightsky, Lumiverse, Midnight and Daylight, Joke really knew how to find poetic names that really suited the dragons.
''Yes, that sounds like her. You really know how to name a dragon.'' He agreed before kissing his forehead.
Joke snickered and stroked the side of Lumiverse, who looked at him before cooing.
''Good job, princess.''
Toothless grumbled and hit his head on his shoulder, asking congratulations and affection too as he had helped make the babies ! Joke laughed to this reaction and scratched him under the chin, the dragon's favorite spot, which made him purr and shake his back leg while hanging his tongue.
''Yeah, good job to you too, big bay boo.'' Joke teased.
The Night Lights let out tiny teasing sounds, then Daylight suddenly opened his wings and took off before crashing right into Hiccup's lap. All got startled by this, this little guy surely couldn't wait to grow up. Hiccup gently put him back on his paws before Duskstorm landed on his head, quickly followed by Moonshine who did the same on his shoulders. Since the viking was loosing his balance, he quickly gave the younger speckled Night Light to his husband, who barely had the time to take him before seeing his viking drop to the floor, overflown by the hatchlings games.
He guffawed at that, just like Hiccup and the adults Furies. The three elder Night Lights surely were little rascals, and seemingly Daylight was going to be a troublemaker too. They could only hope for Nightsky to be calmer. If she was, maybe she could become the reason of the group.
* * *
Three weeks had elapsed and the trappers were still far from them, Elska, Astrid and Reekfrid were making sure of it, the riders giving falses hints to lead the fleet to the south. Life on New Berk was quiet and peaceful, the camp slowly turning into a cosy village. The first houses had been finished and were starting to be inhabited.
Elska and Gobber had insisted for Hiccup and Joke to take the first one, so the pregnant young man could enjoy as cosiness as his condition needed. Joke was starting to get pissed being treated as a convalescent. He was pregnant, not sick ! Of course, he was not against small attention, but only small attention. Mostly his mother and sister wanted to help him with any daily chore, as if he was unable to lift a basket on his own.
The first day he felt the baby move, Hiccup started a new morning routine, pressing his ear on his husband belly to hear and feel the slightest move of their child, whispering sweet words to him so he could get used to his voice, repeating over and over again how much he was loved. Joke, though he was happy to see him like this, never ceased to tease him about this.
The Night Lights were making life tough for their parents but were contained in the in-building shed, especially the two youngest. Joke was paying them visits, taking care of them, seeing them play together and bound. The more days spent, the more he noticed Nightsky was the only one to obey their father, which seemed to earn her a peculiar affection from Toothless. Daylight was enjoying constantly climbing on the back of his older siblings and try to fly.
He also noticed Toothless and Lumiverse were geting tired. No wonder, keeping an eye on three troublemakers was already quite a job, but having two more babies, it was just crazy. The two seemed needing to get some rest, change their mind, and it gave Joke an idea.
It took him a bit of time to find Hiccup, who first worried something was wrong with the baby, but he reassured him and shared his idea with him. As he had suspected, his husband was reluctant at first, still he managed to reassure him and convinced him that Astrid, Elska and Fishlegs had volounteer to babysit the Night Lights.
It had been forever since Lumiverse, Toothless and them had gone flying together, and the four of them needed it. The dragons needed it to escape from their merciless offspring, Hiccup to free himself from his chieftain duties, and Joke to ran away from his gaga sister and mother.
The last arguments convinced Hiccup, so the couple ran away with their dragons. At first, Hiccup worried about the trappers who could be near the island, but said fleet was still far and heading to the south according to the last report from the riders. Then, he wondered if Joke could really ride Lumiverse in his condition, but this thought fade away too.
Indeed, Joke was only in his fifth month, it was too soon for the pregnancy to stop him from doing any activities he wanted, and Lumiverse was very wary of him, more than usual. She herself was a mother, so she knew how to watch over him.
Joke seemed wanting to fly freely and carelessly, but Hiccup couldn't manage to get too far from the island, he didn't want to risk any rough encounter or catch attention towards New Berk. So they compromised into just flying above the island, which was huge enough to need days for exploring it. The sun was gently shining through some clouds, the wind was chilly, chiller than on former-Berk, but it didn't stop the Furies.
Between cruising flight and some figures, the four companions forgot about all their troubles. There was only them in the sky, no one to reach them or bother them, it was perfect for relaxing. At least, until Toothless and Lumiverse suddenly stopped without a warning. Ears popped up on their heads, big eyes staring in the same direction, they hovered in place.
Hiccup and Joke gave quizzical look to one another, then stared the same way their friends were, until they spotted something. They saw a dark silhouette flying above the forest. None of the two young men believed their eyes : there was no doubt, it was a Night Fury !
''We have to get a closer look !'' Joke said, patting his dragon's side.
Lumiverse shook her head and went ahead, quickly followed by Toothless. Both riders didn't know what to expect from this encounter, they were just curious.
For a long time they had thought Toothless was the last of the Night Furies, there were several rumors telling these dragons were gone for good. Then, when Joke had found Lumiverse, they had hoped there was other Furies, but they had never met one... until this day.
They got closer to the black dragon, who stopped and turned to face them. He was exactly like Toothless, unless for his eyes which were more yellow. Unlike Toothless and Lumiverse, he didn't seem surprise to see congeners, but when he saw the vikings on their back, he groaled and fled away.
Hiccup and Joke felt dissapointed, yet they didn't have the time to concert – taking the risk to follow him or not – that their dragons took the decision and charged without their support, chasing after their runaway kin.