#and that hiccup can just tell exactly how toothless wants to fly based on how his wings are positioned

[vala-dreams]

So I have a fever and I decided to rewatch httyd 1 for the thousanth time

Now I'm pretty sure a lot of people have already pointed this out, but have y'all noticed that hiccup doesn't really have much control over where they're going when it comes to flying with toothless?

Like during that scene when they take astrid flying for the first time and toothless terrorizes her with all the aerial stunts? And when they first end up in the red death's nest? If Hiccup had any significant control over their flight I feel like he would have at least put a stop to the former scene.

So it seems like all he can do is aid toothless in flight—predict how he's gonna fly, what tailfin positions they're gonna use and trajectory and speed and so many other things. Especially when they're pulling those crazy stunts.

Which really makes you appreciate his bond with toothless and how in sync they are

And no there is no point to this post I just wanted to let y'all know that I'm still alive and also appreciate the world's greatest movie

[howtowhumpyourhiccup]

Whumptober Day 31: Something Within Him

HAPPY WHUMPTOBER EVERYONE!

Summary: Written for the final day of Whumptober, Day 31. Set during RttE. Viggo has always looked at him like he knows something about Hiccup that he, himself, doesn't know. Hiccup can't phantom what it could possibly be and he isn't interested in finding out. But then one day he's captured and he figures that maybe he should've at least wondered.

Rating: Mature

Characters: Hiccup, Astrid, Toothless, Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Viggo

Pairing: Hiccstrid

Words: 13 627

Fandom: How to Train Your Dragon

Prompt: “Experiment

Whumpee: Hiccup

Author’s Notes: THIS IS IT! WHUMPTOBER DAY 31 HAS FINALLY ARRIVED! MY GRAND FINALE FOR THIS YEAR'S WHUMPTOBER IS HERE! ALL 13K OF IT!

I started at midday and now it's 2am for me! I said that this was going to take all day to spell-check and it did! :'D

Constructive criticism is appreciated!

ENJOY!

Ao3

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Viggo has always looked at him like he knows something about Hiccup that he, himself, doesn't know. Hiccup can't phantom what it could possibly be and he isn't interested in finding out. Whatever Viggo knows, or thinks he knows, so long as he doesn't use it against him, it matters little to Hiccup.

But then he's captured. And Hiccup wonders, staring at the bars of his cage, that maybe he should've at least wondered what it is that the Dragon Hunter Chief has on him.

The place he's being held in, it isn't their usual base. Hiccup has only seen the inside of it, but this is what appears to be a giant cave chamber. There is a large pool and so far, having been stuck in this cage, Hiccup hasn't been able to see how deep it actually is. From his position, though, he can't see the bottom.

And there is a considerably sized hole in the ceiling, where sunlight comes through during the day. But it is evening now, the sun has set and the moon can be seen reflecting what little light it can down into this cave.

Toothless isn't here, for some reason Viggo simply left his dragon behind. Viggo is here, however. It's just the two of them, no Dragon Hunters, and Hiccup wonders what he's planning as he stares at the man's back.

In front of Viggo, there is a table. On it there are books, one of which is splayed open, tools Hiccup can't quite see and are making him nervous, and a bottle with... something. All in all, everything about this scene before him brings him nothing but discomfort.

Finally, Viggo breaks this silence between them.

"Have you ever wondered where this connection with dragons of yours comes from?" He asks, a peculiar question to break the ice with. Hiccup shrugs, not interested in answering him, worried for Toothless and worried for himself. Doesn't matter if Viggo can't see him since his back is turned to him.

Seemingly receiving no answer, Viggo turns to face him.

"Well?"

"What does it matter?" This time Hiccup asks. It requires talking, which he isn't a fan of as he's a little annoyed with his current situation, but it still doesn't answer the man's question.

Viggo isn't even bothered. Something got the man in too much of a good mood and that honestly just makes Hiccup's mood even worse.

That and that this means he has something special planned for his captive tonight, which can only mean bad news for Hiccup.

"What about your natural innate ability of flight?" He asks. It's as if Hiccup isn't held against his will and they are talking under more casual circumstances.

Legs crossed and elbows resting on his knees, Hiccup's brows furrow.

"What natural ability?" He asks, genuinely curious as he, while he's quite good at it, doesn't have his own wings. He needs Toothless in order to fly, he can hardly call that natural. Certainly not innate.

Viggo, however, thinks he's just playing dumb.

"My sources tell me all I need to know and they've told me how you and your dragon have always flown so perfectly together, like you are one dragon. You're certain you don't know why that may be?" He speaks his next question and Hiccup looks off to the side for a moment. It all comes down to his bond with Toothless and how well they understand one another, it's not that mysterious.

"Let me rephrase my inquiry, how did your first flight go?" Ah, a question he can answer!

"Quite disastrous actually." Hiccup tells him nonchalantly, a slight smirk, but Viggo ignores this response.

"When the two of you were up in the air together for the first time, what did it feel like? Did it feel right? Did you feel a sudden burst, an epiphany, and suddenly you knew what to do?" Viggo asks and Hiccup hopes the surprise isn't too obvious on his face.

That managed to trigger a memory. He's reminded of his first flight with Toothless and while it had truly been disastrous, he did feel exactly what Viggo is describing to him.

He remembers letting go of his cheat sheet and simply letting pure instinct and his little experience guide him as he and Toothless weaved through those sea stacks. It had felt like a sudden epiphany, like he finally realized how flying truly worked. And yes, it had instantaneously felt right, like he was always meant to be in the sky.

But he can't tell Viggo that. For whatever reason this man is interrogating him about this and that means he can't tell him.

Hiccup wishes he has something to keep his hands busy with, they're restless. He stands up.

"What's with all these questions? If you're thinking about me teaching you to bond with and ride a dragon, you can forget it!" Hiccup reassures him that he won't, tiring of all this interrogating and not liking where all of this is going.

There is a smirk on Viggo's face as he knows that he hit the nail on the head. Hiccup is such an open book, how can he not reveal it?

"I have no interest in riding dragons myself, my Dear, this is simply more evidence to a theory of mine."

"Theory? What theory?" Hiccup moves closer to the bars of his cage, not liking those words. But Viggo has already turned his back to him again and is reading through the pages of whatever book he has lain in front of him.

It's thick and dusty. Hiccup trusts it just about as much as he trusts anything else in this cave.

"Viggo, what theory?" He tries again.

He doesn't like that he's been put in this cage. It's big, too, obviously meant to hold something that is not him. Although, the bars aren't wide enough to slip or crawl through.

Viggo doesn't care to answer and why should he? His prisoner is at his mercy, not the other way around. It does little to settle Hiccup's nerves.

Then he turns away from the table and approaches with the key in hand. Hiccup, noticing, steps away from the gate and backs up to the other end of the cage.

With a swift motion, Viggo inserts the key and turns, unlocking the cage and swinging it open before gesturing to his prisoner that he may step out of his cell.

He almost appears too trusting, seemingly relying on Hiccup not to run away and Hiccup, therefore, decides that he won't. Not because he sees this as a good sign, not at all. That Viggo is being so "trusting" only means he has this place more guarded than it first appeared to be to him.

But Hiccup doesn't step out. He crosses his arms and stares at his captor, as if telling him "you really think I'm falling for this?" As if he would ever see this as anything other than a blatant trap, no matter how suspiciously amicable Viggo is being.

"I'm giving you the choice to cooperate and let this be a learning experience for both of us. You do love knowledge, do you not? Or have I completely misread, Hiccup Haddock?" Viggo suggests, Hiccup's reluctance not fouling his mood, and so he decides to step out.

Doing this the hard way most likely means calling in the help of Dragon Hunters who would love to manhandle him until he's bruised all over. More Hunters simply means more trouble for him. If it's only Viggo he has to worry about, he might have a chance.

Besides, maybe there is something a little tempting about his foe's offer, if only to see what kind of information he's hoping to garner and how helpful it's going to be to him and the Dragon Riders.

Viggo smiles as he passes him by on the way to the table, or rather, smirks as he does. Just short of saying; "Now there's a good boy."

Hiccup tries not to let it get to him or at least not show that it is. The last thing he wants is to give him any more ammo than he already has.

Standing by his table, Viggo briefly turns back to Hiccup.

"Mind joining me?" He asks and gestures to the workspace in front of him. Probably having little choice, Hiccup joins him.

He doesn't like standing next to him, but what truly sends a chill down his spine is what he sees lying before him.

The book the Dragon Hunter Chief was reading is closed now. It's as if he doesn't want Hiccup to see what he's so fascinated by that he wants Hiccup's help of all people.

Or he guesses that's why he's here. He certainly hopes it isn't to become the subject of that fascination. Because he can now see those tools and he doesn't like what he's seeing.

There are knives of all sizes, though most likely all just as equally as sharp. A small hammer and a chisel, not the kind you would use for hard work, but rather for more delicate tasks instead. There's a saw as well as many more, but Hiccup can't imagine what Viggo would want to use this for. He doesn't want to imagine what any of these things can be used for.

Just what is Viggo planning? Those tools aren't going to be used on him, are they? And what about that mystery bottle? Whatever it's containing, Hiccup is willing to bet it can't be anything good.

He's rearranging them, making sure they lie neatly on the wooden surface. Hiccup can't tell if he's doing it out of compulsion or just to make him nervous.

"Tell me about your dragons. What is your relation to them?"

"Excuse me?" Hiccup asks, briefly glancing up at him, but then deciding that it must be a better idea to watch his hands.

"The dragon pack on Berk. My sources tell me that, amongst all the Vikings, it's you the dragons listen to the most, even above the highest authority figure in your village, your father. Why is that?" He asks so casually as if they're having a simple conversation and completely ignoring the fact that they're enemies.

The last thing Hiccup would want to talk with him about are the dragons Viggo would very much like to capture and sell. Either whole or piece by piece.

"Why would I tell you about Berk's pack? The pack that counts on me to protect them?" What Hiccup wanted was to emphasize how the man with him should not expect anything out of him, that his lips are sealed, but that isn't what Viggo hears.

"They count on you, do they? You specifically? Firebreathing dragons, a whole pack of them, rely on you, a single human, to keep them safe? And you honestly expect me not to ask you any more questions?" Viggo places a hand on the table as he faces his current "partner" in science.

Hiccup doesn't like this. He doesn't like this at all. Viggo's whole demeanor tonight is so peculiar. There is such curiosity, such fascination, and in the usual Grimborn way, they present themselves in such a malicious way.

"No, I'm not answering your questions, Viggo!" Hiccup smacks his hand on the wood, hoping to show how determined he is not to answer.

Viggo doesn't look entirely too pleased with this display, glancing at Hiccup's hand on the table.

"Are you sure that's what you want to be? Difficult? Did my offer to perform this experiment as equals not satisfy you? I can always call in outside help." So he lets out a subtle threat and Hiccup can't quite tell which one he should be more afraid of. The verbal one, or the one where Viggo gently fingers the saw lying on his side of the table.

So if he refuses to answer his questions, he doesn't just have some good old manhandling to look forward to, but whatever that saw can be used for as well?

Viggo is going straight for the kill on this one, isn't he? Whatever this "experiment" that he just mentioned is about, it's big enough that he isn't willing to take things slow. Either Hiccup cooperates right this instant until it's all over, or he risks being held down and lose a couple more body parts.

Hiccup swallows visibly, shaken by the threat. His gaze meets Viggo's.

"Well?"

Hiccup lets out a sigh. Perhaps to calm himself?

"You've heard of the Red Death before?" He asks once he's managed to regain his composure a little. He hopes he isn't shaking, he's usually good at steadying himself.

"Yes, of course. I've done my research ever since our very first encounter. At first, I thought the tale of the Boy and the Dragon who defeated the Red Death was nothing but a way for a disappointed father to make up for his disgraceful son. After all, that is the way it goes with you Vikings, is it not?" Viggo responds to his question and in a more timely manner than his "equal".

Hiccup feels himself getting a little angry at that comment and looks away. It hits a sore spot.

"But then our games properly started and I realized that, if anybody would successfully destroy a dragon that size, it would have to be you," Viggo speaks to him with an air of admiration, as if hearing the truth behind this tall tale has pleasantly surprised him.

"However, as much as I would love to discuss this story with you, we don't have the time as you've left my question unanswered." Hiccup fights the urge to sigh again.

"The Red Death, she acted like a queen for the pack that now lives with us on Berk. Fishlegs thinks that, since it was my plan that defeated her and there were plenty of dragons to see that, I may have taken her place. But it's just a theory!" He emphasizes that last part. He doesn't want Viggo to get any crazy ideas.

But Viggo, he just looks content with this information, like Hiccup just reaffirmed something he already knows.

"But you knew that already." So he states and crosses his arms, but whether it's in agitation or defense, he doesn't know.

"I had my suspicions. Perhaps I didn't take you for a "queen", but yes, I had my suspicions." The man says, taking some enjoyment out of annoying his young, and temporary, cohort.

This entire situation, Hiccup finds that Viggo is having way too much fun. This isn't some friendly meeting that they're having.

No, it isn't and he hates everything about this. Standing here next to Viggo, talking with Viggo, almost as if they are partners or fellow scholars. It feels so wrong.

And he soon finds it's about to get a whole lot worse than this.

"But now that this is sorted, I want you to undress."

"Wait, you want me to what?" Hiccup wasn't exactly making himself comfortable, but that still takes him off guard.

Viggo picks up a knife before he answers and admires its glint in the torchlight.

"You heard me. This experiment requires you in a state of undress. Don't worry, I only need you to remove your armor and your tunic." He answers as if that is in any way comforting. Especially when he's playing with that knife in that manner.

"I'm-I'm not going to..." His words end there, his level of discomfort rises dramatically.

"Hmm, I could always-"

"O-okay, fine!" He knows what Viggo wants to say, he wants to threaten him with "outside help" again. And if there is something that would make stripping for Viggo Grimborn worse, it's stripping in front of and being stripped by Viggo Grimborn and his men. It would be humiliating.

So he does it voluntarily, or about as voluntary as undressing under duress is. First removing his pauldrons before pulling his chest armor off. At his tunic, he hesitates.

"Well?" Viggo presses when he notices Hiccup's reluctance. His good mood takes another little dip, he's growing impatient.

"I-I-I can't just... Viggo, hey!" Hiccup is about to his express his hesitation when Viggo takes the knife in his hand, grabs Hiccup's tunic, and cuts right through it. Because of his carelessness, it grazes his skin and creates both a red line and an accompanying awful stinging on his chest.

Hiccup backs away startled and looks down at himself, hands grabbing the cut pieces of his clothing. The cut is already bleeding and Viggo managed to get through most of his tunic as well as his undertunic. He glares up at him and Viggo returns the favor.

"I am a man with reasonable patience, Hiccup Haddock, but my patience is wearing thin. I am not taking the time to watch you dilly-dally when we have a schedule to uphold."

"A schedule? Is there an actual schedule or are you just saying that because we're running out of time?" Hiccup asks him, angry with his current situation.

Though he asks this, neither sound like a good option. A schedule can mean that Viggo wants this to be a regular thing, undressing for whatever reason, for however long Hiccup will be held captive by him before the Dragon Riders eventually save him. Meanwhile running out of time may suggest that there is something Viggo wants done before it's too late to do it and that can make a man desperate and unpredictable as a result. So really, neither are preferable.

Viggo doesn't answer his question, instead furrowing his brow.

"Tunic, Hiccup."

So he removes them, both layers, and is left bare from the figurative belt up. As if this couldn't get any worse, though Hiccup has a feeling it might still get worse and in so many ways.

He can feel Viggo's gaze on him and he can't bring himself to meet it. After all their interactions and Viggo's subtle hints, making himself vulnerable in this way isn't exactly something he wanted to do.

Gods, he can feel Viggo's eyes on him as he passes him by, knife just grazing his arm harmlessly and making goosebumps appear on his skin.

He's doing it on purpose, he must be. He can't let it get to him.

But he does, his breath hitches when the knife leaves his skin and Viggo walks away from him. He can't tell if it's because of discomfort, his nerves, or something else entirely.

The Dragon Hunter Chief approaches something standing in the beam of moonlight coming down from the hole in the ceiling. It's elevated and flat, but still made of rock, like some sort of pedestal has been carved out. Hiccup isn't sure if he wants to follow him, nervous about what might happen when he does.

"Are you coming or not?" Unfortunately, his captor isn't giving him much of a choice.

"Viggo, what are we doing here? You demand answers from me, threaten me with force if I hesitate to give them, the least you can do is tell me what I can expect in the next... however long this is going to take." Though he's used to the cold north, he shivers as he speaks.

"You'll see." Of course, that's the answer that he gives him.

"Pedestal, get on it." Viggo orders next and Hiccup figures he has to. Otherwise, he'll just be threatened by "outside help" some more.

So he gets on it, attempting to stand, but then Viggo pulls him down onto his knees. His upper body is already bare and vulnerable, might as well be forced into a submissive position, too.

Hiccup grunts and almost fights it. He was right to think that things can still get worse.

Viggo is standing behind him now, rolling the blade in his hand. Hiccup can feel his heart pounding. He hates having that man so close and beyond his view.

His free hand settles on his shoulder and Hiccup nearly jumps straight to his feet because of how on edge he is.

His hand is warm, though, warmer than Hiccup would like it to be.

"What're you doing?"

"Calm yourself. No need to get worked up and make this experience any more unpleasant than it needs to be." Hiccup glares at his fists as they rest on his lap. How is he supposed to listen when that is the kind of reassurance he's being given?

He wishes he wasn't shaking, but he is. He's so aware of everything, he's pretty sure he can hear the man behind him breathe.

The cold of the knife touches the skin on his back, a little above his right shoulder blade.

"Viggo-"

"Relax, don't struggle and it'll be over soon."

The blade nicks into his flesh and Hiccup can't take it anymore. He jumps to his feet and spins around to face the other, removing himself from the platform.

"No, I can't do this! I'm answering your questions, I've stripped down to just my pants, and now you expect me to just let you cut into my body?! And for what?! You haven't given me any answers of your own and you refuse to explain what you're endgame is!" Hiccup raises his voice, heart pounding.

Viggo simply watches him, wearing an expression that tells Hiccup that he's not even considering changing this one-sided exchange of information.

"Fine, if you want to do it the hard way." So he calls in two of his men to grab Hiccup, one on each arm, to force him back upon the rock.

"What?! No!" Grunting, Hiccup attempts to fight them, struggling himself free on one side before a third Hunter joins them to pull the lead Dragon Rider back onto the pedestal.

"No, let go! Viggo! Viggo, all I want is some answers! I don't understand why you can't give me those. What are you planning on doing to me?!" It is frightening. To be manhandled in such a way by three men both bigger and stronger than him, to be forced back down on his knees and held down to keep him at the mercy of Viggo Grimborn and his questionable actions.

"I've told you, Hiccup, you'll have to wait and see. Something things are better left to be experienced. Now be quiet and take it." Viggo glowers down at him. That is about the only explanation he'll be getting from him and all it does is make him even more anxious.

Viggo supposes this isn't a bad thing. A fast heartbeat just means it'll be spread through his system faster.

Taking place behind him again, Viggo replaces the blade on his back, presses, and drags it down. It is slow and methodical, he's more concerned with keeping his cut straight than he is with Hiccup's comfort.

And Hiccup, he's left to deal with it. He doesn't want to show how much it pains him to have his flesh slowly split open, but there are pained whimpers he can't suppress. And neither can he stop the shivers of his body, nor the way the muscles of his back contract, as if they stand a chance of stopping this.

Viggo is done after it is repeated on the left side of his spine as well, but the three Dragon Hunters don't let go.

"Fuck..." A curse slips past his lips this time. It hurts so bad and those two slashes aren't all that short either. His neck is starting to hurt, too, from the way he's being held.

The three men keeping him pinned let out a chuckle, laughing at his misery.

"Quiet. We aren't here for hilarity or pranks." Viggo suddenly sounds farther away. Hiccup wants to look, but his restrainers aren't allowing him to.

It sounds like Viggo is back by the table and Hiccup hopes that it isn't to pick a different torture device.

"You, let him go." The Hunter Chief orders the man holding Hiccup's neck to release him and he does. After a little push for extra measure, naturally.

Viggo returns and kneels down in front of Hiccup holding the bottle that was previously standing next to the mystery book.

"Tell me, Hiccup Haddock, what do you know about Fireworm Queens and the gell they secrete for their young ones?" He asks.

"What can I tell you that the Dragon-Eye hasn't already?" Hiccup asks in turn, still an edge to his tone despite his watery eyes.

"I am simply testing your knowledge, no need to be so hostile." He can't tell if Viggo is actually being serious or not. He does all of this to him and then expects Hiccup to not get hostile? He must be joking.

Viggo stands and uncorks the opaque bottle. A smell that is horrendously sweet fills the air almost immediately and makes everyone present gag at the intensity. Their nostrils burn.

"That's-"

"The secretion of a Fireworm Queen is contained within this bottle, but it isn't the kind fed to all her offspring. Can you tell?" He asks and Hiccup supposes that he can.

That scent is familiar, he remembers smelling it in the cavern of the Fireworm Queen he and the Dragon Riders went to, to save Hookfang's life once or when that same dragon came to them for help. But that smell wasn't as strong as the one he can smell now. This one is much, much stronger, to the point that it makes him want to throw up. He has a feeling he knows what it is.

Noticing Hiccup's refusal to respond by how he clenches his jaw, Viggo answers for him.

"This is the hormonal gel given to Fireform larvae that are meant to become queens someday. It is potent and it is the star of today's experiment. Well, the two of you share the spot." He tells him with a smirk and then moves behind him again.

Hiccup watches him go until he's out of sight, dread knotting his stomach.

"Do you know what it does? It makes a Fireworm independent from the gel that gives them their heat, it enables them to produce it themselves, changes them so they can grow in the same size and strength as the queens before them. They become a queen themselves." Hiccup can hear Viggo pull something out by the way it's dripping the gel back into the bottle. Fireworm gel shouldn't be this liquid.

"Do you know what this means, Hiccup? With a certain dosage, a Fireworm's hormonal gel can change a larvae's very physiology to the point that they become an entirely new kind of dragon. It brings out that which is hidden deeply within them to elevate them to something new. Imagine the kind of power such a gel can give if experimented with, imagine the possibilities." There is such passion in Viggo's words as he dumps all of this info on his abductee.

"You're very talkative all of a sudden," Hiccup says.

"I am merely sharing what I know."

Something is placed on his back over one of his injuries, splatting onto his person before it's properly put in place. It feels like a long strip of cloth drenched in diluted gell and it's mingling with his blood, soaked up by his wound.

It feels cold at first, until the gel seems to activate with his body heat and quickly warms up to the point of hurting. Hiccup breathes through it as much as he can. If it's this intense in a diluted form, what is the gell like in its true form?

The same thing happens to his other cut and Hiccup hisses as the second strip heats up, too.

"Can't imagine it to be too comfortable." Viggo sasses, as if that's something Hiccup wants to hear.

"Oh... Why-why are you doing this? What are you hoping to accomplish?" Hiccup tries once more, his cheeks flushing as the temperatures of his body rises. Within moments he feels feverish.

"What I am trying to accomplish? Hopefully, the exact result I'm looking for." Again, not what he wants to hear.

Viggo appears in front of him again and grabs his chin. Hiccup tries to break free, but Viggo's grip is tight.

The muffled sound of an explosion shakes the cave chamber and small stones drop down from the ceiling here and there.

"Dragon Riders." One of the Hunters mutters and another groans in dismay.

Meanwhile, Hiccup feels relief wash over him.

At least for a short moment.

"Then we'll have to hurry." Viggo's grip on his chin tightens and he forces his mouth open. Hiccup struggles to break free, but the third man joins in again and grabs hold of his hair and jaw.

"No!" A garbled yell leaves Hiccup, but it's no use. Whatever else remains in the bottle, Viggo forces it down his throat and this isn't as diluted as the gell on the strips of cloth.

The effect is instantaneous. His lips, the entire inside of his mouth, his throat, everything becomes unbearably tingly and hot. It's as if he's being burned from the inside out and it makes him panic. If he wasn't crying already, he certainly is now.

Covering his mouth and nose, Viggo keeps Hiccup from spitting it back out, smiling all the while.

"You'll have to forgive, my Dear, but considering our circumstances, I was forced to give you more than the natural doses. Much, much more." He tells him and Hiccup can feel it, with the way he's burning from the inside out.

There is another explosion, followed by another.

"I really wish I could stay and see what happens, but it is time for me to leave soon." He says as he still keeps his hand in place. He doesn't plan on letting go until he's certain it's all gone.

Or until a plasma blast sends them all flying.

It isn't aimed at them, but at the ground instead, lest the Night Fury responsible ends up hitting his own Rider. But the force behind the shot is still powerful enough to fling all five of them.

Hiccup falls to the ground and rolls in the direction of the lake. As per his luck, he falls right in, ending up completely submerged.

Or perhaps it is fortunate, the hot sensation on his lips and tongue alleviates just a tad bit with the cooling water.

"Hiccup!" That is Astrid's muffled yell and Toothless roars in unison with her.

Hiccup can't see what is happening, cringing as the freezing water cools his body and takes his breath away.

He doesn't regain any movement, body locked by cold, but he doesn't have to. Toothless dives right in to pull him out.

Sputtering out water after he's pulled to the surface, Hiccup clings to his dragon and fervently rubs at his face. That burning on his lips and mouth, it needs to go and water is his best option. He tries to wash everything off.

Toothless doesn't quite get what is wrong, but he lets Hiccup do as he wishes. If it helps him to wash whatever it is that is wrong with him off, then he will try and stay as still as he can. Hiccup is holding onto him for support.

Once the burning tingling has been taken care of, Hiccup lets Toothless pull him onto solid ground. It isn't completely gone yet, but it has lessened enough to make it bearable. Just slightly more bearable than it was before, that is.

Astrid helps him get out of the water, grabbing Hiccup's hands to pull him up. The other Dragon Riders are there, too, and they surround him immediately, helping with getting him up. Toothless follows swiftly.

"Hiccup, are you okay?" Astrid asks, hands on his shoulders, but he takes them away from him. She gives him a look.

"I'm sorry, I just can't stand touching right now." His skin is still too tingly, too sensitive. The other Riders quickly take their hands off him.

"What the Hel is this?" Snotlout asks, referring to the strips of cloth covering what are clearly two bleeding cuts.

"I-I don't-I don't even know where to start. But please, get those off." Hiccup responds. The Fireworm gel seems to have cooled down from the water, a mercy considering what he felt like before.

Fishlegs moves behind him, four of the Riders looking over Hiccup's shoulders to take a look at what their healer will be doing.

"They look like they're stuck," Ruffnut states, just shy of touching the cloth.

"Well, let's hope they're not or we might be hurting Hiccup even more than he already is." Astrid retorts.

Fishlegs studies the strips before taking a corner and pulling a tad just to test the waters. Hiccup cringes.

"Oh no, they're stuck, they're very stuck." Fishlegs notices and stops.

Just like anything dragon-related, cooling it only makes it impossible to work with, much like the amber of Death Song dragons.

"Maybe it's better to take care of this on the Edge. We'll be home, you'll be in your hut, and we'll have a lot more supplies on hand than what we have now." Astrid suggests and Hiccup finds himself mulling it over.

Whatever Viggo's experiment is supposed to accomplish, leaving the gel to just sit on his skin might not be the best idea. But if he has to choose between having this issue taken care of here, in a dank cave with little medical supplies, and his home away from home, where his bed is and his workspace, then his choice is quickly made.

"Let's go home."

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It was an uncomfortable trip. Hiccup was able to fly on his own as his injuries didn't keep him from doing so. A blanket had been fashioned into a makeshift tunic by use of a belt to protect him from the freezing winds, but it couldn't stop the pulling he felt on his back.

The two wounds alone would be troublesome on their own, but with the gel sticking cloth into them makes them feel like they're being pulled on and it's unpleasant at the very least.

Dragon's Edge appearing in the distance is a blessing and they eventually reach it. Before long, Hiccup is in his hut while Astrid and Fishlegs figure out what to do about their current problem. So long as those cuts are covered, they can't treat them and that means they need to get rid of those strips first.

"And you said they felt hot?" Fishlegs asks Hiccup to repeat, wanting to know if he heard right so he can properly think of a solution.

Sitting on a chair and finding no way to sit comfortably with his back situation, Hiccup nods.

"Like Death Song amber before it cools." He nods.

"Maybe we can free you from that Fireworm gel like we free someone from Death Song amber? Heat it up until it lets go?" Astrid suggests, sitting on a chair, too, as is Fishlegs. They're both behind him, inspecting the situation before them.

"Hmmm, yeah, that could work, but we'd need to be quick. That stuff was so hot, too hot, I don't want to burn my back." Hiccup reluctantly replies. He's not looking forward to what they most likely will end up doing to help him, he doesn't want to experience that kind of burning again.

But he knows it and they know it. Astrid and Fishlegs share a look, sharing Hiccup's thought process.

"I'll go grab the Inferno," Astrid says and gets up to fetch it on the loft. Hiccup watches her go for a moment before his attention is taken by Fishlegs.

"We promise to be careful, Hiccup, and we'll try to work as fast as we can." He promises him while Astrid returns with the Dragon blade.

They both look at her, watch her check if it's still covered in Nightmare saliva before she lights it with a button and Hiccup fills with dread.

Astrid joins Fishlegs again and they get to work, Astrid holding the sword at the stiff strips to warm them up.

Fortunately for him, it doesn't take as long as Hiccup fears, the gel becomes workable when heated up and Fishlegs manages to pull the cloth off. The second they let go, Astrid takes the Inferno away and Hiccup breathes a sigh of relief.

At least that's over with, now they can properly care for those cuts.

"Oh, this is going to be troublesome." But that is what Astrid says and Hiccup tenses up in alarm.

"Hiccup, the gel is all up in those cuts. Cleaning them won't be easy." Fishlegs warns him and Hiccup nods.

"Do they need to be stitched?" Hiccup asks.

"With all of this gunk in there? Probably. They aren't too deep, but it might help to avoid further risk for an infection." He tells him and Hiccup supposes that he'll just have to resign himself to the fact that he'll be here for a long while.

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It took well over an hour, maybe two or even three. Bottom line is, Fishlegs and Astrid had to spend a long time heating, cleaning, and treating Hiccup's injuries before they could finally bandage him up.

"What was Viggo thinking?!" Astrid hisses angrily as she washes her hands.

"What does it matter? We all know Viggo's a creep." Snotlout complains. After a rejuvenating dinner, he and the twins have joined the others in Hiccup's hut to see how the treatment of their leader is going.

It's been hours since they got home and the three of them could see how much pain it was putting Hiccup in.

Cleaning open wounds isn't at all pleasant, let alone when a fire needs to be held close to said wounds in order to clean them properly. It wasn't good for neither his cuts nor his healthy skin.

His entire back is now red and tender from being burned and Hiccup trembles again from the abuse he was put through, that they had to put him through. Though they were given little choice, it angers them all.

But his wounds have been stitched and dressed and his newly required first-degree burns have been carefully cooled and treated with healing salve. He's eating now, the first meal he's had since he was taken. Or he's trying to, staring at his bowl of soup as they aren't sure what he's able to eat. Nothing warm in hindsight, the inside of his mouth is still sensitive.

He's quiet and without a doubt still reeling from this experience. He'll be fine eventually, but for a time, he'll need to recover from this mentally, too.

"I wonder what the purpose of this was, though. What was Viggo trying to accomplish?" Fishlegs asks, he's the first one to do so since they got home.

"Did he tell you anything?" Astrid faces Hiccup as she dries her hands. Viggo likes talking to him, maybe he told him something.

But Hiccup quietly shakes his head as there isn't anything to tell. He's too upset to take a spoonful and his stomach is too upset, too. Though it rumbles, he's too nauseous to eat.

"Hey, are you okay?" Noticing this, Astrid asks and approaches.

"Oh yeah, I bet he's fine." Snotlout responds sarcastically, finding her question to be a silly one.

Astrid glares at him momentarily. Of course, she knows he's not okay, but it never hurts to ask and see what he has to say.

"Ye-yeah, I'm fine, I just... I just feel too sick to my stomach to eat." Hiccup tells her, but whether it's because of the gel in his system, in his stomach, or because of the stripping of those strips, he doesn't know. Could even be a combination of all three, could be the exhaustion that this experience has left him with.

"Do you need to lie down?"

"Yeah." Hiccup hands her his bowl and she takes it before he can get up on wobbly legs. Fishlegs helps keep him steady.

Now that his injuries have been properly treated, maybe he can get some rest.

Toothless, who had been lying behind him, stands up to follow him up to the loft. He hasn't had much sleep as of late either due to his Rider disappearing.

The five watch them go up the stairs, noticing Hiccup swaying a few times before he makes it up.

"You want us to come back with your food later?" Astrid asks. Maybe they can heat it up over a fire when he does feel like he can handle a meal.

"No, I just want to be left alone for a bit." It makes sense. After what he's been through, Astrid would want to be left alone, too.

"So can we have Hiccup's food?" Ruffnut asks as they make their way out, the hut's door closing and leaving Hiccup and Toothless bathed in the light of a single candle standing by the bed.

Hiccup sits down on the edge of his bed, sighing and swaying. He feels so sick, the Fireworm gel must not be agreeing with him. He feels sick and he's tired, dying to lie down and curl up. So that's what he does.

He can feel his injuries protesting and almost doesn't go for the covers until Toothless pulls them over him, a corner between his gums.

"Thanks, Bud." Hiccup tells him, closing his eyes. He sleeps under them, not fully, with his back in the kind of state that it is. But his dragon is there to keep him warm, so maybe he can get some shuteye despite his many discomforts.

Soon after he closes his eyes, he sleeps, unaware of what Viggo's experiment has truly wrought upon him.

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A couple of days later, evening arrives and the Riders are finishing their dinner while Astrid serves a sixth plate to bring to Hiccup. After having been briefly gone, Fishlegs returns to them with the medical supplies he would need to change Hiccup's bandages.

Tuffnut watches Astrid.

"Maybe we can get Hiccup to eat here?" He suggests to her, they haven't seen him as he recovers and the only ones who do see him are her and Fishlegs.

"We told you, Hiccup is too sick for visitors," Astrid tells him, surprisingly calm in spite of the fact she's had to repeat it many times already.

"Then how come you and Fishlegs get to see him? I can change a bandage!" Snotlout protests, mouth still full of mutton.

"Hiccup can barely stand our presence at the moment, I'm not exposing him to you or the twins." She tells him, picking the extra plate up.

The truth is, Toothless eventually did cave and come to tell them of the fever plaguing Hiccup. Since then it's only gone from bad to worse.

He's burning up all the time, his temperature dangerously high. He's throwing up everything he eats and drinks, already he's lost some weight. And then there's the pain that he's in. Claiming that every part of him hurts, he lies curled up most of the time, stomach upset.

"My back, there's something wrong with my back."

Astrid and Fishlegs have checked over and over again, even removed the stitches to look at the wounds themselves when he told them to remove them. They've found nothing and believe him to be hallucinating due to the fever.

If anything, keeping Snotlout, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut out of that hut is a favor to them, even if they don't see it that way.

Astrid and Fishlegs are both exhausted, barely having slept these past few days. Whatever is causing all of this, all they can do is help him be as comfortable as he can be in this.

They've already sent a message to Berk with the fastest Terrible Terror that they have. Now they'll just have to wait for Gothi, Stoick, and Gobber to come. There's no way Hiccup can make that trip back.

They go back to doing their own thing when Stormfly perks up by the entrance, where she waits for her human. Her attention seems to be drawn by something as she squawks and her head tilts like a bird's.

"What's wrong, girl?" Approaching with the plate, Astrid wants to ask her what it is that piques her interest. But Stormfly doesn't have to answer when it comes to them before she can.

It is a long blood-curdling scream that freezes them all in place.

They look at each other for a moment too long after it ends, reeling from the sheer torment in the sound.

"Hiccup!" Astrid yells and drops the plate of food she holds. They all sprint out of the clubhouse and towards the hut. Having been spooked, Stormfly is nowhere to be found.

It doesn't take them long to arrive with their legs carrying them as fast as humanly possible. They open the front entrance to permit themselves entry. As it flips open, they hurry inside and up to the loft to find...

"Oh... my..."

"... Gods..." Snotlout finishes for Astrid, who stare at the sight before them. They all stare.

Hiccup and Toothless are both nowhere to be found. What they're staring at instead is nothing but blood.

Sheets, bed, pillows, bucket, everything is splattered with blood. It's even on the walls and on the ceiling.

"What the fuck happened here?!" Tuffnut asks what they're all wondering, but can't say, too speechless to.

Something on the floor catches Astrid's attention and she leans down to grab it.

It's a torn stitch.

"Fishlegs," She calls him over to take a look.

"Is that..."

"From his back? I think so." Astrid responds, not wanting to imagine how or why it's on the floor and not where it's supposed to be. Snotlout looks as well, an expression of disgust on his face.

"Uh, that's not the only one." Ruffnut mentions and points towards several more pieces on the ground.

"Did they get torn off? What was Hiccup doing to himself?" Snotlout asks, that scream had to be coming from somewhere.

Nobody answers simply because no one can provide him with one. But from the patterns of the blood and the pieces of stitches, it almost looks like an explosion of blood had occurred, like it all came bursting out of the wounds on his back. That alone is mindboggling.

"Hey Astrid, considering our situation, maybe we should tell them how Hiccup was really doing," Fishlegs suggests and that doesn't make them feel too good with what they're about to hear.

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They have left a convenient trail for them. It's a trail of blood, but it's something to find their friends with now that they've gone missing.

"Oh, I hope Hiccup's okay," Fishlegs wonders out loud, his arms full of medical supplies.

Snotlout rolls his eyes, too angry with Fishlegs and Astrid to even say anything now. Though the latter of the two sees it as a blessing, he's sure to make up for his silence soon.

"I'm sure he's fine. Or at least as fine as he can be and Toothless is still with them. They're probably waiting for us." Astrid reassures him.

"Uh, and how do we know that?" Tuffnut asks.

"Yeah, why would they be waiting for us if their first instinct was to run away?" Ruffnut asks and she has a point. That they would run away after an utterly puzzling experience like that is a strange thing to do. Especially for Hiccup, who should know better.

"I'm sure it was just the shock of... what must've happened." Astrid tries to give the incident a term, tries to call it something as things always feel better with a name, but finds she isn't sure what to call it. She also isn't sure anymore if it's a good idea to do this on foot as she naturally thought Hiccup and Toothless wouldn't be getting far. And yet, at the same time she can feel that they're close.

If they pass these trees, they'll find them. If they get past this rock, push through these bushes, but each time they end up being further away than she thinks.

"Ugh, this plan is dumb! We should be getting on our dragons and-" As Snotlout breaks his angry silence to propose a different plan, there is a loud rustling up ahead and they all grow quiet. It sounds like a dragon taking off and breaking through the trees to reach the sky, quite a specific sound, but one they're familiar with.

Recognizing this, they search the nearest opening in the greenery and look to the sky. High above them, they spot a black dragon with a little speck of red leaving the Edge. They would've thought it was Toothless and they would've given chase, if not for the fact that this species has four wings instead of two.

A new species of dragon? Now?

The Dragon Riders can only stare, too perplexed to climb onto their dragons to follow or to even grab a spyglass and see what it is, like it's their first time seeing a dragon.

But as exciting as it is to see another new dragon, they can't follow it. They need to find their team members first.

"What was that?" Tuffnut asks and no one can give him an answer.

They continue on the trail and while it ends quickly after, Hiccup and Toothless are nowhere to be found.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

They tried to find their missing friends. The ceiling window was open and they figured that must be how they got away unseen. But after deducing that, they didn't get very far as the blood trail they followed ended after a little while with no further leads. It's like Hiccup and Toothless just vanished into thin air. Dragon's Edge isn't a small island either, finding them again will be hard.

But they've tried. They've searched the forests, they've searched the caves, any place where a human and a Night Fury could hide, only to come up with nothing.

So the Dragon Riders have decided to make a detour.

"You two shouldn't have lied about Hiccup!" Angered by the hiding and the deadends, Snotlout scolds two of the other Riders. He rides on top of Hookfang as they're all mid-flight.

But for once, Hookfang agrees with his human. He is of the opinion that Stormfly's and Meatlug's humans should've been more honest with the group.

"We didn't lie, Snotlout. Hiccup was sick, nobody could see this coming." Astrid is having none of that. She worries and she's been mulling the past few days over and over, trying to think of anything that she thought of as suspicious, but there really is nothing she can think of. She knows Fishlegs has been doing the same in vain.

There is nothing that pointed towards his back bursting open at the seams. The seams being the cuts Viggo put there.

"I still think you should've told us!" Snotlout exclaims.

"So you've mentioned." Astrid retorts, but before the former can say something again, Fishlegs speaks up.

"There it is!" He shouts, pointing towards the island in the distance.

They've left Dragon's Edge and their search to take another look at the place where Viggo held Hiccup and experimented on him. They don't expect to find anything, but finding Hiccup and Toothless first without a way to help might not be so wise. If there is anything this place can tell them that'll help, they would love to know.

What a first glance tells them? That the Dragon Hunters have packed up and left, the island is abandoned. Not surprising and not entirely a bad thing as that saves them the trouble of a battle, but only if Viggo left behind some clue to what he's done to their leader.

They find the cave quickly and ascend down the hole in the ceiling, steering there as they have little interest in the rest of the island for the time being. The hole is big enough even for Hookfang's wings to fit through.

Unsurprisingly, this place has been cleared as well. Everything's been taken.

Everything, except for one thing, a single book.

"Huh, that's weird." Snotlout remarks, most likely saying what they're all thinking as they land. His voice, Hookfang's last wing flaps, everything echoes here.

"Why would Viggo just leave something like that here? That not like him." Fishlegs wonders out loud. Meatlug, who he still sits on, gurgles worryingly in agreement. It is strange and she doesn't like it a bit.

"Maybe he forgot?" Tuffnut hesitantly suggests an explanation.

"Eh, I don't know, looks more like a trick to me." But Ruffnut offers a different perspective.

They all dismount, standing near the pedestal-like carved rock that still has Hiccup's blood on it. There isn't a lot, definitely outweighed by the bloodbath they found in his hut, but their eyes are still drawn to it.

"Ugh," Snotlout shows his disgust for what happened here.

Leaving her dragon's side, Astrid approaches the pedestal to get the book.

"Careful, what if it's a trap?" Fishlegs fears.

"No, I don't think so. I think Viggo left this here for us to find." Astrid thinks, picking the old book up with little problem. Which is a worrying thing to think. Because knowing Viggo, it most likely means he's done what he set out to do and that he wants to gloat to the Riders about another victory by leaving this behind.

The question now is, what will this book mean for them? Will it be an explanation or just more questions?

Astrid returns to her friends with it and they all gather around her to see. She flips it open.

At first glance, the book seems a little odd. There are pages showing strange creatures, texts detailing myths and legends even older than Vikings, a whole section on dragons. There is even something about the Fireworms and their queens, which is one of the pages bookmarked by the man who left this book for them to find.

Because, oh yes, Viggo has bookmarked a few pages for them. He's telling them what they should read, even leaving the occasional note to show which parts are important to read. And they know it's addressed to them as Viggo mentions Hiccup by name.

So clearly he expects his rival to be alive. If anything, it slightly eases the worry that Hiccup might be lying dead somewhere with Toothless in no state to get their friends.

Though it hurts their pride to give into Viggo's mockery, Astrid releases a deeply agitated sigh and turns to the first bookmark.

It is the aforementioned section on Fireworms, their queens, and their gel.

"So what is all of this supposed to mean?" Snotlout asks. Though the Dragons have a slightly easier time to see what is being shown, the Riders are all squeezed together behind Astrid to look over her shoulder and read what's been written.

What they read, isn't new information. They know how the gel works, they know how Fireworm Queens are made.

"For as sophisticated and handsome as he is, Viggo's a dick," Ruffnut says, feeling offended by the Hunter Chief's need to belittle their dragon knowledge.

"So we know from Hiccup that Fireworm gel was used on him, but this information doesn't explain why it was used on him or what it was supposed to do." Fishlegs mentions, so Astrid turns to a different bookmark and that's where the book's strange nature reappears again, causing even an array of befuddling reactions from the Dragons.

The pictures are the oddest part so far and they haven't even gotten to the walls of text yet.

"Uh, are those...?" Snotlout can barely finish his sentence, too spooked and confused.

"Awesome dragon people?! Sign me the fuck up!" Ruffnut excitedly declares, practically climbing over Snotlout to take a better look.

What they're looking at is indeed a page full of sketches with humans in possession of some very draconic traits. Horns, claws, spines, even large and majestic wings. The way they were drawn was in a strange mixture of both beauty and creepy. There appears to be a thin line between the two.

"Oh, yeah, sounds like real fun. I, too, want blood spurting out of me with such force that it hits the ceiling." Snotlout claps back at her, disgruntled with her words, whatever these dragon people have to do with what happened to Hiccup.

"Fishlegs, what do you make of this?" Astrid asks and hands the book over to him. Fishlegs takes it and pages through it, skimming the contents to get a general idea of what it's saying, paying special attention to the parts Viggo has marked for them.

"I'm not really sure. The author of this book clearly likes to talk about these stories revolving around a winged kind of people in this section. Like, a dragon species that look like humans or are something between humans and dragons or were once humans and turned into dragons." Fishlegs explains the gist of it, still paging through the book.

"So like the Wingmaidens?" Snotlout asks, curiously attempting to take another peek. He brings up Atali and her people because he wants to make sense of this. Things like books didn't always mean what they said, they were tricky like that. People with tiny dragons to carry them make a lot more sense to him than people who are dragons themselves.

"No, no baby dragons. More like, these people had wings of their own, they were born with them!" Fishlegs replies, fascinated by the very concept.

"Had?" But Astrid can't help but notice the wording he uses. Is it a coincidence or on purpose?

"Yes, had! This book talks about them supposedly having gone extinct a few generations back. During the time when Hamish the First became chief of Berk!" He responds.

"But in order for something to go extinct-" Fishlegs cuts Astrid off.

"They first need to have existed! And that's what this book is implying. That they weren't legends at all, but real!" He claims. This book implies that about a lot of things they know aren't real.

"So what's that got to do with Hiccup? He doesn't have wings. Or claws, or horns, or fire, he's not a dragon! Not in a literal sense." Snotlout brings up a point.

"Uh, obviously he is." Ruffnut rolls with her eyes in amusement.

"That's why he's also a magical creature because he's a dragon!" Tuffnut agrees, neither of them knowing how right their attempt at helping everyone relax will end up being.

The remaining three Riders and the Dragons focus back on their biggest clue so far, the book

"We should put him a year in the wild."

"Yeah,"

"He'll be so feral!"

"Yeah!"

"Can you two please take this seriously! The only way we can help Hiccup is if we take this seriously and find out what exactly Viggo wanted with him." Astrid scolds them when she has heard enough.

"Viggo wanted Hiccup to grow wings and you want us to take this seriously?" Tuffnut protests at the ridiculousness of it all. Viggo gets to do this and they let him get away with it?

"Uh yeah, not likely," Ruffnut says with a shake of her head.

"Viggo didn't want Hiccup to grow wings, that's ridiculous!" Astrid raises her voice.

"It kind of looks like that's exactly what he wanted to do, actually. He wants us to know about the Fireworm gel and the tales of these ancient people? This might be exactly what he's hinting at." Fishlegs argues in defense of the twins.

"But Hiccup is human!"

"Remember the cuts Viggo made? Those can't be a coincidence!"

"Okay, so let's pretend that's what he wanted to do, does it matter? We're here to find out what happened to Hiccup in his hut, not try to crawl inside a creep's head!" Snotlout puts an end to the discussion by diverting it just a tad.

"Except if... you know... he succeeded?" It's an outrageous suggestion, but Fishlegs still makes it.

They'll all have to take a moment to stare, the notion that that's what caused the mess in his hut not quite what they thought of. Even the Dragons are surprised.

"Okay, that's it, you're fired from dragon nerd duty." Snotlout decides, arms crossed.

"A winged Hiccup, you say. I'd tap that. The question is, will Astrid? Because if she won't I'm available." Ruffnut jokes, her brother nodding in agreement.

"Ugh, muttonheads."

Meanwhile, Astrid makes her way back to Stormfly, who lets her on her back.

"What're you doing?" Snotlout asks.

"We're going back to the Edge. We've done everything we can here and we know what we need to know." Astrid says.

"So what? You're just accepting this stupid theory?" Snotlout asks in disbelieve. But without answering him, Astrid and Stormfly take to the sky.

"Wait, seriously?! I thought you and Fishlegs were the smart ones of the group!" He shouts to her, but still, he and Hookfang follow her home, they all do.

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Once on the Edge, the plan was to search again, to see where Hiccup and Toothless might've gone. That new dragon species might've thrown them for a loop, but not this time. They have tracker dragons and enough medical supplies and a general idea of what has happened, it was time to find them.

Of course, emphasis on "was" as the Dragon Riders arrive home late at night and Smidvarg comes to them with terrible news.

"Smidvarg! What's wrong, Buddy?" Tuffnut asks, a smile still on his face as he's always happy to see his Night Terror buddy.

The Night Terror screeches and shrieks flying off into a direction and expecting the humans and dragons to follow.

"We're following Smidvarg! Come on, Gang!" Astrid decides and they give chase, following the lead Terror to wherever the fire must be.

A fire is exactly what Smidvarg leads them to, a percentage of the forest on the East side of Dragon's Edge is burning, a large plume of smoke rises to the dark sky. And underneath it all, Dragon Hunter ships.

And just to make everything even worse, a plasma blast shoots free of the mess and creates a distress signal that briefly illuminates the sky.

"That must be Toothless!" Fishlegs cries out.

"And Hiccup is probably with them." Astrid acknowledges and Stormfly makes a dive.

Though a quick and effective surprise attack from above was probably the better option, Astrid and Stormfly let out a battle cry together. If only so it may take the Hunters' attention away from their missing friends.

It's a good attempt as a Hunter looks away from their captive to look at the source of that brave yelling.

"Dragon Riders!"

"Guys!" Hiccup shouts, overjoyed to see his friends. Toothless, who has just run out of fire to spend, can feel the relief as well.

"Quick, get a move on!" A Hunter orders, axehead clanging loudly against the cage Hiccup's been put in. The cage located on a cart, it starts to move as it's being pulled away.

"Bud!" Hiccup calls for his Night Fury before a tarp is thrown over him, completely blocking him from view.

"I've heard that a darkened cage is good for an animal, now calm yourself." The Hunter growls mockingly. But Hiccup can't calm, not even now that his friends are finally here and he can hear them engage the Hunters in combat. He doesn't know what took them so long, but they're here now.

"Riders, take care of the accompanying ships! We need Viggo for some answers!" Astrid orders and watches as a tarp-covered cage is moved onto the middle ship. She can hear Toothless and his sounds are coming from the forest. Hiccup must be under there.

The ships that have come for their friends are heavily armed, rightfully expecting a fight, but the Dragon Riders aren't about to be scared off by a few arrows and ballistas.

"Here we go!"

"Oh yeah!" Ruff and Tuff shout as Barch releases a toxic cloud of gas that envelopes a group of Hunters before it is sparked alight. The group screams as they are blown away, their cries cut short much too sudden.

"Come on, Hookfang, let's show them what we've got!" Snotlout tells his dragon and the Nightmare snarls in anticipation. He can feel the fire burning in his throat and he releases his fury onto one of three ships, burning the mast and the majority of the deck.

Meatlug helps, spewing lava in what remains and creating holes through each floor until the molten rock reaches the sea below.

Stormfly, she goes directly for Toothless, grabbing the net thrown over him while Astrid leaps from the saddle and runs at the nearest Hunter, axe raised.

With a cry, she brings it down and it meets the Hunter's sword. They engage each other in battle.

On Viggo's ship, the cage with Hiccup halts before the man himself and the tarp is lifted on one side.

Hiccup, though injured, backs up and hopefully stays out of Viggo's reach.

Viggo stands there, gripping the bars as he takes the sight of Hiccup in, everything that he can see in this darkness.

"You are more then I could've hoped for, my Dear Hiccup. Beautiful results." Viggo remarks and Hiccup hates what he's hearing. These are truly the last words he wants to hear come out of this man's mouth.

But at least he can see the familiar glow of fire, a ship must be burning to a crisp just out of his view. A good thing, it means his friends must be close.

"Viggo!" Astrid screams and Viggo lowers the tarp to hide his prisoner.

Astrid runs up the gangplank, axe bloodied and prepared while Stormfly and Toothless follow her onboard. There are still plenty of Hunters to take care of on this ship. And in the meantime, the other Dragon Riders sink the other ship accompanying the main one.

Viggo has come prepared, more men than usual are present and while the dragons take care of them, Astrid focuses on their Chief. She takes a leap and a swing and makes Viggo step away from the cage.

"Hiccup, we're here for you!" She tells him, loud enough to make sure she's heard through the cover and over the fire. She would like to lift the tarp and have a look at him, but the enemies surrounding them won't allow that. Though she can hear their dragons making quick work of them.

"Yeah, thanks." Hiccup's reply is surprisingly short, like he can't decide whether he should be thrilled or worried. A possible reason nags her in the back of her mind, but still having a hard time believing it, she pushes it away.

"What are you incompetents standing around for?! You're Dragon Hunters!" Viggo's temper flares when it seems like he may lose his experiment's precious results.

His men are useless and as his second ship begins to sink, the other Dragon Riders can all target this one.

With a growl, Viggo draws his sword and faces Astrid. After all his work, he'd rather not lose Hiccup now.

"You're surrounded, Viggo. Give up." Astrid challenges him, axe twirling dexterously in her hands. She's been waiting for this moment ever since Hiccup first got captured.

Viggo isn't too happy with her calls for his surrender, he would much rather just leave, but Astrid clearly isn't about to let him do so. His ship is burning all around him anyway, he won't be getting out of this unless he has a dinghy somewhere or something to distract her or stop her.

But then a burning mast comes falling down and Astrid needs to jump out of the way. It separates her and Hiccup.

"Astrid?!" He calls to her, having heard and felt something heavy fall right by his cage where she stood.

"I'm okay, Babe! Don't worry about me!" She shouts at him from over the roaring flames, looking back at Viggo over the fire only to find him gone.

"No!" She yells, frustrated with the Hunter Chief's disappearance.

Under the tarp, Hiccup makes use of what dragons put in a cage such as this can't take advantage of and that is a pair of hands.

In the dim light, he seeks the lock and thinks of a way to unlock it and free himself. Unfortunately, he has nothing on him, nothing besides his prosthetic. He could try to pry the door open with it.

Removing his prosthetic, back burning and hurting with every move, he uses it to force the cage door open. It takes a lot of effort, but the lock eventually caves with a groan. The door swings open and he's free.

Now what does he do?

Staying isn't an option as the tarp hiding him from view catches on fire. He has no time to think of his next move, his only choice is to get out of here.

Get out of here and expose himself.

Hiccup swallows the dread he feels, knowing he has to come out and reveal himself to the Dragon Riders some time. Now is as good a time as any.

Outside the Dragon Riders have finished the Hunters off, what few there remained, and their search for Viggo proved useless. If that man doesn't want to be found, they won't.

"Where did that bastard go?!" Snotlout growls, still needing to deal him some good old fashioned Jorgenson vengeance.

"Forget Viggo! Hiccup is trapped inside this thing, we need to get him out!" Astrid denies him his revenge, her eye has fallen on the burning tarp and she wants to get it off. She can't remove it with her hands, so her axe will have to do.

Or so she thinks until Stormfly takes initiative and grabs the tarp with her large talons, pulling it off and revealing the cage to be empty.

Astrid stares as Hiccup has apparently managed to slip out in the chaos? The lock appears to have been pried open.

"I'm-I'm here... I didn't leave."

Everyone looks toward the burning quarterdeck and find Toothless already there with his Rider. And Hiccup, he stands there with a mindboggling surprise for them.

Still shirtless, blood stains him and contrasts against his skin. On his back are the results of Viggo's experiment, two large, leathery, black wings akin to that of a Night Fur decorate his back. And in the light of the blaze consuming all around them, he makes for quite a sight.

None of the Dragon Riders say a word, too stunned to even think. The book was telling the truth. These people exist and Hiccup is now one of them.

"Do they hurt?" Astrid asks as she and Fishlegs tend to his back again, wiping down and cleaning the base of their leader's newly acquired wings.

Hiccup has told them how the day he got them went. How the pain in his back grew and grew, like something was dying to break from his skin until it eventually did, erupting out of him with all the blood and gore you'd imagine would accompany a birth such as that.

And when he heard the Riders come, he'd panicked and told Toothless to take him somewhere safe and isolated. This experience had left him a little rattled, to say the least, and he wanted to figure out what had happened to him, what was still happening to him, and if he wasn't just madly hallucinating it all.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

"They do." Hiccup replies and Astrid lightens her touch.

The base certainly looks like something has torn right out of his skin. And though Fishlegs hypothesizes that this will heal nicely and grow to blend together seamlessly, they can't help but cringe at the sight now.

The burns on his back are gone, however. Fishlegs wanted to discuss what this could mean, but Hiccup had made it clear that he is too tired. That and he probably doesn't want to talk about underlying issues or whatnot just yet.

"We're going to leave you alone once we're done. Can't imagine how tired you must be." Astrid promises. They are all back at the hut anyway, so he can get some well-needed rest.

Or rather, they're at Fishlegs' hut since Fishlegs should probably keep an eye on him.

"Yeah, you look like you got dragged behind Meatlug again." Snotlout helpfully states. The twins are here as well and have been looking through the Grimborns' book. Upon closer inspection, much like the Dragon Eye, this book about legends that ended up being true also belongs to the Grimborn family, surprise, surprise.

"Oh, you think that I don't look too hot after growing extra bones, blood, muscle, skin, and what have you overnight?" Hiccup sasses back, so at least that is still intact.

"Eh, I don't know about that. I think the wings just make you look hotter." Ruffnut chimes in.

"Thank you, Ruffnut." Hiccup deadpans and Ruff clicks with her tongue and winks.

But the matter of his relationship with Astrid does bother him. Before Toothless, he couldn't even imagine himself together with her as a normal human being. But now that he's... that he's... this? What will happen to them now?

Astrid can see him think it, noticing first by the drooping of the wings she and Fishlegs are tending to. They're expressive, just like the rest of him, and to her, that means that they are definitely a part of him.

She moves to sit on his edge of the bed and draws his attention. His complexion is a ghostly pale after this experience and his eyes tired. It's a surprise he's even still sitting up after all of this.

"This doesn't change anything between us. I still want to be there for you through everything, the good, the bad, and the unexpected." Astrid tells him with honesty, lightly brushing one leathery wing only to have both of them freak out and spasm at her touch. Hiccup cringes, hearing a bowl clatter to the ground.

"Sorry, Fishlegs." Hiccup apologizes, looking over his shoulder at his fellow dragon enthusiast as he cleans the mess.

"Oh, don't worry about it! They're so new, I bet it's going to take a while to get used to them." Fishlegs accepts the apology, telling Hiccup not to fret.

Ruff and Tuff meanwhile, they share a mischievous look.

"Sensitive?" Astrid asks and Hiccup awkwardly nods. She makes a mental note to be more careful next time she touches them. He doesn't have control over them yet.

"Just promise me one thing. If I ever end up growing wings, that you'll still accept me in your life, too." She requests with a smile.

"You growing wings would be amazing. Just hopefully with less blood and screaming." Hiccup responds, voice still hoarse from that screech he had released when it happened to him.

Astrid smiles at him. Wings or no wings, she still loves him just as much.

"So what exactly does this mean?" Snotlout asks and grabs the book from the twins, who both protest at his thievery.

"If I had to make a guess, I'd say that at least one bloodline must still be alive to this very day." Fishlegs proposes a theory.

"If that's true, then why is Hiccup the only one? And why did Viggo have to make it happen?" Snotlout asks as it would make a lot more sense to him for Hiccup to have just been born with them.

"Survival? The book clearly states that their numbers dwindled rapidly. And Fireworm gel meant to make Fireworm Queens "bring out what was already there", so to speak. So if what makes the dragon people was even faintly present inside of Hiccup, the gel brought it out. And it came out a lot faster than was probably healthy because of the overdose Viggo gave him." Fishlegs give the most likely explanation of what he thinks might be going on here.

"Can I see it? When did this start happening?" Hiccup asks and Snotlout hands him the book. Before he can find the number himself, Fishlegs already has an answer ready for him.

"350 to 400 years ago."

Hiccup finds himself in shock, they all do.

"So when..." Astrid's voice trails.

"When the Red Death began her tyranny and demanded that dragons steal food from newly settled Vikings. These people... my people...? Either way, they must've been hunted down because Vikings thought they might've been the cause." It pains him to say it and he feels hurt thinking these might be his people that this happened to them.

That he's not entirely human, it's still too strange to think about. Even with those two things on his back to prove it.

He hands the book back to Snotlout, who takes it and closes it.

"Does it explain the hand thing?" Tuffnut asks curiously.

"The hand thing has nothing to do with this, Tuff, you can all do it." Hiccup replies. He's too tired to think any more of it. As fascinating as this discovery is, he's completely drained.

"Yeah, except for the fact that we can do the hand thing because you taught us how to understand dragons, Hiccup." Astrid reminds him, gazing at him. She's been holding his hand.

"Toothless taught me!"

"And maybe you understood because you were born with the ability to understand."

Astrid is giving him that look. That look that tells him that, as scary as it is, he should consider the possibility of what this might mean. And Hiccup supposes he doesn't have a defense for that one.

"So we kill the dragon people and it's a dragon man who saves us from all eventually dying from a tireless war against a faceless and nameless foe? Now that would be ironic." Tuffnut states and Ruffnut nods in agreement.

"So great, Hiccup is a dragon man. Which parent did he get it from?" Snotlout has one more question that needs answering.

And since none of them would know, they all look to Hiccup.

"After I got my mom's gift for me back, he told me that she sympathized with the dragons and that this is why she made me a dragon doll. She wanted me to sympathize with them as well. As much as he loves her gift for me now, it used to be his biggest gripe back then, with the whole war still going on. But dragons took her and, well, ate her." Hiccup explains and then looks at Toothless, who's apologetic rumblings draw his attention as if he was the one who did it.

"So I don't know who I would get this from. If I even got this from either of them." Though there is the dragon expert inside of him that tells him that dragons don't prefer humans as food, but fish. And that includes dragons as large as the Stormcutter who took his mother before he even turned one.

And besides, if she were still alive after all these years, she would've come back somehow, right?

Having a feeling what he might be thinking of, Astrid takes and squeezes his shoulder.

"You should rest." She tells him and Hiccup nods. There will still be plenty of time to figure everything out, including what he's going to wear now that none of his tunics are going to fit.

Though some vague ideas might be growing in his mind already.

Astrid and Fishlegs leave the bed, allowing Hiccup to lie down. He's only going to be able to sleep on his side and front from now on. Unless he pulls a Toothless and sleeps upsidedown. Now that would be fun to try out.

"Sleep," Astrid says and presses her lips on his in a kiss, still happy to do so. With or without Snotlout pretending like he's about to throw up his lunch in the background.

Toothless pulls a blanket over him and roars at the others to leave already.

"We know, T, we're leaving," Tuffnut says, hands up, and he leaves together with everyone else. They all give Hiccup one last glance, glad to have him back safe and sound, before they close the door and bathe the hut in darkness.

Hiccup watched them go, petting Toothless on the nose when he comes purring. After the days he's had, he wonders if he'll be able to sleep at all.

He knows the changes aren't done yet. He can feel that his body is still all kinds of wrong and he fears going through another excruciating experience like the birth of his wings.

And when the physical changes to his body are done, there will be other changes. The Riders have alerted him to the Terror mail they've sent to Berk, his father, mentor, and Gothi will be coming to the Edge tomorrow or the day after. They aren't going to take this well and Hiccup worries for his father's reaction the most. After Hiccup deals with those reactions, he'll have to worry about Berk's next.

And then there are the many unanswered questions. Clearly, those draconic humans existed, Hiccup is now living proof of them. But is he truly related to them? And what does that mean for him and his dragons? Has Toothless ever suspected anything?

Pulling his head away from the petting, Toothless rumbles and nudges his Rider, telling him to close his eyes and sleep.

"I will, Bud." Hiccup tells him, eyes heavy with sleep.

He supposes he'll have to wait and let the changes of the future come to him.

Hiccup closes his eyes and hopes his dreams will at least take him to more reassuring places.

[pure-bakusass]

Kiribaku AU Month: Day 8: 🐲 HTTYD AU 🐲

Today I did some sketches that serve as illustrations to the drabble I wrote (killing it with the writing! 💚 they say practice makes perfect).

Basically Kirishima is Hiccup based and Bakugou is Astrid based 💙 Bakugou meets Kirishima when he's still an insecure mess, but he falls in love with him and believes in him. Together they hunt down the Night Fury, but it escapes and Kirishima finds it on his own later and tries to befriend it. Kirishima is the sunshine boy that wants to befriend dragons. Bakugou despises them and wants to kill them, but his love for Kirishima makes him slowly change his approach. There are situations I pictured with them that I couldn't include in the drabble so there they are, here:

Kiri trains the dragon in Bakugou's presence, and Bakugou is standing in the safe distance angrily like "Iook im not going to tell the rest but keep that disgusting thing away from me" while he eventually slowly grows to love the dragon as much as Kiri does.

Kirishima: Look, this is Bakugou. I know both of you started off pretty badly but Bakugou means no harm. There is no need to be afraid of Bakugou. See? Bakugou put the knife down.

One day the dragon licks Bakugou's face and it's hilarious.

Kirishima: See? He loves you!

Bakugou: *grumpily wipes his face* It's a fucking one-sided love then.

Remember the moment when Hiccup took Astrid to that wild ride on Toothless? Kirishima does the same to Bakugou to prove a point. Bakugou just stubbornly refuses to accept the concept of riding dragons and Kirishima had no other choice than to get to him like this.

Kirishima: Let me just show you something, that's all! And then I'll put you down!

Bakugou: *clinging to dragon's tail for life and screaming* Fuck no, you better put me the fuck down now!

Bakugou ends up enjoying the ride, but he's lowkey scared being this high for the first time in his life, so he clinged to Kirishima's back and held him tight.

Bakugou: *hits Kirishima* That's for forcing me to ride the fucking dragon.

Bakugou: *kisses Kirishima* And that's for...the rest.

@kiribakumonth2019

Now for the ✨drabble✨ You can read it under the cut!

"Fuck!"

Bakugou's scream suddenly broke the peaceful, calm silence of the forest. Both him and Kirishima were wandering around the place for quite a time, and while it was completely understandable for Bakugou to get frustrated, Kirishima genuinly enjoyed it. If it wasn't for the reason why they were here, he would consider it just a nice walk, a date even. But Kirishima knew that today they meant business, and he shouldn't let his thoughts get away from it too much. If he wanted Bakugou not to be angry with him, that is.

"That shitty dragon really couldn't have found itself a better place than a fucking forest to crash, huh?" Bakugou snarled as he vented his frustration by kicking the nearest rock. Kirishima smiled at him. At this point he was so used to Bakugou's outbursts that he found them amusing, in a way.

"Dude, there's hardly even anything else here apart from forests, what did you expect? Hey, c'mon. Don't worry so much about that. I'm sure we'll find it."

Bakugou didn't feel like calming down at all, although he did have to admit that Kirishima's warm smile was probably the only thing in the entire world that would ever come this near to soothing his nerves. He rolled his eyes in response, but the tone of his voice did calm significantly.

"I'm not worried, idiot. I'm sure we'll find it, because I am not leaving the damn place without a dragon. I will tear down every fucking tree if that's what it takes to bring the bastard to the village."

"Yeah, right, that's what I'm talking about! I can't wait to see their faces when we show them that we actually DID take a real Night Fury down! I'm so excited just thinking about it. Aren't you excited Katsuki?"

Bakugou laughed. He couldn't help it that Kirishima's excitement was getting through to him.

"Fuck, you bet I am. Those idiots kept laughing at me for saying I shot this stupid Night Fury bullshit down with my own hands. But now that you're going to kill it, we'll make them all choke on those words."

"Oh damn right we- wait, what? Me?"

Kirishima stopped and blinked in surprise, not quite believing what he has just heard. All of a sudden, his enthusiasm faded away, leaving him visibly nervous.

"Since when it's me who is supposed to kill the dragon, Katsuki? I mean it was you who shot it so wouldn't it be fair for you to, uh, finish the work you started?

Bakugou raised his eyebrow. Such a sudden change in Kirishima's behavior seemed suspicious and unusual for him. He didn't like it.

"What are you even saying, shithead? Of course the fuck not! We're a team. I did my part of the job which means now is your turn. That is what I call fair. Besides, I already killed my first dragon, and you didn't. If this keeps up those idiots out there in the village will eat you alive."

"Are you saying that they still talk about me behind my back...? About the not-killing-a-dragon thing?"

Bakugou sighed. Now he understood exactly what the sudden change of attitude was about. How could he not get it before? He knew too well about Kirishima's biggest insecurity and mentioning the villagers was one fast way to trigger it even more. Bakugou felt like he was the actual idiot here and he hated that. He looked Kirishima in the eyes, dead serious.

"Not when i beat the goddamn shit out of them when they do so. Listen, you don't deserve to be put down like that. You're strong and manly, and totally capable of killing dragons. I'm sure of that. And you know it too. It's just the rest that don't know. Wouldn't it be thrilling to prove them wrong?"

Kirishima didn't look convinced. In fact he looked like he was having a hard time processing the situation. Bakugou reflected on his words and tried again with different approach.

"...Look, I-

...I may have used the wrong words for it. It doesn't fucking matter at all what others think about you, as long as you yourself know your own worth. But what matters is that killing a dragon is a powerful experience. It really makes you feel like you have enormous strenght, like you're some kind of a god. I want you to be able to experience it and be as satisfied and fulfilled as me. Only a fool would reject the opportunity to kill a dragon that is basically served to him on a silver plate. Listen, if you don't want to kill the dragon for yourself, do it for me. Do it for us, Ei."

The thing was that no matter how bad Kirishima's doubts were, he couldn't deny that he was madly in love with Bakugou, and therefore extremely weak for all those moments when he spoke to him in [that] voice he was using on him right now. The soft, loving, encouraging, lower toned kind of voice Bakugou wouldn't use on anyone else except Kirishima.

"I guess you do have a point here Katsuki."

Bakugou responded with a satisfied, fierce smile, one of those that Kirishima really enjoyed seeing. He gave in completely as Bakugou pulled him closer for a nice, deep kiss.

"There you go... There's my brave, unbreakable Eijirou. I think I might have something just for the occasion."

Bakugou reached to his belt and grabbed a knife he then gave to Kirishima. But that was no ordinary knife. Kirishima's eyes went open wide as he realised what he was holding. It was Katsuki's lucky knife, the exact one he killed his first dragon with. Kirishima was still amazed everytime he remembered that fight. To take down a dragon having only a knife on you for many seemed impossible. But for Katsuki, there was no such thing as impossible. That's why he admired him so much and still found it hard to believe that someone like Bakugou would consider someone like him his equal.

"What, why so surprised? You need it more than I do. Keep it. Make a good use of it and make me proud. No, make yourself proud."

Now that Kirishima thought about it, he has never actually seen Bakugou allowing anyone to touch it, ever, let alone make any use of it. The fact he was gifted such a meaningful thing filled Kirishima's heart with sudden wave of courage and will to act. Will to be strong and to prove himself that there is no such thing he's not capable of. The big, bright smile came back to Kirishima's face.

"Thank you, Katsuki. Thank you so much."

As they continued to search through the woods, Kirishima's excitement was in the right place. Even though he still felt nervous, he decided not to let it control him. At some point he reached for another kiss but Bakugou pushed him away and pointed to the ground with visible satisfaction.

"Ei, look! You see those traces here? I bet that's where the dragon fell. It was too weak to fly away, it's most probably very near. Fuck, we've found it!"

Next thing they saw when they looked around the place was a familiar net, and under it, a big, black pile of something that was most probably their dragon. Sparks of excitement appeared in Bakugou's eyes as he gave Kirishima a push forward.

"Go get it."

"Right!"

Kirishima took a deep breath as he began carefully approaching the dragon. He could do it. He totally could. "I have Katsu's lucky knife and a taste of his lips on mine, what could possibly go wrong?" he mumbled to himself as he was getting close to the infamous Night Fury. Bakugou decided to watch him from the distance.

First thing that Kirishima did as soon as he reached the dragon was to kneel down beside it and gently place his hand on it, then move it across its smooth, black scales. For a brief second he thought that maybe the dragon was already dead? That would certainly spare him a lot of trouble. But then he felt his hand being gently lifted as the dragon inhaled. He gasped in surprise and quickly took his hand back. The dragon was very much alive. Kirishima felt absolutely terrified, yet absolutely amazed at the same time. Not only it was his first time seing a dragon this close, but also seeing a dragon that nobody has ever seen before at all. This felt like enough of a thrilling experience for Kirishima. When he remembered what he was supposed to do, it brought up a weird feeling of sadness in him. The dragon was so...beautiful. It looked so peaceful and vulnerable while it was asleep like this. Kirishima sighed heavily.

"How am I supposed to take your life away while you can't even fight me back...?"

"What the fuck is taking you so long, shitty hair?!"

Kirishima twitched. Bakugou's yelling brought him down to earth yet once again.

"Katsu, I-...I don't think I can do it!"

That was most probably the worst possible way to express what he was feeling right now. He regretted those words the moment he spoke. Bakugou approached him quickly and angrily.

"What the fuck is your problem again?! You want to back away now that we're so close? After I gave you the knife and did my fucking best to make you feel better about yourself, even though I can't comfort others for shit and you know it? Listen here, you-"

"No, no, I'm not going to back away, please let me explain!" Kirishima interrupted Bakugou halfway through his outburst, hoping it wouldn't last. "I mean just look at him. He seems so vulnerable lying helplessly like this on the ground like he's already defeated. All I'm saying is that...you know, is there really a pride to be taken in butchering an unconcious dragon? I mean, it's no effort, there's not even a fight. That's not very manly nor thrilling if you ask me."

For a second Bakugou looked like he was about to lose his shit and explode again, but as soon as Kirishima spoke, his face expression changed. Now he was smiling, and it was one of those sly, fierce grins of his that always meant trouble.

"Right, sure. Of course you want a fight. That's understandable. Should have just said exactly that, babe. Let's rile the beast up then."

Bakugou got down on his knees and started cutting the strings of the net that was tangled around the dragon's limbs.

"Wait, no, that's not what I-"

Before Kirishima could say anything more, he was interrupted with the sound of a loud hit of Bakugou's hand on the dragon's hard scaled back. The Night Fury's eyes opened up right away and its pupils narrowed in a sign of hostility.

"this is bad-"

The dragon stood up on all fours, spreading its wings and roaring loudly and terrifyingly right in Bakugou and Kirishima's face. Kirishima's heart stopped, but Bakugou? Bakugou yelled back.

"That's right, that's more like it! Bring it on, fucker! They don't call you the Night Fury for no fucking reason, do they?!"

That's when it all went down to shit.

***

what a terrible way to finish a drabble XDDDD but thats all, thank you for attention <3

[themosleyreview]

The Mosley Review: Best Films of 2019

Wohoo! 2019 has come and gone and man did it fly by. This year we had sooooo many fantastic films and this year was probably the hardest list to put together. I really wanted to include alot more, but I had to make a few cuts. Now I tend to keep my list to the traditional 10 films, but on some occasions I've extended it to 11. This is one of those occasions. I have one runner up that is worth mentioning and I think it should not be missed.

Missing Link: Many animated films are computer generated now and the art of hand drawn animation is rarely shown. The one type of animation that is all but extinct is stop motion animation. It takes time, patience and passion to bring to life characters with such sophistication and care in an almost forgotten art form. The masterminds at Laika are truly imaginative artist and this film shows that in every frame. Not many films take the story of the myth behind Sasquatch to fun places without being hokey and I was relieved that this film took it seriously and pumped so much fun and heart into the story and I think this was a hidden gem of 2019. Click the title for my full review.

Now, on to my list of 2019's best films of the year. If you want my full review of each film then go ahead and click the title of each film. First one up is definitely a fantastic sequel to a film that the author hated, but loved the film adaptation of his second book.

Doctor Sleep: The Shining is a classic that can never really be touched. Stephen King is famously known for disliking the film adaptation of his novel, but with his blessing placed upon Mike Flanagan's vision for the sequel novel, we got this magnificent film. Not only does this film pay tribute to Stanley Kubrick's film, but it also follows the same rules and visual structure while keeping the film fresh. The tone was consistent and the performances were across the board amazing. Ewan McGregor, Rebecca Ferguson and the talented Kyliegh Curran deliver absolute greatness. This film features stunning and intriguing dark moments, but definitely has one of the most disturbing scenes I've ever seen and its all because of Jacob Tremblay's performance in THAT scene.

Ready or Not: How many times have we seen the family initiation story in a romantic comedy? A dozen times I tell you! Well how about you take the same concept, throw in a fun horror version of hide and seek with a hint of the supernatural and great dark comedic writing. You get this fantastic film that is all of that and more. Luckily I stayed away from any major trailers for this film because in retrospect, the R rated trailer gave away too many of the fun gags. The performance of each family member was awesome and this was a standout performance for Samara Weaving. Every year from now on, this film will be on my Halloween watchlist. I loved this film and I can't recommend it enough.

Shazam!: Batman (1989), Superman (1978), The Dark Knight Trilogy and Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse are just to name a few of perfect adaptations of a comic book character to screen. This film was beyond perfection in many ways and the best DC film to date. This film had the right amount of fun, darkness and heart that embodies the life of the titular character. I could see the amount of genuine fun the cast was having on screen and the heartfelt performances of Asher Angel and Zachary Levi were outstanding. Jack Dylan Grazer stole the film with his amazing comedic speed and wit. This was truly a film I had high hopes for and it didn't disappoint.

Avengers: Endgame: How do you start a story in 2008 and bring it to an amazing and satisfying conclusion that wraps up 11 years of storytelling? You have a plan, a clear vision from the very beginning and with that it'll special success. Producer Kevin Feige set out on a journey to bring to life some of the best superheroes and keep them together in a cohesive and long formed narrative to complete a saga that's never been done before. He did it with the best talent behind each film's camera and The Russo Brothers have delivered the most epic film the superhero film genre has ever seen. I have waited my entire life to hear Captain America say "Avengers Assemble!" and I'm so happy I've lived long enough for my dream to come true. This was an emotional journey and end to The Infinity Saga. I really can say so much more about this crowning achievement in storytelling, but I'll keep this summary short.

Rocketman: It was only a mater of time before we got a biopic about the incomparable music legend Elton John. I was hoping that it would not shy away from his sexuality, addictions and his bright and explosive since of style. Well this film jumped right in and held nothing back and I loved every bit. It was truly a fantastical film that had enough gravity and style. The musical locations illustrate his most important moments in his life and are visually stunning and accurate recreations of his most iconic performances. Taron Egerton was Elton John and I loved that he sang all the music. This was truly a masterpiece.

1917: World War II films are a dime a dozen, but the World War I films are rare. Sam Mendes is one of the best directors and all of his films take you on a journey through the eyes, mind and soul of a character and he did exactly that in this film. The fact that this film is almost shot completely in one continuous take, gives every moment gravitas and tension as you watch our main character go along and across enemy lines to prevent an ambush. The score was truly haunting by Thomas Newman and my favorite piece from this film was from the flare scene. Such an stunning achievement in filmmaking should not be missed.

Joker: The clown prince of crime has had many iterations over the past 80 years. The most influential and canonical version of the character came from Frank Miller's The Killing Joke. Heath Ledger's take was iconic and made you scared because of his unpredictability. Joaquin Phoenix has taken the character and given a truly disturbing and authentic performance. As Arthur Fleck, we see through a constantly unraveling psyche, a man become a new and real kind of monster. Not only is this version the most unsettling, but it was beautiful. The cinematography was great and I loved how we got into the mind and heart of the character when he wasn't even speaking. This is a definition of how a person being pushed through horrible conditions can truly become a monster and yet be free. I loved this film and I think it will be studied in many acting classes from here on out.

Ford v Ferrari: There needs to be more racing films of this caliber! I love racing films that are not just about the cars, but also the drivers and their stories. This film was based on the true friendship between Carol Shelby and Ken Miles and I can't say enough how much attention to detail and heart that was put into every frame. The sound design in this film was crisp and powerful. The performances by both Matt Damon and Christian Bale was truly amazing and they had the best chemistry. Their fight scene was the funniest and most realistic fight I've ever seen between 2 friends. James Mangold is one of my favorite directors because of his focus on characters and story first before the action. This was a love letter to the world of racing and a respectful look at the lives of these pioneers of ingenuity and racing.

How To Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World: How do you make a perfect trilogy? How do you wrap it up with a satisfying and emotional ending? You focus on the story and stay true to the message and heart you started with in the beginning. You let the character bonds naturally grow and make each adventure a learning experience. This film was a perfect ending to the franchise and I can't stress how much I felt like I was with Hiccup and Toothless on their journey to this conclusion. The performances from the cast were stellar as always and although the villain may not have been as great, he still was a good addition. The visuals were the best and the textures in the scales and sand were out of this world. The score by John Powell truly brought me to tears as I got to say goodbye to my favorite companions. If you ever owned a pet, you known the emotional bond that is forged. This was the ultimate pay off and as a pet owner I saw my dog in Toothless' eyes. I will miss this franchise. If you're not crying by the end of this film then something is wrong with you.

The Peanut Butter Falcon: There are some independent films that take a risk in going outside of the norm and telling a story that nobody would have ever dreamed. This film was truly something special and I can't tell you how happy I was throughout. This film focuses on an individual with down syndrome whose dream is to become a wrestler and it is something truly inspirational and heartwarming. Zack Gottsagen was truly brilliant and awesome in this film. I loved his journey and his will to keep going. Shia Lebouf delivers an equally powerful performance and his chemistry with Zack was very sweet. This is one of the best films of 2019 and the most important films of the decade.

And here we are ladies and gentlemen! This is the moment you've all been reading toward. This film was an automatic choice for me the moment the end credits rolled. The crowing jewel of 2019 is none other than.....

Booksmart: I have seen so many high school teen comedies about partying or loosing your virginity before graduation, but never have I seen a film so engaging and focused on the bond of two bestfriends. Their bond was the heart and soul of the film and you couldn't have asked for a better pair of actresses. Beanie Feldstein and Kaitlyn Dever were beyond perfection in every moment of this film and they had me cracking up left and right. Their adventure over the course of one night was truly fun and you are along for the hilarious ride. Billie Lourd nearly stole the whole film out from under them with her surprising and hilarious appearances. The music choices in the film were awesome as well. The comedy in this film was so fresh and from the first 6 minutes of the film you’re locked into these two ladies chemistry. I can't stress enough how much joy this film brought me and for a film to be on my mind for the entire year and to have me constantly recommending it to everyone I know is an achievement of itself. Olivia Wilde has directed a true masterpiece and new definition of a coming of age story. I can't stop gushing about this film so I'll finish off by saying WATCH THIS FILM!

And that is my list of the best films of 2019 and man has it been a great year in film. Lets hope 2020 starts off the decade with a bang! Thanks for reading everyone.

[coneygoil]

The Home We Built Together, part 28

Two young Vikings. An arranged marriage. Hiccup always wanted to win the girl of his dreams, but not like this. Now he and Astrid must learn to live together and maybe one day, learn to love…

Part 1 | Part 2 | Part 3 | Part 4 | Part 5 | Part 6 | Part 7 | Part 8 | Part 9| Part 10 | Part 11 | Part 12 | Part 13 | Part 14 | Part 15 | Part 16 | Part 17 | Part 18 | Part 19 | Part 20 | Part 21 | Part 22 | Part 23 | Part 24 | Part 25 | Part 26 | Part 27

Writer’s note: Oh my word, this chapter turned out way longer than I thought it would!! Didn't think I'd ever get to the stopping point XD 

Slight NSFW moment included!

Hiccup hadn’t slept this good in-- well, he didn’t know how long. He’d been bewildered yet incredibly aroused by stimulating his wife to the point of pleasure. Astrid had returned the favor, and this time, there was no shame or embarrassment when he came. Seeing Astrid come undone by just the simple act of wiggling his finger had spurred up enough courage to let her do the same for him.

He’d panted her name and seized up at the height of arousal, his seed spilling over onto her hand and his belly. Astrid had been curious about the sticky, white goo that had poured out. She’d stiffed it and rubbed it between her fingers. Hiccup would have probably felt all kinds of shades of embarrassment if he hadn’t collapsed onto his pillow with a hazy contentment about him.

Astrid fetched a wet rag and helped him clean up. Though his cheeks began to flare as she did, it was strangely intimate watching her wipe away the sticky cum from his belly. After the evidence of their activities was gone and clothes were properly replaced, Hiccup curled around Astrid, their bodies melding together. His leg pushed between both of hers, tangling their lower limbs. They couldn’t get close enough to each other.

Hiccup’s cheeks twitched. Nothing was touching him, but as he began to wake, he could feel a presence projected upon his skin. His eyes fluttered open, and through the slits of his vision, he found Astrid leaned inches away gazing at him. Or specifically, at his right cheek.

“What’re you doing?” he croaked out, throat thick from sleep.

“Counting freckles,” Astrid responded as if it was completely obvious.

Hiccup shifted his head, his cheek disappearing into the pillow.

“Hey! Now I lost my place!”

“Opps.” Hiccup closed his eyes again. Memories of the night before floated into his consciousness. He was about to revel in the way Astrid’s hand had stroked him when a pillow smacked him on the side of his head. Hiccup popped one eye open, glaring at his wife through that lop-sided view.

Astrid grinned down at him. “You asked for it.”

Hiccup wasn’t one to back down. He sprang to life, aiming for Astrid’s sides. He’d come to discover her sides were extremely ticklish when worked over the right way. He’d teased her about it one evening in bed, sneaking his hand under her gown and tickling her waist, until she punched him in the gut. This time he launched a full-blown attach.

Astrid squealed – a noise that rarely escaped passed her lips – and thrashed as his fingers danced along the sides of her ribs and waist. She tried smashing his hands against her with her arms, but Hiccup dodged her. He knew she could easily stop him if she wanted to. Astrid seemed to enjoy their little game, even though it left her panting for air and made her cheeks light up.

She finally retaliated, nabbing both his wrists and slamming him back down onto his pillow. She hopped onto his legs and pinned his wrists beside his head. She was leaning over him. Her golden hair framed the sides of her face, a sheer contrast to her flushed cheeks. Her eyes danced with delight and bit of mischievousness. All Hiccup could do was stare at the gorgeous sight filling his view.

All too soon, Astrid sat up still seated on his lap and flexed her muscles. “Victory is mine!”

“Okay, you win, Buffstrid,” Hiccup tossed out with a laugh. Even though he’d given her the glory, Hiccup knew he’d been the one to win and his reward was being pinned down by his hot wife.

Astrid snorted at the nickname he’d given her. She wiggled a little on his lap, a slightly bemused look on her face. Hiccup shut his eyes, trying to stop a groan from escaping across his parted lips.

She smirked. “Hiccup Haddock,” a faux shocked tone held her voice. “Again? You must have enjoyed last night.”

Eyes still screwed shut, Hiccup couldn’t help the little whimper when Astrid wiggled against him. She knew how to be a torturous little vixen. “It happens. In the morning.”

Something dawned on her face. “Is that why you’re always up before me?”

Hiccup bit his bottom lip before squeaking out, “Maybe.”

Astrid leaned over him, pinning his wrists that hadn’t moved from where she’d left them on the pillow. Hiccup’s heart began to speed up at the sight of her filling his view, a luscious little smirk playing on her lips. “We don’t have dragon training this morning, which means we can fly Toothless farther today. And—”

Astrid closed the gap between them, lowering into a tender kiss that made Hiccup’s heart melt. She disconnected with a little pop, Hiccup chasing after her for as far as his neck could reach.

“I can take care of this—” she slid her belly on his harden length to emphasize the word, “for you.”

Hiccup released a ragged breath. He held back a deafening scream of YES and settled for a more suave approach. “Whatever you wish, milady.”

***

Toothless was especially anxious to get into the air. He’d bounded up to them in greeting, barely receiving any scratches before he nudged Hiccup up into the saddle. The dragon was always ready to go for a flight, but he was almost to the point of impatient today.

They climbed into the saddle after Hiccup had inspected the rigging while Astrid slung the saddlebags over Toothless’ barrel back. “Let’s go, bud,” Hiccup said, and they shot off at a record speed.

Hiccup had planned to travel due South, but Toothless had been insistent to journey North West. Hiccup went along with his dragon’s decision. Toothless had an opinion too. He was an individual as much as Hiccup was, so Hiccup let the dragon choose this time.

They flew for a few hours only encountering sea stacks and small sporadic islands, not even big enough to take an hour to trek. Toothless soared particularly fast as if he were on a mission. When Hiccup leaned over Toothless’ ear to ask where they were going, the dragon warbled and pointed his nose straight ahead.

“Do you think he’s bringing us somewhere in particular?” Astrid asked close to Hiccup’s ear. Her arms had alternated between being wrapped around his waist to clutching his shoulders to resting on her legs. Currently, they were snaked along his waist.

“With the way he’s acting, I think he does.”

They traveled for another half an hour when they spotted a grey mass looming across the horizon. The closer they flew the easier it was to see it was a wall of dense fog that stretched for miles with no end in sight. As they quickly approached, Astrid gasped and leaned into Hiccup’s back, “This must be Helheim’s Gate.”

“I think you’re right, and it’s exactly where Toothless is taking us.”

Hiccup’s blood ran cold as they crossed the veil into the unknown. Just like the edge of the map where the world ends and monsters lurk, there was no guarantee that they’d escape the world inside the perpetual fog. Toothless was on a mission, and Hiccup trusted his dragon to bring them safely through. It was everything else within the veil that he worried him.

The pressure around his middle increased as Astrid pressed into his back, melding them together. Toothless swooped this way and that, dodging jagged rock formations and Viking long boat figureheads jutting up like a dragon frozen in the icy mist. Hiccup wasn’t sure how long they had flown through the veil. With the sun hidden away, there was no way of telling. Minutes or an hour could have passed. The moisture of the fog dampened their clothing and left an icy chill on their skin. Astrid remained against him, barely shifting. Her chin dug into his shoulder guard, but Hiccup didn’t have the heart to let her know it was causing an ache. She was just as nervous about this venture as he was, and if her position gave her any comfort, he’d live with the shoulder ache.

Like a curtain that had been rent in two, they suddenly broke through the veil of fog. Hiccup’s eyes widened at the sight up ahead. Protruding from the sea was a massive rock formation that pierced the sky with jagged spikes. A reddish gleam spewed from the top, casting flickering shadows in the air. A narrow stream of lava escaped from a crack and spilled in a slow line down the side of the mountain. Toothless flew toward what Hiccup guessed was a volcano (he’d heard of volcanos but had yet to see one with his own eyes) and touched down on the rocky shore surrounding it. The fog was less dense at the base, but a thin layer still hung around their legs.

Toothless looked back at them and warbled, Hiccup taking that as a suggestion to dismount. “Where are we, bud?” Hiccup asked as if his dragon could give him an answer.

“Wherever we are,” Astrid said in a voice barely above a whisper, “I don’t think we’re supposed to be here.” She looped her arm around his, keeping close.

An eeriness clung to the air sending an involuntary shiver up Hiccup’s spine. Neither of them assumed they’d need a weapon. If they needed defending, Toothless could easily blast whatever threat it was with his firepower. This place wasn’t just a random island to explore. This place seemed like a forbidden kingdom they had no right setting foot on. Even Hiccup wished he had his sword.

They’d flown for hours. Hiccup was positive Toothless had wished to bring them here. Maybe it was his home island where he had been born. Maybe there was a family of Night Furies that was kin to Toothless and were awaiting his return. Hiccup hadn’t thought much of where his dragon had come from. Toothless had never acted anxious to leave the island of Berk. Until today.

“Toothless, are you sure about this?” Hiccup reached for the saddle to sling his leg over the dragon’s back, to have that security of a quick getaway, but Toothless pulled away. He snuffed at them through his nostrils then tilted his head upwards, releasing a roar that echoed off the volcano.

A nail-biting moment passed and then a responding roar rang out from the mountain, shaking rocks out of place sending them tumbling down to the pebbled shore. Hiccup and Astrid drew closer to Toothless’ side, Astrid clutching his shoulders in a vice grip. From a hole inside the mountain emerged a dark stream of dragons. A larger species, possibly a Monstrous Nightmare, led a rain of dragons of all different species. In formation, they pointed up toward the sky then downwards, soaring straight for them. Astrid’s grip had moved to clutching the straps of his shoulder guards, tightening the restraints on his chest. Hiccup kept his hand ready to grab Toothless’ saddle if they needed to make a hasty getaway.

The band of dragons touched down in a powerful swoosh of wings and claws crunching rocks. The Monstrous Nightmare, who was clearly the leader of the band, glared ominously at them through his bright yellow eyes. His crimson red pattern, streaked with black jetted stripes, gleamed through the hazy air in a wicked display.

A chill crawled up Hiccup’s spine. This wasn’t the Nightmare they’d befriended in the arena. This was a wild dragon from an island that was most likely it’s home; it’s territory to defend and tear apart anything that trespassed. The Nightmare’s clan seemed ready to do just that if the dragon gave the command.

Toothless grunted and warbled at the Nightmare as if he were explaining something. He flicked his tail, showing the band of dragons his prosthetic. The Nightmare snorted in response. He glanced up at the volcano as if checking to see if any other dragons were watching. Then the larger dragon switched its gleaming eyes back to the two human invaders. He narrowed his gaze at them. Hiccup instinctively stepped back only to push into Astrid’s chests. He could feel her rapid heartbeat through both their shirts.

Toothless glanced back at them, and nudged Hiccup encouragingly with his nose. Hiccup looked at his dragon with eyes blown wide, all his recent life choices banging around in his head. Toothless had brought him here for a purpose. If he was going to befriend dragons and bring peace to Berk, he’d have to take this next step. He’d place his full trust in his best friend and in the wild dragon standing before him. Change did not come without risk. He just hoped Astrid wouldn’t leave this place on Toothless’ back as a widow.

With his brow furrowed in determination, Hiccup moved to take a step forward, only to be stopped by the tug of his shoulder guard straps.

“Hiccup,” Astrid’s shaky voice whispered close to his ear.

“It’ll be okay, Astrid,” he reassured, firmly. She was always strong for him; it was his turn to be strong for her. Hesitantly, she released his straps, her trust placed in him that he was doing the right thing.

Hiccup approached the Nightmare, hand outstretched and heart slamming into his ribcage. The Nightmare stood still, its warm breath leaving moisture on Hiccup’s chilled skin. Hiccup paused right before making contact with the dragon’s snout. He turned his head and closed his eyes and waited an eternity for the uncertainty to end. His heart ceased to beat as heated scales pressed into his palm. He barely registered Astrid’s gasp over the flood of his heart pumping again.

Hiccup dared to look at the Nightmare, it’s glowing yellow orbs piercing his soul. It’d worked. This wild dragon that he’d never seen in his life had offered an olive branch of friendship to him without any qualms.

The Nightmare pulled back, its eyes snapping open and grunted several times at Toothless. With that, the Nightmare gave a low, rumbling roar and the band of anxious dragons took to the air. Their large form disappeared back into a hole in the mountain. A long beat of silence lingered as they watched the band leave.

“What was that?” Hiccup jumped as Astrid’s voice sliced the thick quiet.

“I’m not sure.” Toothless had brought them here for a purpose. Hiccup guessed it was up to him to figure it out.

Toothless warbled intently at them, nodding for them to climb on. The Night Fury was off like a shot barely before both teens had hit the saddle. Astrid yelped as they zoomed off, her arms clinging to Hiccup again. They reached upwards then disappeared back into the veil of fog that seemed to perpetually shroud the volcanic island. They’d flown for at least five minutes when Toothless made a wide circle back around.

“Toothless, why’re we going back?” Hiccup asked. He wasn’t quite sure how far they’d traveled.

The swish of many wings suddenly surrounded them. Claws as long as both Hiccup and Astrid were tall, swung close to their heads, and a Monstrous Nightmare flew into view directly in front of them. The squawk of a Nadder rang out beside them as Toothless dodged another in-coming dragon.

“Get down!” Hiccup hissed at the sight of a Hideous Zippleback just a wingspan away from them. In it’s talon was a plump sheep. A plump, dead sheep. The dragon’s two heads narrowed their gazes at them but made no effort to attack.

Shapes of dragons littered the fog all around them. Dozens upon dozens of them. All carrying something in their claws. Something dead.

“What’s going on?” Astrid asked, sandwiching Hiccup between her and Toothless’ neck.

Hiccup knew exactly what was going on. A raid had happened, and he wondered if Berk had been the target. “It looks like they’re hauling in their kill.”

Astrid’s disquietude raised his concern. “Then what does that make us?”

Tags:  @martabm90​ @chiefhiccstrid @drchee5e @celtictreemuffin @hey-its-laura-again

***

Note: This chapter is the start of a turning point with the dragons. I've been sitting on it for a few days after finishing bc I wanted to make sure this is how I wanted the storyline with the dragons proceed. Big things are coming!!

[halcyon-travesty-blog]

I HAVE SEEN THE NEW DRAGONS MOVIE!!!

I’ve just seen what might be the best movie ever (I don’t live in the States so earlier release!!) and need to process my emotions and discuss discussable points through this rant post, so fairly obvious warning: 

SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING SPOILER WARNING

Alright, you have been warned. 

PS: an edited, spoiler-free version may be posted later

THE HIDDEN WORLD IS AMAZING! Such a beautiful story, a more-than-fitting conclusion to the epic tale of dragons, vikings, love, loss, leadership, growing up, acceptance, strength, becoming who you were always meant to be, and, perhaps most importantly, learning to let go and stand on your own.

I’ll try and sort aspects of the movie by paragraph but this is pretty much just a therapeutic emotional outpouring so here we go. 

First cab off the rank (although it may be obvious), the animation was incredible. The village, the Hidden World, every island and ship and dragon and outfit enriched with vivid colour and intricate detail. The outfits were a particular highlight for me (a la my post a few months ago about their battle suits - they look even better on the big screen); even the updates for characters like Valka and Eret were great. The obvious question I guess is: was the Hidden World itself worth it? A HUGE YES. I thought maybe it would remind me of another other-worldly movie (e.g. James Cameron’s Avatar), but it didn’t; all I could think about was how beautiful the world’s design was, with all the colours and lights, waterfalls and chasms and crystals and, of course, dragons. 

Grimmel was a good villain, nothing ridiculously ground-breaking or whatever, but not a bad bad guy by any means in my opinion. There were also three warlords who had employed him whose roles were very minor and pretty much just a way for him to discover that (prank!) he hadn’t killed all the Night Furies after all. The movie isn’t really about the villain though, he’s more of a plot advancer, a catalyst if you will. 

The Stoick and lil baby Hiccup flashbacks are gorgeous and serve almost as a form of conscience and inspiration for Hiccup: a monologue on love (sparked by a cute “are you gonna get us a new mom?”) that Hiccup recalls when considering letting Toothless go be with his love, the Light Fury, is particularly poignant. 

The Dragon Riders are wonderful and hilarious once again, and a particular highlight of the movie for me was how they were learning to work together more, a la Race to the Edge, especially (sobs) without their dragons. Astrid and Hiccup have many great moments together once again. For those wondering who won between Rufflout and Rufflegs: Ruffnut says she can’t choose between Snotlout’s ego (“I don’t know if he’ll ever love me more than he’ll love himself) and Fishlegs’s meek nerdiness, but at the Hiccstrid wedding says (or maybe jokes) that she chooses Fishlegs because she “likes sensitive guys.” The replacement of TJ Miller is nothing to worry about: it’s noticeable if you listen closely, but definitely not a problem. Ruffnut’s prisoner monologue is a comedic highlight, Tuffnut’s “boy talks” in regard to marriage! (more on that later) are also great, Fishlegs is pretty much just Fishlegs and Snotlout’s banter with Eret and Valka are fun. Our teenage adventurers have grown up, and with growing up comes responsibility, something I’ll explore more in...

Mature Chief Issues (TM)! Hiccup is a young chief with many balls to juggle: raiding trapper ships and rescuing dragons, a dragon overpopulation crisis on Berk, managing viking and dragon priorities, his relationship with Astrid (and the possibility of marriage), threats from enemies across the seas (and the target he has inadvertently made Berk), the legacy of his father (considered one of the greatest chiefs of all time), and (perhaps most importantly) his own self-esteem, acceptance and self-worth, fundamentally the question of his worth without Toothless. This is one of the reasons why I (and many others I suspect) love this franchise so: it deals with mature issues like responsibility and leadership in a meaningful and realistic way. When Hiccup says they’re all going to pack up and leave in search of the Hidden World, he faces opposition and doubt, and as the film progresses he must further contend with the conflict with Grimmel (and events such as Ruffnut getting left behind at the base) and Toothless’s budding relationship with the Light Fury. 

A lot of people have been complaining that the Light Fury has been ‘feminised’, and that she shouldn’t look like she does from a zoological standpoint. I read a particularly good post a while ago by a tumblr user who was a zoologist or something like that (no disrespect intended, just can’t remember exactly); if you can find it I recommend the read. I agree with the points made in those arguments, but can’t help thinking that her design is beautiful, and her personality is definitely not weakened. She glistens in the moonlight and fights with incredible strength and can turn invisible at will for goodness sake. Their love is sweet and wholesome and makes for a breathtaking flight sequence and a funny scene reminiscent of the Hiccup-Toothless bonding and drawing scene in HTTYD1. The dragon babies are cute (although I don’t understand why they’re each blotchy black and white when Night and Light Furies are apparently the same species, so therefore based on gender the kids should be one or the other, but anyway) and the Light Fury provides Toothless with someone to spend his life with in the Hidden World when the dragons go away.

Yes, it happens. We knew it would. “There were dragons when I was a boy” sent me into a flurry of tears, and Hiccup and Toothless’s reunion with their kids at the end of the movie was...I don’t really know what to say. But I’m getting ahead of myself here. The dragons go because, as Hiccup says, “The world doesn’t deserve you”. More enemies would rise to fill Grimmel’s place, and dragons will never be truly safe unless they disappear. I think most movie-goers will know deep down that humans and dragons aren’t going to end up living in the Hidden World together like Hiccup suggests; it is, quite simply, not meant to be. Toothless leaving allows him to complete his journey of becoming, in terms of being an alpha and literally standing (flying) on his own (with a self-functioning prosthetic tail). Toothless leaving is also the final step in Hiccup’s becoming, as he learns that he is strong, can stand on his own and lead, even without his faithful dragon by his side. It is hard, as Astrid says, but he can do it, because he has always been a great viking, and has the support of his friends and family. Letting go takes courage and maturity, but can sometimes be the only way you can become who you are meant to be. Hiccup and Toothless’s parallel journeys are truly something to behold. There is a lot more I would like to say on this, but at the current moment I believe I lack the eloquence to do so. In summary, the moment is beautiful and everything you don’t want it to be. 

On a happier note, THERE’S A HICCSTRID WEDDING!!!!!!! Following much jest and uncertainty (aka foreshadowing) throughout the film, Hiccup and Astrid have a beautiful winter wedding with the whole village present. Gobber cries, Snotlout cries, Fishlegs cries, I cry, you cry, everyone cries. Astrid’s hair is left down, the bride and groom wear white (don’t think vikings actually did wear white but they look awesome so whatever), there’s a couple of traditional viking things and then comes love then comes marriage then comes BABY IN A BABY CARRIAGE!!!!

The auburn-haired girl, perhaps 7 or 8 years old, and the blond-haired boy, maybe 5 or 6, joined their mother and (bearded!) father on an unexplained boat journey to the entrance to the Hidden World, where they meet up with Toothless, the Light Fury and their children and we come full circle, with the kids holding out their hands and Toothless leaning in, an image we know and love all too well. They fly together, we the audience are promised that dragons did exist and may return someday when the world is worthy of them, and the movie ends. 

One of my favourite things about this franchise will always be its maturity and the beauty in simplicity (aka a story of growing up and letting go). I can tell you from the bottom of my heart that this is one of the most beautiful movies I have ever seen and I literally feel privileged to have experienced this story. I cannot recommend it enough and intend to see it again sometime in the next week. More posts and analysis and etcetera will come (apologies for the hiatus - exams and Christmas and yes hectic), especially after it is released in more countries, and I hope everyone loves this film as much as I did. 

[wolfie-dragon-rider]

Bursts of Light, Day 19: In Formal Wear

Another one with the kids! This one takes place when Thora is 12, and Clay is 10. Hiccup and Astrid are in their early thirties.

Also, thank you very much for the reviews and comments! They help a lot in getting me to write this!

--------------------------------

"But Mooooooooom! I don't like this dress! It's so itchy and frilly!" Thora shouted, and Hiccup involuntarily smiled. His little girl was so much like her mother.

Still, she would have to wear the dress for a few hours. It was expected for such an occasion. Hiccup had often wished he could see his family, and although he knew that he never would, that didn't mean he didn't want as many other people as possible to see how amazing they were. Even people dozens or hundreds of years from now.

"Come on, Thora. It's just for today. Don't you want to look pretty?" he asked, kneeling to get little Nadder, Quickclaw, screeched and flapped his wings, flying right past Hiccup's face to land on Thora's shoulder where he often perched. Honestly the dragon was getting too big and heavy for it, but Thora insisted she could still carry him.

"What's wrong with my normal clothes? They're comfy! Who cares about looking pretty if I can't breathe in this?!" she said loudly, and Astrid sighed, her knees hitting the floor with a soft thud.

"Oh, it's not that bad. It's a very roomy dress. Look, I get how you feel. I don't like long dresses or frilly stuff either. But when people hundreds of years from now look at our portrait, do you really want them to see you covered in mud and in torn clothes? You still look strong in this outfit. Even more so, I'd say. Look, the bare sleeves show off your muscled arms!" Astrid laughed.

"I don't look strong despite this fancy outfit. And I have to have big puffy pants to hide my cast. At least when people look at you they see someone who can stand on their own," Claybones muttered from his nearby chair. Hiccup frowned as he turned towards his son. The boy had just turned 10, and was getting moodier and moodier. At least he wasn't complaining too much about today's activities.

"Yeah, but you're not the future chief. People won't care about how you look," Thora shot back, and Astrid sighed. Clay's dragon, a Woolly Howl hatchling called Thinker, growled from his spot on the young boy's lap. Quickclaw screeched back, leading to Hiccup quickly jumping in between.

"That's enough, both of you. None of us are perfect, and the goal isn't to look perfect. The goal is to simply record the people we are right now," he said, hoping to defuse an argument before it started.

Thora and Clay had been very hostile towards each other lately. Hiccup suspected Thora was taking out the stress she got from puberty and the pressure of being the heir on her little brother who didn't have as many responsibilities, while Clay was hurting from an increasingly broken body. They hadn't really talked about it openly yet, but it was becoming clear that the dozens of fractures over the years were weakening his limbs. His legs were misshapen from all those splints and hastily set bones, and could bear less weight even when the fractures were healed. He was completely unable to run by now, and would often use a crutch while walking.

It was only late at night that he whispered about his fears with Astrid, talking about when his boy would have to use a wheelchair permanently.

Hiccup wondered if Clay knew about it. It was almost scary how perceptive and smart the quiet boy was. Unlike his father, however, he applied his intellect to observing people, learning secrets and mannerisms, figuring out their hopes and fears just by looking at them. So it was difficult to hide their worry from him.

Thora was the opposite, always rushing headlong into any situation without bothering to wait and observe. She'd take charge, assuming she knew what was best for everyone, but always somewhat aware of the village's eye on her.

"I still hate this dress," Thora muttered, and Clay scoffed but didn't respond otherwise. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"That'll be Grandma Kirsten. And look, kids, I hate my dress too. And I'm sure your father isn't a big fan of his outfit either. That armor is heavy!" Astrid said, standing up again and walking to the front door.

"She's right. Look, sometimes we have to do things we don't like in the moment, but that'll pay off for the rest of your lives. I never had a portrait like this with my parents. Just the one traditional coming-of-age one with my dad. Because of that painting, and I might add that the process of making it was very painful and involved a fight with Alvin the Treacherous, you two can see what your grandfather looked like. And what I looked like as a kid. But you'll never be able to see your grandma Valka again, because there is no portrait of her," Hiccup said as Astrid opened the door for her mother.

"So if you want to show your kids, or even your grandkids one day, what we looked like and where you came from, I'd suggest you stop complaining and get ready for the painter. He came all the way from London, you know," Hiccup's tone was harsher than he normally used with his children, but he didn't want them to miss the opportunities he never had.

"Exactly. There's no portrait of your Grandpa Tolfdir either. Nor of me, that's why I'm here today. And I know your father doesn't like to talk about it, but keep in mind that he will never be able to see this portrait, just like he can't see the portrait he made with Stoick. He knows better than anyone how important being able to see other people is. So you might want to think about that," Kirsten added, pushing a silk tunic in his hands.

Both the children went quiet at that. Knowing Kirsten would watch them, Hiccup went to the bedroom with Astrid to change.

"I'm sorry they're being difficult," Astrid said, and he sighed, taking off his regular shirt to put on the fine tunic.

"No, they're just… growing up. It's not easy being that age. But at least they're getting more opportunities and chances than we did. Even if they don't always understand why," he said as Astrid put his chestplate on him and latched the straps around his arms.

"You're always so understanding. I love them always with all my heart, but some days I don't… like them very much, you know? But then they smile and play and talk and I instantly forgive them," she whispered.

"And that's why we're doing this. So those smiles will be immortalized forever," he said, putting on his ridiculous silver vambraces.

"Exactly. So let's get back there before they start another fight," Astrid chuckled, fiddling with his armor for a bit before leaving the room again. Hiccup smiled, following.

"And so the prince and princess of France stood together as the evil warlord approached!" Kirsten was in the middle of a story when there was another knock on the door.

"Ah, that'll be the painter. Get ready everyone! Dragons as well!" Hiccup said, walking to the door and letting the man in. "Welcome, Master Frost. I hope we'll all fit on the canvas!"

Mr. Frost hesitated for a moment, but then Toothless and Stormfly pushed him inside in their eagerness to join the family. A yelp escaped the man, though at least he didn't run. Better than some dignitaries Hiccup had met.

"Uhhhm, let's see how we'll do this. Alright, boy, girl, you at the front. Chief Haddock, behind the girl please, and the Lady Astrid behind the boy's chair. Ah, Lady Kirsten, it's so good to see you again! You will be joining the picture as well? Next to Astrid would work best, probably," the painter said, fussing over them when they moved into position. Hiccup's hands on Thora's shoulders, Astrid's axe visible next to the chair, Claybones sitting up a little straighter.

"And finally the dragons! This is Toothless, right? He can go next to the chief, and this beautiful Nadder can join the equally beautiful lady. And of course, these little dragons shall join the children. That one on the boy's lap, that'll make him blend in well with the cloth, but still be noticable for the keen observer! Oh, and the little nadder curled around the young lady's neck? Ah yes, very fierce! The yellow hide works well with this red cloth! Now, just hold still!"

Hiccup did his best to keep smiling despite his daughter's dragon's claws gripping his hands. Just a minute in and he could already tell Thora was getting anxious, so he tried to squeeze her shoulders reassuringly.

Toothless crooned at one point, rubbing his face against Hiccup's side and earning himself a light scolding from the painter, but mostly the dragons and people were all on their best behavior.

"How does it look?" Hiccup asked Mr. Frost when they stopped for a break, stepping around the canvas he couldn't see.

"Oh, you have a lovely family, sir. Though I could tell the girl was getting… annoyed. Hence the break. But my sketches are all done, and now I can start the base layer of paint. After that I can finish it on my own, so you won't have to pose anymore," he said, and Hiccup nodded. Faint shouts came in through the window from where Thora was running around the house with Quickclaw.

"What kinds of paint do you use? This red is richer than anything I've managed to mix," Clay asked, the click of his clutches accompanying every step.

Hiccup stepped back a bit to let his son talk to the painter. Clay had been discovering a talent for art over the last few years, and he would often spend entire days drawing and painting. Hiccup just wished he could see what it was. His son always became defensive when he asked, so he decided not to push too much.

"You okay?" Astrid softly asked, sitting down next to him and grabbing his hand.

"Yeah, just… thinking about how happy I am we got to do this today. And how lucky I am with the family I have," he whispered with a smile.

"We are. Even if I sometimes want to scream in frustration at them," Astrid chuckled. As they spoke, Thora ran back inside, and Clay wrote down everything the painter explained about his process. Hiccup could almost picture in his head what the scene looked like. It stung that he would never see the ones he loved so much, but this portrait was close enough.

Even if they had to wear these awful outfits for it.

[thepurplewriter333]

"I told you," Hiccup huffed, struggling to sit up in bed. "I'm fine."

Astrid placed a fake smile on her lips, rolling her eyes. "Sure you are! That's why you're burning up all over, and have thrown up three times already today. Come on, face it, Hiccup- you're sick!"

"I'm not sick," Hiccup muttered. "Just... just..."

"Ooh ooh!" Tuff cried from the other side of the room. "Just what? Ugh, don't tell me... how many guesses do we get?"

Astrid put a hand on her hip. "Tuff, this is serious. We don't know what Hiccup is sick with, and if there's some type of cure we need to get... Tuffnut, are you even listening to a word I'm saying? Tuffnut!"

Tuffnut was not listening to Astrid at all. In fact, he was mimicking how Astrid was acting to Ruffnut, and the twins laughed to themselves. "I'm Astrid," Tuffnut mocked, swaggering around. "I want everyone to do exactly what I say, and when I say it. Na na na..."

Astrid was ready to draw her axe, but Heather interceded. "Come on, guys. Hiccup's sick. At least show a little compassion."

Hiccup groaned, sinking into his bed covers. "Not sick..."

"Based on your symptoms so far, you are," Fishlegs said, adding a little whimper at the end like he was afraid to break the news. "But with what, though?"

Snotlout crossed his arms. "Probably just a little cold. Leave it to Hiccup to get this sick!"

Hiccup sat up. "For the last time, guys, I'm not-" His face suddenly turned an ugly shade of green. "I need a bucket," he gasped, clutching his stomach. "Now."

Astrid, knowing what he meant, was on him in an instant. She grabbed the bucket she had washed out earlier from the doorway, and ran over to Hiccup, placing it under his chin. The boy convulsed, throwing up once... twice… and then three times.

"Oh, man, he really is sick!" Snotlout laughed. "Wow!"

Astrid shot him a glare, angry with him for laughing at a thing like this. "Was that not clear already?" When Snotlout silenced, she returned her attention to Hiccup. She winced at the sight of him now. He looked dangerously pale at the moment, and was shaking all over. "Hiccup? You okay?" she asked.

Hiccup looked up at her with a dazed expression. "Hot," he managed out, right before his eyes rolled into the back of his head and he passed out.

The group gasped, and Astrid yelled, "Hiccup!", catching his head.

"Oh Thor," Fishlegs murmured, a hand flying to his mouth. "Oh Thor, oh Thor..."

Tuffnut looked amazed. "Woah! He like totally passed out!"

"I want to do it too!" Ruffnut declared, stomping her foot down. "Why can't we be sick, too? Hiccup gets all the fun! He's always being kidnapped, wounded, or knocked out. He never lets any of us have a chance." She huffed, annoyed.

"Uh, shouldn't we do something?" Heather asked, worried. "Something is most definitely wrong with Hiccup. Why'd he pass out like that all the sudden?"

Astrid bit her lip, slowly lying Hiccup down on his bed. "Guys, be quiet. Hiccup… he's not waking up… Hiccup! Come on..."

Everyone in the room silenced, watching their unconscious friend with wide eyes. But one minute later, the limp boy groaned, eyelids flickering until they completely opened up. But Hiccup's normal, healthy green eyes were now doused with fever, and he looked very confused when he saw Astrid leaning over him. "What... what happened?"

"You passed out," the girl explained, stroking his arm. "Moving around must have put too much stress on your fever. So no more of that, okay? Gods, I knew you were sick..."

Hiccup cocked his head. "Me? Sick? Nah, I'm not sick. I feel fine! I feel... amazing!" He sat up, stretching while smiling. "Now, let's go troll-hunting before the vermin steal our left socks!" He giggled, and swung his legs over the side of the bed, standing up shakily. "Who's ready to go? I know I am!"

Astrid rushed over, and forced him to sit down. "Hiccup! What's going on?" she scolded. "This is no time for jokes!"

Laughing, Hiccup fell backwards on his bed. "I want to go outside!" he yelled excitedly, fists pumping in the air. "And then I can ride my dragon and we can obliterate everything in our path! KAPOW! KAPOW! KAPOW!" He demonstrated by pretending to pound the air.

Fishlegs looked nervous. "Guys… I think I know what Hiccup's sick with."

"Oh no," Heather breathed. "I've heard of this…. But he can't have-"

"Eel pox?" Astrid interrupted, marching up to Fishlegs. "But how? There hasn't been an outbreak of that for years! Why would Hiccup get it, and why wouldn't we?"

Fishlegs shrugged. "I really don't know. I'd have to do some tests, but-"

"KKAAAAAAAPOOOWWWW!" screamed Hiccup, sitting up straight in bed. The riders were startled by the loud sound, and swerved over to him. Hiccup was beaming at the attention. "KAPOW KAPOW KAPOW KAPOW!"

Ruffnut broke into a grin. "Yes! Hiccup's at last come to join Loki's side!"

Tuffnut wiped an imaginary tear away from his eye. "I always knew this day would come…"

"Guys, focus," Astrid pressed, annoyed. "We need to get the cure for him, and soon."

Tuffnut scratched the back of his head. "I don't know, Astrid… I kind of like this new Hiccup!" He turned to the other boy, who was currently sitting up in bed, watching them with fascination. Tuffnut grinned. "How about some explosions? Huh, H?"

Hiccup nodded enthusiastically.

Astrid smacked her forehead. "Okay, okay… let me think… okay. Heather, you and Fishlegs go get the cure for Hiccup's Eel Pox. Fishlegs, you remember the ingredients of the cure, right?"

Fishlegs whimpered. "Yes, I have an excellent memory, but-"

"Good," Astrid cut in, already moving back over to Hiccup. "You'll have to go to Healer's Island and Eel Island to get all the herbs, and then bring them back here as soon as you can. Hiccup obviously needs the cure soon as possible."

Heather nodded, rearing to go. "Of course." She looked over at Fishlegs. "All right, are you ready to leave now?"

"Uhhh…" Fishlegs swallowed. "Yeah. Okay. For Hiccup."

Smiling, Heather slowly made her way over to the door. "Then come on," she said. "We don't want Hiccup getting any worse." She grinned supportively over at Astrid.

Astrid smiled back, and nodded.

"Well, we'll be off now!" the black haired girl announced, hopping onto Windshear who awaited outside Hiccup's hut. "And we're not coming back without the cure."

Fishlegs climbed aboard Meatlug, grimacing. "Yeah… bye guys." He gulped.

The two riders nudged their dragons to take off, and soon they were flying away in the bright morning sky, leaving the others behind.

Astrid put her hands on her hips once they were gone, watching the giggling Hiccup who was rolling around in his bed. She sighed, wringing her hands together. "All right, guys… this shouldn't be too hard, right? We've dealt with sickness before."

Snotlout snorted, crossing his arms. "Yeah. Like we'd want to deal with Eel Pox again." He shivered. "There's some things I remember about that day when all of Berk got it, and none of it is good."

"Well," Astrid groaned. "Isn't this going to be fun?" She looked over at Hiccup, who was lying down in bed, staring at the ceiling with wide eyes. She pursed her lips. "Hiccup, what are you doing?"

A smile twitched at the boy's lips, and he pointed to the place he was looking at. "I see the stars above!" he grinned. "So many stars… so many!"

Astrid ran a hand down her face. Maybe this wouldn't be as simple as she had expected.

---------

The first person to take care of Hiccup was Astrid. She had insisted that everyone take a turn watching him for a few hours a day until he got the cure, and reluctantly all the riders had agreed.

When Astrid arrived at Hiccup's hut with a bucket of water and a rag to keep down his fever, Hiccup was quiet and shivering. "Hey, you okay?" she asked, dropping the water bucket on the floor next to his bed. "You don't look so good."

Hiccup moaned, turning over in bed. "I'm cold…"

Astrid grimaced, and nodded. "I'll get you a blanket, then." She was about to go to the end of his bed to grab one, but Hiccup said something else before she could have the chance to.

"Astrid?"

"Yes, Hiccup?"

Hiccup shivered. "Can you… can you cuddle with me?"

Nearly bursting, Astrid's face turned scarlet. "Cuddle? Hiccup-!" She stopped before she could go any further. It's just his fever talking, she told herself, fists clenching. He'd never say that to me if he was feeling well. It's not his fault, Astrid… he's delirious...

"No, Hiccup," she told him, wincing. "If I… um… cuddle with you, I might catch Eel Pox as well. And who would take care of you then?"

Hiccup stopped rolling around, and looked up at her with those shining green eyes, now full of hurt. He coughed, about to protest, when he noticed a lock of his brown hair hanging down in front of his face. He cocked his head, intrigued. "Hmmm... Astrid? Why do I have fuzzy hair and you have straight?"

Astrid was confused at Hiccup's sudden change of conversation, but she shrugged, going along with it. "I don't know… genes?"

Hiccup sat up in bed, sweating all over from both the high fever and excitement. "Genes... genes... wait. Do you… do you mean genies?"

"Genies?" Astrid frowned. "Hiccup, what-"

Hiccup grabbed a piece of his hair, and closed his eyes. "I wish… I wish…" His eyelids shot open with exhilaration. "I wish I could become a dragon!" He waited happily for a change to come while Astrid face palmed herself.

"Hiccup, you're not-"

Hiccup began to flap his arms, smiling. "Rawwwrr! I'm a dragon," he growled, looking over at Toothless. "I can fly!"

Astrid sighed. "Hiccup, no you can't."

Even more propelled than before, Hiccup swung his arms around and around until he fell out of the bed, face flat on the floor. He giggled. "I flllleeewwwwwwwwwwwwww, Astrid…. I ffflllleeeewwwwww!"

Toothless gave Astrid a questioning look, and Astrid shrugged. "Come on, dragon boy, let's get you back into bed for you get any sicker…"

Hiccup shook his head, his nose being flattened against the floor. "No! I want to fly again!" He started to spread his arms out and then back in, like he was making snow angels- except, on the floor. "See? I'm flllyyyyyyiiiiiinnnnnggggg!" he laughed.

Astrid sighed, putting her hands on her hips.

It was going to be a long day.

------------

The next person to take care of Hiccup was- unfortunately- Snotlout. The beefy boy couldn't say he was happy about this arrangement, but it was either that or facing Astrid's axe.

He quickly chose the first option.

Snotlout sighed, watching Hiccup stare up at the ceiling from his spot on the bed. Hiccup didn't exactly look like he needed anything at the moment… maybe he could sneak out and let his cousin be for now… yeah. And so Snotlout was just about to slip out of his room and go destroy things with Hookfang, when Hiccup coughed.

"Snotlout? I'm thirsty… can you get me a water?"

Groaning, Snotlout paused in his footsteps. "Fine, fine…" He looked around the room for a water cup, and saw one sitting on Hiccup's desk. He hastily grabbed it and walked over to the other boy. "Here, drink up. I haven't got all day…"

Hiccup coughed once, grabbing the cup from Snotlout. He held it up to his lips, and there was the slurping, the swallowing, and the gulping before he was finished. "Thanks," he slurred, handing the cup back to Snotlout.

Snotlout took the cup away, and placed it on Hiccup's desk. "Uh, sure, cuz. Whatever."

There was silence for a moment, and then Hiccup closed his eyes. Snotlout smiled, backing away. If Hiccup was asleep, then maybe he had a chance of getting out of this stupid babysitting job. But just as he edged near the door again, his cousin's eyes opened, and he coughed.

"Snotlout..."

Snotlout groaned. "What?"

"I'm thirsty... can you get me a water?"

"Hiccup, you just... you... argh!" Snotlout exclaimed, rolling his eyes. He kicked the side of the room.

"Snotlout?"

"What?!"

"I'm thirsty. Can you get me a water?"

"Arrrghh!"

------------

After Snotlout's unlucky dilemma, it was Tuff's turn to take care of Hiccup. And boy, was he excited. "Hiccup!" Tuffnut cried, climbing up to Hiccup's loft in excitement. "What do you want to do first, H? Huh? Explosions? Pranks? Ooh ooh, we can we destroy Fishlegs' hut since he's gone?

Hiccup moaned, rolling over in bed. "Tired..."

Tuffnut froze in his tracks, face falling. "Aw, no, Hiccup! You're-you're fine! Come on. Let's explode something!"

Grunting, Hiccup shook his head, eyes closed. "I think I'm going to... be going to sleep now." He paused. "Tuff... can you- can you read me a story?"

At this, Tuffnut burst out laughing, wiping tears away from his eyes. "Haha, very funny, Hiccup..."

Hiccup opened his tear-filled eyes, confused. "But… why can't you read me a story?"

"Wait," Tuff said suspiciously, "you're serious?"

Hiccup nodded.

Tuffnut cleared his throat. "Um, okay, then. Whatever makes you happy..." He walked over to Hiccup, and sat down in a chair next to his bed. "Um, so I only know one story: The Little Viking Who Cried Dragon. Is that okay? Or, you know, we could totally go back to destroying stuff if you don't like it."

Hiccup shook his head, defiant. "No! I want a story!" He gave Tuff puppy dog eyes. "Pweeaase...?"

Biting his lip, Tuffnut nodded. "I can't say no to those eyes, can I? So... hmm..." He cleared his throat. "All right. Once upon a Viking time, there was a little boy named, uh... uh..."

Hiccup snuggled deeper under the covers cozily. "Named what?"

"Named... Hic... yeah, Hiccup!" Tuffnut decided, smiling. "Anyways, this little Hiccup wanted attention from the villagers of his island. One night, when he was out on watch for the incoming dragons raids, he cried falsely, 'The dragons are here! The dragons are here!' And the villagers got up from bed to begin fighting, but there were no dragons. Hiccup had lied."

Hiccup started to sob. "I didn't lie, Tuff! I didn't lie!" he exclaimed.

Alarmed, Tuffnut stood up and tried to calm him down. "No, no, it's another Hiccup! Not you!"

Hiccup blinked slowly. "It... it is?" he sniffed.

"Yeah, yeah, of course..." Tuffnut sat back down in his chair, leaning back. "Uh, so, the villagers learned that Hiccup had lied, and they returned to their huts. The next night, Hiccup was put on watch again as well, and the same exact thing happened: Hiccup lied. He had never learned his lesson from the night before."

Except for a tear trickling down his cheek, Hiccup was silent.

"But, the next night Hiccup was put on watch, he did see dragons coming, and shouted to arouse the villagers. But the villagers didn't believe him because of the last few times, and the dragons took him far, far, away." Tuff paused, smiling. "The end!"

Hiccup shook his head sadly. "Poor Hiccup..."

"I guess." Tuffnut shrugged. "So, are you ready to sleep now?"

"No."

Tuff crossed his arms, confused. "Then when will you sleep?"

Hiccup pouted. "I want a story!"

Tuffnut, groaning, sunk down into the chair. Explosions were certainly not going to come any time soon at this rate.

----------------

Ruffnut cracked her knuckles, looking down at Hiccup. "So. I hear you've been pretty difficult today… is that right?"

Hiccup blinked, shifting his position in his bed. "I don't know."

"Oh, so you're playing the 'I don't know' card, now are you?" Ruffnut glared, putting her hands on her hips. "Well, it's not going to work on me! I know when people are lying. And you're lying at this very moment, Hiccup Haddock! So I, Ruffnut Thorston, will figure out the reason behind your actions!" She narrowed her eyes. "Let's begin. Question number one: what is your defense against this accusation?"

Coughing, Hiccup shrugged. "I don't know."

"Of course you don't!" Ruffnut shouted angrily. "They always don't know!"

Hiccup closed his eyes. "I really… don't feel good…" He coughed again weakly, and Ruffnut suddenly noticed, even through her anger, how pale he was getting. Sweat ran down his forehead, trailed down his neck, and was slowly making a small collection on his shoulders. Hiccup grimaced in pain, clutching himself. "I'm… so hot…"

Ruffnut felt a pang of worry starting to grow inside of her. "Are you all right?"

Hiccup turned over in bed, clutching his pillow. "Hot," he repeated again.

"I should go get Astrid," murmured Ruff, backing away. "Okay, Hiccup! I'll be back here soon, don't worry! You'll feel better in no time."

"Hot…"

"Yeah, I know…" Ruffnut turned to Toothless, who was sitting beside Hiccup's bed in concern. The Night Fury rumbled, and Ruff sighed. "Stay here with him, Toothless," she told him. "Don't let him go anywhere, okay? I'll be back soon enough." Toothless whined in agreement, and Ruffnut ran off from Hiccup's quarters, down the ladder to the loft, and out the door. "Astrid!" she yelled, making her way to her friend's hut. "Astrid!" It was quite dark out, and hard to see where she was going, but she managed to make it to the other girl's hut, gasping for air. "Hiccup's really sick now! He needs help!"

Before Ruffnut could even knock, Astrid's door slammed open, revealing a very concerned blonde. "What?" Astrid demanded, grabbing Ruff by the shoulders. "What's wrong with Hiccup?"

The twin, shrugging Astrid off, began to walk back over to Hiccup's hut, nervous. "He keeps on saying he's hot, and now he's sweating a bunch… it doesn't look good."

Astrid's blue eyes filled with worry, and she quickened her pace. "His fever must be rising… we need to get that cure soon, before the fever gets too high, and-" She stopped herself, shaking her head. "For now, all we can do is try and make him comfortable."

Ruff nodded, but was barely following along. "Right."

The two arrived at Hiccup's hut, and panicked, they raced inside. The girls heard groaning from above, making them look up at Hiccup's loft, exchanging worried looks. "Hiccup?!" yelled Astrid, climbing up to his loft. "Hiccup, are you all right?"

When she reached the top, she saw that Hiccup was rolling around in his bed, moaning. His face covered in sweat, and Toothless was trying to comfort him, but Hiccup was too delirious to calm down. "Oh, Hiccup!" Astrid exclaimed, running over to his bed. "You're going to be all right… it's okay…"

"A..std…?" Hiccup mumbled, clutching onto his blankets. "Hot…"

"Yeah, Hiccup. I'm right here. And I'm not going anywhere." Astrid stood by Hiccup's side, bending over to check his forehead temperature. She winced. "Okay, Hiccup. We're going to try to bring down your fever until Fishlegs and Heather get back…"

Hiccup whimpered. "Hot… so hot…"

"I know, I know," Astrid whispered, fetching the water bucket from the floor, along with a rag. "But you'll feel better soon, I promise…"

Ruffnut arrived up at the loft, cocking her head above the floorboards. "What's going on?"

Astrid blew a lock of blonde hair out of her eyes, dipping the rag she was holding in her bucket of water. "I'm trying to cool Hiccup down from his fever… here, you can help. Go and get some more buckets of water- and bring the other riders if you can. We need all the help we can get."

Ruff nodded, surprisingly obedient. "Uh, sure... I'll be back soon, then." And she climbed down once more.

Astrid dabbed at Hiccup's burning forehead with her rag, lips pursed with concern. "You'll be okay, Hiccup," she smiled. "I know you will."

But Hiccup did not even have the strength to reply.

------------------

The next day was extremely hectic, with many errand runs to get more water for Hiccup, or keep a lookout for the much-awaited Heather and Fishlegs.

And Astrid was more frantic than she had ever been before. Hiccup, despite all the riders' hard work, wasn't getting better. In fact, he was getting worse. Nightmares plagued his thoughts at night, making his fevers all the worse, he refused to eat or drink anything, and could barely move at all.

So when Astrid spotted Fishlegs and Heather coming their way the next evening, she was filled with relief. She knew that if Hiccup didn't get the Eel Pox cure soon, he was in big trouble.

"We're back!" Fishlegs cheered, landing with a prominent thud on Meatlug next to Hiccup's hut. Heather and Windshear dropped beside him, looking exhausted and worried.

Astrid raced out of the ground floor of Hiccup's hut, jogging over to the two. "Thank Thor!" she breathed. "Hiccup really needs the cure now. Come on, we have to hurry!"

Fishlegs' eyes widened. "So, I take it he hasn't gotten any better since we left?"

Darkening, Astrid shook her head. "More like a lot worse."

"We have to hurry, then," Heather interrupted, already jumping off of Windshear and walking inside Hiccup's hut. "I have the cure in my satchel. Let's go."

Astrid smiled, following her friend. "Good."

The trio rushed inside, and one by one they made their way up to Hiccup. Snotlout and the twins were busy dunking towels in the water buckets, and they looked up in relief as Heather, Astrid, and Fishlegs came in.

"Well, it's about time!" Snotlout complained, throwing his wet towel down on the floor as he stood up. "I swear, my arms feel like they're about to fall off!"

"Yeah!" Tuffnut agreed, dropping his towel on the ground too. "Hiccup gets so needy when he's sick."

Astrid shot the two boys a death glare. "Hiccup's ill with Eel Pox, guys, and there's still a chance of… of him not making it. So this is no time for self pity, useless complaints, or blaming Hiccup for something he's not even control of!" She turned to Heather, eyes wild with worry. "Okay, now where's the cure?"

Heather grabbed her brown satchel from her side, and dug through it until she fished out a large bottle filled with a dark green liquid. She handed it over to Astrid quickly. "Here it is."

Astrid barely even paused to thank her before she uncorked the bottle, walking over to where Hiccup laid. "Hey, dragon boy?" she began, bringing the medicine closer to him. "You're going to have to drink this, okay?"

Hiccup mumbled something incoherent, his eyes still shut.

Biting her lip, Astrid pressed the bottle's top up to Hiccup's mouth. "All right, drink up."

Hiccup's mouth slightly parted open, and he forced himself to swallow the green liquid. When almost all of it was gone, he pulled away, gagging. "Tastes… awful…," he moaned.

Fishlegs nodded from the corner of the room. "As to be expected."

"How do you feel?" Astrid asked after a moment. "Any better? Worse?"

Hiccup peeked open his green eyes, sparing a glance at her. "I feel… a little better, I think…" He smiled. "Good, the room isn't dancing any more. Good, good, good, good, good…" He trailed off, eyelids closing. "Still hot, though…"

Astrid smirked, relieved. "Yeah, well you'll feel better in the morning, Hiccup.”

Hiccup slowly nodded. "I know," he whispered. "And… and thank you, guys, for all your help. I don't r-remember a lot of what h-happened while I was delirious, but you all helped m-me through it, so thank you."

"Well, don't expect it to happen again!" Snotlout warned. "That was a one time thing. The Snot Master doesn't care for anyone."

He received a punch from Astrid.

Smiling, Hiccup's face relaxed. "See you… all… in the… morning… I guess."

Astrid placed a hand on his shoulder. "We'll see you in the morning too, Hiccup. Now hush and try to go to sleep. You'll need all the strength you can get to recover." She allowed a small grin to appear on her face. "Just don't ever get sick like that again, okay? You really had me worried."

"Okay…"

Then Hiccup's eyes shot open.

"Wait," he said slowly. "If Eel Pox is contagious, and you guys have been hanging around me the whole time, then… then… you all are at risk of catching it!"

"Huh. Now that you mention it, I do feel kind of hot," Snotlout admitted, fanning himself. "Gods, my stomach hurts a little bit too…"

"Oh, no," Fishlegs groaned. "Not again…"

Astrid nodded, heaving a sigh. "Yes, Fishlegs. So... you guys will be off to bring back more of the cure for all of us?"

Heather smacked her forehead. "Oh gods."

"Well, I'll see you two in a few days, I suppose," Astrid chirped, putting her arms around Fishlegs and Heather's shoulders, directing them to the bottom floor. "You better hurry, or else it's going to be a madhouse here when you get back."

"But we just… Hiccup's cured, and…" Fishlegs whimpered. "Ugh, why does it have to be us?"

Astrid shrugged. "Because it is. Now... goodbye!" She laughed, pointing to the door. "Hurry up and get that cure!"

And groaning, Heather and Fishlegs had no choice but to oblige.

Astrid smiled, flexing her fingers. Good. She had avoided another Eel Pox disaster.

She paused.

Right?

---------

Haha, well I hope you enjoyed this long one-shot where Hiccup gets Eel Pox! :D Poor Hiccup, though. (Not XD) If everyone else gets Eel Pox while Fishlegs and Heather are still gone, he’ll have to take care of them :D

Well, hope you liked it!

-thepurplewriter333

[guestbusters-blog1]

Sometimes you don't realize

Just how much you love someone

Until they're gone

------------

"I'll be back in a week," he had told her just a few days ago, preparing to take off on Toothless near the clubhouse. "I can't ignore Dad's birthday… but I can't ignore the Edge's safety, either, so I'm leaving you in charge while I'm gone."

Astrid had felt worried at his leave, and to be honest, sad. She understood why Hiccup had to leave. He loved his father, and wanted to be there for him on his birthday. But Astrid felt uneasy. What if something happened while he was gone? What if he crash landed with Toothless on a deserted island and no one knew? What if he was captured by Viggo and Ryker? Too many horrible possibilities ran through her mind, and she hated all of them.

"I know," Astrid had sighed. "I just wish I could come with you."

Hiccup smiled, patting Toothless on the head. "I know. I wish that too. But if the Edge comes to be under attack while I'm gone, you're the only one who will know how to set up the defenses." At her concerned expression, he added, "I promise I'll hurry back."

Astrid nodded. "Okay. Just… be safe."

"When am I not safe?" Hiccup grinned. He paused when Astrid sent him a glare. "Fair enough… well, I see you in a week. Bye!" He took off the landing strip with Toothless, and the two soared through the air, perfectly in sync with one another. They glided up to the clouds, and a minute later were out of sight.

Astrid still stood there for an hour after, though, feeling too worried to do anything but watch her friend go.

And the next few days weren't any better. Astrid was miserable without Hiccup around, and she discovered just how much she depended on him. The other Riders, of course, complained at her often sharp tone, but she barely acknowledged them as she stormed away.

Okay, first thing's first… check the perimeter for weaknesses, and fortify the parts that need work… She whistled for Stormfly, and stood at the doors of the clubhouse, watching the sky. Astrid knew that Hiccup wouldn't come back today, but there was still that faint hope… oh, gods, she missed him.

Stormfly landed beside her, the dragon squawking with excitement at the thought of a flight. Astrid frowned when she went over her plans to check the base. Everything seemed… bland, almost. Unimportant. Without Hiccup around, how did she know exactly what needed to be done and what didn't?

Confused, Stormfly shuffled on her feet, waiting for Astrid to climb on. The girl was snapped back to her senses, and shook her head. Stop being a baby, she told herself as she slid onto Stormfly. Hiccup will be back in a few days. You can last that long. You did it before when Hiccup, Snotlout, and Fishlegs went to help Johann from the wild dragons last year… She paused before nudging Stormfly to take off. So what changed?

"Let's go, girl," she said.

Stormfly cooed, and leapt off the platform with a powerful push of her claws. Astrid was about to direct the dragon towards the coast, when a pang of loneliness hit her. Hiccup and her used to make these rounds together, and it felt odd not being able to do it with him.

She found herself flying Stormfly towards Hiccup's hut, and bit her lip. Maybe Hiccup had laid out a list of things he wanted to get done, and then Astrid could do them. At least then she'd have something to do that Hiccup needed.

When the girl landed Stormfly next to Hiccup's hut, she hopped off and slowly walked inside after pushing open the door. The interior of the room was bland, but there were many of Hiccup's wild inventions laid around. The loft where Hiccup slept in loomed above her, and she knew that was the place she needed to be.

Astrid climbed up to the platform that Hiccup slept in, and looked around. Of course, everything was in a mess, as it usually was when Hiccup was working recently. "Now, where would Hiccup keep a list of chores?" she whispered, walking over to his untidy desk. It was littered with crumpled papers and sketches of new inventions, but Astrid sensed she could find something useful if she looked.

Maybe in his notebook? she guessed, frowning. After a minute of searching, she finally found it buried under the rest of Hiccup's papers. "Ah! Here it is," she muttered, and flipped it open.

She was surprised to see what was first in the journal.

There was a detailed drawing of Astrid on the first page, every mark carefully drawn. Astrid could even count every hair on her head that Hiccup had stroked down with his charcoal, and felt her heart thud faster as she examined the sketch more.

The picture of herself was so lifelike… her eyes were full of eagerness and determination, and she had her usual faint smile decorating her face. But the way Hiccup had so elegantly drawn the girl… it took Astrid's breath away.

All of the sudden she felt curious, and wondered if there were any more drawings inside. So, if a bit sheepishly, Astrid turned the page.

The girl sucked in a breath when she realized what was there.

Journal entries.

"I shouldn't be reading these," she said, against snooping into Hiccup's private works. "They're his own thoughts, and…." Astrid trailed off when she noticed her name in one of the paragraphs. Well, she reasoned, if my name is in there, I should have the right to see what it is.

With a nervous swallow, she began to read.

--------------

Dear myself,

Astrid looked really pretty today.

I wanted to compliment her about it, but the last time any boy said that she looked nice got a bad twisted wrist, so I held off. I want to tell her someday, though. I'm just not sure how she'll take it.

Astrid's getting prettier by the day, I think. I'm not sure she notices it yet, but it's still easy to tell that she's still the same Astrid she was all those years ago, if not on the outside anymore, then on the inside.

I thought about asking Johann for a pearl necklace to give her, but I quickly decided against it. Astrid isn't the one for necklaces. Maybe I'll get her an ax instead.

Until the next entry,

-HHH III

--------------

Astrid froze, and a breath caught in her throat.

What?

Hiccup thought all of these nice things about her, but had refrained from saying them in case of offending her. Which he could never do, because he was Hiccup. It just wasn't in his blood to insult someone.

Astrid took in a deep breath. She wasn't sure if she wanted to read any more, but was soon lured in by the entry.

----------

Dear myself,

I almost lost Astrid yesterday to Odin's Scourge, and every time I look at her now, I want to hold onto her forever. Of course, I can't do that or she'd strangle me. Or attack me with her ax. Either way, it'd be painful.

I wonder how she feels about almost dying. I want to confront her about it, but she already seems to have forgotten the incident, so I don't mention it.

My fears are worse at night. I dream about what would have happened if we hadn't gotten to the Buffalord in time… what if I had failed? Toothless comforts me when I wake up from a nightmare, but he can't erase the memories- or those terrible feelings...

I hope Astrid doesn't feel this way. And if she does, I wish she'd talk to me about it. I hate seeing her suffer when I can help.

Until the next entry,

-HHH III

--------------

Dear myself,

It turns out, Viggo put a bounty on me. Yep. Great news, I know.

You know what's even greater? I got kidnapped last night, and was only rescued today. I have to admit…. I was scared during the whole thing. I honestly thought I was going to be killed.

But then Astrid, my father, and the other Riders appeared. They saved me, and I'm really grateful. I had lost my prosthetic once the Riders arrived, but didn't expect to get any help. So when Astrid came over and helped me up, it felt nice to know she cared, because she always seems to put on a warrior face, not letting anything bother her. Yet when I was slightly injured, she lowered her walls and revealed concern for my well being. It was a new thing to experience, and I'm curious to see if she'll do it again.

Tomorrow, I'm looking forward to seeing her. You know, to thank her. I hadn't realized how much I missed seeing her until we were separated. But, she'd probably kill me if I told her that. Maybe in the future I'll ask her if she feels the same way.

Until the next entry,

-HHH III

--------------

Each word felt like an arrow to the chest.

Hiccup… did he actually feel this way? Did he truly miss her when they were gone, like she felt right now? Astrid's eyes darted down to the next entry, and she read it. Then she read another one. And another.

In each one, Hiccup mentioned Astrid and a piece of how he felt about her. His writing touched the girl deeply, and tears formed in her eyes. She'd be so selfish… never giving a second thought of her relationship with Hiccup. Sure, she had always loved him as a good friend, but never stopped to ponder if there was something more going on between them.

And right here was proof that there was. Well, at least in Hiccup's mind.

Suddenly, it felt like he was a million miles away from Astrid, making her almost wilt with sorrow. She'd have to wait days until he returned… and right now, that felt like forever. When he got back, she promised herself, she'd confront him about this.

Yes. She finally would.

Blinking back hot tears, Astrid closed the journal and placed it back on the table. "Come back soon, Hiccup," she whispered. "Please."

--------------

Rain slammed against the top of Astrid's hut, making her grimace from her seat in the room.

It was late at night, and Hiccup was supposed to have been back by now. In fact, he should have arrived hours earlier, which caused Astrid to begin a small panic. What if something happened to him in the storm? What if he was hurt or in trouble?

Astrid got up from the chair, and started to pace. She couldn't imagine living in a world without Hiccup. No, nothing had happened to him… she was just overreacting. He must have gotten caught up, that was it.

Stopping her footsteps, Astrid stood in the middle of her hut, and hugged herself.

After a sigh, she took a breath in as she stared at the floor. He'd be back soon. He had to be. After everything she had learned about his feelings, she wasn't going to give up. It wasn't too late.

Oh, if only I told him sooner…

"Astrid."

That faint, playful, yet stern voice echoed across the room, traveling over to the girl. She shivered, daring to hope that her pleads would be answered. Wanting the speaker of the voice to be him.

It had to be.

She looked up, tears evident in her crystal blue eyes. A hand flew to her mouth when she saw him in the doorway.

With rain-soaked hair that dripped freely onto the floor, he looked a bit awkward. Every strand of his auburn hair was pressed flat against his head, and his eyes were like two green jewels in a sea of white sand, both welcoming yet set back.

Hiccup.

Before she knew it, Astrid ran at the boy and threw her arms around him, placing her chin on his shoulder. It felt nice there, despite the recent wetness of the rain. "Don't scare me like that again!" she whisper-scolded. "I didn't know where you were, or if you were in trouble… gods, Hiccup... "

Hiccup winced. "Sorry. Toothless had a bit of trouble flying in the rain, so we had to stop on a couple of sea stacks on the way here... so, what happened while I was gone?" He chuckled. "Well, anything besides the twins and Snotlout blowing up things?"

Astrid closed her eyes, clutching him tighter. "Hiccup, I… I found your journal."

She felt Hiccup stiffen in her grip, but he didn't pull away. "A-Astrid… I can explain. If it offended you in any way-"

But Astrid had had enough of Hiccup's protesting, of his selflessness. So, she planted a kiss on his cheek, smiling when she saw his dazed expression. "That's for everything you wrote in the journal," she told him.

Hiccup smiled weakly in return.

Then, Astrid leaned in and kissed him again- this time on the lips.

"And that's for everything else."

[wolfie-dragon-rider]

Bursts of Light, Day 15: In a Different Clothing Style

Sorry I haven't updated this story for a while. I was quite sick, and there were some other distractions, such as the big tumblr changes. I'm planning to finish this in the next month.

This drabble takes place about 10 years after they're married. Thora is 8 years old.

--------------------------------

All things considered, Astrid loved seeing her husband tinker and invent. Sometimes it frustrated her when he became so focused on a project he forgot to eat or pay attention to her, but it was offset by how damn cute he was when he was in the zone. Hiccup was awkward at best in most situations, but when he was inventing he was completely in his element. His mind worked faster than she could even comprehend, figuring out mathematics or visualizing vast structures. He'd scribble it hastily onto copper plates, muttering to himself constantly.

But ever since the children had come along he had less time for inventing, obviously. Not that it seemed to bother him much. Hiccup turned out exactly the father she expected him to be: Utterly devoted to his children, never running out of energy to play with them or teach them words and simple arithmetic.

It was true that he often left the more routine and uninteresting parts of parenting to her: Feeding and cleaning, Thora's morning run around the forest so she could burn some of her seemingly endless energy, and dressing Claybones' many splints and casts. Sometimes it frustrated her, but just seeing him teach their children often made her forgive him instantly. Besides, she was a lot better than him at those things. Hiccup was terrible at medicine and running because of his blindness, so it made sense she'd do it.

And he was chief now as well. After Stoick peacefully died in his sleep a few years ago he became the leader of the island for real. Of course, Hiccup had been doing a lot of the duties for a while already, together with her, but it was still a big change. They had responsibilities now, and precious little time to spend on their own projects.

She had never heard him complain about it. Despite his constant worrying before they got married, he adapted well, and understood why he needed to take up these duties. Still, every now and then she saw him sigh wistfully when he walked past the workshop room in their little home. Although their entire house had been adapted to deal with Hiccup's blindness, that room was his, just like the backyard had become her personal training area.

So when Astrid came home after dropping Claybones off at her mother's house she was surprised to hear Hiccup's voice coming from the workshop. Thora was with him, her loud voice booming over his.

"This'll be fun, Daddy!" the girl shouted, and Astrid became more and more curious, quickly dropping the groceries in the kitchen before sticking her head around the door.

"What's going on here?" she asked cheerfully, though a frown threatened to appear when she saw Hiccup wearing… something. It was a strange leather contraption with springs and coils and what looked like sails under his arms and legs. Toothless was beside him, sniffing the clothes warily.

"Oh, hey Astrid! Well, you see, Thora had this wonderful idea today, and I just had to make it a reality! I was telling her about the automatic tail fin I made for Toothless for Snoggletog that one time, remember? And she asked if I could make anything fly, even a person. And I think I can. Look, it's a flight suit! It should allow me to glide and turn and everything. I'm making one for Thora as-" Hiccup looked cute as he explained his work, holding up copper plates with designs, and showing off the sails (wings?) under his arms, but this was too much for her.

"No."

Astrid's brain had just stopped the moment he mentioned Thora in one of these… things. She knew he loved their daughter with all his heart, but Hiccup could be so short sighted about his own inventions.

"But Astrid, I'm sure it's safe! I could anchor us to Toothless, and I'll test it first on the cliffs!" he looked almost shocked by her refusal, and she took a deep breath. Thora looked back and forth between them, unsure what to say.

"That's not… Hiccup, listen to yourself. You want to throw yourself off a cliff, or off a dragon, with just that thing stopping you from…" she couldn't finish the sentence. Images ran through her mind of Hiccup falling after defeating the Red Death, of his broken body in her arms. Suddenly she could smell that horrible stench of burned flesh again. His skin turned to ash.

No, never again. She couldn't go through that a second time.

"Thora, love, could you please go to your room and play? Anything you want. Me and Daddy need to talk for a minute," Astrid was sure the girl would refuse, but something in her voice apparently convinced her to obey with just a huff. Toothless hesitated for a few seconds, apparently unsure about leaving Hiccup alone in such a tense situation, but his inner babysitter won, and the dragon ran after Thora.

"Hiccup, this is insane. What if it goes wrong? What if you made a math error, or you sewed something wrong, or it turns out flying is more complicated than you think it is? What if you glide right into a cliff you don't see coming? What is Toothless supposed to do while you're not controlling his fin?" she said slowly after Thora had slammed her bedroom door. Hiccup seemed taken aback, his earlier enthusiasm buried. He stayed silent.

"And Thora… I get that she thinks it's exciting. But she can't tell if something is safe. And apparently neither can you," she finally continued. The last sentence came out harsher than she meant it, but it wasn't untrue either.

"You know I'll be careful! I wasn't gonna jump off Toothless with this! It's just that… inspiration struck after Thora said that, and I didn't want to forget any ideas. And she was so excited about it. She was focused on this for over two hours! And actively too, she was offering ideas and drawing and she helped with sewing this prototype! You know how she is, it's usually a miracle if she sticks with one thing for 10 minutes at a time. So I didn't want to tell her no," he said, sitting down in the chair and looking exhausted. Astrid felt stupid. She had been so rash.

"I… You should have told me that earlier. Because… younger you would have jumped off Toothless, I think. And I just can't handle the thought of you falling again. Did you forget what happened the last time Toothless had to catch you in a freefall?" she slowly said. Her voice trembled a little.

"Maybe… Maybe I would have. But it's different now. There are people who rely on me now. They'd be lost if something happened to me. Thora, Clay, the village. I can't let them down. Not for my own childish ideas," he said. A flash of anger ran through Astrid at the words. What about her? Wasn't he worried about how devastated she would be? But she knew that wasn't what Hiccup meant.

"I'm glad you understand that. Then you must understand why I'm so nervous about this. Hiccup, I trust you, but can we please do this rationally?" she asked, reaching out to run her hand over his.

"Of course! Sorry, it's just been so long since I was able to invent something. Maybe… maybe this can be an opportunity. How about we work on this together, like we used to. Once a week, in the cove. Just us and the dragons. It's where I learned to fly with Toothless, I'm sure we can do something like that again," he offered, grabbing her hand and squeezing tightly.

"I'd love to. Just… don't fill Thora's head with crazy ideas. We're having a hard time controlling her already, imagine if she could fly!" Astrid said, and Hiccup laughed hard.

"Alright then. Let me change back to my normal clothes and then we can start dinner. Oh, but first let me show you what I have so far! Look, this part is based on Toothless' tail-" he started explaining, but then rapid little footsteps approached again.

"Mommy, Daddy, are you done now? I wanna feed Stormfly! It's time for that, right? And after that, can we do axe throwing?" Thora asked, voice so quick Astrid had trouble following it, but she smiled anyway.

"Of course! How about we feed Stormfly together while Daddy makes dinner? Toothless, will you help him?" she said, standing up and ruffling her daughter's hair. Toothless warbled happily, before running up to Hiccup and licking his chest.

"Toothless, that doesn't wash out of leather! Come on, this stuff is brand new!" he grumbled, though the dragon could easily tell it wasn't very serious. Astrid smiled. This flight suit was still an insane idea, but… it did fit Hiccup in a way. It just needed some good old supervision from her.