#or is he just calling out Snotlout when he sees it and not paying attention to when he's called out for not being practical himself?

[kingofthewilderwest]

Your tags on the 'whose smarter' poll made me flashback to that episode of DoB. Final ep, I think, Cast Out prt 2? And anyway it literally ends with Snotlout (disobeying Hiccup) and acting recklessly with his plan. Hiccup tells him "You proved sometimes recklessness can be courageous" and I just remember being like "THIS from the kid who took on the Red Death on one dragon with a flammable tail fin. Like the similarity/hypocrisy got me--when Hiccup went after the Red Death he was a hero.

I love this. It's really about framing. The HTTYD series provides us certain narrative perceptions, lenses, by which they have us view the characters. Going outside the lenses to look at characters's actions more objectively, and there's that... bias... haha, yeah!

Hiccup constantly doing reckless things is treated as more permissible by the show's framework. His reckless and/or impulsive decisions are treated as gutsy, genius solutions rather than haybrained schemes. And Hiccup tends to be rewarded for those wild plans narratively by having those succeed.

Even though Hiccup gets semi-called out on unnecessary recklessness in RTTE - like testing a flight suit - it's portrayed narratively to viewers as humorous rather than flaws to learn from (as per Snotlout). And when Hiccup makes mistakes, the narrative treats feedback from "equals" like Astrid or people in greater authority like Stoick as what we viewers should care most about. It's not that Ruffnut, Tuffnut, or Snotlout lack feedback about Hiccup's decisions, but it's not treated as criticially. We're not "meant" to reflect on it, most of the time.

"You just proved sometimes recklessness can be courageous" is so much a part of Hiccup's choices that the phrase could be etched on his tombstone. But it's Snotlout taking a moment of gumption that's called out as so risky it's potentially "dumb." And frankly, across the entirety of DreamWorks Dragons, Snotlout brings up many points of prudent caution.

There's a hierarchy the narrative gives us - Hiccup the leader, Astrid and Fishlegs as "more competent" members of the group, and the twins and Snotlout as "less competent" members of the group (our comedic relief). The narrative wants us to sometimes treat this as a gang of equals, especially by RTTE, but the way conversations and situations get presented, solved, and saved means that this internalized hierarchy never leaves. That means that who the audience members take most seriously gets impacted.

I mean, as you said yourself, it's Snotlout disobeying Hiccup - a word that carries authority, as Hiccup is the leader of the Dragon Club during the early DreamWorks Dragons series. In HTTYD and HTTYD 2, Hiccup disobeying Stoick, while ultimately resulting in good ends, also carries consequences. Hiccup disobeying Stoick resulted in the village nearly getting killed. Hiccup disobeying Stoick brought Drago's attention onto them. But by the TV series, I think Hiccup's disobedience is usually seen as a good (by my shoddy memory), but Snotlout's disobedience is seen as him not being "as good as" Hiccup - but is that actually, objectively the case, outside the show's framing?

I don't have the Freaktastic Knowledge I did in ye olde days of analysis where I could list off three hundred specific examples to prove my points, but this is my memory impressions of the series. Snotlout balks at Hiccup's plans lots of the time - and he doesn't not have a point. In another series, Snotlout would be correctly identifying three hundred things that could go wrong, might have gone wrong, or will actually, in fact, go wrong. But Snotlout as a comedic relief character, and then a defiant character opposing Hiccup the Hero who comes up with the correct plan because he's got protagonist armor... means sometimes Snotlout's legitimate points get lost to viewers.

There's a reason why, even now, ROB's Defiant One's conversation between Hiccup and Snotlout still resonates clearly in my memories.

Snotlout: Oh, you are so smug! Hiccup: Me? Snotlout: Hiccup's so smart! Hiccup's so brave! He killed the Red Death! He trained the dragons! He's got the metal leg! Hiccup: Metal leg? That's what's bothering you? That's where you're going? Metal leg? Snotlout: No! It's everything the leg is attached to!

Snotlout made mistakes in Defiant One. Let's not forget that context. But while Snotlout yelling at Hiccup can be read as Snotlout not being "as good as" our hero Hiccup who saves the day... it strikes me because it shows the imbalance of treatment between Snotlout and Hiccup. "Everything the leg is attached to" is the prioritization of Hiccup and - by this point - Hiccup expecting to be prioritized.

Actually listening to Snotlout is a fantastic way to experience the TV series. He's bitter. He's grumpy. He's defiant. He's downer. But that's because he sees holes. He has a **PRACTICAL** side that butts heads with Hiccup. I'm someone whose thinking processes are similar to Snotlout - it's easier to shoot down a solution for its mistakes than come up with a new one - but it's an important role to have. In an actually existing friendship group, you need someone who's down to earth enough to make sure your out-of-the-box thinking friend (Hiccup) doesn't come up with something so wild it's not really going to work. We need an intelligence that sees holes. Otherwise, we start floating off into things that won't work as we expect them to, or adopting ideas that haven't been tested with robustness.

Snotlout's a legitimately smart guy. The fact that Astrid and the others shoot him down is partially because of his character, partially because sometimes he can be a dummy (as can we all), but partially because of their own flaws. Listen more to Snotlout, y'all. Some of Hiccup's plans work because Luck.

Similarly, we can talk about the framing of Fishlegs spewing facts (treated as providing information) versus the Thorstons spewing facts (treated as a novelty quirk rather than intelligence). Just because the Thorstons do it in a dorkier, more trollish matter does not negate the fact that they are BRIMMING, purely BRIMMING, with an ENORMOUS amount of factual knowledge! Does Fishlegs actually have more factual knowledge than them? No, it's just a different area. He's got concentrated knowledge on dragons. They've got in depth, niche knowledge of a large variety of topics. Fishlegs, Ruff, and Tuff are all dang smart.

From a meta standpoint, the twins's intelligence is treated inconsistently. But I prefer me my smart Thorstons who just have spacey heads, trollish senses of humor, and thrillseeking behavior.

[profound-bouquetbird]

hi!!! could I please request Reader x snotlout relationship headcanons? Possibly them being opposites on the surface but actually being similar in a way? Like they both feel things very strongly

This took me a little while longer to write, since I didn't really pay that much attention to snotlout throughout the three main movies that I watched 😔

But! I didn't want to leave your request unanswered and wrote it :)

Sorry if it isn't completely accurate. If you have any tips leave them in my inbox or send them through private messages :)

Some key words:

-D/n = Dragon's name

Alright, let's start off with the basics. You probably met through a mutual friend

*cough* *cough* Astrid *cough*

And he at first didn't get your whole get up. I mean, you were vikings!

Whilst he acted (somewhat) reckless and seemed to shift to this supposed 'playboy' persona of some sort (although that persona really wasn't accurate..)

While you were on the calmer side, closed off and anly speaking to people when needed

He found it a tad bit annoying

I mean- you're vikings! You're supposed to be reckless! Yet you were- not?

Well, at least in his eyes you weren't

After a little while, you started to open up a bit more. Still not having that reckless and uncaring persona vikings had, but being the usual self just more... Outgoing? If you could call it that

But, Snotlout paid no mind. He was too busy looking our for his own image to care

I think the first time he noticed something about you that intrigued him was when you first made friends with the dragons

Snotlout trudged through the grass, an over exaggerated groan echoing through the island as he carried food for his dragon, Hookfang

While he walked, he couldn't help but overhear a seemingly onesided conversation, in which a familiar voice was involved

"We're gonna be the best, D/n!" A voice, which could only belong to Y/n, encouraged. Snotlout smirked as he walked towards the sound, peaking from the corner to spot the dragon rider scratching their dragons head

"We're gonna win this race! Promise." Y/n chuckled, patting their dragons head twice before mounting onto them

"That's quite a big promise there, Y/n. Are you sure you'll live up to it?" Snotlout butted in, mockingly smirking at them as he waited for their response

Y/n looked him up and down, smirking lightly themselves as they sighed

"Seeing how you and your dragon act together, I'd say I've got better chances." They sighed, pulling their dragons head upward lightly to send them into flight

Snotlout only glared as they flew away, but he couldn't help but feel something forming in his chest. Admiration? No, that can't be it...

Maybe respect?

From that point on, each time the two of you interacted, Snotlout gained more and more respect for you, which eventually turned into a crush

He was so obvious about it

Like he did with Ruffnut, he constantly flirted and did small favour's for you. Either getting the sheep for you to win the race or tightening up a know that you definitely didn't need his help with

And to your oblivious eyes, you just though it was playful teasing and friendly interactions. Oh... Poor you

You'd sometimes play into his flirting. Giving him a few fake compliments and teasing remarks back, which only worsened his crush

The more he hung out with you, the more he realized how many characteristics you two shared!

Yes, on the outside you acted completely opposite, like I had mentioned in the begging

But, you both had this urging courage that propelled you forward, you both needed praise and attention from the ones you loved. But, while snotlout was more outward in showing these emotions, constantly complaining that is; you'd more often than not just keep to yourself, giving the person small hints but never outwardly saying it

Okay, let's start with the actual relationship headcanons:

I think he'd be the type to show you off. Like: "hell yeah they're my partner! You wanna say something about it?????"

Love language is definitely 'words of affirmation'

My guy is in constant need of praise 😭

Doesn't mean he doesn't praise you tho. You're constantly receiving words of encouragement and praise; but he'll stop praising you as soon as you stop praising him (like that's ever going to happen)

Is really into pda but also not that into pda if that makes sense? Yes, he'll wrap an arm around your shoulders, kiss the top of your head, even peck your lips every once in a while. But there is no way in hell he'll actually make out with you in public! Nu-uh, that's for you and him only

I can't really think of anything else... So I'm gonna leave it here for now :)

Sorry for the huge delay on the posting! If you have any other requests please leave them in!

[saturnniidae]

do you have any oddly specific httyd headcanons?

YES. Thank you for giving me the chance to yap anon.

Snotlout's httyd1 model has a little scar on his chin and when I first noticed it I was like 'lol he's matching with Hiccup' then got the idea that maybe Hiccup is who gave it to him. Like they were arguing as kids and Hiccup shoved Snotlout who wasn't paying attention then proceeded to eat shit on a rock also knocking out his tooth. He did cry which is why I took him a while to do anything about it bc he didn't want anyone seeing (Hiccup immediately booked it after realizing Snotlout fell)

I just KNOW Hiccup has sweaty ass palms and is a chronic scab picker. He also gets really bad bacne.. I just know this. He probably has almost as many acne scars as he does freckles

Hiccup came out as trans around 8. Like stoick called him lass and Hiccup went "no! I'm a boy." and Stoick was just like: "okay. I mean Val and I wanted a son anyway"

Hiccup is his birth name. Valka named him and also considering he's the 3rd of his name he didn't really have any dysphoria relating to it. Though he probably does share it with some village livestock 😭

Astrid chews her nails when stressed and used to chew her hair when she was little (sometimes she still does if she's focusing or suoer anxious but is absolutely mortified when caught)

For all his boasting and talk of violence Snotlout is actually pretty squeamish. He used to 'roughhouse' with Hiccup as little kids and would sometimes on accident take it too far and whenever blood was drawn he was more disturbed by it than Hiccup. He also used to step on bugs to make Hiccup cry but would feel horrible about it later

Thank you for the ask..

(Me when I get to finally unleash my headcanons)

[howtowhumpyourhiccup]

This Crushing Feeling

Whumptober 2022 Day 12!

Summary: Written for Whumptober 2022 Day 12. Set during DoB, after the episode 'Tunnel Vision'. While trying to make sure Berk is free of Whispering Death hatchlings, there's a cave-in and their local heroic boy-dragon duo gets trapped.

Warning: /

Rating: Teen and Up

Characters: Hiccup, Toothless, Stoick, Gobber, Astrid, Snotlout

Pairing: /

Words: 2 288

Fandom: How to Train Your Dragon

Prompt: Cave-in

Whumpee: Hiccup, Toothless (Minor Snotlout and Stoick)

Author’s Notes: Originally wrote this for last Whumpay (Whump-may), but never finished it and didn't finish the month either. I had decided to keep what I had written for a different challenge and there comes Whumptober with the exact same prompt just a couple of months later. So I'm glad that I got to use this idea after all!

Constructive criticism is appreciated.

Enjoy!

In the aftermath of the Whispering Death clutch's rampage on Berk, certain actions need to be taken. Besides the obvious, that they had to get back at Alvin for planting these eggs, there were other things they needed to think of.

There are worries for the abnormally large Whispering Death, dubbed the Screaming Death, and if those were all the hatchlings on Berk. They went down into the cave to collect the egg shells and see how many of them had hatched. It was always safer to know if all the Whispering Deaths had truly left or if a couple still remained.

And of course, this was a job for the Dragon Academy.

“Remind me why this is our job?” Snotlout asks, picking up the egg shells that seem to belong to the same egg. Or for as far as he can tell, he’s not paying that much attention because he finds this a tedious chore.

“Because we’re the Dragon Academy?” Hiccup clarifies as he and Toothless are busy in their corner of the cave.

“Yeah, but why do we have to help? It’s your dumb academy and you’re the dumb dragon expert,” the boy says. He doesn’t want to be down here, he would much rather be out there with Hookfang not counting egg shells.

Hiccup sighs, rolls with his eyes, shakes his head, and goes about what he and Toothless were doing.

So far the total seems to be the three regular Whispering Deaths that they encountered and their very big brother, the Screaming Death. He and Fishlegs were particularly interested in the shells of that one, though the latter boy isn’t gathering in the same corner he is. Due to this Death’s size, the explosion was much bigger and thus the shells have spread out much wider.

Toothless calls his attention and brings him another big piece. Hiccup thanks him as he receives it and then looks at the pile they’ve already gathered. There doesn’t seem to come an end to the Screaming Death’s shell. And they can tell these pieces are different because of a difference in color variation.

Standing, he takes a look around, spotting Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs…. But no sign of the twins. They must’ve slipped away while he and Astrid weren’t looking.

He sighs. Great, two pairs of hands less to help them. Sometimes, he wonders if he’s the only one actually taking this academy seriously.

Bits and dustings of dirt come loose from the ceiling and fall on his head, startling him. He wipes it from his hair before looking up to see where it’s coming from.

Strange, was there always just loose dirt here? He’s been in this cave many times before, he doesn’t remember that. Then again, Whispering Death do like some good old renovating, they do it from the moment they’re born.

Toothless stares up at the same thing he is, snorting at the dirt.

“You don’t remember the cave looking like that either, huh?” Hiccup asks him. He knows Berk like the back of his hand because he’s been born here, but he’s helped Toothless become quite familiar as well. Before their secret friendship was revealed, they used the cave systems quite extensively to sneak around the island with.

Snotlout sputters. “Ugh! Blegh! Dirt! Bleh!”

“Uh, Hiccup?” Astrid calls his name when dirt falls around her as well.

There’s that twinge of realization followed by worry, but by then it’s already too late when a rumbling that grows deeper and deeper shakes the cave that they’re in.

“Cave in! Everyone run!” As Hiccup shouts at his friends to run, Astrid is already running towards him. She grabs his wrist, there’s no time to mount up.

“Come on, Toothless!” She shouts as she pulls Hiccup along. Fishlegs and Snotlout take different tunnels out and he can no longer see them as Astrid drags him down another.

The rumbling grows, the bits and pieces of dirt and loose rock coming down from the ceiling and walls become bigger. The teens try to shield themselves from the onslaught, something the dragon can’t do. With his speed, he would’ve been out long ago, but he can’t leave the two humans behind.

The pieces grow bigger, the tunnel behind them finally collapses and the ceiling above them quickly follows.

“Astrid!” Hiccup can’t do anything to save Toothless, but he can push Astrid out of the way.

The girl is surprised, yelping as she feels a strong hand in her back. She just narrowingly escapes, the cave closes up behind her and the rumbling ceases.

She's flat on her front and covered in grime and dust. Coughing her lungs clear, she lifts her head to look behind her and finds the tunnel sealed by a pile of rocks.

"Hiccup? Toothless?" She calls for them.

"Hiccup! Toothless!" Jumping to her feet, she shouts in the hopes of receiving an answer, but gets none. She starts to dig, pulling on the rocks and boulders, but doesn't make much progress.

"Come on!" The girl groans as she pulls.

----------

When nearly the entire island shook and trembled and parts of the ground collapsed beneath their very feet, many rightfully feared the worst. Some houses even collapsed and one woman needs to be dug out of the rubble. From one of the tunnels, Fishlegs emerges.

But that’s not where Stoick’s concerns lie. He doesn’t often forget about being chief, but his worries are now that of a father.

“Hiccup!” The man shouts as he stands by the edge of a newly created ditch, staring down into the rubble of stone and, in some place, wood and metal.

“What was that?!” Gobber comes hobbling out of his forge to join his friend.

“The cave collapsed,” he tells him matter-of-factly, but the blacksmith knows him well enough to know that it masks the worry he feels. He knows with whom his thoughts are.

----------

Hiccup didn't stay out for long. When a rock hit him on the head, he was out for half an hour at most.

His mind catches up quickly and he quickly takes note of the predicament that he's in. That both he and Toothless are in. He tried to save Astrid- he has no idea if he was even successful- but Toothless tried to do the same thing for him and got buried together with him.

There was no time to mount up, but Hiccup would've preferred it if his dragon had just escaped.

It’s not completely dark in here, the collapsed ceiling provides the two with a convenient hole where light and air are coming through. The light gives them a decent source to work with and they at least won’t be suffocating so soon. The space available to them is very small.

"Toothless," he wheezes, checking in with his Bud next to him.

Toothless is crushed by a larger amount of rocks, having tried to carry the load that would’ve fallen on his Rider. He moans pitifully, trying to move and pull himself out of his predicament with his front paws. He can’t get himself to budge and his wings are being squished by the rocks they’re trapped in. Moving hurts tremendously and he whines.

“I’m sorry, Bud,” the other boy wheezes. The dragon already lost one tailfin, what if he loses a wing or two because of this? Hiccup can’t bear to even think of it.

He tries to breathe and then panics when he can't get enough air into his lungs. There's too big of a weight resting on his chest. He struggles to get the tiniest bit into his lungs, his body so much tinier than Toothless’. Maybe he will suffocate before help comes.

“Hiccup!” His father’s voice comes from the same hole above them. Hiccup cranes his neck to look at him, but the hole isn’t big enough to see much through.

"Dad… Please," he wheezes out. He tries to move but he can’t, his left arm is stuck and his stump is in agony.

"It's alright, son, I'm here."

Hiccup can’t see his father, but he believes him.

“It’s okay, Toothless, we’re getting out of here,” he struggles and Toothless purrs, trusting Stoick as well.

They can hear him shout orders, though Hiccup can’t understand them. That is a relief, they allow themselves to hope that this won’t take much longer.

As they wait, Hiccup is free to think about their predicament, be aware of the heavy weight slowly suffocating him to death and threatening to crush his ribs if it hasn’t already. His left hand is throbbing from poor blood circulation, his still-very-young stump is being squished, and he can’t feel his right leg at all.

Wait. He can’t feel his leg.

Looking down as if he can see, he tries to move the limb, but finds that he can’t even feel that.

Oh no. Oh Gods, oh no! What if he lost that one, too?!

“Dad!”

Toothless looks at him, trying to move closer with a questioning burr, but stopped by the terrible pains in his wings.

“Dad!” Every time he yells, or tries to, he can feel the weight grow heavier. As if every exhale brings him closer to crushed ribs and pureed lungs.

“I’m here, son! We just found your friend, Snotlout,” his father sounds like he’s near the hole. What he tells him makes him halt.

Hiccup feels terrible. He’s so concerned with himself and Toothless that he failed to think about his friends. Snotlout clearly didn’t make it out without help, has Fishlegs? And sure, he pushed Astrid out of the avalanche of rocks, but did she get buried the very next second?

“How…” He struggles to make the words leave. “How is he?”

“Alive, breathing. Gothi will have to tell,” Hiccup grimaces. He knows that this cave-in can only be blamed on Alvin, who was the one to put these Whispering Death eggs in this cave in the first place, yet he still feels bad. It’s as if a part of him thinks worrying about his friends while he, himself, is getting crushed would’ve somehow prevented that.

Toothless, also not as concerned with himself as he should be, makes comforting purring noises at his Rider. Even though his wings hurt and his hindlegs are throbbing.

Hiccup didn’t think he was crying or panicking, but air is suddenly a lot harder to come by and wet tears are sliding down his temple and ears.

“What’s wrong, son?” Hiccup has a hard time looking into the light, but it appears like his father can see him quite clearly.

It is honestly a big relief for the man. Being able to see him and talk to him, ease his heart.

“I’m… I’m okay,” he gasps out, trying to draw in more air, feeling the slowly growing pain in his ribs and on his sternum increase.

“This isn’t the time to lie, Hiccup. Tell me what’s wrong,” Stoick scolds him. How can they help if Hiccup won’t keep them properly up to date on his side of things?

“I’m-”

“Hiccup.” Able to tell that Hiccup was about to be dismissive, Stoick stops him right then and there.

"I can't… I can't feel my right leg!" So he confesses instead.

“Worry not, son-”

“I don’t want to lose it, too!”

“We’re getting you out!”

It’s a worrying development, but Stoick knows better than to panic and he seems to be doing much better than his son on that front. The boy is in a terrifying situation, made worse by his still recent amputation. Stoick needs to be strong for him.

“Listen to me, Hiccup. You, too, Toothless,” he begins. “We have a plan with the dragons, but it’ll take time. Hold on until then, son!”

Toothless whines and Hiccup can’t say that he feels all that differently from his dragon. No details to this plan, his father doesn’t want to tell them. That means this could take a while.

“We’ll be okay-” That last part he barely manages to choke out before there’s a sharp pain in his right side. It suddenly becomes so much harder to breathe and so much more painful.

Toothless whines at him, he just heard a crack. Hiccup can’t tell him that he’s okay and not only because it would be a lie.

----------

Hiccup had no idea that he had even passed out until he came to. He’s vaguely aware of being pulled on by someone, removed from somewhere. By the time he’s fully awake, he’s already in his father’s arms. Gobber kneels next to them.

“Dad,” he breathes. There’s so much pain everywhere in his being and he feels limp.

“I’ve got you,” his father assures him. “And you’ve still got your leg.”

"You're okay, lad," Gobber pats his head, his hand running through his hair.

Hiccup looks down at himself when his previously very numb limb is mentioned and sees that Stoick is right. He can feel it now, too, it’s throbbing up a storm now that his blood circulation can go back to normal. His left arm and hand throb in a similar way. Both ache so much tears almost come to his eyes. They’re probably broken, much like his ribs, but even so, he takes comfort in this fact.

Taking a look around him, he doesn’t see Snotlout, but he does catch sight of Toothless. The dragon is being helped, carefully, out of the debris, too. He seems okay, though his dark hide doesn’t betray much. He’s alive at least. His wings are limp.

And one of the people helping him? That would be Astrid. She didn’t avoid the cave-in, which sets him at ease.

Relief washes over Hiccup. They’re out of that terrible place, they all are.

[me-myself-and-my-fos]

The Confession

Pairing: Snotlout Jorgenson x Nic Blake

A/N: This happens a few months after the second movie. It was supposed to be a lot fluffier than it ended up being but I love me some angst! Also I’m sorry if this fic feels a little off or awkward, I wrote this while sick and my brain is still a little fuzzy.

Tag List: @sable-myers @fangedwife @hyperionshipping @victorvampir @the-dark-fae-and-her-fos @belcanto-selfships @licensedcrime

Cece purred and shivered as Nic finished scrubbing the red and orange paint from her wings. She shook her body and water sprayed across the walls of the stable and onto Nic, who let out a groan.

“Cece!” She scolded the dragon, but Cece let out a guttural sound, a laugh. “I told you not to do that!” The Changewing continued to laugh, nuzzling against Nic’s stomach with her snout. Nic sighed, scratching under Cece’s chin. “You’re lucky you’re cute.”

“Nic!” Came a voice, and she looked over to see Snotlout walking over to her in the stable. “That was a, uh, a really good race! Congrats on winning.”

Dragon racing. It was something Nic participated in regularly with her friends, but she rarely won. It was by some miracle that she managed to win that day, and as a result Cece was given many honey combs to snack on while Nic washed off the paint.

“Thanks, Snotlout,” Nic replied, looking back to Cece.

“Yeah, we never saw you coming,” he joked, laughing a little halfheartedly at his own humor. When she didn’t laugh he cleared his throat. “Get it? Cause Cece’s a Changewing?” She looked over unamused before focusing back on her dragon. Snotlout shifted on his feet. “Can we talk?” He asked, honestly a bit nervous. She wasn’t paying attention enough to notice though.

He didn’t know when he’d get another shot like this. Nic didn’t make herself easily available for one on one time. In all honesty, he was desperate enough to just blurt out what he wanted to say. But then all that planning a speech was for nothing.

“Sorry but I can’t right now.” She fixed the saddle on Cece, not looking at Snotlout. “I have to get to work.”

“Oh, okay. Well maybe later then?” He rubbed the back of his neck.

“Maybe, if I have time,” Nic told him. She mounted onto Cece. “I have to get the bakery. Come on, Cece.”

The Changewing grunted and her winds spread out before she started for the exit of the stables. As she was taking off, Snotlout called out.

“That’s cool! Maybe I’ll see you there!” He wasn’t sure if she heard him as she gave no indication that she did.

Hookfang huffed, pushing Snotlout slightly. He glared over at the Monstrous Nightmare.

“What?” He asked, arms crossed. Hookfang only rolled his eyes and began to walk away. “What, do you think I said something wrong? Hookfang. Hookfang!”

Cece landed in front of the bakery and Nic jumped off the saddle. She scratched under Cece’s chin.

“Let’s hope mom isn’t too upset I’m late. For the fifth time this week,” Nic mumble to her dragon.

Cece purred in response, obviously amused to see the outcome.

Stepping into the small bakery, Nic pulled an apron off the wall and put it on. She tied it behind her back as Cece followed her into the room.

“There you are,” her mother, Greta, greeted, pulling some freshly baked bread from the oven.

“I’m late, I know,” Nic huffed, kicking a pillow shaped like dough from under the table against the far wall. Cece pounced on it, laying on the pillow as Nic set up her station. The four headed Snaptrapper napped in the far corner. They were Petunia, Tulip, Rose, and Daisy in that order. But Nic had come to affectionately know them as Garden. “Hey Garden,” she smiled at tired dragons. They let out grunts of acknowledgment but didn’t open their eyes.

As Nic started to knead at the dough, Cece watched this before beginning to knead on the pillow she had been laying on. Nic quickly discovered how much Cece loved to mimic her while baking. Kneading was her favorite thing, so naturally one night she made something for Cece to knead.

“I heard you won the race. That’s great. It’s ‘bout time, honestly,” her mother said, putting two loaves in the oven to bake.

“Yeah, I won. It wasn’t easy though,” Nic replied.

Behind her, her mother glanced over and noticed something was off with her daughter. Any other day she would’ve been over the moon to have won a race. The more she thought about it, the more she realized Nic had woken up in a sour mood.

Clearing her throat, Greta began to pack loaves of bread into a basket. “Is there anything you want to talk about?”

“No,” Nic shook her head, glancing in confusion over her shoulder at her mother.

“But you do know you can talk to me about anything, right?”

“I know, mom.”

There was a pregnant pause as her mother waited for her to take the hint. But Nic stayed silent as she worked the dough, so Greta sighed.

“So… Snotlout, huh?” Greta watched Nic who froze in place at the mention of him. Nic was glad her mother couldn’t see her growing blush. Once she got over the surprise, Nic shook her head and continued to knead.

“What about him?” She asked.

“When are you going to tell him you like him?“ Greta asked her, and Nic immediately shook her head.

“Absolutely not. Never.” She grew more aggressive with her kneading. “He likes Ruffnut, and I’ve accepted he’ll never see me the way I see him. So I’m moving on with my life, keeping him at arms length to get rid of the feelings.”

“Are you sure that’s what’s best?” There was no reply from Nic, and her mother sighed. “I’ll be honest, no boy is worth this much trouble, especially not a Jorgenson. But you like him, and I think you should tell him.”

“Mom,” Nic warned. Boys and relationships weren’t a topic they talked about often. “I’m an adult. I can handle my own problems.”

“I know.” Greta sighed. “I just worry. I want you to be happy, and it’s obvious Snotlout makes you happy.”

“He also makes me irritated, and angry, and exasperated and–”

“Yes, yes,” her mother nodded. “Jorgenson men will do that. You forget how many years I spent meditating the arguments between Spitelout and Stoick.”

“But if he irritates me so badly then why do I like him?” Nic asked, completely at a loss. She looked back to her mother who shrugged.

“Maybe you see something in him that you don’t recognize yet. Or maybe you just have bad taste in men.”

“Oh jeez, thanks mom.” Nic rolled her eyes.

Greta chuckled as she finished packing the basket of bread. “Enough boy talk for now. I need you to deliver these. I’ve got the list for you so you know who to go to.”

Nic wiped her hands on the apron and stepped over to her mother. She took the list and the basket. Cece, noticing her rider was finished kneading, paused her movements and watched.

“And when you’re delivering to Silent Sven, please try and keep Cece well behaved. We both remember what happened last time,” her mother warned.

Nic nodded, recalling how long it took to fix the fence to the sheep pen after Cece got overexcited at the sight of a lamb. Acid got all over the fence and it took forever to collect the sheep and get them back in the pen.

“I will, mom, promise. Right, Cece?” Nic looked over at her dragon who grinned without remorse. Nic rolled her eyes, knowing her dragon didn’t share the same sentiment. “I’ll deliver these and be right back.” She took the basket from her mother. “Come on, Cece. Let’s go.”

The Changewing followed Nic out of the bakery, and once outside Nic strapped the basket to the side of the saddle. She mounted Cece and they took to the air.

It went smoothly as usual. Nic made sure to keep Cece far away from the sheep or lambs at Sven’s farm. There were only a few names on the list left before she could go back to the bakery and finish for the day. Easy peasy.

“Nic!”

Or not.

She resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she heard Snotlout call out to her. He approached on Hookfang, grinning at her.

“Snotlout, hey,” she said monotoned. Honestly she wasn’t in the mood to talk to him. Not for a while. It would simply be counter productive. And as much as it killed her to be cold and snappish with him, she felt it was best.

“Hey, glad I caught you. I wanted to talk to you–”

“I’m sure whatever you want to talk to me about is important but can’t it wait? I’m working.”

“I just figured since we’re up here all alone it would be a good time to talk!” He said.

“What part about we can talk later didn’t you understand?” She asked him.

“Well, technically it is later…”

Hookfang rolled his eyes.

Pinching the bridge of her nose, Nic sighed. “Snotlout, I cannot talk. I need to finish these deliveries and get back to the bakery.”

“I know, but I swear this will only take a minute–”

“Seriously, Snotlout, I have to go. Why don’t you go flirt with Ruffnut? It’s all you’ve been doing the past year,” she snapped.

Before he could respond or even see the hurt in her eyes, Nic directed Cece to the next place they had to deliver to. He watched her leave, and after a few moments he had Hookfang land on a nearby rooftop. He kept watch for her, and when Nic came back to the bakery, he watched her and Cece go inside. He stayed up there for the next few hours waiting for her to leave.

And eventually, when the sun was starting to get low and the sky was changing from blue to orange and pink, she left the bakery.

Snotlout had watched her and Cece fly from the bakery to the stables. This was his chance. She was alone. But she was upset with him. She was going to need time to calm down before he talked to her. The last time she was angry at him and he talked to her before she calmed down he ended up being stranded on an isle not too far from Berk with only the clothes on his back. Hookfang came and rescued him. Eventually.

He grimaced at the memory and decided to be cautious this time. Last thing he needed was a dagger thrown his way while he was trying to tell her how he felt. He still had half a mind to announce it in the Great Hall during dinner, but Astrid stressed to him multiple times that if he did that then Nic would never speak to him again.

When he finally found her, she was busy cleaning Cece’s claws and feet, just like she did every two days right before dinner. Hookfang nudged him as he stayed close to the wall, hidden from her view. He glared at his dragon.

“Not yet. I need to make sure she won’t kill me first,” Snotlout shushed Hookfang.

His attention was drawn back to Nic when he heard a cry, which both confused and worried him. He had never seen her cry before. Tear up, yes. But her crying was something she always did in private, even back on Dragon’s Edge. It also made him feel a little guilty. He didn’t mean to upset her or make her cry.

“What’s wrong with me, Cece?” Nic sniffled.

The Changewing chittered sadly as her rider wiped away tears on her shoulder. Nic continued to use the cloth wrapped dagger to clean between Cece’s toes as she continued.

“I mean first Snotlout had a thing for Astrid. It was always Astrid this, Astrid that. He was always trying to impress Astrid and win her over!” Nic used the back of her hand to wipe away more tears. “And then he moved on to Heather, and then— this is the one that kills me. He goes for Ruffnut!” She shook her head, dipping the clothed dagger into the soapy water before bringing it back to finish cleaning between the claws. “He’d rather settle for Ruffnut before he’d ever glance at me.” She tossed the dagger into the bucket and shook her head. “Am I really that undesirable?”

“What are you talking about?” Snotlout asked as he stepped from behind the corner. “Of course you’re desirable.”

Nic gasped, looking over at him. Cece watched them, and so did Hookfang. When neither of them said anything, Cece used her tail to lift Nic to her feet. Hookfang looked to Snotlout who stayed frozen in place.

“Snotlout— how long have you been standing there?”

Rolling his eyes, Hookfang pushed Snotlout forward towards Nic. He cleared his throat.

“I kind of… heard the whole thing.”

Nic’s cheek grew red and she looked to her feet. “Oh.”

“Hear me out.” He took a breath. “I’m an idiot. I should’ve been honest with you from the beginning. But I… I like you too. A lot, actually.” He sighed, rubbing neck. “Trying to impress Astrid, Heather, trying to become Mala’s king, trying to compete with Fishlegs for Ruffnut… it was all an act. It was my stupid attempt to try and get over my feelings for you. I figured if I pretended to like them long enough, I’d be able to stop having feelings for you and convince myself I do like them. But I was wrong.”

There was no reply from Nic, and Cece— in an attempt to encourage her rider —nudged her closer to him. They were a foot apart at most by this point. After a moment, Nic wiped away the mostly dried tears and looked up at him.

“Why didn’t you just tell me from the start? Did you hate having feelings for me so much you’d rather pretend they don’t exist?” She asked, voice breaking as she spoke.

Snotlout’s heart immediately shattered at hearing that. He shook his head vigorously and took her hands gently. “No, no, absolutely not. It was the hardest thing in the world to pretend I didn’t like you. But I thought it was what I needed to do.”

“Why?”

“Because—” he gestured to her and Cece, “—you’re the first person to train a Changewing. Not just that but you’re an amazing person. You deserve the best, you deserve the world. I don’t feel worthy enough for you.”

Nic shook her head. “How long have you felt this way?”

“I didn’t realize I liked you until we got to Dragon’s Edge. I saw you more, we were alone more. And the more we spent time together the more I fell for you, and the less worthy I felt. But I like you, Nic.”

“Snotlout, you’re an idiot,” she told him bluntly. But before he could reply, she took hold of his fur vest and closed the gap between them, pulling him into a kiss. It caught him by surprise, and by the time he began to respond to the kiss it was over. Nic smiled at him as she pulled away. “But you’re my idiot.”

He smiled back at her as his hands settled on her waist. “I’m very lucky to be your idiot.”

“And I’m sorry too, about today. I convinced myself if I pushed you away then it would be easier for me to stop liking you. I’m sorry I was so short with you.”

“It’s fine. I kind of started it so in a way, it’s my fault too.”

She opened her mouth to reply, but in her excitement, Cece roared and bounded towards the pair. The Changewing pushed them, and they fell back onto Hookfang who pushed them up and forwards. They laughed as they got steady on their feet.

“I guess Cece’s happy for us,” Snotlout commented as Cece purred, nuzzling into Nic’s side.

“She sure is, a little excited too,” Nic replied, reaching down to rub Cece’s head.

“So, Nic… what are you doing after this?” He asked.

“I was planning on heading to the Great Hall for dinner and then sit on the highest cliff I can find and watch the sunset.” She gently tugged on the fur vest and pulled him down until their faces were barely an inch apart. She was smirking. “Care to join me, Jorgenson?”

Snotlout chuckled nervously, face growing red. “Would I? Of course.”

“Good. But if I’m honest, I don’t think a lot of sunset watching is going to happen,” she told him playfully, pecking him on the lips.

“I don’t mind!”

“I don’t mind either,” she smiled, pulling him in for another kiss.

[zozophoenixxx]

Serotonin Booster :D 🐉

How to train your dragon edition

(Basically a friendly reminder series but it's now called Serotonin Booster bc I like it that way hehe)

Anywayssss here are some things I had forgotten or little details I just noticed on my rewatch, maybe even Unpopular Opinions 🤭👀

✨Riders of Berk✨

ok im starting this from ep6 bc I wasn't sure if I wanted to do this but yk what why not

JUST REALIZED that whenever Astrid says to Hiccup "what took you so long" when she was stranded at sea in RTTE she was referring back to this one scene in ROB on ep6 when she saved hiccup from Alvin's arrows [Hiccup said the same thing] 😳😳

By the way, it's not really "dragon conqueror". It's "dragon trainer" 🤩

STOICK RIDING TOOTHLESS JAHDHAHSHA

ALSO loved the way they named the typhoomerang🥺

DUDE JAHDHSJAJ stoick is such a kid lmao he really punched the thunderdrum like it was nothing lmaoo

Thunderdrum: *tries to bite Stoick's hand because he doesn't trust him yet*

Stoick: *punches the thunderdrum*

Hiccup: Hey,hey! Whoa, what happened to trust

Stoick: Talk to him! He's the one who tried to take off my hand!

OK BUT AWWW- the thunderdrum just saved stoick because stoick stood up for him and the purple one and then they did the hand thing 🥺🥺🥺

Stoick showing that he did listen to Hiccup and then Hiccup smiling🥴🥺

Hiccup looked so sad whenever he saw his portrait and realized that he was painted differently and the fact that stoick was like "it's you but bigger and stronger" and the other guy was like "that's the son of a chief" definitely did not make him feel better. The fact that sometimes he probably thinks that's he's not good enough and he has to live up to that kid in the portrait-

That's him after... Tell me this isn't the saddest thing-💔

I completely forgot that "it's Viking tradition to call the runt of the litter a Hiccup"

Fireworms! 😁

Fun fact: Gronckle farts are strong enough to make people pass out

Stoick's thunderdrum's name is thornado🥴

Scauldrons eat blue Oleanders, these flowers are poisonous to other dragons tho

Snotlout was the one that found Heather's wrecked boat

I love how Astrid's so intuitive, she knew right away that Heather was kinda sus. It really shows the difference between her and Hiccup who always tries to look for the best in people. Both are good qualities to a certain point if you think about it...

Chicken! :D

"Why would you do that?!" JHDHSHA I LOVE HIM

"Ow! Why is it always violence with you?" "It's not violence. It's communication." Astrid after hitting Fishlegs

That one scene where Astrid is going to Outcast island as Heather on her own and Hiccup is all overprotective i-😩🥺

I really wish they had named and kept that monstrous nightmare that saved Astrid

Thawfest: festival to test strength, endurance, and courage

- The fact that Astrid could've won the log roll and axe throwing events if it hadn't been for fishlegs 🤦🏻‍♀️

- I love how Astrid always knows better

- OMG KISSY KISSY KISS KISS 😚🥴🥰😍😘

Why do I feel like tuff and ruff would definitely be children of Ares

Mildew annoys me sm

I love Mulch and Bucket and also how Stoick was willing to go against his people to protect Toothless. I think it shows the great qualities of a leader who doesn't let everyone do whatever they want.

HICCUP HAS BEEN HIT WITH LIGHTNING!!

- *wakes up from being hit with a lightning bolt to check on his leg* "At least I didn't lose another one."

Whispering death - boulder class, razor sharp teeth, incredibly strong and hunts from underground

The way Snotlout makes fun of the fact that Toothless can't fly bc of Hiccup pisses me tf off

Little moments between Hiccup and Astrid are the ones that get me 🥺🥰 like him getting on Stormfly before Astrid and then helping her up or him touching her shoulder and leaving his hand on there for just a sec to indicate the way 🥺🥺🥺

No because the way they're all running away from the Whispering Death in ep14 and Toothless finally appears and Astrid is like "TOOTHLESS!" like I always asked myself why they didnt show Hiccup's immediate reaction to Toothless coming back and defending them. I just love that they showed how Toothless is also important to Astrid.

Toothless looks cute/funny holding a boulder

Barf and Belch go through the worst lmao

OK I COULD NEVER REMEMBER WHICH ONE WAS WHICH BUT NOW IK CAUSE I ACTUALLY PAYED ATTENTION THAT

Barf is Ruff's

Belch is Tuff's

Also why did I forget that Zippleback gas is kinda druggy

Dagur gives me Vector from Despicable me vibes

I really liked how Stoick was willing to go to war to save Barf And Belch in the Twinsanity ep, it really showed that he wouldn't only do it for Toothless (to protect Hiccup) but he'd do it for any dragon bc he's actually changed

Hiccup's acting was on point ✋🏼👏🏼🤩

Love how Hookfang won't take shii from Snotlout

LITERALLY JAHDHSHZHS Hiccup being hella done w Snotlout in ep16 is my new favorite thing.

THE HAND THING WILL ALWAYS BE ICONIC AND NO ONE WILL TELL ME OTHERWISE

Wow Toothless and Snotlout working together, never thought I'd see this duo

Breakneck Bog = Bermuda Triangle = The Sea of Monsters

Astrid hitting Tuff for pranking them is hilarious and Then RUFF ALSO HITTING TUFF TOO WHEN SHE WAS ALSO PART OF THE PRANK LMAO

Smothering Smoke Breaths - hide themselves in a veil of smoke, very territorial and they build their nests out of metallic objects to defend against attacks by bigger dragons

Changewings - able to change color of its skin to blend in with its surroundings.

I love how Astrid is just so direct lmao

THE TWINS I- JAJDHDHDJAN I LOVE THESE 2 DUMBASSES

The way the chabgewing just ruffled up tuffnut NAHSHDHHSHS

Baby Gustav 🥺🥺🥺🥺

WAIT BUT BUCKET'S SPITTING FACTS

"It's always the quiet ones that snap the loudest"

Granite is Meatlug's favorite 🥴

The way Astrid is so excited to show Hiccup her new achievement and the way she always knows when something is wrong... If this isn't true love i-🥺🥺🥺🥺

Hiccup was entrusted with Bork life's work

The Isle of night - an entire island filled with Night Furies!

Fishlegs lil giggle after he did the thunderdrum call😅🥴

Remember how I said that I thought Stoick would be the only person to get into a fist fight with a dragon? Well I was wrong... Snotlout just punched a Changewing and ig that's abt right

Hiccup just wanted Toothless to not be alone 🥺🥺🥺

ALVIN! UGH THIS DUDE-

The way we had to wait for 2 more shows and 2 movies to finally see another night fury

FINISHED IT OMG NOW ONTO DOB

[geekinator]

I did this as a three part series, because I just can’t get enough Beifong in my life and thinking about them brings me immense joy.

Here’s the first two:

And last but not least:

The Beifong family is the best thing that ever happened to Avatar and quite possibly my life. The thing I love most about them, though, is how human they are. They are the epitome of what happens when life is messy and emotions are raw and people do stupid things and life doesn’t go as expected. Each and every one of them is batshit crazy, and I love them for it. Here’s my take on the illustrious Beifongs. Last is Su.

Suyin: An Analysis

Oh, Su. What can I say? Su is just as complicated as the rest of the Beifongs. Su is no saint but neither is she a devil. Su is human, and that’s about all there is to it.

Su obviously took her mother’s absence in a very different direction. I would imagine that both Toph and Lin were very excited to welcome Su. However, very shortly Lin is old enough and probably mature enough to watch her, which leaves Toph free to be Chief, which means Su is shortchanged in her time with her mom. I don’t think Toph sat them down one day and was like ok girls I’m going to be spending more time at work so Lin you’re in charge. I think she just slowly wasn’t really needed at home (at least not in a way that computed in her mind) and she just kind of drifted away.

Well if I’m Su and my big sister starts bossing me around I’m like ok no that’s not happening, and she obviously started to resist it. However, saying “I was more of a rebel” is like saying “that ghost pepper is a little spicy”. Like Su, honey, there’s a rebel and there’s criminal enterprise. It’s not the same thing, and even later in life she obviously hasn’t made that connection.

Whether because of her absence, or because she perhaps saw herself in Su, Toph turned a blind eye (pardon the pun). It’s also obvious that Toph isn’t even aware of half the stuff that goes on. And because she’s clueless, Toph probably doesn’t believe Lin when she tells her. Whatever the case, Su is that kid who could do anything or say anything and get away with it, while Big Sister probably sneezes wrong and everyone glares at them, because they’re older and supposed to be more mature. Lin at this point is beyond frustrated with Su.

So here we go, Su steps out of the car and I’m sure Lin is feeling a lot of things. Probably like she failed her little sister, angry because WTF Su, and maybe even a little vindicated. Now Toph will HAVE to pay attention. Su is the dumbest bitch this side of Whale Tail Island, however, and actually thinks that Lin is going to let her walk away. Well of course she’s not, duh. But Su is so full of anger and frustration, that she lashes out.

When I say Su is full of anger and frustration, I mean that as much as Lin kept a lid on it, Su did, too. Su had less time with Toph at home than Lin did, which wasn’t fair. Su had to put up with Lin mothering her, when she wasn’t actually her mother and only a few years older than her. Su had very little direction in her life, from anyone. Su was obviously very impressionable. Those two idiots she was with probably could have convinced her to commit Grand Theft Auto, and it wouldn’t have taken much. If things hadn’t gone down the way they did, Su probably would have ended up dead or as a true villain.

Hm, excuse me while I jot down a story idea.

Anyways, my point is, Su had just as many feelings as Lin, her bottle just looked very different. So in a moment of pure anger she lashes out when Lin tries to arrest her. I believe she regretted it, and here’s why: she’s in Toph’s office with Lin. Had Su been completely devoid of any feeling, she would have run away and never looked back, or at least tried to rationalize it. Toph is obviously fully aware of what went down; she asks both of them what they were thinking, so even though Su’s not saying sorry she’s not sitting there trying to deny it. She knows she got caught. She may not be sorry, but she’s still sitting there in the office. Frankly I give her points for that. Not many, but a few.

If I’m Su, I know I did wrong but I don’t care. So I love to hear Toph ask Lin what she was thinking, too. I’m like ha! Yeah, you tear up that report, Mom! But wait, I have to leave the city? Holy shit, did not see that coming! So now the mom who I didn’t have much time with in the first place and has been largely absent is sending me away to my grandparents (and who knows how well she knew them) where only the Spirits know what’s going to happen then. Well this sucks. Not an excuse for her shitty behavior but it still sucked for her.

So then she goes traipsing around the world to prove to herself she is outside the realm of rules. She finally settles down with Bataar Sr and builds Zaofu. Her ideals still seem to be based on the idea of life without limits, which fits her history. She seems more like someone who creates opportunities than someone who makes a lot of rules. Aiwei calls her the matriarch so she’s not exactly in a position of true political power, at least not in name.

I truly believe Bataar loves Su and that he is a good husband and father. I also believe that for the most part, Su is a good mom. Here’s why: her kids are quite well-adjusted. Except for Bataar Jr who seems to have inherited her impressionable nature. But Wing and Wei are cool and obviously very accomplished, Opal is rather prissy but she does have some good qualities, and Huan is very passionate about his banana art. They’re kind of a fun family. Su tells Korra that she always wished Lin were a part of her life, and I believe her. I really think Su misses her big sister. She and Lin are alike in that what they want most is their family to be intact.

After the fall of the Earth Queen, Su says she doesn’t want to impose her ideals on the nation. Again, she doesn’t like rules, so she's not going to go around telling everyone else what to do. I don’t agree with that decision but it is consistent with her character. Her decision to try and assassinate Kuvira I believe comes from a desire to protect those around her, anger at Kuvira for betraying her and taking her son away from her, and guilt because it was her inaction that precipitated the whole thing in the first place. It’s a stupid ass decision, and is an emotional one. Su seems to be ruled by her emotions, from the first time we see her until the end of the series, which is interesting because she does keep her cool most of the time. Emotional people are like that, though. I’m ok until you make me mad or feel something and now I have to do something about it. Oftentimes they resent the person who made them feel it, and blame them. Su definitely falls into that category. Because she is so governed by her emotions, she tends to rush headlong into things without seeing the long game, or the risks. When she gets caught, she knows she messed up. But now Korra has to come and save her, Su knowing full well she’s not ready. But Korra tries anyways because even though Su is incredibly stupid and selfish, she is a friend and they still care about her. Anyone who watches Dragons Race to the Edge, it reminds me of Snotlout, when Astrid says he’s a muttonhead, but he’s their muttonhead. For better or worse, Su has become one of them.

Quite frankly, I like Su. I think her biggest faults are that she tends to follow her emotions which gets her into trouble and she doesn’t really like to acknowledge when she’s wrong, even though she definitely knows she is. Neither of those things are traits that I would consider unforgivable. I don’t think she and I would be bosom buddies but she is an interesting person. I would be endlessly frustrated with her and probably tell her I told you so a lot. But Su is there when it counts. She defeats P’li and helps defeat Kuvira. She helps save Korra and teaches her metal bending, and she is quite cheerful. As far as Lin forgiving her I feel like that was more for Lin than Su, just like forgiveness is for everyone. For anyone who says Lin deserves better, keep in mind this is her little sister who she loves very much. There’s history there and families are messy and complicated and I for one trust Lin. Lin also doesn’t just jump in, she tells Su she just won’t show up and attack her. They only become more involved because that’s how things played out. Lin is very sincere when she tells Su that she loves her, and it almost seems like the first time Lin has said those words out loud, based on Su’s expression.

Su may not have known or believed it before that. Right or wrong, good or bad, Su is family, and families are stupid and crazy. Like I said before, Su is no saint, but she’s no devil either. She makes shitty decisions and yes people have to keep coming to her rescue, but I think her heart is in the right place. I really do.

[evilwriter37]

Interest

Commission for @ashleybenlove

Rated: explicit

Warnings: rape/non-con, graphic depictions of violence

Pairings: Hiccup/Viggo, Hiccup/The Dragon Riders

Word Count: 5,597

Summary: The Dragon Riders are captured by Ryker and Viggo. Viggo comes in to question them, but the questions he asks are very much not what they expected.

Snotlout didn’t like this situation one bit. The Dragon Riders had been captured by Ryker and his men, and were now being transported to who knew where. Maybe Viggo’s base? Or a different ship? The dragons were certainly on a separate ship from them. Ryker would have learned to keep them on a separate ship from all the times they’d escaped.

They were all being held together in one cell for the moment. Snotlout was just sitting sullenly against the wall, picking at some lint on his pants.

“We have to get out of here,” Astrid said for what felt like the millionth time. “Who knows what they’re going to do to us or our dragons?”

Hiccup looked like he was thinking. Yeah, that was definitely his thinking face. Snotlout, on the other hand, was not thinking of a way out. He was feeling pretty hopeless. If they had Hookfang on another ship, how was he supposed to get them both free?

“Guys, we’re locked in here without our dragons. What are we supposed to do?” Snotlout asked.

“We have each other,” Hiccup said. “That’s what they did wrong.”

“Okay, oh positive one, then what are we going to do?” Tuffnut questioned.

Hiccup sighed, his face losing its smile. “Haven’t thought of that yet.”

Snotlout just rolled his eyes, but didn’t say anything. He didn’t think there was going to be any way out of this.

---

There was a lurch as the ship came to a stop. They must have been at their destination. The Riders had yet to think of a way out. Hiccup had decided that their best bet was when they were being moved, that way they wouldn’t be stuck in a cell. Snotlout still thought it was hopeless, but maybe that had something to do with all the Hunters being taller than him, and that he was without Hookfang. What kind of fighter was he without his dragon? He used to think he was good, but now he relied on Hookfang. That was a problem.

Heavy sets of footsteps from the other end of the hall. The Riders all stood and looked to see who was coming for them. Hiccup, of all people, visibly backed away, his hands curling into fists.

“Viggo,” he growled.

The man in question came to stand in front of the cell with Ryker and a few Hunters carrying ropes. They were going to be tied up, it would seem.

Viggo smirked, probably amused at hearing the hatred Hiccup had for him. “Come now, my dear, don’t be like that.”

Hiccup’s eyes narrowed, his fists clenching tighter. “Don’t call me that.”

“I’ll call you what I wish.” Viggo nodded to his brother. “You did a good job securing them, Ryker. What of their dragons?”

“On the other ship,” Ryker answered. He sneered at the Riders. “You’re not getting out of this one that easily.”

“Good, good.” Viggo clasped his hands behind his back. “Open the cell. Bind their hands behind their backs. Except for Hiccup.”

“What are you going to do with me?” Hiccup asked, and only his friends would have been able to detect the fear in his voice - Snotlout certainly did.

“We’re going to have fun, darling,” Viggo said as the cell door was opened.

This was their chance. With a yell, Snotlout ran at one of the approaching Hunters, aiming his fists for his stomach. His friends rushed into battle around him, shouting. Hiccup went straight for Viggo. Snotlout couldn’t pay attention to that at the moment though. The Hunter had taken the blow, but had easily recovered, and had drawn a dagger. Snotlout dodged it as he tried to stab him in the shoulder, his small stature making him able to move faster. He came in close to disarm the Hunter, but a wrist was grabbed and yanked on, nearly pulling his arm out of the socket.

Snotlout shouted in pain, kicked and flailed, but the Hunter had him now. In a few swift movements, rope was secured around his wrists and pulled tight.

“Stop!” Viggo ordered, and the Riders turned to see Hiccup in his grip, his sword at his throat. “Stop fighting or I kill your leader.”

The surprise of that gave the Hunters enough time to tie up the other Riders. Snotlout tried running towards Hiccup to help him, but the Hunter he’d been fighting kicked at the backs of his knees and knocked him down to the floor on his face. His chin was jarred and he nearly bit his tongue.

“You wouldn’t kill me,” Hiccup said confidently, and the confidence seemed to be real.

A few moments where nothing happened save for the Riders being pulled into a group and made to sit. Then, with a smile, Viggo lowered his sword. “You’re right, Hiccup.” He sheathed the weapon, but didn’t let go of his prize. “I’m going to do something much worse.” He shoved Hiccup in Ryker’s direction. “Undress him, take his prosthetic, then tie him to the hooks in the ceiling, facing the Riders.”

“Viggo, no!” Hiccup yelled. He struggled against Ryker’s strong grip. “What are you doing?!”

“Stop, stop!” Fishlegs yelled. “We’ll give you whatever you want! Just don’t hurt Hiccup!”

“Quiet, Fishlegs!” Hiccup demanded as his armor began to be pulled free. He still struggled though, trying to find a way out of this. Snotlout was scared for him. Why did Viggo want him undressed? Was he going to torture him in front of them?

Hiccup’s struggles were in vain. Eventually, his armor and clothes came off, and his arms were pulled up and tied to the hooks in the ceiling meant for dragons. He tried to kick Ryker, but his prosthetic was pulled off, and he had to focus on balancing on one leg.

The nudity was nothing Snotlout and the rest of the Riders hadn’t seen before. Hiccup was their lover. He belonged to all of them, and they loved him with all their hearts. Snotlout knew that, whatever this was going to be, it would be painful for everyone involved.

“Thank you, Ryker,” Viggo said. “You and your men may leave now.”

“So I don’t get to watch you break them?” The man sounded disappointed.

Viggo cast a glare at his brother. “No, you don’t.”

Ryker stomped away very indignantly, taking his men with him. The rest of the Dragon Hunters that stayed must have been Viggo’s. They pointed axes and spears at the Dragon Riders, making it so that they couldn’t hope to escape or help Hiccup. Snotlout was sure that one move would result in injury.

Viggo ran a hand over Hiccup’s back as he approached, making the lead Dragon Rider flinch.

“Don’t touch me!” Hiccup snapped at him, still full of fire despite the way he was tied up.

Viggo laughed lightly, patted Hiccup on the shoulder. “Get used to it, my dear.” He looked at each of the Dragon Riders and some of them, Snotlout included, flinched away at his gaze. It was so strong and domineering, so terrifying.

“Now, I’m going to be asking questions,” Viggo said, still keeping a hand on Hiccup’s shoulder. “Not answering will result in pain to Hiccup. I’m sure you all understand.”

It was Hiccup’s turn to laugh. “Do your worst, Viggo. My Riders won’t break.”

“Oh, but won’t they?” Viggo turned to Hiccup with a smile, drawing a large dagger from his belt. “Won’t some of them just die at the sight of your blood and the sound of your screams?” He turned and pointed his dagger at each of them. “I have my bets on who’s going to break first.”

Hiccup just made a growling sound at Viggo, tugged on his ropes, but it did nothing to deter the man. He knelt down, put the dagger level with Hiccup’s stump, his other hand grasping it so that he couldn’t move. Hiccup visibly gasped. Snotlout knew that he didn’t like people touching him there, that it had taken a long time for him to even let the Riders see him there. And now Viggo was getting to see and breaking his boundaries. But, Viggo was their enemy: of course he didn’t give a damn about their boundaries.

“First question,” Viggo said, seeming quite pleased with the situation he’d set up. “Which of you has Hiccup taken?”

The Riders just stared at Viggo in shock.

“Um, what do you mean by taken?” Fishlegs asked hesitantly.

“I think you know, Fishlegs,” Viggo said with a smile. “Which of you has had his cock?”

They just gaped at him.

“What kind of question is that?” Snotlout asked incredulously. “I-I thought you were going to ask about important stuff: the Dragon Eye, the lenses, our defenses, things like that. Not about… about our sex lives!”

“Yeah!” Tuffnut agreed. “And what do you mean about Hiccup taking us? What makes you think he has?”

“Oh, it’s just a feeling I have,” Viggo explained. “It’s the way you all work together, fly together. There’s chemistry there. So-” He tapped Hiccup’s stump with the dagger, and Hiccup gasped- “Answer the question.”

Fishlegs opened his mouth, but Astrid spoke before he could. “No,” she said firmly.

Viggo shrugged. “Alright then.” He pressed the tip of the dagger to Hiccup’s stump, and Hiccup bit his lip and grunted as it sliced through skin and drew blood. He whined audibly as Viggo slowly made a slash on his stump, but didn’t make any other sound.

“That was disappointing,” Viggo mused. “Come on, Hiccup. I know you’ve got a voice in you.”

“Wh-why do you want to know this?” Hiccup asked. “Why do you care?”

“Because it interests me,” Viggo answered. He dug the dagger in deeper, and Hiccup yelped in surprise. Then, he clamped his mouth shut, his jaw tight. Snotlout could see how he was struggling, and gods, he wanted to answer to stop Hiccup’s pain, but he didn’t want Viggo to know about their sex lives. It was too deep, too personal.

“Stop!” Ruffnut yelled. “Just stop it! You don’t deserve to know these things!” She scrambled to her feet, but was quickly knocked down by the butt of a spear hitting her right across the forehead. She fell on her rear end, looking dazed, and didn’t speak again.

“Hm, maybe slow cutting won’t make you scream,” Viggo said. He gripped Hiccup’s stump tightly. “But I’m sure this will.” He made a hard, quick slash across Hiccup’s stump, and Hiccup did scream. Gods, Snotlout hated the sound. He’d never heard Hiccup scream in pain before, and it was awful.

“Stop, Viggo,” Fishlegs begged. “Just stop it.”

“If you all want it to stop, someone must answer me. Which of you has had Hiccup’s cock?”

“Me,” Snotlout said. He couldn’t help it. He didn’t want to see Hiccup suffer anymore. Revealing their sex lives to their enemy was humiliating, but if it would stop Hiccup’s pain… “A-and Ruffnut and Astrid,” he went on. “Maybe Tuffnut, I don’t know.”

“Snotlout!” Astrid hissed.

Viggo laughed, looked up at Hiccup. “Oh, you get around, don’t you?”

“Stop this,” Hiccup demanded through gritted teeth.

“I don’t think I will.” Viggo put the dagger back to Hiccup’s stump. “How is he with it? He’s got quite a nice cock. Does he know how to use it?”

That comment about Hiccup’s cock being nice unsettled Snotlout. So, Viggo had looked. Viggo liked it. There was nothing good about that. Thor, Snotlout hoped this wouldn’t turn into anything sexual.

Viggo looked at each of them hard until they were squirming uncomfortably in their restraints.

“Come now, someone answer me. Snotlout, what about you? So eager to answer the last question.”

Snotlout looked to Hiccup, to see if any of this was even worth it, and Hiccup shook his head at him. He didn’t want him to say anything. But he was willing to take pain over this? To hide their relationship from Viggo? It seemed a little ridiculous, but Snotlout would listen to his leader.

“I’ve only made two cuts so far,” Viggo said. “How many do you think I can fill his body with?” He smirked at Hiccup. “Though, I would certainly like to fill his body with something else.”

“Don’t touch him!” Fishlegs shouted in a rage. He made to stand, but a Hunter with an axe came forward, shoved the blade right up against his chest. Fishlegs slowly went back down, and the Hunter moved away, looking pleased that the intimidation had worked.

“I’m going to do whatever I want with him,” Viggo said. “In front of all of you. I just want some information first.”

“He knows how to use it,” Ruffnut said monotonously. When Snotlout glanced at her, there was a faraway look in her eyes, like she was pretending she wasn’t here. Blood leaked from a gash on her forehead, dribbled down to her right eyebrow. “He’s good with it. Dragon riding makes the hips flexible, you know?”

Viggo just nodded as if this made sense to him. He suddenly let go of Hiccup’s stump, stood, and reached for his cock. Hiccup tried moving his hips out of the way, but Viggo touched him anyway.

“No…” Hiccup moaned, trying to cross his injured leg in front of himself to get Viggo to release him. Snotlout seethed with rage at seeing Viggo violate him like this, but there was nothing he could do.

“I see,” Viggo said. “Yes, this is very nice.” He pressed a kiss to Hiccup’s cheek, making him cringe. “Hold still, dear.”

“Stop touching him!” Astrid yelled. She got to her feet, dodged when the butt of a spear came at her head. She ran forward, probably to butt her head into Viggo’s nose, but the haft of a spear went across her stomach. She fell onto her back hard, the breath knocked out of her. There were tears in her eyes, and that made Snotlout realize that his own were stinging with them as well. He just wanted to curl into a ball and cry till this was all gone and over with. This couldn’t be happening. This couldn’t actually be happening.

���Now, what does Hiccup like?” Viggo asked, still stroking Hiccup’s flaccid cock. “"How do I get him hard?”

“Stop it! Just stop touching him!” Tuffnut cried. He looked like he wanted to try to stand, but didn’t do so. There were tears running down his face. “Let him go!”

Viggo actually listened, but only to put the dagger to Hiccup’s abdomen.

“Tell me how I get him hard.”

“Go fuck yourself, Viggo,” Astrid spat. She’d sat up now, tears streaming down her cheeks, but there was still that fire to her. Fishlegs was just whimpering. Snotlout was crying silently, unsure of what to do, how to get out of this. Hiccup would be assaulted whether or not they answered the questions, it seemed, but answering the questions faster would mean less pain for Hiccup.

But they couldn’t just tell Viggo all of that! It was personal for them, personal for Hiccup!

“You don’t have any right to this, Viggo,” Snotlout said, surprised by the quiet rage in his voice. He’d never heard himself like this before. “No right at all.”

“It doesn’t matter if I have any right,” Viggo told them with a smile. “Because I’m taking it.”

He slashed Hiccup across the ribs, and Hiccup jerked in his bonds and screamed. The dagger was held just beneath that bleeding wound, tight against Hiccup’s heaving flesh.

“Now tell me,” Viggo said calmly.

“H-he likes having it sucked,” Fishlegs said quietly, voice almost a squeak. Snotlout wanted to slap him for speaking, but couldn’t with his hands bound behind him. Yes, he loved Fishlegs, but sometimes anger could override that. “But-but I’m sure you wouldn’t do that… Oh… alright then!”

Because Viggo did just that. He sheathed the dagger and got down onto his knees before Hiccup, took his cock with one hand, and shoved it into his mouth. Hiccup’s jaw dropped in pleasure and shock, and then he moaned.

“No, no, Viggo, stop it. Please,” Hiccup begged. There were tears in the corners of his eyes. He looked up at the ceiling, away from Viggo, away from all of them. “Stop.”

But Viggo didn’t stop. He bobbed his head along Hiccup’s length with smooth precision. Hiccup cried, and, Snotlout couldn’t help looking, saw him getting hard in Viggo’s hand and mouth. Viggo hummed around him, and the noises this was making were obscene.

Viggo sucked at the head, then pulled his mouth off with a pop, began lavishing Hiccup’s length with revered kisses, like he’d been wanting to do this. Hiccup panted and moaned. He briefly looked down at Viggo, and their gazes met. Snotlout swore he could feel Viggo smiling; Hiccup looked back at the ceiling.

“I bet your Riders look good sucking your cock,” Viggo said. He stroked it, placed a kiss at the tip, and Hiccup whined. “Do you choke them with it? You’re not small, my dear.”

“Fuck off,” Hiccup spat. “It’s none of your business.”

“I’m making it my business.” Viggo put his mouth back around him, and Snotlout watched in astonishment as he took him into his throat. He hadn’t expected that at all. Viggo Grimborn could deepthroat?

Hiccup was moaning and gasping loudly. He bit his lower lip then, trying to hold in his sounds, but a whine still came out anyway. Gods, he was probably hurting so much. He had the bleeding wounds on him, and now he was being violated by their enemy.

Viggo finally stopped and pulled away from Hiccup, thinking he’d had enough of that. He stood, wiped his hands together. He came around to Hiccup’s back, trailing a hand over his hip.

“No, no, no, no, no…” Hiccup moaned out.

“Stop it!” Ruffnut cried. There were tears running down her cheeks. “Don’t do this!”

Viggo put a hand to his belt buckle, smirked at the Riders. “I’ll do what I wish.”

---

Hiccup hated this. No, he despised it, loathed it. He’d been tortured in front of his friends, had had his cock sucked against his will in front of them, and now he was going to be raped with them as an audience.

“Viggo, please,” Hiccup started. Viggo’s belt fell heavily to the floor. “I’ll… I’ll do anything. Just, please. Not in front of them.”

“Oh, I’m going to do it in front of them,” Viggo said. “I want them to see you destroyed.”

“No,” Hiccup said firmly as Viggo trailed a hand down his back, then delved fingers between the cheeks of his ass. Viggo didn’t listen though, of course, and Hiccup jumped when he felt a finger rubbing over his rim. Viggo rubbed at that muscle for some time, and Hiccup hated how it felt good. He’d taken cock and fingers before, knew how it felt, and for him, it felt good.

“How many cocks have you taken, Hiccup?” Viggo said into his ear before kissing along the curve of it. “Answer, and I won’t hurt your friends.”

“A-all of theirs,” Hiccup said.

“Even Snotlout?” Viggo asked.

“Hey!” Snotlout cried.

“Yes,” Hiccup answered. He hated that Viggo was implying that Snotlout’s cock was inferior. Despite the size of it, it wasn’t. Snotlout knew what to do with it, knew how to hit him in all the right places. He looked to his friends for support, saw tears on all their faces. Gods, this was going to be absolutely awful. He didn’t want to make any sound throughout this, but he’d already broken that. He was sure he would break it again.

Looking into their eyes, he saw that they recognized his strength. They were telling him that he could get through this, that they would be there for him after. Hopefully they would. Hopefully they wouldn’t be separated after this.

Viggo removed his finger for a moment, and then Hiccup gasped as it came back to him wet with spit. He pushed it inside, and everything in Hiccup’s body clamped down around it to keep it from going further.

“Let me in, Hiccup.” Viggo’s voice was silky in his ear, and his right hand was running over his uninjured side. “Not doing so will only make this worse.”

“Go fuck yourself with a spear,” Hiccup said in derision. “I’m sure you’d enjoy all the blood.” Because certainly Viggo enjoyed blood. Or, at least Hiccup’s blood. He’d had no qualms about hurting him earlier. Why didn’t he just force his way in and tear him?

“I don’t want to tear you,” Viggo told him honestly. “Let. Me. In.”

And so, Hiccup did. He took a deep breath and unclenched his muscles. Once he did that, Viggo went in as smoothly as one could with only spit as lubricant. Hiccup wished there was oil, because without it, this was surely going to hurt.

Hiccup moaned once Viggo was in down to his last joint. He was deep inside him, his fingers long and thick. Viggo didn’t wait for him to grow comfortable, just drew his first finger out, then pushed in two.

“Mm, no, no, no!”

“Yes, Hiccup.” Viggo chewed on his ear, and that had Hiccup shuddering with fire. His cock was achingly hard. It didn’t care that this was an enemy. All it knew was that he was going to be receiving sex. It didn’t care that all this was being forced upon him.

“I bet you’re going to feel so good around my cock. You’ll like it, I think, if you’ve truly taken Fishlegs. Fishlegs must be quite large.”

The man in question was blushing furiously while also crying. It was an odd mixture of expressions.

“Shut up.” Hiccup hated that Viggo enjoyed talking. He would rather that he do this quietly instead of taunting him and everyone else present. “You just like the sound of your own voice.”

“Perhaps I do,” Viggo admitted. He pushed in a third spit-soaked finger, and Hiccup moaned. It didn’t hurt as much as he’d thought it would. Maybe that was good. Or maybe it should hurt, just so that his body didn’t get aroused from this.

All too soon, Viggo was removing his fingers, and Hiccup moaned in despair. Soon, he was going to feel his cock, and there was nothing he could do about it. Despite this, Hiccup pulled tight on the ropes binding him. The wood of the ceiling creaked under the strain of him pulling at the hook, but that was all that happened.

Hiccup drew in a sharp intake of air when he felt the head of Viggo’s cock against his stretched hole. He whimpered, but didn’t say anything. Telling Viggo to stop had been useless. He wasn’t about to now, not that he was aroused. Hiccup hated that he was aroused too, but Viggo had sucked his cock expertly, and it had felt so good. It wasn’t fair, it wasn’t fair!

“Ah…” Viggo had begun pushing his way into him, and oh Thor, he was big. Some of the Riders yelled wordlessly, nearly screaming. Others yelled for Viggo to stop. It was so noisy Hiccup could hardly make sense of the words. He hated that they were wasting their energy on this. Viggo wasn’t going to stop.

Viggo stretched Hiccup immensely as he went into him, almost as much as Fishlegs stretched him, and that was by a lot. He was longer though, so much longer. He was reaching places that had never been touched before, not by fingers or hands, not by a cock, not by his partners or himself. He was violating him on the deepest level possible.

Hiccup whimpered again once Viggo was in him fully, his balls pressing against him. He hated the size of him, because his body enjoyed it. If his body and his mind could work together, that would be fantastic, but they were discordant, following different rhythms.

“Oh, you feel good,” Viggo let him know. Hiccup despised that. He didn’t want to feel good for Viggo. He imagined his cock getting stabbed through with spikes. It was a violent thought, one that he wasn’t used to, but it pleased him. Oh, the way he would scream.

Viggo’s first thrust was slow, rubbing across his prostate, and that had Hiccup moaning. He was sure this would feel good even without his prostate being stimulated, just because of the sheer size of Viggo’s cock. Hiccup hadn’t expected him to go slow, at first to let him adjust, had expected him to ravish him and go hard and fast. Maybe he would later. Hiccup wasn’t looking forward to it. His body was.

Viggo let out a groan as he pushed back into Hiccup, and Hiccup loathed the sound. Viggo was getting pleasure from his body without having asked him first. He was using him for his own pleasure, his own gain. It was sickening. And yet, his cock was still hard, and the next rub against his prostate had it dripping precum.

Hiccup closed his eyes, hating hearing his friends’ despairing sobs. Maybe he could pretend he was somewhere else, with someone else. Maybe he could pretend this was Fishlegs.

But Fishlegs’ cock didn’t feel like this. His hands on his hips didn’t feel like this, didn’t grip him as hard. Hiccup wondered if he would bruise.

And still, he tried. He tried pretending this was one of his lovers. And for a time, it worked. Tuffnut was thrusting into him steadily. Not too hard, but enough for their flesh to make sounds as it slapped together. He was rubbing across his prostate with each thrust, and Hiccup was a moaning mess.

“Tuffnut…” Hiccup groaned.

That resulted in a sudden, hard slap to his ass. Hiccup jumped and yelped, and the slap had him coming back to reality. Tuffnut would never spank him unless he’d explicitly asked him to.

“Do not say the names of your partners,” Viggo growled. “Only mine. You’re with me, not them.”

“I-I’d rather be with them,” Hiccup got out through the anguish and the pleasure.

Another slap, this one hard enough to bruise and draw blood. Hiccup cried out, tossed his head back, tugged on his ropes. He hated this. He hated this so much.

Hiccup yelled as Viggo picked up his pace. That had the friction burning painfully, but it was so good at the same time. He was still getting his prostate.

“Am I stimulating you in all the good spots?” Viggo asked, sounding pleased with himself. He panted. “Is your body enjoying this?”

“Y-you know the answer to that,” Hiccup panted. He didn’t understand why Viggo asked him. Maybe he just wanted to hear him talk, wanted to hear the pain and pleasure in his voice.

Viggo laughed heartily; Hiccup didn’t like the sound. Why was he laughing during this? Was he just so high on the fact that he was getting this from him? That he’d won?

Oh gods, he’d won. He’d won. He had them and all their dragons captured, and was doing his best to break Hiccup and his friends. Hiccup didn’t know if he would break, but he was sure that some of his friends already had at witnessing this, at the humiliation of having to describe their sexual relations with him. It was disgusting. It was all so disgusting.

Hiccup moaned as Viggo continued thrusting into him. He hoped he wouldn’t cum from this. He didn’t want to, didn’t want to be undone at the hands of his enemy.

But that didn’t seem to matter, because Viggo wrapped an arm around the front of his body and took his cock in his hand. Hiccup cried out, and his head rested against Viggo’s shoulder. The blunt spikes on his pauldron were uncomfortable, but Hiccup couldn’t get himself out of the position. He needed some support through all the burning in his body.

“Mm, beautiful,” Viggo crooned. He leaned his head down to kiss at Hiccup’s exposed throat. Hiccup moaned louder, because he’d just found his sensitive spot. Hiccup loved it when his neck and throat were kissed.

“Moan louder for me, darling,” Viggo panted. “Let me hear you.”

Hiccup hated it, but he listened. He listened because he had no other choice, and he was afraid of what would happen to him or his friends if he didn’t listen. The Dragon Riders still had weapons pointed at all of them. The blood on Ruffnut’s face was drying in a sticky coating on her skin.

This went on for quite a while. Eventually, Hiccup had marks from Viggo’s sucking mouth all over his throat, and bruises on his hips and his ass from his hands. His blood was stopping its flow out of his body, drying, sticking to him. Sweat slicked his skin and his hair.

Everything in Hiccup’s body was tightening, pleasure shooting through him: his climax was approaching. Hiccup cried hard at this. He didn’t want to cum by Viggo’s cock and hand.

But he did cum. His nerves were stabbed through with intense pleasure as it happened, his cock aching and throbbing, spurting out his seed so that it got on the floor and Viggo’s stroking hand. Hiccup’s insides hugged Viggo’s cock. He screamed.

Viggo let go of Hiccup’s cock once his orgasm died down, and Hiccup was grateful for that. He’d tried overstimulation with one of his lovers before, and hadn’t liked the agony of it one bit. Tuffnut liked it though, but that wasn’t surprising. He was masochistic in almost everything he did.

“Beautiful,” Viggo praised. He didn’t stop his thrusting, even though Hiccup’s climax was over, and Hiccup whined loudly at how sensitive he was. It didn’t quite hurt, but it was so much pleasure that it was uncomfortable, unbearable. It had Hiccup writhing, bucking his hips to try to get away, yanking on his ropes. None of it worked. Viggo kept up his strokes, and Hiccup’s insides screamed. His voice did as well.

The only warning Hiccup got of Viggo’s impending orgasm was a groan. Then, he was throbbing inside of him, pumping him full of his seed, and Hiccup sobbed. Heat entered his belly, and his tears came faster, harder. Viggo had just succeeded in defiling him, in raping him.

Hiccup sighed in relief when Viggo pulled out of him and let go. For a few moments, nothing happened, but then, Viggo was reaching for his belt.

“That was splendid, my dear,” he told him. “Absolutely splendid.”

“You got what you wanted!” Astrid shouted. Hiccup looked to her to see fresh tears on her face. The other Riders were sobbing quietly. “Now let us go!”

“Oh, I don’t think so,” Viggo said. “This was just a taste of what I can do.” He drew his dagger and cut Hiccup down from his ropes, and he fell hard on his hands and knees, panting, chest heaving, wounds burning, his insides throbbing. “I do want important information from you, like Snotlout suggested. I was just intrigued by your sex lives.” Hiccup could feel his eyes gazing down at him. It was like knives in his naked back. “And by Hiccup.”

The Riders had nothing to say to this. Was Viggo going to leave them alone now? Or was the real interrogation going to start?

“Enjoy the time you have before that,” Viggo said. “Hiccup’s all slick and ready for you, if you want him.”

“We would never do that!” Snotlout yelled. “Not after what you just did!”

Viggo merely shrugged. “I would, but I suppose we’re all different.” He motioned to his Hunters, and they drew their weapons back. “Cut them loose.”

The Riders didn’t struggle as this was done. Hiccup didn’t move from his position on the floor. He was still trying to regain his wits after what had just occurred.

The Riders did nothing even once they were loose. They’d all had the spirits kicked and beaten out of them. With no form of a goodbye, Viggo was leaving and taking his men with him. The cell slammed shut behind him, the sound ringing in Hiccup’s ears.

Now the Riders were rushing over to Hiccup, asking him if he was okay, if they could touch him. Hiccup collapsed now that Viggo wasn’t around to see his weakness, curled up onto his side. He looked at each of the Riders, tears blurring his vision.

“I’m sorry,” Hiccup said, words choked. “I’m so sorry.”

“It’s not your fault,” Ruffnut told him, stroking his hair. Hiccup welcomed her touch. “It’s not your fault.”

“Can we… touch you?” Fishlegs asked, to which Hiccup nodded. He wanted their touch after what had just happened. They wouldn’t hurt him.

Hands running over his back, his legs, his sides, avoiding his wounds. He wished they had something to clean him up with, to bandage him with. Just as he thought that, Astrid was ripping at the bottom of her tunic. With the piece of fabric, she began dabbing at the blood, and Hiccup winced.

“I’m sorry, Hiccup,” Astrid said sympathetically. “I’m so sorry.”

“We’re sorry,” Snotlout said. “We shouldn’t have told Viggo anything. We shouldn’t have let him do this to you.”

“Y-you didn’t let him do anything,” Hiccup reassured him. “It was all done by force.”

Snotlout was silent, but Hiccup could almost hear his thoughts, hear him disagreeing with him. Of course the Riders would blame themselves. They’d borne witness to this.

The rest of the Riders said nothing, and Hiccup didn’t ask them to. In the silence, they all just cried.

[whathappenedtomyweekend]

It’s Just A Spark Ch. 11 - Stormy Seas

"Hiccup, maybe - maybe we should postpone this."

Astrid's voice was muffled against his chest, and contrary to her words, she only clung tighter to him when he tried to pull back, confused.

"What do you mean?"

She exhaled, her breath hot in the wool.

"I've been thinking, and it's … wrong holding you back, if it's such a big storm. I just think that maybe you should be at the department," this wasn't at all what she wanted, why did she tell him to? "in case something happens and they need you."

Hiccup froze at her words, coldly remembering that yes, he had a job and YES, she was right, he should be doing it.

'Shit.'

Yet, they were still holding each other and Hiccup couldn't help but think that maybe he could be selfish for once.

'I don't feel like being responsible right now,' he thought and sighed.

"I'll call Gobber," he said reluctantly instead, nuzzling her neck.

She pulled back and smiled at him, almost apologetically.

"Sorry."

"No, you're right. I should be on alert - that's my job after all."

Reluctantly, he unwrapped his arms around her and pulled his phone out of his pocket, Gobber's work number on speed-dial. While it was ringing, he started aimlessly wandering around in a feeble attempt to calm his furious heart.

His collegue's voice was oddly cheery when he picked up.

"We were just placing bets on when you'd call - I win by the way, Snot, hand me my 5 quid."

Hiccup stopped in his tracks through the door of the living room, confused.

"Why - why would you bet 5 quid on a phone call? And wh-"

"We're working in a network here, sonny, so you better get back to what you were doing before you remembered you have job."

"Gobber-"

"We know you have a date, Hiccup, and this storm is your chance to get a move on!" Snotlout shouted in the background, who apparently was having the time of his life.

By now, Hiccup's face was burning. He also knew now just why Gobber's voice had sounded so goddamn sprightly.

"Gobber," he repeated, pinching the bridge of his nose, well aware Astrid had followed him into the living room, watching him intently from her seat on the sofa next to Toothless. "Do you need me at work or not?"

The older man chuckled shortly, but sombered again. "No," he replied. "We've got it covered, boy, don't worry. Berk's seen many storms like this and the banks we set up will hold up fine."

He threw Astrid a quick glance, not to let on how relieved he actually was by Gobber's words.

"Okay, good," he paused for a second. "By the way, was Dad the one who …"

"Yes, he did. Which reminds me, actually - tomorrow's your day off."

"What day off?"

"Well," Gobber grinned audibly. "You have enough overtime for a whole day, so there you go. Consider it a late birthday present. Or just a really early one, depending from which perspective you view this."

Hiccup closed his eyes, wondering if he could become any redder. He wished Astrid would look somewhere else than his direction.

"This is probably illegal," he wheezed, flitting his eyes over to her. "But thanks."

She was gnawing at her lip, obviously trying to hold back her laughter.

"Then … I'll, uh, see you on Sunday."

He hung up, not before hearing Snotlout's whooping laughter in the background.

"So, I, uh," he started, broke off and cleared his throat, avoiding her gaze.

"I don't have to report back at work. And apparently I just got tomorrow off."

To his surprise, she didn't laugh. Instead, she furrowed her brow and asked, "Is he allowed to do that?"

He paused and plopped down on the sofa next to her. "Technically yes, but also, no. I do have some overtime, but it's definitely not enough for a whole day off."

Astrid dropped against him, her fringes tickling his neck. Almost by default, his arm went around her.

Her voice was muffled when she spoke, hiding her wide grin in his shoulder.

"That's some grade A wingman you got there."

Hiccup snorted, momentarily distracted by her arms around him and her face pressing into his side.

"Well … is it working?"

His voice was soft and light when he spoke, which made her lift her head to look at him again. She was met with a small, questioning smile and his warm, honest eyes.

"Maybe," she murmured back, a smile already blossiming on her lips. He grinned back, and

it was only then she became fully aware of the position they'd brought themselves in so casually, halfly holding each other on the sofa.

"It's getting dark already," she heard herself whisper then and felt him shift slightly underneath her.

"I didn't notice," he husked back, his eyes focused entirely on her.

There it was again, this look. Astrid felt her heart flutter at the intensity of it.

He was leaning down, just a bit.

She inhaled his warm, soapy scent and leaned further against him.

It was inch by inch, or maybe it happened in the blink of an eye, but suddenly there was barely any space left between their faces and-

A piercing, sharp sound tore through the raging sky, making them jump apart, away from each other, as if embarassed at being caught by the weather.

For a moment, they looked at each other in silence, their legs still touching, her hand clutching the material of his jumper. Laughter bubbled up between them, until they inched closer again.

From his spot near the window, Toothless was watching the humans clumsily return to their previous position, their faces turned away from each other again. He jumped down from the window sill to assume his new favourite spot on the sofa.

So he settled on Astrid's lap, closed his eyes and let her gently comb her fingers through his fur.

"Chin-scratch," Hiccup commented lowly at her minitrastrions. "He loves that one."

They sat in comfortable silence, his arm around her again, her legs curled up, head against his shoulder, Toothless on her lap.

"I must say, I'm impressed," he murmured after a while. "You already got him to purr."

She smiled and closed her eyes. "Maybe I'm just a natural. But it's sort of my job."

Hiccup chuckled lowly. "What, to make my cat happy?"

"Maybe. Maybe I should quit the shop too in two weeks and you just hire me as your cat-sitter."

"Being my girlfriend doesn't include that?"

Astrid grinned, her heart singing at his words, shooting him a quick, coy smile.

"No, that's extra."

"Shame," he commented, mockingly serious, his other arm coming around her to fully hold her, his head dropping on her shoulder. "Here I was, thinking it was an all-inclusive deal."

"Sorry to disappoint."

"Eh, I'll get over it," he teased back, his grip around her tightening in contrast to his words. He was feeling light, if not a bit dizzy, her scent surrounding him, and he knew every bit of reason he had had left about half an hour ago.

They fell into comfortable silence until he piped up, "Yesterday when I called you, you were talking to a collegue in the bar and, uh … Stellar?"

Astrid laughed brightly. "You heard that, huh? That was Heather, she's been in for a couple months. Basically what happened was was her saying she can't call me Ass-strid at work, so she tried Asteroid, didn't like that either and went with Stellar to keep the space-theme."

She laughed again and Hiccup felt warmth spread all over his body at that sound, revelling in it.

"She makes work suck a bit less, you know," she added, smiling lightly. Astrid sat up and leaned back into the sofa, resting her head on her bent arm, watching him intently.

He felt heat rush into his cheeks at her concentrated gaze on him. They were still sitting way too close and at the same time not close enough. Astrid found herself contemplating to lean back into him, just for the sake of proximity.

When she spoke again, her voice was soft.

"You've been doing night shifts ever since we met."

Hiccup thought back to how he'd always been flustered when talking to other people. Distracted, like he was searching for something else.

With Astrid, his attention was entirely focused on her.

"I focus better at night," he started, without really knowing where they were coming from. "When I'm working, at least."

'Right now, I'm paying more attention to your eyes than to my words.'

"That's why I'm always writing my reports at night and take so many night shifts. Technically we're limited to three per week, but, uh. Well. We can alternate between shifts, which … do you remember the day I brought you the lasagna?"

Astrid nodded, smiling slightly at the memory.

"I was on maintenance duty that morning, so I had time to drop by because I wasn't scheduled for calls. A usual shift's 9-12 hours, except for Gobber, who's our senior and Company Officer," he grinned. "But don't think that's stopping him. Sometimes he'll be in longer than me. He loves this job."

Astrid was smiling and tilted her head slightly. "Tell me about him?"

Hiccup let out a small chuckle. "I've known him since I could think. Grew up with him. He's my Dad's best friend, my godfather … co-parent after we lost Mum. He's also the, uh, Sometimes Drunk Uncle …"

Astrid laughed at that, making his heart speed up and his skin tingle.

"Whenever I'd have a fight with Dad, I'd just … pack a couple things and crash on Gobber's couch for a few days. After I moved out, Gobber moved in, all while training me. I started pretty early, I think … three years ago? Four? More or less."

He let out a small chuckle and watched her curl her legs under her so they rested against him, shifting closer. Her eyes were sparkling in the low light of the living room.

"I can't believe I never asked you about this," she blurted. This was such a big part of him and who he was, she felt herself being completely captivated by it. He laughed, running a hand through his hair, his hand brushing her thighs as it came down. After a short moment of hesitation, he rested it on her thigh, his gaze searching hers as if silently asking for permission. He smile widened and she nodded ever so slightly.

"It's okay," he mumbled. "Just a job, right?"

"You love it, though," she retorted, grinning teasingly.

He hummed, eyes back on her now. "You're right, maybe I do," he murmured and Astrid couldn't help but think he meant something else entirely.

Doing the dishes proved to be way more fun with another person around, Astrid found. She was leaning against the counter, back in the kitchen, drying piece after piece of cutlery and dish Hiccup handed her.

He was talking, voice low and soft, and in the dim light of his warm kitchen, it was all the easier wishing this could be a daily occurence.

"I think it's quite therapeutic," he murmured, turning the glass he was washing in his hands. "It's a mindless activity. Helps you keep both feet on the ground. You can sort out your thoughts."

She hummed. He paused, shooting her a quick smile.

"You don't think so?"

Astrid shrugged hesitantly. "Maybe I'm biased. Back at Puffin Point, I was the one to take care of everything, so everything involving the house became less of a chore, more of a burden. So I never really liked it that much," she confessed, feeling a bit silly telling him this while drying his dishes.

She paused for a second, her eyes on the plate she was holding, then she softly added, "But I guess I could get used to this."

He cracked a lopsided grin at that and leant against the sink.

"Well," he uttered, eyes fixed on her with an enigmatic expression. "I for one wouldn't want anyone else's dirty dishes in my sink."

The storm was getting even worse towards the evening. Toothless had retreated into Astrid's lap, his nervous energy wearing off after a few minutes of her combing her gentle fingers through his fur and murmuring softly, incoherent to Hiccup's ears.

He didn't mind at all. In fact, he could watch this all night. Leaning on the other end of the sofa, his prosthetic leg between her and the edge of the sofa, he was watching her comforting Toothless as if it were the most natural thing in the world. Despite the storm raging outside, the wind howling and rattling at the blinds, he was feeling the warmest and safest he had been in a while.

He could feel himself dozing off shortly and jolting awake, only to be lulled back to sleep again, Astrid's calm and quiet voice and Toothless' purrs surrounding him like a lullaby.

At some point, he awoke with a blanket around his shoulders. Confused, he raised his head and looked around.

Astrid was gone.

Toothless was sleeping in her spot, curled up next to him.

Hiccup sat up, suddenly wide awake. Had she left? She wouldn't have tried to go outside with a storm like that, would she?

'Of course not, she's smarter than that,' a part of him argued.

"Oh, did I wake you?"

He jumped, immediately shaken out of his stupor.

There she was, standing in the doorway of the living room, a steaming mug in her hand, an apologetic smile on her face as she stepped closer and set the mug down on the coffee table.

He just just couldn't help but get up and take her into his arms, maybe a bit tighter than would have been necessary.

Astrid chuckled into his shoulder, her breath hot in the wool.

"Did I miss something while I was in the kitchen?"

Hiccup breathed out a chuckle and shook his head. "No, don't worry. I just woke up and thought you left."

She pulled back to look at him, her bright eyes dancing over his face, looking genuinely baffled.

"Do you think I'm insane?"

He laughed, shaking his head and pulled her back against him.

"Sorry. I just imagined you were bored to death, said a big 'fuck you' to the storm and-"

He trailed off at the sound of her laugh. She was hiding her smile in his chest, her hands clinging to the material of his jumper.

By the time she pulled back again and looked at him, he had already forgotten about his prior worry.

Toothless had been watching the entire scene from his spot on the sofa since Hiccup's sudden jolt had woken him up yet again.

His green eyes flitted between the two humans.

Hiccup was still holding her, his hands now at her waist, grinning lopsidedly.

"So, would you," he said, hesitating for a second. "Would you like to stay the night?"

Toothless tapped closer. Yet again, he was at the end of his wits at his clumsy human. Fool, he meowed Only a night?

He meowed again and prowled around Astrid's legs in an attempt to catch her attention.

Would you like to stay forever?

Astrid laughed brightly and wrapped her arms around Hiccup's neck, her eyes sparkling with mirth.

"Thought you'd never ask."

Hiccup looked at her and for the first time in his life, he was glad Bucket's prediction had been right.

[strawberry-skies-xx]

a million reasons to let you go

C H A P T E R   T H I R T E E N

word count: 4033

tags:  eventual hiccup/astrid, slow burn, fluff, angst, happy ending, feral hiccup, hiccup whump, bamf hiccup, protective astrid, protective hiccup, interrogation, aftermath of torture, implied/referenced torture, hurt/comfort, stoick’s a+ parenting, stoick’s bad parenting, hiccstrid fluff, hiccup and toothless friendship

author’s note: posting delayed by a day because i was tired and didn’t feel like posting yesterday, also- poll for an epilogue?

main masterlist | story on ao3 | epilogue >>

“I had been meeting with him for two and a half months,” Astrid says, to Stoick’s ever-darkening face. She forces her voice steady despite his intimidating posture - this is something she will not apologize for, no matter if it means she’s exiled from the tribe. “He told me his name on the third meeting, and Toothless’s on the fourth. The fifth meeting, Hiccup was gone, and Toothless allowed me to ride him to save him from a fleet of ships of what looked like dragon trappers. I didn’t stick around to find out.”

Stoick sighs and sits heavily down in his chair, then he looks back up at Astrid. There’s a weariness in his eyes, then, a long-held regret and sorrow for something that echoes in his voice when he speaks next.

“Do you know the Ghost of Berk, Astrid?”

She frowns. “It’s a children’s story. All of the tribe’s lost children, from doing something reckless and getting themselves killed, formed into one ghost that haunts Berk and looks for children who don’t do what their parents tell them to.” She shakes her head. “Why is this important?”

Stoick looks down. “The Ghost of Berk isn’t a ghost, Astrid. He’s real, and he’s my son. Hiccup Haddock the Third.”

“Your son was a runt, Chief,” she says back just as quickly. “He was exiled as a child - if anything, he’ll appear as some foreigner come here to negotiate or trade with us, if he lived and did well.”

Stoick shakes his head, and Astrid pushes away the thought creeping at the edges of her consciousness. It’s not possible.

“Gobber and I planned to keep Hiccup on Berk, alive. He was never sent away on that ship.” He sighs quietly. “I raised him on Berk, keeping him hidden from all of you. The night of a dragon raid, he went out on his own and shot down that Fury of his. He was eight years old, and I didn’t believe him.” Stoick gives a bitter breath of a laugh. “He’d been completely useless up to that point in dragon hunting - of all the things my son was, a dragon killer wasn’t one of them.”

Astrid watches, her heart falling, as Stoick slumps slightly. “I sent him away that night. I didn’t listen, and I sent him away. I never saw him again, and I’ve regretted that for eleven years.” Another harsh, bitter laugh. “He would’ve been in your dragon training class.”

Astrid thinks of Hiccup, and then she thinks of him in a dragon training class, being chased by vicious dragons, and she finds she can’t picture it. Now, though, she understands so much more than she did before - Hiccup’s aversion to Berk, to Vikings; how much he knew. And why it took so long for him to forgive her; she’d locked him in the place that had betrayed him, with his father that had betrayed him, and he hadn’t known whether she would leave him there or if she’d follow through with her promise. Looking back at it, Astrid can see Hiccup’s uncertainty now, when he looked at her like he wanted to trust her, when he almost reached out for her that one time. Hiccup had been trying, had been conflicted between her and his image of Berk’s Vikings, a hard-learned lesson versus the way she’d ignored that lesson when she’d tried befriending him.

She looks up at Stoick as he speaks again, broken out of her thoughts.

“And now… I didn’t even know he was my son. I did things to him, Astrid. I kept him in the prisons, I separated him from that dragon. I just… didn’t know what to do. I wasn’t going to kill a teenage boy, but I couldn’t let him leave and possibly bring a force to attack us.” Stoick sighs. “He doesn’t forgive me, and I don’t think he ever will.”

Astrid looks down, considering, and then she looks back up. “He may not forgive you now, but I know Hiccup. He’s not someone who holds a grudge. You can still rebuild your relationship with him, and it may not be forgiveness, but it’ll be better than what it is now.”

Stoick nods slowly, and he looks back up at Astrid, eyes shining with tears that he wipes away quickly. “Thank you, Astrid.” He smiles. “You’d make a good chief. I don’t suppose Hiccup is interested in the job anymore.”

She laughs. “I don’t think he was ever interested, and to be honest, Chief… it’s an honor, but not me. I’m a warrior, not a chief.”

Stoick nods. “Yeah, you always were a fighter,” he says, almost wistfully, and then he stands up, his posture and tone returned to his usual gruffness. “You should go check on Hiccup,” he says, with just the slightest waver in his voice when he does so.

Astrid hesitates, and Stoick catches onto it immediately. “Astrid? What’s wrong?”

She looks down, not meeting his eyes, and then silently steels herself and raises her chin, meeting Stoick’s concerned gaze and keeping her voice perfectly steady. “I want to cancel the marriage with Snotlout.”

Stoick frowns. “That was your parent’s decision, not me, Astrid. I can’t simply make that decision on my own. The Hofferson clan wants respect and power, and they’re looking for that by marrying you into the Jorgensens.”

Astrid frowns. “I don’t care what my parents want. I should be able to make my own decisions and not be married only out of a hunger for power. And besides,” she gives a small smile and looks down, “isn’t being married to the chief’s son all the respect and power the clan needs?”

Stoick’s eyes widen. “Astrid, you didn’t-”

She shakes her head frantically. “No, not yet, of course not. We’re not ready for that, he’s not ready for that, but- maybe in a couple years, we’ll be okay with it. And I don’t want to marry the Jorgensen clan for power if it means I can marry Hiccup for love.”

Stoick stares down at her, and then his face softens. “I want you to marry for love too, Astrid.” He sighs. “I will talk to the clan leaders, and I will try to make them see sense. But,” his face grows sterner as Astrid starts smiling, “there are no guarantees.”

Astrid nods, feeling as if she’s going to burst with the happiness spreading through her, and she can’t help the smile that breaks out across her face. “Thank you, Chief.”

Stoick smiles and nods. “You’re welcome. And, Astrid?”

She turns from where she had started walking towards the door, eyebrows raised in question.

“I will be calling a tribe meeting at the end of this week. Can you make sure Hiccup is there?”

Her face softens, and she smiles. “I will, Chief.”

Stoick nods, and Astrid turns and walks out of the house, new hope lighting in her.

The Great Hall is loud when Astrid and Hiccup walk in, with Hiccup staying close to Astrid and standing tense, twitching at every sound and movement. Astrid stays close, but not touching, knowing that even her touch is too much for him right now. Her being close is what he needs, and all he needs.

“I don’t like this,” he whispers quietly, glancing back at the door. Toothless is outside on the roof, listening in through one of the windows, and Hiccup’s gaze darts around quickly.

Astrid leads him over to one of the back corners that are less crowded and hidden in shadow. “I know,” she says back, and his eyes flick to her, fear and panic in them. “It’s not for long, I promise. Just stay for a little bit, and if it becomes too much, you can leave. But hear Stoick out first.”

Hiccup’s gaze flicks down as he glares at the floor, a quiet growl leaving him before he speaks. “I don’t want to do anything for him.”

Astrid sighs. “You’re not doing this for him, you’re doing this for me. Okay? For me, Hiccup. And if you don’t want to ever talk to him, or come back to Berk again, that’s fine. But I need you here, just for this one night.”

Hiccup looks back up at her, gaze softening, and his shoulders slump in acquiescence. He nods. “For you, Astrid.”

She smiles and then turns to the raised platform as Stoick turns to the crowd and everyone hushes quickly. Hiccup steps closer to her, arm brushing against hers and his fingers skimming against her palm. She quietly interlaces her fingers with his and squeezes lightly, feeling him relax beside her and squeeze back.

“People of Berk,” Stoick starts, “I know we’ve all gone through a bit of a change recently. The dragons moving in has been quite a surprise,” he gets a mixture of laughter and discontented grumbling about that, “but it’s not over yet. There are more surprises, but these ones are all good, I promise.”

The crowd murmurs quietly, falling silent as Stoick takes a breath to continue. Hiccup’s grip tightens on her fingers and Astrid leans just a little into him, feeling him slowly exhale and forcibly relax himself.

“I want to start with the marriage between Snotlout of the Jorgensen clan and Astrid of the Hofferson clan,” Stoick says, and Astrid holds her breath. She feels Hiccup tense even more beside her, glancing over at her, but she doesn’t pay attention. All of her focus is locked on Stoick, and the chief finds her in the back, his gaze almost meeting hers.

“The arranged marriage has been cancelled. This has been agreed upon by both clan leaders.”

Astrid feels three gazes on her then: Hiccup’s, with worry changing to happiness as Stoick finishes, Stoick’s, with happiness as he announces it, and Snotlout’s, with annoyance and frustration. The crowd around them murmurs with discontent at this obvious change, while some others are celebrating quietly with her.

She turns to Hiccup, who’s giving a small smile, and he nods. Astrid grins, understanding his nod for what it is even though he may be past verbal interaction right now - a congratulation, and a promise that he won’t make her regret that decision. Not that Astrid thinks she could ever regret the decision of cancelling the marriage, even if she hadn’t met Hiccup, but now she has even more, and an infinitely more precious, reason to cancel it.

She turns back to the platform as Stoick continues with his next announcement, feeling Hiccup lean slightly into her. She squeezes his hand and gets a light squeeze in return, and her lips tilt up in a small smile at the gesture.

“I would also like to apologize to you all,” Stoick says. “I am sure you all know about my son, who was exiled as a child.”

The crowd murmurs general agreement with a wary edge to it, and Stoick gives a long sigh. “He was not sent away until he was eight years old,” he says heavily. ”I raised him here on Berk, and when he went out during a dragon raid, I exiled him for his own safety, thinking it too risky to let him stay in a village of Vikings who wanted him dead.”

Hiccup gives a soft growl from next to her, tensing up, and Astrid looks at him. “Hiccup,” she says quietly.

He breaks his glare at Stoick to look at her, eyes notably softer, and he sighs, giving a small nod before turning back to the platform. Astrid watches him for a moment longer, unease at his reaction settling in her at the way he’s still tensed up and his look at Stoick is nowhere near friendly.

The crowd around them is shocked silent, and the first yell comes from somewhere among the Jorgensen clan. “Damn right! He’s a runt!” someone yells. Hiccup looks down and he hunches his shoulders up slightly. Astrid can practically feel his urge to bolt, to get out of here as fast as possible and go to Toothless.

He stays, though, and she rubs her thumb slowly over the back of his hand, watching him still and tilt his head slightly to focus on the movement. He slowly relaxes, giving a grateful glance up at Astrid. She smiles back, and he raises his chin and looks back up at the platform, both of them tuning back into the conversation.

“He’s a child!” someone else yells, a woman, and a man across the Hall looks in her direction, anger on his face.

“He was a runt! He shouldn’t be treated any differently than every other runt who gets sent off to sea!”

“You’ve never raised a child!”

The bickering continues for several more minutes, the noise level gradually rising and the crowd clearly splitting into two sides.

Stoick slams his hand on the table. “Enough!”

All of Berk goes silent, turning up to Stoick, and Astrid keeps rubbing Hiccup’s hand as he flinches, curling into himself.

“I have made the decision already,” Stoick says, voice firm. “I will not apologize for saving my son. I only apologize for lying to my people. But Hiccup is back with us now,” and the crowd breaks into murmurs of disbelief and incredulous questions at that. “The night of the dragon raid, when I sent him away, he shot down a Night Fury. Instead of taking the ship I prepared off the island, he made friends with the beast, and two and a half months ago Astrid found him in Berk’s woods.”

Stoick pauses as the crowd turns to look at Hiccup, standing in the corner with Astrid, and he stills at their combined gazes. Astrid feels his hand slip out of hers as he takes a step away, looking at her with wide eyes, fear and panic obvious in them. He makes a quiet, involuntary noise that sounds like a whine, glancing back at the crowd.

“He has been with dragons for eleven years,” Stoick continues, and Hiccup visibly flinches. Astrid reaches out and he steps away, giving a minute shake of his head.

“My son is not fit for running the village, simply because he is more dragon than human. I do not have an heir, but I have a son, and I will not let him be exiled again. I made that mistake once. I will not do it again.”

Astrid tunes out of the yelling that follows as the crowd turns back to Stoick and Hiccup is trembling slightly. She steps forward and around Hiccup, turning and gesturing him to follow her. “Come,” she says, and he looks up quickly, meeting her gaze.

She leads him slowly along the edges of the crowd and out the door, bringing him around the side of the Great Hall and standing in front of him. His breaths are coming fast, too fast, and his hands are shaking, and he drops to the ground in that half-crouch of his.

She goes down with him, crouching in front of him and keeping her voice soft, ignoring Toothless’s concerned warble from above her. “Hiccup,” she says, and his too-wide eyes snap up to her. “Breathe. In, and out. In, out.”

She reaches forward slowly, skimming her fingers along his wrist. When he doesn’t react, she loosely curls her fingers around and pulls his hand to her chest, pressing it against her heartbeat. “Match it to mine. In, and out.” She drags her breathing down to be slow as well, shoving down her own fear and panic at seeing Hiccup like this, and she watches him try to follow the directions.

“You’re safe,” she says. “We’re outside. Toothless is next to you,” and she sees Hiccup give a small smile. Curiously, Toothless doesn’t attempt to touch Hiccup, and she wonders if the dragon knows Hiccup’s having a panic attack and that he doesn’t like to be touched during it - and, most importantly, whether Hiccup has had them before.

“No one is going to hurt you,” she whispers softly, watching the relaxation travel in increments down his body and through his breathing.

Of course, she’s proved wrong seconds later, as the Hall door slams and Hiccup flinches, breaths speeding up.

“Hey, Astrid,” Tuffnut says from behind her. “You left pretty quickly, so we thought-“

He cuts off, eyes widening as Astrid twists and throws her axe close enough to feel the wind on his ear. Ruffnut freezes beside him, eyes wide as she looks at her brother.

“I swear to Thor, do not finish that sentence, Tuffnut,” she hisses. The twins raise their hands in surrender, and Astrid turns back to Hiccup.

He’s mostly calm, but his gaze still flicks up to the twins. Astrid puts herself in his vision, catching his eyes and keeping them on her. “Hiccup,” she says again, softly. The Hall door opens and closes again, but she doesn’t turn, hearing the low murmur of the twins commenting to whoever’s come out.

Hiccup closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, nodding slowly after a long moment. His hands are still a little shaky, but he opens his eyes and he looks decidedly less panicked than before, green gaze clear and steady.

“You’re back with me?” she asks, and Hiccup nods again. She smiles, standing up and stepping back, letting Toothless push his nose under Hiccup’s hand with a worried whine.

She turns to the twins - and Snotlout, and Fishlegs, who are standing next to the twins and watching them.

“Woah,” Ruffnut says, staring at Hiccup as he stands in the curve of Toothless’s body, the dragon’s tail curled around the boy and Hiccup half-crouching, a hand on Toothless’s scales. He’s obviously on the defensive, gaze darting between all of their faces.

Astrid glances between the two groups. “Guys, this is Hiccup,” she says slowly, gesturing to Hiccup, and then she gestures at her friends. “Hiccup, this is Snotlout, Fishlegs, and the twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut.”

The twins, Snotlout, and Fishlegs only stare, while Hiccup gives a small dip of his head in acknowledgment. Snotlout turns away first, huffing and crossing his arms.

“He tried to kill me. Twice. Him and his dragon,” he says petulantly.

Astrid rolls her eyes. “You tried to kill him, and his dragon,” she repeats mockingly. Snotlout glares at her, then turns away, but she can see him sneaking looks from the corner of his eye.

Fishlegs makes an excited squeal. “Ooh, I want to talk to him!” He looks at Astrid. “Can I talk to him?”

She gives him a flat look. “He’s a person, Fishlegs. He can understand everything you’re saying. I’m not his handler.”

Fishlegs looks briefly chastised, and then he turns back to Hiccup. “I saw your notes in my Book of Dragons,” he says excitedly, and Astrid wonders if he stole that from her room. Hiccup tilts his head curiously. “There’s so much we don’t know! And I’m sure that’s not all, I mean you’ve been everywhere, haven’t you? There’s more than that book, right? What else do you know?”

Hiccup presses slightly back into Toothless at the incessant questions and Fishlegs’ rising excitement, and Astrid intervenes when he glances to her and Toothless hisses softly.

“Not now, Fishlegs. He’s not having a good night. Maybe later,” she says. Fishlegs deflates slightly, but he nods, the excitement on his face not dying at all.

The twins keep watching, and Astrid waits expectantly for whatever inane comment they’ll come up with this time.

Ruffnut tilts her head. “So, you ride a dragon?” she asks, a note of confusion to her voice.

Hiccup frowns and nods. Tuffnut’s face brightens and he walks forward quickly, his hand reaching out.

“You tamed a Night Fury! Can I touch it? It’s so dark, and mysterious-“

Astrid doesn’t have time to step in before Hiccup and Toothless both growl. Tuffnut’s sentence cuts off in a yell as Toothless fires at his feet, scorching the grass and throwing him back several feet. Toothless hisses and curls tighter around Hiccup, who shrinks into his shadow, eyes flicking to Astrid.

She ignores Tuffnut’s comments of how hurt he is and steps forward, turning to the gang. “You can talk to him later. Go back inside the Great Hall.”

Snotlout is first, glaring at the both of them, and the twins pout. Fishlegs watches Hiccup and Toothless, a questioning noise coming from him. Astrid glares at him and Fishlegs nods quickly, turning and fleeing inside the building.

“It’s a Night Fury, Astrid!” Tuffnut whines. Ruffnut pouts with him, both of them attempting to give her pleading looks.

Astrid stares flatly back. “Go inside.”

The twins slump, annoyance showing on their faces. “Always killing the fun, Astrid,” Tuffnut mutters as he turns.

Ruffnut nods. “Fun-killer,” she replies, and Astrid rolls her eyes before turning back to Hiccup.

He stands up slightly and Toothless uncurls a little from his position to allow Astrid to step forward. She smiles, never taking for granted how she’s the only one allowed to get close to them, and doesn’t try to touch Hiccup, knowing that he’s most likely past his limit for both contact and verbal interaction for today.

Except, somewhere along the line, Astrid got excluded from those limits, and she feels her heart swell as he hesitates before deciding to step closer. He reaches out, hand landing gently on her hip - not moving or holding, simply resting, as if he wants to make sure she’s there, and he opens his mouth. His voice is quiet, and Astrid smiles reassuringly at him.

“How did you get the marriage cancelled?”

She brings her hand up to touch his arm where he reaches out. “Let’s not worry about that right now,” she says softly. “For now,” she smiles and shrugs, “looks like it’s just us.”

Hiccup looks between Toothless and Astrid, his eyes lighting up with a soft glow and mouth tilting up into a small smile. “Always,” he says to both of them. Astrid rubs Toothless’s scales as well, the dragon rumbling a contented purr, and then she looks back at Hiccup, meeting his gaze.

Hiccup glances away, his fingers tightening in a minute movement on her hip as he hesitates, and Astrid tilts her head in question.

“Hiccup, what is-“

Her sentence is cut off when Hiccup looks back at her, a fiery determination in his green eyes even in the night, and his arm curls around her waist, pulling her close and tilting his head to meet his lips with hers.

She feels him relax when she responds to the kiss, melting into her returned hold, and a soft noise of contentment escapes from him during it.

He pulls back, his breath warm against her skin. “Thank you, Astrid,” he whispers, and she can’t help the smile that spreads across her face, wide and bright as she looks at him. She sees hesitation still in his eyes, a sort of fear and doubt that he’s doing this wrong, but she only smiles, reassuring and warm.

He steps back, pulling entirely away. She doesn’t blame him for it - even she is a part of the Viking tribe, and therefore he has limits as to how much he can touch and talk to her. She will cherish all the time he gives her, extended as it is.

He turns and mounts Toothless. There’s no saddle - he’ll be stuck on Berk for a while making a new one at the forge, along with his flaming sword, but that doesn’t mean he’ll be forced to stay in the village.

“You’ll be at the cove?” she asks.

Hiccup nods, a small smile on his face. She smiles back, then looks at Toothless, who gives his own gummy dragon-smile and a low purr and chirp of happiness.

She glances back to Hiccup. “See you later, Hiccup,” she says, and watches his smile grow that little bit wider.

“Bye, Astrid.”

Toothless turns and starts running, disappearing into the night. Astrid watches them leave until she can’t see them anymore, and then she turns and walks back into the Great Hall to see how the rest of the village took the news - hopefully well, after Stoick made peace, but who knows.

epilogue >>

[bi-bi-want-dragon]

Peace and Quiet

From Life After They Left

A/N: Hey everyone! Here’s some more Haddock family fluff for you!  But before we get into that, I did want to let you all know that while I am starting to post teasers and eventually chapters for Wingless and Warbound this Friday (announcement post here if anyone wants more info) I will continue to post oneshots like this as I get ideas for them. I do have quite a few drafted still for both LATL and MTI, and I absolutely won’t forget about them while posting for Wingless and Warbound.  (That being said, it may take me a little longer between posts, so please please please be patient.)  However, Wingless and Warbound deals with all the same characters and more, just about 7 years ahead of this oneshot, so hopefully you all will enjoy it just as much!

Alright, I’m rambling, enjoy the fluff!

Hiccup and Astrid: around 32 years old; Zephyr: 7 years old; Nuffink: 4 years old

~~~

“Uncle Louttie, why can’t we go home yet?” Zephyr begged again, playing with the vegetables in her stew.

“Why don’t we finish eating first, okay?  Your mom and dad just needed some quiet time with baby Sparrow, remember?”  Snotlout ruffled Zephyr’s hair.

She rolled her eyes.  “It’s Spero, Uncle Louttie.”

Snotlout looked up at Ruffnut and Fishlegs.  “That’s what I said, isn’t it?”

Ruffnut shrugged, but Fishlegs was too focused on their daughter, Nutmeg, to pay any attention.  She giggled as he tried to feed her spoonfuls of his own stew.  “Hiccup probably named him so I wouldn’t ask,” Ruffnut mused.

Zephyr giggled to herself.  Hiccup did in fact name baby Spero, but at least he thought this one out better than “Toothless.”

Suddenly, the Great Hall was filled with a sound reminiscent of a Thunderdrum’s roar, and all heads turned to the pot near the fire.  The stew of the day now painted the walls, floor, and Vikings that surrounded it, though the pot was still intact.

Some Vikings shook their heads and returned to their meals as if nothing happened.  Others began to follow suit slowly with wide eyes of bewilderment.

Tuffnut appeared laughing at the table and dropped himself onto the bench on the other side of Zephyr, Nuffink following closely behind.  “Finally!  I think I got the mixture just right!”

Fishlegs and Zephyr’s jaws dropped, Nutmeg blinked with a confused glance, Ruffnut shook her head in disapproval, and Snotlout crossed his arms and glared.

“You know, I thought becoming the new Healer would mature you at least a little,” Ruffnut chided, though there was a proud smile sneaking across her face.

“It did,” Tuffnut argued back.  “Do you realize how much experimentation and materials went into that?  It’s called al...  Am...  Ant...”  Tuffnut snapped his fingers, trying to recall the word.  “Fish, what did you call it?”

Fishlegs rolled his eyes, his attention back to feeding his stubbornly playful daughter.  “Alchemy.”

“Yes!  It’s called alchemy, sister!”

Nuffink patted Tuffnut’s leg, wide eyes still securely focused on the once-stew-filled pot across the room.  “Tuff-tuff, how to do?!”

“Ah, young Nuffink, that is a skill that takes years and years of practice and study,” Tuffnut replied, patting his blonde hair.

“Me do!” he insisted, pointed to the pot as he turned to look at Tuffnut.

“Oh, Nuffink, buddy, I don’t think you want to get mixed up in all that,” Snotlout cautiously interrupted.

“Me do!  Me do!”  Nuffink bounced in place now, begging Tuffnut with his eyes.

“You want to do that kind of stuff?”  Tuffnut clarified, pointed to the pot with his thumb.

“Yes!  Me do!”

Tuffnut scratched his chin in thought.  He looked around at the faces of the other adults at the table, who were now watching him carefully.  He could almost see Fish and Snot’s stomachs drop to their stomachs when Tuffnut smiled deviously.  “Not to worry, young Nuffnut of age five this coming year.  For your teacher in the ways of Loki-worship is here.”

Nuffink’s eyes lit up and he quickly climbed onto the bench next to Tuffnut.

“Don’t you have a job, Tuff?” Ruffnut teased.

Snotlout scoffed.  “Yeah, because that’s the part you should have a problem with.”

“We’re slow at the Healing Hut now that Ruff is helping with the midwife stuff!”  Tuffnut thought for a minute.  “Or, at least, would be, if Garvin’s sons would stop daring each other to eat those stupid mushrooms.  Fishlegs, I thought you told me you got rid of those.”

Fishlegs sputtered his mouthful of stew broth back into his bowl in surprise, making Nutmeg squeal with laughter from Ruffnut’s lap.  “There’s more of them?!”

“Must be, they just came back yesterday because the youngest ate too many.”

“But I pulled them all up a month ago!”

“Why do you keep calling it that?” Ruffnut asked Tuffnut, ignoring their conversation.

“What?”

“The Healing Hut.”

“Because it sounds nice.”

“It’s your house.”

“Yeah, and I’m a healer, Ruff.”  Tuffnut scoffed.

Nutmeg and Zephyr giggled at Fishlegs’ still exasperated face and Tuffnut’s explanation.  Nuffink, however, quickly turned back to Tuffnut.  “Uncle Tuff, me teach?  Really?”

“Of course!”

“Start now?!”

“I don’t see why not!”  Tuffnut hopped up from the table and kneeled down on the ground.  He waved Nuffink over.  “Hop on, young grasshopper.”

Nuffink wasted no time jumping onto Tuffnut’s back.  “What a grasshopper?”

“I dunno, some bug,” Tuffnut said as he stood.  “Onward!”

Ruffnut chuckled mischievously as Tuffnut ran off carrying Nuffink.  Nutmeg reached out to grab a piece of cloth and handed it to her father with a bright smile.

Fishlegs smiled sheepishly as he took it and wiped off his face.  “Thank you, sweetheart.”

Zephyr, still looking in the direction Tuffnut and Nuffink disappeared, tugged on Snotlout’s tunic.  “Uh...  Uncle Louttie?  Is that a bad thing?”

“Aw, he just had some broth on his face still, Zephie,” he replied, chuckling.

“No, no...  Nuffink.”

“Ah.”  Snotlout considered for a moment.  “Well, it’ll make life interesting if he’s any good at it.”

Zephyr looked up at Snotlout in disgust.

Snotlout laughed.  “I know, believe me, I was the subject of a lot of pranks when we were younger.”  He shot a glare to Ruffnut, who shrugged.  “I was only truly injured twice.”  And then he rolled his eyes and muttered, “That I can remember.”

“Hey, both of those times were your own fault!” Ruffnut teased.

“No they were not!”

“Alright, let’s see,” Ruffnut dared, circling her arms around Nutmeg to tick off her fingers.  “The time Hiccup punched you, it was your idea to egg him on to fight you so Barf and Belch would think they were saving his life.  And the other time, I only made all those dragons and animals bite you because you convinced Tuffnut he was bitten by - and transforming into - a Lycanwing.”

Zephyr giggled.  “You told me that story!”

“Yes I did,” Ruffnut smiled at her proudly.  “Now, tell me, little Zephyr.  If someone convinced Nuffink he was turning into a were-dragon, would you have done the same thing?”

Zephyr thought for a moment.  “Well...  I’m sure there’s a better way to handle it...”

“See!” Snotlout interjected.

“But yeah, probably,” Zephyr continued matter-of-factly.

Snotlout’s jaw dropped.  “What?!  Zephyr!”

Zephyr giggled at his reaction, which melted Snotlout’s heart in an instant.  He slowly smiled, unable to hold the scowl, and pulled her into a hug instead.

~~~

Hiccup stirred as the cries of his youngest son pulled him back to the waking world.  He groaned quietly as he willed himself out of bed to calm the boy before he woke Astrid.  Rubbing his eyes with one hand and reaching for his prosthetic with the other, he stretched and yawned.

The boy's cries reduced to whimpers as Hiccup stood.  He scooped his son up into his arms and chuckled.  “Alright, bud, you’re okay.  Daddy’s got you.”

His baby boy continued to whimper, grasping at Hiccup’s tunic.

Hiccup shifted him into one arm and offered his now free hand to the boy.  He looked at it curiously before beginning to play with Hiccup’s fingers, still whimpering.  “I know, Spero, I know you feel icky, bud.”  Spero had been sick for two weeks now, and Hiccup and Astrid were beyond exhausted.  Hiccup was more than gratefully for his friends offering to take Nuffink and Zephyr for the day to keep them occupied.  He and Astrid had finally managed to get some rest today whenever Spero slept.

Spero looked up at Hiccup and slowly brought Hiccup’s fingers to his mouth.

Hiccup chuckled again and shook his head.  “Oh, meus spes.  What am I going to do with you?”

He gently started gnawing on Hiccup’s fingers.

“Uh oh, is that some teeth I feel?  Is that why you feel so icky?”  Noticing Spero calming down gradually, he figured that meant he wasn’t necessarily hungry and decided to take him downstairs so Astrid could sleep more.  “Do those mean teeth make your little gums hurt, bud?”

Spero continued to naw away on his fingers, growing steadily happier.

Hiccup chuckled.  “That’s alright, I think the forge took the feeling from my fingers years ago.”

Spero reached out with one hand aimlessly.  “Amamama!”

“Shhhh, I know, buddy, Mama’s sleeping.”  He wiped the drool off of his own hand and smoothed down Spero’s wild locks of hair.  Sitting on the couch, he sat Spero up in his lap.  “But maybe your brother and sister will be home soon, huh?”  Hiccup wasn’t aware how much Nuffink and especially Zephyr helped with the new baby until they weren’t there to help anymore.

Spero babbled some more nonsense.

Hiccup stood Spero up on his knees.  “Yeah, do you miss your big brother and big sister?”  He cooed.

 Spero was suddenly overly intrigued by the ties of Hiccup’s tunic.

“Or did you just need a little attention, huh?”

He smiled up at Hiccup and giggled before reaching out to play with the tunic ties.

Hiccup giggled back.  “Ah, I see.  You just wanted attention.”

Spero babbled some more while he pulled on the ties with increasing force.  But then his hands slipped as he pulled back, causing him to smack himself in the face with his small fist.  Hiccup froze, not wanting to spook him.  But Spero’s lower lip pouted out anyway, and it didn’t take long until the rest of his face puckered up in a cry.

“Oh, meus spes, you’re okay,” Hiccup said with a small laugh.  He picked his son up and laid him on his chest instead, rubbing his back.  “It’s okay, buddy, you’re alright.”

Hiccup stood so he could bounce Spero just as Astrid came down the stairs.  “Ah, and meus amor.”  Then his eyebrows pinched together.  “Or, wait, would it be mea amor...”

Astrid scrunched her nose in confusion.

Hiccup chuckled.  “My love.”

She smiled.  “Aw, well I love you too,” she said, leaning over him to kiss his lips.  “Just in a familiar language.”  She nodded towards Spero in Hiccup’s arms.  “What happened to our little man there?”

“Oh, little man accidentally punched himself in the face, didn’t we?” Hiccup replied in a baby voice.  “Didn’t we, buddy?  Did we punch ourselves?”

Astrid sighed and rolled her eyes but chuckled.  “Ah, meus spes.  How did he manage that?”

Hiccup reached one arm straight out to point at Astrid, continuing to bounce Spero.  “You said it.”

“Said what?”

“You called him ‘meus spes’ too!  You used the Latin!”  Hiccup’s face burst into a teasing smile.

Astrid’s mouth dropped slightly open for a moment.  “No I did not!”

“Yes you did!  I told you it would catch on!”  He stuck his tongue out at her.

She rolled her eyes again and reached her arms out.  “Give me the poor boy, you’re not paying enough attention to him.”

“Uh-huh, sure,” he continued to tease.  “But just remember, if you roll your eyes any harder, they’ll pop right out of your head.”

Astrid stuck her tongue out as she took Spero, making Hiccup chuckle.  He could hear her softly start to hum a lullaby as she swayed across the room with Spero snuggled to her chest.  Hiccup couldn’t help but melt as he tiptoed his way to the kitchen to put together some food for him and Astrid.

Hiccup had long lost count of how many people teased that his life would never be peaceful again until all the kids grew up and moved out.  He had also lost count of how many people asked if he wished he could take it back.  But he knew from the moment he first felt Zephyr in Astrid’s belly that he would take any and every child Freya sent their way.  Moments like this only reinforced that thought.  And even in the very rare times he had to lecture his children for misbehaving, he still wouldn’t trade them for the world.

He loved his children with all his heart, and that love only grew with each passing day.  And still some days it surprised him that, given the choice between having the dragons back and keeping his children...  Well, the dragons were safe in the Hidden World, after all.

He’d choose his children every time.

[maedarakat]

Drabble: Risks

It was weird, how nobody was paying attention to what was going on.

Dagur had always admired his brother, how he always put the lives of his group and their dragons above the result of their missions. It was a trait he had exploited in the past many times.

Except now it was becoming apparent that Hiccup was very good at protecting everyone in his group from outside enemies ... but not necessarily inward ones.

And damn, could those inward ones be downright cruel. Dagur knew from experience that sometimes the awful brain-voices pointing out all his flaws, insufficiencies, and failures would just not shut up. Not even for a second.

Something was seriously up with one of Hiccup’s riders, and Hiccup either knew about it and was doing nothing, or he didn’t know about it at all. Dagur preferred to believe it was the latter.

They had all been flying south - the riders, himself, and Heather - summoned by stories of a subjugated colony of timberjacks. Once again some chucklefuck dragon hunters were keeping eggs and hatchlings from parents to ensure their obedience.

On the way they’d destroyed at least twelve dragon hunter ships (Snothat had kept score of how many they’d all done but Hiccup had forbidden him to keep individual scores because: “It’s not a competition!”)

Silly Hiccup. Of course it was.

So naturally, Snothat had kept individual scores anyway, just ... secretly.

It was all fun and games - literally - until one of the fleets they encountered sent a bola net at Barf and Belch, dragging both twins and dragon violently down to the deck. Dagur and Heather dove immediately, their dragons trying to grab the net and slow their rapid descent so they wouldn’t be crushed.

It was still with a sickening boat-shaking thud that they landed. The Zippleback lay still, tangled and dazed with pain, and Ruff slumped out of her saddle onto the deck, groaning and clutching her arm to her chest. Heather roared, jumping off Windshear with axe brandished, threatening the approaching hunters.

Dagur jumped off Sleuther quickly, ready to help Girlnut’s other half, but Tuff wasn’t anywhere near their dragon or his sister.

For a heart stopping second Dagur feared he had somehow missed Tuff falling into the water during their crash landing, but a fearsome roar of anger quickly grabbed his attention.

Tuff was on his feet in front of Barf and Belch - at the most vulnerable point of the group. Blood was running down one side of his face, grey eyes wild, breathing heavy, mace at the ready. He was obviously worse injured than Ruffnut, and that was based only on what Dagur could see , yet there he was - laying about him with the mace like his pain did not matter.

More specifically, like his life did not matter.

Oh boy ... yep, Dagur had definitely been there before.

There was nothing to do but let out a fearsome roar of his own and fight his way to Tuffnut’s side, grabbing the blond twin just as he crumpled from a savage blow to his ribs by a morning-star - really, like he needed another injury. Holding Tuff tight against his side, he attempted to shove the boy behind him, taking point himself in front of the fallen Zippleback.

Windshear sliced through the nets easily, nudging the stunned two headed dragon back to their feet and Heather grabbed Ruff, hauling both of them up into the saddle.

As Toothless and Stormfly offered cover fire, both girls and dragons managed to fly up to safety. Sleuther flung aside dragon hunters, fighting to get between them and the encroaching hunters.

The second his dragon got close enough, Dagur wasted no time, pulling himself and the semi-conscious Thorston twin up after him. By the grace of Odin, all of them made their escape and were now well out of range before another net cannon could be aimed and loaded.

Hiccup ordered them immediately into a defensive formation, which Sleuther picked up on without needing guided - aware that Dagur’s immediate concern was with the injured boy in his arms.

Tuff seemed aware of his surroundings, though shaking hard and his breathing was raspy. Gods, Dagur hoped he didn’t have a pierced lung or something. He considered himself fairly decent at the healing arts, but not that good.

“Boynut, can you hear me?” Dagur asked, opening Tuff’s vest and undoing his belt to relieve pressure on his ribs. He rolled up the green tunic and felt along his side. Two broken ribs with some lovely bruising puncture wounds from the morning-star, a dislocated shoulder, plus a deep gash on his forehead.

Tuffnut hitched, trying to push away Dagur’s touch. “Loki, you must be a healer because your hands are freezing cold!”

Dagur frowned thoughtfully at the redirection, but the others let out a collective sigh of relief.

“How’s Ruffnut?” he heard Hiccup ask Heather.

“She’s fine. Just a broken arm and a mild concussion - I’ll keep her awake,” Heather called back. Fishlegs and Snotlout immediately pulled out of formation to go fuss over her while Hiccup and Astrid flew closer to Barf and Belch, checking over the dragon’s injuries as well.

Nobody came over to see if Boynut was alright. Probably because he’d just cracked a joke like he was unaware of pain even as a concept.

Did he do that often? Dagur felt like he probably did that often.

Tuff had relaxed as soon as he’d heard his sister‘s injuries weren’t life-threatening and was trying not to make an agonized expression, but at every turbulent bump Sleuther’s wings absorbed, his facade of carefully controlled blankness cracked and he grimaced sharply.

“I know it hurts,” Dagur soothed him tenderly, pressing a clean wad of cloth over Tuff’s gash, trying to stop the bleeding. Tuff jerked, looking up at him in shock and automatically covering with a grin.

“Nah, I’m fine. Loki looks out for his own. Hey, do you Berserkers know how set broken arms in a way that doesn’t hurt? I mean, Ruff cried like a baby the last time Gothi did it, so hopefully you have more of a gentle touch.”

Redirection, yet again. What even ...

“Heather does, and she’ll be the one caring for your sister. What I’m worried about is your shoulder. And ribs. And whether you’re gonna need stitches for that enormous cut on your head.”

Dagur poured a little water onto a piece of linen and started cleaning the blood off Tuff’s face. He squirmed, complaining, but let him. “You don’t have to. Belch licks my face about four times a day, after meals and before bedtime. He’ll get all that off by lunch.”

“Pretty sure both your dragons and your sister would kill me if I let you go untreated until lunch. Hold still. At least it’s not my thumb and spit.”

“Um. Ew ...”

“Yeah, exactly. I’d rather not subject you to that.” Dagur rinsed the blood off and packed some honey and flax salve into the shallow groove, which had finally begun to clot. “So ... about that fight. You normally just jump right in full Berserker style when the chips are down?”

If he avoided putting a negative connotation to it, maybe Tuff would open up?

It worked; Tuff fairly glowed at the comparison. “Yeah, I was doing good until that one guy - ugh. He came up on my blind side. At least it gave you guys time to get Ruff and our dragons out though, right?”

Dagur’s chest hurt at Tuff’s clear ache for approval in those words. Oh man, Boynut was really not okay. Not by a long shot.

“Boynut, why do you think -“

A voice interrupted him mid-sentence. “Tuffnut, what were you thinking?!”

Hiccup was flying next to them now, frowning.

“That was incredibly dangerous, you shouldn’t have flown so close to the starboard - they always have cannons on that side! Didn’t you pay any attention during the lesson about hunter ship defenses?” There was a little concern in his tone, but it was dwarfed by exasperation.

Dagur felt his heart sink. This was not helpful, and Hiccup didn’t even notice what was going on with his friend. How could he not notice? A lecture about general safety - not even his, but everyone else’s - was the last thing Tuff needed right now.

Tuff looked at Hiccup with a calm expression, betraying nothing.

“Nope, I was actually far more interested in what Smidvarg was doing with that grasshopper. Turns out he was not, in fact, trying to make a friend.”

Redirecting again . Hiccup predictably started lecturing him on why listening to him during training was important, and Tuff’s laid back answers were designed to make him frustrated enough to drop the whole thing and fly off.

It didn’t seem to be working this time, and now Fishlegs was flying over, frowning, and clearly ready to back Hiccup up.

It was all kind of amazing to watch in terms of density alone, but Dagur had more than enough at that point.

He glowered down at the glinting surface of the sparkling sea and saw an out.

“Oh hey, look - flying fish! Sleuther’s favorite snack that he absolutely cannot control himself around,” Dagur stated, purposefully loud enough for his dragon to hear. His Triplestryke opened wide eyes, made a noise of intrigue, and dived down away from Hiccup and the group to investigate.

“Sorry, be right back!” he called cheerfully, leaving the others behind as they descended below the current. There was grumbling from up above - Fishlegs and Hiccup were now sharing their grievances about the issue. Granted, Tuff was a good actor, but still ...

Dagur continued his ministrations, wiping away the excess blood from Tuff’s injured side where spikes had slammed into his skin.

Boynut had relaxed in his arms, clearly relieved, though looking at him searchingly. “Thanks?” he offered cautiously. He sounded like he was trying to figure out if Dagur had done that for him.

He glanced at Tuff and, not knowing whether he should resume the talk they’d been trying to have just yet, gave him a confirming wink. The boy’s face reddened immediately and he turned his head away, directing his attention to the flying fish before Sleuther snapped up the entire school.

Dagur almost felt bad for letting his dragon snack on them so voraciously. They were pretty, silver and incandescent, almost matching Tuff’s eyes when the sun hit their scales.

The Berserker shook his head to clear it and pressed salve into the cuts, spreading it liberally across his bruises.

“You should save that stuff. Someone else might get injured later,” Tuff said quietly. “Snotlout usually.”

Gods, this guy ... maybe he had to be straightforward about this after all, before someone else came to oh-so-usefully scold him.

“You’re injured now, and I’ve got more than enough. Boynut ... “ Here it was, time to be blunt. “Why don’t you think you’re worth anything?”

The question came like an unexpected blow and Tuff flinched in his arms, eyes immediately closing. Dagur braced himself. The boy might redirect with anything right now, even anger. Gods knew, if anyone had dared to ask a younger version of Dagur this question, they probably wouldn’t have survived.

He’d had to ask it though - he’d had to let Tuff see that his pain was visible to someone .

Tuff didn’t lash out, but he was shaking. He tried to curl away and hide behind his hair so Dagur couldn’t see the tears spilling over.

It didn’t matter. He knew they were there.

Surprisingly, after a long tortured moment, Tuff answered the question, voice low.

“Because I’m not worth anything. I mean ... can you think of anything I’m good for? I’m just the spare. The whole family thinks I’m the spare. Look at our dragon. One body, with an extra head. Not that I really think Belch is a spare, he’s totally awesome, but  ... you know what I mean, right?”

Dagur listened, and bit his lip, thinking for a moment about what to say.

“I always kinda thought of you as the heart and soul of the group, Tuff. I mean, when I first joined you guys, everyone was so suspicious of me - granted, with very good reason. But you were just like ‘oh, Dagur’s a good guy now? Awesome! I’ll give the guy a chance!’ And then you both sat with me. You talked to me as easily as if I was an old friend, showed me some cool dragon moves with your chicken, gave me a fresh egg. Never once did you judge me, or try to get back at me - not even when my own sister thought I was sent as Viggo’s spy.

“You made me feel human. Forgiven. Like I really could be part of the group if I kept up improving my behavior. And you show that same compassion to others too - even wild and dangerous dragons. The kindness you have inside of you is inspiring.”

Tuffnut was staring up at him, eyes wide and shocked. Dagur fidgeted, looking ahead of him, wondering if he’d said too much.

“Most people ... would have said I tell funny jokes.,” Tuff said hoarsely. “That I’m good for cheering people up. Or at least distracting them from all their problems by being irritating.”

“Well, you are funny.  There’s certainly that. Though i don’t think it’s more  important than the compassion and insight and empathy you show. Honestly, that’s something everyone in the Archipelago - in the world - struggles with. We need you around to be our best example.”

When he looked back at Tuff, the blond was staring at him, eyes wide and full of  tears.

Oh no, he’d said something wrong, hadn’t he? Tuff reached up shakily to wipe at his eyes.

“But ... but ... I still mess everything up, don’t I? I don’t do what I’m supposed to do. Always holding my sister back, always d-driving everyone crazy, blowing stuff up -“

“So what? Nobody in this entire group is perfect. Certainly not me. I used to grab guys by the seat of their pants and toss them overboard for mildly irritating me. I personally caused the death of my sister’s entire village, ensured my dad would die alone on Vanaheim,  and lost at least half of our tribe’s Armada chasing you guys around the globe because of a grudge. Oh and I’ve killed a lot of dragons. Still and always will hate all of those things about myself. I would never do them again, but I did once do all that, and I can never undo it. Do I deserve to die?”

“Of course you don’t,” Tuff answered automatically, still wiping his face. “Everyone makes mistakes, even awful ones - what matters is you took responsibility and - and you’re trying , every day, to still make up for it. It’s not easy to be good, especially if you think you’re a monster.”

... uh, wow. Dagur was not expecting that. He shook his head to clear it. “Okay. So why can’t you apply that same logic to yourself?”

Tuff looked at him helplessly. “I ... I don’t know. It’s ... I feel like I’m just not good enough all the time. Nobody ever seems happy with me, I’m not happy with me, s-so I must be doing something wrong. Right?”

Dagur thought for a moment, readjusting Tuff so he could lay more comfortably against his chest.

“You wanna know a secret, Boynut?”

He turned those pretty grey eyes up at him and carefully nodded. It was rare to see the normally distracted and wise-cracking twin appear so focused, but then Tuff and Ruff always seemed to give Dagur their full attention whenever he visited the Edge.

“I haven’t told this to anyone before - not even Hiccup - but after I escaped Viggo’s attempt to kill me, I wound up lost at sea. All alone, in a tiny little boat, with very little food and water. Days came and went. I went hungry, thirsty, sunburnt, sick.  Every day I had the same question - why was I still alive? I was a villain. A monster. Surely Odin Allfather didn’t mean for me to actually make it in the end, because I hadn’t done anything right - since day one, I was always the problem kid.

“So this had to be it, I thought. Odin was surely going to kill me with the next storm or send a shark or Scauldron to pick me off ... but that never happened. I wasn’t exactly comfortable, but the sea remained calm, I was able to catch fish, and there was rainwater to drink.

“I started to think about it, until realizing - finally - that Odin doesn’t just kill people for making horrible mistakes. Or even if they think they’re worthless.  At my core - all I ever wanted was my father’s approval. My sister to be safe. I had to learn how to change a few things to get there, but I got there.

“And now I have my sister beside me, along with some pretty great friends.” Dagur smiled winningly at Tuff, making it clear he counted Boynut in that category.

Tuff jolted in his arms again, not expecting that - so entranced with Dagur’s story. He stammered for a moment, blushing.

“You consider me a friend? Not just an acquaintance you have to put up with because they hang around the others?”

Dagur regarded him softly and wrapped his arms around Tuff. It was a firm hug, though careful of his injuries. “Yes. You’re one of my friends. And I don’t have very many, so that makes you very important to me, okay?”

Tuff’s eyes were again welling up. “You ... actually like me?”

That question hurt more than it had a right to. “Yes, I like you very much. I want you to stay right here on Midgard for as long as possible. I’d be devastated if anything happened to you.”

Boynut was staring at him like he’d never seen Dagur before in his life, face still flushed and tear tracks cutting through the grime and blood of battle. For half a second, Dagur wondered if he’d said too much, but then Tuff curled into his embrace, putting his arms around the Berserker’s neck and burying his face in his shoulder.

He was trembling hard, hitching, and Dagur hugged him tightly, rubbing Tuff’s back.     He wanted very suddenly to yell at the others - Tuff was their friend too and he didn’t even know and he seriously thought he was worth less than shark chum and what the hell were they doing about it? Had any of them noticed?

“S-Sorry - I - I - nobody’s ever - I n-never thought -“ Tuff trailed off, hiccoughing.

“That you were good enough as is?” Dagur hazarded a guess. The despondent wail that followed was his answer and Dagur hugged him back tighter, murmuring soothingly.

It took a short while before Tuff calmed down, but he still clung to Dagur like a frightened kitten, pulling back to wipe at his face with a free hand.

Dagur didn’t discourage him, still cradling him close with an arm around the curve of his body. They were still flying below the air current the rest of the group was on, skimming across the surface of the water.

Absently he reached up, toying with a braid of Tuff’s hair. “It’s still a long way to where we’re going. Why don’t you get some rest, huh? It’s okay if you sleep - pretty sure you don’t have a concussion.”

Tuff looked up at him in shock, face going pink. He smiled at him, leaning his head tiredly on Dagur’s shoulder. “That sounds good. You’re very warm.”

Dagur thought he was going to say more, but after a long minute, Tuff’s head grew a little heavier and he began to gently snore. He was exhausted and injured, and it was hours still before they would reach land. Dagur decided to let him be, expression soft as he watched Boynut sleep.

[howtowhumpyourhiccup]

Winter Whumperland Day 11: Vows

Summary: Written for Winter Whumperland Day 11. Set in a Modern AU, follows up on Day 10 'Ruin'. During the months after his son's disappearance, Stoick has trouble coping and finds himself lost in memories.

Warning: /

Rating: Teen and up

Characters: Stoick, Gobber, Valka, Hiccup, Fishlegs, Dagur, Astrid, Heather, Snotlout, Ruffnut, Tuffnut

Pairing: Past-Hiccstrid

Words: 4 006

Fandom: How to Train Your Dragon

Prompt: “Falling Through Ice”

Whumpee: Hiccup, Stoick, Gobber, Valka

Author’s Notes: Okay, so believe it or not, I did finish this one waaay back in December. But I didn't want to post it until I finished Day 12, which then turned out to be so long I needed to divide it into two parts. Day 12 part 2 still isn't finished yet, but after much too long, I did finally have the energy to get through proofreading this one.

So there you have it, here's Day 11 at long last!

Constructive criticism is appreciated.

Enjoy!

Ao3

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It’s through a call in the late morning that Stoick received the news. He was sleeping in for once, something he rarely does as he enjoys waking up early in the morning to get the most work out of a day.

That day, he slept in and it was the ringtone of the smartphone Hiccup made him get that woke him up. He grabbed it and sat up before he answered tiredly.

“Yes?”

“Mr. Haddock, sir?” He recognized the voice as belonging to that of Astrid Hofferson, his son’s girlfriend.

“Yes, lass?” He rubbed in his heavy eyes. How did sleeping in longer make him more than waking up with the sun did?

“We think something’s happened with Hiccup. We think he’s missing.”

It was news Stoick never thought he would ever get to hear and he would’ve thought it a prank, if it wasn’t for the tremble in the girl’s voice. Astrid has always seemed tough to him and a terrible liar, like Hiccup. That was genuine emotion in her tone.

That was how he found out his son was missing.

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In the beginning, there was a fire driving Stoick forwards.

When his son’s friends called to tell him that they hadn’t seen or heard from Hiccup in a worryingly amount of time when he should’ve been taking his dragon home, Stoick was quick to come over.

He met with the five and the dragon, the one Hiccup was supposed to return to the sanctuary he had escaped from just to see his human companion.

He’d gotten their stories in person, spent another couple of hours trying to reach Hiccup, then searched the places he could’ve possibly gone to, even visiting Gobber and calling Valka, neither of which had seen a sign of him either. After a whole night wasted on trying to reach him, Stoick finally went to the police.

The friends had to do their story again, they were taken seriously, Stoick provided with a description and a picture, it was on the news, posters were printed and posted, it was a whole process, but they were fired up and stubborn in bringing him home.

Then days passed with no real news, then weeks, and then months of nothing. Nothing but sick minds who get some sort of kick out prank calling a worried father and grieving friends and girlfriend.

Stoick went out there himself to search for his son. The coffee shop he worked at, his street, the neighboring streets, he searched the entire city for just a single sign of Hiccup. And if he thought the police wasn’t doing enough, he’d hound them into doing more.

In the beginning, there was no short supply of spirit in his desire to find Hiccup, but now it’s been months and he feels like he’s already running on fumes.

He’s not going to stop, he’s never going to stop, but there are days where he can only sit on the couch in a darkened room and nothing more.

It doesn’t help that the holidays are fast approaching and all they do now is add to his sour mood. If Hiccup isn’t found soon, this’ll be his first without his son and that does not sit well with Stoick at all.

But anyway, Gobber is here, too.

“You know, Stoick, you scowl any more, you’re going to scare even me away.” Gobber jokes with him, attempting to lighten the mood with a light joke. The two have been silently and mindlessly watching whatever crosses their way, hoping to chase away any and all thought as they bring them both nothing but pain.

Gobber is heartbroken, too, jokes and faith in their son’s stubbornness used to help him cling to the hope that they’ll see him again.

At first, it was the hope that they’ll see him again soon, nowadays it’s the hope that they’ll see him again someday, whether dead or alive. Because Gobber isn’t a fool, he knows the first few days are very crucial in a missing person’s case, especially the first 24 hours. Isn’t that what those cop shows always claim? Hiccup has already been gone for months.

He wasn’t able to do much in the beginning. When it came to searching for Hiccup out there on the street and surrounding forests, he was only able to come along for so much with a leg and an arm missing. But with jokes, by talking with Stoick, or just keeping him company, he can help the man be less alone in his suffering.

Stoick hasn’t left the house in days, has stopped returning Valka’s call, and Gobber thinks that’s an alarming thing. The last thing his friend needs is to cut himself off from his family and Hiccup’s friends.

Taking his glare off the tv, which he isn’t paying attention to, anyway, Stoick instead scowls at Gobber.

“Do you truly think that I am in the mood for jokes, Gobber?” He asks, not all that happy to deal with Gobber’s attempt at humor, to say the least.

“Only for tasteful ones!” Gobber replies, his cheer still very much intact. Or that’s what he wants Stoick and those friends of Hiccup’s to believe.

Wordlessly, Stoick looks back at the tv. Apparently, they’ve been watching a channel about DIYs, a chair is being constructed in the current program. He hadn’t even noticed before.

Gobber sighs and looks back at the tv, the living room bathing in darkness except for the light from the screen. Once upon a time, he could at least annoy Stoick into interacting with him, now he can’t even accomplish that anymore.

And if he can’t reach Stoick… Well, it does little good for his own mental health.

Though usually a man that likes a clean house, Stoick has really been letting the place go as there are dishes and cans and filth everywhere. Not that Gobber can fault him for that as his own housekeeping isn’t what it used to be, though it’s always been on the messy side.

Stoick hadn’t wanted to see him either, further backing up his worries that his friend is isolating himself from the outside world. It’s only because Gobber insisted by pushing right past him and forced his way into the home that he isn’t alone now.

Gazing at the silent man, he wonders what he’s thinking now.

Stoick is thinking of Hiccup, for sure, he always is these past months. He shuts himself off to avoid the media, to avoid people who will recognize him from the tireless interviews, to avoid being bothered, running into Astrid or any of her and Hiccup’s friends, or coming across any reminders of his son. Gobber guesses those are the reasons that Stoick no longer goes outside and he only wishes the other would let him in.

Gobber’s assumption couldn’t be more right. In his attempt to hide and stop his endless thoughts and worrying, all Stoick does is think and fret and tear himself apart for his failure.

As a father, he’s supposed to protect his child, that has been his duty from the day he and Valka decided to expand their family. He followed through on this while Valka was pregnant with their son, he held him as soon as he could after birth and promised him that he wouldn’t know a single day of strive, and he tried and tried every single day of the boy’s short lived life to make it come true.

Now look where his incompetence has left him, left Hiccup.

And before this, there were at least two more times when he felt, and was, absolutely useless.

The second time was when a dragon attacked his son, scarred his back, and mangled his leg so badly it had to be taken.

The very first, it was during a snowy winter when his son was 12-years-old and that is the particular moment he’s thinking of now.

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“Be careful!” He remembers warning his son that cold afternoon as his friends had come to ask him outside to play, which is slowly devolving into “hanging out” as they age. Not a bad idea, Valka had convinced him and she was still his wife at the time.

Hiccup was a young boy with plenty of friends, he should make use of his childhood while he still can before the inevitable responsibilities of life will whisk him away. He should enjoy himself, that is what Valka said to convince him to let Hiccup outside.

Back then, Oswald, a good friend of Stoick’s, was still alive. Back then, Dagur was still a good boy and Heather was a young girl full of life, who didn’t need to struggle to make ends meet following the loss of her father and her brother’s troubles.

But Stoick knew there was something off about the boy from the beginning. Dagur was too reckless for his tastes, always seeking trouble in some way, never listening to his father. That day, it was Hiccup he dragged down with him.

It was Fishlegs who suddenly stood on his front porch, twiddling his thumbs uncertainly and timidly staring at the ground. Apparently, Astrid had sent him, as Stoick would later find out. She’s always been a smart girl, a girl who doesn’t like to break rules and listens to her parents.

“Um, Mr. Haddock, sir? I think Hiccup’s about to get in a lot of trouble.” For any kid at any age, tattling on your friends never feels good and it doesn’t help that Stoick is so big and scary. The 11-year-old never understood how Hiccup was never scared of him. But Astrid had made him go while she stayed, believing she needed to keep an eye on what she thought was a situation about to get really out of hand.

Tearing their coats off the rack, he and Valka left quickly, the boy guiding them towards the local lake in a forest just outside of town.

They would find that Dagur was the biggest troublemaker in this situation. A much older boy, he’d followed his sister when she left with Astrid.

“Come on, Hiccup! You’re not scared like they are, are you? Get over here!” That was unmistakably young Dagur’s voice that they heard as they approached the lake. Whatever he was hounding their son to do, it couldn’t be anything good.

“Hiccup!” Stoick called out to him the second he spotted him, seeing his small frame on a frozen lake nobody has cleared for use yet and there he was.

Dagurr stood in the middle of it, arms crossed and an impatient look on his face. That is, until he saw the angry and mountainous dad of his target at the banks of the lake together with Hiccup’s mom. And suddenly, he felt like fleeing, having been caught red-handed.

“Mo-Mom? Dad?” Hiccup looked back at his parents, his face and posture betraying that his position isn’t one he put himself in as willingly as it first appeared.

Dagur had been bullying the younger kids, daring them into getting on the ice like he dared to. Kids don’t like to be challenged this way, they don’t like to be made to feel like they can’t do something, like they’re afraid and being afraid makes them a coward. Nobody wants to be seen as anything but brave. But Hiccup, he merely wanted to “prove himself” to end this charade and convince him to get off.

Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Snotlout, Astrid, and Heather, too, looked uncomfortable with the situation. They knew it was bad, even the first three who are troublemakers themselves.

“Hiccup, come on! Come back!” Astrid shouted towards him, but he was too stubborn to leave, still waiting on Dagur to get off the ice first.

He wasn’t ready to give up on him yet, not even with his own well-being on the line. He cared too much about others, he has always cared too much. Three years in the future, it might contribute to Dagur’s future obsession with him. His mother has left him, his father would, too, then, but Hiccup hadn’t.

Looking away from his terrified parents to gaze back at Dagur again, he shuffles ever closer while trembling in fright. He can hear and feel the lake cracking in warning beneath his feet.

“Dagur, I’m-I’m-I’m here-I’m here now, can we-can we go back?” He asked with a tremble and tears of stress in his eyes. He wanted to go back so badly, but he refused to go alone.

“Um-” The older boy’s bravado from before was entirely gone, his gaze moved from Hiccup to his father nervously.

“Yes, you two can! And you better come back quickly! Dagur, your father will hear of this!” Stoick couldn’t hear the ice straining, but that didn’t make him any less urged to get those two boys on solid ground.

“Dagur!” Heather shouts, sniffing.

“Dagur, please, you’re only putting yourself in danger! Come back to shore and everything will be okay.” Valka took a less consequential stance, something Stoick looked at her in disagreement for.

“Oh-okay,” Dagur quietly replied, spooked by Hiccup’s parents, and shuffled his way cautious off the lake.

It was only then, when he saw Dagur safely on the banks, that Hiccup could breathe easy and return, too.

“And now you, my brave boy, come here!” Valka stretched her hands out, causing him to smile.

Stoick didn’t plan on being as encouraging as his wife was being, fuming. Their 12-year-old was recklessly risking his life and for what? If he wants to be a hero, he should do it without endangering himself as well.

“I’m-I’m coming!” Hiccup called back, happy that he no longer needed to be here.

But as his luck would have it, just like he will somehow attract the attention of two obsessed men in a span of only three years, he had to be the one to fall through the ice.

Slowly, he moved closer to his friends and parents, the thin layer of ice under his feet cracking beneath his feather-light weight. No matter how much he moved from the spot, the cracks followed him and they grew bigger and they multiplied quickly. He was so scared, dying to reunite with his parents again. They were right there and yet so far away.

And then it breaks and he sinks into the freezing water below with a shriek that is cut short.

“Hiccup!” Everyone shouted as they watched him disappear.

Stoick will remember this incident as one of the worst moments in his entire life. Nothing in any of his 45 years of life will ever come close, not until his son loses his leg and fights for his life in the hospital, not until some faceless stranger kidnapped him for reasons Stoick never wants to know.

He couldn’t traverse the ice to go get him, it would’ve never been able to hold his weight if it couldn’t hold Hiccup’s. All he was able to do, all any of them were able to do, was watch in fear as Hiccup cried and clawed and struggled to get out.

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Somehow that incident ended well. Somehow Hiccup managed to pull himself back up on slightly thicker ice than the parts that kept breaking on him. He got far enough away from the hole that someone could pull him the rest of the way. Once he was pulled back, Stoick and Valka enclosed him in their arms, his tiny and wet body cold in their embrace.

Neither of them have ever forgotten that day and it’s all Stoick can think about now. He can still hear Hiccup’s voice.

“Mom! Dad!” He’d cried for their help, something he has rarely ever done growing up. No matter how many problems may pile and pile, Hiccup has always wanted to solve things himself before he called in any sort of help. It’s probably why, after recovering from his amputation, he wanted to pull Toothless out of his guilt.

Stoick wonders if that was what had gotten him kidnapped. There are plenty of stories of people pretending to be hurt or in distress just to lure in unsuspecting good-natured people. If anybody could fall for such a scam, it would be Hiccup. Every part of his mind could be telling him that this person was up to no good and he would still act on that small, small “what if this person truly is in trouble?”

Is that what got him kidnapped? What got him... killed? Was Hiccup simply too pure of heart and did someone take advantage of that to snuff out his light?

After the lake incident, they drove him to the hospital as fast as they could and they found out he was okay. The doctor there told them he would be just fine and that they just needed to keep him warm and dry until his temperature was back up. After that, they could take him home with them.

He hadn’t lost consciousness, he didn’t seem to have swallowed or breathed in too much water, they could be almost certain that he was entirely okay.

As for his parents, however, they were never quite the same after that accident. Once Hiccup was dry, Stoick held his shivering son to him and vowed to him that he would never let anything happen to him ever again.

It’s a vow he broke twice.

Hiccup bounces back from pretty much anything thrown at him. After his fall, he would sneak out to play when his parents would much rather have him home with them. And though he wouldn’t go back on a frozen lake again, he’d still go out swimming with his friends.

During his divorce with Valka, though it was a painful time for all of them, he seemed to understand why it needed to happen and adjusted quickly. Even when asked if he thought badly of his parents months after it was finalized, he’d told them “no”, that it was better this way.

When a dragon went and bit his leg off, Hiccup went on to not only see the darn thing again, but he made friends with it and decided to fully dedicate his life to dragonkind. At 15, he wasn’t sure yet where he wanted his life to go, not until that accident.

Again and again, Stoick promised his son that nothing would ever happen to him after this. He held him in the hospital after his birth as he promised, then a second time after the lake, then a third time as he held his hand just before the surgery that would take his leg. Chances are, he will never get to promise him a fourth time.

Sitting on the couch, not paying attention to the tv and wasting away, there are tears in his eyes. Never much of an emotional man, Stoick doesn’t feel like he can stop them.

Strictly statistically speaking, the chances of a missing person ever being found alive, or even found at all, dwindles by the day and Hiccup has been gone since early June.

It’s December now.

The horrendous theories from the police don’t help either. Some even dare to put the blame on Hiccup, insinuating that his death, not his vanishing, but his death , might’ve been caused by a crime of passion. 19 years old, handsome, tall, capable, who isn’t to say he’s been cheating on his girlfriend and either she or the mistress found out? Naturally, that meant Astrid was a suspect at some point, too.

Stoick remembers seeing her after an interrogation once. Her parents came to pick her up at the same time he’d come to the station to demand an update.

She’d been distraught, face red and eyes bloodshot. Hiccup was her boyfriend of a year, her childhood friend, and they’d accused her of killing him over something like that. While cheating is no trivial matter, it’s not something she would kill over. Besides that, everyone who knew Hiccup also knows that he would’ve never done such a thing to her in the first place.

Then they settled for the most likely culprit, which was Dagur.

Stoick won’t lie, it felt good to finally hear from the police that they got him and that he would answer for his crimes, but that only lasted for… what? A day? Two days? A week at most? The relief ended quickly because the question of what happened to Hiccup remains unanswered to this day and Dagur stubbornly persists that he’s “getting better”, that he “would never hurt Hiccup”. And frankly, a part of Stoick seems to believe the young man.

Gods, why didn’t he just let him go live with Valka to study dragons? He wouldn’t have needed to move out and gotten an apartment deeper in their town. He would’ve already been living in the sanctuary if he did.

Or maybe the sanctuary was part of the problem. It’s not exactly a car ride away, you need to take the ferry there. So perhaps, part of the reason why he didn’t let Hiccup study dragons, he now realizes, is because he didn’t want him to go so far away.

How ironic, then, that someone decided to take him away anyway when he wasn’t looking. As if someone knew of Stoick’s inability to let go of his only child and thought that they should be the one to make him.

This never would’ve happened if he let Hiccup do as he wished. On the sanctuary, surrounded by dragons who know and love him, where Valka is, he would’ve been perfectly safe. Stoick may as well have asked someone to kidnap him.

It’s a painful thought and a tear falls, but Stoick doesn’t fight the guilt that he feels. This is all his fault. If he didn’t constantly break his vow to keep his child safe, Hiccup would still be here.

Gobber can read every self-deprecating thought on his old friend’s face, can see the tears, and sighs deeply before he looks back at the tv. On the channel they’re watching, they’re now installing some plumbing on a different program.

He wishes he could take the hurt away, wishes he could say something, but everything that can possibly be said he’s already said.

“Everything’s going to be okay, Stoick.”

“They’ll find him, Stoick.”

“Hiccup’s a strong and smart lad, Stoick”.

He’s sick of repeating himself. He doesn’t even believe his own words, so why should he continue to spout these lies? To a grieving father especially?

Hiccup is smart and he is strong, but does that mean he could still be alive today?

The will to comfort his friend quickly abates in the face of his own doubts and loss, Gobber feels like he may as well follow Stoick’s example and waste away alongside him. What else is left for him to do?

Just then, Stoick’s phone rings.

Snapping them both of their contemplation, Stoick picks it up and looks at the caller’s ID. It’s Astrid, the poor lass. He doesn’t feel like talking to her, but then, he also didn’t feel like letting Gobber in, so he answers the call.

“Astrid, lass?” He acknowledges her, hand rubbing in his eyes.

His eyes widen suddenly and he shoots up from the couch, startling Gobber in the process.

“Stoick?” He wonders what’s gotten him so riled up and so out of nowhere. What could Astrid possibly be telling him?

“Yes, I’m still here. Thank you for telling me, lass, I’m coming. Please, tell him that when he wakes up.” Eventually, after what felt like much too long of a call to Gobber, Stoick hangs up the phone and stares at him with that same wide-eyed look he can’t quite place. The tears are still there, they’re still falling, so what is that expression telling him?

“What is it, man?! Don’t keep me waiting, spit it out!” He demands, throwing his remaining hand up in growing frustration.

“They found him, Gobber. They found my son.”

Perhaps, Stoick can still make good on that vow.

[i-do-ships-and-stuff]

Hey, so I requested this to another blog some time ago but wanted to see your rendition of it (if that's okay) "Tuffnut x a new dragon rider reader that after a couple weeks in the group the others realise she gets very shy when they're all together so thus begins a competition for who can figure out who's the reader crush is first, maybe they're all betting on someone else (like Hiccup) and are surprised after they find out the truth? Thank you in advance!" (Race To The Edge "time" please)

A Crush on Tuffnut

Word Count:1,626

Nothing was more peaceful to you than watching the sun set. And there was nowhere better to do it than on one of the tallest hills Berk had to offer. At the top was a beautiful clearing with tall, green grass that flowed in the wind. There wasn’t a tree in sight to block the view. This was, in your opinion, the best stop on the island.

This is, until about a week ago when Snotlout followed you up there and then told the rest of the team about it. Now they invaded your space whenever they got the chance.

“Tag, you’re it!”

“Nuh uh! You’re it!”

You watched in awe as Snotlout and Fishlegs chased each other around on the hilltop. It always amazed you how incredibly childish they could be, especially before going on such a dangerous mission.

The team, headed by Hiccup and Toothless, were always traveling to small, well known islands around Berk to see if there were anymore dragons to be salvaged, but this was different. Hiccup had become anxious when less and less dragons turned up so he decided that the team would venture further than ever. They would be traveling along unmapped sea.

Trying to distract yourself from the idea of the team going on a mission was working well. You could have watched Snotlout fight Fishlegs on this hilltop forever if you didn’t have to leave soon. Before the sun set you had to go feed the training dragons.

Hiccup’s voice caused you to jerk your head away from the wrestling boys.

“Hey, Y/n! What’s going on over here?” He asked as he hiked up the last bit of of hill before reaching your position. When he saw the pair he visibly regretted asking.

“Yeah. Not much to look at here.” You said. “They are right in front of the sun.”

“Uh, right,” Hiccup began. “Anyway, we’ve been preparing for this journey for days and Astrid and I were thinking… your training has been phenomenal. You’re able to make any dragon trust you so quickly, we were wondering if maybe… I don’t know…”

“We want you to join us!” Astrid finally said as she appeared from behind you, Stormfly following close behind.

At first you weren’t sure they were serious. You were in the most recent group of trainees. Why wouldn’t they just pick someone more advanced?

“Me? Join you all on a real mission? You have to be kidding?” You tried to look uninterested, just in case it was all a joke.

Astrid and Hiccup looked confused.

“Astrid is telling the truth, Y/n. You’ve got some serious talent. And plus everyone on the team loves you!”

Usually a compliment like that would give you wings, but knowing that Tuffnut was one of the team members made you feel shaky.

Sure they do, you thought to yourself. Everyone except Tuffnut.

You couldn’t deny that Tuffnut made you really happy. He was funny, kind and brave. Sure, he was goofy and different, but that didn’t change your feelings for him.

It was then you realized why you couldn’t join the team for this mission, no matter how badly you wanted to; every time you looked at Tuffnut you became so overwhelmed by your crush you would forget where you were. How was that possibly going to work if you were on an actual mission together?

Finally, you answered. “You know what, Hiccup? I’ll think about it.”

He smiled at your words. “Perfect! Just let me know by tomorrow night.” He said, patting Toothless’s head. “Toothless, you hungry, boy?”

Hiccup began to lift a heavy basket of fish off of Toothless’s back when suddenly Astrid and Hiccup turned their heads and cupped their hands behind their ears.

“What do you hear?” You asked them.

They didn’t even need to answer. You only had to hear one, overused sentence to know who was coming up the hillside.

“Shut up, Ruffknuckles!”

There was only one person you knew who called his twin sister “Ruffknuckles”.

“Whatever, Tuffnut.” Ruffnut mumbled.

As they appeared from the tall grass you felt your hands beginning to sweat and your breath caught in your throat. You tried to look normal, but on the inside your anxiety climbed higher and higher.

Hiccup and Toothless rolled their eyes as the watched the twins bicker.

“Time for your snack, Toothless. You earned it! Oh, Y/n. We’re gonna eat dinner by the beach tonight just after the sun sets. Want to join us there later?” Hiccup asked as he patted Toothless who sat happily, already gnawing away at a fish bone.

Suddenly your attention was back on Hiccup. You had to keep yourself from squealing. You couldn’t believe it. Hiccup, the first dragon rider, leader of the first team of dragon riders and the Chief’s son just invited you to have dinner with him and his dragon.

“Absolutely! I’ll be there!” You shrieked. Your excitement was through the roof and you hoped you didn’t look too embarrassing. That’s when you remembered Tuffnut. He was still there, probably watching you and you knew you had to leave before he saw your cherry red face.

Hey, at least no one else would be at dinner. You could relax with Hiccup and Toothless alone.

“But, I got to go. Um.. because I have to… I have to… OH! I have to go dragons the feed. No, I mean… Feed the dragons! I have to feed the dragons, so I’ll see you later.” You stammered horribly as you spoke, then you ran down the hill, hoping no one saw you trip on the way.

The team unfortunately noticed your nervousness and they began to speculate immedietly.

Snotlout was the first to speak.

“Hey, what up with her?” He asked just before Fishlegs landed the final blow on his jaw.

“What’s up with who ?” Fishlegs replied as he shook his fist, trying to relieve some pain.

Ruffnut snorted. “Y/n was acting weird, you idiot! She was all ‘um this’ and ‘um that’. Then she ran away. Don’t you ever pay attention?”

Astrid chuckled as she walked toward the rest of the group. “Did you see her face? It was getting red. My guess is she has a crush.”

Hiccup disagreed. “Y/n’s always weird, isn’t she? I mean, for us to like her she has to be weird.”

His reply made Fishlegs smile. “Oh, I see.” He began, still fiddling with his injured hand. “Y/n has a crush on Hiccup. That’s why he’s trying to make us think she doesn’t have a crush! It’s textbook.”

Hiccup groaned and looked to Astrid for help.

“I think it’s you, Fishlegs.” She joked, causing Fishlegs to turn red with discomfort.

“You’re all narfed!” Snotlout roared. “Can’t you see? The evidence is clearer than ever. Y/n is totally crushing on me!” His face split into a smile and his crossed his arms confidently.

The team turned to face Ruffnut after they heard her giggling, apparently to herself.

“What are you thinking, Ruff?” Astrid asked.

She chuckled as she spoke. “I was trying to think who she might have a crush on, and I thought Tuffnut. But then I remembered that he’s ugly, so That couldn’t be it. And then I started laughing.”

Tuffnut punched his sister’s arm. “I’m ugly? I’m not the one with yarn for hair!” He countered.

…

“Hey, Y/n! Over here!” You hear Hiccup shout from around a boulder.

Excited to finally be done with your chores, you jog around the corner, expecting to see Hiccup and Toothless eating alone.

Instead, you find the entire team and their dragons sitting around a fire and cooking a chicken(at least it was chickens and not fish again).

You didn’t understand. Hiccup asked you to eat dinner with him. Not the entire team. And especially not with Tuffnut.

“Hey! It’s Y/n!” Cried Tuffnut.

The rest of the group made welcoming sounds, none of which you could make out.

“Hiccup, I thought it was just you and me,” you began. “You said ‘do you want to have dinner with us’.”

“Yea. Us, meaning the team.” Hiccup said, slowly turning the chicken over the bonfire.

Your stomach formed a knot and you felt yourself tense. “Oh... Im so sorry to leave so fast but-“

“You’re leaving?” Tuffnut interrupted you. “We were talking about the mission. Come on, you have to stay.”

Ruffnut agreed. “Yea. You’re like one of us now.”

You wished you could diasapear. “I… I guess so…” you stuttered before slowly walking to the fire and sitting as far away from Tuffnut as you could.

No one spoke for a minute and the knot in your stomach tightened. The team exchanged looks that you couldn’t translate. Finally, you got the courage to speak.

“Alright guys, what’s up. First you say you want me to stay and now you’re all so quiet.”

Astrid sighed. “Okay. We should tell her. Y/n, you’ve been acting strange lately. And so we thought…”

“You thought.” Hiccup corrected her.

“Alright, fine! I thought it was because you maybe had a crush on someone in the group.”

What she said should have made you panic and run away. Instead, you felt better, happy that someone finally understood.

“I- I do.” You admitted.

The team gasped, almost in unison.

“It’s me, isn’t it?” Snotlout suggested.

“No, Snotlout. I’m sorry. I’m actually… I kind of like Tuffnut.” You tried to sound confiedent, but you definitely mumbled the last few words.

Again, gasps erupted from the team. You heard them speaking all at once, not sure who was saying what.

“No way!”

“I had no idea!”

“That’s new!”

“Ew, he’s ugly!”

You were pretty sure that last one was Ruffnut.

You tried not to look in his eyes, but he was adamant about getting your attention.

“Y/n,” he began, reaching over to touch your shoulder. “I like you too. Not like a friend. Like… a crush.”

At last, you felt calm. It wasn’t one sided, thank God. You could look at him again.

“You do?”

“Yea,” He said. “I do.”

I hope you enjoyed. This was so much fun to write!

[tysonrunningfox]

Ripped: Part 8

I’m really excited about this chapter....here.

AO3

It takes a week to re-open the alley behind the Ripped Tavern.  Hiccup technically could have gone back to an old tour route that starts out front and goes by Astrid’s apartment as its first stop, but he likes the other script better and if he went in that order, he’s not sure how he’d end it.  He saw Heather a few times, the feather in her hat visible above the larger than normal crowd collected around her just outside the caution tape at the mouth of the alley.  So much for losing a few tours in the face of an actual murder.

He had time, if not money, to actually dry clean his hat and coat though and thanks to Snotlout’s unusual generosity, he picks them up the day before he’s set to restart his own tours.  He hasn’t heard anything from Detective Eretson aside from a single phone call asking for Gobber’s information and he feels reasonably safe avoiding suspicion on his old route.  If anything it’d be more suspicious to stop at this point, probably.

“Is the goat smell dead?”  Snotlout greets when he gets home, taking the plastic wrapped coat from him and pressing his nose up against the collar.

“Have you considered that my coat smelled because it was next to your uniform coat after you took the petting zoo call?”

“No, and I won’t.”  He hands it back, “it smells fine now, by the way.”

“And they got the toothpaste out of my hat,” Hiccup demonstrates, gesturing at the clean black felt like it’s the reward on a niche game show.

“It looks…no, it looks dorkier now.”

“I’ll admit the stain had a certain charm,” he hangs it on the hat rack by the door and sits down in his dad’s chair.

A certain charm bestowed upon it by Astrid when she flung her toothbrush at him and started something.  Or maybe he started something when he shined a laser pointer through her window, those are semantics, but something feels started.  He was addled from the long night when he walked her home from the tavern and he thinks he hid it well, but that means the details came back to him slowly over the next few days.

The suspicious way she looked at him when he avoided telling her the whole story all at once.  The way she took his hand when she saw he was upset.  The look she gave Heather when they were interrupted.  Her expression when he showed her his leg, no scrap of pity hidden in the bright curious spark in her eyes, like she was almost glad to have something else to get to investigate.

She keeps him focused in a way he’s never liked until now.

“I’m sure Astrid will whack you with another toothbrush,” Snotlout cuts off his train of thought with a disparaging sigh, “your eyes are glazing over, dude, just text her.  I swear, if you haven’t scared her off with your weirdness by now I don’t think it’s possible.”

“Yeah, she doesn’t scare easy,” he shakes his head.  The only time he’s seen her scared was when they happened to overhear someone’s last scream, a memory that still sends a sick chill down Hiccup’s spine, and it’s made worse by Snotlout’s easy teasing.  He and Snotlout don’t really have secrets, especially legally implicating secrets, but if Hiccup brought it up now it would be obvious that he’s been hiding it, which he has.

He knows Snotlout is stupid and stubborn enough to protect him no matter what, and it’s better for both of them if he looks as innocent as possible.

“So just text her,” Snotlout shrugs, “send her a Venice Gelato fact or something.”

“I know you know his name is Viggo Grimborn.”

“I thought no one knew what his name was because no one ever figured the murders out,” he throws a pen cap at Hiccup’s face and it bounces off his forehead, “see?  I pay attention.”

“For the record, I have been texting her.”  Hiccup scrolls through his phone, “she told me that the cops talked to her and warned her about some cameras and I said thank you.”

“That doesn’t count.”

“Sure it does, it means she’s glad I’m not in jail and she’s telling me what to avoid to keep it that way.”  He hasn’t told Snotlout that he’s waiting for an invitation to the archives for an entirely different reason, namely, the amount of mocking he’d have to endure for being excited about being invited to a room full of musty old newspapers.  It’s the kind of thing to mention after it goes well, especially ever since the first few failed dates he got from tours became Snotlout’s favorite ‘embarrass Hiccup’ stories.    “Fine, I’ll text her.”

Hiccup (6:02pm): hey

Astrid (6:05pm): still not in jail, I see

That’s a kind of a start.  Hiccup can work with that, maybe.  He turns sideways in his dad’s chair, legs over the arm of it to better ignore Snotlout crunching his cereal while watching the evening news.

Hiccup (6:06pm): living in constant fear but when have I ever let that stop me from living my life lol

Astrid (6:06pm): shit, what did you hear?  Are you in trouble? Astrid (6:07pm): I was there

Hiccup (6:08pm): are you offering to be my alibi?

He regrets it as soon as he sends it because alibi sounds like a term of endearment.

Hiccup (6:08pm): not that I need one since I’m not guilty as you know

Astrid (6:09pm): doesn’t the ‘as you know’ kind of automatically make me your alibi?

Hiccup (6:10pm): eh Hiccup (6:10pm): only if you want it to, I could ask Viggo

Astrid (6:11pm): so there are no developments in the case?

Hiccup (6:11pm): not that I’m aware of

Astrid (6:13pm): maybe they just aren’t telling you Astrid (6:13pm): which is good news

Hiccup glances at Snotlout, who’s wiping cereal milk off of his chin with his sleeve, before answering.

Hiccup (6:14pm): I haven’t heard anything about me going to jail

Astrid (6:15pm): I’m off work at 5 tomorrow but I could stay late and show you the Al, I. picture

She punctuates her interpretation of the message precisely and Hiccup smiles to himself.  He does love that she has a theory, he loves that she isn’t listening to what anyone says and instead is finding her own conclusion, most of all because that conclusion seems to include him.

Her theory is wrong, for the record, because the four main Grimborn murders line up very precisely, but there’s no reason to fight her argument, especially the way her eyes light up when she’s making it.

Hiccup (6:15pm): sure, sounds good

00000

Hiccup hasn’t really been to the archives since Snotlout got his full access at the police station.  It’s not that he felt he’d gotten through everything that the archives had to offer, it was more a combination of the fact that he and Heather weren’t really talking anymore and the fact that the police station had so many things he’d never seen.  When he shows up a little after five though and the blonde guy at the front desk gives him a look overflowing with withering recognition, he remembers the other reason he prefers researching elsewhere.

At the police station, he’s always the only person in the file room.  At the archives though, it’s the view of the establishment that he is the wrong kind of obsessive academic.

“Hi, I’m looking for Astrid,” he pauses at the desk to shake the drizzle off of his hat and adjust his bag over his shoulder.

“She told me,” the guy nods curtly and goes back to the blueprint on his desk.  It looks like some kind of manufacturing facility, the machinery drawn out carefully with painstakingly thin lines of black ink.

“Is that the warehouse that used to be over on fifth?”

“It has nothing to do with Viggo Grimborn,” he doesn’t need to look up with his tone making his opinion so obvious.

“I know that,” Hiccup shoves the hand not holding his hat in his pocket, “it was just a pretty building.”

“It was a sweatshop.”

“And the strip mall they put in to replace it isn’t?”  He laughs, “there’s like two Starbucks in it and a seasonal Halloween store.”

“Sorry, Fishlegs,” Astrid rushes out of the back, stopping at the second desk to check something off of a to do list, undone hair falling over her shoulder.  It’s longer than Hiccup thought it was, longer and obviously in the way in a way that suits her.  Of course, she’d be constantly engaging in a battle with something growing out of her head.  “I know I said I wouldn’t make you talk Grimborn.”

“It gets us all eventually,” Fishlegs looks up at her, irritated like a fond older brother roped into playing tea party.  He turns to Hiccup then, eyes drifting from his coat to his hat, lip curling slightly under his respectably waxed moustache.  “But just because I feel like I have to say it, you do know that we have all kinds of historical information. Not just information pertaining to six months in the early eighteen eighties, right?”

“Of course I do, you have all the information on the nineteen fifty-two Grimborn copycat killer, right?”  Hiccup grins, placing his hat back on his head, “I’ll be sure to have a look at that.”

“I remember you,” Fishlegs narrows his eyes, “you’re the guy who broke the photocopier trying to shove a comic book in it.”

“That was three years ago,” he laughs, “and I fixed it.  Which is really ridiculous, because Berk University is still a public institution the last time I checked, so really my tax payer dollars should have fixed it.”

“You don’t pay taxes,” Astrid rolls her eyes, efficiently grabbing Hiccup’s elbow and pulling him towards an aisle made of industrial bookshelves lined two thick with old, yellowed newspapers.

“And he doesn’t even pay taxes,” Fishlegs mutters under his breath before the density of the historic walls blots him out.

“You know, even if I work tax free, I still pay taxes,” Hiccup says, wishing his messenger bag were on the other side instead of bumping into her hip every couple steps and risking alerting her to the fact that she’s still holding onto his elbow.  “Property tax.  Sales tax, I do buy things, when I have money.”

“I didn’t realize online sellers properly taxed Grimborn paraphernalia,” she snorts, letting go if his arm when she turns a corner into a smaller aisle, this one interrupted by a low wooden table, covered in a few spread out papers.  The table is pushed up against a shelf full of stacked volumes of almanacs and encyclopedias from the early eighteen hundreds, as well as manila folders full of carefully catalogued scraps of paper.

“They don’t, but I eat.  Occasionally.”

“Do you?”  She teases, elbowing him in the side as she flips through a Berk Enquirer with careful fingers.

“Again, when I have money.”  He sets his bag down and looks over her shoulder, stepping a little too close when he notices a picture of Bog street that he hasn’t seen before.  She smells like old book dust and something floral and he clears his throat.

“Sorry, I should have just left it on the picture, I got the paper out last minute.”

“No, it’s fine, I love skimming stories about…” it takes a minute to focus on any thing on the page with her so close and he steps to the side and leans against the table instead, “the alien connection to Berk’s city planning.  That’s some hard-hitting journalism right there.”

“You know, almost everything I’ve found has been in the Enquirer,” she pauses, pointing out a bible sales ad in the corner and raising an eyebrow.  “And considering you’re here to see what I found, despite your obvious blood feud with Fishlegs, maybe you shouldn’t disrespect it.”

“Blood feud?”

“I’ve never seen him be that rude to anyone, you knew his blueprint and he still lectured you.”  She laughs and turns one more page, nodding to herself, “here we go.  One Police Constable Brown was kind enough to donate his daily paper, and on this day he made a note of the time when he checked out the courtyard at 324 Harbor Road.”

Hiccup freezes, eyes widening as he takes in the small, grainy picture.  He remembers the way he felt on his first Grimborn tour, standing outside that apartment building and feeling connected to the city for the first time since his dad died.  Like he was somewhere that had lived through tragedy before, somewhere that had recovered.

Astrid steps back to give him space and he picks up the paper, holding it from either side like a police officer did a hundred years ago.  Like his dad used to hold the paper at breakfast, except his dad wasn’t usually reading an article insinuating that a dragon was the cause of the barn fire the week before.

“I can’t believe this exists.”

“What?  The punctuation?”  She’s smiling when he tears his eyes away from the paper, not smug so much as rightfully triumphant.  “Because it definitely does.”

“How did you—I never would have thought to check the Enquirer.”  He shakes his head at the picture, mouthing the caption and sighing.  “Everything surrounding this picture is crap, but it’s…genuine.”

“I would have thought it’d have your name all over it then,” she says too quiet, like she thinks she can keep it a secret from the books around them, absorbing and storing everything over centuries.

“What?”

“You know, Admiral Haddock,” she tucks her hair behind her ear, either embarrassed or annoyed to have to explain herself.  Maybe both.  “It’s complete bullshit, but it’s your favorite theory.”

“Well, yeah, how could it not be?”  He doesn’t think anyone else could tear his eyes away from this paper right now, but Astrid is inexplicably blushing as she tucks her hair behind her ear.  “Do you have one yet?”

“I don’t share a name with an implausible famous serial killer suspect, no.”

“No, do you have a favorite theory yet?”  He can’t put the paper down but he can’t look away from Astrid either.  He’s stuck holding onto a scrap of history he wouldn’t have without her, but it feels more like a springboard to somewhere else.

“Like do I have an opinion about who Viggo Grimborn is?”  She cocks her head, arms crossed, stance so rigid it’s active.  Alive.  Pulsing with things she might tell him if he just shuts up for a second.

He shrugs.  She bites her lip and exhales.

“No, I mean, none of them are a favorite.  All of them are full of holes,” she flips through a notebook that’s also on the table, neat handwriting flying past, “it’s never going to be answered.”

“I know that, but I don’t know, you worked so hard—“

“The Enquirer,” she cuts him off, but she’s smart enough to not take the paper from his hands, instead picking up another issue on the table and showing a larger bible ad, dated before the second murder, and Hiccup’s chest burns.  “It’s been completely ignored because it was a little weird or loud or ridiculous—“

“I know the feeling,” Hiccup watches her because he doesn’t have or want a choice.

“It’s full of witness accounts,” she finds a page and her face lights up, determined and absolutely ready to fight with him, “like here, Reginald Smith of 32 Downer Lane saw lights on the rooftops on the night of Catherine Whittaker’s murder, but it’s reported as an alien appearance—“

“Because he said it was an alien spacecraft,” Hiccup hates himself for interrupting but Astrid’s expression only gets more rigid.  More stern.

She doesn’t want his validation she wants to convince him, to present the facts that make him come around to her idea all on his own.

“Yes, but it was the late eighteen hundreds, he was poor and drunk and uneducated.  He saw something he couldn’t understand and read the cheaper newspaper and extrapolated with what he could.  By cutting out the sources that don’t make the best soundbites, the entire case was…bungled.  Honestly, if the detectives had talked to anyone other than respectable witnesses, maybe you wouldn’t be so obsessed with it today.“

“If you’re going to educate me like this, I think you need the hat,” he laughs, because he doesn’t know what else to do.  He’s never been so scared he’d damage an artifact as his hands start shaking and a bead of sweat blooms on his brow.

“Maybe I do,” she sets her own newspaper down and takes his hat, setting it on her head.  It’s too big, again, falling slightly crooked to the right, but that doesn’t change how bright the black wool makes her eyes look.  “The investigation was completely swayed by the same class distinction as the crimes, if you dig through the Enquirer for what?  An hour?  Ten minutes?  You’ll find multiple reports of people seeing lights on rooftops or mythical creatures in the woods that almost perfectly align with some drunk idea of already named suspects.  Are you saying you’ve never read a description of Drago Bludvist and thought sasquatch?”  She laughs, shrill and convincing, her face on fire.  “Because I have a description somewhere here…”

She starts to flick through the spare few papers she has laid out on the table, her tongue barely peeking out of the corner of her mouth, and Hiccup doesn’t know he’s moving until he is.  He doesn’t decide to let go of one side of the paper he’s holding, he doesn’t decide to touch her jaw, his fingers curling gently around her chin as she freezes, eyes wide.

He does choose to kiss her though, the brim of his own top hat against his forehead.

She exhales softly, a shaky hand landing against his arm as she responds, as slowly and enthusiastically as she does to everything.  Her lips move like she hasn’t forgot her determination and Hiccup slides out, his hand to her waist and pulls her close, the crinkle of newspaper filling the silent hallway.

“Wait,” she pushes him away, gentle like she’s scared of offending him even though she’s obviously already offended, “the paper—“

“Sorry.”

“No, it’s old, this is a hundred years old,” she pulls back far enough to set the paper he’s been holding in a single clenched fist into a careful layer.

Then she smooths over it with a gentle palm, biting her lower, slightly swollen lip.  It’s careful document care, her hands worrying the paper with quick, sure motions. His tophat falls down over her forehead and she adjusts it, the brim of it setting heavy on her ear and making it stick out further. He doesn’t think his heart has ever pounded this hard in his life.

She stands up and her wide eyes dart to his lips. He surges forward before he can think twice, one hand on her waist and the other on the back of her head as he pushes her against the bookcase, his lips meeting hers somewhere along the way.  He swallows her grunt that verges on a moan, fingers curling in her sweatshirt as her arms wrap around his neck. She holds him close, like she’s scared he’ll try and get away and he kisses her like he can convey that’s the last thing on his mind.

She’s warm and soft, all long lean lines arching against him as he slides his hand to her hip, her cold fingers tangling in the hair at the nape of his neck. There’s a thud, but he can’t tell if it’s his heart or something else and he ignores it, kissing along her jaw and trying to remember how to breathe. She grabs his chin and pulls his mouth back to hers.

Another thud.

Breathing isn’t important anyway, why was he so hung up on it in the first place?

She hooks her heel behind his knee and he loses balance slightly, catching himself on the metal edge of the bookshelf. The clang can’t compete with Astrid’s hand fisted in the front of his coat though and his hand dips under her sweatshirt to feel the smooth skin of her lower back.

“Come on, guys!” Someone yells and Astrid pulls back with a surprised gasp, tophat deeply crooked, lips swollen and chin red from stubble.

“Shit, sorry Fishlegs,” she pushes him off, gently, tugging her sweatshirt down and wiping her mouth on the back of her hand. Fishlegs is at the end of the aisle with his arms crossed, tapping his foot like a dad two minutes after curfew and Hiccup can’t hold in the laugh that bubbles in his chest.

“Yeah, sorry Fishlegs.”

“You took out half the Britannicas,” he nods at the dozen or so encyclopedias on the floor, explaining the thuds.

“I’ll clean it up, sorry,” Astrid tries to fix her hair but blushes impossibly deeper when she brushes the brim of the hat still on her head.

“It was a pristine collection—”

“I said I’ll fix it.”

“If any corners are blunted—”

“Fishlegs!” She snaps, glancing at Hiccup out of the corner of her eye, “can you give us a second? Please?” The last word is gritted through her teeth, politely threatening.

“This is what I get for helping with Grimborn research,” he grumbles under his breath as he walks away, “it took me years to get that eighteen eighty seven and it ends up on the floor…”

“So, umm—” Hiccup starts but Astrid doesn’t seem to be listening, instead picking up books and dedicatedly checking their corners.

“Help me get these onto the table at least, I’m going to be here an hour cleaning this up.”

“Sure,” he picks up too and looks over at her, that adorable tongue sticking out again as she squints at a publication page and smooths it carefully in a way that makes his heart rate tick up again. “Are they ok?”

“Yeah, they’re fine, Fishlegs is just being, well, Fishlegs.” She sets the book down and pauses, looking at him carefully, cheeks still stained bright red, “so, umm, what are you doing after this?”

“What am I doing after this?” The question doesn’t quite register. It’s not a question she should be asking him after he came to her job and insulted her research and made her wear a stupid, but somehow-incredibly-attractive-on-her hat before attacking her against a bookcase. He swallows hard.

“In case you wanted to talk about…you know,” she waves at the bookcase and bites her lip, as hesitantly open as she was definitively closed on the first tour she took with him.

Fuck. His tour.

“I have a tour,” he checks the time, “I have a tour in…about as much time as it takes to get there if I run, I’ve got to go.”

“Right, your tour, sorry—”

“No, no, no. Don’t apologize,” he runs a frantic hand through his hair, “and I really hate to do this. Like, I don’t think you understand how much I hate to do this, but…I need this back.” He plucks his hat carefully off of her head. “I’ve got to go, I—”

“Go, I’ll talk to you later,” she waves him off, making a vain effort to fix her staticky hair. A lock of her bangs is sticking out to the side and he wants to smooth it down but if he touched her right now, he wouldn’t stop.

And that’s bad because he’d miss his tour. And he’s out of money. Even if Astrid is looking at him, he still has to care about money, right?

“Ok, yeah, later.”

00000

It’s really hard to give a tour when every other word in his head is ‘Astrid’. Viggo Astrid Grimborn Astrid was Astrid a really Astrid bad Astrid guy. It’s harder to give a tour when questions stall him for twenty minutes at the fourth murder site, questions he doesn’t want to answer. Questions about a recent murder that he doesn’t want to think about.

“I heard from the bartender inside that the body was positioned exactly like Mary Johnson,” a man with coke bottle glasses that make him look a little too fascinated with everything asks eagerly, staring at the storm drain and reminding Hiccup what he saw. “Down to the placement of the intestines—”

“I don’t know anything about that,” he lies, “it’s an ongoing murder case, I’m here to do a tour about Viggo Grimborn if anyone wants to listen to that.���

“But surely you must be interested in the resemblance—”

“I’m not. Or even if I was, it’s an ongoing murder case, I’m not going to stand here in an alley I tour nightly and talk about it.” He starts walking and hopes the larger than usual group will follow. They did already pay, but that’s not why he does this, why he wants to do it. The copy of the ‘All Safe’ message in his bag burns to be shown around and his brain flicks back to Astrid, Astrid, Astrid. Astrid. “I’ve got reasons to stay out of custody for looking accidentally guilty.”

“I heard they arrested someone when they found the body,” someone murmurs and glasses speaks up.

“Do you know anything about that?”

“No, I don’t. I know about Victorian slums and Viggo Grimborn and the fact that the local reverend believed that decreasing the cost of bibles would infuse the community with renewed Christianity and righteousness and that would fix the prostitution problem,” he gestures at the church as they walk past, “instead of, you know, feeding people.”

“I just don’t think you understand the statistical improbability of identical intestine placement of two disemboweled corpses found at the exact same spot over a hundred years apart—”

“I also took high school statistics,” Hiccup sighs, pausing to face the group, “and like half a college statistics course, but that’s not—let’s get one thing straight. The women who died a hundred years ago and the woman who died last week aren’t corpses, or they are, but—they were people with feelings and lives and yes, the circumstances of their death is morbidly fascinating, but does that mean we ignore the circumstances of their life?”

It’s silent for a second and someone in the back raises their hand.

“Yeah, go ahead, despite the lecture this isn’t a class.”

“Do you think it’s a copycat killer?” They ask and Hiccup sighs heavily.

“Onto site one.”

[thanksfornothinguselessreptile]

A Shifting World Chapter 10: Back to the Ship

First Chapter

<–Previous

Work Summary: Things have been going great since Hiccup and Toothless have defeated the Red Death. He has his father’s approval, a group of friends his own age, and is leading the integration of dragons and the Vikings of Berk. When neighboring tribes call together a meeting to discuss rumors of Vikings riding dragons, however, Stoick decides to keep their alliance with dragons under wraps. Hiccup must decide whether he should listen to his father or seek to teach the other Vikings of the archipelago the truths about dragons.

AO3

Rating: T

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

Pairings: Minor Hiccup x Astrid

Chapter Summary: The Thunderdrums are safe and everyone returns to the ship, but there are still a few loose ends that need tying up before reaching the Thing.

Chapter Warnings: Death Mention

Despite the hours of rest everyone got, by the time they left an hour past sunrise Hiccup still felt on the verge of slumping over on Barf and Belch’s back and taking a nap, chances of being pranked or not. He’d kind of expected it, since he’d been too worried to sleep after the rescue. Of course he’d been concerned about waking up to find the Thunderdrums gone or seeing the remaining enemy ships back for a second attack. But the thought of just how upset his father would be made those seem like the best-case scenario in comparison.

It’s kind of hard to get some rest when considering all the different ways you can be grounded.

Things had been going so well for the past few months. Stoick had been more patient and open with Hiccup ever since he’d woken up with a new leg and impact on his village, and when they talked it didn’t feel like they were two actors tasked with improvising when neither were good at it. But after this fiasco with him freeing the Thunderdrum behind his back, his father would be furious. Worried, yes. Furious, also yes. And for reasons that Hiccup could understand.

And he hadn’t even gotten the chance to get to the Thing and convince the Vikings dragons weren’t their enemies yet. Regardless of the outcome that would have, Stoick wouldn’t find Hiccup going against his wishes particularly amusing.

A warm and scaly nose bumped Hiccup’s hand, and he turned around, making sure he didn’t fall from Barf and Belch’s back.

Sure enough, Toothless was there. He was perched precariously on the small of the larger dragon’s back, crouched awkwardly in a struggle not to block the path of their wings.

“Are you okay?” Toothless’s head was tilted, his mouth set into a large frown.

Hiccup forced a smile and hoped that it wasn’t a sad one. “Yeah, bud. Don’t worry.”

“Oh, I’d be worried if I were you.” Hiccup straightened out to glare at Tuffnut. He was half-turned around, a big smile on his face. “Stoick’s going to be so upset.”

“I know, right?” Ruffnut was sitting up straight, looking thrilled. “He might even yell louder than when we go yak-tipping!”

Tuffnut puffed up in indignation. “Wait, are you implying that Hiccup might break our record?” He placed a hand on his chest. “Unbelievable.”

Toothless snapped his jaws together, clacking his teeth in a bite to the air. Hiccup had seen dragons do this when they, or other dragons nearby, were squabbling. He guessed it was something of a rebuke to be quiet.

Hiccup reached out to pat Toothless’s shoulder to calm him down. “I wouldn’t be so sure he won’t be yelling at you, too. He seemed pretty angry when Toothless told us you had snuck off after us.”

“Toothless, you traitor!” Tuffnut threw out an accusatory finger at him, clutching at his helmet as if in disbelief.

Toothless’s response was simply to roll his eyes.

“I don’t know, bro.” Ruffnut shook her head, looking overly serious. “I don’t think he’s supposed to be here, either. Hey, maybe he’ll be the one breaking our record.”

As the twins starting arguing over who’d break whose record, a squabble that seemed to warrant multiple punches and kicks and more than one near-fall from the dragon, Hiccup tried to screen them out and focus on how beautiful the sunrise was.

It didn’t really work out well.

Since Barf and Belch were carrying three humans and Toothless on his back, and the blue Thunderdrum was flying with the purple one on his, it took a while to reach the ship. When they did, though, Hiccup had to wince. All the oars were out and churning the water at full speed, and the ship seemed to be headed in the direction the blue Thunderdrum had taken Hiccup.

As they approached, though, the rowers stopped and the anchor lowered. Even from a distance, he could see those onboard running to the side of the ship to see what was happening.

Hiccup didn’t need a spyglass to see the tallest Viking with the reddest beard was among them, and didn’t look happy.

Grounded for sure.

Barf and Belch led the way down to the ship in a calm but gentle descent, while the Thunderdrums followed more warily. Toothless bumped Hiccup’s shoulder to get his attention, then glanced at his back. Following the unspoken direction, he climbed onto the Night Fury’s neck, right where his harness would be if he were wearing it. The moment the Zippleback drew close enough to the Hooligans’ ship, Toothless leaped clear during a downstroke of their wings, clearing several heads and landing on an empty space of deck. Hiccup slid down and off his shoulders, feet meeting wood with an empty “thunk.”

The moment the ship steadied after Toothless’s landing, the twins leapt onboard as well. For all the clumsiness of their brawling, they landed on the handrail as surefootedly as cats. Their back now clear, Barf and Belch splashed down into the ocean next to the ship, the boat not being large enough to support their weight.

Getting the purple Thunderdrum onto the deck was more complicated. Thunderdrums weren’t exactly known for jumping with their small legs, and with his wing injured there was no way for him to glide clear. Ultimately, the blue one had to roll while over the ship and the purple one had to leap onto it at just the right time. The ship shook as if caught in a sudden but invisible storm, and Hiccup had to make a lunge to the railing to keep his feet. He consoled himself with the fact that most other Vikings had to latch onto handholds and each other as well. Stoick was among the few not affected. He stood in the middle of it all, feet planted firmly on the wood and watching the proceedings with a stern gaze.

The blue Thunderdrum made one large circle, then two, his eyes fixed on the Vikings below in a narrow glare. As they showed more interest in righting themselves and staring at the newcomers, he finally dove into the ocean and began to swim around the ship.

“Hiccup!”

The sound of Stoick approaching made Hiccup give a quick prayer to the gods for a quick and painless grounding. That done, he turned to face Stoick and gave him the smile that used to give his younger self a chance to get somewhat out of trouble. “Hey, Dad.”

Stoick’s expression didn’t change the slightest bit. “What were you thinking?” Stoick waved a hand in the general direction of the blue Thunderdrum. “Flying off on a wild dragon like that! You could’ve been killed!”

Hiccup winced. Definitely not lightening this punishment. “Yeah, sorry about that. But at least I wasn’t, right?”

Stoick pinched the bridge of his nose. The gesture covered most of his face not already hidden by beard. “By Odin’s ghost, son, you need to stop being so… so reckless, and acting like risking your life is fine.”

Hiccup swallowed, hoping the motion would help with the sudden feeling that some invisible force was constricting his throat. “I’m sorry, Dad.” And he was, he really was. He knew he wouldn’t change a thing even if he could, but even so, he didn’t mean to worry or disappoint Stoick in the process.

Stoick glanced around at the twins, Barf and Belch, the Thunderdrums. His expression didn’t relax, but Hiccup felt grateful that at least he didn’t look angrier.

“Hey, Chief!” Tuffnut waved at him cheerily, as if he was an old friend who’d bumped into him on the street rather than having been caught following the ship against unspoken orders. “Fancy meeting you here.”

Ruffnut glanced around at the ship. “Love what you did what this place. The scratches in the hull really sell the whole Viking look.”

“So how much trouble are we in?” If this was anyone else, they’d be sounding nervous and on the edge of running away. But this was Tuffnut. He sounded almost eager to be yelled at.

“Oh, a lot.” Stoick’s voice had lowered in volume, but no less angry.

Ruffnut leaned over to bump helmets with her brother in triumph, causing Stoick to sigh so much that if the sail had been raised they probably could’ve sailed all the way to the Thing on it.

“What even made you all think that this–” Stoick gestured at the Thunderdrums, the Zippleback, the Night Fury, and the twins “–was a good idea?”

Hiccup had thought he’d been nervous talking to the Thunderdrums. It turned it that they had nothing on Stoick. But he stepped forward. “I figured out that the Thunderdrum was in trouble.” He explained his and Toothless’s reasoning, and how it led to their decision to leave the ship. He made sure not to mention Astrid at all, in case Stoick was upset at her too. Not that he wanted any of the other lookouts punished for not noticing their departure, but she shouldn’t pay for his decision.

He also kept the part about the Thunderdrum’s betrayal rather vague as well, but from the thunderous look on Stoick’s face as he glanced in the blue Thunderdrum’s direction, he wasn’t quite sure how successful he was about that. But when Hiccup reached the part about the ships, Stoick spoke up, his expression troubled rather than stern.

“What tribe?” His gaze was unsettling, like he was looking through Hiccup rather than at him.

Hiccup shrugged and tried to swallow down any nervousness. “I don’t know. They looked like Viking ships, but they had no images on their sails, and they didn’t look like any I’ve ever seen.”

“No clue here either.” Tuffnut shrugged, the motion loose and fluid. Hiccup couldn’t tell how he or Ruffnut could be so relaxed under the circumstances.

Ruffnut shook her head. “They were pointy,” she offered.

Hiccup nodded. “They had spikes everywhere.” Stoick’s gaze snapped back at him, his attention back to him rather than some mental image. “And dragon skulls on their stemposts.”

“Outcasts.” Stoick’s voice was almost a growl. He turned his glare to the horizon, as if searching for them.

“Oh, Thor.” Fishlegs’s voice cut through the tense silence. Hiccup silently agreed with the sentiment. The Outcasts were the archipelago’s most hated residents, more even than dragons, and for good reason. Formed from Vikings who’d committed crimes too heinous to punish merely with imprisonment but not extreme enough for execution, they carried god-sized grudges against their former kin for casting them out.

Spitelout scoffed. “Outcasts don’t usually come out here just to hunt dragons.” He raised an eyebrow at Stoick, his arms crossed against his chest. “You sure they aren’t lying?”

Stoick turned to face Spitelout, his shoulders raised in anger. “You calling my son a liar?”

Spitelout stepped back, though the belligerent expression on his face didn’t change. “I’m not saying Hiccup is, but the Thorston twins?” He nodded at them.

“Normally you’d be right, but not this time.” Tuffnut raised his hand as if swearing an oath.

“And anyways, if you accuse us of lying when Hiccup is saying the same thing, aren’t you still saying he’s lying?” Ruffnut squinted at Spitelout.

Spitelout snorted, but didn’t respond.

“If those Outcasts are still in the area, then we’re in deep trouble.” Stoick rubbed at his head, looking like he’d rather be anywhere but there. “If they’re out hunting dragons, they’ll be heavily armed. More armed than we are. And with this becalming, we’re sitting ducks.” He glanced at Toothless, who was watching him with a head tilted with sympathy. “It seems that we’ll have to ask your dragons to stick around in case they decide to test their luck.”

“So does that mean we’re not getting sent back?” Ruffnut asked, her eyes narrowed.

Stoick sighed. “No. It’s too dangerous to risk sending you both back with your dragon alone, especially if Outcast dragon hunters are in the area.” Before she or Tuffnut could react, he pointed at the two of them, glaring so sharply Hiccup was surprised they didn’t flee at the sight. “But you aren’t to prank anyone or cause any trouble when we are at the Thing, or you’re going to be swabbing every ship in our harbor for the next five years. Every day. At dawn. On top of whatever your parents decide. Understand?”

Tuffnut gave him a salute, though any respect behind the gesture was undermined by how loose and sloppy it was. “Oh, yes, sir. We understand.”

Stoick stared at them for a moment longer before he decided the matter was out of his hands and sighed. He turned back to face Hiccup, face worn. “Hiccup, you and your friends are very lucky to be alive. You may have had the advantage of surprise on your side this once, but you cannot count on it next time. When we get back to Berk, you’re grounded. You understand?” There was no anger behind the words, just tiredness. Somehow that made it feel worse.

Hiccup nodded. “I understand.”

Stoick nodded and moved away. As he moved to the front of the ship, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, and Tuffnut headed for Hiccup. Fishlegs fidgeted with his fingers giving Hiccup a look that was both concerned and sympathetic. Even Snotlout looked less confrontational than usual.

“Are you all right?” Astrid asked. She was staring at Hiccup as if expecting him to collapse at her feet.

Hiccup put on his most confident grin. He was pretty sure it looked more tired than he wanted it to. “Don’t worry, Astrid. I’m okay. I told you nothing would happen, right?”

She bit her lip. “Fighting Outcasts isn’t exactly nothing. I’m really glad that you’re okay.”

Ruffnut jabbed a finger at herself. “Hey, what about the people who actually did the heavy lifting?” she asked, though there wasn’t much heat in her words.

Astrid shook her head with her eyes raised to the skies, though Hiccup was sure he could see the corners of her mouth slightly raised in a barely unnoticeable smile. “I’m glad Barf and Belch are okay, too.”  

A gurgling sound caught Hiccup’s attention. He glanced over at the side of the ship to see Barf and Belch watching them, their heads bobbing and faces set into draconic grins. Whatever they were saying, Hiccup couldn’t understand, but he could hear the mirth behind the burbles.

Ruffnut shrugged, any false annoyance immediately gone for amusement. “That’s fair.”

“I don’t mean to spoil the fun,” Snotlout said, speaking loud enough to interrupt even the twins, “but those Outcasts are still out there. You saving those dragons aren’t going to matter much if they find us floating out here, all alone.”

“I know.” Hiccup wished there’d been some way to drive them off and ensure that they’d never bother any human or dragon ever again. But while they’d been in the perfect position to kill the Outcasts and never have those ones, at least, hurting anyone else, it just didn’t feel right. Especially not while they were running.

“At the very least we’ll be safer at the Thing.” Astrid placed a hand on Hiccup’s shoulder. “My mom says that even tribes under a blood-feud will come to save each other from the Outcasts.”

“But we aren’t at the Thing, Astrid.” Fishlegs’s eyes darted from place to place, as if expecting an Outcast ship to rise directly from the waves. “And we’re becalmed.”

“You certainly aren’t becalmed.” Tuffnut leaned right into Fishlegs’s personal space, squinting as if trying to determine whether or not Fishlegs was really panicking. “You’re more…be-panicked.”

“Fishface is right.” Snotlout didn’t look at all happy with agreeing as he pointed toward Fishlegs. “You can’t predict a becalming, or when it ends. Do you have any bright ideas up your sleeve to get us moving?”

Ruffnut raised her hand. “One of us could get out and push the ship to the Thing.” Hiccup could swear that he saw her grin grow just the slightest bit as Snotlout opened his mouth to make some retort.

But the sound of water rippling distracted Hiccup. He glanced over to see the blue Thunderdrum still circling the ship, surfacing every so often to cast a wary glance at the Vikings within. He was probably trying to keep an eye on them to make sure his friend wasn’t hurt.

His friend that he’d flown there on his back. A feat he’d managed because he was strong even for his species.

“Ruffnut, you’re right.” Hiccup didn’t realize he’d said that aloud until all his friends, even Ruffnut and Tuffnut, were staring at him with jaws at various states of dropped.

“Are you okay?” Astrid was the least surprised, but even she had an eyebrow raised.

Hiccup nodded. “Be right back.” And he headed for Stoick.

His father was still glaring at the horizon where Thing Island must’ve been. But when Hiccup approached, he turned to face him. His face was still creased with stress, but Hiccup was thankful to see the frustration vanish at least somewhat as he saw him.

“Son, what’s going on?” Hiccup could hear that behind the surprise, Stoick sounded tired. He must have been up for hours before sunrise, worrying about him.

“Do we have any rope?”

Stoick blinked, the sudden question confusing him. “Rope? We’re on a ship. We have probably have more than enough for whatever you need it for.” He narrowed his eyes, frowning. “Why?”

“Ruffnut just gave me an idea.” Hiccup didn’t want to steal credit for her idea, but from the suspicious look on Stoick’s face made him wonder if he should’ve kept quiet about who originated this plan.

“If this is for a prank…” Stoick placed a hand on his face.

Hiccup shook his head. “No, but I’ve got an idea for how to get to the Thing without the wind. At least for now.” He described the kind of rope they needed, a long and straight one, something strong that couldn’t easily be ripped through.

Stoick’s face flickered as his caution warred with hope. And then his eyes widened as he cast a quick glance at the blue Thunderdrum. “You think he’d be on board with the idea?”

Hiccup shrugged. “I don’t know, but it can’t hurt to try.”

He signaled Toothless over from where he’d been talking with the purple Thunderdrum before leaning over the side of the ship and waving to get the blue one’s attention. “Hey, bud, can you ask him if he’ll do us a favor and help tow the ship?”

Toothless leaned over and shared a few words with the Thunderdrum. From how back and forth it was, and how the Thunderdrum’s pupils narrowed, he had his reservations. But whatever they’d been, Toothless managed to put him at ease.

Meanwhile, Stoick managed to get ahold of some rope and tied them to the stempost as securely as Gordian’s knot. When he threw the resulting loop into the waves, the blue Thunderdrum hesitated. Then, with a snort, he dove after it. A moment passed, and then he surfaced, rope in hand. The ship rocked back and forth for a moment after the rope went taut, before moving in the direction that Stoick gestured.

Cheers filled the air, even as the rowers went back at their job with twice the effort.

All the energy seemed to drain from Hiccup’s body, and he found himself resisting a yawn. It’d been a long night, after all.

But before he could properly considering finding someplace quiet to lie down and take a nap, a hand descended on his shoulder to get his attention. He glanced over to see Stoick looking at him, his expression serious.

“I’m glad you came back all right, son.” Stoick’s voice was deep with what could only been relief. “When I woke up and found that you, Toothless, and the Thunderdrum were gone…” He glanced out at the horizon.

“I’m sorry, Dad.” He hadn’t expected it to get so dangerous, but he couldn’t walk away when the Thunderdrum needed help. And he knew that Stoick wouldn’t have either. As much as his father was intent on only concentrating on protecting their own, he wouldn’t sit and do nothing about people who needed help who were right in front of them, either.

Stoick nodded. “I know, I know.” He tugged at a lock of his beard. “And I am proud that you stood up for what you believed in. Though I would have preferred if you hadn’t jumped into such a dangerous situation with both feet.” He glanced over at Hiccup, a wry look on his face. “And before you say it, yes, I’m aware one of them’s a prosthetic.”

Hiccup couldn’t help but laugh a little, barely audible even to himself. “Am I that predictable?”

Stoick shook his head and laughed himself. “Well, you can't have that, can you?”

Hiccup grinned. ���Someone’s got to keep you on your toes. Can’t let you get too bored with your chiefing.”

For a moment, they both laughed. Hiccup couldn’t help but relax. He’d made a big deal out of nothing, worrying about how upset Stoick would be.

But after a few moments of silence, Stoick cleared his throat. “But still, take better care of yourself, Hiccup.” He glanced at Hiccup, and Hiccup could’ve sworn his face looked more worn and wrinkled than he’d seen it. “The gods were kind with you this time. You cannot always count on having their favor.”

Hiccup shrugged. “I know. But I had to do something.” He couldn’t just ignore a dragon that needed help, even if he refused to admit he needed it.

Stoick nodded and exhaled, as he glanced out toward the dragon. “And you really came through for him and his friend today. But as much as I’m glad you resolved the situation as well as you did, it could’ve gone so much worse.”

Hiccup shrugged. “It’s an occupational hazard.”

Stoick’s shoulders tensed, just a little, and Hiccup could’ve sworn he saw something like regret pass through his eyes. “You may be willing to lay down your life for peace, son, but your life is too dear a price to pay for the first stranger you find who needs help. Too dear for me, yourself, Gobber, your friends.” He ran a hand down his face, and Hiccup could’ve sworn the gesture made him seem older, his face more creased, his hair and beard duller. “Understand?”

Hiccup nodded. “I’ll try.”

“You will.” It had all the air of a command. Hiccup couldn’t see even a god disobeying an order in that voice.

“Okay.” He nodded and looked out to the blue Thunderdrum, still pulling away at the rope.

It occurred to him that he’d never learned his name, or his friend’s.

He turned to Toothless, who’d been standing to the side with a tilted head and wide, almost sad eyes fixed on both him and Stoick. “Hey, bud, did you happen to catch those guys’ names?”

Toothless nodded. The grave contemplation turned to an expression that was more thoughtful.

First, he gestured at the purple Thunderdrum. He was currently settled toward the back of the ship, gazing at the Vikings going about their business with a wary curiosity. And he wasn’t the only one doing any observation; Fishlegs stood not too far away, staring at the dragon as if this was the only time he’d ever get to see a Thunderdrum up close.

Toothless made a sound that Hiccup hadn’t learned the meaning of, which brought his attention back to the Night Fury. The moment Hiccup was looking back at him, Toothless spun in a circle and repeated the word.

“Spin?” he guessed.

If that wasn’t the word, it was close enough, because Toothless immediately said something else. It wasn’t a word that they’d covered yet, but when Toothless extended his left wing, Hiccup didn’t need to guess.

“Spin Wing?” No, that sounded a bit clunky. What Norse word was the same as spin? “Whirlwing?” Much better, with the added bonus of wordplay.

Toothless nodded. It must’ve been a good enough translation.

“Okay, so his name is Whirlwing.” Stoick nodded, and from how creased around his eyes he got Hiccup assumed that he was committing it to memory. “And what is his name?” He turned to face the blue Thunderdrum.

Apparently, his name was harder to translate to Norse. Toothless hummed and half-closed his eyes, an ear twitching as if it’d suddenly gotten an itch. But finally, he perked up as if struck by lightning.

Whatever Hiccup was expecting, it wasn’t Toothless bounding across the deck and peering over the rails at the shields hanging on the sides, as much for decoration as for transport. He glanced at a couple before batting at one at about the ship’s midpoint.

Hiccup reached the shield and pulled it over the rails. It was a solidly built shield, a bit worn from the elements, but fine nonetheless. Painted on it in fading colors was a representation of Thor. Or rather, just his face, frozen in a dramatic yell that made it look like he was about to sink his teeth into the metallic center of the shield. Sparks of lightning flew from his mouth at whatever had gotten him so angry. The fact that metal didn’t make a good meal, perhaps.

“Thor?” Stoick asked, his nose crinkling up.

Apparently, Toothless wasn’t quite happy with the translation, but he nodded anyway, so it must’ve been the closest equivalent. At least, one which wouldn’t require hours upon hours of Dragonese lessons to get to a point where he could explain.

Toothless then brushed his paw on the bolts of lightning coming from Thor’s mouth.

“Thor Lightning?” A bit excessive, if you asked Hiccup.

Toothless wrinkled up his nose and shook his head. “No.” He then blew out a mouthful of air and beat his wings, creating a cold gust of rotting-fish-scented wind.

“Thor Thunderstorm?” Stoick sounded like he was raising an eyebrow at that one.

Toothless hummed. It wasn’t a yes, but it wasn’t a no, either. And not close enough to get a “That’ll do.”

As Hiccup wondered what could possibly be the dragon’s name, Toothless spun in a circle again.

“Thor Cyclone?” Hiccup was relieved to see Toothless shift more toward the “That’ll do” end of the spectrum.

“Thornado.”

At Stoick’s voice, Toothless nodded. It looked like wordplay was going to be the naming scheme for these dragons, at least with their Norse translations.

“Huh.” He nodded at the dragon. “Fits him, at least.” He said this begrudgingly, and Hiccup could tell that it would take him some time to forgive him for attacking the ship, and for probably sinking the other one.

Hiccup supposed that he couldn’t complain, as long as Stoick was okay with the dragons hitching a ride until they could be taken back to Berk for medical attention.

He just hoped he’d be as understanding when he revealed the truth about dragons to the other tribes.

Next–>