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howtowhumpyourhiccup · 3 years

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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.

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wicked-ghoul · 3 years

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Hey what are the issues with the HTTYD trilogy? I keep seeing people say there are issues but I can't find them!

Oh boy lol I’ll try to make this brief:

First of all, none of these issues take away from the good things in the trilogy! They are well animated films. The music is great. The charactors are interesting and the relationships (especially between Hiccup and Toothless) are poignant. The first film is close to flawless in the execution of it’s story. The sequels, while not AS good as the first film, still have interesting ideas to offer and all three films are very emotionally charged. All in all, there’s a reason people love these movies, myself included!

That said:

It’s pretty heteronormative and White. The only major POC in the franchise is the second movie’s villain who is not daned much complexity and most people joke about how his main characteristic is screaming. There’s plenty of meta on the problems with his charactor design and how they play into racist stereotyping but I’m white so that’s not my lane, but if I can find the post that goes into more detal on that I’ll link it here.

The third movie doesn’t create strong enough stakes to warrant it’s ending and there’s a general issue with the third movie (and second but it’s more prominent in the third) kind of scrubbing away any kind of grit and texture to people’s faces. Valka gets the worst treatment as they completely resculpted her face model to make her look softer and younger, despite the third movie taking place a year After the second film and Valka being roughly 40 when she’s introduced in movie two.

Also the movie only has three major female charactors, Astrid, Ruffnut, and Valka, who are all skinny and white and don’t talk to each other, so the movies don’t pass the Bechtel Test (which is NOT a standard for how progressive a movie is BTW it’s just a test to show how ridiculous it is that female charactors hardly talk to each other in film and if they do it’s almost always about a man. In movie three Valka and Astrid talk, but it’s about Hiccup, a dude). The second movie also has all three of these charactors fall off thier dragons so they can be saved by thier male love interests. Valka falls off her dragon and gets saved by Stoick TWICE, despite her being able to ride bareback on a dragon While Standing and has had the most experience riding a dragon but she has to fall off two times just...’cause.

The third movie also over emphasizes the romance angle of Toothless and the Light Fury’s relationship so it comes across less like “Toothless is leaving for the betterment of dragons And humans” but more like “Sorry Hiccup. Hoes before Bros”.

A lot of this stuff boils down to general social issues that are prevalent in pretty much All media and is less a condemnation of the trilogy itself and more an acknowledgment of larger issues in media overall and how having those present in these movies does nothing to challenge those things. The biggest gripe with the third film is that it’s execution doesn’t feel like it matches the story’s intent, which is also an issue I see a lot in media.

That said, there’s plenty of good to be found in these movies, and I think generally when people point out these issues, it’s less to condemn the movies for being Bad and more acknowledging ways that the movies could’ve been Better, which I think is ultimately what critique Should be lol Hope this helped!

#guess that wasn't brief lol #but it's shorter than it could've been so that's something XD #1 #2 #3 #4 #5 #how to train your dragon #wickedghoul answers stuff

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seagreen-meets-grey · 4 years

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Hooked On A Feeling Ch. 1

When Hiccup and Astrid realize they've never hung out alone before, they decide to change that. And how do you better spend time with your Good Friend than by playing Mario Kart all night?

[Chapter 1: Come A Little Bit Closer] [Chapter 2: Fooled Around And Fell In Love] [Chapter 3: Go All The Way]

Crossposted on ao3 and ff.net

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Hiccup was at his fourth beer when he noticed.

He was leaning against the railing of Justin’s balcony, the cold night air cooling his skin, warm from the heat of the living room and the alcohol. It was game night, a tradition he and his friends had started over two years ago when none of them had really known anyone yet, trying to find their place on Berk’s huge university campus. Some of them had been in the same campus tour group on day one, the rest had met in class. If Hiccup recalled correctly, it had been Justin, also known as Fishlegs among his friends, who had suggested a night of board games and bonding, which had turned into a bi-weekly event of drinking and trash-talking each other over SingStar, Monopoly, Cards Against Humanity and the like.

Currently, they were taking a quick break from playing. Tuffnut and Snotlout needed a smoke break, Fishlegs one of his many potty breaks, and the rest of them just went along.

Hiccup was fairly sure that Tuff’s twin sister was filling up everyone’s water glasses with vodka, which would at least result in a hilarious moment of spitting out drinks all over Hiccup’s Monopoly board. He had long ago decided to never take his Game of Thrones board to game night if he didn’t want it back sticky and covered in oily crumbs.

He had opened a new beer bottle and followed Tuff, Snot and Astrid outside, engrossed in a conversation about the latest rumor about two of their professors dating.

By the time the two cigarettes were merely tiny smoldering dots in the ashtray on the windowsill, snowflakes started to descend silently from the dark sky. Snotlout looked up and stuck out his tongue to catch one, but it fell into his eye which made him whine and dramatically stagger off to the bathroom to wash it out, with an excited Tuff in tow who began to tell him a story of one of his many cousins who supposedly went blind from a snowflake in his eye.

“Muttonheads,” Astrid mumbled when the boys were gone.

Hiccup grinned and shook his head. “If we’re lucky, Tuff manages to make Snot so paranoid that we can sell him anything that will apparently prevent him from going blind.”

Astrid leaned against the railing next to him, a mischievous twinkle in her eyes. “I’m intrigued, Haddock. Keep talking.”

Animated by her reaction, he fell into his habit of gesticulating while talking, beer bottle still in hand. “Like, we could tell him about this old myth that says making bad choices in board games will increase your body’s healing capabilities.”

“Yes!” Astrid pointed a finger at him. “We’ll let Tuff scare him further with his ridiculous tales about cousins he doesn’t have, and he’ll eat right out of our hands.”

She was beaming at the chance to mess with their friend, and for a while, they kept brainstorming ideas to make Snotlout lose at Monopoly on purpose.

He was taking another sip of his beer when it hit him.

“Hey,” he interrupted her newest plan and she raised her eyebrows in question. “You know what I just realized?”

“That most of our friends share one brain cell?”

He chuckled. “No, I already knew about that. I meant… We’ve never, you know, done this before.” He gesticulated between him and Astrid.

“Messed with our friends?”

“No. No, I mean, I mean we do that a lot, but… But, you know, we never-- we never hung out like this before, just- just the two of us.”

He could see the same realization dawn on her. “Oh my god, you’re right.”

“Haven’t we?”

“We haven’t!” She shook her head disbelievingly. “How long have we been friends now? Almost three years, right?”

Hiccup nodded. “True. And we never really hung out outside this group.”

Astrid shivered and gestured with her head to go back inside. “We have to change that.”

They sat back down next to each other on the large sofa. Astrid reached for her water glass but was smart enough to sniff at it before taking a sip. From the corner of his eye, Hiccup spotted Ruffnut peering over in anticipation. He heard her curse when Astrid took the nearest bottle of coke and filled her glass to the brim. She took a scrutinizing sip, scrunching up her face for a second, shrugged and settled with it.

“So what do we do?” she asked, taking another sip.

Hiccup hummed in thought, crossed his arms and leaned back, tapping the neck of his almost empty bottle against his arm. “And when do we do it?”

“Do what?” Fishlegs asked, sitting down in front of his side of the Monopoly board.

“Hang out,” Hiccup and Astrid said in unison. Astrid held up her hand and without looking Hiccup gave her a high-five.

“Uhm,” Tuffnut said and made an open gesture. “Aren’t you hanging out right now?” He squinted his eyes. “Or is hanging out what the kids are calling it these days?”

Astrid threw a game piece at him and Hiccup felt a blush rise to his cheeks. “Hanging out as friends, you muttonhead!” she yelled.

“Right,” Tuff said, although Hiccup could tell he didn’t quite get it yet – or believed it.

“Hey, Hiccup,” Fishlegs chimed in, “didn’t you order Mario Kart for your Switch last week?”

“I did!” Hiccup sat up straight and turned towards Astrid. “All 48 races. Next Friday. We stay up all night. Loser buys the other a Christmas gift.” He offered her his hand.

She considered it for a second. “No falling asleep and the gift has a cost limit.”

They shook hands.

“Deal.”

_______________

Hiccup was at her place at nine, his Switch and Mario Kart game in his bag, as well as the ingredients to their self-made pizza. In return, her fridge was filled with energy drinks.

They said cheers with the first can and started on the pizza.

Astrid’s apartment had underfloor-heating that made the kitchen warm and cozy. Outside in the dark night, more snow was falling, covering the world in a white blanket. Music was coming from Astrid’s portable loudspeaker box.

“Someone’s been watching Guardians of the Galaxy,” Hiccup noted while he rolled out the premade dough on the griddle to the Marvel movie’s official mixtape.

“Nah, just dug it out when I went through my playlists.” She started humming and dancing on the spot where she was cutting onions on the kitchen counter.

She could feel the caffeine from the energy drink settle in her system. Using her knife as a microphone, she twirled around to face Hiccup at the kitchen table. “I’m hooked on a feeling!” she sang, taking joy in the way Hiccup started laughing at how off-key she sounded. “I’m high on believing!” She slid across the tiles in her beloved blue fleece socks, holding the knife-mic out to Hiccup.

“That you’re in love with me!” he sang into the fake-mic, equally off-key. She danced back to her cutting board and took another large gulp of energy drink. Not that she thought that hanging out with Hiccup wouldn’t be fun, but she just hadn’t anticipated it to be this nice.

While the pizza was in the oven, she opened her second drink and pulled Hiccup to his feet. Later, she claimed it was the caffeine coursing through both their bodies that made them decide they should have a dance-off right there in her small kitchen. Sliding on soft socks, slipping and catching themselves on the furniture or each other, they alternated between battling each other in ridiculous dance moves and twirling each other around, bumping into the table and counter several times.

When the oven timer went off, Hiccup loaded three big pieces each on two plates while Astrid disappeared into her little study room and came back with a DVD case in her hand.

“I’m up for some Home Alone, how about you?” She really hoped he wasn’t one of those people who hated the movie. Christmas time was Home Alone time for her.

“Am I ever!” Hiccup exclaimed and Astrid whooped and skipped off to her bedroom. He took a deep breath before he followed her, smile ever-present on his face.

They settled on her queen-sized bed, the desk with the large TV she got from her uncle Finn for her birthday in front of it, pizza and energy drinks on a tray between them.

Hiccup was impressed with the accuracy and passion with which she recited basically half the movie. But her amused expressions told him he didn’t fare any different with his impressions of Kevin and the bandits alike.

"I always think," she said when Kevin prepared his master trap, "that I'm glad Kevin seems to know what he's doing. Would have been a fucking chaos if he didn't."

Hiccup nodded vigorously. "Wanna know a fun fact about me?"

She peeled her eyes away from the screen and looked at him, genuine interest in her eyes.

"When I was a kid- actually, it started when I was a kid, and when I was fifteen, I was, like– Anyway, um… Basically, Kevin McCallister was my childhood hero."

"Oh, no." The dread in her voice didn't match the anticipating grin on her face.

"Yep," he said, popping the p. "Made my parents' life hell, especially because my inventions and traps never worked the way I wanted them to."

"Oh my god," she laughed.

"My father still doesn't let me live down the day I decided to rebuild the zipline Kevin uses to get from the house to his tree house."

"But it shouldn't even work in the movie, like, all of these traps are bullshit, realistically speaking." She wiped tears from laughter out of her eye.

Hiccup gave her a deadpan expression. "Well, fifteen-year-old me was confident he had made the right tweaks."

"What happened?"

"Umm…" He averted his face and she leaned over the tray to shake his shoulder.

"Now you have to tell me!"

Hiccup sighed and turned back to her, trying to keep up his serious expression. "I had fastened the end of the line, the one that started at the house, on the windowpane. At that point we were living in this old house with wooden panes. You can probably guess where this is going."

"Nope, totally lost. Don't leave out even one detail." Hiccup shot her an unbelieving expression, but she kept looking at him with that twinkle in her eyes, so he gave in with a defeated sigh.

"Fine, the wood was too old, it snapped when I jumped, I fell and broke my left leg in two places. Had to wear a cast for weeks. From then on, I was done with those experiments."

“But you’re studying engineering.”

He shrugged. “Exactly. Never said I was done with all kinds of experiments forever.”

A sly grin formed on Astrid’s face right when on TV the hot iron trap went off. “Let’s use the energy that kept young Hiccup going on Snotlout and the twins.”

He slowly shook his head. “You. Are. Evil.”

“Nope, not evil.” She opened two new cans of energy drinks and handed him one. “Just working with what I got to make the world a better place in these difficult times of Snotfaces and Nuts.”

He snorted and threw her an amused look. He was definitely in the right company.

_______________

“Alright.” Astrid stretched in the middle of her room and cracked her knuckles. “Let’s do this. I’m ready to destroy you.”

Hiccup just hummed disbelievingly from where he was setting up his gaming system. “Better open the windows for a few minutes first, the air in here is really bad.” When Astrid did just that, he added, “because it smells of loser!”

“That’s because of you,” she countered without batting an eye.

“I know, my fault, I should have thrown you out earlier.” A pair of socks flew over his head while he was plugging in the HDMI cable. "Miss me, miss me, now you gotta kiss me."

"Keep that up and I'll have to kiss you for real."

Hiccup looked up at her and saw her eyes dart back up from somewhere below his midriff. He looked at the backside of his pants. Did he have a stain there? He couldn’t find anything. Dismissing it with a shrug, he joined Astrid on the bed again. She handed him his energy can, opening another one for herself. This couldn’t be good for their health.

While the game was loading, Astrid repeated the rules. “We play all 48 races. We can’t fall asleep. If one of us does, the other is strictly obligated to wake them up. Loser buys the other a Christmas present but it has a clear cost limit.”

“Wouldn’t we get each other little gifts anyway?”

“Additional present, then.” She took a large gulp of her drink.

“I don’t think you should drink so much of that stuff; your body’s energy will drop tremendously as soon as the effect wears off, and you’ll fall asleep. Also, you’ll get diarrhea.”

She threw him an unimpressed look while he took a sip as well. “Look who’s talking. Besides, I know my own body. I’ve done this before.”

“Sure,” Hiccup shrugged and dipped his head back to drain the can. “Let’s deal with it when the time comes.” He wasn’t able to keep still anymore, wiggling his toes to countermeasure the pace of his heart. Definitely not good for their health. They really shouldn’t do this. There was a pop and a sizzling sound and he was handed a new drink. Oh, well.

When the Mario Kart home screen came up, Hiccup took his controller and chose the right settings. Astrid grabbed the other one and tested out the buttons. It had been a while since she’d last played it, but Hiccup was dead certain she hadn’t forgotten how to properly kick his butt. Or, as he would make sure in tonight’s case, die trying. He’d love an additional Christmas present from her, and he’d love even more to destroy her. Smirk on his face, he moved the stick to choose his character as she did the same.

“You can’t be serious!” Astrid yelled accusatory. “Link isn’t even a Mario character!”

“So?” he shrugged. “He’s a choosable character and you know I love Legend of Zelda.”

She wasn’t having any of it. “You can’t play a non-Mario character in a Mario game, Hiccup.”

“He’s still a Nintendo character, and what’s the big deal?”

“We said we would play this right, so no characters from other games. Choose another one!”

“If I have to pick a character other than the one I always pick, you have to do the same,” he argued. “No Bowser for you, milady!”

“At least he’s from Mario.”

“Do it properly, Astrid!” He grinned. “If I have to repick, then so do you.”

She groaned and rolled her eyes. “Fine! But I don’t trust you with this. I’ll choose for you.”

He stuck out his hand. “Only if I get to choose for you.” They shook on the deal and switched controllers.

“Let’s see…” Astrid mumbled while going through the different available characters. “Got it!” She pushed a button to confirm her selection.

“What?!” He threw his hands up in indignation. “Why am I Waluigi?!”

“Because he looks like you.”

“Pah!” He quickly selected her character. “I guess you’re Baby Peach, then.”

She huffed. “Really, Hiccup?! Because she’s blonde?”

“No,” he said, smirk back on his face, “because she's a helpless baby and she, too, needs saving all the time because she keeps getting kidnapped by the same dude over and over again and she’s a bi– uff!“ She shut him up by surprise-tackling him to the mattress.

“Oh, really? Who needs saving now, huh?”

He struggled underneath her, but she had him pinned down with her full weight. His chest was warm underneath her arms and his face very close to hers. She furrowed her brows. Had he always had that many freckles? And did he know that there were so many shades of green in his eyes? She noticed the stubble on his chin, and he actually smelled really nice.

When her face suddenly started to feel hot, she did the first thing that came to her mind; she pushed him off the bed.

“Ow, why would you do that?!” Hiccup pulled himself up on the edge of the bed, and Astrid hoped he hadn’t seen the blush that was only slowly leaving her cheeks. But he had seen it.

For a moment, he frowned in confusion. Why was she acting so flustered?

“That’s for making me Baby Peach and comparing me to her,” she said evenly, trying to sound nonchalant, but she would still not meet his eyes. Huh. Maybe he could work with that, he thought, caffeine pulsing in his blood – whatever weird thing was going on.

They settled back into position next to each other, an arm’s length of space between them, and started the game. While they were racing over Cheep Cheep Beach, throwing shells and bananas at each other, Astrid didn’t say a word. Hiccup made a few comments every now and then and tried to trash-talk her, but she didn’t seem to hear him. Her face was focused but her eyes were far away. He hoped she wasn’t mad at him because of the Baby Peach thing.

His character broke through the finish line first.

“Wait, what?!” she shouted, perplexed, after she came in sixth.

Hiccup grinned mischievously at her. “Maybe you should pay more attention to the game if you want to win.”

“I was paying attention,” she insisted, “it’s because of stupid Baby Peach, she’s useless! Let’s start anew with our characters.”

Hiccup feigned shock, holding his hand to his heart. “What, you – Astrid Hofferson – want to back out after only one race?!”

She glared at him and raised her chin with determination. “I’ll show you a race, Waluigi!”

“That’s what I thought.”

Racing through the Water Park course, Astrid did her best to keep her concentration on the game, but her attention was continuously diverted. Why was it so nice to be so close to Hiccup and why was she suddenly so aware of him? She could feel his body heat next to her where they were sitting on her bed in their pajamas at 1 a.m. She’s had five energy drinks and she kind of wanted to make out with him.

It didn’t help at all that, during the next five races, his leg moved closer to hers inch by inch until their knees were touching, and from time to time, he shifted on his butt and leaned very close to her in the process. He let out this quiet chuckle that pierced straight through her heart and then he was suddenly sitting normally again and she realized she’d been driving against walls for a minute.

He won the fifth race with several positions ahead of her and she wanted to whack her controller on his stupid face.

“Whohoo!” Hiccup shouted, celebrating by jumping up from the bed and doing a little dance in front of the TV.

“You cheated,” she grumbled when he let himself fall back next to her.

“Astrid, you can’t cheat on Mario Kart.”

“You also don’t play a non-Mario character on Mario Kart and yet here we are,” she countered.

“But I’m not even playing Link.”

“Yes, because I saved you from that.”

“I never needed saving. See, that’s the difference between me and Peach–“

She punched him on the arm, shutting him up. “Feeling overconfident, are we?”

“Score.” He pointed at the ranking list on the screen.

“Pff,” she made, “we’re just getting started, Haddock.”

With matching competitive grins, they got ready for the next race.

“Ha!” Astrid exclaimed when she sent a blue shell for Hiccup on the N64 Rainbow Road and lead the brigade of opponents rushing past him, claiming her first victory of the night.

She finally went on a winning streak, the adrenaline that came with it keeping her from getting drowsy, unlike the not-cheating cheater next to her. Nine races later, she stretched her arms with a loud yawn and used the pause to check the messages on her phone while Hiccup leaned back against the wall and closed his eyes.

It wasn’t long until his head rolled to the side and came to rest on her shoulder, his even breaths tickling her neck. She bit her lip. They’d agreed to stay awake, but she couldn’t find it in herself to wake him while he looked so peaceful and relaxed.

The loop of their characters cheering on the screen behind the updated ranking list went on, the music becoming background noise while she went through every social media feed on her phone, ignoring the increasing pressure in her bladder.

But more than a liter of energy drink had the power of two days’ worth of water, and it started to feel like it was trying to turn her insides out. She regretfully and carefully moved Hiccup’s head out of the way, immediately missing its weight on her shoulder and the warmth of his body leaning against her side.

Peeing felt like the liberation of France and she sighed in relief. Maybe she could be back before Hiccup woke up.

She wasn’t. When she came back from the bathroom, he was stretching on her bed, bleary-eyed and disarmingly cute with his messy hair, rubbing his eyes and face like a child.

“You broke a rule,” he yawned. “You didn’t wake me.”

“I didn’t notice you’d fallen asleep, doofus. I was in the bathroom.” She settled back on the blanket, making sure to leave a little space between them lest she got foolishly distracted by him again.

He reached over her to grab another energy drink and she could swear he was smirking. But when she eyed him properly, his eyes were big and innocent, a little red-rimmed from being tired and staring at a screen for so long. Choosing to forget the whole thing, she resumed the game.

#httyd #hiccstrid #hiccup haddock #astrid hofferson #fishlegs #tuffnut #ruffnut #snotlout #ff #fanfiction #modern au #fluff #maja writes #mario kart

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tuffdwightwest · 4 years

Text

Tuffnut Drabble

//Tufflout at the end.

Astrid was handing out food for the gathered riders. Grinning as she 'accidentally', spilled some on Snotlout. Causing him, of course, to complain as he took the bowl with a grumble. Most of the group was there, sans the twins, however that thought seemed to be short lived as she heard footsteps. Looking over she spotted Tuffnut carrying Chicken as well as what appeared to be a sleeping bag?

She wasn't the only one who noticed him approach and the others just watched as he started to set up a little area for himself. "What are you eating?" He asked.

"Chicken noodle soup," Fishlegs responded, taking a sip before cringing as he heard the Chickens indignant cry. Tuffnut quickly comforted it though as he crawled into the little 'bed' he made. It looked more like a weird nest in Astrid's opinion though.

"Oh, dang, I was hungry." He admitted. Astrid felt bad as she remembered his little declaration not to eat any more chicken. A statement he did in honour of 'her' becoming a part of his life. Astrid thought it was stupid and dramatic at the time but he seemed to be following through with it.

"Sorry, Tuff. I didn't think you were joining us tonight. I thought you and your sister were out shopping." She explained which caused him to brighten.

"Oh! We were, my sister is the best at shopping. Look, I got some new helmet shine, some more furs and even this new blanket." He explained patting the blanket that he was sitting on with a pleased smile.

"Where is Ruffnut now?" Hiccup asked curiously taking a sip of his soup.

"Most likely fucking Gnupa Hottsson from the Bearknuckle tribe." Tuffnut shrugged causing more then a few to spit out their soups in surprise. It was Snotlout that broke the silence first.

"Wait what did you say, your sister is...?"

"Fucking Gnupa Hottsson from the Bearknuckle tribe?" Tuffnut said, surprised by the others reactions. They always seemed to react so vividly to the strangest of things.

"Um, what since when?" Astrid added in.

"Well, I don't know, my sister ran into him when we were out shopping. He was being very nice and even let Ruff pick out a nice flower. Which was weird cause she hates flowers, I personally find them quite pretty, especially the stinky ones! Oh and blue ones, I like the blue flowers that used to grow outs-"

"So Ruffnut met this guy while you were out shopping?" Hiccup added in. Proving that he was also intrigued by the story.

"Oh yeah! Right, so this guy was getting real up close and personal and my sis was getting that dumb look in her eye and kept pushing me away. She didn't have to do that. I got the hint, the stupid foul-smelling-"

"So you left her behind with some strange dude?" Snotlout.

"Well, I wasn't gonna watch! Besides I think she lead him to our hut last I checked, which is why I am gonna sleep out here tonight. I'd rather not go through another night of my blissed-out sis." He said, mumbling the last part.

"Well, I don't blame you." Astrid keyed in.

"Thank you Astrid, I knew you'd understand."

"But you really shouldn't sleep out here tonight. I can already see clouds coming in. It's gonna rain." She keyed in.

For his part, Tuffnut looked concerned for about two seconds before he shrugged, "That's fine. I like the rain."

"Not when you catch hyperthermia." Fishlegs added, "It's supposed to get real cold tonight. Perhaps you should just ignore her in your own room." He suggested.

"I don't have my own room. I sleep under her bed." Tuffnut said, sounding confused as if this should be common knowledge.

"What, really?" Snotlout snorted out. Laughing loudly as he pointed at Tuffnut. Feeling chastised and not understanding why; Tuffnut crossed his arms.

"Why don't you sleep i-, why don't you have your own bed Tuff?" Hiccup asked.

"I've never had my own bed. It's the twin way, sometimes I just sleep up with her but usually, I just sleep under the bed." He explained.

"We can get you one." Fishlegs offered.

"Why?" Tuffnut asked. Honestly sounding confused. It was common knowledge in Berk that the Thorston family was... poor to put it simply. Still, Hiccup figured they could have at least could have afforded a bed for Tuffnut. Frankly, if Hiccup had known he would have somehow offered up his own. He just always thought that it was one of Tuffnut's weird jokes.

"What about if you bring home a girl of your own?" Snotlout asked. "Don't think she would appreciate you dragging them under your sister's bed." He explained. "So, without a bed of your own, what would you do?"

"Go to her hut instead," Tuffnut responded.

"Fair enough, but I wanna lay in on this too." Astrid piped up before asking her own version of it, "What if you were already at your hut when you start feeling it. What would you do then?"

"We are not having this conversation." Hiccup suddenly piped up but the others ignored him as they kept their eyes on Tuffnut, waiting for his response. He just sat their petting chicken before finally, he shrugged.

"Go to... her hut... instead?" He finally answered although he sounded unsure.

"Ha! Not when you are horny. All logic goes out the window when the blood is pumping." Snotlout cut in with a laugh. Reaching over he gave Tuffnut a slap on the back causing him to immediately slap back, the two about to break into a fight, however, Astrid was stuck on something.

"Tuff, have you ever, you know felt that way before?" She asked, ignoring Hiccups loud slurping as the boy tried really hard to ignore the conversation the three were having. Fishlegs was also quiet but he didn't make his discomfort known, in fact, he almost seemed intrigued in his own way. He really didn't know a lot about the Twins besides that they were annoying, so this felt like a step forward into learning more about them.

For the first time in the night, Tuff actually looked uncomfortable at the direction the topic went. "I don't think so..." He responded, pulling away from Snotlout who was immediately going to tease him.

"What? What kind of guy are you? You never felt horny. Pfft, no wonder you don't seem to have an interest in anyone. Oh, man are you missing out though. Even alone it can fee-"

A cough from Astrid reminded Snotlout that they were all still listening. Before he could dig himself a deeper hole though, Tuffnut spoke again.

"I mean I have felt it before! I just, I never looked at a woman and had it happen. Like, how its supposed to. The odd times I have gotten aroused, I blame on adrenaline." He explained.

"Have you ever looked at a man and felt it? Also why am I keying into this sex ed, nonsense." Hiccup sighed.

"No... I don't think so." Tuff responded looking kind of uncomfortable as he rocked in place. This was not what he expected when he came here to hide.

"Have you ever kissed anyone?" Astrid keyed in.

"Hiccup." Tuffnut responded easily. There was confusion for a moment before Fishlegs was the one to remember.

"That was an accident though. And I distinctly remember you being quite upset and embarrassed." He stated.

Tuffnut nodded, "Yeah! Wasn't expected to be kissed! Thought he was just coming over to yell at me." He mumbled. There were a few laughs at that surprisingly although Snotlout didn't want to let it go.

"So you've never wanted to fuck anyone? Kiss them even?" He questioned. Tuffnut was silent before shaking his head. "Maybe kiss, I don't know," he said clearly looking around as if to find a way to leave this area. He hadn't finished making his spot after all and through the talk he had put his helmet back on.

"Just let it go Snotlout." Hiccup stated. Happy that most of them were starting to move on. Although still give some curious gazes.

Snotlout however suddenly had an idea, "Kiss me!" He suggested. That caused a few surprised what's. And Tuffnut to look just confused and embarrassed as all eyes turned to him.

"What?"

"Kiss me! You haven't had a true kiss before so maybe you just don't know what it's like." Snotlout explained.

"You want him to kiss you?" Astrid asked in clear surprise as she crossed her arms. Snotlout just ignored them keeping his eyes on Tuffnut. Although he did realize the problem with everyone around. So moving forward he grabbed Tuffs arm before dragging him out of the hut. Tuff surprisingly letting him although looking down when they were alone.

"Um yeah so..." Snotlout started running a hand through his hair. "Just.. I didn't mean to... gah! Emotions!" He complained.

"You are one of the most emotional vikings I know." Tuffnut answered with a bit of amusement. Snotlout smiled before once again grew awkward.

"Please, maybe it'll spark something?" Snotlout finally said. Tuffnut just watched him, clearly thinking it over as he looked Snotlout up and down.

"Do you like me?" He suddenly demanded. Causing Snotlouts face to go beet red.

"L-like you, no, I mean you are my best friend. Just want to... help out." Snotlout stammered. Tuff just frowned before looking down. Kicking the ground with his shoes before sighing and suddenly standing up straight. Walking over to Snotlout and reaching for the others hands.

"This is going to be gross." He commented before leaning forward and kissing Snotlout gently on the lips. Snotlout frozen for a moment before easily kissing back. Squeezing Tuffs hands and trying to coax more out of the rigid twin. Pushing his body against the other hopefully.

Snotlout was in valhalla but to soon Tuffnut suddenly pulled away and he remembered what this was about. Wiping at his mouth he stepped away from the other before clearing his throat. "Um so... did you feel anything?" He asked. Unable to stop the hope from his voice.

Tuff shook his head, "Felt awkward." He admitted before noticing Snotlouts crushed face. The twin felt something at that moment at least. So moving forward he grabbed a hold of Snotlouts hands. He may not be the smartest when it come to these things but it didn't take a genius to realize what was happening here. Ever since Snotlout had announced Tuff as his best friend, he had been uncomfortably close at times.

He hated this mushy stuff though but despite Snotlout pretending to be hard he knew the boy was as soft as a kitten. "I didn't feel anything like that but... I do feel things for you. Just not sure they are the same feelings you have for me. I like being around you. I don't get squeamish when you touch me. I even let you kiss me for Lokis sake.. I just.. I think there is something wrong with me." Tuff admitted.

"Theres millions wrong with you Tuffy." Snotlout commented although frowning he pulled the other into a hug. "I'm sorry." Snotlout said.

Tuff frowned, Snotlout never apologized for anything. And Tuff honestly didn't know what he was apologizing for. "For what?"

"For falling in love with you." Snotlout whispered. So quiet that Tuff almost didn't hear it but he did and he found himself tensing without meaning too.

"Oh gods here they come." Tuff commented feeling his eyes start to water. Turning away he couldn't help the sob that escaped. Snotlout loved him, like love loved him? He had never experienced that. He never had someone love him, just people tolerate him. It honestly warmed him.

Sniffling he was relieved Snotlout didn't leave and decided not to comment on the tears he saw on the others face. "I- I still don't know what I feel when I look at you. But I do know I feel happy around you. Maybe you... are right.. we can... explore?" Tuff suggested. Causing Snotlout to brighten.

"Really?" He asked.

"Yeah but... don't get your hope up. I surprisingly don't want to see you heartbroken." Tuff admitted.

Snotlout however nodded and the two shared an awkward watery smile.

//Lol why did I write this. Probally only going to post on tumblr but... enjoy!

#snotlout #tuffnut #asexual headcanon #httyd #rtte

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jellylollie · 4 years

Text

Astrid’s Road To Becoming A Helpless Mary Sue

Before I start, I just wanted to say that I love Astrid as a character, and this is coming from a place where I fell out of love with writing her but am still trying to figure out how to properly portray her in my stories.

We are introduced to Astrid as the badass girl Hiccup, our talking fishbone protagonist, has a crush on. There’s also the name bias playing a role from the get-go: While most of the characters have hideous names, here we have Astrid, whose name means something like “beautiful goddess”. The movie tells us from the very first scene that Astrid is different from the others, and Hiccup can’t help but fall in love with her. I mean, honestly, who wouldn’t fall in love with her?

Her first line is “No turning back.” during dragon training. Astrid is a strong, confident, fierce leader–the complete opposite of Hiccup. She’s a warrior with a strong sense of duty who works hard and hides her true self behind a cold exterior. Astrid is arrogant, prideful, and even mean at Hiccup’s half-assed training attempts. I do, however, think that she cares about Hiccup (she’s the first to notice that Hiccup keeps disappearing and acting weird–well, weirder!). If circumstances were different, and they weren’t at war, they could probably naturally have become friends. BUT. She also takes a passive stand when the rest of the gang (and even the rest of Berk) bullies Hiccup. As they say, neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim.

Like any other Berkian, Astrid is prejudiced. Misguided. And stubborn. Everything changes when she has that beautiful “A whole new world” moment riding Toothless. She smiles for the first time; she’s amazed, and we have a glimpse of what she really looks like behind the strong and resolute warrior image. But I’m gonna say it right now: Astrid’s Mary Sue path is set in stone as soon as she hooks up with Hiccup. Which I will loosely call the “That’s for the kidnapping, and that’s for everything else” moment.

Now, Astrid is still her own person, her loyalties have just shifted from her tribe to Hiccup. That moment after they discover the nest, and she mocks him for wanting to protect his pet, Hiccup stands up to her for the first time. Hiccup mofo Haddock, Berk’s pariah, defies her. That’s when she realizes how serious he is. That’s when she starts to respect him. Astrid’s the first one to really trust him, and she chooses to trust him over everything she has known until that point. And that becomes the basis for a really strong and beautiful relationship. But it also makes Astrid’s main role to support the hero. Let’s not kid ourselves, our girl is no damsel in distress. Astrid is still the strong warrior we know she is. She saves Hiccup in the arena, putting herself in harm’s way, and even when he tries to get to Toothless, she stops him before things can get messier. She’s the one who holds him accountable and calls him out on his bullshit when he tries to escape his problems. She talks to him face to face. On the same level. As equals.

I’m a hardcore Hiccstrid shipper, but the more I thought about it, the more I saw Astrid as Hiccup’s prize for saving the world. “Too bad you lost your leg, but hey, at least you got the girl!”

And now the second movie.

Astrid is still the strongest Viking. She’s reliable, talented, and as badass as she was in the first movie. And that’s it. Don’t get me wrong, she still mocks him, she still calls out on his crap, she’s still Hiccup’s confidant and right hand, but Astrid’s main role is to chase after Hiccup. Like, literally.

Her only flaw (if it can be called one) is her unwavering loyalty to him. Because she trusts Hiccup so much, she becomes reckless and breaks rules if it means helping him. Even when she questions his choices or disagrees with them, she still rolls with it because she trusts Hiccup to always do (or try to do) the right thing. And that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

From a companionship perspective, their bond is commendable. Their trust for each other is very strong, they know what the other is thinking or feeling without needing words, and they are there for each other no matter the situation. They love each other with their hearts and souls. Their relationship is truly beautiful, I just wish we could see more of her than that.

The only part of the movie when Astrid acts on her own (sans Hiccup) is when she kidnaps Eret. There, we can see that she’s still a leader, and she’s still a feisty and sassy queen. Astrid makes it her mission to rescue those dragons from Drago, even when she realized that Hiccup was not captured by the enemy. That has everything to do with Astrid’s own morals and wanting to do what she sees as right.

Astrid knows her place. She’s Hiccup’s second in command, and she’s fine with it. Even after Valka comes back, she knows there is a line between what she can do as Hiccup’s closest ally and the presence of his mother. There are boundaries, and she knows where she stands. Like when Hiccup tries to stop Drago’s control on Toothless right after Stoick dies, Valka stops him just like Astrid did in the first movie.

Movie 3.

Yet again, Astrid is the only competent warrior (Valka being an exception) in the group. It really is beautiful to see how far Hiccup and Astrid’s teamwork has come. There’s a specific scene that’s very dear to me, and it’s when Hiccup is building Toothless’ tail and Astrid helps him. It’s very domestic and he doesn’t need to tell her what to do, she just knows and helps him because she’s still his number one supporter.

The third movie is pretty much a repetition of the other ones. Hiccup being insecure and not believing in himself, Astrid being his emotional support and confidant. They fly somewhere together and discover things that move the plot forward. They fight the World’s Greatest Dragon Master Bad Guy Of The Week. Movie makes us believe they are never gonna see their dragons again. Syke! Hiccup and Astrid get married and have cute babies. The end.

I’m not gonna analyze the specials or the TV series, because it’s been a while since I watched those, and ain’t nobody got time for that (writing this whole thing is already being a pain). Besides, the midquels came after the movies, and any character development we see in the series is reset when the next movie starts. I will give a shout out to some of the things I can remember off the top of my head though: Astrid befriending another alpha female (and plotting with her behind Hiccup’s back); Astrid still being prideful and stubborn; Astrid learning to work with the other riders, Snotlout in special. And also Ruffnut caring about her brother just because.

I still think Astrid is a flawed character, and I still think she has her own personality and exists beyond the “trophy wife” category. But I wish we could’ve seen more of her than just that.

The only thing Astrid doesn’t do that saves her from being a complete Mary Sue is that she doesn’t overshadow Hiccup. The How To Train Your Dragon franchise is very much Hiccup and Toothless’ adventures. Minor characters not having any depth can also be attributed to that fact. And I get it. Limited screen time and all that, minor plots must meet the chopping board. I just wish DreamWorks didn’t do her dirty like that. Did you know that none of the movies pass the Bechdel-Wallace test?

Anyway, if you disagree with me or have anything to add, please do so. I really do love Astrid and all I want is to do her character justice.

#me #ramblings #astrid hofferson #how to train your dragon #writing backstage #httyd meta #how to train your dragon meta

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jloves-pp · 4 years

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The Story of Merida and Hiccup- part 2

Chapter 2-Fates Collier

It's rare to see the sun shining on the Isle of Berk but it was out warming the air and making the sea glint with its reflection. Hiccup and Toothless headed out to join his friends for some fine weather flying.

"There they are!" Astrid hailed as they appeared. Toothless and Hiccup landed next their friends and their dragons.

"It's about time you two showed up!" Snotlout said, as he astride his dragon Hoodfang.

"Yeah sorry, Gobber needed help getting some Terrible Terrors out of the workshop. Is turned out, someone had left fishes in the workshop" he explained, hearing sniggering from the twins.

"Well, you're here now. Let's go" Astrid then said as with that they all took off.

The dragon riders flew all over Berk before they headed to the open sea. Hiccup and the others were practising their flying tricks, Fishlegs and Meatlug did those best by performing a fire rock attack but the rock didn't go far. The twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut showed off a move they called the twister on Barf and Belch. It was impressive...for two seconds. Ruff and Tuff ending up frightening their dragon, causing them to fall off, their Zippleback caught them before they hit the water. Snotlout was obviously scared as tried to do his trick and then afterwards he tried to act cool after as if he ment to do everything that had happend. Astrid did some impressive moves like a daring dive tactic but Hiccup was the best he and Toothless did a free fall that they'd been practising for weeks.

After two hours, it was nearly lunch time. They were going to head back to the island when the Twins spotted something.

"Hey, look at that huge black cloud" Ruffnut shouted.

They turned and there was indeed large storm clouds rolling across the sky.

"What's so great about that? It's just a storm cloud" said Snotlout.

"Well at least it's not headed our way" Hiccup commented "We should head back..."

"We should go and explore it" Tuffnut, shouted and immediately the twins and their dragon shot towards the cloud. Hiccup sighed, even if he tried to stop them they would probably still have gone anyway.

"We'd better go after them. Just in case lighting hits them" Hiccup suggested. So the rest followed and soon the teens and their dragons were inside the cloud. The young Vikings had to admit being inside the cloud was amazing, they could hear thunder and see small flashes of lightning. Even Toothless was impressed, after all he was the dragon of the unholy offspring of lightning and death.

"Yeah bud, it's really incredible" Hiccup agreed. Petting the side of his dragon, watching his friends enjoying flying in the cloud.

"It would be interesting if dragons would use storm clouds to hide from enemies" Fishlegs commented.

"Yeah maybe a game of hide and seek" Astrid suggested. Her friends liked her idea but Hiccup was unsure.

"I don't know maybe we should head back"

"Come on Hiccup we have got time" Astrid replied showing a reassure smile. Hiccup thought for a moment before saying...

"Ok but just one game" the others cheered and they began their game. Astrid was it and the others flew to hide.

"Let's not make it easy for her, right bud" Hiccup whispered to Toothless, the duo soared at full speed as Astrid counted. When she'd finished, Astrid and Stormfly found Fishlegs and Meatlug first . They didn't fly far so they were easy to find. Next were the twins who were arguing very loudly and kicking and biting each other when Astrid found them. At first, Astrid couldn't see Snoutlout and his dragon until she heard a yell and then saw Snoutlout was up in the air, while his pants were on fire. It seemed that Hoodfang had lit himself on fire again. Snoutlout was very annoyed to be found as he joined the others. The golden haired girl was having trouble finding Hiccup and his Night Fury. She knew that looking for them will take longer, but after an hour, she returned to the others and they all flew out of the cloud.

"Where are they?" Astrid thought out aloud, glancing back that the cloud.

"Maybe they got lost. It's a huge cloud, anyone could get lost in that" Fishlegs explained.

"Yeah right, if those two can take down the Red Death. I don't think a cloud would be a challenge" Snortlout voice his thoughts.

"Ur guys, the cloud is moving" Ruffnut suddenly said as she pointed.

She was right, the dark cloud was moving across the sky away from them.

"We have to find them" Astrid quickly said, quickly flying off.

"Astrid, it might be dangerous. We don't want to you to lose you too" Fishlegs called to her. Stopping Stormfly in her tracks.

"But..."

"Astrid, they'll be right. Hiccup and Toothless will find their way out" Fishlegs reassured his friend.

"Yeah they'll come back before dark" Ruffnut added.

Astrid sighed and reluctantly said "Ok but if they're not back before dark, we'll go and search for them.

The others groaned at the thought of a dark search. As they started to fly back Berk, Astrid looked back, seeing the cloud now miles away. She should have gone back but she had feeling both boys will come home soon, after a minute, she and Stormfly flew to catch up with the others.

In DunBroch, it was a usual day? Merida had finished her breakfast and now found her bow and arrows. She still miss her old bow, it was a birthday gift from her dad and she treasure it but her mum had burned it during their fight, regretting her actions Elinor had saved it, but sadly the bow was beyond repair. Merida had tried a few new bows since then but they weren't as special as her first.

Merida then went to the kitchens and put three apples, two buns and a bottle of water in a small bag for her trip, then she headed to the door that led outside...

"Merida"

The princess stopped in her tracks hearing her mother's voice.

"You've forgotten something" the Queen continued. Merida turned and saw her mum holding her cloak up.

"Oh mum, it's not that cold" Merida exclaimed.

"Merida, it's still February, I don't want you to get a fever" Elinor said coming closer. She placed the cloak around her daughter shoulders and fastened the brooch.

Merida rolled her eyes; she couldn't stand her mum sometimes. She would nitpick and fuss about anything Merida did but then again it's not as bad as it had once been.

"There, don't stay out too long"

"I won't late I will be back before dark" Merida reassured her mum. "Bye mum" she kissed her on her cheek and went out the door.

The princess ran to the stables, where she greeted her horse, Angus.

"Morning Angus, fancy an adventure?" Merida asked him cheerful. The horse gave a whinny in reply, very soon his saddle was on him and Merida was riding through the grounds of the castle and out towards the woods at full speed.

"Are you getting tired bud?" Hiccup asked Toothless, trying to keep their eyes open. He lost what time is was. They were waiting for Astrid to find them, they'd hid behind a big piece of cloud. Hiccup heard Toothless let out a groan. "What do you say we head back" Hiccup suggested.

Toothless agreed and the two set off. The problem was that everythinglooked the same. No matter where they turned, there was nothing but cloud.

"Toothless, can you find a way out?" Hiccup asked and the dragon shot out a sonar blast. They watched as a purple ribbon of the blast travelled toward the cloud before following it, they continued forwhat feel like ages and it seemed as though the clouds were endless. Hiccup thought about going up or down to get out but suddenly Toothless screeched to a halt.

"Oh. You're ok Bud" he asked and petted his dragon. Hiccup heard a small faint voice called his name, he looked up and saw one of thestrangest things he'd ever seen. It looked like a little blue flame with arms and a face. Hiccup gazed in amazement but Toothless was more weary, just as the dragon though to attack, it disappeared. Before the Viking could wonder where it gone, he saw more of the flames appear.

To Hiccup, there was something mysterious and unworldly about them, his curiosity was starting to grow.

"Maybe we should follow them" Hiccup said but Toothless shook his head. "Well do you have any better ideas?" Hiccup could tell the dragon was thinking about it. Finally Toothless purred and the twofriends followed the blue flames; hopefully they'll lead them to a way out.

Merida was in her element. She loved the rush when she rode through the woods, the smell of flowers and the trees and to feel the fresh air on her face.

"No matter how many times I see it, it never gets old" Merida remarked. The princess smiled with her hands on her hips, looking out over the beauty of the highlands from high upon a hill side. "Right Angus?" Her horse answered with a whinny. Merida smiled more brightly at him. She suddenly heard thunder from behind her, she could see a huge black cloud headed her way.

"We'd better go home now, unless you fancy an early bath" She joked and climbed on her horse's back and rode on the path.

Above them, Hiccup and Toothless had just reached the last blue flame when a clash of thunder rang in their ears. Soon more sounds of thunder and glimpses of lightning.

"This is not good. Toothless take..."

Out of nowhere lighting appeared two feet away from them.

"Toothless, GO!"

The dragon didn't need any encouragement. They tried to dodge the lighting but every time they turned another bolt of lightning flashednext to them. As if things couldn't get worst, a lightning bolt struck Toothless's metal tail fin. Hiccup turned and to his horror saw the fin was on fire.

"NO, NO!" Hiccup cried then he felt the force of the air as they spiralled out of control. Hiccup and Toothless couldn't do anything as they headed out of the clouds, the earth closing in on them. The Viking held on tight and he and Toothless shut their eyes, waiting for the impact.

The rain started to fall; Merida wished the rain wasn't so heavy. She sighed as she her horse trotted along beside her. Just as she was thinking what she fancied for dinner she heard the thunder above. She whirled around to see the lights from the lighting flickering in the huge clouds, then noticed a red glow moving. Merida's mouth dropped when something long and black fell from the cloud and it was on fire. It spun down out of control, down until it vanished among the trees. A giant bang rung out, frightening Angus and few people in DunBroch heard too it but only faintly.

"Holy bear cubs. What was that" Merida though to herself. Her money should manage to calm her horse and stroked his neck. Wasting no time, Merida rode Angus toward where the crash had happened. Curiosity and excitement filled the Scottish princess; she always had a taste for adventures and this felt like one. She and Angus came to a halt when they reached a crossroad, Merida groaned and looked down two paths.

"Which way? Which way?" Merida murmured, as she thought about going back home and get help, she heard a faint voice call her name. There, in front of her was a wisp. The princess had cross paths with the blue fire-like sprites before; they either helped her or led her into trouble. Merida was right to be weary.

The wisp disappeared and then trails of them leading down the left path. Immediately Merida and Angus followed the wisps, she had a feeling that they were showing her where the crash site was.

When they reached the last wisp, Merida looked down the hill she was on, was a small clearing surrounded by trees? There, lying still next to broken trees was a dragon. The princess stared in shock and disbelief; she had heard some men talking about encountering dragonsbut no one she knew had ever come across one. Merida hadn't seen one but she knew one when she saw it, this thing she was looking athad wings and a tail which she could see the only solution she could come too was this was a definitely a dragon.

Merida calmed a frightened Angus down before she jumped off hisback. The black dragon was unconscious but Merida drew her bow and arrow and cautiously approached the creation. As she got close, Merida noticed something odd. One of its fins was gone and there were metal pieces and leather around the tail. Her eyes trailed along the dragon when Merida noticed a human hand.

"What the..." Merida murmured.

She carefully stepped around the still breathing black dragon and found a boy, around her age, lying on his back. Merida instantly dropped her weapons to check if he was breathing. Seeing his chest moving, she sighed in relief. Looking closer at the boy just had a couple of small cuts and bruises, she wrapped both arms around him and dragged him over into the cover of the trees.

It was then, Toothless slowly woke up. The dragon opened his eyes as he tried to remember what had happened. He and Hiccup were flying in a cloud, they followed blue light things, and then they were hit by lightning.

He softly called for his friend but heard nothing. Toothless managed to lift his head and found Hiccup, unconscious against the tree with another human. Toothless didn't know what this stranger knew but he was soon reassured when the hooded person pulled out a bottle of water and using a cloth, dabbed at Hiccup's forehead.

While Merida was busy wiping; she didn't notice the dragon had moved until she heard a groan beside her. Merida turned slightly and saw the dragon was now sitting next to her. This was the last thing sheexpected to happen, she thought that when she met a dragon that it would possibly be attacking but the princess could see the dragon looked concerned about the boy. Looking at this situation Merida knew she would be fine.

She turned her attention back to the boy. His mop of brown hair was slightly damp from the rain. She noticed that his green shirt and dark brown pants weren't damage, she then glance at his face. To Merida, he looked ordinary, like most boys she'd seen but...she felt something different when looking at him. Merida was pondering what to do when the boy began to stir.

Hiccup slowly opened his eyes. At first, everything was blurry but then things became clearer and found the girl waiting him. Hiccup knew he must have died for he'd never seen a girl so beautiful before. He could see she had freckles on her cheeks and fair skin but it was her blue eyes that fascinated him.

"Am I in Valhalla?" Hiccup asked, clearly still dazed.

"Sorry?"

"Oh. Oh" realising he wasn't dead and this girl wasn't here towelcome him to the other side. He heard a familiar purring and smiledwhen he saw his friend.

"Hey bud" he said weakly, Toothless give Hiccup a few licks on his face. "Toothless, I'm ok. I see you're alive" he laughed and the head of his dragon.

Merida couldn't believe her eyes. Here is a boy hugging a dragon. She thought dragons would kill anyone on the spot.

"Are you two friends?" Merida asked.

Hiccup and Toothless nearly forgot about her till she spoke.

"Oh, sorry" Hiccup apologetically "We just thought...I mean...thank you".

"You're welcome. I don't know much, I just pulled you out andplaced you against a tree." Merida admitted. Before Hiccup could say anything, a clap of the thunder rang in their ears and the sound startled Angus. Merida ran to him and calmed him down.

Suddenly the rain became heavy and forks of lighting danced across the sky.

"We'd better find shelter" Hiccup said getting up with the help from Toothless. Merida nodded and the group quickly found a dry spot underneath some huge trees.

It felt like hours as the rain continued to fall. Merida had given Hiccup half of her food which he thanked her for. He hadn't eatensince he'd left home so he was happy. After eating, Hiccup checked on Toothless, he was glad to see his friend unharmed but his saddle was completely destroyed. The leather was badly burned and ripped and the metal was twisted and broken.

"Looks like we're stuck here till we fix it" Hiccup sighed and looked at his tail.

"What happened to his tail?" Merida asked, she'd been watching the two for a while.

"Well, it's a long story" he replied then added "I'm sorry. I should have asked before but what's your name?" Sitting down next to the redheaded girl.

"Oh, it's Merida. My name is Merida" She answered softly.

"Merida" Hiccup repeated. He thought it was a wonderful name.

"And you?" He heard her asked him.

"Ur...well, I'm name is Hiccup" he said feeling embarrassed by his own name.

"Sorry but did you said Hiccup" she asked quizzically.

"Yeah. I know, it's an awful name"

"Well I know someone Sir Bottomed, imagine living with Bottomed as your name" Merida heard Hiccup smothering his laughter. She laughed with him, even Toothless found it funny.

"Yeah, that's really bad" Hiccup said after he stopped laughing, then asked. "Do you know where we are? I know we're far from home"

"Oh, you're in the Scottish Highlands" Merida answered simply.

Hiccup's face dropped. He was in enemy territory and this girl was a Scott. "Oh gods, what do I do? If she knows who I am I'm in real trouble" Hiccup though panicking.

"Are you all right?" Merida asked seeing him clearly nervous.

"What? yes I'm fine. It's just we're a long way from home" Hiccup said laughing weakly. At that moment, Toothless purred and gaze up. The teen looked up and saw that the rain had stopped.

"Oh, good it's finally stopped" Merida said pulled her hood down. She noticed Hiccup and Toothless staring at her. At first, she didn't know why but realised they were looking at her curly red hair.

"Had you never seen red hair before?" Merida asked crossing her arms.

"No. It's...urn...sorry" Hiccup apologised and scrunched his eyes shut.

"It's ok. When people first met, they using look at my hair and one time someone asked if it was real. He got a bloody nose from my dad" Merida reassured.

Hearing this would worry a lot of people but Hiccup was used to stuff like that at home.

"Well in my opinion, I really like it" Hiccup said rubbing his neck.

The princess's cheeks turned pink. No one had ever said anything like that to her before and why did she suddenly feel funny.

She shucked her face before saying

"Well, we'd better head home. Are you coming?"

"What? What do you mean?" Hiccup questioned looking over to Merida who was climbing up to sit on Angus.

"Aye. You had been through an awful lot today. The least I can do is let you stay at my home until his tail is fixed" she insisted. She didn't want to leave him out in the woods even with a dragon by his side.

"Thank you. We promise we won't be a bother" Hiccup said as he got on Toothless's back.

"Not at all. You'll like DunBroch and my family are really welcoming" Merida told him.

The Viking didn't have a choice. He was lost, miles away from home and in the land of the Scottish. The only thing he could do was to go to DunBroch, fix Toothless's tail and fly back home. He also wanted to know more about Merida, he found her very interesting.

"When you're ready, lead the way" Hiccup said. Merida smiled atthem and they started their journey. Toothless softly groaned to Hiccup, wondering why they were doing this. Hiccup placed his hand on his friend's head, reassuringly telling him it will be ok. As long as they are careful.

#mericcup #Merida #hiccup #how to train your dragon #brave #fanfic

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aleteia-ff · 4 years

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The Last Snoggletog | Phantomverse Snoggletog One-Shot

Also read on: AO3, FF.net

Summary: Four winters after the Phantom has stopped haunting them, Berk celebrates Snoggletog. Finding that perhaps, in many ways, the Phantom is still with them after all.

Set after the events of The Phantom of the Arena, and about half a year before those of the sequel (currently WIP), The Phantom of the Archipelago.

A/N: Merry Christmas to those of you who celebrate it! I am very happy to be back in the Phantomverse with a little story for the holidays. This one-shot is set after the events of the Phantom of the Arena and hence contains major spoilers for that story.

It is also set about half a year before the events of the sequel I am working on as I post this – The Phantom of the Archipelago…

Winter storms were a yearly recurrence on Berk. They were sudden, unpredictable, gripping you with full force before you properly realised what you’d gotten yourself into. Their strong winds released torrents of snow right in your face, making your skin feel as if it was being grazed by ice while you slowly lost any sense of feeling in your fingers. No number of layers of clothes would help, they all became soaked through more quickly than you expected them to, after which they’d freeze to your limbs, turning your skin red and finally blue. The only thing you could do was look for shelter, hoping, praying to the Gods that they’d cease their torment and allow you to make it through the night.

Astrid Hofferson wasn’t sure which alternative was worse. The snowstorms the Gods brought down upon them, or dealing with the blizzard that was a three-year old on Snoggletog Day.

“Mummy!”

She felt something pull on her sleeve and looked down into a pair of big, absurdly green eyes, surrounded by a smattering of freckles all belonging to Hamish Hofferson. She was about to open her mouth to tell him off when he was whisked away by a pair of hands that weren’t hers.

“What did we say about going near the fire?” her mother scolded Hamish, lifting him up under his armpits and looking at him with a strict expression.

Astrid didn’t need to see Hamish’s face to know he was pouting. “But -”

“No, Hamish, what did we say?” her mother insisted.

Hamish’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “It’s dangerous.”

“Right,” her mother nodded. “So don’t do it.”

“But I wanna know when Odin’s coming!” Hamish squirmed, twisting his head to look at his mother.

Astrid rolled her eyes and smiled to herself as she stirred the pot in front of her. He definitely hadn’t been asking her that question non-stop since this morning.

“Grandpa Stoick isn’t here yet,” she reminded him. “He has to make sure everyone is okay first.”

“Cause he’s the Chief!” Hamish beamed as if he was the only one in the room who was aware of that information.

“Exactly,” her father nodded, scratching his brown beard. “And Odin doesn’t deliver presents if you’re watching.”

“Why not?” Hamish asked.

Because none of it is true, Astrid mused to herself, blowing on the ladle and taking a sip. She pondered for a moment before turning to her mother. “Mom, do you think this needs more yak?”

“I’m sure it tastes great, honey,” her mother instantly replied.

She tasted again, really letting the beverage simmer on her tongue, and nodded to herself. “Yeah, I actually think this might be my best batch of yaknog yet!” Who knew she could actually learn how to cook? Let alone come up with her cup of holiday cheer.

“Why not?” Hamish asked.

“Because he doesn’t want to be seen,” her mother tried.

“Uncle Tuff saw him,” Hamish retorted.

Her mother rolled her eyes, but her father played along. “Oh, did he?”

“Yes!” Hamish insisted as his grandmother put him down. He bounded over to his grandfather’s chair. “He says he looks like a troll.”

“And what do trolls look like, then?” Astrid’s father humoured him, ruffling Hamish’s auburn hair - as if it wasn’t messy enough already - before lifting him onto his lap, Hamish’s boots landing on his grandpa’s knees.

“Dunno,” Hamish shrugged, his shoulders moving more than they should.

“Because they aren’t real,” her mother cut in.

Hamish adamantly shook his head. “Uncle Gobber says they are! They steal socks.”

“And do they have any preference? Red socks, blue socks, brown socks?” her father asked.

Hamish furrowed his brows for a moment, leaving the room simmering with anticipation.

“Left socks,” he finally decided.

Astrid considered for a moment whether she should enlighten Hamish about how Gobber didn’t have a left foot, but since her mother also simply shook her head, she decided they could do with a little less Hofferson-realism for the day.

“I looked for them with Grandpa Stoick!” Hamish continued.

That was news to her. “Didn’t Grandpa Stoick take you fishing?” Stoick had needed the break after Black Plague Friday - they all did - and had been kind enough to take Hamish with him upstream.

“Fishing’s boring,” Hamish stated, as if the food he was served every day simply appeared out of thin air. She could agree with the sentiment though. The amount of time she could save if she still had Stormfly…

But that was something she could only dream of.

While Hamish started to ramble about his latest adventures, she redirected her attention to the large pot in front of her, noting that the yaknog had thickened enough, but was still bubbling slightly. Meaning it was absolutely perfect.

“Hamish,” she called, prompting the excitable ball of fluff to look up at her. “Do you want to help me hand out some yaknog outside?”

Hamish’s face lit up with a bright smile, and he nodded. “Yes!”

“Go get your clothes, then,” she ordered. Hamish instantly jumped off his grandfather’s lap and ran to the bedroom.

Her mother took the ladle from her, filling the mugs Astrid had borrowed from the Great Hall while Astrid held them up and arranged all but five of them on her favourite festive shield. From the corner of her eye, she spotted a pile of clothes waddling back out of her parents’ bedroom, unable to see where it was going.

She put the tray of yaknog down on the table, shaking her head and picking her favourite bundle of furs up from the floor, separating him from his outdoor clothes and putting them both on a chair. Hamish was surprisingly compliant, only swinging his legs back and forth while she bound a festive red scarf the same colour as his tunic around his head and pulled a dark green knit cap over his ears, his unruly auburn hair sticking out at the bottom. She wrapped him up in his fur coat and a pair of mittens and pulled on his outfit until she was sure there were no more gaps through which he could get cold.

She dressed herself and handed Hamish one of the mugs after he jumped off the chair. “Be careful, it’s hot, okay? Keep it in both of your hands and watch your feet.”

Hamish nodded as well as his scarf allowed him too, staring at his mug like a mother dragon at her favourite hatchling. “Yes Mummy!”

She pulled up the hood she’d now owned for almost four years and took the tray from the table before turning to her parents. “If it goes as fast as last year, we won’t be long. If you need us, I don’t think we’ll head outside of the village centre.”

“Take as long as you need, dear,” her mother reassured her, taking care of the now-empty pot. “We’ve got all day.”

“Just don’t be surprised if we finish our mugs before you get back!” her father added, standing up to open the door, and her mother nodded along with the kind of enthusiasm rarely seen from Sigrid Hofferson.

Astrid grinned. “I would be disappointed if you didn’t!”

She shivered for a moment when they stepped outside, figuring that this was the kind of cold no one ever really got used to. But experience had taught her that if you simply sucked it up and endured for long enough, it wasn’t quite so bad.

They walked through the village centre, its streets busy with celebrating Berkians despite the light snow, and handed out mugs of warm yaknog to anyone who liked to have some. She’d expected Hamish to bound off to jump into one of the piles of snow as soon as he could, but to her surprise he actually stayed at her side, eagerly taking a new mug from her tray after he’d managed to charm someone into accepting the one he had.

Astrid knew all too well how hard it was to say no to his big, green eyes. She’d thought Toothless begging for fish was the worst she’d have to deal with in her life, but Hamish had quickly proven her wrong. She was starting to get better at saying ‘no’ however. She didn’t want to end up like Snotlout after all. Little Solveig had managed to completely wrap her father around her finger and leave Ruffnut to do the actual parenting. In her own Thorston way.

Somewhere in the back of her mind she wondered what kind of parent Hiccup would be around Snoggletog. He’d probably be up all night, last-minute trying to finish the perfect gift, all exhaustion fading away when Hamish found it the following day, his face lighting up with the kind of beaming smile that was unique to their son.

She silently scolded herself. She shouldn’t think about things like that. Especially not today.

By the time they reached the village square, the Snoggletog Tree proudly standing in the middle of it, they had already handed out half of the mugs, Hamish’s sales technique surprisingly effective. Most Berkians took the beverage back home with them, telling her they’d rather take their time and enjoy it by the fire. She felt it was a compliment - at least they didn’t jug it down the way they did with mead. They actually made an effort to enjoy it.

And they no longer scowled at her the way they had the first year she’d been back on Berk.

She’d missed the first Snoggletog after the Phantom had left Berk. She’d been out looking for Hiccup, desperately hoping she could tell him he was going to be a father. But she hadn’t been lucky enough to succeed. And when she returned she had to deal with a village that scowled at her when her pregnancy became more visible and she could no longer hide her growing belly with loose-fitting shirts and dresses.

She could take the stares, she could deal with the disapproval. But she didn’t want Hamish to be a victim of her bad decisions more than he already was. She wanted him to have a normal childhood to the extent that he could. So she did whatever she could to help out the village, in spite of the judgement she received. Serving everyone yaknog was just one of the things she did, and judging by people’s reactions and how, as they reached the village square, none of the parents complained when Hamish instantly rushed off to play with their kids, it had worked.

She briefly chatted with Gobber after she’d run out of yaknog, listening to his lecture on all the ‘grand surprises’ he’d cooked up for the feast tonight. That kind of defeated the point of it being a surprise, but his descriptions made her mouth water enough for her not to mind.

She caught up with Heather and Fishlegs, who really seemed to be regretting setting their sights on a Spring wedding. Even though Heather had practically been living with Fishlegs ever since she’d moved to Berk, there were a lot more eyes on them now that they were properly engaged. Meaning that they’d lost a part of their freedom and were expected to stick to the tradition of staying celibate until they were properly married. Heather was one of the only people who dared to - and was allowed to - joke that perhaps, Astrid and Hiccup should have been a little more ‘traditional’ as well. Which was ironically illustrated by Astrid spotting Hamish in the corner of her eye, starting to scale up the Snoggletog Tree, and her having to rush over to pluck him off it.

He could climb just fine, his mittens not limiting him at all. Getting down was the problem. She feared he would break one, if not both, of his legs one of these days. As Stoick put it, the boy suffered from a heart-stopping combination of Astrid’s athletic intuition, Hiccup’s curiosity and, of course, his lack of danger assessment.

She supposed one of the upsides of dragons hardly being seen these days was that Hamish couldn’t jump off the back of one. Because he definitely would.

She had to tug Hamish back by his coat a few more times while hearing Tuffnut out about all the ‘absolutely wicked’ stuff he’d treated himself with in this year’s Black Plague Friday sales. Her son finally seemed to lose interest when Ruffnut and Snotlout came over with Solveig proudly cradling an over-sized stuffed rabbit to her chest. As if the girl didn’t own enough stuffed animals yet.

“Looks like someone’s spine tragically broke on Black Plague Friday,” she teased, grinning as Hamish immediately started curiously poking the rabbit. “How Gothi manages to patch you back up again every time is beyond me.”

Snotlout only managed to muster up a guilty smile in response, prompting Ruffnut to roll her eyes and lightly slap his biceps. “I told him before they went out! She has enough toys already, and it’s not like she’s not getting anything new today.”

“She’s my little princess, okay!” Snotlout offered, putting up both of his hands. “Whatever she wants, she gets.”

Ruffnut audibly sighed. “Even princesses have to learn how to share.”

“Exactly!” Tuffnut nodded. “Ruffnut and I had to share every present we got!”

“You did not!” Snotlout rebuked.

“Oh yes, we did! Every sword -”

“I know you’re pulling my leg, Tuff.”

“- every axe -”

“I’ve been married to a Thorston for over four years, I can smell your family’s shit by now!” Snotlout cut in, while Ruffnut shook her head and mouthed the words he can’t to Astrid.

“Even Macey!” Tuffnut gestured wildly, slicing the air in front of him. “Right through half!”

“Why do I put up with you again?”

“You just don’t know the sorrows of being a true Thorston! You may have married into it, but you’re not really living it.”

“And why do I let you look after my daughter?”

Tuffnut proudly crossed his arms over his chest. “Because I’m the best babysitter on this entire island. That’s why.”

“He is,” Astrid instantly concurred.

“Yup.” Ruffnut clapped her husband’s shoulder, making Snotlout visibly wince. “No argument there, hot stuff.”

“Well now that that’s cleared up -” Tuffnut continued despite Snotlout’s insistent glare.

“Grandpa!”

Hamish shot right past them, snow flurrying up as he rushed into the wide-spread arms of Stoick the Vast, an unstoppable force tackling an immovable object with a hug.

“Hamish!”

“That’s my cue,” Astrid smiled, tucking her tray-shield under her arm. “See you tonight.”

The others waved and said their goodbyes as she walked over to Stoick and Hamish, the latter already babbling excitedly.

“Mama! Grandpa says Odin came with presents!” he smiled.

She exaggeratedly pulled up her eyebrow. “Oh, did he? Then we just missed him!”

Hamish’s face clouded slightly and she smiled at him, poking his cute nose. “But you helped me hand out yaknog to the entire village. So I’m sure Odin’s proud of you.” She kissed his cheek. “I know I am.”

That seemed to put Hamish at ease, his worries soon forgotten as Stoick lifted him up on his shoulders, the view from up high never ceasing to amaze him. She got that. She knew all too well how different the world looked from above. It was something she didn’t simply forget.

They made their way back to her parents’ house, their mugs of yaknog already empty and Hamish’s completely forgotten when he spotted his helmet by the now low-burning hearth. He surged towards it as soon as Stoick put him down, leaving Astrid to fall to her knees behind him and take off his snow-soaked outer clothes while he dug in.

Her parents had stuffed Hamish’s helmet, which was still too large and slid over his eyes when he actually wore it, with sweets he liked, along with a small but high-quality wooden sword, Hamish’s initials carved into the hilt. H.H. Like his father, and the ancestors he’d been named after, before him. Just the H for Hofferson instead of the last name he should have had.

She managed to tug Hamish’s coat over his arms just before he started swinging the sword around, clearly already in love with his gift. She shared a look with her parents, taking in their delighted gazes, and smiled back at them, silently thanking them. For more than just today.

The next present Hamish found was her own; a bundle of papers, bound in brown leather, with a charcoal pencil tucked between the pages. The same kind of booklet as the one Hiccup always carried with him.

Hamish picked it up with care, feeling the leather beneath his fingers. She wrapped her arms around his middle and pulled him back into her chest, looking over his shoulder and slowly closing her hands around her gift so she could show him the empty pages.

“It’s a notebook,” she explained, taking the pencil and drawing a single line onto the paper to demonstrate. “People write stuff down in it they think is important, or need to remember. Uncle Fishlegs has a lot of them. That’s how he knows so much. And Grandpa Stoick does the same.”

Hamish, eyes filled with wonder, glanced back at Stoick, who nodded along with her story.

“And Daddy, he…”Don’t talk in past-tense, she reminded herself. “… he does the same. Whenever he sees a new dragon, or finds out something about them he didn’t know yet, he makes notes for himself. Because he’s very smart, but he also forgets things.”

“Like what?”

“Well, you remember what Gronckles eat, right?”

Hamish nodded enthusiastically. “Rocks!”

“Yes, all kinds of rocks. Daddy knew that, and he’d written down how much fish Gronckles could eat too, but he encountered this Gronckle he wanted to befriend. And there weren’t a lot of edible rocks around, so he thought he could feed him fish for this one day. Later that night, Daddy found out that was not a good idea, at all,” she laughed. “Do you know what happens to Gronckles if they eat too much fish?”

Hamish shook his head and she leaned in, whispering in his ear as if she was telling him a secret. “They love the fish. But it makes them fart, a lot.” Hamish started giggling, so she threw in a bit more of her high-quality humour. “It smells really bad. And Daddy had to spend the whole night in a cave with that Gronckle.”

“Poor Daddy,” Hamish chuckled.

“Yeah, your Dad’s a bit of a dummy like that sometimes,” she smiled, hugging Hamish closer. If only those had been the worst mistakes Hiccup had made.

“But what he also does, is drawing pictures,” she continued, more seriously. “It’s Daddy’s Book of Dragons after all, that we have at home. The one I read you from, with all the dragon drawings you love. Daddy didn’t just write the words, he drew all of the dragons too. And he has many more sketches, especially of Toothless.”

“Whoa,” Hamish gaped.

“It’s pretty cool, right?” She nodded against Hamish’s shoulder. “And now you and I can draw together too.”

Hamish clapped his hands in excitement. “And show Daddy and Toothless when they’re home!”

She could feel the eyes of the other adults in the room on her. Concerned, as if she didn’t have to deal with this every day. As if by now, she hadn’t gotten used to telling half-truths to the person she loved most in the entire world.

She simply closed the sketchbook and cuddled Hamish as tightly as she could. “Of course. They’ll love them. Toothless knows talent when he sees it.”

“Toothless is smart.”

“Oh, absolutely,” she concurred. “Smartest dragon I ever met. He draws too, but he can’t hold a pencil with his claws, so he draws in the sand with his tail and a stick.”

“I love sticks!”

She smiled to herself, shaking her head. If only life was always so simple. “So what do we say now? Who do we thank for the gifts?”

“Odin.”

“So we say…?” she continued when Hamish looked up at her. “Than…”

“Thank you, Odin!” Hamish completed, before looking back at his grandparents. “Did you see him?”

Her father shook her head. “No. We were upstairs. He must have sneaked in through the chimney!”

Hamish looked up in wonder, and Astrid just knew he was trying to figure out if he’d fit through the chimney himself. She was sure he did, and that she would have to watch him even more closely in the coming days.

“But I do think we heard something in the bedroom while we were there, didn’t we?” her father continued, looking at her mother, who nodded along but stayed silent. “Shall we take a look?”

Hamish nodded in excitement, his other presents temporarily forgotten as he jumped to his feet and let Grandpa Arne lead him into the bedroom. Astrid heard his delighted squeal not much later, which she knew had been in reaction to a rocking horse that’d been made to look like a dragon, even with a small set of wings. Stoick had put more time and effort into it than his duties allowed for. But he’d reassured her that he wouldn’t have had it any other way.

Spoiling Hamish was the only way he could try to repay the debt he felt he had towards Hiccup, after all.

“Arne and I play along, Chief,” her mother remarked, all too aware Hamish was out of earshot and preoccupied. “But I do want to make it clear that I don’t approve.”

“I know, Sigrid,” Stoick simply said.

Her mother pursed her lips, clearly not getting the answer she was looking for.

“Mom, do we really have to do this today?” Astrid tried. “Again?”

“If not today, then when?” her mother argued.

“I don’t know, I don’t think it’s a problem to begin with, so I don’t see why we need to have this discussion. As if we’ve never had it before.”

“Both of you -” Her mother gestured to her and Stoick. “- can see how dangerously much he resembles Hiccup. He’s already obsessed with dragons, and you’re only feeding it further with your stories and these kind of presents.”

“Being like Hiccup isn’t dangerous,” Stoick countered.

“A lot of the village disagrees,” her mother threw back.

“And they’re part of the reason he became dangerous,” Astrid hissed. “And what else would you have me do? Just not mention his father? Hamish is smart, he’d start asking questions eventually. I’d rather be ahead of him.”

“You could’ve told him his father’s dead,” her mother bluntly said. “It wouldn’t be an exception for a Berkian kid.”

“Hiccup’s not dead,” Stoick cut in before Astrid could, the room cooling down due to the iciness hardly ever heard in Stoick the Vast’s voice.

It left her mother completely unfazed. “Chief, we haven’t received a sign of life from your son in over a year.”

“That doesn’t mean he’s dead,” Astrid snapped. Sure, there had been obvious signals that Hiccup was still alive, in the first few years… A ripped out eye-ball or two, a severed piece of skin, all belonging to the Red Death and delivered to Berk overnight to make a point. Brought here by dragons, she presumed. She didn’t want to believe that Hiccup had been on Berk himself without checking in on her. And on the son he didn’t know he had.

“I’m just afraid you’re setting him up for disappointment,” her mother said, more silently now. “We can’t keep pretending Hiccup will come back for the rest of his life while he doesn’t. Like you said, Hamish is smart.”

“We’ll fight that dragon when it rears its ugly head,” Stoick decided, sounding more like the Chief of Berk, and less like family. It was the way their arguments always ended.

Astrid got up from the floor, wiping some of her hair out of her face and looking at her mother. “I can’t just forget about him, or his dream. Our dream.” A world safe enough for dragons. “I’m not going to raise another Berkian dragon killer, that’s not how this works, that’s not what Hiccup would want, and neither do I. I know it’s overly sentimental, I know it doesn’t necessarily make sense, but…”

She fisted one of her hands in her skirt, averting her gaze. “It’s just not that simple. Of course I wish Hiccup were here, especially this time of year. Snotlout and Ruffnut get to spend all day with Solveig, even Spitelout being slightly tolerable for the occasion, and meanwhile I’m here pretending Hiccup cares about Hamish as much as all of us.”

She bit her lip, wiping her eyes. “It’s not fair. None of it is.” She stared into the fire so she wouldn’t glare at the woman who’d raised her and who she’d relied on so much the past four years. “And you don’t need to enlighten me on how it was Hiccup’s own choices, and mine, that got us here. I know that. Better than anyone else.” She shook her head. “But there’s nothing I can do about it. I tried. I’m still trying, every single day.”

It was becoming less difficult. Slightly. But she doubted the pain would ever really go away.

She felt a large hand on her shoulder, undoubtedly Stoick’s, and leaned into his comforting touch. “We all know what it’s like to miss someone you love this time of year,” he softly said. She knew he wasn’t just talking about Hiccup. Stoick had lost more friends and family than she could imagine. “But the only thing we can do when they can’t be here for the holiday, is celebrate them. It’s what they’d want us to do.”

She could only agree with that. And when Hamish burst back in, dragging his newest toy out of the bedroom and proudly showing it to everyone, her mother resigned herself to it as well. It was their burden to bear, after all, not Hamish’s.

Her son was simply happy, his bright and bubbly smile lighting up the room. And that was all that really mattered.

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

Gobber most certainly hadn’t lied about all the effort he’d put into the Snoggletog feast. He had practised absolutely zero self-constraint, and as a result, this was easily the best year yet. Roasts, stews, vegetables from the lands they had finally been able to cultivate now that the dragons didn’t destroy their fields at least once a month. And the bread, Gods, the bread… She had to get the recipe. It was criminally delicious.

Astrid couldn’t remember the last time she had been this full. And none of this, a feast this grand and lavish, would have been possible if it hadn’t been for Hiccup and his efforts to keep the Red Death occupied.

Not that anyone felt the need to thank him for that. Hiccup wasn’t publicly mentioned in general, his existence ignored, the truth about the Phantom and the accompanying question of who would succeed Stoick as Chief too sensitive to casually discuss. But they knew as well as she did who was responsible for Berk’s newfound prosperity. She could tell by the looks the villagers gave her, and her son.

All of it went over Hamish’s head, of course, who was completely unaware of how many people kept an eye on him as Tuffnut tried to teach him and Solveig how to dance. Not far away from them, Heather and Fishlegs set a good example - they hadn’t missed an occasion to dance since that very first time, when Hiccup had paired them up at Snotlout and Ruffnut’s wedding. Looking towards the other side of the dance floor, she spotted Spitelout, who was watching his granddaughter with obvious dismay.

She smirked and shook her head. How petty, being grumpy over two toddlers. It wasn’t as if they were getting married. Now that would be a disaster. A Jorgenson and a Hofferson. Right.

“Enjoying the view?” Ruffnut quipped, sitting down next to her on her bench and leaning back against the table, a mug in her hand.

“Well, they do look adorable, don’t you think? Better than them starting to pull on each other’s hair again.”

“Tuffnut’s surely got a way with them,” Ruffnut nodded. “But I was actually talking about the look you were giving my lovely father-in-law.”

She snickered. “He hasn’t grown on you yet either?”

“Oh, he has. Like a splinter in my spleen, slowly forcing its way in and festering until it smells and hurts so bad you’d rather drive a knife through your chest.” Ruffnut took a gulp of her hot yak milk. “But, speaking of parasites and things I should probably see Gothi for…” Astrid pulled up an eyebrow, but Ruffnut didn’t look at her. “That disgusting herbal tea they say is the solution to all our problems? Not always effective.”

“Well, yeah,” Astrid grinned, gesturing to the dance floor. “Forget to take it one morning and you’ve got yourself an adorable mini-Hiccup.”

“I did take it every day.”

Astrid gaped at Ruffnut. “You mean...?” She glanced at her mug of mead before Ruffnut answered, figuring she’d had too much. Sober Astrid would have caught on to that immediately. "And you mentioning Solveig having to learn how to share earlier today…?"

“Yep,” Ruffnut answered, making the ‘p’ pop. “Sol’s getting a sibling this Summer.”

“Whoa, I mean…” she blinked, trying to come up with an appropriate response.

Oh Gods.

She shook her head, snapping herself out of the hint of panic simmering beneath her skin. “Congratulations!”

Ruffnut just nodded, looking away. “I suppose so.”

“You’re not happy?” she asked, trying not to let on that she herself also had strongly mixed feelings.

“I mean, I’m not unhappy, I love Solveig, but it’s just…” Ruffnut sighed. “Complicated.”

“Does Spitelout know yet?”

“No.” Ruffnut shook her head. “Just Tuff, my mom and Snot. But I don’t think Snot can keep it a secret for much longer, he’s too excited. So we’ll probably tell his dad tonight. And I’d rather you hear it from me than any of Spitelout’s gossipping friends.”

“Thank you,” she said, from the depths of her heart. “I really appreciate that.”

“It’s nothing,” Ruffnut shrugged, followed up by a grin. “Gives me someone to complain to when Spite starts digging up every folk tale telling desperate men how to make sure their women give birth to a boy.”

She snorted. “You don’t want a mini-Snotlout?”

“I don’t want a mini-Spitelout,” Ruffnut corrected her. “And I’m sure Snotlout would be perfectly happy with a whole horde of girls to spoil.”

“Until they start dating,” she joked, hoping she didn’t sound too relieved by Ruffnut’s preferences.

“At least the chaos won’t be mine, for once,” Ruffnut smirked. “I can’t wait.”

She scoffed. “Never a dull day on Berk, huh?”

“Don’t even need a Phantom to stay entertained,” Ruffnut remarked, her smile not quite reaching her eyes. “Although that human disaster of yours was easier to deal with, in a way.”

“Maybe,” she murmured, the both of them glancing at Hamish, Solveig and Spitelout.

“You know, Astrid?” Ruffnut’s voice dropped, only audible to the two of them and surprisingly serious.

“Hm?”

“I think I’d like Hiccup to come back too.”

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

Hiccup was even further away from Berk than usual. He didn’t necessarily hate that, but to say he was happy would be a severe overstatement.

Then again, happiness wasn’t one of the things he deserved to get for Snoggletog this year.

He took out his sketchbook and sat down, Toothless lying down next to him and Stormfly standing guard at the other end of the island. He searched for one of the rare empty pages and glanced up, placing his pencil on the paper and outlining what he saw in front of him.

The Rookery was a busy place on Snoggletog Day. It was filled to the brim with all kinds of dragons, some of which he recognised from his army, others from the Red Death’s nest. But the dragons didn’t seem to mind meeting their enemies here. Today, they were all equal, tending to their new hatchlings with unconditional love and care. It was as beautiful as it was frustrating.

He’d prefer to be back on the Red Death’s island and continue the fight. His efforts had been stalling for a while now, the Dragon Queen preferring to keep her head down in the heat where he couldn’t reach her. But if she kept that up, she’d starve sometime soon. There was no other logical option. He just didn’t know how much longer she would take.

What he did know was that being at the Nest wouldn’t yield him anything. He needed his other dragons to make a real impact, so he might as well watch over them and their babies for the time being. Perhaps he could intercept a few of the others on the way back, earn their trust to the point that they would join him instead of returning to serve the Red Death. Then at least it hadn’t been a complete waste of time.

He knew he didn’t need to be here. In all the years he’d guarded the Rookery, there hadn’t been a single Viking ship in its vicinity. He was the only one who knew where this island was. He could go wherever, to the Northern Markets to fix up his armour, to Berserker Island to take stock of Dagur’s degree of insanity during the holiday season… To Berk, just to give them a sign he was still alive. A Snoggletog surprise.

He snickered to himself as he heard another Gronckle egg explode in the background, an idea popping up in his head. Dragon eggs, on Berk, a ribbon tied around them. Looking perfectly innocent until they exploded. Letting him be a menace even though he wasn’t anywhere near Berk. For entertainment’s sake, this time.

“Nah,” he decided. “It’s a good thing those hatch far away from Vikings. Should probably keep it that way.”

As much as he tried to be a changed man, to think differently, to not get stuck in the negative spiral that had landed him in this spot in the first place… He wasn’t a huge fan of the idea of letting adorable baby dragons anywhere near Vikings either.

Instead he eased his boredom by continuing his sketch, capturing the Rookery’s bright beaches and many dragons as well as he could with charcoal alone. It was certainly one of the most beautiful islands in the Archipelago, and hard to properly translate to paper. Still, he didn’t think he was doing too badly. Toothless agreed, warbling his approval when Hiccup showed the sketch to him.

He considered finding a Terrible Terror and sending it to Berk with the sketch. A Snoggletog present for Astrid, like the figurine of Toothless he’d given her five years prior. He’d told her about the Rookery, and she’d wanted to see it, but had never taken her there because it was almost a day’s flight away from Phantom Island. They’d both figured there would be a time for that. They’d both assumed he wouldn’t screw things up this badly.

This could be a way to make it up to her.

But he shouldn’t. He couldn’t contact her. He wasn’t allowed to. He hadn’t earned the right to interrupt whatever she’d built for himself after he’d left. Not yet. For all he knew she was living her life happily without him. Alone, or with a man who was better for her than he ever could be.

He didn’t know. He had no idea, it was completely out of his hands. He didn’t have a sliver of control over it. And that sense of incompetence, that loss of power, was eating away at him, making his heart ache.

He missed her. He missed her so much.

Finishing his sketch, he made a promise to himself. He would kill the Red Death before the next winter. By next Snoggletog, he would have seen Astrid again. And even if she didn’t want anything to do with him, which he couldn’t blame her for, he would know she was doing fine.

This would be the last Snoggletog he spent in uncertainty.

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

It was nearly midnight when Astrid got back to her own home. She silently thanked her parents for agreeing to host Snoggletog at their place this year, so she didn’t have anything to clean up. She could simply carry Hamish, who was half-asleep in her arms, into their bedroom in the back without having to care about anything else.

“There you go, little Terror,” she smiled as she put him down on their bed, shushing him as she pried his new notebook from his hands. After he’d finished ‘dancing’, they’d worked on it for a while. Hamish couldn’t read yet, let alone write, so she’d helped him sketch out the runes of his name on the first page. He’d continued to test out his pencil for the rest of the night, drawing simple shapes until he’d finally tired and fallen asleep in her lap.

She struggled to get him to cooperate as she took off his outer clothes, eventually resigning herself to simply tucking him in in the outfit he’d worn today instead of changing him into his nightshirt. She wandered around the house for a bit, making sure they wouldn’t get too cold during the night, before changing into her nightdress herself.

Hamish stirred when she slipped in next to him, opening his eyes and crawling towards her, murmuring something unintelligible.

She took him into her arms and sat back against the headrest. “What is it, baby?”

“Thless,” was all she could identify.

“What?”

Hamish fisted one of his hands in her dress, his green eyes gazing up at her through heavy eyelids. “Toothless.”

“You want Toothless?”

Hamish nodded, and she reached over to her night stand, picking up the wooden Night Fury figurine on top of it. Hamish grabbed it from her as soon as he laid eyes on it, cradling it against his chest. He’d been completely in love with it from when he was a baby.

She hugged Hamish tighter, lightly tapping the figurine’s snout. “Did you know that mini-Toothless was the first Snoggletog present Daddy gave me?”

And the only one. But Hamish didn’t need to know that.

Hamish’s eyes lit up despite his exhaustion, the way they always did whenever she mentioned Hiccup. Whenever she told him stories about his father, letting him believe Hiccup hadn’t abandoned them but that he cared, that he loved Hamish at least as much as she loved him. That he was simply away to do very important work. To fight an evil dragon and protect all the good ones she told Hamish stories about.

Hiccup was Hamish’s hero. She had built his image that way. One of an adventurer, an inventor, someone who fought for what he believed was right. All that Hiccup was if she chose to leave out the shadows and the scars. A Hiccup without the Phantom.

The Hiccup she desperately hoped to see the day he finally came back. Who could, at the very least, be a father to Hamish. If he wanted to.

Gods, she hoped he wanted to.

“He made it himself,” she explained, trying not to tear up. “Carved it out of wood and painted it to look just like the real Toothless. So that he’d always be with me.” She kissed the top of Hamish’s head. “And with you too, of course. Even when he’s away to fight.”

“Daddy and Toothless have Snoggletog too?”

“Of course,” she lied, because she didn’t know. She had no idea where Hiccup was, or what he was doing. She had no idea if he was alive. She didn’t know anything.

She kept telling people he would come back. While she wasn’t even sure herself.

“Odin only visits kids, but Daddy and Toothless celebrate Snoggletog with each other,” she improvised, biting away her tears when Hamish focused his gaze on the figurine in his hands. “They exchange gifts, although Toothless isn’t very good at it. He usually gets Daddy raw fish.”

Hamish giggled, and she went on for a while more about all the different kinds of fish Toothless liked, slowly lowering her voice until her perfect piece of happiness fell back asleep.

Then, she cried.

She kept Hamish cradled against her, not because she was afraid he’d wake up. Not because he needed it. But because she did. Because sometimes, she wasn’t as strong and hardened as she wanted to be. Because on days like these, she longed for every possible kind of distraction, to prevent herself from succumbing to the incredible sense of guilt and grief she still hadn’t managed to shake.

So she wept in silence. She had held out all day, and now allowed herself to have this moment. To imagine that she’d hear three knocks on her roof tonight and that Hiccup would slide in through the window, hugging her and assuring her that from now on, everything would be fine. That Ruffnut’s new pregnancy didn’t matter, because he’d come back. That he was going to fix the mess he’d left behind. That the Phantom was gone, and that he was here for them now. That she no longer had to do it alone.

That he loved them. That’d he’d never leave them again. That he would take care of his son until the day he died. And that he’d do the same for her, finally fulfilling his promise to make her his wife.

Just for tonight, she could be that naive. She could dream, she could hope. She could let go of what was sensible, and realistic, of all the plans she’d made for when Hiccup did come back.

And even though she hadn’t asked Odin for a present since she’d been eight, she now found herself whispering her only wish for the Gods to hear.

“Please bring Hiccup back. And let this be our last Snoggletog without him.”

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

A/N: I hope you all enjoyed this little look into the current lives of everyone we came to know in The Phantom of the Arena, and that you all have a very happy holiday period!

I’d like to leave you guys with a bit more concrete information on the sequel I talked about in the author note at the start; I am currently working on writing it, but because I have a busy half a year ahead of me, I first want to have the first act (about 10 chapters) done before I start posting. I hope the posting will start in February at the latest, but I can’t make any promises. For more updated information, you can always look at my Tumblr (aleteia-ff) or join the channel #aleteias-fics on the ATOV Discord Server (link can be found in the description of my Tumblr profile).

I can give you guys the summary as a little teaser, however:

After five years of relentlessly putting up a siege against the Red Death, Hiccup, the former terrorist known as the Phantom of the Arena, has finally defeated the Archipelago's greatest enemy, putting a definitive end to the dragon raids. Hoping the worst is finally behind him, he returns to Berk, only to find he left more behind than just the girl he loved. And that life still isn’t done with him.

Outside of the Archipelago, Eret, son of Eret, is left with nothing after a mysterious dragon rider destroys his fort and releases the captured dragons his employer sorely needed. Fearing he’ll be killed if he doesn’t, he returns to the Archipelago with what little remains, hoping to find employment in the dragon-infested area. But the threat seems to have followed him, as news spreads of how Berk's infamous Phantom has returned to reclaim what's his. And that dragon hunters like Eret will never be safe, unless they act against him.

#phantom of the arena #pota #phantomverse #hiccstrid #hiccup #astrid #fanfiction #httyd fanfiction #httyd #httyd fanfic #aleteia-writes #hamish hofferson #stoick the vast #snoggletog #merry christmas!#really hope you guys enjoy this ^^#wrote it in like 2 days

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maedarakat · 4 years

Text

Covered in Mud

——

The sky had been threatening to spill all day, all gray clouds offset by deep threatening purples. Nobody could predict when it would happen, but when it did, the clouds seemed to crack open like an egg, coating the Edge in a sudden shower of hailstones, rain, wild gusts of wind and crackling peals of thunder.

It was a truly impressive act of Thor, Astrid thought, drinking from her mug under the Clubhouse roof she had mended and patched herself before the rain season came. Not a drop so far. She was feeling a little smug, especially because Hiccup had waved away all her reminders to fix his own roof in a timely manner and was now grumpily carrying in an armload of drenched blueprints, notebooks and maps to dry out in front of the fire.

Toothless sneezed as he followed after, ears flat and drenched to his skin. More wet scrolls were sticking out of the saddle bags and Astrid came over to help unload them and spread them out.

“No, no, I got this,” Hiccup sighed. “I brought it on myself, you were right. I should have fixed the roof.”

“I didn’t say anything,” Astrid said.

“You didn’t have to. I can tell you’re dying to say ‘I told you so’ because that’s the expression you always make when you’re about to.” Hiccup’s tone was playful but also not, and Astrid tried her best to navigate the tricky waters of what he really meant to say.

Passive-aggressiveness, Ruff had supplied once, when both of them were in their cups and Astrid had found herself venting. It was nice to have a word to it, but what an oddly perfect word for every situation with Hiccup she seemed to find herself in lately.

Right now he either wanted her to reassure him and apologize, or go back to her warm drink and leave him alone. Neither option seemed ideal, but she was saved from the guesswork by a frustrated groan from Snotlout who tossed some dry wood and a pile of bundled kindling out of his cloak onto the floor.

Lout was wet, but a few hours worth of firewood had been rescued thanks to his quick thinking and the sacrifice of his cloak. Grumbling, he started stacking it into a pile. Astrid gladly went to help with that chore instead, and Hiccup huffed. He’d wanted her to choose the first option apparently, but it was no good to backtrack now - no matter what she did, it would become an argument later that everyone would pretend they hadn’t heard. She didn’t engage, playing dumb to his irritated glances and once the wood was stacked, she checked on the stew.

He was having trouble keeping one of the maps from rolling back up instead of laying flat. Astrid knew better than to suggest getting small stones from the potted flowers outside to weigh down the corners. It would be insulting somehow.

“What did you make for dinner?” Hiccup asked, just giving up and holding down the corners with his hands. He was apparently going to stay like that for a while.

Astrid sighed inwardly. “Yak stew.” Hiccup didn’t acknowledge the answer or look up at her, seemingly deep in thought and scowling.

“I’m tired of yak. When can we have boar or venison again?” Snotlout butted in and really, honestly, bless him. Astrid hadn’t wanted to hear Hiccup’s attempts to dodge out of eating any. He never seemed to be hungry on days when it was her turn to cook.

“When the rains let up, we can go hunting. But yak meat is what we have the most of.”

“Who first decided to eat a yak anyway?” Ruff asked, walking in with Fishlegs. “They’re like giant adorable sheepdogs with horns. That you can practice braiding on. They just stand there and let you. What ‘honorable viking’ decided to ‘hunt’ that?”

“Well, sometimes during famines when there’s not a lot of food to hunt -“ Fishlegs started, until Ruffnut gave him a withering look. “Oh you weren’t really asking, never mind.”

He was carrying a Maces and Talons board and the rule book. It had become necessary to have the rule book present; while playing, the twins liked to bend and tweak the boundaries of every single one. Astrid had to admit, it was thrilling to watch. Hiccup might even forget his bad mood and have a good time.

The only one missing now was Tuff.

When dinner was ready, and had been roasted thoroughly as well as stewed, Tuff had still not shown up.

Astrid left it up to the others to serve themselves and carried a covered bowl for Tuff toward his hut. It wasn’t like him to be late for dinner unless he was dramatically late. She relaxed when she saw a candle on in his window and the chimney putting out smoke.

“Hey, Tuff. Get attacked by a wolf or something?” Astrid asked automatically when he opened the door. She’d said it carelessly, an inside joke between all of them, but Tuff’s appearance took her aback.

He was a wall of mud with eyes and stiffening braids. He currently held a peeping ball of damp fluff in a towel draped over his hand - apparently trying to dry off the chicks before seeing to himself.

The storm had caught everyone at least a little off guard but ... “Why are you covered in mud?” Astrid asked.

If Tuff could have looked any angrier, the mud surely would have baked and fallen off him in crisp pieces.

“Because that ... that absolute waste of feathers-“ he started, absolutely fuming.

“Peep,” the chick helpfully interrupted.

“Excuse me - because your father,” Tuff said instead to the chick, voice dripping with scorn. “Would not come inside when he was directed to before the storm hit, oh no - Fustercluck knows best! Fustercluck thinks a rickety old toolshed is the best place to keep his chicks safe during a storm like this! And so he led me on a merry f-“

“Peep.”

“-cking chase around in the mud with half of you guys unhelpfully following him, until I finally grabbed him so you would follow us all inside.” Tuff sighed dramatically and Astrid shook her head, grinning. He was more a mother hen than Chicken. It was endearing.

“Imprinting’s a fine concept and all, really,” Tuff said, like he was letting her in on a secret. “Less fine when there’s a complete doorknob standing there on hatching day. Sorry, I won’t be hanging with you guys tonight, A. I gotta get them dried off so they don’t catch colds. I can’t come to dinner looking like this anyway.”

“So did you let your dumbass rooster inside or did you throw him back out to stay in his shed?”

“Oh I wanted to, believe me.” Tuff made a face and jerked his thumb over his shoulder. There, on a perch made for two, Fustercluck and Chicken were preening each other’s feathers and burbling lovingly. “She wouldn’t have it.”

And he wasn’t anywhere near that heartless. Astrid knew that better than he seemed to himself. She came in, set the bowl on the table and picked up a towel. “Tell you what. After we dry off the chicks, I’ll help you get all this mud off you.”

“Oh. Okay, thanks,” Tuff said, offering her a smile and a different wet chick.

They got them clean and fluffed up and Chicken accepted them into her nest for the night, preening them the rest of the way dry. Tuff closed them in and noticed the bowl on the table. “Could I have some of your soup if you aren’t going to eat it? It’s going to get cold.”

Astrid smiled. “It’s yours, I brought it for you. In case you were sick or reading or decided to paint a wall.”

“You did?” Tuff didn’t give her time to take the offer back, picking the bowl up and draining it. He loved it when people cooked for him - Ruff had told her that.

She set a pot of water on his stove to heat up and looked for towels while he shed all but his leggings. He was trying to tie his hair back and out of the way but his braids were heavy and caked.

Astrid took over, making him sit in a chair and lean his hair back into a basin of clean warm water. Another pot of water was set to warm up on the fire. Poor Tuff would need more - probably most of it for his hair.

He sighed blissfully as the first soak drew the worst of the dirt and mud away, turning the basin water immediately opaque. “It feels like the fifty pound Night-terror napping on my head just woke up and flew away.”

“Yeah, I bet. This is mostly clay. You guys should put a potters wheel in your hut.”

“I’m not going to make anything resembling a normal piece of crockery,” he vowed.

“That’s alright. I’m sure Ruff won’t be making anything resembling a non-offensive piece of crockery,” Astrid said, and Tuff laughed.

He helped her change out the water to do his hair once more until it was closer to its normal golden color. A swim in the morning would help get the rest of it clear.

Astrid dabbed a towel into hot water and gently ran it over the patches of mud on his skin that had caked dry. When it was softened, she wiped the dirt away just as gently. Tuff followed her motions, getting his chest and arms and legs while she got his back.

Tuff sighed softly when they were finished, his exhaustion and relief tangible. “Thanks, A,” he said. “Did you have dinner yet?”

“No, but it’s fine. I’m sure there’s plenty of yak stew left over,” she said wryly.

“Stew would be cold by now. Here.” He got up, and headed to his pantry. He gifted her with a plate of cracked walnuts, dried apricot slices, goat cheese, and a few hard boiled eggs.

All put together, it looked like a feast for some warrior elf maiden traveling Midgard. Astrid smiled and cleaned her plate of everything that had been offered, eating slowly while Tuff - clean and in much better spirits - laughingly recounted his madcap adventure of chasing a very stubborn rooster all across a muddy, slippery, hole-filled yard. Barf and Belch had dug a man-sized pit earlier to hide their favorite bone and it had filled up quickly with a foamy slurry of mud and rainwater. Tuff had apparently forgotten this and went down with a splash.

Astrid couldn’t stop laughing - not at his story but at the way he told it. “I wish I could have seen that! You probably looked like some ravenous troll clawing its way out of Niflheim - no wonder the chickens freaked out and ran away! I would have run too, if you’d just popped out of the ground! And with all that lightning and thunder -“

“You would have run from a troll? You?” Tuff scoffed. “That poor thing would have been tied to a chair in an hour, begging you to call his mother to come pick him up.”

She cackled and rubbed at her cheeks, which were seriously aching by now. Astrid hadn’t laughed this hard in a while. It was definitely good for her.

They said their good nights a little while after Ruff came back to the hut, not drunk but definitely not sober. “You guy’s missed a really dumb boring match in which everyone followed the same dumb boring rules.” She stared at her brother, still casually shirtless, only wearing his leggings. “And apparently you guys played strip-poker instead. And my brother ... lost? Won? Who knows. Not asking ‘cause I’m gonna forget everything in the morning anyway!” Ruffnut stomped cheerfully up to the loft to pass out across her own bed.

Tuff still had his face in his hands by the time her snores drifted down and Astrid was beet red, snickering helplessly.

“On that note, we should probably get to bed too,” she finally managed, wiping her eyes.

Tuff nodded, getting up. “Yeah, I’ll walk you to the door. Thanks for everything. This was a good night.” He grinned at her, soft and hopeful and Astrid leaned in without thinking, and kissed the corner of his mouth.

She pulled back and they stared at each other, neither one wanting to blink first.

“Goodnight,” Astrid managed to squeak out finally, because her mom had told her that shield maidens never started what they couldn’t finish. “See you tomorrow?”

Tuff hand went up to touch where she had kissed him and then he seemed to remember himself and dropped his arm down. “Yeah. S-Swimming, right?” It was an offer to stay friends, if she thought she had made a mistake.

“Sure, I’ll dress for it. See you at dawn?”

“Yeah.” Tuff stared at her from the doorway and she really wanted to kiss him again. Astrid thought of Hiccup still trying to dry his papers and feeling slighted that she hadn’t stayed to help him. She weighed the pros and cons of tipping her boat over and refusing to navigate anymore of his confusing waters ever again.

Happily, Tuffnut leaned forward and caught her lips, solving the equation.

#httydrarepairbingo #tuffstrid #tuffnut #astrid #httyd

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bi-bi-want-dragon · 4 years

Text

New Names, Old Traditions

From Meet the Ingermans

When Fishlegs woke, the first thing he registered were the cries of his newborn daughter, only a few days old. That he expected at this point. The second thing he registered was the warm morning sunlight stretching into the room. The baby had woken so much through the night that he honestly had expected it to still be pitch black outside.

Ruffnut stirred as well, stretching and moving to get up. Fishlegs gently leaned over his wife, pulling her into his chest and kissing her hair as he guided her head back to her pillow. "Stay here, love, I'll bring her to you."

He scrubbed his eyes with his hands, willing himself to stay awake, focusing on his daughter's voice. Oddly, he wasn't even upset about the sleepless nights; every cry from his daughter was a reminder that she, and his wife as well, survived the delivery. His family was still intact, and if that meant he had to survive moons upon moons of sleepless nights, he would gladly do so.

"Hey, beautiful," he whispered, lifting his daughter from her cradle and snuggling her to his chest. "Daddy's got you, it's okay."

He turned back to his sleepy wife, who had pulled herself up in bed and was removing her tunic. She shivered as the chilly morning air brushed her skin.

Fishlegs joined her back in bed, handing over their daughter so Ruffnut could place her at her breast. He grabbed a small blanket that he had been keeping next to the bed and wrapped it around Ruffnut's shoulders. She snuggled into his chest as their baby suckled away, and he happily wrapped his arms around both girls. He kept a secure arm around the baby in case Ruffnut got a little too sleepy (which she had every right to, of course).

He kissed her temple. "Good morning, my love," he whispered.

She smiled. "Morning, handsome."

"How are you feeling today?"

"Sleepy. Happy you don't have to go back to work yet," she said, twisting her neck to place a kiss on Fishlegs' chest.

"Me too." Fishlegs was quite excited about the time off himself; when Hiccup heard about the struggle Ruffnut went through during the birth, he told Fishlegs to take as much time as he needed before he returned. Hiccup remembered his own fear when Nuffink was born early not even a year prior. Being Chief, he couldn't take all the time off that he wanted to spend with his wife and struggling boy. But he could give Fishlegs the time he needed to care for his recovering wife and new baby girl, even if it meant Hiccup had to pick up some of the slack. But he was okay with that, especially for his closest friend.

Just as Ruffnut began to relax again, eyes closed and peaceful smiling gracing her face, the babe in her arms cried out. Ruffnut was startled awake again, and Fishlegs gently squeezed her to calm her and hold the baby in her arms. "It's okay! She probably just needs burped," Fishlegs encouraged.

Ruffnut took a few deep breaths, calming her racing heart, before lifting the babe to burp. "Feisty little one, aren't we?" she cooed. "I'm sure you got that from Daddy, huh?"

Fishlegs chuckled. "Sure, definitely not from you."

"Of course not, I'm perfectly innocent." The babe burped and was calm for a moment. Ruffnut sighed and relaxed back into Fishlegs' chest, but then her eyebrows stitched together. "You know, she didn't really eat as much-"

The baby started screaming again, making Fishlegs chuckle as Ruffnut put her back to her breast. The babe calmed instantly, happily suckling away yet again.

Ruffnut sighed and relaxed again. "Alright, fine, maybe she got my attitude," she muttered.

Fishlegs chuckled. "Will you be alright if I leave you for a bit today? Just to pick up some supplies and make sure Hiccup isn't drowning yet. Trader Casimir arrived yesterday and he doesn't stop in often."

Ruffnut hesitated, wanting to say no.

"I'll wait until you're asleep," Fishlegs offered, sensing her uncertainty, "and I'll make sure her cradle is right beside you."

Ruffnut considered this for a moment before sighing. The only reason she wanted him to stay was that she was enjoying his snuggles. But Casimir always brought things from much further reaches than most other traders that visited Berk, and she didn't want him to miss that opportunity. "Yeah, that's fine. Just try not to be long, okay?"

"Of course." Fishlegs smiled and kissed her hair. "Won't be a problem at all. Trust me, I'd rather be here. I just want to see what kind of books he has."

"Mmm..." Ruffnut sighed, growing sleepy again now that their daughter had finished feeding. Her eyes were closed and Fishlegs noticed her thumb absentmindedly caressing the infant's shoulder. He slid a supportive arm underneath the baby and let his wife drift off to sleep before slipping the baby out of her grasp. Gently lying her into the cradle, he whispered, "Be good for Momma," loving smile never faltering.

~~~

"Fishlegs! What're you doing out? Is everything alright back home?" Hiccup fell in step with the new father with five-year-old Zephyr perched on his shoulders, little hands gripping his hair. She waved enthusiastically to Fishlegs.

"Yeah, everything is fine," Fishlegs replied, waving back to Zephyr with a smile. "I just wanted to catch Casimir before he took off again."

"Oh, well I could've checked the goods out for you," Hiccup offered as Zephyr giggled and reached out to Fishlegs, catching her as she gracefully toppled off his shoulders.

Fishlegs took Zephyr and hugged her to his chest. "Nah, it's alright. Ruff and the baby are asleep anyway."

"Um, Uncle Fishy?" Zephyr squeaked, patting Fishlegs' cheeks. "Um, cou-could I meet the new baby when Aunt Ruffie is feeling better?"

"If you want to, Iou want to, I don't see why not," Fishlegs said. Zephyr smiled brightly before snuggling her head on Fishlegs' shoulder. He chuckled and patted her back. "How are things going without me?" He asked Hiccup, a hint of guilt in his voice.

"Ah, you don't worry about that. Keep focused on the wife and baby. That's an order from your Chief," Hiccup added with a wink. "And let Ast and I know if either of you need anything.

Hiccup swooped his daughter back onto his shoulders as they bounced away, leaving Fishlegs to board the trader's boat and begin combing through the goods on deck.

"Mr. Ingerman!" A deep voice bellowed as the pale, mousey-brown-haired man named Casimir emerged from below deck. "How's my favorite scholar? The young Chief mentioned you had some struggles with your new little one."

"We did, but her and Ruff are looking a lot better today," Fishlegs mused, eyes finding the books stacked neatly in a box. "Anything interested over there?"

"'Fraid not, sire. I must admit my trades have been fairly focused on some new spices coming out of the Malays and Java and Sumatra areas. If only Trader Nadim would let me get my hands on some," he added under his breath.

"New spices?"

"That's right." Casimir perked up. "One nut in particular - a seed, rather - creates two different spices. One from the outer covering, the other from the innermost flesh of the fruit stone. From what I gathered, it has incredible medicinal properties, the potential to cure every ailment you can think of! Oh, and the smell, Mr. Ingerman. Such a... A warm, inviting aroma. A hint of sweet, but with a unique bite. Such a difficult experience to describe, but quite pleasant. I can only imagine the flavor it may add to foods!"

Fishlegs was fully immersed in Casimir's depiction, suddenly desiring to experience this new substance. "So, wait, you don't have any?"

"No, sir. I know one trader well, named Nadim, that typically supplies myself and a few other traders with goods from this particular island region. He's shown me the seed, taunted me and the other traders with it. Sadly, he won't surrender a pinch, no matter what I offer in exchange."

"Why not?"

Casimir huffed. Apparently the typical clients don't have the desire for the spice that his home region does. Claims the exchange isn't worth it, he can obtain much more for even a single nut than any of us European traders would offer." He shrugged. "The demand simply isn't there."

Fishlegs was confused. "Then why do you want it so bad?"

"Because, my good sir," Casimir leaned in, "people tend not to share the things they value most. And that seed is the one good Nadim refuses to trade with us. The other traders don't much care. But I wish to know why."

Fair point, Fishlegs thought. Though the affairs of traders was hardly his concern. Still, his curiosity got the best of him, per usual. "What's this spice called, anyway?"

~~~

As Fishlegs carefully eased open the door, he peeked inside the doorway. But his attempts of remaining quiet seemed a little silly when he found Ruffnut sitting in the main room, curled in a ball in her favorite chair, their daughter resting on Ruff's knees in her grasp close to her face. She didn't notice Fishlegs walk in as she cooed to the baby squirming and occasionally glancing to her mother in her lap.

"Hey, you're up," Fishlegs softly praised.

"The bedroom was starting to smell funky," she cooed, still smiling at the small babe. "Needed some fresh surroundings" Fishlegs chuckled as he sat in another chair in the main room, happily watching his wife and daughter bonding. Ruffnut looked up at him a little confused, seemingly realizing he was empty-handed. "Casimir didn't have anything interesting?"

Fishlegs shrugged. "Nothing tangible, no."

Ruffnut was about to ask what he meant when the baby in her arms squeaked and yawned. She giggled, distracted for a moment, and enthusiastically waved her husband over. He struggled to dilute his overwhelming glee as he slipped into the chair with his wife, pulling her (and by default, his daughter) onto his lap as they admired the baby. "More stories?" Ruff whispered as the babe quieted.

"Yeah, actually. Apparently another trader is hoarding this special new spice." He found his fingers gently gliding along the soft skin of the baby's arm.

"Mmm. How special?" Ruffnut's head found its place on Fishlegs' shoulder, kissing his cheek before settling in.

"Well, one plant gives you two different spices," he began, snuggling his family in the quiet, dying lights of the day. The fire crackled softly as it danced through the room through its warmth and shadows, casting away the dark and dreary world outside. "The outside is soft, and open, and you can see glimpses of the inside through it. The inside is tough, hard, strong. But when you break it open and grind it down, it has all kinds of uses. Medicinal, aromatic, flavoring. It has a strong smell, but tastes warm, a little spicy, with a hint of sweet."

"I'm surprised you didn't bring any home to experiment with," Ruffnut softly joked before he could continue.

"He didn't have any," Fishlegs gently gave with a knowing smile, "he was just telling me about it." He bit his lips as he mulled over his next thought.

Ruffnut sensed the hesitation. She looked up at him curiously. "What?"

He blushed. "Nothing, I just... I think I know what I want to name her."

She thought for a moment over the placement of his admittance. "The spice?"

"Well, it's soft and open and inviting on the outside. Tough on the inside. Warm, a little spicy and a little sweet at its essence. Helpful in a lot of ways." He shrugged. "That's kind of how I want her to be as she grows. Soft and sweet on the outside but tough and not afraid to stand up for herself on the inside."

Ruffnut blinked. "That's... That's so sweet, babe."

Fishlegs smiled sheepishly and blushed brighter. "You said it had to be perfect."

Ruffnut chuckled, freeing one hand to tap his head. "If it came from this brain, it would've been perfect by nature."

Fishlegs shook his head, but he was still smiling. "I haven't even told you what the name is yet, and that's the most perfect part."

Ruffnut laughed at herself. "I guess not. What is it?"

"Nutmeg."

Fishlegs watched as the realization bloomed on Ruffnut's face in utter joy.

"It's perfect because she gets her own 'Nut' nameclaim. But in her own unique way." Fishlegs smiled proudly, quite impressed with himself.

Ruffnut smacked his arm as tears welled up in her eyes. "I get it you asshole you don't have to explain it," she joked through tears. Damn emotions.

Fishlegs wasn't at all offended; he laughed and kissed Ruffnut's hair. "Does that mean I have your approval?"

"Did you need it in the first place?" Ruffnut asked sarcastically, scrubbing the tears away with one hand, the other still securing her daughter to her chest.

"It'd be nice," Fishlegs teased. He reached out to tickle his daughter's belly. "What do you think, Nutmeg? You think Momma likes that name?"

Nutmeg stretched and squirmed at the touch, eyes blinking open for a moment before a yawn overtook her face and shut them again. She quickly descended back into a light snooze.

Ruffnut grabbed Fishlegs' chin between her first finger and thumb of her free hand, pulling his lips against hers. "I love you. Even when you make me cry."

Fishlegs chuckled. "I love you, too. Even when you hit me."

Ruffnut rolled her eyes, snuggling back into Fishlegs chest as the baby let out a short, soft cry. "Oh, I'm sorry, did we leave you out?" Ruffnut cooed. "I love you, too, Nutmeg."

Fishlegs smiled down at his daughter as he rested his head on top of Ruffnut's. "We both do."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I’d love to know what you guys think of the name!

I feel like the Ingermans are getting so much more love from me than the Haddocks right now... Oh well!

As promised, the fluffiest of fluff to follow the horrid angst I presented to you before! (Forgive me my lovely readers!) Things are going to start moving a little faster both here and in Life After They Left for those that read that as well as I'm working to set the stage for a third story that pulls both LATL and Meet the Ingermans together. More so in LATL probably than in here, but the two will have a lot of intertwining over the next few chapters. But no worries! I will still fill MTI and LATL with fluffy oneshots as they come to me even after the groundwork for the new fic is laid out and I start posting chapters for it!

And for those that are interested I'll have a more detailed announcement after I get ready to start posting things for the new fic. I did post this teeny tiny little teaser, but that’s all I’ve got for you right now :)

See you soon with more of little Nutmeg!

#meet the ingermans #ruffnut #Fishlegs #ruffnut thorston #ruffnut ingerman #Fishlegs Ingerman #httyd fanfic #httyd #post httyd 3 #randis fics

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howtowhumpyourhiccup · 3 years

Note

One chance

Managed to write this one up pretty quickly! Proofreading it was a whole different story, though. 😭

Decided to turn this prompt into a Httyd/AoT crossover. AoT universe with Httyd characters.

I hope you enjoy!

One chance. He only has one chance at this, one shot to get behind that titan and slice at its nape. If he fails, it won’t be just him who will die, Hiccup will pay the price for his incompetence as well.

He and Astrid have been hanging around the area, standing on the rooftops of homes with their blades drawn. They’ve been trying to get Hiccup after they watched one of the small ones leap up out of nowhere and bite his left leg off midair.

They were completely taken by surprise, would’ve never have even known if Hiccup hadn’t screamed his lungs out of his body before he disappeared from view. Astrid nearly collided with a building, but her quick reflexes saved her.

It must’ve been an abnormal, titans of which the behavior can be totally unpredictable, and the two of them have disposed of it by pure luck alone. But now there’s a 10 meter class that they have to deal with, it’s searching for their injured friend.

“Toothless? When are we finally making our move?!” Astrid is getting impatient and she wants to act, but knows she can’t do this alone. They don’t even know if Hiccup is still alive or if he already died either from the blood loss or the shock of losing a limb.

Toothless’ lime green gaze briefly glances at her, fingers itching for the triggers of his hooks on both sides. He knows that he needs to act, he can see the 10 meter titan rip through the roof of a house in an attempt to find Hiccup. As they are dangerously good in finding hidden humans, Toothless knows Hiccup is somewhere there, almost within its grasp and fearing for his life.

There are no other titans in their vicinity, now would be the perfect time to do something to help, before more of them find their location and make the recovery of their friend impossible.

The titan rips through the first floor, sending debris of wood and stone flying everywhere, even some furniture, and destroying most of the home.

Just then, the front door by its feet swings open, Toothless and Astrid watch in surprise as Hiccup stumbles to the ground outside with a shout.

Glancing behind him at the grinning 10 meter class, he attempts to crawl to safety, bloody stump where his lower left leg used to be and both of his blades still in hand. He tried to hide, but his hiding place has been destroyed. All he can do is hurriedly try to scamper away if he wants to avoid death, heart beating up a storm within his chest.

“Hiccup! There he is!” Astrid exclaims when she spots him at the same time Toothless does, sounding both relieved as well as fearful.

Noticing that the human is not there, the titan turns its absent gaze to Hiccup, finally settling its eyes on its prize.

“No!” Hiccup shouts when he notices, terror gripping him, but he can’t hope to get away in his condition. He tries to get back up to his one remaining foot, maybe he can get somewhere higher up, but he falls back down quickly.

The titan reaches a hand for him, intending to grab him and eat him alive.

“Toothless!” Astrid wants him to act, but Toothless is already ahead of her, having leapt off the roof he was previously standing on.

“No, no!” Hiccup shouts, falling onto his back as he slices two of the titan’s fingers off with a wild swing of his left sword, but still it tries to get him. Hiccup kicks at the hand, slipping out and backing up further.

Hooking onto a nearby belltower, Toothless uses it to swing around and get the titan from the side as it reaches for his friend again. He has only one chance, he can’t mess this up.

“Toothless!” Hiccup cries out.

With a cry and skill that required three years of hard training to acquire, Toothless cleanly removes a big chunk out of the titan’s nape and the 10 meter class is no more. It doesn’t even cry out in pain, its wide smile is still present on its lips as it startles soundlessly from the hit.

It collapses, threatening to topple over right on top of Hiccup, who can’t back away fast enough, and that’s when Astrid comes in.

She swoops in, diving beneath one of the titan’s arms to reach Hiccup and wrapping her arms around his middle before taking to the sky again, exerting more gas than she needs to as she travels high and far.

Not wanting to stay behind and needing to check up on Hiccup, Toothless follows them.

They can barely scan their new surroundings before they plummet onto the nearest roof below, something training has harshly taught them is usually a lethal mistake. Who knows how many of them could be hiding in their area.

Astrid holds tightly onto Hiccup as they land with a hard thud and roll, nearly falling right off. Toothless lands right by them, they managed to find a flat rooftop.

“Hiccup!” Not taking the time to recover from such a hard landing or the brush with death from before, Toothless practically rips his best friend from Astrid’s grip. He wraps his arms around him, an embrace Hiccup returns just as strongly, though he’s weakened.

Astrid comes up in a kneeling position, taking a look at his leg, which should be their first priority. It’s been hastily bandaged with cloth, part of someone’s blanket she’s willing to wager, and he’s put a tourniquet around his leg near his knee to prevent any further bleeding. He must’ve pulled it tight as the cloth is soaked, but he doesn’t seem to be losing any more blood at the moment.

It’s not a permanent solution, however. This is only going to help for so long, he needs real medical attention. Maybe they can give him something for the pain, too, she can see how much he’s hurting, face red and sweat running down his brow as he clings to Toothless.

But before they can get him help, Astrid captures Hiccup in a hug as well and she feels a bloodied hand of his land on the back of her head. She couldn’t care less for how sticky her hair will be later, she’s simply relieved to have him back with them.

“Where are the others?” Hiccup asks as they pull away, Toothless’ hands still on some part of him. Though he’s lost a leg, he seems pretty level headed. Either he hasn’t truly realized yet that he has lost a limb and that he will never get it back again, or Toothless’ presence is keeping him grounded, maybe it could even be both. They’ve always been close, Snotlout called it “creepy” once.

Both of his friends have to look away.

“We have no idea, we haven’t seen anybody else from our team since we were debriefed. We haven’t seen any of our friends yet either,” Astrid informs him. The three of them were in a group together with three other peers and Hiccup as their captain, but they lost them soon after they were sent in to battle for this city as well. They didn’t even know what hit them, they just left for the area they were supposed to protect and suddenly three of their fellow recruits were gone.

As for their friends, they know Snotlout and Ruffnut and their team had been sent in a little earlier than them. And yet, they haven’t come across them. Who knows what that could mean, it could mean nothing and it could mean everything at the same time.

The three look down, a sense of unrealism washing over them. They each had their own reasons to join, Astrid because she wanted to appear tough and redeem her family’s bad name, Hiccup because “he had to” for reasons he has refused to share, and Toothless because he would follow Hiccup anywhere.

In the back of their minds, all three of them knew that their decision to join could lead to this, at least some of them had hoped it would lead to a battle eventually, and yet…

The sound of a bell reaches their ears and all three find the direction it is coming from. Relief washing over them before it is swiftly torn away from them, knowing what that bell means.

That’s the evacuation bell, the sound that tells them the evacuation of the civilians is complete and that they can finally leave this hell themselves.

“There it is, we’ve succeeded, we can go.” Astrid says blankly.

“With what gas?” Hiccup asks, knowing that he’s not the only one nearly running on fumes.

They can’t hope to cross the rest of the city, reach the nearest part of the wall, and climb it with what little they have. They would need to resupply first and the supply team has stopped making its rounds some time ago.

The bell stops ringing and silence returns, only broken by very distant screaming.

Toothless took his one chance and it led to him and Astrid saving Hiccup, but who’s going to save them now?

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raflovestuffs · 5 years

Text

Promise~

Hey there People! I’m so glad that I’m finally able to present you the first os of a two parts story I wrote and called "Upcoming Age". I have this in mind since a long time but wasn’t able to write it!

@poppysfanworld gave me the idea of the flashback and I also was inspired by the artbook and the piece of art of @looneylolita!

I hope you’ll enjoy this chapter :)

...

Like a dancing ballet, the dragons flew to the hidden world. The spectacle of their flapping wings showed the greatness of these majestic beings. Hiccup had spent five years of his life with them and witnessing their departure was by far the most difficult thing he had ever faced. Toothless’ glanced down even more. He looked at his human friend from the edge of the cliff with his big sad eyes, still hesitating to take off. The auburn-haired man smiled through his tears to reassure him, as if to say, ‘It's going to be alright’, and Toothless gave him one last look before flying off to his freedom.

The Berkians stayed long in front of this cliff, gazing at the sky, even after all the dragons had left. Thereafter, everyone had finally returned to the camp. The dragon riders had wanted to stay a little longer, but eventually did the same. Only the chief remained.

In the absence of his artificial leg to support him, he had taken a seat at the edge of the cliff and remained there until nightfall, lost in thought. The tears he had let flow earlier, had dried on his cheeks.

He heard footsteps behind him. Someone crouched down by putting their hand on his shoulder. Without having to turn around, he knew it was Astrid. His gaze crossed hers and the young man's face relaxed. His features softened as he smiled at her.

"Come on, it's time to join the others."

Hiccup sighed before agreeing. She helped him to get up and he leaned on her shoulder to walk. Astrid supported him in his steps to where the villagers had gathered. Small groups had formed around improvised campfires.

The couple passed through them, stepping over a few people. They watched the men rub their hands to warm themselves by the fire. They told each other stories from the good old days, smiling at the memory of the dragons.

Berk obviously needed to gather after the sad event that had just taken place. Sharing the happy memories that their friendship with the dragons had given them seemed like good therapy.

The further he went, the more amazement could be seen on the young leader's face. Seeing his people gather in this way made them happy despite everything that had happened.

Astrid turned to him.

"What should we do when our loved ones are not with us?"

"We celebrate them," he replied without hesitation.

That's what his father always said. He always had the right words in difficult times. Hiccup was happy to have Astrid at his side for this, among other reasons. She reminded him a lot of his father and it helped him to move forward.

They finally found their old friends sitting in a circle around a fire. The gang was complete. Fishlegs was crying in Ruffnut’s arms as she gave her brother a sadden glance. Snotlout, who was next to Tuffnut, watched the scene unfold without saying anything. They looked really bad. They looked up when their group leader and friend arrived. He smiled at them before sitting beside them.

"So what are you doing out here?" he said to them.

"Well, like everyone else... " Tuffnut replied.

"We’re telling each other stories," her sister added.

"We were recalling the time when the twins almost burned down the shoreline with the fireworms fiasco," explained Snotlout, somewhat amused.

"And I was explaining to them that it wasn't completely my fault... maybe Ruffnut’s," retorted the male twin.

Snotlout was about to say something, but Hiccup cut him off.

"The Edge... it was the good old days, wasn't it?"

"We were young and free," Astrid agreed.

The others then let themselves go to their good memories.

"The Dragon Eye... when we discovered it, it changed everything. It allowed us to explore the world... a world so vast... " his voice broke when he realized that he could never explore this world in this way anymore.

Astrid grabbed his hand and squeezed it into hers, as if to testify to his presence, she was there for him.

"It also allowed us to expand our knowledge of dragons! " exclaimed Fishlegs, who had just dried his tears. "We've discovered so much! Between the Night Terrors, the Death Songs, the Sentinels, the Eruptodons, the Razorwhips..."

This last evocation inevitably reminded him of Heather, for whom he had been of particular interest for some time. As he looked at others, he realized that they had thought of her too. Astrid put a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

"I miss her too," she sighed, trying to smile.

"Ah... she still had the coolest dragon of all," exclaimed Tuffnut, looking nostalgic.

Everyone laughed at his dreamy gaze.

"We experienced a lot of things there, though... " said Ruffnut. "We learned to work as a team, didn't we, Astrid?" she said while giving a light punch to Astrid’s shoulder.

"Aha, that's right."

"And we have met so many different people, different cultures, different places..." added the chief.

"The last few years have been really rich," concluded his girlfriend.

"Rich in twists and turns, yeah," Snotlout suddenly exclaimed. "Don't forget that we almost got killed, I don't know how many times, by dragon hunters! Not to mention the volcano on the shore, which almost destroyed the entire island! And do you remember the time you and Fishlegs almost-"

Astrid had presented him with her axe in front of his eyes and Hiccup had hastened to lower it down gently.

"And you forget how many dragons we were able to save because of our recklessness," Hiccup reminded him.

The brown-haired man looked down, grumbling, and Hiccup continued his speech.

"We left Berk to live new adventures, to learn how to manage on our own. And that's what we did. We've been through... so much there. These last six years have undoubtedly been the best years of my life. I've been through... incredible things with Toothless, with all of you. We learned to help each other, to support each other in the most difficult times."

He turned to Astrid and looked into her eyes.

"To love each other."

The blonde's blue eyes grew larger; a smile appeared on the corners of her lips. Hiccup took her hand, squeezed it, and kissed her, before facing the gang once again.

"And as for today, we left Berk to offer a better life to our dragons and new adventures that await us."

He squeezed the hand of the young Hofferson, once more. The rest of the dragon riders looked disconcerted. They were stunned by the words of their leader. They all nodded with big eyes. All except Tuffnut.

"That's all well and good, but can you tell me who's going to take me to see Chicken now?!" he exclaimed.

The others looked at him strangely before laughing with a good heart.

Hiccup felt as if a breath of fresh air was invading him. Like he could breathe again. As if any tension had dissipated. His friends had managed to cheer him up. He felt good in their presence. And he knew he owed it to one person.

"Thank you," he said, turning to the one he loved.

This one smiles at him. With a glance, he invited her to get up to escape from the group. She took him under her arm and they left the others with a last nod.

As they moved away from the crowd to their respective tents, they observed the landscape around them. They had a whole village to rebuild, a whole life.

In front of the distracted look of her boyfriend, the blonde called him by name.

"Hiccup, are you all right?"

"I feel better. Thank you again for taking me to see them. I needed this."

The girl looked down and smiled.

"You had to make a serious decision today. It was essential to the survival of the dragons and to ours as well."

She raised his head and looked into his eyes.

"I just want you to know that even though it was hard for all of us, you made the right decision, Hiccup."

Hearing Astrid say it aloud reassured him somewhat because it was true that he had asked himself the question and had turned it over several times in his head after the fact. But Astrid knew him too well and she already knew all that.

"I'm going to miss him," the young leader whispered.

They had just arrived in front of his tent. Astrid helped him to sit on the floor while keeping a comforting hand on his shoulder. In his saddened look, she held his head in her hands.

"I'm going to miss him too, just as much as Stormfly, but you did it for their own good."

The young woman lowered her hands down along his chest.

"And, they'll always be there," she had finished saying by placing a hand on his heart.

She managed to get a smile from Berk’s chief, who covered her hand with his. His other hand caressed her face by releasing it from the golden strands that concealed it.

"You've always been there for me, Astrid."

He kissed her on her forehead.

"Toothless is my best friend. He helped me to become the man I am today. But none of this would have been possible without your support."

The girl's eyes opened wide.

"Living without him will be a difficult ordeal, but you know what, Astrid?"

He paused.

"When I picture myself happy, it's with you."

Hiccup’s face relaxed. He smiled, with misty eyes:

"Do you remember the promise I made to you when we were children?"

"As if it was yesterday," the young woman agreed.

"So I’m asking you Astrid Hofferson, do you want to spend the rest of your life with me?"

Winter was already well settled in when young Hiccup Haddock decided to leave home. As usual, he had left without permission. Anyway, his father Stoick the Vast wasn't there to stop him. And with Gobber as his only babysitter, he could get away.

At just ten years old, the future village chief was an intrepid boy, in love with nature and its beauty. He liked to get lost in the woods. He didn't really have any friends among the children in the village, but he claimed to love his solitude. The truth is that he was only looking for recognition from his village, and for them to stop treating him a ball and chain.

He soon arrived at the entrance to the forest. He rubbed his arms to warm himself up a little before venturing inward. His feet treaded on the snow-covered ground, leaving footprints behind him, sinking deeper into the forest. The young boy had planned to land in a quiet place to observe the few birds that would hide in the hollows of the trees. In this period of extreme cold, the dragons had left as they did every time the Snoggletog period arrived. The small animals could therefore find a quiet life where they did not have to constantly escape from their dangerous flames.

Hiccup then took a position on a tree trunk from which he could observe some birds coming out to wash themselves. He grabbed his notebook and, with his left hand, began to scribble some sketches. Despite the cold and his red cheeks, he continued to draw for nearly half an hour. After a while of staying in the same position, he decided to move to another place. He went a bit further into a more densely wooded area, and settled again. He began to draw the trees around him and the white carpet at their feet. A noise, however, made him lift his head from his notebook. He closed it with one hand and approached the sound he had just heard. It sounded like cracking wood. He then, continued to walk a little further.

"Ah!"

Someone seemed to be making a physical effort. He approached again.

Tchuc!

It was a girl cutting wood. She seemed to be his age. Two blond strands of hair protruded from her white fur hat. A wolf's skin as a coat, the little girl didn't seem to feel the cold.

Tchuc!

She chopped one more log. Hiccup was watching her closely. This figure looked familiar to him, but he was not sure of himself until she turned around. Without realizing it, he had laid a hand on a branch that had broken under the pressure of the latter. The noise had alerted the blonde. He instantly stooped down to hide.

"Is anyone there?"

That voice. That authoritarian voice that could only belong to one person. Astrid Hofferson. The girl had always occupied a very large place in his heart. So much so that he fell in love with it. He had fallen in love with her fiery temperament, her ability to handle the axe like no one else and her beautiful blue eyes. Hiccup was desperately in love with this girl but he was too shy to confess it to her. Yet he wanted to, but he was too afraid of being ridiculed.

"Have you been here long?!"

The young boy jumped. He hadn't seen it coming. He immediately got up to face her. She crossed her arms on her stomach and raised an eyebrow. And Hiccup knew what it meant; she wanted answers.

"Well... that is to say..."

"What exactly were you doing?"

He gulped with difficulty.

"Well, it's just... I was in the forest and... you were there and..."

"And what Haddock?"

He was stuck. She would never want to believe it. He had to invent something. Or not. Why not go for it?

"There, I followed you because... I love you Astrid Hofferson. Since forever and... one day I will marry you."

He had done it. He had said what he had on his mind.

"It‘s never gonna happen."

And she had dashed all his hopes in less than five seconds. Hiccup stood still in front of her, wondering why he had said all these things. The poor boy didn't know where to put himself. He finally regained his senses and turned back.

"Goodbye, Hiccup."

She had said his name. Astrid had said his name. And she said goodbye to him. The young boy's legs became all shaky. He smiled a little stupidly at her before leaving, red cheeked, for his hut. Gobber could lecture him tonight, it wouldn't change anything about what happened earlier in the forest.

Astrid had tears in her eyes.

"Of course, Hiccup."

He took her in his arms and held her very tightly against him. They were both so happy. They had come a long way. Astrid was so proud of what he had become. By doing that, Hiccup was finally taking full responsibility for himself.

Astrid slipped her hand over his cheek. She looked at his face.

"I love you Hiccup Haddock," she said before kissing him tenderly.

...

Huddled together in the chief's bed, Hiccup and Astrid were not asleep. They didn't need to talk either. One look was enough. And Hiccup looked her in the eye. He had a question.

"When?" he asked, clasping her hand.

"When what?"

"When are you going to be my wife?"

She smiled.

"In winter, just like when we got engaged."

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rosesnvines · 5 years

Text

I’ll Make A Dragon Rider Out of You

(For the prompt mulan . . . turned out a little differently than I had anticipated, and longer, lol. Oh well. XD)

Merida waited until the castle had been dark for a while and she was sure everyone was sound asleep. She had made up her mind, and she wasn’t going to let anyone stop her. She checked her pack again before pulling the hood over her head and walking towards the door. She waited a few more minutes before quietly opening the door and tiptoed out. She made her way through the castle corridors as quietly as a mouse, no one was about to stop her. She got to the stables and quickly saddled up Angus. She walked him to the gate and opened that as quietly as she could. That took longer since the gate was rather squeaky that evening, but she had managed to get it open enough for her and Angu to squeeze out. She quietly closed the gate before climbing onto Angus and riding off into the night. She had to hurry, the last boat of the year was leaving the following morning. She was going to be on that boat, she had to be on that boat. It was the only way she was getting to Dragon’s Edge Island. She urged Angus to go faster. She was going to make it, she had to.

As the sun peeked over the horizon, Merida could see the docks. She let out a whoop. She was almost there! She was going to make it! She got on the boat with some time to spare, so she fed and watered Angus, petted him down, and got him to sleep before she too collapsed from exhaustion. The trip to Dragon’s Edge took about four days, so Merida got a chance to reminisce. Ever since a couple of Viking tribes opened up to trade with the Scots, they had heard tales of dragon riders and the Dragon Conqueror, a man who conquered dragons through friendship and trust. But with that tale came the underlying notion that Scots could never be dragon riders.. But Merida was determined to be one, and bided her time, preparing herself a false name and Viking apparel. Thus, when they got to Dragon’s Edge, she was no longer Merida Dunbroch, princess of Scotland, she was merely Sigrid, a Viking whose parents migrated to Scotland and they wanted her to become a dragon rider. So here she was, on her way to get trained.

Upon landing, Merida was greeted by a guy. He asked her why she was on Dragon’s Edge, and she gave it.

“A Viking who lived in Scotland, huh? Well Sigrid, it’s nice to meet you. I’m Snotlout. The ladies dorms are that way.” He pointed to a building where several women were standing, chatting away. “If there’s anything you need, don’t hesitate to ask.” He gave her an exaggerated bow and a grin.

She raised an eyebrow, was he one of those guys? “Uh, thanks. I’ll keep that in mind.”

“And I’ll keep you in mind.” He gave her a wink and a suave smile. Merida groaned and rolled her eyes as she walked away. Yup, one of those guys. Merida made a mental note to avoid him as much as possible. But one good thing did come from their meeting, her story would be accepted. She got to the dorms and got herself a bed, meeting a few of the women on the way. One woman, apparently the one in charge of the entire dorm for the women, explained the rules for the dorms and the schedule they needed to keep to. Merida spoke more with her, she had introduced herself as Astrid, and found that she liked her the more they talked. She also found out that the first day of classes was the next day, so she had a bit of time to relax from her trip.

Merida joined dozens of people in a small, grassy encirclement the next day after breakfast. Everyone was chatting with excitement about learning about dragons and eventually getting their own dragon.

“Hello students!”

“Hello Hiccup!”

Merida bit her tongue to keep from laughing as she turned to face the teacher. Her mouth dropped slightly. Astrid and Snotlout flanked a tall guy with auburn hair, green eyes, and a metallic peg leg. For a guy with such an odd name, he was pretty cute. Like, really, really cute. Cuter than her suitors back home. Did he have a girlfriend? A cute guy like that, most likely. She glanced slyly at Astrid, most likely her. Go figure, the one guy Merida might actually like and he was taken, well, most likely. She didn’t know yet if he was, and the slightest hope that he wasn’t was tucked away for the time being. Classes were beginning!

Every day, Hiccup would begin the class with information on dragons, each of the different types, how to approach them, and a few secrets he gleaned from working with his own dragon partner. Then he would follow up with a few practice runs, each person would try to approach a dragon and use the information Hiccup had just provided. Though, there seemed to be an overall problem with this class. Every single time, they’d run away in fear, except for Merida, and though she did try, she didn’t quite succeed with the dragon. Something always happened that either riled up the dragon or distracted it, or, in a couple of cases, the dragon was too sick to even bother doing anything.

After about a couple of weeks, Hiccup and his friends sat close to where Merida was eating her lunch. “Of everything that could go wrong, why is it all happening now? We haven’t had this many problems since we’ve started the Dragon Academy!”

Astrid placed her hand on his shoulder. ‘It’s just bad timing, that’s all it is, Hiccup. Everything has its ups and downs.”

“Well, this is one big, long down,” mumbled Hiccup.

“That, or the gods know that something is going to happen and are trying to warn us,” suggested Fishlegs, albeit a bit slowly like it was a silly thought that popped into his head, but one he was inclined to take somewhat seriously.

Hiccup scoffed. “I wished they would just come and tell us outright instead of all this beating around the bush.”

Fishlegs shrugged. “It was just a thought.”

“I know, a good one though,” said Hiccup with a slight smile.

“But now what?” asked Ruffnut. “At the rate we’re going, no one’s going to graduate! Though I suggest at least Sigrid does, she’s at least trying to learn.” Ruffnut pointed at Merida. Merida kept on eating, pretending like she wasn’t paying any attention to the conversation.

Hiccup sighed. “I’ll think about it. We can still question them about what they’ve learned so far.”

“And hope for the best,” said Astrid. Hiccup nodded. They got up and left the table. Later that afternoon, they tried getting the students to interact with a dragon, again. And as before, Merida was the only one willing to approach the dragon. Finally, it worked. Hiccup cheered when Merida was able to put all of the lessons to good use, and even encouraged several of the others students to give it a try as well. From then on out, things got better, and by the end of the month everyone had a dragon. Everyone, that is, except for Merida.

Hiccup took her aside one day, noticing her downcast look when the last of her classmates got a dragon. “Hey, Sigrid, right?”

Merida nodded slowly. “Yes?”

“Hey, um, listen, you’ve been the best student in this class so far.”

She smiled softly. “Thank you.”

“Now, uh, if, if you haven’t found a dragon by the time you leave to go home, well,” he shrugged, “maybe we don’t have your dragon here. Maybe he, or she, is waiting back in Scotland for you.”

Merida pondered it. “That’s an idea, though we haven’t seen many dragons as of late.”

“Maybe that’s about to change.” He shrugged again, and smiled. Merida just about melted, but she managed to pull herself together to smile back at him.

“Yeah, maybe, I certainly hope so.”

“I do too, but there’s only one way to find out, and that’s to get back home. Only one day left.”

Merida’s eyes widened. “Really? It’s . . . all gone by so fast.” She glanced down. “I-I almost don’t want to go.”

Hiccup chuckled. “I’m glad we were able to make this place a home away from home, but we have another class coming in, and it’s time you all went out and started saving dragons yourselves.”

Merida smiled. “Yes, I guess you’re right.”

Hiccup ran his fingers through his hair. “Right, um, see you tomorrow.”

“Yeah, see ya.” Merida watched him walk away, not really ready to reveal the real reason she wanted to stay. She thought she was falling in love with Hiccup Haddock the Third. Even though, if anything, that should have been the reason she wanted to leave, so as not to see the romance blossoming between Hiccup and Astrid.

The next day seemed to fly. Everyone passed with flying colors, literally, as they all carried flags around as they flew their dragons. Merida was allowed to ride on an extra dragon, just so she could participate. But it was over far too soon, and Merida was on her way back to Scotland. Her parents welcomed her back with relief, and she managed to spread the information she had received from Dragon’s Edge. But her mother noticed the faraway look that she correctly deduced was from love, and Merida spilled the whole thing about Hiccup. Elinor comforted her daughter, reminding her that it might not have worked. Hiccup was a Viking after all, and Merida a Scot. The two cultures had never intermarried before, and might not ever. Merida agred, and life in Scotland seemed to go back to normal, minus the learning about dragons and preparations for making dragon friends.

Two months after returning from Dragon’s Edge, Merida found a group of dragons. They were clearly frightened, but Merida won their trust and led them back to Dunbroch castle. The Scots were thrilled that they now had their own dragons and many bonded with the dragons. Merida found herself bonding with a white version of Hiccup’s dragon, Toothless. But the dragon, whom Merida named Morrigan, seemed agitated. Merida decided to find out why, becoming worried that maybe Hiccup and his tribe were in trouble. Her parents suggested that they all go, just in case Merida was right. They could turn the trip into a diplomatic one if nothing was wrong. As such, the Scots were off.

Hiccup and Grimmel faced each other, Hiccup keeping himself between Grimmel and Toothless. Berkians were fighting Grimmel’s men and the Warlords and their men all around the island and on their ships. The Berkians had been trying to find the Hidden World, the mythical home of dragons, and found this island nearby that they decided to turn into their new home. But Grimmel and his allies found them and attacked that morning. The two parties had been fighting nearly all day and were exhausted.

“So, you’ve managed to free the female,” said Grimmel, raising his crossbow. Toothless growled while Hiccup raised his sword. “But once I’ve killed your dragon, I’ll find her again and kill her too. Then the world will really be truly free from Nightfuries!” He looked at Toothless, and back at Hiccup. “After that, then all dragons.”

“As long as there are Berkians, we won’t let that happen,” said Hiccup.

“Well then, I suppose we had better kill off all Berkians as well. After all, it’s not like anyone’s going to miss you.”

“Grimmel!”

Grimmel rolled his eyes at his minion. “What now?”

“Hiccup!”

Hiccup’s eyes widened. He could tell from Eret’s tone of voice that it wasn’t good. “What?”

“Scots!” they shouted at the same time. Grimmel and Hiccup turned towards each other, eyes wide.

“Oh great!” blurted Hiccup, throwing up his hands. “This isn’t the best time!”

“You’re telling me,” muttered Grimmel.

Hiccup glared at him. “What are you talking about? This isn’t the best time to try and build an alliance.”

“O-oh,” said Grimmel, realizing exactly what Hiccup wanted. “So it’s just like the dragons with you, huh? Form an alliance with everything, regardless of whether it makes sense or not.”

“It makes perfect sense!” shouted Hiccup. “The Scots are humans, not dragons! And I’m sure we could reach an agreement!” He growled. “Unlike you.”

“Because I understand that dragons, and Scots, can’t be trusted. Something you clearly don’t get.”

“He’s right, though.” The two turned around, looking for the owner of the voice. Hiccup glanced at Toothless, who was acting pretty happy. Then a figure in a cloak and dress stepped out from behind a tree. Hiccup looked at her quizzically, she seemed familiar. But who was she? “The Scots might be like the dragons, and are interested in an alliance.” Hiccup’s mouth fell a little, he knew that voice! Why couldn’t he put a name and a face to it?

Grimmel scoffed. “And how would you know?” The girl pulled back her hood, revealing a mane of red curls. Hiccup gasped. It was Sigrid!

“Because I am Merida Dunbroch, princess of Scotland!”

Hiccup’s mouth really fell. “You’re-you’re the princess?!! I taught you about dragons!”

Merida smiled. “And I thank you for that. We now have our own little army of dragons.” She whistled, and Toothless really got excited as the Lightfury landed next to Merida.

“You bonded with the Lightfury!” cheered Hiccup. Merida and the Lightfury glanced at each other and smiled.

“I see,” said Grimmel slowly. Merida quickly strung her bow. Hiccup turned and saw that Grimmel had raised his crossbow. He had paused and was looking intently at Merida.

“Another move and I will shoot you,” said Merida firmly. The Lightfury growled at Grimmel. Grimmel glanced at Toothless and slowly aimed his crossbow at him.

“No!” cried out Hiccup as he made a lunge for the crossbow, and missed. Grimmel fired, as did Merida. Merida’s arrow caught the needle midair and snagged it to a tree. Grimmel gasped and looked at her in shock.

“You’ve seen what I can do with a bow and arrow. Do you really want to take us all on?” The Lightfury roared.

“Give it up, Grimmel, apparently there are more people willing to make peace with each other and dragons than you originally thought. And now you’re outnumbered.”

Grimmel growled. “I don’t like unforeseeable changes to my plans.” He glared at Hiccup. “And I aim to finish my job of killing all Nightfuries!”

“And as long as you keep that goal, I will make it my goal to stop you,” said Hiccup firmly.

“And we’ll help,” said Merida.

“So, you’re not going to kill me?”

“No, I still hold on to the hope that you’ll change your mind,” said Hiccup as he sheathed his sword.

“I see, well, that’s too bad, because I won’t.” Grimmel raised the crossbow.

“Hiccup!” Toothless pushed Hiccup to the ground and covered him with his body while Grimmel shot the dart and Merida rapidly shot two arrows. Grimmel let out a yell and fell off the cliff.

“Toothless!” The Lightfury helped Merida roll the Nightfury off Hiccup so he could check on his friend. Toothless licked him. Merida laughed as she plucked the dart off the saddle. Hiccup glanced around. “Where’s Grimmel?”

Merida pointed. The four went to the edge of the cliff and looked down. There was no sign of him, but it had been a long drop and the waves were crashing on the shore below. “He won’t bother you and the dragons anymore.” Hiccup glanced around as the Warlords and their army began pulling away from the island.

“No, but there will be others.” He sighed. “Maybe, maybe it’s best that the dragons stay in the Hidden World, their home, safe from humans like this.”

“And keep them from people like us who would be more than happy to have them as friends?” asked Merida incredulously. She put her bow on her back and took Hiccup’s hands. “Hiccup, you have fought to keep the dragons safe, don’t stop now because of one man. He’s among the few.” She turned and pointed to the Scottish ships. “We came to help, let us help. There might even be others who are willing to help. You haven’t even met everyone in the world. You can’t say for certain if everyone will be cruel to dragons. Taking care of dragons is a big responsibility, it shouldn’t be on your shoulders alone, or the shoulders of your people.” She smiled at him.

Hiccup smiled back. “You have a good point, and you’re very persuasive. I’ll consider it.” He bowed. “And it’s nice to meet the real you, your Highness.”

Merida chuckled as she curtsied. “It’s nice to formally meet you, but you’ve known the real me the whole time. I just didn’t tell you that I was a princess, that’s all.”

Hiccup chuckled. “Well, I’m glad I know now. And thank you for saving us, for having our backs, even though we didn’t ask for it.”

“I’m in training to be a queen, I know a good ally when I see one.” She grinned. Hiccup’s heart fluttered, and did a complete flip. “Shall we head back down? The Scots won’t kill your people, but in their celebrations, well . . .”

Hiccup chuckled. “They like to get a little rowdy?”

Merida scoffed. “More like downright rambunctious. And my brothers like to start things.”

Hiccup laughed. “Then yeah, we’d better get down there. But first . . .” He grabbed her and pulled her in for a kiss. “I-I’m sorry, but I’ve been wanting to do that ever since you left,” he said softly.

“So have I,” said Merida before she kissed him. The two Furies cooed at the sight before they snuggled together.

#mericcup #mericcupmonth #mericcupmonth19 #mericcup19 #httyd3 #Brave

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the-dragon-central · 5 years

Note

I love that you guys are taking prompts!! Maybe a fairy light funny scene with modern hiccstrid where toothless the cat takes and chews on his leg like in the movie and Astrid finds out about his leg?

Thanks for the request! I really enjoyed writing it! I hope you enjoy reading it!

The Leg Talk

Astrid took a deep breath. It’s just a date. You’ve been on plenty of dates, Astrid. This isn’t any different. Just act normal.

Thanks to her best friend Rachel, or better known as Ruffnut, she was meeting up with a blind date. Apparently Ruffnut’s boyfriend, who she called Fishlegs, had this friend who was single. Not much was told to her except for the fact that he was hot and had a cat. That was the extent of her knowledge. Again, thanks Ruffnut. Astrid rolled her eyes and looked at her phone.

“Apartment 54,” she mumbled to herself and pushed a button on the elevator. When she reached the floor she walked down the hall and stopped at a door. “Here we go.”

Knock, knock.

“Uh… Just a… Yeah, just a minute!” A nasally voice floated through the door. She heard shuffling and a slam before the door flew open, revealing a tallish, auburn-haired man with piercing green eyes.

Oh yeah, hot.

“Hi, you must be Astrid,” he reached his hand out, which Astrid took and quickly shook his clammy hand. “Fishlegs didn’t mention how beautiful you were…” he quickly blushed and shut his mouth. “Oh, man. That was embarrassing. I’m sorry, I’m horrible at dates.”

Astrid nodded and then looked around. “I assume you’re my date? Or is there another person who I’m waiting for?”

“Oh. Oh! Right, right. I’m, uh.. You promise not to laugh?”

“I don’t make a habit of laughing at people when they tell me their name.”

“Okay. I’m Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third.” No matter how hard Astrid tried, she couldn’t keep from laughing and let out a little giggle. Hiccup looked defeated. “Yeah, I know. A horrible name. I don’t know what my parents were thinking.”

“No, no… Hiccup. It… It suits you.” She laughed again. When the auburn looked away, Astrid held her hand up. “I’m sorry, I’m sorry. Seriously, you’re name’s fine…. It’s…”

“Strange? Weird? Useless?”

“I was gonna say unique.”

Hiccup nodded and Astrid couldn’t tell if it was in agreement or sadness. There they stood, for about five minutes she would wager, neither speaking a word. Astrid, realizing it was going nowhere, huffed. “Are you going to invite me inside, or…?”

Hiccup’s eyes widened. “Right! Sorry, I’m a little new to this. Would you like to come inside?”

“Sure,” she tried hard to hide her smile as she stepped inside. “Whoa. Ruff said you lived in an apartment. This… This is like a penthouse!”

“It’s… home,” he said quietly. Astrid glanced at him and then looked towards the dining room to see candles and two glasses of wine set on a table.

“Shall we eat?”

“Yeah,” Hiccup said and started walking towards the table. “Right this way.” Astrid followed him and they both sat down to a nice spaghetti dinner.

“Ruffnut never said you could cook.”

“Fishlegs never said you tapped your foot when you were nervous.”

Astrid glanced down and stopped bouncing her leg, letting out a small chuckle. “So… How has your day been?”

The conversation was nice, in Astrid’s way of thinking. Nothing inappropriate and Hiccup kept it interesting. Yet, she couldn’t help but feel he was hiding something from her.

“And then Tuffnut was all, ‘No! Don’t do that!’ and Ruffnut just slammed his,” Astrid continued her story while Hiccup’s eyes widened. She stopped and looked at him, alarmed. “What? What’s wrong?”

Suddenly a black cat shot out from under the table with something in it’s mouth. “Toothless! No!” Hiccup stood up and quickly ran after the cat. Well, more like wobbled.

“Huh…” Astrid followed him into a bedroom, curious as to what’s going on.

“Toothless! Give it back! Bad cat, very bad cat!” Hiccup fought with the feline, trying to retrieve the item that was in it’s claws.

“Ahem,” she cleared her and Hiccup looked up. He yanked the thing from the cat and hid it behind his back, before standing.

“Astrid. Hey! Hi, Astrid. Hi, Astrid, Hi, Astrid,” Hiccup said nervously, trying to act normal. Astrid narrowed her eyes at him and stepped closer.

“I normally don’t care what people do, but you’re acting weird.” Hiccup hopped to get closer to the wall and smiled slightly. “What are you hiding?” she walked over to him.

“No, Astrid. Don’t-!” Hiccup fell to the ground as Astrid pulled the object from behind him.

“Is this… A leg?” she looked at him as he looked away. Her eyes traveled down and landed on his left leg. More importantly, his missing left leg. “Okay, next question. Is this your leg?”

Hiccup sighed. “I wasn’t going to tell you like this… Or at all. Normally when I have dates they don’t go this far before the girl decides to dump me. I, uh… Lost my leg, in an airplane crash.”

“Wait, what?” Astrid asked.

“Yeah. When I was fifteen, I was flying on an airplane when it went down. I survived but uh… Some others didn’t. The doctors said I was lucky I only lost my leg.”

“Wow…”

Hiccup nodded. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier. I’m sure you don’t want to continue this date. So, you can go. I won’t blame you. I-”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Who said anything about wanting to leave?” Astrid asked. “Sure, you’re a weirdo, but so am I. I don’t blame you for hiding your missing leg. I mean, I probably would’ve done the same.”

“Really?”

“No. I’d tell people right away. But I thought it was the right thing to say,” Astrid said and Hiccup laughed softly. “So… What do you say we start over?”

“Are you serious?”

Astrid nodded and stuck her hand out. “Hi, I’m Astrid Hofferson, your date. I’m also holding your leg. Which, by the way, is pretty cool.”

“Oh, thanks,” Hiccup grabbed her hand and she pulled him up. “I’m Hiccup Haddock. What do you say we get back to our dinner?”

“I’d love to. But.. Don’t you want your leg back?” Astrid asked and Hiccup shrugged.

“Sure, you go on ahead. I’ll be right with you.” The blonde nodded and handed him the leg before leaving the room. Hiccup turned to Toothless who seemed to be smirking. “Yeah, yeah. Thanks for nothing you useless animal,” he said and tossed his leg to the cat, who gladly began chewing on it.

When Hiccup returned to Astrid their conversation continued, this time better than before. For no secrets were ever kept between them again. Well… except for maybe two years later when Astrid told him there would soon be another someone who’d want to chew on his leg.

#httyd #httyd fandom #how to train your dragon #thanks for the request #requests #hiccstrid #hiccstrid drabble #drabble #httyd drabble #httyd fanfiction #finished-prompts

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tysonrunningfox · 5 years

Text

Ripped: Chapter 2

So this is a super weird AU and I love it a lot and it is expanding and whatever

AO3 | Part 1

The seven-thirty tour is always the hardest. It’s a little better in winter, when it’s decisively past dusk and Hiccup isn’t stuck trying to frame a desolate Victorian slum while children eat ice cream and laugh in front of that stupid frozen yogurt shop they put up where the mouth of Breakneck Alley used to be, effectively making the walk to the third murder site twice as long. But even in winter, even with the Ripped tavern playing saloon music that some idiot thinks is accurate to the period to set the mood, the seven-thirty tour is always a little slower to go along with the mystery. By the nine-thirty tour, usually enough people are drunk to fall for a couple of cheap scares, and fewer wannabe academics like to be out that late past their bedtime.

The eleven thirty-tour is always best, the few old stone walls that are left seem to breathe in the fog and moonlight, telling their sides of the story and drawing everyone too close. The eleven thirty-tour is where people ask questions in a whisper before feeling silly and forcing themselves to speak louder, only to jump back at the echo. It makes less money, but it’s when he does his best thinking, when he feels most surrounded by the mystery.

The seven-thirty tour also sucks because the first Berserker tour moved from seven to seven-fifteen two weeks ago and now Hiccup has to hear his evidence crammed into crowd-pleasing theories that don’t make any sense, just because answers are worth more to some people than questions.

‘The Real Viggo Grimborn Tour’ was petty. Hiccup knows that, and it probably wouldn’t work for legal reasons if he tried to officially register it with anyone, but as long as he’s running off of an unofficial blog and taking cash only, he’s sticking with it. Sure, it draws the stodgy, academic types, but if he deals with their questions for one tour, they actually buy his book and he’s not turning down that self-publishing check. Especially since every store in a half mile radius of his apartment except the Whole Foods has finally been squeezed out.

He buttons up his coat, checking the photo order in his file one more time and brushing at the toothpaste stain on the top of his hat. Using a Tide pen on an antique hat felt dirty, so he’s going to have to figure out something else later. Especially since the white smudge is probably making him a more obvious nighttime target to some pretty good aim.

It’s not the first time he’s had something thrown at him since he started doing this, but it is the first time anything left a mark. He hopes that the girl in that apartment hasn’t had any time to stock up on heavier projectiles. Gobber said he’d talk to her, but it’s Gobber, that could be anything from ‘leave him alone’ to ‘do you want to borrow my paintball gun?’.

There’s no time to worry about that though, because it’s seven-twenty-eight and the bar is starting to fill up, so he sets the hat on his head and clears his throat.

“Anyone ready for The Real Viggo Grimborn Tour, think twice, because you might not be as ready as you think!” He announces over the din and it quiets for a second as maybe ten people get to their feet and move towards his table. It’s close to the secondary exit into the alley by the fourth site, which is a way better start to the tour than walking down a practically modern main street out front. With the size of Berserker tour groups, it would never work, which is just another reason he’s glad to be on his own now.

“Do we need a reservation or some shit?” A blonde asks from two tables over, wide grin on an angular face as she links her arm through her friend’s and pulls. Her friend is not smiling, glaring even, and Hiccup blinks at her for a second, forgetting the question.

She’s not just pretty, that’s not the right word for it. Pretty girls tend to make him louder, more animated, vying even harder for the scare or the laugh, but she’s way more than pretty. She’s furious and familiar, like divine intervention dropped her here to intimidate him into awkward silence.

“Huh?” He shakes his head, shoving the hat on and idly taking a ten-dollar bill from a serious looking man with a tattered fictionalized Grimborn history that Hiccup hates for getting so damn popular, despite how wrong everything about it is.

“Do we need a reservation for the tour?” The happy blonde pulls her friend to her feet and fights stubbornly dragging heels to take a step towards him. “It’s a tour about those old murders or whatever, right?”

“Viggo Grimborn,” he nods, pointing at the sign, “most people who care about a tour at least know his name.”

“Oh, we know hisname.” The gorgeous, angry one is cryptic as she narrows her eyes and takes a reluctant step forward. “You didn’t answer, do we need a reservation?”

“Nope,” Hiccup takes another bill from a woman on behalf of her family, two older teenagers giggling at each other and looking around the bar, “no reservation, just meet at the bar like it says on my website.”

“Your website. Right.” Her teeth clip the words and she crosses her arms, glancing at her friend.

“How much?” Her friend laughs but it does nothing to dissolve the glare, “Astrid, this is hilarious, we have to.”

“The sign says cash only, Ruff,” Astrid’s jaw twitches as she looks between his sign and his face again, still furious, still mysterious, still uninterested. Stubborn enough to spark that urge to teach and show and explain that got Hiccup doing these tours in the first place. “I have no cash.”

“That’s fine,” he blurts, face going hot when her glare turns fully to him, “how about this, pay me at the end if it’s worth it.”

“Oh, it’ll be worth it,” Ruff laughs a little too hard for the exchange, keeping her arm firmly linked through Astrid’s like she expects her to run or lunge or something. Judging by Astrid’s expression, the second seems more likely, and Hiccup wonders what kind of bad idea this is, exactly.

Five minutes later, when the group is a little more than ten and people have stopped approaching him, he’s more than ready to figure out, leading the way out the side door and into the dark alleyway. The teenagers cling giggling to their mother’s arms and the man tucks his stupid, inaccurate book into his coat pocket, at least temporarily. It’ll come out again, they always do.

“Starting in the winter of eighteen hundred and eighty-three and proceeding through the summer of eighteen eighty-four, the killer now known as Viggo Grimborn committed at least four, but possibly up to six of the most famous, grisly murders never solved. Tonight, I’ll be your guide to not only the sites of these murders but also, the historical Downtown Berk in which they occurred. I’m Hiccup Haddock, and if you’ll follow me, we’ll start right out with the site of murder number four.”

“We aren’t starting with Elizabeth Smith?” The genius with the shitty book in his pocket asks and Hiccup shakes his head.

“Nope, even though the series of Grimborn murders happened in a relatively small area, to visit the sites in order would result in way more walking than I’m willing to do three times a night,” he gestures at the limp that no one would otherwise notice. “Plus, there another reason I like to start the tour with murder number four.” He starts walking carefully backwards, checking over his shoulder both for obstacles and to time the next phase of his introduction, “back in eighteen eighty three, the Ripped Tavern where we met today was known as the Great Dragon pub. And one night in April, eighteen eighty four, Mary Johnson was drinking at the Great Dragon pub when she approached a man sitting in the back and made an offer of her company for the night in exchange for a few pennies, just enough to afford one night’s rent of a bed at a local boarding house.”

He pauses just out of the glow of the still old-fashioned street light barely washing a six-foot-wide half circle of the alley in sickly yellow light. As uninterested as Astrid still appears to be, she’s at the front of the group, cocking her hip and crossing her arms when she stops in exactly the right spot, left foot planted three feet from the storm drain.

A lot of people drag a friend or relative along on a tour and most of the time, Hiccup gets them at least interested by the end of it, but rarely does he get such an opportunity so early in the night to do so.

“Twenty minutes after Mary Johnson led the man out of the Great Dragon pub through the side door we just left through and down the very alley that we’re standing in right now, her body was found under this street light,” he points up, “still warm to the touch, but mutilated almost beyond recognition. Cut to the point that she was identified by another prostitute she’d just been with at the pub who recognized the green bonnet bloodstained in the gutter.”

Hiccup pauses for dramatic effect, lowering his voice and looking back and forth across the small crowd. Most people are wide eyed and hanging on his every word, the armchair expert is nodding like he’s heard this all before, but luckily refraining from interrupting. Ruffnut is grinning like she’s at a circus and the lion just got loose, but Astrid is seemingly unaffected, eyebrows raised, daring him to stop wasting her time. Good thing he can definitely do that.

“We just walked the only route that can be identified without a shred of reasonable doubt as a path Viggo Grimborn himself walked over a hundred years ago and one of you completed the journey by standing exactly where Mary Johnson was killed with a slash of a sharp knife across her throat.” He points at Astrid’s feet, where her toe is impatiently tapping a quiet sneaker against the pavement. “It’s your lucky day.”

“Me?” She points at her chest, wrinkling her nose and lifting some of the shadow obscuring her still unimpressed face. The rest of the group snickers, the chill sinking in as the alley goes quiet. “I guess I’ve been having a lot of lucklately,” she huffs after a second, taking a step back and out of the light.

“That usually umm…freaks people out.” He laughs, suddenly hearing his own awkward voice, like he’s giving the tour by forcing everyone to listen to a voicemail he left. “That’s fine. You’re a brave crowd, that only means I can show you more.”

Hiccup is a good tour guide, it’s one of the few things he’ll confidently claim. He knows his route, he knows the stories, he has an anecdote about every other house, every alleyway, a picture for every façade hiding a century old grisly secret. He’s funny and he’s not afraid to take it seriously. He doesn’t minimize the cost of that year in death and human suffering, but none of that has affected how fun people rate him on Trip Advisor.

But Astrid’s too fast walk between sites and cutting, unimpressed expression is throwing him off of his game.

At the churchyard where he describes the abysmal living conditions of the average poor in Berk a hundred years ago, she’s almost bored, except for raising her eyebrow every time he mentions crime. He gets a full eye roll when he laments lack of privacy in boarding houses, and treats it as a win, which is like claiming most unclear victories, a dangerous mistake.

“And before we move on to the first murder site, I need to clarify one more misconception. One that I personally blame Johnny Depp himself for and I assure you, I’m doing my best to get in touch with him about it.” Hiccup feels a little more in step when that joke hits everyone but Astrid, “for some reason, namely Hollywood, when people imagine the Grimborn victims as prostitutes, they think of beautiful blonde women in their twenties. Maybe a bit unsatisfied with life, a bit hard around the edges—”

Astrid raises her eyebrow.

Oh God, Hiccup is describing her, and she hates him inexplicably and is on his tour and her judgement feels like Grimborn’s blade choking him out.

He coughs, “they were all around forty.” What if she’s older than she looks but not forty and that makes it worse? “And like, hard life lived forty. Because life was hard. All the not eating and cheap gin and prostitution. Not modern, ‘I can’t believe she’s forty’ forty, which coincidentally is also a Hollywood invention and I don’t think I can pin that one on Mr. Depp.”

No one laughs, except Ruff, whose imaginary circus lion is apparently now eating the foot that he left in his mouth.

“I’m talking so fast because we’re behind,” he points over his shoulder, “lets cross the street and pause outside that apartment courtyard for the first murder story, then I’ll try and get us close to the site but just a warning, last night there was a bit of a complication.” He takes off across the street before anyone can say anything, jumping when someone taps on his shoulder.

“I have a question about the investigation,” the armchair expert asks in a tone which indicates he already has an answer and wants to argue about it, “do you think that the police’s reluctance to work with the press stifled witnesses from coming forward with information about the attacks?”

“I see you brought the Krogan book with you,” Hiccup gestures at the man’s pocket on the other side of the street and he nods. “It’s a decent attempt to shoehorn most of the best known advice into a convincing narrative, but it puts too much stock into people reporting crime in one of the most crime riddled areas of the metropolis. If the cops had started rewarding everyone who had information about a murder, they wouldn’t have had any time to investigate.” The crowd is regathered, but the man persists anyway.

“But if there’d been a system in place for receiving tips—”

“There was the Berk post, which people used and abused, as they do with all inadequately funded government services. Have you heard of the Grimborn letter collection?”

“Of course.” He reaches for his book, but Hiccup holds out a hand.

“I usually do this later in the tour, but it works here, it gives me more time to umm…think about presenting the first site.” Which is another way of saying ‘keep his ears alert to any angry women brushing their teeth’, “the name Viggo Grimborn comes from a letter, written in red ink that the author claimed was blood, received by the Berk Gazette in February, eighteen-eighty-four after the third definitive murder. It was threatening, eloquent, and signed by a sadistic criminal mastermind branding himself Viggo Grimborn and asking the police to try harder.

“It marks an important point, not in the murder case, but in the history of forensic science because it was one of the first pieces of evidence to be tracked to its source and proven conclusively false, but by that point it had been printed in the Gazette and the name stuck. Which is exactly what the young journalist who fabricated the letter wanted.” He peeks through the apartment courtyard at the dark windows and fiddles with the laser pointer in his coat pocket. Another minute. “Of the hundreds of letters that helpful citizens sent to the paper and the police, approximately three were useful in the case. The rest were filled with everything from suggestions that the murders were being perpetrated by mythical creatures to blatant fetishists asking for locks of the victims’ hair and other possessions.”

Hiccup doesn’t mean to lock eyes with Astrid, so it must be her decision, because when he waits for the curiosity or the awkwardness or the laugh, he’s met with her even gaze, blue eyes unreadable and hostile and more uncomfortably familiar than they were at the bar.

“But enough about fetishes, let’s talk about Elizabeth Smith.” He talks faster than he has since he was twelve and trying to get out of kickball. “She was thirty eight years old, a widow, a prostitute, and on a cold night in November, eighteen-eighty-three, she was out trying to make back the money that she had allegedly drank away that day in order to afford a bed. That didn’t happen because someone killed her, and her body was found by a tenant in the apartment building behind us.” He digs in his bag to avoid looking up and being scrutinized more, “and it’s another notable moment in forensic history because the chief of police at the time had the idea to take Berk’s first ever crime scene photo. I have a copy of that photo, it’s extremely gruesome, so if you only like internal organs when they’re obeying their descriptor, just pass it along.”

The teenagers giggle awkwardly, their mom turns a little green. The man with the answers looks at it a little too long and Hiccup feels a pang of regret for judging him so harshly, he didn’t know what sources were shit once upon a time and he must have driven the local archivist crazy with questions. Astrid doesn’t look at it at all, passing it along upside down, eyes flicking to the apartment building behind him with a worried expression he almost places.

“It’s fine, a lot of people don’t like the gore,” he tries to joke or comfort, anything to take advantage of the momentary vulnerability in her face and wheedle his way in to her attention.

“You have any of that hair you mentioned?” She quips, her crossed arms more of a self-hug than they were, “that fetishists want?”

He…probably deserves that. Maybe not for anything he did to her, in particular, but probably for something he did to someone at some point.

“While you finish with that, before we get a little closer to the murder site, I need to point out one more thing about this wall,” he runs his hand over the sandstone brick, “the morning after the murder, written in chalk at about waist height was the message ‘All Safe’. It was thought to be written by a night watchman who had cleared the yard of homeless people taking shelter against the inside of the walls, as they didn’t have G-tech’s good old spiked benches back then,” he points at a nearby bus stop where after the buses stop running, spikes protrude from the surface to discourage the wrong kind of people sitting, “but in the morning, the block’s watchman denied it. Not only that, but he said it wasn’t on his last lap, around four o’clock in the morning, so that means that if the murderer did write it, he had to have been leaving after that time.”

When he has the picture back in his folder, he sweeps the street one last time for lurking cop lights and takes a step backwards into the courtyard.

“Alright, I’m going to do my best here to find it, but right here, above this courtyard and approximately under the light fixture in this apartment,” he turns around and aims his laser pointer through the window, “is where Elizabeth Smith died.”

No one throws open the window and yells at him and he breathes a sigh of relief, turning back to the group.

“I know the landlord, and this building is mostly empty these days, but someone has moved in and last night she was not happy.” He laughs, turning off the laser pointer and taking a step towards the gate.

“She’s not happy tonight either,” Astrid announces, peeling away from the group and taking keys out of her pocket, “last night she got to learn that her apartment is a murder scene and tonight some moron shining laser pointers in her window tried to make her look at a disemboweled corpse.”

“That’s how I know you,” he groans, “you…” he touches his hat and she shakes her head.

“That was a new toothbrush, I wish I hadn’t wasted it on your dumb hat,” she waves for Ruff to follow her, even though it looked like she might have been planning to stay through the rest of the tour, “so Hiccup Haddock, is that your actual name? That could be written on a police report for harassment, for example?”

“Oh God, don’t—”

She doesn’t let him finish, instead slamming the front door of the apartment building behind her and stomping, audibly up the stairs.

“So, about the Smith murder, the police didn’t definitively record the spelling of the chalk message on the wall—”

“The Krogan book sucks, man,” Hiccup cuts his interruptor off, “it’s Berk, it rained before they interviewed the cop, Grimborn didn’t control the weather. Onto site two, do you all know where you are if I get arrested along the way?”

Everyone nods.

“Great! Let’s go.”

The blinds on Astrid’s apartment are closed during the nine thirty and eleven thirty tours and there’s a piece of paper he can’t read taped to the window in front of them. He should come back in the morning to get another look at it, but that’s arguably more masochistic than the fact that he’s intending to come back two to three times a night and shine a laser pointer at it. Maybe it’s best if he doesn’t know what it says. The message on the wall sure didn’t help Elizabeth Smith.

Neither tour goes well.

Hiccup (1:50am): when do you get off work

Snotlout (1:52am): 2 30 why

Hiccup (1:53am): why do only people who work during the day get to go to happy hour to forget how awful their job is?

Snotlout (1:55am): ill meet u at gruffs

Entering a bar to start drinking past two in the morning is something Hiccup would have thought he was done with after college. He’s the only sober person in the room, bartender included, until Snotlout shows up, still in uniform, and sits heavily on the stool beside him.

“Do you want to know what I learned at work today?”

“Gross, no.” Snotlout scoffs, waving down the bartender and ordering a beer. The bartender eyes his uniform, suspicious, and Snotlout rolls his eyes. “I’m off duty, Gruff, is there a dress code now or something?”

“You just used to be cool,” Gruffnut grumbles as he shuffles off.

“As I was saying,” Hiccup sighs, kicking the wall under the bar, “do you want to know what I learned at work today?”

“As I said, gross, no. I don’t want to hear what supposedly interesting thing some fellow weirdo told you about creepy old murders.”

“No, no, you’ll like this one.” Hiccup clears his throat, “today at work, I learned that the only thing weirder than telling girls about mutilated corpses and having them be a little too into it, is having a girl not be into it, at all.”

“A normal human went on your creepy tour, it’s amazing that hasn’t happened yet.” Snotlout pays for his beer when the bartender sets it down, apparently not planning on staying long. “Oh wait, no it’s not.”

“I haven’t even gotten to the worst part,” he sighs, “remember how I told you last night that someone yelled at me and threw a toothbrush at the first Grimborn site?” He doesn’t wait for an answer, yanking a fistful of his hair and resting his elbow on the bar, “it was her. She somehow found me and came on my tour and I tried to show her a crime scene photo of the inside of her living room and told her about murder victim fetishists a hundred years ago.”

“So, I bust my ass racing all over town to get to every ten-fifty, ten-fifty-one, ten-sixty-six—”

“I don’t know police codes, Snotlout.”

“Person on drugs, drunk person, suspicious person—”

“Ok, I get it, people think I’m drunk and suspicious a lot, get to your point.”

“I almost got gored at a petting zoo last week because I figured the drunk guy they saw bathing in the water trough was you, on the trail of some old picture or some shit.” He shakes his head, “so can you not double harass people? I’m running out of ‘get Hiccup out of jail free’ cards.”

“I’ve never technically been picked up for anything.” Hiccup drums his fingers on the counter, “no one ever cared about Grimborn tours until that block of Condos went in by the old dock. Ever since, you can’t step off of the sidewalk without someone blowing a gasket.”

“I mean, I hate to say it but you’re right about that.” Snotlout rolls his eyes, “it’s not just the creepy tours, someone’s dog barks now and suddenly it’s my problem. But your creepy tour, in particular, doesn’t help anything. No one cares about Heather’s tours.”

“Right, she probably changed my script to say that Viggo Grimborn always observed volume restrictions at night and oh! Also, we know exactly who he was, let’s just contact next of kin of the victims and—” He cuts himself off before Snotlout loses interest, spinning his beer between his hands, “so, you’ll let me know of any harassment claims, right?”

“If I hear of them,” Snotlout shrugs. “Oh, and just by the way, was the girl you creeped out with your weird pictures hot?”

“Why does that matter?”

Snotlout shrugs, “it’s funnier if she’s hot.”

“Well, you better start laughing.”

#modern au #httyd fic #hiccstrid #hiccstrid au #serial killer tour guide au #mentions of jack the ripper type gore #it's not gory but how do I say that

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