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“… gathered here today to celebrate the life and mourn the loss of Spitelout Arne Jorgenson.”
Snotlout casts his eyes down toward the ship, gripping Hiccup’s hand as tightly as he can. In his other hand, he holds a piece of parchment, full of scribbled–out insults and whatever else.
“Spitelout was a father, a brother, a husband, and a man– a great man,” bullshit, but Snotlout says nothing. It’s not his place right now, because his mother is crying into a handkerchief and refusing to look at anybody, and if he were to make it worse he’d never forgive himself.
“Would anybody care to say any words?” Gobber asks eventually, and Snotlout dislodges his hand from Hiccup’s and steps closer to the podium. “Um–” he clears his throat– “My father, my father was…”
And he looks at his mother. And he thinks about how red her cheeks got when his father hit her. And he thinks about how Hiccup used to ice his bruises. And he thinks about how he spent years wishing, wishing to death for this moment, and he says, “My father was not a great man.” Several people gasp, and his mother buries her head in her hands, but Hiccup gives him a small, encouraging smile, and Snotlout continues, “He was mean, and violent, and he– I was never good enough for him. I don’t have much else to say about him, but– I’m… I guess I’m relieved. I’m… looking forward to living without having to worry about him for the first time.”
He steps down.
Afterwards, Astrid sidles up to him and says quietly, “You don’t look happy.”
Snotlout hums, sipping his beer. “I’m not. That’s probably why.”
“I mean,” she says, “… shouldn’t you be?”
“I guess,” he sighs. “It’s just- I don’t know, it’s overwhelming. It’s scary. I don’t– I don’t know what to do without him. I don’t know what to do if he’s not…”
“Hiccup said something similar when Stoick died,” Astrid smiles sympathetically. “Um– you can, you can come over whenever you want. We’re… sorry, this is awkward, I don’t know how to communicate with you. We’re here for you.”
Snotlout grins at her. “Thanks.”
And soon enough, he feels happier about it.