Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It was one of those days. Astrid's parents hadn’t been able to scrounge up anything for dinner.

Figures.

Astrid bet Hiccup never had that problem, being the son of the chief and all. But why would he and his father care? She was a nobody in this village.

She’d had to take a couple of odd jobs around the village just to get enough to eat. At least, she had been trying to get some work. No one wanted to hire a scrawny eleven year old when there were plenty of other Vikings who could do ten times more than her, even if she had been training every day to get better.

It was just a cycle: she couldn't get any jobs because she was so scrawny, but she also couldn’t get stronger because she couldn't have food, and she couldn't have food because she didn't have money, and the disability payments for her parents barely covered the rent.

It didn't help much that Snotlout's father was a twat when it came to rent, even when it was winter.

So, when the third person that morning rejected her offer for paid help, Astrid was extremely frustrated. She was close to tears, but she didn't want anyone else to see her like that. If they did, surely no one would want to hire her. She stormed into an alley next to two houses and swung her axe towards the cold hard ground. It bounced off with barely a dent. Astrid glared at it as if it had personally insulted her. 

Why was this so frustrating?!

“... Astrid?”

Astrid turned around at the sudden voice, her axe swinging into the persons… face…

It was Hiccup. 

Of course it was him.

His eyes were wide and he had put his arms up in a placating gesture.

“Whoa, I- I’m sorry.” he said, stepping back, “I-I didn’t mean to startle you l-like that.”

Astrid blinked at him.

Hiccup had been an enigma for as long as she could remember. They had been friends in the past, back when they were younger, but he had been more focused on reading and writing than playing games with her and the others, and they’d fallen out eventually. 

It was also partly due to the fact that Astrid wanted to hate him, he got too many passes for being the son of the chief, and he didn't even work for it, all the while she was barely scraping by, having to look after two disabled parents all by herself. It irked Astrid to no end. 

But after all that… she couldn't hate him. Not like she wanted to. His reactions to everything were just… strange. He was too kind, too generous. Astrid wanted him to be a jerk, she wanted him to be someone she could dislike with a burning passion, but he was just… Hiccup. Sweet and innocent, like a chick. How could you hate someone like that.

“Are you alright?” Hiccup asked innocently, “You’re trembling. Are you cold?”

“I’m fine!” Astrid hissed, though it only came out half heartedly. She was wearing an old jacket that barely fit her and worn boots that already had holes in them. Meanwhile, the twerp was wearing a brand new fur coat and fluffy boots along with some gloves that actually covered his fingers.

“Oh, ok, I was, hm, j-just checking.” he said awkwardly. He stood there for a couple of seconds, looking everywhere but her face. Astrid stared at him, mystified.

What was this guys problem?

“What do you want?” she demanded, “Or are you just going to stand there like an idiot?”

“O-oh yes,” Hiccup said, taking the leather bag off his shoulder and holding it out for her, “Th-this is for you.”

Astrid looked at the bag, back to Hiccup and at the bag again. She slowly lowered her axe hesitantly and grabbed the strap, expecting, or hoping for this to be some kind of trick. Hiccup let her take it from his hands, and she snatched it away, opening it to look at the contents inside.

Her eyes widened.

“Wh-what is this?” she demanded.

“I um, well, I s-saw you going around town this morning.” Hiccup started, “l-looking for jobs and w-well, I thought that maybe you c-could use some stuff. So I g-got you some clothes, some food and a small b-bag of coins. Its not much but I thought… well you need that stuff more than I do.”

Astrid glared at him.

“Do you think I’m some sort of charity case or something?” she demanded.

“N-no! Not at all!” Hiccup backtracked quickly, holding his hands in the air again, his eyes widening and his cheeks flushing red in embarrassment, “I mean… we used to be friends y-you know, and well, I thought… I could do this for you… as a friend. Because well, that's what friends d-do.”

Astrid stared at him.

“...We aren’t friends though.” she said.

“O-oh…” Hiccup looked away, “B-but even then I guess I just wanted to d-do this anyway, for you, b-because you’re so… cool? Yeah, cool, and awesome. And I-I’m just showing my support for the… um… next top slayer! Yeah, ‘cause you’re definitely going to be t-top slayer when we are old enough!”

Astrid's mouth parted in disbelief.

D-did he just… was he- how- wha- was he being serious?

“I… er, I’m sorry if I offended you…” Hiccup said after a long pause, looking sheepish, “I mean, if you don’t want it I’m sure I can find-”

“No!” Astrid said, clutching the satchel close to her chest, “No I-I just… I… thanks.” 

And with that Astrid stormed off, face red with embarrassment. 

Why did Hiccup have to be so, so Ugh! Why couldn't he just be a jerk? Like literally everyone else on the island?

He wouldn't survive long like that, surely, being kind to others would only get you so far in this kill or be killed world. The only reason he wasn't off the island was because his father was the chief.

He would be dead if it wasn't for that. And this weakness was something that Astrid could exploit when she overthrew him to become chief herself.

… Somehow that thought didn’t make her feel any better.

Chapter Text

Snotlout stood, clutching his arm as he stared at the road leading up to Chief Stoics house. The Chief wasn't in there, he was at a war meeting with the other warriors of Berk. Where Snotlout's own father was.

But Snotlout wasn’t there to talk to the chief.

He was there to talk to Hiccup.

He hated the fact that he was there to talk to his scrawny excuse for a cousin. But… he didn’t have anywhere else to go. He didn’t want to tell anyone else about his problems. Eventually, anything would get to his Dad, and… he couldn’t handle the disappointment. 

It was a stupid accident that had gotten him hurt, and well, it would have been completely avoidable if only he had taken this kind of thing seriously. Sparing with some of the older teens. That idiot Dogsbreath shouldn’t have been able to get him that easily. 

If only he was smarter, and stronger and faster, like his father wanted him to be. Maybe he wouldn't have gotten hurt and maybe his father would actually have some shred of love for him. 

The point was that he needed help with this wound otherwise it would get infected, and he didn't want to have to deal with that, and Hiccup never talked to anyone else in the village because he was a loser who didn't associate with anyone else out of pure embarrassment.

Snotlout sighed and walked all the way over to the door of his cousin's house. He lifted his bad arm up to knock on the door, but hesitated briefly. Was this really the best idea?

Suddenly the door opened.

Snotlout was frozen in place as he watched his cousin look up, and pass through various stages of confusion until he settled on a horrified expression all in the span of a single second.

“Snotlout, wh-what happened to you?” Hiccup asked in a panicked voice.

“Geeze loser, chill out.” Snotlout said, “Its just a small cut. I was-”

“Just a small cut?! You’re bleeding all over the porch!” Hiccup yelled, exasperated. Before Snotlout could utter another word he had been dragged inside by his good arm and settled down in front of the fireplace in the middle of the house. It had been put out, but obviously recently as he could still feel the heat radiating from the wood turned charcoal.

“Wait here, I-I know where the first aid kit is. Just, keep putting pressure on it. I’ll be back in a sec.” And with that, Hiccup had run upstairs without giving Snotlout time to process. 

The boy in question blinked, slightly dazed with the turn of events. His fingers, that were previously numb from the cold, had started to warm up a little next to the heat from the extinguished fire, returning feeling.

A few seconds later, Snotlout heard Hiccup running down the stairs. In his arms he carried a small box of medical supplies, including some alcohol and bandages. He set them aside Snotlout, and quickly went into the kitchen area, where he emerged with a cup of water, which he handed to him.

Snotlout looked up in disbelief and took it from him, sipping slowly. Odin above, when had he become so thirsty?

“I need you to remove your hand from your arm.” Hiccup said in a surprisingly steady voice, so different from the panic he had before, “That way I can clean the wound- its going to hurt a lot, alright?”

“Yeah, yeah, I can take it.” Snotlout said dismissively. Spoiler alert, he couldn’t take it. 

Hiccup grabbed a cloth and poured the cleaning alcohol into it in one quick movement. As soon as Snotlout removed his hand from the wound, his cousin pressed the cloth into it. The pain was sharp and immeasurable, a lot worse than it had been when he first got the cut. He couldn't stop himself from crying out and pulling away. Black spots clouded his vision, and he felt for a split second that he was going to black out.

“I’m sorry, I-I know it hurts.” Hiccup said softly, his voice full of humiliating pity, “But I need to clean it before it gets infected.”

“I-I,” Snotlout panted, “I know th-that. Just give me a second.”

“Ok. Tell me when you’re ready.”

“... ok, I’m ready.”

His cousin wasted no time in pressing the cloth back onto the wound. This time, he managed to stay quiet, though he had to bite his tongue. Hiccup slowly started to dab at the wound, cleaning away all the blood around it.

“Snotlout,” He said slowly after he had been cleaning the wound for a few seconds, “This is… really deep. What happened?”

Snotlout flinched, pointedly looking away.

“I don’t want to talk about it.” he said.

“... was it Dogsbreath?” 

“What? How did-”

“I know that he’s been being a jerk to you lately, especially after he was crowned top slayer.” Hiccup sighed, “And well, you’re always getting into fights so, I figured he had something to do with it."

Snotlout huffed.

“...Didn’t dodge fast enough.” he whispered, “He almost took my head off I swear. Dad would be disappointed.”

Hiccup didn’t say anything for a long while. He had moved on from cleaning the wound and was now trying to wrap the wound in a bandage. He tucked the end into the makeshift sleeve and pulled the bandage back and forth gently to make sure that it was secure.

“...That should do it.” he said finally, “You’ll need to change the bandages every day for at least a week, or if it bleeds through. And probably clean it every couple of days to make sure it doesn't get  D-... do you have any medical supplies at home?”

Snotlout blinked at him. Hiccup frowned, and turned around, tidying up the first aid box before handing it to him like a peace offering. Snotlout looked from the box back to Hiccup a couple of times before he reluctantly grabbed it and stuffed it under his arm, muttering a thank you.

“It's no problem.” Hiccup said, “I mean… I get hurt all the time because of stupid things, so Dads essentially stocked up a few of these in my room. I… probably have enough to get me through the summer.”

Snotlout raised a brow and looked Hiccup up and down. He had a few faded cuts around his hands, scarring that came both from working in a blacksmiths and from being a general klutz. And Snotlout knew for a fact that there were more scars hidden under Hiccup's sleeves and trousers from climbing trees and falling face first into the ground from when they were kids.

Hiccup looked Snotlout up and down.

“Are you sure you’re going to be ok?” he asked. 

“Yeah, I’ll be fine loser.” Snotlout said, walking towards the door. He paused just before opening it, “And not a word to anyone, got it?”

“Yep, no- no problem.” Hiccup said, “Just… if you need help again with anything else… like this, just- I’ll be here.”

Snotlout stared at his cousin. 

“...Thanks, I guess.” he said, just loud enough to be heard. And with that, he turned and hurried back home.

Chapter Text

Tuff looked down at the broken mace in front of him. A huge chunk had broken off from when that gronkle hit him. Around him, the other teens were catching their breath as Gobber boomed about the importance of concentration.

Tuff was not concentrating. He got up and gently picked up the pieces of his beloved Macey.

“Geeze, that looks bad.” 

Tuff hummed at his twin's comment.

“Are you alright?” Ruff asked.

“I… not really no.” he sighed. This was just plain pointless wasn't it? This was the second time he had been held behind a year, and now with macey his lucky mace gone… how in Thor's name was he supposed to pass the exam without her?

It had been a gift from their father before he had passed away in the war against the dragons. It was the last piece he had of him.

“Hey Gobber!” Ruff yelled at the top of her lungs, “We need help!”

Tuff stared at the broken mace on the floor even as he heard the limping uneven steps of Gobber coming towards him.

“Whats going on here?” the man boomed, “is he hurt?”

Tuff looked up dramatically.

“Yes! Its bad! Macey is dead!” he said, tears springing from his eyes as he held up the sorry excuse for a weapon.

Gobbers face, which had been one of concern, quickly turned into an exasperated frown.

“Tuffnut, that isn't a very big deal.” Gobber sighed, “There are plenty of Maces around, I could even let you borrow-”

“But they won’t be Macey!” Tuff wailed, cutting his teacher off, “And she… she needs you to fix her… please… you’re her only hope…”

Gobber frowned.

“I’m sorry Tuff, I’m doing the training full time.” Gobber said, “I can’t save Macey today. I could do it tomorrow-”

“No! I need her fixed as soon as possible! I-I can’t bare to see her in s-so much pain!”

“Well… um,” Gobber looked to be at a loss, “I do have an apprentice, he could probably fix it up for you.”

“Great, who is it?”

…..

“HICCUP!” Ruff yelled at the top of her lungs, making the boy in question drop the heavy sword that he was carrying. He had intended to sharpen it. He snapped his head up to see Ruff dragging her brother inside, whimpering to himself about his broken mace.

“Wh-what happened?” he asked.

“Macey broke.” Ruff said, “Can you fix her?”

Hiccup looked between the twins.

“I mean… I can take a look at i- her if you want?” He said, gesturing over to the table in the middle of the room. Ruff dragged her brother over there and sat him down.

“Tuff, can I see… Macey, was it?” Hiccup asked after a couple of seconds of Tuff doing nothing to give up his grip on the mace.

“Com’on bro, just give it to him already.” Ruff said.

Slowly Tuff placed the pieces of the mace on the table keeping his hands hovering nearby.

Hiccup inspected the pieces of metal, picking each one up and running his fingers along the edges. He tried to piece the mace back together, and inspected the gaps in between.

After a couple of minutes, Ruff spoke up.

“So, do you think its fixable?” she asked, “I mean, you can see how distraught Tuff is right now.”

She gestured at her brother who was quietly sobbing beside her.

“...Yeah, I can um, I can see that.” Hiccup said, his eyes flickering back to the metal, “Well, I think the main issue is this piece that broke off, and I think that with enough time I could fix it.”

“Really?” Tuff asked, perking up.

“Yeah, it shouldn’t take too long, but the earliest I can give it back to you is next tues-”

“No! I need her for tomorrow!” Tuff said, launching himself across the table and grabbed Hiccup by the shoulders, looking at him with teary eyes. “Sh-she’s my lucky mace! I can’t do this without her! Please, I’ll do anything, I-I can pay extra! I can protect you from those bullies for a month! I can- I can do anything you ask of me, just please fix Macey.”

Hiccup looked taken aback.

“Well I… I guess I could try working on it first, if its that important.” Hiccup said.

“Really?!” Tuff said, eyes shining.

“Yeah, I-I could do that for you. Yeah, you can come back in around four hours, just before sunset, and hopefully I’ll be able to fix her in time. If not, you can go find me in the morning before training, and it’ll definitely be done by then.”

“Really?!” Tuff beamed.

“Yeah, really.” Hiccup said with a shy smile.

“Thank you thank you thank you!” Tuff said, pulling the smaller boy into a bone crushing hug.

“Y-yeah, no problem.” Hiccup said in a strained and wheezy voice.

Tuff left slightly more happy than he had been before. The two hours he spent away from Macey were agonising. He paced around despite his twin trying to calm him down.

“She’s going to be fine, Hiccup said so.” was the most popular phrase his sister used to try and make him settle down.

After the four hours were up, Tuff practically sprinted towards Gobbers shop with Ruffnut struggling to keep up. 

Tuff was the one who burst through the door this time. Making Hiccup drop what he was carrying again with a yelp.

“Is she fixed yet?!” He demanded, looking around the various weapons in the shop.

Hiccup looked up and smiled.

“Yeah, I managed to fix her.” He said, picking up the axe he had dropped and placing it on the table, “I’ll just go get her.”

Tuff twitched and fidgeted around in the small room surrounded by the weapons.

Hiccup walked back in a couple of minutes later, clearly struggling to carry the mace over to the others.

“Macey!” Tuff yelled, practically ripping the mace out of the younger boys hands. He caressed it gently, as if he were holding a newborn baby. Then he inspected her carefully, trying to make sure that Hiccup had done a good job with her.

And he had. She looked brand new. You couldn’t even see the seam where Hiccup had melded the missing piece back on. She looked just like the day Tuff had gotten her, especially with the obvious polish that Hiccup had done on her shining surface.

“Shes perfect.” Tuff said with actual tears in his eyes.

“I’m glad I did a good job on her then.” Hiccup said, rather sheepishly, “I know how much she means to you… you know. I made sure she looked as good as new.”

Tuff looked back at Hiccup with tears in his eyes and gave the boy an awkward side hug.

“Thank you.” he said.

“Yeah, no, no problem.” Hiccup said.

“How much do we owe you then?” Ruff asked.

“Wha- no, y-you don’t owe me anything.” Hiccup said quickly, “I mean I-I have enough money, I don't need anything else, I-I did it as a favor.”

“What?” Tuff said, “You saved my Macey as simply a favor?! What have I ever done for you to deserve that!? There must be something I can do for you to say thank you for saving my beloved Macey!”

Hiccup blinked, suddenly looking very uncomfortable.

“Well I mean…” he started, “I dont have anything I need you to do for me now…”

“Well, maybe you can cash in a favour later, when you need one then?” Ruff suggested. 

“Yeah, great idea sis,” Tuff grinned, “Anytime you need me to do something for you, just give me a call, alright?”

“Y-yeah, alright, s-sounds good.” Hiccup said. He waved at the twins as they took their leave, with Tuff promising to give Macey another manicure when they got home.

Because hey, she’d been through a lot. And she definitely deserved it.

Chapter Text

The great hall was quiet during the hours of the night, with most vikings getting some sleep at home. Some were still up, like the first responders, or the night watch, and they gathered inside on their breaks, drinking and talking.

Fishlegs sat down in the corner of the hall, a small outlet that was difficult to see into, but he could see everyone else just fine.

He should have been back at home, in bed but…

The dragon raids had been getting more frequent. Sometimes Fishlegs would wake up from nightmares about him being roasted alive inside his house, just like that one old man that nobody liked who used to live at the edge of town. No one noticed he was gone for days after he had disappeared.

If Fishlegs disappeared… Would anyone notice in time?

It was probably a stupid kind of fear only nine-year-olds got. The adults didn't seem to be phased by the old man's disappearance, so… maybe he was just being ridiculous. Besides, no one liked the guy very much, so he was being unreasonable. Of course someone would remember him… right?

Anyways, that was besides the point. Instead of sleeping, since he knew he was simply going to have some more nightmares, well, he decided that it would be a good idea for him to start studying the book of dragons. Yes, that way he would know exactly what to do if any dragons did decide to try and burn his house down. He would know how to deal with it! Yes, that was a great idea. That way he wouldn't have to worry about his house being burned down and him being forgotten.

Yes, that was… the best idea… that was… the best… easy…est….

“Fishlegs?” 

Fishlegs jerked up like someone had bitten him, yelling as he fell down.

“Wha- whats going on?” Fishlegs asked, getting up, to be met with the concerned face of Hiccup, “Hiccup? What are you doing here?”

“I was going to ask the same thing.” Hiccup said, “I was just… I don't know. I needed some fresh air, I guess.”

“I, um,” Fishlegs hesitated, “I was trying to study the book of dragons y-you know? Get a head start for when we do the trial of flame in the future. I-I’ve already read it seven times. It's really good.”

Hiccup frowned.

“...But, we still have six years until we have to do that.” Hiccup said, “And you’ve already read it seven times?”

“Y-yeah, I wanna get ahead,” Fishlegs grinned, “And well, the best way to do that is to study and memorise the material. So you know, I need to do some of that, so I can pass straight away. Its a foolproof plan!”

Hiccup's frown only deepened with each word. He squinted at him and then he seemed to realise something. His eyes widened and his mouth formed an ‘o’.

“Are you having nightmares because of Mildew?” he asked. 

Fishlegs eyes widened.

“What, n-no thats not… yeah, maybe.” Fishlegs slumped back in his seat, exhausted, “I just, I haven't been able to sleep since… since…”

“Yeah, I know what it feels like.” Hiccup said, taking the spare seat next to Fishlegs, “I mean… when Dad told me about how mum died… I couldn't sleep at night either. I thought… I thought that the Stormcutter would come back and take me away too, or worse, a night fury would take me instead.”

Hiccup turned and smiled.

“Honestly the only reason I managed to sleep was because I kept on passing out in the middle of the day. On the side of the roads… in the water… in the woods when I went hunting for trolls…”

Fishlegs tilted his head to one side.

“So… did the nightmares ever go away?” Fishlegs asked, “And… how?”

“Well, it did take a while.” Hiccup said, “But I do have something that may help, if you want to borrow him.”

“...him?” Fishlegs asked intrigued.

“Yeah, I can go get Nadia if you want.” He said, already getting up and running towards the entrance of the great hall, “I’ll be back in a sec,” he called once he was out of Fishlegs sight.

The boy in question stared at where his friend had disappeared to with intrigue. He was gone for longer than a sec, and Fishlegs decided to pass the time continuing his studies of the dragon book. 

There was a really interesting dragon species in here. Apparently it was called a scauldron and it sprays boiling water at your face. That was actually pretty cool though! Fishlegs had been under the impression that dragons only breathed fire, but now he found out that there was a dragon that shot out water! How did they heat up their water? Was it some kind of fire inside their lungs, like other dragons, or were they always hot and that heated up the water inside their mouths? How did that work?

Sadly there weren’t many answers to his questions. Maybe Fishlegs would just have to study dragons when he finished the trial of Flames. Yeah, and that way he could keep the village safer from the dragons. Ooh, and he could make cards! Yes, cards that you could take everywhere with you so you knew what to do when you encountered a dragon, and how to best defeat them. Yeah, that may really help people when they are alone in the forest! He could mass produce them and then- and then no one would forget him!

Just when Fishlegs made his revelation, Hiccup showed up again, hiding something in his vest.

“I’m back.” he said, slightly breathlessly.

“Are you ok?” Fishlegs asked, concerned.

“Yeah, I just… I sprinted home. Don't worry, it wasn't far.” He said, “And I got Nadia.”

From his vest Hiccup produced a small faded grey toy. It looked to be a hybrid between a deadly nadder and some four legged dragon, like a gronkle. The button eyes were loose, and some of the spines at the top of its head were slightly wonky. But, even so, Fishlegs could tell that this was a very well loved toy.

“This is Nadia.” Hiccup explained, “It was a gift from my mother. Dad gave her to me when I started getting nightmares. She made me feel brave and, well, maybe she can make you feel brave too.”

Hiccup held Nadia out to Fishlegs, who took it carefully as if it were made of gold, and inspected the small thing. He smiled softly.

“Thanks Hiccup.” he said.

“No problem.” Hiccup said, “You can give her back when your nightmares are over.” 

Fishlegs nodded.

Hiccup yawned dramatically.

“Well, that took a lot outta me. I’m gonna go to bed.” he said, leaving again, “See you around Fishlegs.”

“See ya.” Fishlegs said, still holding Nadia in his hands. He decided that he had enough studying for today. He picked up the heavy book of dragons and placed it back in its box, locking it and placing the key back on the nail it hung from.

He then walked home. It wasn't far, but the sun was slowly rising in the distance. It was summer, so the days were much longer than usual. Fishlegs hoped that he could sleep tonight.

He crawled into bed, and pulled Nadia close. It wasn't long before he fell into a slumber, one that was surprisingly sound. 

His dreams, though still full of monsters, didn’t make him scared. He knew that Nadia would protect him. 

And when the sun shone through his window the next morning, Fishlegs had a smile on his face.

Chapter Text

It was a cold autumn morning when Ruff decided that all boys sucked majorly. 

All they did was pretend to love you, pretend to care, and then go with the pretty blond instead and call you dramatic for crying.

She had walked across to the other side of the island, practically daring a dragon to come and try to attack her as she stormed over to a cliff side.

When she finally got there she sat down, and stared across the ocean. She didn’t cry out loud, she didn't let her emotions show on her face. She just stared. A few silent tears fell down her face, and her fists trembled slightly as she clenched them.

The breeze whipped through her hair, along with a spray of sea salt.

Suddenly, Ruff heard the crunch of someone's boots on the loose dirt and rocks behind her. She quickly whipped around, preparing to yell at the person-

Only to find that it was Hiccup. He stopped where he was, and put his arms up in surrender.

“S-sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.” he said.

Ruff relaxed slightly. Hiccup was one of the most placid, kind boys she had ever met. He wasn't like that jerk Clueless.

“Hiccup,” Ruff said, “What- what are you doing here?”

“I, um,” the boy started, shuffling nervously from foot to foot, “I just… wanted to make sure you were ok.”

Ruff blinked at him. That was… not what she expected.

“I’m fine.” she said, wiping away tears from her eyes, “I- I want to be alone right now, please.”

“I don’t… Are you sure that's what you want?” Hiccup asked, “You seemed pretty upset, and well, I don’t think it's good to be alone when you're upset. I don’t like it when I’m alone.”

“I…” Ruff hesitated for a second, “I guess it might be nice to be with someone for a bit. I don't want to talk about it though.”

“Yeah, I know.” Hiccup said, sitting down next to Ruff, “I just… I saw what happened. Clueless is a jerk, huh?”

Ruff oogled at him. She’d never thought Hiccup had it in him.

“I guess so.” she said, “I can't believe I fell for his stupid act though.”

“Its not your fault.” Hiccup said, “He’s a master manipulator. They call him Clueless because that's just the way he acts. He acts like his stupid and doesn’t know anything so that people feel sorry for him and help him out. He’s just lazy.”

Ruff nodded and hummed in agreement

“Where is your brother anyways? I thought you two were always attached to the hip.” Hiccup asked.

“He’s doing some extra training with Gobber.” Ruff said, “One to one since… well… I guess you know why.”

“Oh, right. Sorry I asked.” Hiccup said softly, “I-is there anything else you would like to talk about? Or something. It might help get your mind off stuff.”

“I don’t know…” Ruff said, before hesitating, “Actually, there may be something. I’ve never heard you trash talk before. Do you have anything else to say about the other idiots in the village?”

Hiccup looked confused for a second, and then taken aback. And then he grinned maniacly.

“Sure, I have a couple on Snotlout and my dad. You wanna hear some jokes?”

Ruff nodded eagerly.

“How do you confuse a Jorgenson? You put him in a round arena and tell him to go to the corner.”

Ruff snorted loudly.

“Thats awful.” she said.

“I know.” Hiccup grinned, “How do you get a one armed Jorgenson out of a tree? You wave to him.”

Ruff laughed out loud.

“How do you sink a Jorgensons ship?” Hiccup continued, “You put it in the water.”

“S-stop, that's so bad.” Ruff laughed.

Hiccup just ginned and told a bunch more terrible jokes, a few about how clueless Clueless really was and then proceeded to do an almost perfect impression of his father.

“Excuse me, Barmaid,” Hiccup droned on in a heavy Scottish and overexaggerated accent, “I’m afraid you brought me the wrong offspring. I ordered an extra large boy with beefy arms, extra guts and glory on the side. This here, this is a talking fishbone.”

“J-just stop!” Ruff laughed.

Hiccup laughed alongside her.

They would laugh for a while, then stop and look at each other, before laughing all over again. They did this until they were wheezing, sprawled out on the side of the cliff. 

“Thanks for this, Hiccup.” Ruff grinned, turning to face him.

“Yeah, yeah, no worries. I didn’t actually have anything to do right now, so thanks for letting me help you.”

Ruff blinked at him, and snorted.

“What?” Hiccup asked.

“I don’t think I’ve ever met a person who is as polite as you.” she said, “What gives?”

Hiccup’s smile softened.

“I don't know.” he shrugged, looking away, “I guess that it's just easier to be nice to people than to berate them, or make them feel bad.”

He sat up, and looked back towards Ruff.

“And hey, if you want some help coming up with revenge plans, I have a couple of ideas.”

“Oh,” Ruff grinned, getting up, “You’ll need to tell me later. I’m starving. We should probably get back to Berk.”

“Agreed.” Hiccup said, “Do you think Tuff would like to join?”

“Oh, definitely.” Ruff said, “He should be finished around now.” 

“Great, lead the way then,” Hiccup said, standing up after her.

As they walked towards the village, Hiccup went on explaining his plan to Ruff, whose grin got ever more wider and wider as he spoke.

And that's how, after a couple of minutes of explaining to a very confused and then angry Tuffnut, a couple tons of fish and their remains, a quick trip to Gobbers blacksmith and some quick engineering, Clueless and his new girlfriend were shrieking to the Gods above as they were covered in stinking day old fish, all while Ruff, Tuff and Hiccup giggled from a concealed hiding place, shushing each other to try and keep quiet.

And Clueless never made fun of Ruffnut again. Nor did he ever dump on another girlfriend the same way.

Chapter Text

Hiccup was not feeling well. He’d woken up with a fever, and a headache. Scratch that, his entire body ached. Heck, even his pegleg ached. How that was even possible was beyond him.

Toothless had of course realized this, being Hiccup's best friend even to this day. Stoic had gone out early in the morning to do his chiefly duties, so he had no idea that his son was sick.

At first, Toothless had tried to coax his rider out of bed. Surely human sniffles can’t be too bad, right? He’d purred next to him, and gently pushed him around with his paw. When that didn’t work, Toothless had pulled the blanket off of his rider, to which the boy groaned, still half-asleep, trembling slightly with the cold, and tried to pull the blanket back onto himself.

The Night Fury then tried to nudge him with his nose, and then snorted and stepped back.

…Humans weren’t usually this hot, right? They were usually a lot colder than dragons. They didn’t have fire in their lungs.

This was when Toothless realized that something was very, very wrong. He quickly leaped down the balcony inside his master's house and opened the door with his mouth, like Hiccup had taught him (Toothless didn’t like being locked inside, so Hiccup had trained him to open and close the front door so he could always go out for a run). He kicked the door back with his foot and ran into the village, trying to find five other familiar scents.

The first person he came across was Astrid. She was walking through the village, an old bag slung around one shoulder as she shopped in the early hours of the morning. Stormfly, her deadly nadder, was walking along beside her protectively.

Toothless ran up to her, almost hitting the stall of one of the vendors.

“Toothless?” Astrid exclaimed, slightly surprised, "What's wrong?”

Toothless moaned at her, looking from her back in the direction of Hiccups house.

“Is it Hiccup?” Astrid asked, suddenly very awake, “Is he- wait! Where are you going?”

Toothless didn’t catch that last part. He needed to go find the others.

He came across Snotlout and Hookfang, landing in a landing area just outside of Berk. The Monstrous Nightmare was the one to notice him first. He hissed at Toothless as he approached at rapid speed.

“Toothless?” Snotlout said, seeing the dragon in distress. Toothless roared and looked back towards the Cheifs house.

Snotlout raised a brow and then realization dawned on his face.

“Come on Hooky,” he said, “Hiccup needs us.”

Toothless roared and went off to find the others.

The next person, or people he came across were the twins. They were coddling Barf and Belch, giving them head scritches and oils for their dry skin.

Toothless jumped over Barf and Belch, startling the Hideous Zippleback.

“Whoa, Toothless?” Ruff said.

“Whats up Tooth?” Tuff asked.

Toothless looked towards the house, and then roared at the twins.

They looked at each other with the same grim expression, having a full on conversation without speaking.

“Is Hiccy hurt?” Tuff asked.

Toothless nodded.

“Well, why didn't you say so?” Tuff said, and the twins went on to order the Zippleback to get up. Toothless, seeing that his job was done, ran straight towards where he knew a certain boy and his Gronkle friend liked to hang out.

He found Fishlegs and Meatlug in their favourite spot, a rock garden a little ways away from the village. He jumped into the garden, startling the two from their meditation.

“Toothless? W-whats wrong?” Fishlegs asked. 

The Night Fury looked towards the village.

“Is- is it Hiccup boy? Does he need some help?” Fishlegs asked.

Toothless nodded again.

“Alright, we’ll be right over.” he said, getting onto Meatlug who had been listening in with a measure of curiosity.

Toothless warbled happily, and then sprinted back over to his human’s house. 

When he got there, three of the dragons were already stationed outside, and the door was wide open.

Toothless opened the door the rest of the way and came inside, to where the humans were already discussing what was going on.

Toothless came over to Hiccup's side and nuzzled him softly.

“Its going to be ok Toothless,” Astrid said, coming up beside him and petting his head, “He’s just got a bit of a fever. He’s sick. But we can help him get better.”

Toothless warbled in agreement.

……..

Hiccup woke up a few hours later. His forehead felt slightly numb, though the rest of him was warm. Opening his eyes was not a fun challenge. He groaned slightly, and his ears were immediately bombarded with sounds.

People were talking to him. Multiple, at the same time. They only stopped when the bed Hiccup was half propped up on roared and silenced everyone.

…Wait, bed? That was Toothless wasn’t it?

“T-Toothless?” Hiccup wheezed.

“Hey, sorry about that Hiccup.” Astrid was suddenly in front of him, “You were out for a while, we were worried.”

“Wha- what happened?” Hiccup asked.

“You're sick, muttonhead.” Snotlout said from another part of the room.

Hiccup startled. 

The others were here. All of them. Astrid, Snotlout, Ruff, Tuff and Fishlegs. They were all here. For him.

He would never have thought.

“Did you have any symptoms before this morning?” Fishlegs asked with a stern voice.

“I had a bit of a cough yesterday.” Hiccup said, “It wasn’t too bad. I thought it would go away quickly but…”

“It just escalated.” Astrid finished with a sigh.

“Yeah, s-something like that.” Hiccup said, trying to sit up more. Astrid was by his side immediately and helped him into a more comfortable position. And that's when Hiccup noticed a familiar, small grey toy tucked gently in his hands, with a couple more stitches.

“N-Nadia?” Hiccup said.

“Oh yeah, I found her in a box of my old stuff when I was clearing out yesterday.” Fishlegs said sheepishly, “I, um, was going to give him back to you but I completely forgot. Sorry.”

“Oh, I was wondering why Hiccup still slept with a toy.” Tuff said thoughtfully. Ruff rolled her eyes from beside her brother.

“Oh, th-thanks.” Hiccup said with a small smile, “I’d completely forgotten about him.”

“Yeah, no problem.” Fishlegs grinned. 

“So, how are you feeling right now Hiccup?” Astrid asked.

“I feel warm.” Hiccup said, “and like my body is made of l-lead. It's hard to move.”

“That tracks.” Fishlegs said, “You had a really high fever. We had to put a towel on your head to try and cool you down. Snotlout got a bucket of ice from outside.” 

“Yeah, it was, it was nothing.” Snotlout said in a tone that everyone knew he meant that he had been worried but didn’t want them to know.

“Are you hungry right now?” Ruff asked, “Cause you have been out all day.”

Hiccup thought for a minute before nodding his head.

“Ok, sure, I’ll go get some.” Tuff said, dramatically making his way over to the pantry. When he came back he had produced a loaf of bread and a knife, before cutting it up into slices and passing it to Hiccup and everyone else.

“Y-you know,” Hiccup said once he finished with what he could stomach at the moment (which was a half slice of bread), “You don’t all have to spend your day looking after me. I’ll be fine on my own with just Toothless.

Everyone paused what they were doing and gave him weird looks.

“...D-did I say something wrong?” Hiccup asked.

“Yeah, Hiccup,” Astrid said, “We all came here because we wanted to help look after you. You’re sick, and that's what friends do.”

“Yeah, like I wouldn’t return a favour. You came to help me when I needed it.” Snotlout said, “Even though I wasn’t very nice to you at the time. You didn’t hesitate. Do you really think I’d let that slide?”

“And I owe you a favour, remember?” Tuff said.

“You helped me out when I was having nightmares.” Fishlegs said, “You didn't have to do that.”

“And if not for me, who’s gonna tell you bad jokes until you get better?” Ruff said, “They do say laughter is the best medicine.”

“So, just let us help you out,” Astrid said, “Like you helped all of us out.”

Toothless warbled from under him, twisting around so that he could nuzzle Hiccup on his side.

Hiccup smiled as it dawned on him that he finally had friends, real friends after all these years. He finally belonged somewhere.

He shrugged, and the others all smiled back at him. 

The rest of the day was a blur of his friends trying to make him feel better. Astrid and Toothless stayed beside him the whole time, Snotlout helped him take medicine, Fishlegs talked to him about dragons, and Ruff and Tuff made stupid jokes that made Hiccup laugh, along with Macey who Tuff had brought with him. Snotlout got offended multiple times at the Jorgenson jokes that Ruff made up.

In the end, it was a good day.