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This is Berk. It's twelve days North of hopeless and a few degrees South of freezing to death. It's located solemnly on the meridian of misery.
My village. In a word? Sturdy. It's been here for seven generations but every building is new. We have fishing, hunting, and a charming view of the sunsets.
The only problems are the pests. You see, most places have mice or mosquitoes. We have…
Dragons.
Most people would leave. Not us. We're vikings. We have stubbornness issues. My name's Hiccup. Great name, I know. But it's not the worst. Parents believe that a hideous name will frighten off gnomes and trolls. Like our charming Viking demeanor wouldn't do that.
Anyhow, last night was so chaotic. The dragons were relentless, as usual. But this time, something changed. My bola launcher actually managed to hit a dragon! And not just any dragon. A Night Fury.
But little did I know just how much this one action would actually change my life.
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Hiccup snuck out of his house and ran into the forest, hoping to find the Night Fury he had shot down just hours ago. After half an hour of searching and coming up with nothing, Hiccup was close to giving up. “Oh, the gods hate me. Some people lose their knife or their mug. No, not me, I managed to lose an entire dragon!” Hiccup punched a tree branch, but it smacked him in the face, causing him to yell in pain. It was then that he noticed that half the tree was broken, barely hanging on and there was a trail.
Hiccup followed the trail and finally found the Night Fury. It was still wrapped in the bola and it seemed to be dead. “ Oh, wow. I did it. Oh, I did it! This fixes everything! Yes! I have brought down this mighty beast!” Hiccup stepped on the dragon, thinking it was dead but it was still alive and shoved him off. Hiccup took out his dagger, ready to kill it. If he killed it, he would get everything he's ever wanted. Recognition, praise, his father's pride in him and he'll finally be treated as one of them.
But why was he hesitating? Why were his hands shaking? Why did it feel so wrong to even just think of killing this dragon? Hiccup faltered, the dagger in his hand lowering as he looked at the dragon. Then, his eyes met toxic green ones and he scrambled back, terrified, even if the Night Fury was bound by the bolas.
Hiccup took a deep breath and got up, pointing his dagger at the dragon. “I’m gonna kill you, dragon! I’m gonna cut out your heart and take it to my father! I’m a Viking. I’m a Viking!” The dragon only looked at him for a few moments before closing its eyes, as if accepting its demise. It made Hiccup pause. Why was it just accepting death? He thought it would have fought more than just accepting its demise. Hiccup was frozen for a few moments before deciding that what he was doing wasn't right and started to cut the strings of the bola that bound the dragon.
The moment Hiccup cut the last string, the dragon's eyes snapped open as it shot up and pinned Hiccup to a nearby rock, roaring in his face. It stared at him for a few moments before running off, trying to fly a couple of times but kept failing, even after it was out of Hiccup's sight. Hiccup kept staring for a moment, dazed before he remembered he needed to get back to the forge and picked up his dagger and ran back to the village.
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Hakan was injured. That much he knew from the fact that he couldn't fly. But there was something else bothering him. His last memory had been when he had finally had enough of his family's expectations and ran away to at least clear his mind yet while he had been flying over an island, his memory suddenly went blank and based on the change of scenery, Hakan didn't know how much time has passed since then but he was sure that it's been a while.
He was stuck in a cove, having fallen in after his attempts to fly earlier. There weren't many fish in the water, leaving him hungry and frustrated. He had to get out of here soon because if he didn’t, who knows what would happen to him next, especially since he was injured. Hakan sighed, resigning to sleeping for now while he figured out what to do next with his situation. He found a good spot in the cove and spun around in a circle, heating up the spot before he finally plopped down and rested.
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When Hakan woke up the next day, he tried again and again and again to fly out of the cove, yet he failed every time. After dozens of tries, Hakan just gave up and noticed some of the fish swimming in the water and tried to catch some, but his fatigue made it hard. Then, there was a sound of something falling and Hakan looked up and growled when he noticed the same small Viking from the day before. The boy scrambled back, gathering his notebook and ran, leaving behind what fell down.
Hakan huffed, calming down as he went to inspect what had fallen from the boy. Hakan looked around, making sure no one was around before kneeling and transforming into his humanoid form. He looked mostly human in this form, except for scales that covered his genitals and some on the side of his face.
He picked it up and sniffed it, curious about what it was. It smelt like a mix of soot and the boy's scent and Hakan found he was quite pleased by the scent. He decided to keep it, standing up from his position but found that he was unable to walk as a stabbing pain shot through his body from his leg. He hissed in pain, falling to the ground.
Looks like he can't fly and can't walk either. Hakan wondered if Loki was playing tricks on him. He sighed and transformed back into a dragon, picking up the pencil and burying it near his makeshift nest. Hakan fell asleep like that, his mind replaying memories from the past, at least the ones that don't involve his clan's expectations. He doesn't know why his memories suddenly go blank when he had been ten winters old after he ran away, but he plans to find out one way or another. No matter how long it took.
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The next day, Hakan woke up to the sound of footsteps nearing the cove. He hid behind one of the large rocks and watched as the boy from the day before walked in, holding a large fish. Hakan could feel his stomach growling at the sight of the fish. It's been maybe three days since he last ate. The boy looked around, probably trying to find him, so Hakan snuck up behind him.
When the boy realized that, he got startled and scrambled back a bit before he seemed to calm down. Hakan watched as he unsheathed his dagger and dropped it on the ground before kicking it away, trying to show that he was harmless.
Hakan calmed down after that, his eyes no longer slitted as he sat down, looking at the boy curiously. The boy hesitantly offered the fish he was holding and Hakan approached him cautiously. Hakan opened his mouth, silently telling the boy to give him the fish. “Huh? Toothless? I could have sworn you had-” The boy started and Hakan decided to mess with him a bit and unretracted his teeth and took the fish from the boy, startling him.
“Teeth…” The boy looked at him in wonder. Hakan approached the boy again, inspecting him. The boy was too skinny and was probably hungry, and Hakan had been taught to share his food with those weaker than him, like he did with his brother.
“Uh- uh… No… no.. No… I- I don't have any more.” The boy thought that he was searching him for food. But Hakan regurgitated half the fish onto the boy's lap, ignoring the boy's sound of disgust at the fish as he sat down and waited for the boy to eat it. The two kept staring at each other for a while, the boy unsure of what the Night Fury wanted from him and Hakan just waiting for him to eat the fish.
Hakan decided to help the boy out and looked at the fish and back at the boy, a silent saying for him to eat it. The boy seemed disgusted and unsure when he got what the Night Fury was telling him before slowly bringing the fish up to his mouth and biting into it, grimacing at the foul taste of the fish. He faked a delighted sound, showing that he bit the fish, hoping that this would be enough. But Hakan thought otherwise and made a swallowing motion, telling the boy to swallow it.
The boy's face fell before he obliged, resisting the urge to throw it up again. Hakan was satisfied with that and the boy smiled up at him. The Night Fury noticed the boy's smile and tried smiling too, showing off his gums. The boy gets up and tries to reach out to the dragon, but Hakan snarls at him, running off to the other side of the cove. Hakan goes to his makeshift nest, heating it up with his flame and laying down, looking at the bird's nest on one of the trees. He heard a noise and looked beside him and found the boy sitting down near him.
Hakan grumbled as he shifted away from the boy, going under his wing to try and get some sleep. The boy scooched over, trying to touch his tail, but Hakan reacted and lifted his wing as the boy stood abruptly and awkwardly walked away. Hakan huffed as he got up from his makeshift nest and went over to one of the large tree branches and hung onto it upside down, sort of like a bat, trying once again to get some sleep.
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He woke up again to the sound of something being dragged in the sand and curiosity overtook him so he moved his wing and saw the boy was sitting on a rock, moving a stick around. Hakan got down from his position and approached the boy, curious on what he was doing. He made a sound, alerting the boy that he was behind him as he watched him draw something. It looked like… him?
Motivated, Hakan went and broke off a massive tree branch and started to drag it around, drawing lines around the boy. The branch almost hit the boy's head a couple of times but he managed to duck just in time to dodge it. Once he was satisfied, he put down the tree branch and made a satisfied noise, looking at the lines like they were his masterpiece. The boy stood up, looking around and accidentally stepped on one of the lines, causing Hakan to snarl at him. When he lifted his foot, the dragon calmed down, but he snarled again when the boy stepped on the line again.
The boy did it again and again before he seemed to understand that he can't step on the lines so he avoided them. His movements caused Hakan to pause. He knew those movements. He's watched his elders do them countless times when he was a hatchling. It was a mating dance.
Did the boy know that? Or was he just doing it subconsciously? Does he know he was basically asking Hakan to become his mate? Other dragons were generally polygamous, never sticking with one partner for a long time.
Night Furies, or rather, all Furies, are different. Furies, in particular, had a sort of humanoid form. They only have one mate in their entire lives and they have to do a mating dance when they want to ask a dragon to be their mate. Hakan's mind was running rampant with confused thoughts, he almost didn't notice the boy had bumped into him. The boy looked up and they stared at each other for a moment before the boy reached out and Hakan moved away, unsure.
This caused the boy to pull away before he closed his eyes, turning his head away as he reached out again. Hakan just looked at the boy's hand, unsure if the boy knew that he was practically asking Hakan if he accepted him as his mate.
After some slight hesitation, Hakan decided to just go for it, after all, the boy was helping him recover and plus, his parents wouldn't be able to control who he gets mated to anymore if he did this. He closed his eyes and leaned his head into the boy's palm. The boy seemed shocked, opening his eyes, looking at the dragon in wonder. After that, Hakan shook his head, running off to his makeshift nest, but he kept his eye on the boy, just watching.
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The past few days flew by just like that and Hakan and the boy, who he learned was named Hiccup, got closer. Although Hakan still hasn't shown the boy his humanoid form. It was also clear that Hiccup didn't know that he had essentially just asked Hakan to be his mate just a few days ago. Hiccup had made him a new tailfin and it did feel weird at first, having someone on his back, Hakan found that he was quite comfortable with it.
It made Hakan ponder if he should reveal his humanoid form to Hiccup, after all, Hiccup had basically nursed him back to health and had made a new tailfin for him, even though he was raised to think that dragons were evil and that he should kill them if he ever came across one, but then again, Hiccup looked too… weak to even hurt a fly, much less be able to kill a dragon.
Hiccup often ranted to Hakan about his “dragon training” every time he came to the cove. It was how he learnt his name. Today was no different. Hiccup was just sitting on one of the rocks, talking while he fiddled with his pencil. It was a new one, Hakan didn't give back the pencil Hiccup had dropped a few days ago.
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“I really do think that we're the ones at fault, you know? You all just wanted food and we just kept killing you guys. I mean, you do steal our livestock, but still.” Hiccup sighed. Why was he even talking about this with a dragon? It wasn't like the Night Fury would suddenly be able to talk. Hiccup groaned, closing his eyes as he laid down on the rock.
“To be honest, it is kind of our fault too.” Hiccup heard an unfamiliar voice say and got startled, his eyes shot open and instead of a dragon towering over him, it was, a boy? A gorgeously handsome one at that.
Hiccup ended up falling from the rock when he tried to sit up and the boy just laughed at him. He looked around, not finding Toothless anywhere. Hiccup looked at the boy, who seemed to be around his age, again and noticed that the man seemed to have… scales?
“This is technically our “first” official meeting, right? My name is Hakan. Although you've been calling me Toothless for the past few days.” The boy, Hakan, smiled at Hiccup.
“Wait- hold on. You're saying you're… Toothless? The Night Fury? As in, a dragon?” Hiccup didn't believe Hakan, not for a second. But then again, where would Toothless have gone in that short amount of time?
“Yup. And I wanted to talk to you about something.” Hakan slid down the rock, wincing when he placed his foot onto the ground so he just used the rock as leverage. It was then that Hiccup realized that Hakan was very much naked, well, except for the scales that covered his privates.
“Ah! Please! Put some clothes on!” Hiccup covered his eyes, although he was kind of tempted to take a peek again. “Hm? What are you talking about?” Hakan was confused. Why was Hiccup reacting like that to him being nude? Is it because of Viking customs? Is that why Hiccup always wore clothes?
“Is that a Viking custom?” Hakan tilted his head. “It's a people custom!” Hiccup fired back, still covering his eyes. So, Hakan decided to go into the basket that Hiccup had brought with him and curled up, with only his head peeking out. It was the only thing he could think of at that moment, so he just went with it.
“You can open your eyes now.” Hiccup opened his eyes and immediately locked on Hakan. “Why are you in that basket?” There was some humor behind his words as he stifled a laugh. “Well, do you have any spare clothes with you?”
“Uh, I think I can go get some for you maybe tomorrow?” Hiccup thought of anyone who would have a similar build to Hakan. Hakan seemed to be similar to Hiccup's height and build, although slightly more muscular. “Wait, can we talk about something? Something that you probably won't even understand since it's a dragon custom.” Hiccup looked at him, confused. “What? What do you mean?”
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After Hakan explained the whole thing with the mating ritual and all of that, Hiccup just stood there, shocked, his mouth wide open as he tried to process all of this information. He had just learned something about dragons, specifically Night Furies, that probably no one else knows. It was all just too absurd to believe, yet why would Hakan even lie about that? He had no reason to lie.
“So um… this.. Uh- whole mating thing… Does that mean I'm technically married to you?” Hiccup was still in a state of shock as he asked that. “Married?” Hakan tilted his head, confused on what ‘being married’ meant. “Um- you know- mated for life.” Hiccup didn’t know how to explain a marriage to a dragon, so he just settled on that. “Oh! Then yes. Technically, we're “married” like you said.”
This just made Hiccup panic a bit. He had just gotten married and no one, not even Gobber, knows about it. Odin’s beard, He’s married at fifteen! “This certainly… changes things. Wait, that means I'll have to introduce you to my father since you can turn into a human. But how in Odin's name am I gonna explain how I met you? You'll have to go through dragon training too since you're around my age. Oh Odin's beard.”
Hiccup paced as he rambled on and one how he needed to make a solid backstory for how they met and all of that while Hakan just watched and listened. The way Hiccup rambled made him relaxed for some reason. He had expected a much bigger reaction than this, but this was nice too.
After a while, Hiccup came up with a plan. He would get Hakan clothes, teach him things about Vikings, introduce him to the village so when his father comes back, he wouldn't get suspicious on who Hakan was. Although he did decide it would be best that Hakan pretended that he hit his head and lost his memories so they don't have to explain where he came from.
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The very next day, Hiccup snuck out early in the morning before dragon training started and also managed to get some clothes for Hakan. Hiccup skipped dragon training that day and just spent all day teaching Hakan about customs in Berk and also got to know each other better.
By the time they finished, it was already dusk and dragon training had long since finished. Hiccup decided it was a good time to head back and introduce Hakan to everyone. Although there was one problem. Hakan couldn't walk, so Hiccup had to support him with walking.
The mechanical tailfin was stored in the basket Hiccup had brought the clothes and food in, so it wouldn't get found. It was a long walk from the cove to the village, but it was worth it. The two talked, laughed and got to know each other while they walked. And Hiccup had to admit, it was the most fun he's had in ages. Well, except for the first time they had flown together properly.
Gobber was at the entrance of the forest, seemingly about to go in to look for Hiccup when he spotted them. Of course, he immediately went into questioning who Hakan was. So, the two set their plan into motion. “His name is Hakan. I found him unconscious earlier. His leg seems to be broken though. He can't walk.” Hiccup quickly explained, letting go of Hakan for a second, who immediately almost fell, before moving to support him again.
“Hold on now boy. You can't just walk back here with a stranger and expect us to just accept him. Where is he even from?” Gobber stopped Hiccup.
“I- I don't know either, Sir. The only thing I remember is my name and waking up on this island with Hiccup helping me.” Hakan looked utterly dejected, and if Hiccup didn't know, he would have believed Hakan’s acting.
“You better get him to Gothi then. After that, we need to talk about where you've been, boy.” Gobber sighed as he finally allowed Hiccup and Hakan to pass, following behind them to Gothi's house.
When they got there, Hiccup ended up helping Gothi to “heal” Hakan. Hakan's leg was indeed broken and Gothi estimated that he would need a prosthetic just to be able to walk again.
After, while Hakan rested, Gobber pulled Hiccup aside. “Alright, what in Odin's beard is going on between you and that boy? You two act like you've known each other for more than just a few hours.”
“Nothing is going on! I- uh- don't know what you're talking about.” Hiccup laughed nervously, but one look from Gobber made Hiccup cave. “Alright, alright, there is something going on. But please don't tell my father.”
“Hiccup, just tell me what's going on. Is he treating you well? Why have you only brought him here now? Just who is he?” Gobber absolutely did not trust Hakan at all, but if Hiccup liked him, there was nothing he nor Stoic could do.
“Please promise me you won't freak out. I know this is going to sound absolutely insane, but, just hear me out Gobber, please.” Gobber sighed at Hiccup’s plea. “Alright. Fine, I promise. As long as it isn’t something like “He’s actually a dragon and I fell in love with him because I rescued him and healed him” or anything like that.”
Hiccup went silent, looking very sheepish at Gobber's words. “Oh Odin's beard. He is, isn't he?” Gobber groaned, rubbing his face with his one good hand. “Of all people Hiccup. A dragon? Really?”
“It's not like it's my fault! It just… kind of happened? Remember when I kept saying I shot down a Night Fury? That was Hakan. I found him again the next day but I couldn't bring myself to kill him so I freed him instead, but I didn't know that my bola had taken one of his tailfins clean off his tail. So I kind of formed a bond with him after I fed him some fish and then, yesterday, he transformed into a human and said that we were basically married because I unknowingly did a mating dance-”
“Hold on. You're what now?!” Gobber interrupted Hiccup's rambling. “Hiccup, what in Thor's name am I going to tell your father then? That you got married while he wasn't here? You know you would have to tell him at some point.”
“I know, but Gobber, you know that dad would definitely never accept Hakan if he found out. Hel, he might even have him killed! I don't want that to happen. Not when Hakan is the only person who's around my age that I can actually call a friend.” Gobber sighed. He understood Hiccup's point, but they can't keep this secret hidden forever. Stoic will find out one way or another, and the longer they hide it, the more furious Stoic would be.
“Do you like him?” Hiccup looked confused and flustered at Gobber's question. “What?” “I said, do you like him?” Gobber repeated himself. “As in like like him?” “Yes Hiccup, as in you have feelings for him, you love him.”
Hiccup was conflicted. While he and Hakan had technically only started to get to know each other, they've also spent most of their time together for the past few days. But, there was always a fluttering feeling inside him whenever Hakan laughed or smiled at him. He was always at peace when he was with Hakan, away from his father's expectations, from the village's scrutiny.
“I… think I do.” Gobber smiled at Hiccup's muttered words. “You’re really just like your mother, always going against the norm. Alright then. I'll keep it a secret for the two of you. But remember, you have to come to me for name suggestions when you two have children.” Gobber patted Hiccup's back as he walked off and Hiccup started sputtering, his face as red as a tomato now.
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The next day, Hakan went with Hiccup to dragon training, but obviously he couldn't participate, so they decided that Hakan would just be introduced to the other teenagers and have him watch from the sidelines.
All eyes immediately went to them when they walked in, curious on who Hiccup was helping walk. “Alright! Gather around everyone! This is Hakan. Hiccup found him in a forest yesterday, that's why he didn't come to dragon training. He's injured right now so he can't join you. For now, he will be watching from the sidelines. Don't ask him too many questions as he is still healing because he had hit his head somewhere.”
Gobber explained everything (excluding the important things of course) while Hiccup helped Hakan into a spot where he wouldn't get targeted by the dragons but still in the arena. Hiccup could feel their gazes on him, but he couldn't bring himself to care now. He had someone who was far more important than people's opinion about him.
“Hiccup! Stop fussing over Hakan and get ready!” Hiccup rolled his eyes at Gobber's words, making sure Hakan was comfortable one last time before running off to join the others. “Looks like Useless likes men. Just what can he do that he won't mess up on?”
“Hey! What's wrong with liking men?” Tuffnut started arguing with Snotlout, which somehow turned into the twins starting to argue. “Quiet down! Now, everyone, let's start. We have maybe about three more days until the Chief and the others come back, and when they do, one of you will be picked to fight the Monstrous Nightmare and become an official viking.”
Gobber explained what they would do that day before releasing the dragon. Today, they were fighting the Deadly Nadder. Today, the arena was turned into a maze of sorts, just like the second day of training. Hakan just watched from the sidelines, observing all the teenagers, taking mental notes on their personalities and how much of a threat they were.
‘Snotlout, Hiccup's cousin. Arrogant and full of hubris, looks like he can be defeated with a few fire blasts. Threat level, 2. The twins, Tuffnut and Ruffnut, reckless, argue with each other too much, easily distracted, and can easily be defeated if they are put against each other. Threat level, 3. Fishlegs. He knows a lot about dragons. Can be easily defeated with just one fire blast. Threat level, 1. Astrid, the most likely to be chosen to fight the Monstrous Nightmare. Has very little blind spots when focused but hard to cooperate with. Threat level, 5.’
Hakan had heard everything Hiccup and Gobber were discussing last night, and this had only hardened his resolve to protect Hiccup. He was his mate after all, even if they haven't consummated it, but that would happen in due time. Whenever Hiccup was ready.
Dragon training ended after Hiccup “knocked out” the Deadly Nadder, although all he really did was scratch the Nadder's chin, Hiccup immediately went to Hakan, going back to fussing over him as he helped him stand up. “Alright! Let's all go eat, I'm sure all of you are very hungry!” Gobber led them all to the Great Hall to eat with the other Vikings.
Hakan and Hiccup sat together at the most secluded table, but was still able to hear Gobber's words as he gave advice on how to take down a dragon. Most people avoided them, mostly because of Hiccup's reputation as someone who brings disaster wherever he goes, but these days, people did start to warm up to him when they heard he was doing well in dragon training. Today though, they avoided them because they didn't trust Hakan since they thought he could be a spy from another village.
“How are we gonna do this then? We just keep pretending? You know your father will get suspicious and probably call the Chiefs from other villages to see if I belong with them, if I don't, I'll probably be cast out into the sea or put in prison.” Hiccup had been thinking about that all night, yet he just couldn't think of anything. There would be no explanation of where Hakan was from if Stoic does decide to investigate further. All they could hope for was that he wouldn't, which was a low chance.
“If that does happen and my father decides to cast you out to the sea, I think we might be able to flee from here before you get cast out or arrested.” Hakan was silent for a few moments, processing his words. “You… would actually do that for me? You would leave Berk, just for me?” Hakan found it hard to believe that Hiccup would leave Berk, the village he grew up in, the place where all his childhood memories were, just for Hakan.
“I mean, we're mated, right? Mates are supposed to be together forever. Plus, I have more bad memories here on Berk than good ones.” Their voices were hushed so no one would hear them since the Great Hall was always so loud when there were people inside. Little did they know though, that Astrid had heard snippets of their conversation since she's been observing them both.
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Three days passed and today, Stoic and the others had arrived so dragon training was delayed to after lunch. Hiccup and Hakan had spent the night in the forest, with Gobber's permission of course. The two just talked, laughed, and did everything together, they even cuddled together. They could feel something between them growing every moment they spent with each other, like everything that was happening was meant to happen, like the Fates had intended for them to meet.
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“Gobber, where's Hiccup?” Stoic had spent about an hour searching for Hiccup in the house and village, yet there were no signs of him. Gobber looked up, stopping what he was doing. “Has he not come back? They were supposed to be back this morning.” Gobber's words confused Stoic. “What do you mean by 'they'?”
“Oh, right. Hiccup has brought home a boy. I have a feeling something is happening between them. Maybe that's why they asked for permission to sleep in the forest last night.” Gobber shook his head, sighing as he resumed what he was doing. His words made Stoic freeze. Hiccup was out in the forest? With a boy? Alone?
Stoic knew of Hiccup's want to be referred to as a boy, so he respected his son's wishes and punished anyone who dared to disrespect Hiccup by calling him a girl. And now? Of course this didn't change his opinion on respecting Hiccup's wishes, but the fact that Hiccup could still get pregnant was also something that didn't change. Plus, Hiccup was only fifteen years old. Sure, he was more mature for his age, but that didn't change the fact that he was a hormonal teenager.
“You mean, Hiccup is out there, in the forest, doing Odin knows what, with that boy. Who even is he? What village is he from?” Stoic was worried and furious that Gobber had just let Hiccup and that unknown boy into the forest all alone. “Calm down Stoic. Those two aren't the type to do something like that. Let's just wait for a while, they'll show up.”
Just as Gobber finished talking, Hiccup and Hakan walked into the workshop, a wide smile plastered on their faces while they talked to each other about something. Hiccup's expression faltered when he saw Stoic and he stopped in his tracks, which of course, also caused Hakan to stop walking and looked up.
“Uh- Dad! You're uh- back early!” Hiccup instinctively moved to get between Hakan and Stoic, knowing that his father would probably bombard him for answers on what was going on between them. The truth was, last night, they had talked about their ever growing feelings for each other, how it always felt right to be by each other's side, so, they decided to try being actual lovers, although they didn't plan on announcing it at all.
“Who is this? What's going on between you two?” Stoic crosses his arms as he glared at Hakan who didn't break eye contact with him, his glare matching Stoic's. “Uh- Dad, dad, please. Just calm down. This is Hakan. He is currently injured right now, so please don't do anything rash.” Hiccup tried to calm Stoic down, but obviously, it didn't work.
“What's your relationship with my son?”Stoic addressed Hakan directly once he realized that he would get nowhere if he asked Hiccup anything. “I'm his lover.” Hakan didn't even flinch when Stoic clenched his fist, looking ready to punch him. “What makes you think you're worthy of him?” Stoic picked Hiccup up by his shirt like a kitten and put him to the side while he continued his conversation with Hakan.
“I'm not. But I can still prove myself. Hiccup is my most precious person, I won't let anything happen to him, even if it costs me my life.” Hakan was confident. He knew if he showed anything that would make Stoic doubt and question him about his devotion to Hiccup, he would be done for. “Alright then. Let me ask you a few questions. What's Hiccup's favorite food?”
“Yak chops” “Favorite color?” “Green.” “Favorite thing to do?” “Drawing.” “How old is he?” “15 years old.” “How old are you?” “Same age as Hiccup.” “Who's his cousin?” “Which one? Snotlout, Adelaide, or Brynhilda and Bodil?” “You're quite good at this.” “Thank you.” “But how about his first weapon?” “A dagger. He can't lift a sword even if his life was on the line.” “I like you.” “I like me too.”
Hiccup just stood there, watching as his father and Hakan went back and forth for a while and Hiccup took that opportunity to ogle Hakan. It took about ten minutes of Hakan and Stoic arguing before Gobber broke them up. “Alright you two! That’s enough! We have dragon training to get to!” Hiccup tensed at Gobber’s words. He had totally forgotten about that. Gods, he really didn’t want to go, he didn’t want to hurt a dragon or even witness a dragon get hurt, not ever since he and Hakan found each other.
Hakan of course immediately noticed Hiccup tensing up and shot a concerned look at him. Hiccup just shook his head. There wasn’t anything they could really do about this. If he didn’t attend dragon training, especially today, people in Berk will go back to discriminating against him, maybe they would even try to make rumors up about Hakan. He didn’t want to lose Hakan just because he didn’t want to attend dragon training.
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Hiccup won the chance to kill the Monstrous Nightmare. Hiccup was chosen to kill the Monstrous Nightmare. Hiccup thought he was close to throwing up when he finally processed that information. Just the thought of killing made Hiccup nauseous. There was no way in Hel he was gonna be able to fight a dragon, much less kill it. Hiccup managed to escape the party his father had thrown in celebration of him being chosen. Hakan was right behind him of course.
When Hiccup got home, he just sat on his bed, staring off into nothing. His mind was going a mile a minute. Monstrous Nightmares are famous for being the hardest dragon to kill since the moment their bodies burst into flames, it becomes nearly impossible to approach them because of the heat, and even then, their fire is extremely hot, being able to melt iron in mere seconds. The only way to defeat the dragon without risking getting barbequed alive was to keep dodging their fire until they ran out, but Hiccup knew he wouldn’t be able to keep up for that long.
And he wouldn’t be able to try and tame the dragon because of all the Vikings around. If one of them so much as to show their weapon, Hiccup would be toast, literally. There was absolutely nothing he could do now. And while he knew that Hakan would intervene before he actually got hurt, that would mean Hakan would have to go into his dragon form to be able to even stand a chance against the Monstrous Nightmare, which also meant risking Hakan getting captured and both of them being separated for life.
Hiccup was living his worst nightmare at that moment. He had just found the one person he was actually thinking about having a future with and yet all of it would be ripped away from him just because he wanted to make his father proud. For once in his life, he didn’t want his father or the village’s recognition, he just wanted their acceptance and the chance to love Hakan freely without having to hide anything.
“Hiccup… Are… you alright?” Hiccup hadn’t even noticed that Hakan had come inside his room and sat beside him. “I-.... I don’t know anymore. I thought I would get everything I have ever wanted if I were to get chosen to kill the Monstrous Nightmare, but….instead… I just feel trapped. I can’t kill a dragon. I can’t even stand the thought of harming one. I can’t do this, Hakan.” Hiccup’s voice cracked as he spoke, tears filling his eyes as Hakan silently wrapped his arms around Hiccup, rubbing his back as a way to comfort him.
“Do you wanna leave? We can leave if you want. If you don’t want to kill a dragon, you don’t have to. We can go beyond the fog, find a new place to settle in, and find other people who wish to make peace with the dragons too. We can even make a new village with dragon tamers.” Hakan suggested after Hiccup managed to calm down a bit. “Where do we even go?” “Wherever you want us to go, my love.”
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Later that night, Hiccup and Hakan packed some necessities into a bag that could be attached to Hakan’s saddle. They went to the cove when most people were already asleep, making sure no one heard or saw them. When they got to the cove, Hiccup was just about to set up the mechanical tailfin while Hakan was in the middle of taking off his shirt when they heard a voice.
“So this is where you two go to. How long have you two been really seeing each other? Was Hakan the reason why you had always run off after dragon training ever since we started? You took my chance to kill that Monstrous Nightmare, and now you’re just gonna run away? You are an absolute coward Hiccup.” The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife as Astrid walked out into the clearing.
Hakan immediately got into a defensive stance, abandoning his shirt on the ground as he glared at Astrid and placed himself between her and Hiccup, ready to attack her if she so much as tried to threaten Hiccup. “You would get what you wanted if I left, so what’s the problem?” Hiccup’s voice was oddly cold, which made Astrid and Hakan pause. Hakan knew that Hiccup was probably still processing everything and all of that, after all they would be essentially leaving Hiccup's entire life behind to start a new one.
“Because, if you leave, you would be dishonoring your family. You would be ruining this village’s reputation-” “As if you all haven’t been treating me as a disgrace to this village my entire life!” Purple markings seemed to suddenly glow on Hiccup’s skin for a brief moment as he shouted, which caused Astrid to flinch at Hiccup’s outburst. She had never even seen him get mad at someone, let alone raise his voice. For the first time, she finally managed to see through Hiccup’s carefully formed facade.
He wasn’t the spoiled son of the chief who got everything he asked for like she thought he was. Now, all she saw was a mistreated boy who just wanted his father’s recognition and to be accepted as a viking. An innocent boy whose father cared more for the village than him and a mother who got taken when he was young. A boy who was treated as an outcast even though he was the Chief’s son, all because he was a hiccup.
“If Gobber comes looking for me, tell him I’m sorry.” Hakan took those words as a cue and hid behind one of the large rocks to transform back into his dragon form. Astrid just stood there, frozen as Hiccup attached the mechanical tailfin on Hakan’s tail and put the saddle with the bags of stuff on Hakan. “What story do you want me to tell them?” Hiccup looked at Astrid, almost shocked. She had just witnessed, partially, Hakan transform into a dragon and she was still willing to cover for Hiccup?
“Just tell them I had been planning to leave for a long time and to not bother trying to look for me because we have no intention to be found.” Astrid nodded as she watched Hiccup mount Hakan and they flew off, disappearing into the night.
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Time flew by fast. Hakan and Hiccup searched for days. It had taken them a few hours to figure out how to avoid the Scauldron that spit boiling hot water at them each time they got close to its territory. The first island they landed on seemed to be the perfect settlement, until they found some berries that made dragons go feral and become aggressive after Hakan accidentally ate one while he was in his dragon form. Luckily after getting splashed by some water and the juices were washed away from Hakan, the effects seemed to have faded.
Then, the second island they found turned out to be the place where dragons that can camouflage themselves to their surroundings, nest in. Hiccup remembered that those dragons were named Changewings since they changed their whole body and wings to fit their surroundings, the only indication they were their being their tails and wrote down all its characteristics that he could remember on a notebook he had brought. It went on like that for days until finally, they found the perfect place.
The first night had been a bit rough as they thought that there was an aggressive dragon on the island but they quickly found out it was just a bunch of tiny dragons making a shadow of a larger one in the sky. Hiccup named them Night Terrors due to their ability to mimic larger dragons and blend into the night.
They decided to name the island “Dragon’s Edge”, a place where dragons and humans are able to co-exists with one another peacefully. A few weeks after settling on Dragon's Edge, they decided to hopefully find other people who also wish to co-exist with Dragons. They met Heather on an island near the Berserkers when she had been badly wounded. She had been very aggressive to them, especially Hakan since he was a Dragon most of the time to run around and get food for the three of them.
But near the end of her recovery, they found an injured dragon that Hiccup didn't know the species of. Its tail looked like a whip wrapped in razors so Hiccup decided to name the species ‘Razorwhips’. So original of him, yes, he knows. Heather took on most of taking care of the little dragon and seemed to grow fond of it. Heather discovered that the poor dragon was blind but seemed to gain its vision as time passed. They soon discovered that Heather could use the dragon as her own personal wings which was awesome. Soon after this Heather decided to join Hakan and Hiccup because she grew to love the little Razor whip that she named Windshear
A few months later a boy named Trygve, who they found just drifting in the sea because he had gotten exiled by the Chief of the Hysterics Tribe because he was a ‘walking disaster’, and a girl named Alva, who was the daughter of Alvin the Treacherous and got left for dead after she failed to realize her own friends had betrayed her and was going to feed her to dragons. The two joined their team shortly after they were rescued from their situations. Alva managed to tame a Monstrous Nightmare she named Flare and Trygve somehow tamed a Changewing who he named Mimi. Dagur also begrudgingly joined them after he tried to capture the dragons and failed because of Hakan.
The two siblings were at odds with each other most of the time but both were willing to put up with the other's antics since they both agree that they have claimed Hiccup as their little brother. While Hiccup was very confused about this development, Hakan found it hilarious that the siblings who cannot even agree on what direction to go to when exploring unanimously agree that Hiccup is their brother now and he can't do anything about it.
Meanwhile, on Berk, Astrid had gotten the position to slay the Monstrous Nightmare after Hiccup left, just as he expected. Stoick was apparently absolutely distraught and in denial that his son had left because of his own actions, yet he knew deep down that it was all his fault for not protecting him properly from all the villagers. He had been so focused on becoming a good Chief that he forgot to become a proper father to his own son. There was a strange sense of deja vu too that the two people that Stoick loved with all his heart had wanted to co-exist with dragons and both had disappeared.
Well, with Hiccup, Hakan and the other Dragon Riders though, life was good. Except for the time when they had to kill the Red Death of course, but that's a story for another time. Yet this is only the beginning of their story. In the near future, they will have to battle foes that challenge the way they perceive the world and make them question their own morality. For now though, they have all the time in the world for their love to bloom.
END (for now)