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Hiccup let out an involuntary hiss as he limped over to a chair in the Clubhouse, sitting down. Toothless was right by him, with his ever-present support.
“Yeah, I think there’s a storm comin’,” Hiccup said. He nodded, followed up by a grimace.
He sat down heavily in the chair with a grunt.
Seconds after this, Astrid pointedly set a stool in front of him.
It was lunch time, it was the middle of their day, and… apparently, there was a storm coming.
The others were milling about, helping put food on the table, occasionally looking at the sky outside. Astrid however was attempting to boss Hiccup around.
“Hiccup, take the prosthesis off, adjust your pants, put your leg up. That’s an order,” Astrid said.
Toothless gave a bark of agreement directed at Hiccup.
Hiccup grumbled.
“Dude, just listen to Astrid,” Snotlout said.
“Oh, when have you ever listened to Astrid?” Hiccup retorted. The pain in his leg clearly making him cranky.
“Don’t take it personally,” Fishlegs told Snotlout preemptively.
“I wasn’t! He’s clearly in pain!” Snotlout exclaimed.
“Listen to Astrid, Hiccup!” Ruffnut yelled from nearby.
“Listen to Astrid!” Tuffnut added, echoing the sentiments.
“This conversation is feeling very one-sided,” Hiccup said, and grimaced more, because of his leg.
“Take it off, Hiccup,” Astrid said. “Why won’t you listen to me?”
By now, everybody was in the vicinity of the table, where Hiccup was, and he was feeling rather ganged up on. Literally.
Hiccup mumbled something.
“What was that?” Astrid asked.
Hiccup growled in a way that sounded shockingly close to Toothless’ growl, and Astrid raised her eyebrows.
“I have scars, obviously,” Hiccup said. He grit his teeth.
“No, duh,” Snotlout deadpanned.
Hiccup hissed again, but not at Snotlout.
“Hiccup,” Astrid said, weary. “What if something happens and we have to see it because you’re hurt or something? Or you need a replacement? We’re not gonna go all the way to Berk to get Gothi or Gobber. It’s just us here. Be reasonable.”
“Fine,” Hiccup said.
So, they watched quietly while Hiccup removed the prosthesis, letting it fall to the floor with a clunk nearby. He lifted his residual limb and set it on the stool, before adjusting his pant leg so the limb was uncovered to part of his thigh.
After several long moments of silence, where Hiccup stared pointedly down at the floor instead of his friends, expecting some sort of loud reaction, to which there was none, Astrid crouched next to the stool to be able to look at him in his face.
“Hey,” Astrid said softly. “I know you feel a ways about it, but you got this saving the dragons.”
Hiccup nodded slightly.
“I’d do it again,” he whispered.
“I know,” Astrid said, leaning forward and kissing his forehead. “You already are.”
“Are we expected to kiss his forehead too?” Snotlout asked. “Do you want some ice, dude?”
“Yes, to the ice,” Hiccup said, completely ignoring the first question.
“Also, I have plenty of burn scars from Hookfang, dude,” Snotlout said, going to their ice storage. “You’re not the only one!”
Fishlegs set a comfortable towel on the stool silently, so Hiccup could have his residual limb resting on something softer than wood. Fishlegs then leaned down to kiss Hiccup’s head, making Hiccup smile a little.
“Did you want us to have big reactions to your scars?” Ruffnut asked.
“It was kind of what I expected, to be honest,” Hiccup replied. He was now looking around at them more. He could see Toothless watching silently like a sentinel several feet away.
“You do realize we’ve grown up with so many amputees?” Tuffnut said. “Like Snotlout said, you’re not the only one. One of your dads is one.”
Hiccup smiled broadly at the acknowledgement of Gobber as one of his parents.
Snotlout returned with the ice, placing it against Hiccup’s residual limb. What surprised Hiccup was how Snotlout was neither overly gentle or rough about it. He did not act scared or complain about it.
“Thank you,” Hiccup said, softly.
“Don’t get soft with me, Haddock,” Snotlout said.
“Soft how?” Ruffnut asked, a hint of a ribald joke there.
They chuckled.
“Maybe the ice will tell that pain to fuck off, eh?” Snotlout asked. He then mussed with Hiccup’s hair.
Not that Hiccup was overly precious about the placement of his hair, given that he spent most of the time on dragonback.
“Maybe,” Hiccup said.
Snotlout made a sound like he was deciding something and then Hiccup felt a kiss on his head.
“If Astrid and Fishlegs can, so can I,” Snotlout said decisively, almost petulantly.
“I’m not complaining,” Hiccup said. “Though, I appear to be lacking a kiss from the Nuts.” Apparently, his sense of humor was still intact.
“Astrid, move over, you’re hogging Hiccup,” Ruffnut said.
Astrid vacated the spot next to Hiccup, standing up nearby so Ruffnut could kneel next to him. She looked at his residual leg, then at him.
“It’s pretty gnarly, but you survived,” Ruff said. “Thanks to that cool guy over there.” She pointed at Toothless and then waved at him.
Toothless merely snorted.
“So, a kiss?” Hiccup asked.
Ruffnut touched his chin and then leaned in and kissed Hiccup full on the lips. Astrid made a surprised “huh!”
Hiccup definitely kissed back, eyes closing, even making a very soft groan.
“Were you expecting something other than chaste kisses on the head?” Ruff asked, when she pulled away.
“I, like, Astrid, was surprised,” Hiccup said. “But it was nice.”
Ruffnut gave Hiccup a soft pat on his cheek and then stood up, sidling over to Astrid.
Tuffnut, not to be outshone by his sister, took the same space his sister had just left.
He looked at Hiccup, and at the residual limb.
“Can I kiss it; make it feel better?” Tuffnut asked.
“I don’t think it works like that,” Hiccup replied. “But like I could stop you.”
“It’s a placebo effect,” Tuffnut said.
“I-I don’t know what that is.”
Tuffnut leaned down and softly kissed the residual limb’s scarred knee.
Hiccup let out a soft breathy “oh” that seemed filled with emotion enough that Toothless moved to be closer.
Tuffnut glanced at the dragon who was eyeing his spot, and kissed Hiccup’s nose, patted the dragon’s nose, and vacated the spot.
“So, do we all get to kiss Hiccup’s lips or…?” Snotlout asked.
“How about some other time?” Hiccup asked, with a smile. “I’d like to have lunch and I’m feeling a ways about all this affection.”
Toothless put his head in Hiccup’s lap but not before licking Hiccup’s cheek.
“Alright, get back to lunch,” Astrid ordered the others, making sure Hiccup’s plate was set down for him.