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This is, quite honestly, as far as Hiccup would say, insane. But, it happens. Not that he can say he’s surprised to get stuck on Outcast Island at this point. The map was totally wrong, Fishlegs had gone too close to some sort of storm, and Hiccup had to go back to pull him out. Doing so meant Toothless got his tail cleanly ripped off, and now here he is, sneaking around on Outcast Island trying not to be spotted.
Until, of course, he is spotted, and loses an approximately ten second fight with…
Whomever this boy is. Snotlout, he thinks he said his name was.
He told Toothless to stay hidden. Hiccup is also pretty sure that he won’t. Not for long, at any rate.
“You’re going to see my Dad, so stop squirming!” The other boy scowls furiously at him.
Yeah, he doesn’t think so. Toothless is still there, and he’s gonna catch up soon enough. The boy’s hand is basically right in his face, and Hiccup just… chomps.
“Did you just bite me?” Snotlout yells, voice hitching with something like horror or disgust. “Gross! Did my uncle not teach you any manners?”
“You are kidnapping me,” Hiccup supplies with a new level of sarcasm, “Even though I was just coming here to admire your beautiful island.”
“Uh-huh. Tell my dad all about it.”
“Is everything you say about your Dad?” Hiccup was like that once, too. He thinks he still is. But when he spared Toothless, he made his choice. That was him, like he always wanted. He didn’t want to be his Dad. He was just too afraid to try to be anything else. That’s not exactly uncommon. Is Snotlout the same way? (Also, he has a cousin?!)
“It’s not your business!” Snotlout snaps irritably. “Just keep walking.”
He…
Doesn’t.
Escape attempt number three ends with his cousin’s foot squashing his chest and more bruises than he cares to count from falling down a mountainside, but hey, that’s better than a broken arm. At least he doesn’t think anything’s broken. “Stop running away!” Snotlout snaps irritably.
Okay, he gets it. Running won’t work. Instinct has him flinching, raising his hands in surrender. “Alright, you win,” Hiccup offers tentatively, “Go on, drag me to your dad.”
Snotlout yanks him to his feet, growling irritatedly. Hiccup miserably surrenders himself to just… getting dragged to the camp. Or village – whatever they have on Outcast Island.
***
He still hasn’t seen Toothless. He doesn’t know what the dragon is doing, but he knows he’ll find a way to come through – not that it will matter unless he gets the rod fixed for his tail. He dropped the rod. Somewhere out over the cliffs. It’s really their only hope of getting out here.
Outcast Island is under some sort of attack right now – it didn’t sound like dragons. Hiccup couldn’t make out names – but here he is, stuck again in sone sort of cell with Snotlout as a grumpy babysitter. “This isn’t fair,” his cousin is complaining, “I should be out there fighting, not stuck in here! I always get the baby jobs, like you.” He points at Hiccup disgustedly. Hurt wells up, but Hiccup tries to let that go. Focus – he needs to see what he can take in. “Like he thinks I’m stupid or can’t do anything right.”
He used to feel that, too. Hiccup never cared about fighting. He knew he couldn’t. He just wanted to try, because it was the only thing, he thought, that would make him seen. He was wrong, and he couldn’t be more grateful to be wrong about something, but it doesn’t change how, with most Vikings, the only standard that matters is fighting. Hiccup had never thought it was fair. “It took me forever for my dad to let me out, too,” Hiccup replies, “But I made it.”
Snotlout turns back, scowling at him.
Hiccup keeps talking. “I never thought I could make it out there. But here I am.”
“You’re not me,” Snotlout snaps, crossing his arms and sulking.
“I didn’t say that,” he points out, “But I figured out that, in the end, I didn’t have to try to be him. I found out who I am instead.”
“I can’t do that,” the other boy retorts, dejected.
Hiccup shifts closer to the cell bars, the torch light dancing against their faces. “Why not?”
“Because –” Snotlout hesitates, then scowls fiercely. “You’re trying to make me think!”
“You don’t think all the time?” is what comes out. “No wonder you blindly follow your dad.”
Snotlout growls angrily.
“Look,” Hiccup tries again, “Maybe he’s telling you what’s best for you, but you need to think about what’s best for your people. We don’t need to fight each other. Whatever fight our fathers had, we don’t need to carry on.”
Snotlout crosses his arms. Is he pouting? “I’m not letting you out!”
“Suit yourself,” Hiccup replies, sitting down, “But you don’t have to live like this.”
***
Hiccup, actually, doesn’t figure out how to break out. Toothless beats them all into the dungeons, and Snotlout dives for an axe. “Snotlout, no!” Hiccup yells, jolting against the bars.
Toothless turns, blasting out the prison bars with a plasma blast. Hiccup nearly tumbles through, but sprints forward and grabs his cousin’s arm, hauling him back. Snotlout shakes him off, only for Toothless to whack him across the room with his tail.
His cousin rolls to his feet, grabbing for the axe again. Hiccup scrambles between them. “Stop!” he yells. Toothless drops, though he’s still snarling. Snotlout stands, backing against the wall. He’s terrified. Just like Astrid when she first saw Toothless.
“I know you’re Spitelout’s son,” Hiccup says, slowly backing towards Toothless. “But when will you figure out who Snotlout is?”
There’s no answer. He wasn’t expecting one.
“Toothless, c’mon.” He jumps onto his dragons back and they jump-fly from the place, heading back to the blacksmith shop. Ugh, last time he’s letting Fishlegs near a storm.
***
They make it. He’s just bracing getting the tail up and running again when he sees a blast of fire from… a rampaging Nightmare. This one’s bright and orange all over. And definitely angry. Toothless hisses on sight.
“Let’s check it out, but go in slow, and keep our distance,” Hiccup requests.
Toothless flies in, slowly circling against the dark skyline.
It’s chasing… Snotlout?
Oh, come on. How is that kid even still alive?
“Take us down,” Hiccup requests. They glide down, and he jumps off, slowly approaching the nightmare, that turns its head towards him. “Snotlout, you might want to drop the axe,” Hiccup says quietly over his shoulder. “Or the mace or whatever lethal weapon you’re holding.”
“Why?”
“Just do it.”
The dragon growls, pattering closer with flaming claws. It’s leaving scorched marks on the ground, like the ones Fishlegs always talks about.
“Hey.” He raises his hands. The dragon slowly approaches, the flames fading even slower, leaving it coated with a light amount of ash. He wonders if that ever itches. The dragon slowly settles, the same way Toothless did so many months ago, gently pressing its snout to Hiccup’s hand. “See?” Hiccup asks, “Nothing to be afraid of.”
“How did you do that?”
“Common sense,” Hiccup answers, “Berk’s changed, Snotlout. So have we. If you ever figure out who you are, you can come stay with us. You’ll be safer there. Remember that.”
He climbs onto Toothless and flies away.
Somehow, Hiccup doesn’t think this is the last he’ll be seeing of his cousin… or that Monstrous Nightmare.