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Hiccup honestly doesn’t know what happened. One minute, he was laughing, snowflakes dancing in the air, cold seeping into him, nipping chilling, but Toothless makes everything fun, and then the ground was rumbling behind them, and they were falling.
In hindsight, it probably has something to do with the twins diving beneath the snow to make Barf and Belch fire upwards, sending snowflakes careening everywhere. Not that Hiccup can blame them – it was really fun to watch. Taking snow showers to a whole new level. It was fun, but now it really, really isn’t.
He fell through the ice, side slamming onto the cold ice far below ground as the icy surface cracked and they fell into a little crevasse in the mountain.
Tuffnut screaming is the only thing that tells him the entire world still exists. It’s honestly just that dark.
“For the last time!” Ruffnut is yelling angrily. “You are not dying!” She’s definitely cranky, though it’s probably just the overwhelming rush of adrenaline. Hiccup feels it too, the knowledge of the cold fading away as adrenaline pounds in his veins, leaving him panting and shaky.
“Where are you guys?” Hiccup asks, a slight tremor in his voice betraying his genuine fear. He can’t see anything.
“I can’t see my own hands!” Tuffnut yelps.
Hiccup reaches towards the sound of the voice, scooting across the freezing snow until he runs into somebody, and then two pairs of arms are wrapping around him.
“Ohh, there you are,” Ruffnut says in his ear.
He tries not to feel self-conscious about being squashed between these idiots. But he’s freezing, and terrified, so he can’t even complain.
“Where are our dragons?” Ruffnut asks, and he feels her looking up over his shoulder, through entirely fruitlessly. Toothless grunts nearby, and a plasma blast goes off, lighting the sky. Barf and Belch set off a couple blasts straight upwards, and the snow cracks open, revealing the bright blue sky, white snow glittering off it.
Wow. He could almost cry in relief – they’re not going to be stuck underground and freeze to death, hoping desperately someone would somehow be able to find them. No, they’re safe here. They have their dragons, and fi they can get Toothless’s tail thawed out, they’ll be able to fly out.
And then the twins clinging to him becomes far more real, and Hiccup squeaks faintly, looking down to where Ruff’s head is buried on his shoulder, helmet poking uncomfortably into his face, and Tuffnut has him basically squashed against his chest again, though Hiccup’s pretty sure he’s far more terrified than him.
His first friends, and his heart flutters stupidly, and he quickly tries to peel away. “Let’s, uh, just get a tiny fire going. Can you do that? An explosion will have us buried again.”
“Yeah, yeah, of course we can,” Ruff drawls, trying to pick herself up. “Just gotta dig out form the snow. Someone wanna help me with that, will ya?”
***
Ruffnut still cannot believe her idiot friend gave himself up to Alvin the Treacherous. She’s still mad. And scared. Personally, she wants to obliterate him herself, and her and Tuff offer, but Stoick shoots that request down fast. He wants Hiccup back, nothing else.
Ruff’s actually a little surprised. She thought he’d want things more personal, not that she’s complaining about it. She just wants Hiccup to be safe, too, and she’s mad he gave himself up for that. Alvin was gonna hurt Astrid, and Ruff personally thinks she deserved it for trying to jump Alvin with a knife to the back. They were hostages. Really. It was so dumb.
Not that she exactly wanted Astrid to get hurt, but she can’t believe Hiccup gave himself up, either.
When they reach Dragon Island, Hiccup is already in the air with Toothless, and Astrid waves the rest forwards to their dragons. Ruffnut scrambles on Barf, and the three of them take off into the fray, blasting the Outcast ship, and after a few minutes of glory, and Snotlout falls off Hookfang and nearly gets beheaded – which would’ve been awesome – they get everyone out and fly back to Berk’s ship.
Hiccup looks fine.
Almost infuriatingly okay with how he nearly died, and she doesn’t, for once, have any idea what to do.
She’s so, so glad he’s okay.
She’s also mad he left.
“Never, ever do that again,” she orders firmly, poking her finger in Hiccup’s direction.
“H-hey, it worked,” Hiccup argues weakly, turning away to talk to his dad.
Ruff crosses her arms with a grumpy scowl.
Tuff pokes her, and she elbows him back.
***
There’s just these times Hiccup will say firmly he cannot believe his dad. Stoick is many things, but sensitive is not one of them. At least not when it comes to Hiccup.
Really. Hiccup won a war that no one in seven generations could make a single breakthrough on. He figured out how to train dragons, killed Red Death, and has been helping humans and dragons live in harmony ever since – but none of that is enough for him.
Because Hiccup’s still not the Viking-like son his dad wanted.
“Unbelievable,” Hiccup grumbles fiercely as he stalks out of the Great Hall. “My dad liked that portrait more than the real me.”
“Yeah, I don’t get it,” Ruffnut supplies. “I like the real you.”
Very Ruff, but Hiccup still freezes at the sheer bluntness of the comment, heart fluttering in an almost embarrassing way. “Uh,” he squeaks, a light blush no doubt reddening his cheeks.
“Don’t look at me,” Tuffnut grumbles. “I like the real you, too. I don’t know what’s wrong with your dad. Did we ever tell you we like the tiny, scrawny Vikings?”
“That’s a way to put it,” Hiccup answers weakly. No, definitely not, though he should’ve guessed.
“Yeah, we hate the brutes,” Ruffnut agrees. “Like Snotlout. They think so stuck up and arrogant.”
“Hey!” Snotlout yells from nearby.
“We mean it,” Ruff snarks back and keeps walking.
Hiccup sighs heavily. He’s glad, really, but still just very, very tired. Fighting with Stoick is exhausting, and nothing is going to change that he’s… “It’s like he’s still more ashamed of what I am than proud of what I’ve done.”
“You know. Dads are dumb,” Tuffnut supplies, giving Hiccup’s shoulder a reassuring pat. “Just ignore him.”
He’ll try, but he can’t. He never can. It means a lot that he has people to accept him even when Stoick never will, but it doesn’t really change anything. Though… it’s reassuring not to have to do everything alone.
“Hey, can I talk to you?” Snotlout asks, grabbing the twins by their arms and dragging them away.
Hiccup’s uncertain worried gaze follows. “What are you up to?”
“Treasure hunting,” Ruffnut tells him gleefully. “Wanna come?”
…might as well.
***
Hiccup had really, really lost his mind in Thawfest. It wasn’t fair to Snotlout, and he didn’t deserve that even if he was driving Hiccup completely insane. It wasn’t fair. The twins had been cheering in the chaos fallout enough. They’re the only friends Snotlout really has, and they were still enjoying something that brought him discomfort.
It – it’s been a day.
The twins still swarm him the moment the chaos is over.
“That was awesome,” Tuff volunteers.
“Yeahhh,” Ruff agrees with a snicker, hugging her one-armed.
“Uh,” Hiccup squeaks, “Thanks?”
“I dunno how you didn’t win,” Tuffnut offers, “But that was still amazing.”
Ruff nods, smiling. “I realllly wish you’d made it,” she tells him, “But Snotlout would’ve been in trouble with his dad if he hadn’t.”
“I know,” Hiccup says, “And it’s okay. I – I mean, I’m glad he…”
“The win should’ve been yours,” Ruffnut tells him, “But hey, it’s really annoying when we hafta clean up Spitelout’s mess. And it’s kinda sad.”
He made the right choice – finally. “Yeah, I – I’d rather not think about what would’ve happened if I’d taken that win.” Snotlout will be in a lot of heat as it is.
The twins gasp. “You let him win?” Tuff asks.
Oh no. That’s not good. “What? No, of course not. Snotlout won fair and square.” The twins look at each other, and they both squash him in a smothering, suffocating hug. “Guys, I can’t breathe,” he wheezes.
“That’s just, very Hiccup-y,” Tuff offers, “You’re a really nice friend.”
“Mhm.” Ruff hugs him tighter.
“I guess I do try.” But can they please stop hugging?
***
Hiccup’s never lost Toothless before.
Ruff can’t even imagine what she would do if she lost Barf. It’d be what she and Tuff would do if they lost Barf and Belch, technically, but it’s still terrifying that Toothless could meet something that makes him feral and wild, something more important to him than his own rider.
Ruffnut would personally rather never think about that at all, but she still can’t stop.
It’s so strange to see Hiccup without his dragon. He’s had Toothless at his side for so long, it’s hard to remember a time before anymore.
It makes Ruff cling harder to Barf.
And she really doesn’t know what to say. How do you make something like this better? ‘cuz she’s pretty sure you really, really can’t.
She can’t believe Snotlout was seriously asking if he could take over the academy.
Ruff really wants to smack him.
“Hey,” Tuff finally says instead of her.
Hiccup doesn’t even look in the mood to talk. He looks… hurt. Lost, empty, and it’s terrifying. If Hiccup could hurt by something, who couldn’t be? He’s really, really… well, cool. He knows stuff, and he’s so smart. He thinks his way out of every problem. Except this one, because he doesn’t have Toothless.
“Sorry about Toothless,” Tuff volunteers tentatively.
Hiccup sighs tiredly. “We’ll find that Whispering Death.”
“Yeah, we’ll have to comb the entire forest for that,” Ruff reminds bluntly – it won’t be a fast fix, or an easy one. She doesn’t wanna think about that, actually. It’d be really hard.
“It’d be fun,” Tuff offers, “You can ride on Belch.”
“Or Barf,” Ruff protests.
“Uh, I think I should use a one-headed dragon for this particular thing,” Hiccup offers.
“When we find that thing, we’ll blast it,” Ruff offers gleefully, “Maybe it’ll learn to leave Toothless alone.” Barf and Belch make happy, gleeful sounds behind them. Ruff reaches out to pat his head over her shoulder.
“Thanks, guys,” Hiccup says, trying his best at a smile, though it fades and disappears just as fast. “I really appreciate it.”
Yeah, he’s always this sweet. Would it be weird to hug him? Ruff doesn’t do the hugging thing, but you know, she hasn’t… okay, the way she feels about Hiccup is just different, okay? “Yeahhh, that’s why we’re here,” she chirps instead and backs away.
***
They’ve gone through a lot of crazy, fun, and cool stuff since getting dragons. Ruff nut has loved every minute of it, but sometimes it reaches a point where it’s running un-fun stuff. It was bound to happen with Alvin sniffing around a t their heels and causing problems, but never in her life did she expect Hiccup to get kidnapped.
Technically, he ran off unauthorized, no message, no nothing – just up and off, and Ruff is gonna smack him for that, definitely. But they still have to fly the entire nice, long day for hours and hours until they reach the supposed Isle of Night, and then all the way to Outcast Island.
Ruffnut can’t believe Alvin got ahold of Hiccup, and she’s really, really mad. And terrified.
Knowing he and Toothless were somehow captured, seeing the drag lines of where the fight obviously happened and Toothless was pulled across the ground, well… it’s nerve-wracking.
She does not cry, ever, but she’s just really, really shaken.
Hiccup seems far too calm for when he and Toothless get off Outcast Island and the group takes off, flying as fast as they can from the Island.
Maybe she should feel bad Mildew was left behind, but Ruff is just happy. He deserves it, the jerk. He got Hiccup kidnapped, and she is really, really mad.
They’re all exhausted, but no one can sleep until they finally reach Berk, fully worn and ready to deal with the Bork Week stuff in the morning, hopefully.
The others scatter, and Ruff approaches Hiccup, relieved and terrified all at once.
“Never scare me like that again,” Ruffnut tells him fiercely.
“Hey, I…” Hiccup shrugs, shifting. “I’ll try not to.”
It’s wholly impulsive when she grabs the front of his vest to haul him closer, kissing him briefly. She scoots back, flushing with genuine embarrassment, but no regrets. That was nice.
“Uh,” Tuffnut grumbles. “Ughhh. I’m standing right here, guys.”
Toothless snickers.
Barf and Belch chatter gleefully.
“I’m really glad you’re here,” Hiccup tells them softly, and that’s really all he needs too.