Chapter Text
Hiccup didn’t think much of it at first- if anything, he shared the opinion of Toothless, that Skadi going into the river in her attempt at hiding from Hookfang (he would never dare hurt her, but she had no way of knowing that and every right to be scared), was an extremely smart thing. It was a clever way to hide, and even they would have missed her if she had not chosen to expose herself to them.
But now, he’s starting to reconsider.
“…shit. I forgot about that.” Hiccup mutters, staring down at the small form of his new hatchling.
Skadi stands a few paces away from him, staring up at him with large multicolored eyes, a beautiful mix of glistening grass green and ocean wave blue. Ginger hair messily falls down her back, lying against the red fabric of the tunic she wears. Not her tunic- but one of Hiccup’s, obnoxiously large as it falls down her shoulders. Her only pair of clothes lie in her small hands, still damp.
Her only pair of clothes.
“I don’t mind.” Skadi slowly says, large eyes still locked on his figure. “I’m used to it. Just, um, where can I dry these?”
“It’s alright, I’ll handle that… you… why don’t you start making a list of things you need, alright?” Hiccup says, quickly stealing the clothes from her hold. Skadi stares at him for a moment, blinking, before slowly nodding and scampering off to the bedroom.
Hiccup's room. Which it already took a while to convince her it was okay to change in, just as he had to convince her it was fine if she “took” his clothes. It wasn’t stealing, he had to explain, as he was the one who took her in and therefore his responsibility to clothe her. It was very reminiscent of their conversation just a few minutes before, truly.
This… is really beginning to put things into perspective.
When he took her in, he didn’t consider things like this. At first, he simply jumped to do it as it was the right thing to do- he killed her father, and she had nowhere else to go. What kind of person would he be if he refused to take her in after doing such a thing? He would have doomed her to death. Especially with her eyes- because while he thinks they are beautiful, Vikings are idiots and always find things to judge others for. So, somehow, her eyes became a problem- a curse mark, as her old village put it.
And, wow, now he understands Toothless’ desire to burn down Berk. Maybe he’ll let some of the flock do it sometime. Maybe they can get his new hatchling’s village too… they deserve it, after what they did to her.
But, in that moment, helping her was the only thing on his mind. It wasn’t until he arrived home that he considered, well… much of anything else, truly. Such as the fact that he lives on an island full of dragons, creatures she is still nervous around, which led to her getting scared and running off. There’s also the fact that, while living with dragons comes with many benefits, human interaction becomes severely lacking. He is fine, as he grew up with Vikings and knows well enough how to manage people, but she’s younger than he was and has already grown up on a ship with limited interaction with others. That could become a serious problem. There’s also the fact that he killed her sire. She doesn’t seem particularly upset or scared of him, which is a relief, but the problem still remains, her first impression of him was as a murderer. And then the fact that he isn’t sure how to be a father at all, or how to handle a child. Especially a girl… The only ideas he has are from Ruffnut and Astrid, which…
Well, he might have to pay the Wingmaidens a visit. Or Mala.
And that is without even counting the physical and material aspects.
Because, the fact remains, this is an island with only the dragons and himself. No other humans, which means very limited human items. He occasionally gets things from the Northern Markets, sure, but he only visits once every month or two- that was for himself, not a growing child. She will need many things, some of which he likely won’t be able to make himself- he was lucky that most of the things he was interested in were inventions he could simply forge, or paper, which was fairly easy to come by and get in bulk. But there is not such a simple answer for her. She needs clothes, he’ll definitely need more hygiene items- because, while Vikings may be fine smelling disgusting, he refuses to abide by that, and he won’t let her either, because truly it would be cruel to the dragons with such strong smell- as well as personal items or things she may want. And then there’s the space- his house is small with only one bedroom. While he doesn’t mind sleeping in Toothless’ wings, that is very temporary solution.
Fuck, he really wasn’t prepared for a child.
He ponders that as he walks outside, carrying her wet clothes along with him. He has a garden to help feed himself- he does need more than just fish- which could stand to be expanded. In fact, he’ll have to expand his stores for pretty much everything, considering the number of humans on the island just doubled. A sigh escapes him, huffing annoyance to the open air. Not at the hatchling, of course, but because now there is simply much to do. Which means he’ll have to put his other duties on hold and-
Oh Great Ones, fucking Viggo. How is he going to deal with that and his new hatchling?
That is a thought that has him gritting his teeth, growling and snarling without restraint. There are dragons nearby, there always are, but none near enough for him to possibly be threatening them. Not that they would likely take this as a threat- his flock has been around him long enough to know how his mind works, the way thoughts and ideas and memories come and go more so than they do for dragons. His flock is very intelligent, of course, and arguably more capable than many Vikings, but they don’t naturally come across complicated concepts such as inventing or strategizing as easily, and don’t find themselves pondering things as often as he does.
Simply put, they’re used to the expressions and emotions caused by his quick-moving mind and not anything material in front of him. If any of them notice his anger, they would not feel threatened, something he is eternally grateful for. He’ll have to get a better hold on it around his new hatchling, though- no use in pointlessly upsetting her.
He sighs, shoving the thoughts of Viggo away. That can come later, either when a move is made by his enemy or when things with his hatchling are settled enough for that to assume importance once again. It is still important, of course, but his hatchling is even more so.
Instead, he busies himself with thoughts of the present. Currently, getting his hatchling’s clothes dry so she has something to wear that properly fits.
Getting the clothes dry doesn’t take long, neither hers nor his. If he were in a village, it would be- it would likely take hours, finding a sunny spot to hang them and ensuring the weather stays clear while they dry. But that isn’t a process he has to go about in the moment- not with dragons. While normally he would, he’s come to the realization that many things need to be done today. So, the quick solution it is.
He truly hates Berk and going anywhere near it- anytime they have to fly anywhere in the area, he takes great care to go far around both it and the Red Queen’s Nest, as the old Nest will cause distress to his flock and Berk will cause distress to him. It is times like those that he and his Other Half become whole, dwelling in eachother’s presence and becoming one, because it hurts less when they are one and together and safe. But, sometimes, things are unavoidable. Namely when there is an issue on Berk. He may hate venturing to the island, but if it is to protect a dragon, he would do so in a heartbeat. By now, he’s done it multiple times- with Toothless’ old nemesis, a Whispering Death, then the Screaming Death and the hatchling Whispering Deaths; which they handled with as much care as they could, even if it was difficult, because hurting a hatchling is a horrible crime, but Whispering Deaths are especially hard to deal with.
But, the one he finds himself the gladdest for in the moment is the time he ventured back to assist a Typhoomerang family.
He first received word of the incident from a wandering dragon, which wasn’t surprising. Back when he lived on Berk- the horrible time before, when he was alone and did not have his Other Half- he assumed the worst gossips were traders. Upon learning the dragon tongue, he found he was sorely mistaken. Because, while traders like to gossip and spread word, they barely hold a candle to dragons. He had never really considered it before, but word can travel fast when you have a bunch of creatures with the ability to fly faster than any human ship. And considering the fact that a vast number of dragons, even if not in a pack, flock, or family, can be quite social? Word travels fast.
He was surprised to learn about it, really. Especially as he learned about it because of the word of himself travelling at a surprising speed. When he encountered a small pack of wild dragons, he expected to have to prove himself not a threat. He did not expect them to, before he could even finish saying “hello”, ask if he was the human Little Queen of a flock, killer of the tyrant that was the Red Queen, and the one who freed multiple dragons from a kin-killer Nest.
It was only after the strange meeting that his brother, when he could finally stop laughing at Hiccup’s confusion, informed him that he was a hero- if not a legend- among dragons.
After he figured it out and confirmed that, no, he does not mind being come to for help, as he would gladly help any dragon, much more of the gossip reached him. Including word of dragons that were hurt, trapped, or otherwise having difficulties that a human could solve.
It was a piece of information such as that, obtained by a dragon passing Berk and then spread along through many others, that Hiccup learned of a horrible situation a Typhoomerang family was going through. The dam and her three hatchlings were camping on the isle of Berk when one of the hatchlings was captured by the village, held captive by the Vikings. The poor mother, who has since been named Crimson, was beside herself, unable to find out a way to get the hatchling back without risking her other hatchings or herself- and she could not let herself die or be grounded, because then she would doom all of her hatchlings. She was on the verge of simply burning the whole village to the ground and hoping they didn’t get her with an arrow, which would’ve been a challenge with her large wings. Against his brother’s idea to simply help burn the village, Hiccup instead journeyed to Berk with a small group of dragons and helped steal the hatchling- Torch- away from where he was kept in the village. Crimson was very thankful to him, introducing her other hatchlings Flash and George- the last name was the idea Barf and Belch, who heard it in passing when straying too close to a different human village- and eventually coming back to the Edge to join his flock.
He would’ve done that regardless, whether or not it would become useful, because he loves helping dragons and would hate to leave them to a cruel fate.
But, admittedly, having a small family of Typhoomerangs around is useful. Extremely useful. The hatchlings have- somewhat- grown up now and help the flock just as every other dragon, though less so than others, as they are only fledglings now. Their large size can be helpful for larger projects, or on the rare occasion a shelter or tent needs to be made with little materials. The shape of the fire they create also allows for many things- such as the quick drying of clothes. And himself. He knows that very well, after many times of being dropped into the lake or ocean by his Other Half.
So, with the wet clothes in hand, he finds his way to the den of the Typhoomerang family, pleased to find them all present. It only takes a few moments to get himself and the clothes dry, with the help of Flash, as Crimson watches on, quite amused and huffing at their antics. The fledglings, when finding Hiccup has no games to play and isn’t accompanied by his Other Half to join in their fun, quickly run back off to continue whatever they were doing, leaving Hiccup with Crimson.
“Heard you have hatchling now.” The mother dragon croons, eyeing him appraisingly. Even though he is one of the Queens of the flock, Hiccup still finds himself stilling under the gaze. Mother dragons are… generally not ones to be dismissed. He’s well aware of that by now.
“I- yeah. I ended up killing her sire, it was the least I could do! She’s still nervous, Hookfang scared her earlier… I’m, uh, not sure exactly how to… do this. Happen to have any advice?” He chuckles nervously, smiling without teeth and giving her a sheepish look. He earns a puff of smoke in his face as the large dragon settles to lie on her chest in front of him, putting them near eye-level.
“Will make good sire, Little Queen. You help Nest, protect flock, save others. All kin love you. Lucky hatchling, with a Queen as her sire.” Crimson churrs, nuzzling him softly- though it still nearly knocks him over. “Being dam or sire is not easy. Very hard. But Little Queen can do. Good heart. Just try best, your flock help. Now return to hatchling. Hatchling is new, needs her sire.”
And Hiccup is not one to discard the words of his flockmates so easily. So, he bids Crimson farewell, thanking her for the advice, before disappearing from the den, heading back to his home where his hatchling will be waiting.