Chapter 1:

Now let's get this story started!

If you thought that raising a young child was hard, I can tell you that it doesn't get much easier in the teen years.

I may have gotten the hang of my new duties around the village, and helping my son be the best he can, but it is nothing compared to raising a group of teenagers.

Anyone who didn't know the Haddocks wouldn't have believed that Draco, Camicazi, and Hic would be teenagers before their parents even reached their thirties.

It had been eight years since the fight against Drago Bludfist, and the Haddock children had aged well. Draco had a girlfriend, Camicazi was attracting guys from almost everywhere, and Hic was very close to Unn. The youngest Haddock didn't want to admit that he had strong feelings for Unn, but he knew he had to tell someone eventually. And who better to talk to than his dad? If he could confess his feelings to Astrid, then Hic could do the same with Unn.

The only problem was that Hic never fully got over his shyness.

He had grown to resemble his father not only in looks, but in personality too. If his father had been the same age as he, it would be nearly impossible to tell them apart. Even so, Hic knew that it would take more than just his father's help with him getting over his usually shy nature.

Telling Unn his feelings wouldn't be easy.

He went to see Draco, who was helping his girlfriend, Aludrnari, train Torch's daughter, Peril.

"You need to let her know that she can trust you," Draco said as Aludrnari approached the Typhoomerang. Aludrnari nodded as she held out her hand. Peril watched her for a bit before leaning her head down and pressing her snout into the girl's hand. Aludrnari smiled as she patted the dragon's scaly snout. Peril tried to duplicate her new friend's grin, but she couldn't quite get it right. Aludrnari laughed.

Hic watched them from a safe distance, smiling at the sight of someone befriending a dragon. Draco suddenly noticed him and gestured for him to come over. Making sure that Peril's focus was on Aludrnari, Hic slowly made his way to his older brother. "How's she doing?" he asked, trying to build more conversation than his one question. "She's doing well for her first time," Draco replied. He wasn't as crazy about dragons as he had been before his teen years, and being Aludrnari's boyfriend offered him new opportunities. "She must really appreciate your knowledge of dragons," Hic commented. Draco shrugged. "I try not to be too much of a know-it-all," he said. There was a long silence before Draco asked, "Can I help you with anything?" Hic hesitated before finally confessing.

"I have feelings for Unn, and I don't know how to tell her that."

Draco nodded. "I had problems like that when I first got to know Aludrnari," he said. "What did you do?" Hic asked. "I went to talk to Dad," Draco replied, "He said that if I got to know her more, I might be able to find out what I like about her the most, and soon enough I'd be able to tell her how I felt." "And it worked?" Hic asked. Draco shrugged. "I gave it a try, but I'm more of the observing type," he said, "I was able to gather confidence by learning more about her as we hung out together, and somehow I managed to tell her how I felt about her." As if on cue, Aludrnari approached them. "And we've been together since then," she said before kissing Draco on the cheek. Draco smiled. "Don't think I'd leave you out of anything, Nari." Aludrnari smiled at the nickname her boyfriend used. Hic frowned. He'd never found the chance to give Unn a nickname, and he'd never heard her call him something other than the shorter version of his real name. "Thanks, Draco," he muttered before turning to leave. "Where are you going?" Draco asked. "To find Mortem," Hic replied.

Draco watched his younger brother leave with concern. "Hope he's okay," he said. "I'm sure he'll be fine," Aludrnari said, "He always seems to come through. Just like you, Dray." Draco smiled at his nickname and turned to look at his girlfriend. "Always know what to say," he muttered as he leaned in and kissed her gently. Aludrnari was temporarily surprised by her boyfriend's actions, but she got over it quickly and kissed him back with passion.

Hic was watching from afar, pausing to see their kiss before resuming his search for Mortem.

It didn't take Hic long to find the 99-foot tall dragon. The Red Death was lying near the ice cave that Fera had made to keep the dragons safe from any enemies they might have. The youngest Haddock made himself comfortable on the back of his adopted brother. "I have strong feelings for Unn," he said, "And I want to be able to tell her that, but somehow I can't. I don't even know if she feels the same way about me."

Mortem listened carefully before writing a reply in a nearby sand bank.

I HAD SIMILAR CONCERNS WITH FERA. I WASN'T SURE IF SHE REALLY LOVED ME OR NOT.

Hic read the message before asking, "What do you think I should do?" Mortem thought for a minute before replying.

TRY AND HANG OUT WITH HER MORE. LEARNING ABOUT HER PERSONAILTY MIGHT HELP YOU REALIZE WHAT YOU LOVE ABOUT HER, AND THAT MIGHT GIVE YOU THE COURAGE TO TELL HER HOW YOU FEEL.

Hic read and reread the message several times before thinking it through. Mortem had taken the time to know Fera before realizing what it was he loved about her. If it worked for Mortem, maybe Hic should give it a try. "I'll give it a try," he said, "And if it doesn't work I'll come back to you, okay?" Mortem looked thoughtful before writing something in the sand.

WHAT IF YOU WENT AND ASKED OUR DAD?

"I could go to him too," Hic said, "See if he has any advice. He probably had it harder than I have now, so I guess I could ask him." Mortem shook his head and continued to write.

DON'T GUESS. KNOW.

It took Hic a moment to realize what Mortem meant. "I will ask him," he said. Mortem smiled and stood up to allow his brother to grab onto a ledge and lift himself up onto the nearby cliff. The giant dragon watched as the young teenager ran in the direction of his house.

Hic meant to go straight home to talk to Hiccup, but he stopped when he saw Unn out on the cliffs, looking out at the ocean. The young girl had aged quite a lot since he first met her. Her blonde hair flowed freely, never once had it been braided. And her eyes had become a strange mix of blue and green, it was hard to tell what her true eye color was. But Hic liked her the way she was, no matter how she looked. Hic took a deep breath before going to join his friend.

Unn didn't need to turn to see that Hic was approaching. He was the only person, besides her parents, that ever hung out with her. Neither of them said anything as Hic sat down next to his friend. They both stared out at the horizon for a while before Hic finally decided to end the silence.

"Come out here often?"

Unn nodded. "Yeah, it helps to get away from all the noise in the village," she said. "I agree," Hic replied, "Someone always seems to get into an argument about something no matter what my dad does. It helps to have a place to get away from all that." Unn smiled and took his hand in hers. It was something they did often, but Hic wasn't sure why they did it. Was it possible that Unn did have similar feelings about him? Would she tell him? The suspension was almost unbearable for Hic, being the shy boy he was. He wasn't sure how much more of it he could take.

"Listen, Unn, I have to go," he finally said. Unn frowned. "Why? What's wrong?" Hic let go of her hand and stood up. "I have to talk to my dad," he said, "Something important. Got to go."

Unn watched as Hic ran off in the direction of his home. She'd been meaning to tell him how she felt about him, and she had been waiting for the right time. It seemed as though she'd be able to tell him while they were on the cliff together, but now he was leaving for home. Maybe there would be another time for her to tell him her feelings.

Maybe.

I'm sure you all get the picture here. Hic and Unn have feelings for one another, and they're trying to tell each other that. The problem is Hic's really shy, and Unn's waiting for the right moment, which Hic seems to be ruining with his shyness. Hope you're all looking forward to finding out how everything will turn out! I'll get back to you guys later, and in the meantime, please leave me a review!