AN/ Welcome back to the Edge, everyone! This chapter was a blast to rewrite, so I hope you find it as hilarious as I did! Side note, I'll admit that this, and upcoming chapters will make it seem like I'm a Hicclout shipper. I'm not, trust me. Just a big fan of the buddy dynamic. There's as much context as you want to see.
Disclaimer: I wish I could be involved with the HTTYD franchise. I'm not.
"Any questions?" Hiccup asked, lowering his hand and turning to face the room. It was silent for a moment, and Hiccup knew the weight of what Stoick had asked of them was weighing down the mood. Then Fishlegs raised a finger, his mouth starting to form a question.
"Yes, of course it'll be dangerous, Fishlegs," Snotlout scoffed. "Weren't you listening?" Fishlegs snapped his mouth shut with a mortified look. Hiccup turned to Snotlout, glaring at Hookfang's rider. When Snotlout's grin didn't fade and he didn't back down in the least, Hiccup said,
"Snotlout, do you mind?"
"Actually, yes, I do mind," Snotlout replied, crossing his arms with a smirk. Hiccup just stared at the other Dragon Rider for a few seconds. Then he realized what Snotlout was asking for and he sighed, rubbing his temples. The rest of the room had gone silent, but Hiccup couldn't turn to them for support. They didn't even know what was going on.
Finally, Hiccup threw up his hands in a gesture of defeat. Snotlout's smirk grew even more pronounced, and Hiccup waved a hand at the other Dragon Rider. "Go already!" he snapped. Snotlout gave him a quick salute, his face still twisted in a smirk.
"Yes, sir!" he barked, running out of the room, and jumping onto Hookfang's back. Hiccup watched, amused, as the Monstrous Nightmare glanced back at him, like he wanted to want sure his rider had actually gotten the thumbs up and wasn't just bluffing. Hiccup nodded slightly and Hookfang grumbled his understanding, launching off the deck.
Hiccup turned back to the rest of his teammates and frowned as he realized Astrid and Fishlegs were staring at him like he had two heads. Even the twins were giving him odd looks. Of course, the twins were always giving him odd looks, but these were even more obvious than usual.
"Any other questions?" he asked hesitantly, trying his best to ignore the twins' wide-eyed gaping.
"Yes," Fishlegs said, but his tone made Hiccup think his question wasn't related to the mission. "What in Thor's name was that?" Hiccup blinked a few times, trying to figure out what the husky Dragon Rider meant.
"What was what?" Fishlegs threw his hands up in uncharacteristic annoyance, and Hiccup frowned. "Fishlegs, are you okay?"
"Are you okay?" Astrid asked incredulously, holding out her hands. Hiccup turned to the blond Dragon Rider, still completely confused. Had his friends had a meeting without him? Astrid sighed with a roll of her eyes. "Hiccup, where is Snotlout going?"
"Oh, he wants to go and scout the island we went to last week in case there were any sings of Changewings we missed," Hiccup explained, and he couldn't stop a faint smile from spreading across his face. It had been priceless when he'd told the other Dragon Rider Changewings still might come. Actually, the conversation they had had right after was just as priceless.
"And what was with that silent stand-off thing?" Fishlegs pressed, interrupting Hiccup's thoughts. He lifted a shoulder.
"It wasn't really a stand-off," he mumbled. "That happened last week, when he told me about his plan. I said it would have to wait until we had some free time, so it was going to happen today, but since my dad dumped this on our plate, I assumed he wouldn't want to go alone. Clearly, I was wrong." Hiccup frowned slightly. He hadn't expected that of Snotlout. He didn't like being wrong, especially not when it came to Snotlout. But that didn't make sense either. When had he started caring about the shorter Dragon Rider that much? Sure, a bit more considering, but this was still a bit odd...
"What is happening?" Fishlegs breathed as Hiccup turned back to the board he had set up. He pretended not to hear and kept drawing.
"Maybe they hit their heads?" Astrid suggested. Hiccup held in an irritated sigh. It had been his leg, not his head.
"That would make sense. It would account for the unusual behavior and the odd understanding they have." At that, Hiccup almost burst out laughing. No, there was a much more reasonable explanation, but none of his teammates had yet thought of it. The group behind him was quiet for a moment, then Fishlegs spoke again. "Can you believe we didn't hear Hiccup and Snotlout having a conversation? I thought for sure I would hear the shouts." At that, Hiccup couldn't help but laugh.
"Hiccup?" Ruffnut was clearly confused, and Hiccup glanced over his shoulder. "Was that a laugh?"
"Oh my Thor," Tuffnut said, clutching his head and taking on a panicked expression. "Hiccup just laughed! Quick, get Barf and Belch! The world is about to end!" Hiccup didn't know if the twin had actually put his thoughts together and made a sarcastic comment or if he had just been blurting out his ridiculous thought process.
"Does it really matter?" Hiccup asked, a little irritated. He turned, gesturing at the assembled group with his piece of chalk. "Look, can we move on?"
"Aren't you afraid Snotlout will end up coming back here with Changewings on his tail?" Astrid pestered, and Hiccup took a deep breath, rubbing his temples yet again. "You are? Then why did you let him go?"
"He'll be fine," Hiccup groaned, pressing his hands into his eyes. "Can we just finish this plan?"
"Are you worried about him?" Fishlegs' voice was near a stunned whisper. Hiccup looked up, giving the husky boy a confused frown.
"What? No, he'll be fine. Why is this still a subject of discussion?"
"Uh, because you never let Snotlout do anything without like two of us going along. And you never worry about him." Hiccup turned to stare at Ruffnut. She looked back at him with a neutral expression, and he almost threw his piece of chalk at the twin's face.
"And no one finds this odd?" he demanded, and from the back of the room, Toothless grumbled. "Thank you, Toothless!" Hiccup snapped, pointing his chalk at the Night Fury. "But no one else?"
"I surprise everyone," Ruffnut said proudly, crossing her arms. Tuffnut stared at her.
"Including me," he said slowly. "Are you even my sister?" Hiccup groaned, putting his hand to his head.
"Alright," he said quietly. "Let's just forget this conversation happened and-"
Before he had a chance to say anything else, Hiccup heard a shriek from the door. He whipped around, and he felt his cheeks pale as Hookfang spiraled toward them. The Monstrous Nightmare let out another lone shriek, then put on speed. Hiccup felt a bubble of fear erupt in his chest. It didn't look like the dragon had Snotlout on his back.
"Is that Hookfang?" Fishlegs asked out loud, shambling to the doorframe with Astrid a step behind him. Hiccup pushed past them, holding up a hand. Hookfang flapped to a stop, grumbling quietly as he landed. Hiccup ran a hand over the Monstrous Nightmare's snout, and the dragon grumbled again, this time with more worry in his voice.
"Hiccup?" Snotlout's shaken voice made Hiccup's head snap up to Hookfang's back.
"Snotlout!" he said, concerned. He hurried to the Monstrous Nightmare's back, looking up at his rider. "What's going on? Hookfang seems-"
"The island," Snotlout interrupted. "It's overrun. Dragons are getting out of there as fast as they can, but a few have been caught. One-" Snotlout took a deep breath. "One went down right in front of me. And actually went down, not just caught. Down." Hookfang's Rider let out a shaky sigh, and Hiccup reached out a hand.
"C'mon," he said gently, but Snotlout shook his head.
"No, Hiccup, we have to get back out there."
"Sorry, overrun by what?" Hiccup jumped at the voice of Fishlegs, whipping around. He had forgotten the rest of his team had been there.
"Berserkers," Hiccup said for Snotlout, and Fishlegs furrowed his brow.
"How did you-"
"Doesn't matter now, Fishlegs," Astrid interjected, and the two shared a meaningful look. Hiccup wanted to ask a question, but thought maybe he should wait until after this latest menace was taken care of. "Let's just get Stormfly and Meatlug out of the stables and get going."
"Hey, what about Barf and Belch?" Ruffnut said defiantly. "We're coming too. Right?"
"No, I think it's best for you two to stay behind," Hiccup said. "Then if Berserkers get through us, you will be our line of defense until we can get back." Both twins looked like they wanted to argue, so Hiccup added, "You can destroy Berserkers ships, remember? Free rein when it comes to them." Ruffnut immediately perked up, and Tuffnut gave him a thumbs up.
"Sounds good, great leader," the twin said. "Now go!" Hiccup sighed, but he couldn't stop a small smile from creeping across his face.
"Alright, let's go, gang. Astrid, Fishlegs, you want us to go now or wait for you to get Stormfly and Meatlug?"
"You and Toothless go now," Fishlegs said encouragingly. "We'll catch up soon enough." Hiccup frowned slightly, confused.
"Well, I meant Snotlout and I, since I don't know which island. Meatlug can track our scent." Astrid and Fishlegs just stared at him, and Hiccup decided this wasn't the time for inaction. "Okay, great, we'll meet you there. Hurry!" He beckoned to Toothless, and the Night Fury barked his agreement, launching forward. Hiccup swung into his dragon's saddle, digging his heel into Toothless' side.
"Snotlout, come on!" he called over his shoulder as the Monstrous Nightmare stayed on the ground. Hookfang looked up at him, then grumbled. The dragon flapped into the air, taking an unresisting Snotlout with him.
They were silent for a few minutes as they flew, and Hiccup started to feel concerned. Even with their newfound understanding, Snotlout was a chatty person. But not a single word came from Hookfang's Rider. The Monstrous Nightmare himself was starting to look troubled.
"Snotlout?" Hiccup asked gently, nudging Toothless a little closer to the other Dragon Rider. Snotlout didn't react. "Snotlout?" he asked again. Still no reply. Hiccup sighed quietly, then slid onto Hookfang's back, trusting the dragons to keep him steady. They did, and Hiccup sat behind Snotlout's saddle. Close enough to talk, far enough away to not startle him. "Snotlout?"
This time, the other Dragon Rider did respond, and he turned in his saddle to give Hiccup a dazed look. "I always knew the Berserkers weren't just capturing the dragons," he said numbly. "But I never thought they would look so calm when a dragon went down." Snotlout shivered. "What would they do if they got their hands of any of our dragons?"
Hiccup gently placed his hand on his fellow Dragon Rider's shoulder. Snotlout flinched, but let Hiccup rest his hand for a few seconds before jerking away. Hiccup smiled faintly. It was amazing how much difference one conversation could make.
Indeed, while Hiccup couldn't explain all the changes that had happened between him and Snotlout, he could explain most of them. A few hours after Snotlout had essentially helped him back to his room, the other Rider had come back, clearly concerned and possibly a little sheepish. Hiccup wasn't exactly sure how they started chatting, but by the time they finished, he found he understood Snotlout much more. Honestly, they had never even had a civil conversation before that, and Hiccup had been amazed to find that he and Snotlout weren't that different. At least, not when they wanted to be.
Which had led to Hiccup trying to offer a hand of friendship to the other Dragon Rider whenever he could. And Snotlout had grasped it wholeheartedly.
"The Berserkers are horrible, but I don't think their mission is to kill," Hiccup said quietly, his eyes fixed on Snotlout's pale face. "Which means we always have a chance if the worst happens." The other Dragon Rider's shoulders lifted and fell. Then Snotlout's eyes lifted to meet Hiccup's, and he smiled faintly.
"Yeah. We always do, don't we?" Hiccup smiled back.
"Yeah."
Stormfly's screech shot through the air, and Hiccup looked over his shoulder. Astrid and Fishlegs were flying, their dragons beating the air in an attempt to catch up. Hiccup grinned slightly, looking back at Snotlout. "I suppose I should get back on Toothless, shouldn't I?" Snotlout laughed quietly, and Hookfang grumbled his agreement. Hiccup quickly jumped back onto his Night Fury's back, landing just as the other Dragon Riders flew up.
"Alright, where are we going?" Astrid asked. "You've been tight-lipped about a lot today, Hiccup, and I feel like I deserve to at least know that much!"
"To Beachstone Island," Snotlout said instantly, looking over his shoulder. Astrid almost fell out of her saddle, and Hiccup pulled Toothless back to make sure the blond stayed in place. Astrid glanced at Hiccup, then looked back up to the front of the formation.
"What?" she demanded.
"Y'know, Beachstone Island. The beach with stones instead of sand. Seems to absorb cold."
"I know the island," Astrid snapped. "But you actually know where we're going?" Snotlout was quiet for a moment, during which, Hiccup had to try his best to not laugh out loud. He nudged Toothless back up to Hookfang's side, and the Monstrous Nightmare rumbled his amusement.
"Uh... Yeah. I was the only one there." Astrid leaned her head against Stormfly's neck, and the Nadder rumbled, her spikes flattening against her sides. Hiccup frowned, concerned.
"Astrid?" She looked up, and her face contorted into an expression somewhere between a grimace and a dazed frown. Hiccup didn't see anything that odd. He and Snotlout were just worried about her.
"Uh..." Astrid seemed too far gone to say any else. Hiccup glanced at Snotlout, and he raised one shoulder. He turned back to the sky, scanning for any signs of Berserker ships and listening for dragon shrieks. They were still some Gronkle lengths from Beachstone Island, but it was never too early.
But Hiccup still glanced over his shoulder a few times as he and other Dragon Riders made their way toward Beachstone Island. He couldn't help but smile at Astrid's mortified face and Fishlegs' look of discomfort.
"Look at them," Snotlout snickered. "They look like someone just told them Stoick just married Gobber." Hiccup grimaced at the thought, a truly awful picture appearing in his mind.
"I was really better off without that, Snotlout."
"I know," Snotlout laughed. Hiccup rolled his eyes, but for the first time in his life, he couldn't even feel annoyed at the other teen. Instead, he found a smile crossing his lips.
Aww, I made myself happy reading this. Thanks for reading guys! Feel free to drop a review considering anything in this story, and until next time, Bird out!