Chapter 3:

This chapter will be a bit more calm, and of course, I always add in the romance!


Hic didn't get much sleep at all that night, and really, it was no surprise. You'd have trouble sleeping too if your thoughts about a certain person kept swarming through your head like a group of angry wasps. Coincidentally, when he woke up that morning, he was sick to his stomach. It was like he was going to throw up at any minute. Whether it was nerves or the flu, he couldn't seem to tell. But he would've stayed home either way. He didn't feel like seeing anyone, especially Unn. How was he supposed to tell her his feelings if he couldn't even talk to her without stuttering? But he also knew that he couldn't hide from her forever.

Not that he was planning to, anyway.

The dragons were the first to sense something was wrong, since Hic was giving little regards to Toothless Jr. who had propped his paws up on the side of his bed. When the dragon nudged Hic, he only moaned and curled into a ball. That was enough to convince Toothless to leave. He'd had an aversion to sick people ever since Hiccup had gotten the flu. No way he was staying in the same room as Hic. His son, however, was behaving the complete opposite. He wouldn't leave Hic's side no matter what. At least, that was his plan.

Hic didn't mind Toothless Jr. staying by his bedside, despite giving him very few responses. It helped to have someone he knew he could count on beside him, especially at times like these.

I wonder if Unn would do the same.


Hiccup could tell that something was wrong from the way Toothless was acting. The dragon had resolved to staying only in the kitchen, curling himself tight into a corner. And he only did that if someone was sick. The second sign was that Stormfly and Windshear were sitting beside the doorway to Hic's room. His suspicions were confirmed when he looked into the room and saw Hic lying on his bed, groaning while curled into a ball. Slowly approaching his son's bedside, Hiccup barely noticed Toothless Jr. watching from the foot of the bed. Feeling his son's forehead, Hiccup noticed that he was a bit warm, meaning that he could have a fever. Hic groaned and clutched his stomach, almost unaware of his father's presence. Hiccup frowned at the teenager's response, there was no doubt he was sick. Taking his hand off of Hic's forehead, Hiccup grabbed the blanket on the bed and brought it up so that it was covering the sick boy. Hic's expression softened a bit, and he relaxed. Hiccup gave his sleeping son a small smile before leaving the room.

Astrid was waiting for him in the kitchen, trying to soothe an incredibly tense Toothless. She could tell that something was wrong from the way the dragon was acting, and her suspicions were confirmed when Hiccup entered the room, muttering under his breath, "Hic isn't feeling too well."

The thought of her youngest son being ill made Astrid's heart sink. Next to Hiccup, Hic was the most precious, loved, and important person to her. Almost unconsciously, she stood up and headed for her son's room, peeking in through the doorway to find him fast asleep on his bed. Astrid slowly and quietly made her way to her son's bedside, kneeling down and stroking his hair. Hic stirred in his sleep, but he didn't wake. Smiling, Astrid leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on his forehead. Hic's features seemed to soften as he continued to sleep, possibly dreaming of his crush. Sighing, Astrid reluctantly stood up and left the room. Never before had she felt so upset. It seemed as though there was nothing she could do to help her son feel any better. Leaning against the wall just outside Hic's room, Astrid tried desperately to keep her feelings of distraught in check. But even she couldn't deny her true feelings when Hiccup came to check on her.

Astrid was taking a little longer than Hiccup had expected, and he had come to see if there was something wrong. He knew that Astrid cared deeply for their son, so he wasn't surprised to see her upset. But it did make his heart sink. If there was one thing he hated, it was seeing Astrid unhappy. Not caring if anyone was watching, or how Astrid would react, Hiccup enveloped her in a hug.

Astrid wasn't too surprised by her husband's embrace. She knew how much he hated seeing her upset. And with all of the feelings she had bottled up, she wouldn't have cared either way. So, she hugged him back. Hiccup sighed. "Hic's going to get through this" he said, "And we're going to be there for him when he does." Astrid couldn't stop herself from tightening her grip on him, as though she was afraid she'd lose him if she let go. "He was there for me when you weren't," she mumbled, "I know you tried, but..." As she trailed off, Hiccup took the chance to respond. "I'm here now, Astrid. And I promise, I'll never leave you again." Astrid shook her head. "You don't have to promise that," she mumbled. Hiccup gave a light chuckle. "People do crazy things for those they love," he said, nuzzling a soft kiss into the crook of her neck. That made Astrid smile.

"I love you."

Never did Hiccup get tired of hearing those three little words.

"I love you too."


Hic had woken up just seconds after Astrid had left his room, and he had heard nearly everything that had gone on outside his doorway. How was it that everyone else but him could tell the other person how they felt? He glanced out in the hallway in hopes of seeing his parents kiss, but all he could see were the dark scales of his loyal Night Fury friend. He gave Toothless Jr. a small smile, reached out, and weakly patted the dragon's snout. The Night Fury's attention was suddenly drawn to the hallway, where a somewhat familiar voice was heard conversing with Astrid and Hiccup. At first, Hic thought it was Heather or Valka, but he soon recognized the voice moments before a figure appeared in the doorway.

Unn.

She had come to see him.

Saddened by her friend's condition, Unn hesitated before approaching Hic's bedside and kneeling down next to Toothless Jr., resting a hand on Hic's arm. "I was expecting to see you out early," she said, "But when you didn't show up, I thought that there was something wrong, so I thought I'd come and make sure you were okay." Hic gave her a small smile. "That was very thoughtful of you," he said. Unn wanted to smile back, but she couldn't seem to find it in her. There was no denying her feelings towards the boy, and though she had expected them to meet at a more romantic time, she realized that this could be her only chance.

"Hic..."

"What?"

"There's something that I've been meaning to talk to you about."

Hic's heartbeat nearly hit overdrive as he realized what Unn might have wanted to say. He'd been wanting to have the guts to have this talk with her, and now could be the chance. Ill or not, he was not going to let this go.

Unn took a deep breath before beginning. "I've known you ever since we were younger, and I've had a lot of good times with you. I want to be able to know that you'll be there when I want to talk to someone, and I want to be there for you as well. I know it's a lot to take in, but I know we'll be able to work it out somehow."

Toothless Jr. watched and listened curiously as Hic tried hard to keep his heart from beating out of his chest. "Unn, I..."

Before he could finish, he was interrupted by the equally shy girl.

"Hic, I want to be your girlfriend."

That wasn't what Hic had been expecting, but he was quite surprised and elated that Unn had told him that. She wanted him to be her boyfriend. She cared about him that much. Unable to speak, he gave her a quick nod. Unn smiled at him. "Thanks for understanding," she said softly. Hic shrugged. "It's no biggie," he said, "Though it wasn't exactly what I was expecting. Are you sure you want to be my girlfriend?" Unn shook her head. "There's honestly no one else I'd rather be with," she said, "Especially when I'm with someone like you...sweetie."

Before Hic could register what his new girlfriend had said, he felt something press against his cheek, and the next thing he knew, Unn was leaving the room. She glanced back at him before she turned and left.

It took him a full minute to realize that she had kissed him.


Didn't expect that, didja?! Now Hic's got a girlfriend, and there might be some escalating in the relationship! Review please!