AN: sorry for the delay. my classes had just began this week, not to mention this Saturday I went to a concert of one of my favorite bands, hence why I didn't finish this chapter. to make up with you guys, here's more of some Hiccup/Heather moments, not to mention the slightly larger than normal chapter. For those that asked if this would be a Heathercup story (I'm borrowing the term from Cke1st) I don't want to spoil it to you guys. But rest assured that either this or my next HTTYD fanfiction will have them paired! For those that reviewed, favorited and/or are following my story, thank you for your support!

without further ado, here's the newest chapter:

Back at the hut

Heather was pacing around worried, angry and anxious, as Hiccup was supposed to be back at the hut to get his wound checked before sunset. Also there was the fact that it was raining and he had gone to the woods barely after sunrise. He usually did that when he was not at the forge, after all he did like to be alone and especially away from his bullying cousin, and also to draw; he did this more when he had a discussion with his father, therefore, nearly always after a raid he tried to help and after being patched up by her.

That's what worried her more; that he went to the woods injured, so if he ran into any dangerous animals he would not be able to outrun it like he usually does. She always found that interesting. Though he was skinnier than the other teens and weaker, he was as fast as then, if not faster than some. She stopped pacing around to dwell more into thoughts, only coming back to reality when the door flew open, the source of her thoughts and worry hanging completely wet with a small smile at his face. Though she was pissed at him for his stupidity, she couldn't stop but smile back at him.

"Well, I see your walk took a little longer than planned" she sarcastically said as she motioned him to come inside and sit on the bed so she could apply some bandages to his leg.

"Yeah… I stopped back there and kind of ended up sleeping. I woke up just before sunset" he said casually, though she noticed something was off on him. Either that he was barely limping anymore or that his tone was more like he was lost in thoughts. However she didn't say anything, as if he wanted he would have told her as he usually does.

"So… how was your day?" he spoke, trying to start a conversation after noticing the awkward silence and her observing gaze on him. Too much was racing around his mind, so it was only natural he didn't want to worry about she interrogating him about his day.

"Oh… it was the same as any day after a raid. Helping the healer tend the injured, grabbing some leaves, worrying about a certain Reckless idiot…" she finished teasing with a smile, the smile that always left him uncomfortable, like he was a child caught by his mother doing something wrong, or that made him feel like a fool.

So he did what he thought it was logical to the situation… "I'm sorry…" he lowered his gaze, no longer brave enough to look at those green eyes that looked at him with tenderness.

"It's okay, now let me see how's your leg" he frozen and hesitated for a second, but knew there was no escape. If he didn't let she see it, she would get even more suspicious and ask more questions. If she did see it, she would also ask more questions, though perhaps different from the ones she would if he didn't let it. So, defeated, he laid down while she was lifting up his pants on the wounded leg. When she lifted it, she froze looking at it, first completely worried, then shocked when she observed more carefully his wound

"H-how..? Wha… what happened? How is it already healed? Why it all is irritated and yet the wounds are barely open anymore?" she didn't know if she was questioning herself or him, but after the shock, she turned to look at him, too many emotions to describe.

"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock what did you do at the forest?"

'Da, da, da, I'm dead' was his first thought when he heard his full name being used by her demanding tone. He knew she would skin him alive if he told her of the true purpose of his trip to the woods and his encounter to the dragon. But he also knew that she knew of the healing properties of the dragons, and would probably soon tie two-on-two together if she suspected of his purposes.

So he decided to not entirely lie, since he was not very good at doing that, but also not tell the truth. If Heather knows he was almost crisped by a Night Fury, he could as well kiss goodbye his freedom and privacy. Besides, he had had an idea after having his wound patched that he would have probably tried if searching for a Night Fury wasn't in his schedule.

Settling in telling this idea along with part of the truth, he sat at the bed, not moving his legs, quickly thought his words and begun speaking:

"I-I… I was walking when I found a dragon there…" he saw the look of horror on her face and quickly added what he was talking "no-no! It was sleeping, no need to worry" he took a moment to breathe when that look of horror mostly left her face, in exchange to one of curiosity and thoughtfulness.

So far all he had said was the truth, so he needn't to worry about being caught lying. He waited a few seconds silent and got a nod from her, indicating that she was listening, and perhaps wasn't going to skin him yet. He took another deep breath before continuing…

"I sat hidden in some branches to look at it, maybe figure a way to kill it, when my leg started to ache. I think it was because of the position I was sitting, and then I recalled observing how the dragons at the arena usually lick their wounds after training and a few moments later they would look as shine as new." He missed Heather's face of 'you did something stupid again didn't you?' and continue. He knew that from now he would tell his idea instead of the truth. He took a long breath so he didn't sound or looked nervous under her watchful eyes.

"I thought 'if I could get some of his saliva and apply to my leg would this make it heal faster?' " He took a moment to breath, then continued "Then after I got a couple of leaves I crawled to it and stood there taking some of his saliva with the leaves. When I though I got enough I went as far as I could and applied it. I slept a little after applying it and woke up briefly before it rained." either for pride or to not make her worried more he didn't say anything about it hurting, or passing out.

He sighed inwardly, relieved that his voice didn't sound nervous and that he didn't stutter. Perhaps because what he told had been one of his crazy ideas that he managed to tell her without sounding nervous.

He had figured out, while he was partially lying to her, that the dragon had licked him after he passed out, probably because he knew he caused the wound to open and as some sort of retribution for Hiccup helping heal the wound he did. Another note about Night Furies: they did have healing properties on their saliva.

He looked at her gazing at him. He noticed she didn't seem to be suspicious that he didn't tell the truth, but that didn't mean the silence was any less unnerving. To him, it felt like hours, hours of suffocating silence, before she did something he never thought he would presence neither on this life or the next:

"HICCUP!" she shouted, nearly as loud as dad did last raid. "WHAT THE HEL WERE YOU THINKING?" the finished with another shout and standing up. Never have I seen her like that, nor did I ever think I would see the day she would shout at someone. Guess I really deserved it… to be honest I thought the truth would have yielded similar results.

I couldn't find anything to say, as I felt sad and guilty. Guilty partially because I sort of lied to the only person that would hear me, well Gobber did hear me but not like her I guess, I also felt guilty because I meant it. All of our years of friendship and this had been the first time I ever told her a big lie like this.

Most of the times they were small lies so she wouldn't worry so much about me being bullied or that she wouldn't be saddened about what they spoke of her, just because she was my friend.

Had circumstances been slightly different, I'd have done exactly what I told her, because what I said was true. I didn't want them to have another burden related to me. Still, it was better than the truth. Considering it was quite possible that she would believe in it, I had no doubts she would either skin me alive, salt my skin and then sew it back, or shadow me for the rest of my life.

I closed my eyes, waiting to hear she shout again or to be skinned alive. Since the shock from hearing her shouting, I didn't know what to expect anymore. So it was obvious that I was shocked when a pair of arms surrounded me. I didn't dare to do anything, as I felt this was a dream or surreal.

After a couple of minutes, when she partially parted away from him, not removing entirely her arms from him, he opened his eyes to look at her. She held both her hands at his arms while looking at him, before looking away and placing her hands at her lap.

"I'm sorry…" she said in a low voice, a lone tear traveling around her face. " I'm sorry I shouted at you. I guess I lost it." She paused and took a deep breath, trying to regain her composure "It's just that you broke your promise you know? I'm worried Hiccup, that one day your stunts with dragons will be…" she didn't finish. She didn't dare finishing it, as it pained just the thought of it. She sometimes wondered if he knew how much he meant to her, especially since she saw him as the last bit of family she had on Berk.

But she also needed to say one more thing, because she saw the look of guilty in his eyes when she briefly looked at them, while he cleaned that lone tear across her cheek with his thumb. She needed to say it before he averted his gaze away from her. "Hiccup… you're not a burden. No! Listen to me, please" she said as she saw him ready to argue with her, mouth half open. He closed it and gave her a nod, but still looking like he was ready to say something. "You could never be a burden to me; you're like family to me..." She said smiling, managing to also make him smile.

"And I know Stoick feels the same way, he just have more difficult in expressing it. I know you don't get yourself hurt intentionally." He nodded, silently telling her that no, he didn't get intentionally injured as she sometimes suspected. "That said you're as much of a burden as any other injured Viking that comes here. Do you see them as a burden to us?" he shook his head in answer, as for some reason his voice failed to come out. 'Good, he is listening to me then' she briefly thought.

"Now, do you still see yourself as a burden Hiccup?" her sweet motherly voice was on, and because of that, and all the surprises I had that day (seriously I can't just believe this still was the same day) I just nodded at her. I was feeling incredibly tired and didn't feel like discussing anymore. I finally looked at her again; a small smile on her face, but those eyes betrayed her.

They held guilty, guilty from shouting at me, and perhaps guilty as she thought she was responsible that I felt like a burden to her. So to ease her mind I said what I felt it was right: "It's okay, I forgive you." I offered her a smile and opened my arms, also offering her a hug as proof of my forgiveness. She accepted it and held it for a while, but I couldn't care less how much time it passed, only about her.

She felt a weight lift off from her shoulders as she hugged him, though she didn't feel like she deserved his forgiveness. She was a little horrified that she shouted at him; she never did that before; she was angry at him being reckless two times in a row, and scared that he thought he was a burden because of her. So she held him tightly, showing without words that she was sorry, and a little afraid that if she let him go she would lose him.

Unknown to her, he was also relieved that she accepted the hug. He felt incredibly guilty for partially lying, even though he tried his best to not show it. She misunderstood the guilt he had in his eyes and he was glad for that. He felt like he completely deserved being shouted at, given his incredible stupidity today, so when she accepted his hug, he also felt she forgave his recklessness.

She felt him stroke her back, a smooth and kind stroke indicating he understood what she meant and that she was forgiven. 'He is too forgiving' she thought, unbeknown that he was thinking the same. And it was true. Even when Snotlout bullied him, he never held any grudge at his cousin. She them remembered about his leg and parted away from him, the need to tell him that his insane doing actually gave results being unbearable.

"Hiccup, I have some good news to you." She spoke, entering in her healer mode. "It seems your leg is almost completely healed. The wound is almost closed. You won't need to use the cane for some days anymore, though I'd feel better if you used it to walk to your house. Also the rain seems to have stopped so dry yourself before you catch a cold." She paused momentarily, before remembering there was still one more thing to tell him "Oh, and you father wanted to speak to you" the smile that grew on his face from the news of his leg soon disappeared after she told him Stoick wanted to talk.

She continued, feeling he needed some reassuring: "I'm sure he's not mad, he didn't sound like it when he came here. I'll pass on your leg some paste to ease the irritation and bandage it. If you rest it tonight, tomorrow you'll probably be good as new. Just be sure to drop the cane here before going to the forge or somewhere else" she saw his smile come back, and felt happy that she managed to reassure him.

She passed the paste and bandaged the leg, then stood to help him stand. She helped him walk to the door with the cane in her hand, doing her best so he wouldn't put pressure on the recently healed leg. She opened it and gave the cane to him, and they bid goodnight to each other before he left to his house. She closed the door and soon after she was lying on her bed, she fell asleep, as worrying for him for hours exhausted her, not to mention their discussion.

Hiccup opened the door slowly, not sure if his father had slept waiting for him, he didn't want to make any noise. When he saw him hunching over the fire, his back facing Hiccup, he tried sneaking to his bedroom, hoping to at least rest before his dad talked to him whatever he wanted to.

Somehow Stoick knew Hiccup had arrived in the room, as he called for him. "Hiccup, I want to talk to you." Hiccup supposed his cane must have made a noise that gave away his presence to his father, or maybe the stairs made a creaking noise when he was trying to silently climb it.

"Dad! Uh… I need to talk to you too…" I said, surprised that I as discovered, while I climbed down the stairs. He approached me and clapped his hands, looking a little uncomfortable with whatever he wanted to tell me. So it wasn't really surprising when he did not begin telling me what he wanted, instead trying to hold a conversation before that.

"Son, so how's your leg?" he looked at it, a mix of worry, sadness and disappointment held in his gaze. I was glad that at least he showed concern for my health, instead of just lecturing me again for being reckless. Heather already covered very well that department.

"Well…" I hesitated, not knowing how he would handle the news "Nice actually. Heather said I won't need to use the cane tomorrow anymore. I just need some rest and then I'm good as new" I spoke rather excited. I knew I wouldn't be able to work on the forge if I still had to use the cane, hence why I was excited. Being confined to home without anything to do surely was terrible.

He looked surprised, as he probably recalled what Heather told him on the aftermath of the raid. But to my luck he didn't press the matter, probably because he wanted to tell me something serious. Heather's interrogation had been more than I could withstand for one night, so I was relieved he let this pass.

He shifted his feet a little, now obviously looking uncomfortable before speaking again: "Well, that's nice, very nice to what I need to tell you" I then recalled what I wanted to tell him, my encounter with the Night Fury changing my view, and therefore, my actions toward the dragon-kind. So I took a deep breath, not noticing he did the same, and then we spoke at the same time: "I think it's time for you to learn to fight dragons"/"I don't want to learn to learn to fight dragons"

"What?" we both asked the same time, as we spoke at the same moment, neither did really understand what each other said.

"You first" I was surprised that it was he that said it, as he never listens to anything I want to say. Afraid that what I wanted to tell him would hinder what he wanted to say, I didn't tell it. "No, you first" I replied, after all it didn't seem whatever he wanted to tell me was another lecture. I climbed down the stairs I had started climbing before being discovered, and waited to hear him.

Stoick eyed Hiccup for a second before sighing."You get your wish. Dragon training, you start in the morning" he seemed to smile. "I was worried your leg would keep you from joining the initiation, but it seems you'll be just fine" he spoke in relief. I mentally face palmed, as how unlucky I was at the moment. Let dad change his mind about this when I also changed mine.

AN II: I'll try to maintain my schedule of updating once every week a new chapter, but I hold no promises, as I'm also working on a crossover. I promise, though, that my updates will not take longer than a month. As always, reviews are much appreciated