Hiccup walked through the two story house he'd be staying in with curious eyes. His wings fluttered behind him to match his emotions, the left one swelling a little in the center. He reached out a hand and touched a picture of the Hofferson family with delicate fingers. Another hand lay on his shoulder causing him to flinch with a hiss. He stood in a defensive position growling.

"It's just me Hiccup." Astrid whispered to her friend with a warm smile. The boy's wings went from rigid to open calmly and he hummed. A smile graced his lips and he looked at the wooden floor below sheepishly. Toothless was sleeping in the living room next to Stormfly.

"I uh...I was just looking around while Agnar and Ingrid were cooking. Toothless fell asleep so..." Hiccup trailed off and watched Astrid for any negative signs. He watched for sudden movements that meant she'd grab or hit him. Watched for her to reach out and grab something nearby. The girl only continued smiling with her left hand on her hip.

"I can't believe you went through all of that." Astrid whispered and looked down, referring to the story Hiccup had told her and her mother about himself. The boy nodded his head and looked down as well with balled fists. His auburn hair fell in his face and he hissed in frustration. He didn't know how to react to the different memories flooding his mind. Normally he'd be afraid and fly away. Now though he had a home. He couldn't just run away from his problems anymore. His memories.

"I'm not trying to upset you." Astrid whispered and lifted her hand. Hiccup tensed and growled at the sudden movement but didn't flinch away. He felt a warm palm cup his left cheek. Astrid's thumb swiped across his jaw line and he found his eyes closing. What were these emotions that he felt? How long had it been since he felt this calm?

"You're not upsetting me." Hiccup mumbled with closed eyes. He leaned into Astrid's hold as they stood their in the wooden walled hallway. The girl's parents were in the kitchen, oblivious to the kid's actions.

Astrid nodded with a smile. She observed Hiccup's traits with a warm look. His scars stood out at the corners of his eyes do to the lighting. She could see numerous pink and red streaks across his torso as if he'd been dissected. The more she thought about it, Astrid realized he probably had been numerous times.

With the hand that wasn't holding Hiccup's hand, Astrid reached forward and touched one of the deeper scars visible to her with her index finger. Hiccup tensed but didn't react much more. He shivered as the finger traced softly down the scar, ending at another one. It was when the girl's hand got too close to his waistline that the boy grabbed her wrist roughly with his hands and pushed her away. Not enough to cause harm, just roughly enough to get her off of him.

Astrid pulled her hand away from Hiccup's cheek and looked at him with wide, confused eyes. The boy locked his forest green-grey eyes on her baby blue ones with a serious expression. They stayed like that for a moment, locking gazes and exploring the other's soul. What was this warmth that seemed to spread throughout them?

As Hiccup looked at the blonde in front of him, a flashback of something Toothless had once told him came into existence. All he saw was dragon proof bars, white walls, and a slightly younger Toothless next to him.

"Toothless...what is love?" Ten year old Hiccup asked in the dragon's tongue. He was temporarily blinded do to the experiments that had been done on him in an attempt to improve his sight. The boy had an IV in his rough skin and stitches on his face. His small black wings tried to spread out but hit the walls of his cage. His Night Fury was aloud to sit with him after he'd been through experiments in order to save the boy's sanity.

"Why do you ask such a question little one?" Toothless answered his boy with another question. Hiccup sighed and reached out to blindly touch his dragon friend's head. When he found the black, warm scales, an unintentional Night Fury purr escaped his lips. They both thought nothing of it.

"The scientists have been studying me. They say that because I have the instincts of a Night Fury, I might fall in love one day. They said something about creating a new generation of experiments. I don't know what that means, so I thought I'd ask you because you're a Night Fury and have the same instincts as me."

Toothless sighed and wrapped his tail around the boy comfortingly. He was always the one who answered these questions.

"Love is a funny thing Hiccup." Toothless began to explain to the young boy who was falling asleep in his wings. The dragon rolled onto his side so Hiccup could curl up against his chest.

"You do indeed have more Night Fury instincts than human. The scientists have made sure to bring those out in you ever since you were a baby. Us Furies...we mate for life. Once you find your mate-the female who you love-you're going to stay with her and protect her. That's what we do. When you love a mate you share your home, your nest-she is a part of your kin Hiccup. I once had a mate. She's still somewhere out there and I dream of her everyday."

"That's what love is my boy. Love is when you can't stand to be away from your mate. You love your kin, your children, your brothers, and your sisters. Your parents love you and each other. One day you will find your mate Hiccup. You'll know when you love her, and you will never have an attraction to another. That's just how our instincts work."

Hiccup nodded his head with a sigh and a smile. Toothless was his best friend and the closest thing he ever had to a father. The boy wrapped his arms around himself and drifted into dreamland.

Hiccup came out of his flashback when a gentle hand lay on his right shoulder. He flinched and looked at Astrid again, this time with a smile gracing his lips. He didn't know why, but somehow he found himself wondering if the emotions he was feeling were the 'attraction' his dragon friend had once told him about. He didn't even know exactly what attraction was, but this felt right.

"Are you okay Hiccup?" Hiccup raised an eyebrow and nodded his head. He looked into Astrid's eyes again which were filled with concern.

"You care about your kin." Hiccup thought with a warm smile. Just as Astrid was about to ask him what was on his mind, Agnar and Ingrid called the duo into the kitchen for dinner.