ch 11
It takes a few days. Astrid notices the rift growing between father and son first. Hiccup spends even more time with Toothless, but he's no longer kept busy training the new riders. Snotlout has been trying to learn faster on his own, and Hookfang keeps burning his butt every time. Every time the dragon shows a marked preference for Hiccup's company, Snotlout gets even angrier.
It's not just Hookfang, though – all the dragons prefer Hiccup above even their riders. Even the dragons who normally won't come into the village will follow Hiccup through the streets, flying overhead and flanking him like they're his bodyguards. When the village runt spends time in the forge, working on some project of his, the dragons are nearby. Toothless is always by Hiccup's side, even in the forge where dragons are not usually allowed, but Gobber gave up on keeping him out long ago.
Three days after the incident, as the village is calling it, Astrid finds Hiccup in the forge, adjusting something. She blinks. He's traded out his usual green tunic and vest for a more durable, leather bodysuit. She can see thin leather flaps at his legs that he's currently tucking into pockets on his calves, but she can't fathom their purpose.
"What are you doing?"
He looks up at her. "Making outfits." he says with a wry smile.
"The last time you said that, I met a Night Fury." Astrid points out dryly. "So do I get to meet a new dragon, or is this just code for something?"
"Actually, I really am making outfits." he says. He spreads his arms out, showing off the leather coverings. "What do you think?"
Astrid frowns. "What are they supposed to be?"
Hiccup grins. "Wings."
Toothless growls. 'I really hate Hookfang.'
Hiccup just laughs and places a hand on his head. The dragon purrs at the attention. Astrid crosses her arms over her chest. "Wings. You built yourself wings."
"Yep."
'You sound entirely too pleased with yourself.' Toothless snips. Hiccup just flashes him a grin. Toothless sighs. 'Just promise me you'll only test that thing out around me.'
"Of course." Hiccup replies. Astrid gives him a strange look, but she seems to shrug it off. Instead she circles him, examining the suit as he takes the flaps and tucks them away where they belong. Hiccup arches an eyebrow at her. "Looking for something, Astrid?"
"Your common sense." she says flatly. "Dragons fly. Humans don't."
Hiccup shrugs. "Maybe."
"There is nothing maybe about it." she snaps. "Have you told your father about this?"
That makes the scrawny boy laugh. "Dad and I are having disagreements that go beyond whether or not I think jumping from a dragon in midair is a good idea." he points out. "I'm sure you've noticed."
"You don't seem upset by that."
"I'm not. I learned seven months ago that I don't need Dad's approval anymore. He just hasn't figured that out yet." They walk through the village, and as usual, the dragons gather. A few Nadders fly overhead; Hiccup looks up at them and waves. As usual, the little Terror Sharpshot is soon riding Hiccup's shoulder, sniffing at the new clothing and chattering aimlessly at him.
At least, it sounds aimless to Astrid. It doesn't take long for her to notice that Toothless occasionally returns the chatter with growls and coos of his own – or that Hiccup occasionally glances at them as if tracking the conversation.
Astrid is not a stupid girl. She really wants to beat her head against a wall right now. How long has it taken her to notice this? "The dragons are talking to each other, aren't they?" she asks. Hiccup nods absently, his focus more on the Terror and Night Fury than her. Her next words, though, make his head snap around and bring his focus entirely to her.
"You can understand them."
His eyes widen slightly. Before he can say anything, she continues. "You can. You can understand them. How did I not see this before?" She's pacing now, walking back and forth in front of him, and if his outfit wasn't drawing strange looks, she is. Hiccup calmly grabs her arm and pulls her out of the village center, finding a more private spot to have this conversation. In between two unoccupied houses is the best they're going to get.
"Astrid – "
"No. How long?"
Hiccup sighs. "My whole life."
"Does your dad know?"
"Hence the argument." Hiccup says wryly. "Listen, Astrid, you can't tell anyone."
"Of course not!" Astrid almost explodes. "It's insane! The villagers would kill you – you realize walking around with that stupid suit on is only going to make things worse, forget being able to understand dragons? Do you realize – "
"Yes I realize!" Hiccup's shout silences Astrid more effectively than a slap to the face. "You don't think I know exactly what this means? I've lived my entire life knowing that if the wrong person found out, I would die. You don't think Mildew would use this against me – or even Snotlout? What about Dagur or any of the other tribes?" All the will seems to leave him in a rush, and he sags against Toothless. He stares at his feet, no longer able to look at Astrid.
"You don't think I know how much everyone will hate me?"
For a long moment, there is absolute silence. The only sound is the low growls coming from Toothless. Hiccup leans into his side, letting the vibrations calm him. Astrid finally speaks.
"I don't hate you, Hiccup."
He looks at her from under his bangs. "You don't?"
"No. It's just crazy, that's all." She kicks at the dirt. "You know, a whole lot of things suddenly make sense now. No wonder all the dragons listen to you."
A small smile touches Hiccup's face, but only for a moment. "They don't listen to me. They just like me."
"Same thing." Astrid steps forward and hugs him. "Listen, Hiccup – no matter what, I've got your back, okay?"
Hiccup hugs her back. "Thank you."
From the edge of the alley, Dagur watches them with a smile. So the runt can understand dragons.
That just made his job much easier.