Hiccup lay unconscious in a white bed with numerous monitors attached to his arms and chest. Agnar had found him unconscious on his police duties. After the Hoffersons had adopted the boy into their home a mere two weeks ago, Toothless said he would be gone for around a week or two in search of Luna. Hiccup had still wanted to fly on his own with his brother in the middle of the night. Thank the Gods Agnar was the one on police duty and arrived at the scene of both boys laying on the ground after a rouge Typhoomerang attack. Halden was still awake and insisted he was fine. He flew with his Gronkle back to his adoptive parent's house where he'd been staying. Hiccup on the other hand...was driven to the hospital by his adoptive father.
The hospital knew who Hiccup was. Would the boy probably kill Agnar for explaining it to them later? Probably. But Hiccup needed medical help beyond Ingrid's control. He had long gashes along the front of his torso which were now stitched up. He lay shirtless on the bed, his left wing held together by metal bars after being broken in at least six placed. The Dragon boy still had yet to wake up, and had no idea where he was.
As Agnar sat beside the bed, holding Hiccup's hand, the boy's eyes began to flutter open. He had an oxygen tube hanging below his nostrils, and a feeding tube in the right side of his nose. He'd been comatose for a week and thanks to the way his body worked had begun losing weight much faster than the average human without food.
The second Hiccup recognized the scents and feelings around and on him he tried to sit up with a screech. His eyes were wide and pain shot through his broken wing when he attempted to move. Agnar threw his arms out and wrapped them around the boy, allowing Hiccup to press his face to his adoptive father's chest. Tears welled in the boy's eyes as the sensations around overwhelmed him.
"Shh it's okay Hiccup. This isn't what you think. We're not in the School. We're not in any lab. I promise. Just...open your eyes." Hiccup shook his head 'no' but eventually gave in. As he shook in his skin he opened his eyes and looked around. This wasn't what he was used to in the lab. For one he was on a bed and not in a cage. Two there were no needles laying around the floor. Three the room was much smaller than the ones he'd be operated on in. Where was he?
Hiccup mumbled something in the dragon's tongue, sounding afraid. Agnar smiled warmly and used one hand to play with the boy's hair in an attempt to sooth him. Hiccup was still stiff, and he stuck out his tongue to move the tubes near his face. Then he realized they were taped to him.
"Wh-What's going on?" Hiccup demanded, the pain in his wing becoming fiercer than before. He ran his thumb over the line in his wrist, then realized there was a heart monitor on his index finger. It was only now that he noticed the little sticky things with lines attached to his chest, and the fact that he was in a pair of scrub bottoms instead of his usual wear.
"We're in the hospital Hiccup. You were badly injured. Your brother is back home. Astrid is at school and Ingrid is working on a different unit." Hiccup processed information before becoming more tense. He didn't want to be in a hospital. They scared the scales off of him.
"I-I don't wanna be here." Hiccup said with a roar in his tone. "I-I wanna go home. I don't like it here." He sounded as if he was on the verge of crying. Agnar felt pain just hearing the voice. He and the Dragon boy had developed a father-son like bond over the months. Ingrid was still making progress as Hiccup still refused to trust the nurse completely, but Agnar had come to view Hiccup as his own.
"I know. I don't want to be here either Hiccup. I know how much you hate hospitals." Agnar placed one finger under Hiccup's chin so the boy would look at him. "I promise you Hiccup nobody is going to hurt you. I'll make sure of that."
Hiccup's eyes widened at the comment. Only Toothless ever used a voice that protective with him. He could sense Agnar's breathing and heart rate. The man wasn't lying to him. He actually seemed to be calm and concerned at the same time.
Suddenly a nurse walked in the room with a chart in her hands. She stopped when she saw Hiccup awake and stopped in her tracks. She'd been told about the Dragon-Boy staying at the hospital, but had never seen him in person. She also knew how afraid he was.
"I'm happy you're awake." The nurse said in the sweetest voice she could muster up. Hiccup became tense when he sensed her fear. In his mind it was because she was on edge or planning to hurt him. In reality she was only scared she was going to do something wrong.
"My name is Joyce." The nurse introduced herself kindly. She slowly walked to the edge of the bed where Hiccup was now shivering in his skin. He curled in on himself and pressed his face against Agnar's chest once more. The man could sense his son was on high alert.
"I will be your nurse today. Your name is 'Hiccup Hofferson' correct?" Hiccup said nothing, but nodded his head without looking at the nurse. This meant he couldn't see her smiling warmly and sadly at him.
"Okay. How are you feeling after waking up? Any pain anywhere?" Hiccup said nothing, and Joyce looked at Agnar for support since he was the 17 year old's caregiver. Agnar nodded his head and rubbed Hiccup's good wing soothingly.
"Does anything hurt Hiccup?" Agnar asked gently. He knew the boy would be much more responsive to him because he was trustworthy with any information.
"M-My wing." Hiccup whispered. He noticed a hot pain in his ankle and a throbbing in his stitched torso, though they weren't nearly as bad as he'd become used to bruises and cuts over the years. The only thing he wasn't used to was the broken wing.
"A-and my ankle...but not as much..." Hiccup trailed off, never moving his head from his place against Agnar's shoulder. It was only now that the Hofferson man realized Hiccup was doing anything he could to hide his eyes. He should've known this immediately as any time Ingrid treated his wounds Hiccup did the same thing. He also sat in this same position with anyone he could trust when he was at the School. Agnar was too distracted in the moment to notice.
"Alright. Let's start with the wing. Can you rate your pain on a scale of one to ten Hiccup?" Joyce questioned the boy in a gentle tone. Hiccup again said nothing, but unfolded his arms just long enough to hold up seven fingers. Joyce nodded and wrote something on her chart.
"Okay. What about your ankle? And can you go ahead and rate any other pain you might have for me?" Hiccup nodded his head with time, holding up four fingers. When the nurse began writing again he folded his arms again and pressed against Agnar as hard as he could. It seemed he was treating the man as if he was a shelter. This made sense because when Hiccup was with Toothless the dragon was big enough to actually create a safe place around the boy with his wings. Agnar only had his arms and the boy wasn't used to that.
"Alright. That's all I need from you. Um Agnar? There is going to be a nurse in here to check Hiccup's blood pressure, and get a blood sample. You two going to be okay?"
Hiccup shivered the second this was mentioned. Agnar tightened his hold around the boy and nodded at Joyce with a smile. When the door was shut he looked down at Hiccup.
"You're going to have to let them help you Hiccup. This is how they do it. Without the blood sample they won't know what they need to. Can you comply with them if I stay right here?"
Hiccup shook his head immediately and growled. "M-My skin is hard to puncture. It's more rough as to keep me from getting hurt by other dragons. Th-the scientists always cut me to get what they needed. What if the nurse has to do so? I'm not doing that again."
Hiccup explained everything in a whisper. Agnar sighed and rubbed the boy's back soothingly. "They're not going to cut you Hiccup. No one is going to hurt you. This are not the scientists. They are nurses and doctors. They are not here to get your information. They are here to help people. To help you."
Hiccup moved around so he was in a more comfortable position. Of course now his current position kept his arms completely hidden as if he was being defiant against the nurses and saying 'you're not getting anything from me'. This was understandable with a boy who had been through what he'd been through and Agnar was not angered at all.
The door opened and Hiccup immediately sensed two people without even having to look. He made a small roar that had a high pitch sound to it. The extra sound highly resembled that of a baby dragon calling for it's pack, but thanks to Hiccup being an adolescent was much deeper. The roar was one Agnar could pick out over all others. Hiccup had only said it in the dragon's tongue a very few times. He was calling out for his parents to protect him because he was feeling unsafe.
"Father!" He was shouting. He was relying on his instincts and calling for his father to protect him. That's the main reason Agnar knew the father-son feeling he had was mutual, because Hiccup had instinctively called out to him specifically when he was in a foreign situation. Now that Toothless was away, Agnar was his next best person.
Agnar-instinctively as well-held the boy in his arms even tighter. He brought his legs up to the bed and tried to cover Hiccup with his whole form. He was willing to do anything he could to make his son feel safer. Thankfully the full-body contact soothed Hiccup because he-for reasons unknown-was very attached to the sensation of leather. This was most likely do to the leather-like texture of Toothless' wings. Agnar's entire police uniform was made of leather and small metal pieces. It was also pure black from head to toe. In a way he actually resembled a Night Fury himself, and Hiccup enjoyed this. It made him feel more safe.
"Can you lend me your arm?" A male nurse who's name tag read 'Simon' on it requested to Hiccup. He held the blood pressure cuff in his arms. When the Simon got closer Hiccup's heart rate went up in fear. This showed on the heart-monitor screen and both nurses became uneasy.
"Can you try to keep him calm sir? The patient cannot become too stressed. His body is too weak right now." This female nurse-Delia as her name tag read-was much more direct than the previous one. This made Hiccup more uneasy after he'd just calmed down. She stood behind a rolling desk with numerous papers and medical supplies on it. A part of Agnar begged the Gods not to let Hiccup look up and in that direction.
"Delia, he's afraid." Simon said to the other nurse with a stern expression. Why as he wore a coat she only wore scrubs and looked much less professional with her body language. She almost resembled a popular college girl. Must've been a newbie assistant.
"I'm being forward sir. The boy is 17 years old and I'm looking out for him. He will understand I'm sure." Agnar's eyes narrowed at the rather aggressive tone in the nurses voice. He looked towards Simon who seemed much more kind than his assistant.
Simon sighed and shook his head. He put down the cuff and reached out to touch Hiccup's arm with his gloved hand. The boy reacted instantly and jumped back, only hurting his wing further. Agnar wrapped both his arms and legs around him, holding Hiccup entirely still from his front and pinning his arms to his sides. Hiccup growled and as a reflex bared his sharper layer of teeth. In a swift movement said teeth dug into Agnar's suit. Luckily enough the man's uniform was thick enough to shield his skin.
"I'm sorry! I don't know what to do!" Hiccup roared out with his fangs still in Agnar's armor. The father could not understand him but could sense his fear. He sighed and moved on hand up and down Hiccup's back who flinched at first but then relaxed. This processed continued until the boy was so calm he was nearly purring.
Agnar looked at the nurse who nodded in understanding. Simon reached out to touch Hiccup's arm again with a gloved hand, making the boy tense immediately and heart rate climb. The nurse did not pull away this time as Hiccup shrieked and fought. Instead he rubbed his hand in small circled against the boy's arm. Slowly but surely Hiccup became used to the touch and allowed himself to hold still temporarily, now only softly growling with his teeth once again in the leather of Agnar's shoulder pad.
With hesitant movements Simon managed to check Hiccup's blood pressure. The boy's heart rate had finally steadied and he released Agnar's shoulder. His four main fangs still stood out, but the rest of his teeth were normal. He was about to look at Delia and her desk, but thankfully Agnar managed to direct his attention in time.
Agnar held Hiccup close and the boy once again hid his eyes against the man's chest. He also seemed to attempt to keep his legs-particularly the bare left one which lacked a prosthetic-hid under him as best he could. Agnar could only guess this had to do with the School's influence on the boy.
"Alright. Can you do me a favor and hold your arm out for me?" Delia asked. Her voice was sweet but sounded way too eager. In reality this was because she wanted to get this over with because her shift was over. Hiccup of course took the eagerness as a threat. He hid his arms again and mumbled something aggressive in the dragon's tongue.
The darkness in his words shown through even if the humans in the room could not understand them. They all tensed when they heard just how deep and guttural the roars were. Agnar had never heard Hiccup speak in such a tone. The boy's words were quiet which-despite making them sound even more eerie-were a good sign. Hiccup wasn't ready to hurt anyone or even react. He was just giving off instinctive warnings.
"This won't hurt Hiccup." Delia finally began speaking more slowly and calmly. It was as if she'd just realized that speeding through this would only make her job stretch longer. Hiccup calmed his growled when he sensed her change in mood. He cocked his head to the side and concentrated solely on Delia's heart rate, emotions, and breathing speed. He was so focused he could even sense if she was sweating or not by the smell.
Despite how afraid he was of the approaching nurse who held a blue bad in her hand, Hiccup didn't move because he could sense her genuine concern, again something he was none too used to. He pressed further against Agnar's torso the closer she got. Eventually he felt cornered and refused to look at the woman now standing right next to him. Everything was happening to fast.
Delia gave Agnar that look. The look that a nurse gave parents when a little kid was about to get a needle in the arm. The look that meant it was time for the parents to do their job and keep the child still. That look which said they were going to hurt the kid, but in the end this was what needed to be done and would only be short lived.
Agnar had received this look many times when Astrid was around five and six years old, when she went through the phase where she was always climbing on stuff and winding up in the hospital. Of course around age nine Astrid grew out of her fear of needles. Hiccup on the other hand was terrified of just the thought in general. He wasn't scared of the needle, but of the person using the needle on him.
Hiccup began growling when Delia wrapped the band around his arm. He refused to flex and release his arm when she instructed him to in order to make his veins show. He hid his face against Agnar, his wings folded despite the searing pain in his broken one.
Then the nurse put on her gloves and swapped Hiccup's hands. This set something off deep within his brain and almost instinctively the boy surprised everyone when he yanked himself away from Agnar. This lead to him shrieking in pain as his wing hit the back of the bed. Two of his stitched wounds opened a little and bled. This put both medical professionals on alert. Simon tried to reach for Hiccup, but Agnar beat him to it. He knew the boy would hate him for this, but he had to do it in order to prevent Hiccup from hurting himself further.
Just as two doctors burst through the door in fear that something terribly wrong was going on (which there was), Agnar reached behind Hiccup and grabbed that loose patch of scaly skin just below his neck. Hiccup roared loudly when his scruff was grabbed, just like he'd done when Toothless had grabbed him numerous times. His whole body went limp for a split second after something seemed to strike his brain and spine as a reflex of being grabbed by the scruff. It was similar to the way mother dragons would grab their hatchling by the scruff to carry them around, or the way kittens would relax when their parents grabbed them the same way.
As soon as he knew Hiccup was safe in his arms Agnar let go of Hiccup's scruff. He felt awful. The sight of Hiccup becoming so vulnerable in one of his most fearful time at Agnar's own hands made the father feel horrible. He knew deep down that he had done what he had done to prevent Hiccup from possibly killing himself, but there was still that lingering fear that the boy wouldn't trust him anymore.
Agnar's fears were sort-of proven false when-despite his confusion and slight anger-Hiccup roared for him the same way as before. He called out for his father numerous times, his roars eventually dying down into quiet murmurs. The boy was exhausted and tried to fight it.
Delia, Simon, and the other two doctors in the room sighed in relief when Hiccup finally began going back to sleep in Agnar's arms. The pain medication going through his IV likely had something to do with the exaustion, but progress was progress. When Delia knew Hiccup was sound asleep, she carefully drew his blood with minor trouble getting to the veins. When she was done she looked at Agnar with a smile before laying her hand on Hiccup's hair.
"That wasn't so hard see? You're going to do just fine kiddo." Delia seemed to have a gentle side after all. Simon placed Hiccup's wing-bones back into place with Agnar doing everything in his power to keep the boy asleep. Finally his torso was stitched back up, but Hiccup didn't react at all in his sleep as if he felt nothing. Agnar came to realize that the boy really did feel no real pain because he was so used to being stitched up time and time before.
The Doctors, Simon, and Delia all left the room to allow Hiccup to sleep in peace. Agnar had another night shift tonight, but Ingrid would be coming in to watch over Hiccup only a few hours after her husband left. If they were lucky Hiccup would sleep through the mere hours he was alone, and if not the Doctors would most likely have to give him a medication to make him go back to sleep quickly before Ingrid came in. This would only be a last resort though because with Hiccup in his weak state it was dangerous to put him in a forced sleep.
Whatever the case may be, Ingrid, Agnar, the hospital, and Astrid all knew one thing was for sure. They would do anything to make sure Hiccup would be safe in the end. They owed it to him. To their hero. To Fury.