I do not own the How to Train Your Dragon franchise.

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Dare suggested by Ohsochich, with a few tweaks made by me.

Rolling With the Pigs

When Snotlout arrived at his front door, Hiccup knew there was a good chance his life was over. It was a few days after his cousin completed Ruffnut's dare, which meant he probably spent a lot of time carefully figuring out his dare.

"What fresh torture have you brought me?" asked Hiccup with a heavy sigh.

Snotlout smirked. "You're gonna like this one. I dare you to go running through the village in your underwear, jump in the pig pen, swim with the pigs, go running back through the village and stay in the forest for three hours without your clothes."

Hiccup stared for a long moment. Finally he said, "You're crazy."

"Do you accept?"

The brunette ran a hand down his face. "Yes, fine, I accept."

Snotlout grinned widely. "I cannot wait to see this. I'll meet you in the plaza in an hour. I'm gonna round up the others."

He took off and Hiccup slouched against the doorframe. "Curse you, Ruffnut. Curse you."

The hour passed by in a flash and Hiccup knew he could not delay the inevitable. He was not going to let his cousin beat him out, and he definitely wasn't going to let Ruffnut's devious plan succeed. Taking a breath, he stripped down to his grey underpants.

"What are you doing?"

The soft growl caused Hiccup to look over his shoulder. Toothless stood on the stairs, staring at him. "Don't ask."

"…that's probably for the best."

Toothless lumbered back to his human's room and Hiccup glared after him. "Well, you could have at least offered some support!" Huffing, he opened the front a crack and peered out. The coast was clear.

Stepping outside, his pale, skinny body was exposed to the cold Berk environment. Shivering, he jogged down the slope, the grass sticking to his bare feet. Once he reached the plaza, he was immediately greeted with stunned stares from his fellow Berkians. Face turning red, he tried to ignore their frantic whisperings as he joined with his friends.

"I can't believe you agreed to this," muttered Ruffnut, crossing her arms.

Astrid smiled. "He's not going to back down so easily," she said proudly.

"At least we'll be entertained," laughed Tuffnut.

"This is cruel and unusual," said Fishlegs, feeling great sympathy for his friend.

"So is Snotlout," muttered Hiccup under his breath. "Alright, let's get this over with."

He took off, running as fast as he could through the village. Blood pounded in his ears and he stared straight ahead, not wanting to see the expressions of the Vikings he was passing. The wind caused goosebumps to prickle along his flesh.

"If I get a cold, I am not going to be happy," he grumbled.

It took a few minutes for him to reach the mud pit, where half a dozen plump pink pigs were rolling about. Hiccup launched over the wooden fence and landed in the thick brown mud with a plop. He rolled around in it for a few seconds before moving his arms and legs in a swimming motion.

This is so stupid. What's wrong with me?

Many things, his second inner-voice replied.

Shut up.

Climbing to his feet, Hiccup's body was coated with mud. Stumbling over the fence (he swore the pigs were laughing at him) he raced back through the village, getting fresh reactions from the passing Vikings, who were now seriously considering that Stoick's son had finally snapped.

"I don't like you," he hissed towards his friends, who collapsed in hysterical fits of laughter at the sight of him. Even Astrid and Fishlegs were having difficulty concealing their amusement. He ran straight for the woods that covered most of Berk, winding around the trees. His foot was now aching as it stepped on stones and sharp twigs.

He only stopped when he felt he was deep enough in the forest. He dropped onto a fallen log and panted heavily, hands resting on his knees. His chest hurt and his lungs burned as he tried to catch his breath. Looking around the dense, insect-ridden forest, he only had one thought cross his mind.

I need new friends.

The five teens sat on the slope that led to the Haddock household, waiting for their friend to arrive. The three hours had passed, with the weather growing colder and the sky growing cloudy. Astrid's brow was crinkled with concern. "I hope he's okay out there."

"He'll be fine," said Snotlout, laying on the grass with his arms tucked behind his head. "He's handled worse."

Ruffnut spotted a figure coming towards them and she grinned. "Look, it's the Creature from the Deep."

Hiccup trudged towards them, hunched over and arms hanging limply by his sides. Half of his body was caked in dried mud and every piece of skin not slicked with mud was covered in insect bites. His hair was sticking up at all ends and he was shivering violently. He moved about gingerly, picking his foot up with careful movement. Cuts and bruises dotted the bottom of it.

"You okay?" Fishlegs asked when Hiccup came within earshot.

The brunette stared at him with a flat expression. "What do you think?"

Fishlegs flushed. "Sorry. Figured I ought to ask."

"Dude, what did you do in the forest for three hours?" asked Tuffnut.

"Almost got eaten alive by bugs. Feared that it would start to rain. Questioned what I'm doing with my life." Hiccup walked past them and approached his front door. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bathe for the next four hours, spend another two hours cleaning my prosthetic and sleep for the rest of my life."

He disappeared inside. Astrid bit her lip, torn between amusement and sympathy. "I think you broke him."

"He wasn't normal to begin with," dismissed Snotlout, slightly impressed that his cousin managed to successfully complete his dare.

The door creaked open, causing the five teens to look over their shoulders. Hiccup peered out at them, face suddenly deadly serious.

"If I get my butt booted off to a deserted island because I've been deemed mad, none of you will escape Toothless' wrath. I'll make sure of it."

Next chapter: In which Hiccup dares Ruffnut.