I still haven't written the epilogue. I'm hoping to have it ready for in a weeks time, but I'm only going to offer a promise for some time in March.

Line break indicates scene shift, not POV change.

-HTTYD-

"What happened?"

Astrid asked as Cami stripped off her coat and kicked off her boots with curt, angry motions, managing to stomp in sock-clad feet.

"Argh! I'm so… gah!" she sputtered "Give me a moment, I've been stewing on this for the whole drive over!"

Nodding, Astrid stepped back and quietly motioned at the couch.

Reduced to socks, jeans, and a t-shirt with a lewd joke on, Cami strode further in to the room like a miniature thunderstorm and threw herself on the couch.

"I just… argh!"

She looked at Hiccup, who was staring down at her with concern clear on his face.

"Your father was so relieved when I showed up" her hands balled in to fists "because he thought that I had successfully separated from an abusive relationship."

She hissed through clenched teeth as Astrid winced and Hiccup rocked back on his heels, looking a little shell-shocked.

"Oh."

"Yeah. It went downhill from there."

She folded her arms angrily across her chest. Astrid winced.

"How bad?"

Cami loosened up a little, possibly because her arms were folded so tightly she couldn't draw enough breath to speak.

"I mean… it could have gone worse. I suppose. Nobody died. I did talk with the two of them a bit..." she sighed. "but I guess telling them that the reason I broke it off with their son is that they're so narrow-minded I could use them as screwdrivers in a watch repair kit didn't help!"

Unable to help herself at the image, Astrid gave a giggle-snort.

"Yeah, it was either that or a leatherwork awl, but that doesn't roll off the tongue quite as easily."

Cami said, and Hiccup gave a small, helpless giggle.

"Either way, they would get the point!"

He answered, and Astrid snorted and feigned a punch at him.

"Abuse! I call abuse! Battered boyfriend!"

Cami called in response. Between the tension and everything that went with it, Astrid couldn't help it and burst into laughter, along with Hiccup and Cami. The laughs ripped free from her and she sank onto the couch, the sheer absurdity of it all - the idea that Hiccup, a sweet and mild-mannered dork with a liking for dragons, was actually abusive in any way, shape or form - overcoming her.

It was just so absurd! The thought of Hiccup being an abuser, the guy who never raised his voice, who denied his own pleasure for the safety of the women he was with… if it weren't for the fact that it was his gods-damned parents making the accusation, it would be comedic in just how wrong it was.

But it was still absurd. Did his parents not know him at all?

Probably not, Astrid thought, considering how he felt the need to hide so many aspects of himself, the performance put on when they visited.

The last of the laughter leaking out of her, she slumped against Hiccup's side where he was also laughing. Sucking in air, she managed to speak.

"Oh, come on, Cami. I remember when you two were together. Outside of the bedroom, there was no question of who wore the trousers in that relationship!"

Through her own continuing fit of giggles, Cami nodded.

"Yep!" she waited, and calmed before speaking again "yeah. If anything, that just makes it worse. I know that I only met them once, but still, they're so scared for this… this idea they have in their head of who I am that they're not willing to get to know me."

Hiccup, having also sobered, sighed.

"Let's… let's not go there, shall we?"

She winced.

"Right. Um… sorry, Hic. Hiccup."

As though using the shortened nickname out of habit, Cami corrected herself rather quickly. Astrid glanced back and forth between the two of them before looking at Cami.

"So you yelled at them, called them narrow-minded, and then what?"

She asked, trying to get past the awkward moment. Cami inhaled sharply.

"Well, we did talk around a bit. And around and around and around" she gnawed on her lip before sighing "so I do have… well, dubiously good news."

"I'll take it."

Hiccup said.

"Good. So, yeah. Your dad said that he didn't mean that 'you're not my son' line like that" Astrid bit back a derisive snort, because how many ways could he have meant it, really? "and he's scared for Astrid…" she pursed her lips and sucked in a breath "but he's not going to disown you or anything like that. He said that explicitly." She cleared her throat and in an imitation of Stoick's cadences, said, "'It was more the shock of the moment than anything. I said it and I'll own up to it having been the wrong thing to say, and if you're going to talk to him, tell him I apologize.'"

Astrid looked to Hiccup, who was attempting a pained smile.

"Well… I guess that's good?"

Cami raised her hand, holding it flat, and wiggled it from side to side in an ambivalent gesture.

"Ehhhh... yes and no. He did apologize and said that he wants to reconcile… but then he dug a deeper hole."

"What do you mean?"

Astrid asked, worried and more than a little bit angry. His son had walked out of the house into a howling snowstorm and Stoick hadn't even gone after him! From Astrid's perspective, he was going to need to grovel if he wanted that apology to stick! Not to mention, it seemed at the very least hypocritical to accuse his son of abusing women, only to backtrack on disownment and so on.

Cami fidgeted for a moment, huffed, looked to Hiccup, and sighed.

"He wants Hiccup to attend an anger management clinic or a relationship counselor or something of the sort to 'fix what's wrong with him.'"

Astrid saw red and hissed.

"Like he's violent and on parole or something!? Ok, I've had enough of this bullshit already."

She leapt from her seat and snatched up her phone, growling in her throat.

"Astrid…"

Hiccup said warningly.

"What? He's treating Hiccup like a criminal before guilt is even proven! And simultaneously being a hypocrite! What a sorry excuse for a judge!"

With a firm press of her thumb, she hit the little phone icon next to the number for Hiccup's parents. It rang twice and then picked up.

"Miss Hofferson?" came Stoick's voice "are you all right?"

The concern in his voice only inflamed her anger.

"I'm fine, but my boyfriend isn't because his parents think he's a monster!"

"Miss Hofferson, he hits you! Don't tell me you're defending him!"

"I hit you, and you're defending me!"

She rebutted.

"That's different! I'm not going to press charges against someone in need of protection!"

"You might need to if you keep acting this way!"

She fired back. Hiccup's eyes were the size of dinner plates.

"Miss Hofferson, please, I'm scared for your safety-"

"The fact that I proved that I am capable and willing to defend myself didn't sink in at all, did it?"

She spat, and hung up. Silence reigned for a moment, and then Cami sighed.

"Well, that could have gone better."

"Mhmm" Hiccup intoned in agreement "what did that accomplish, milady?"

"Well, at least I know that I'm not going to jail for hitting him" she shrugged "not yet, at least."

Hiccup groaned.

"Let's not make things worse on that front, shall we?"

"Fine," Astrid said a bit petulantly. Then she sighed. "How are you feeling, babe?"

"I mean… my parents think that I'm an abuser and want to send me to rehab. Should I just go, be declared sane, and get back to the scene after they're done?"

He asked bitterly.

"Well… if you wanted," Astrid said sourly. "But I'd rather not. Let's try to get your parents to accept you for who you are… but if that's the standard, then screw 'em."

"Here here!"

Cami chimed in supportively. Hiccup sighed.

"I mean, I already feel like they took something from me with all of this. I know that you wanted a bit of play, Astrid, but I'm just not up for it at the moment."

Astrid nodded, running her fingers through his hair.

"I know. And I'm not blaming you. I guess I should give Heather and Atali a call, let them know that shit happened."

"Had something planned?" Cami asked and then shut her mouth with a click "sorry, sorry, none of my business,"

She quickly added, eyes turning downcast.

"Just a scene for Hiccup's birthday," Astrid shrugged. Hiccup made a considering noise, so she looked over to him "should I not call? Is there something wrong?"

"No, no, call them to cancel the scene, but... I think I have an idea."


Getting out of the car, Astrid looked around at the piles of snow at the edges of the parking area and scowled.

"You okay?"

Cami asked, getting out of the passenger side.

"Just remembering when I was last here."

She said. The path to the cove where she'd found Hiccup was mostly snowed over, but she could see, roughly, where they'd broken through the snowbank on their way in and out, despite the fact that it had been several days since then.

Cami made a sympathetic noise.

"I know exactly what you mean."

"You would, wouldn't you?" Astrid replied, and inhaled deeply before letting it out, trying to let the tension flow out with it "come on, let's do this."

As the pair of them walked to the door, shoulder to shoulder, Astrid found herself hoping that this would work, that it wouldn't make the pair of elder Haddocks dig in their heels. But both of them were - at least according to Hiccup - the sort of people who would change their minds if they were presented with evidence.

They just hadn't been presented with sufficiently convincing evidence before.

Hopefully, Astrid thought, we're about to change that.

Reaching the front door, she shared a look with Cami, and they both sighed before Astrid rang the doorbell.

"Here goes nothing…"

Cami said softly. They waited for less than a minute before the door was flung open. Valka was standing there, looking shocked.

"Are you two alright?"

She looked them over with concern, obviously scanning for bruises and injuries. Astrid did her best not to bristle at the implication, and answered as politely as she could manage.

"We're fine, and we're here to talk with you and your husband about Hiccup… and your assumptions about our lifestyle."

Valka looked taken aback by that, but before she could say anything, Cami spoke up.

"We just want to talk. As much as Astrid here is a punchy-type of person" so was Cami, but she apparently forgot to mention that "Hiccup wants to reconcile - if he can. So we're doing what we can to help."

With a nod, Valka wordlessly motioned them inside and then shut the door behind them as they shucked off their boots and coats. Judge Haddock was standing nearby, clearly having been anxiously hovering, listening in.

Astrid gave him a flat look; he was holding himself a little gingerly, she noted with a bit of grim satisfaction. Conversation, however, was held off until they had gone to the living room and taken seats. A tea set was produced by Valka and set on the coffee table, complete with a selection of biscuits. Apparently she couldn't help but host. Astrid took a cup, some sugar, and a tea bag, and set it to brew on the saucer, while Cami did the same, also snagging a couple of shortbreads.

The tension was thick and brittle as they all settled in, before Astrid finally spoke up first.

"Judge Haddock, I have a question."

"You can call me Stoick, lass," he said, sounding pained "this… this is informal, after all. But go ahead with the question."

"Noted. The question is, what do you think of extreme sports enthusiasts? Skydivers, BASE and bungee jumpers, ice climbers, wingsuiters and hang-gliders, cave diving… you know, the sort of sports where people do it for the thrill, and there's a real risk of death if you're not trained or careful? What do you think of the people who are into that?"

"I think they're bonkers, to be honest."

Stoick said carefully. Astrid looked to Valka, who shrugged and nodded in agreement.

"But do you think that they have the right to do those sports? Or should they be kept from doing it for their own safety?"

Cami asked. Stoick frowned.

"I don't see what this has to do with anything, but I'll continue with the line of questioning. No, I don't think that they should be kept from doing those sports, so long as they're being as safe as they can about it."

Astrid nodded.

"And how do you define 'as safe as they can about it'?"

Stoick cocked his head in thought, and then Valka spoke up.

"Proper safety equipment, I suppose, checked regularly. Training, preferably certified. Practice on the less intense sports, such as how BASE jumpers have to be experienced skydivers first. Explicit signed consent forms."

Stoick nodded.

"Aye, like how skiing places have rankings for the different courses, like Beginner, Medium, Expert, and so forth. But I don't see where you're going with this."

Astrid shared a look with Cami, who shrugged and made a go ahead motion. Taking a deep breath, Astrid reached over and picked up her tea cup, plucking the tea bag out with the spoon and adding milk. A sip of the brew helped clear her throat before she spoke again.

"So you agree that people can derive enjoyment from extreme sports - the sort of 'adrenaline junkie' sort of thing? You mentioned ski courses. What about ski jumps? That's sort of an extreme thing past just a regular course. But it's seen as normal; it's done at the Olympics, after all. The risks and hazards are just… normalised, if you follow me."

Both of the elder Haddocks nodded.

"So now that we've laid that groundwork of understanding," Astrid said, and took another sip of her tea, trying to fight how her mouth felt dry "please hold that in mind for this next bit."

"What next bit? I still don't see where you're going with this."

Stoick said. Cami picked up her own tea, added three spoonfuls of sugar to it, and started to stir. Astrid had forgotten how much sugar fuelled the tiny, energetic woman.

"It's simple, sir. You have no problems with extreme sports as a concept, even if you yourself would never participate, yeah?"

He nodded. Astrid inhaled and said the deadly words that she and the others had discussed out.

"So how about extreme sex in that same framework?"

There was dead silence for a moment, and both of the elders looked flabbergasted. Stoick was practically cross-eyed.

"It's called a 'paraphilia' " Cami elaborated, cautiously (for her) "people who derive sexual pleasure from activities that, if you'll pardon the language, deviate from the norm."

"So both Cami and myself" Astrid said, "find enjoyment in pain. For example, I enjoy being, well, spanked and the like. We like it. It makes things more intense and satisfying for us, for a variety of reasons" she took a gulp of the tea "just like how a ski jumper might not find even the Expert courses to be satisfying or a challenge anymore."

"The key difference there" Cami continued, picking up the thread like they practiced, "is that sexual practices that aren't normalized aren't seen with the same acceptance as athletic practices, which are more normalized. That creates a culture of silence and drives those who desire such things underground."

Stoick seemed to switch back on.

"And that creates abuse!"

He said almost triumphantly. They both scowled at him.

"No. It creates the potential for abuse, like any culture of silence. You know, the way people are told to keep the 'ins and outs' of their marriage private, and it's isolating for those who are then abused" Astrid said firmly, because they would definitely understand that "and there are bad actors aplenty in 'the scene', as we call it, just like everywhere else, but there's also community censure. But the point is, it's not automatically abuse."

"There's actually a set of standards that we try to adhere to" Cami added. "Like what Mrs Haddock said earlier about training, proper safety equipment, explicit signed consent forms… we call it SS&C, Safe, Sane And Consensual" she reached into a pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper "here, I brought you a pamphlet on it."

She held it out and Valka took it, though she did so as though expecting it to catch fire.

"We're not idiots - at least not moreso than any other human being is" Astrid shrugged "we know what we enjoy can be risky or damaging. So we try to adhere to safe practices within that realm" she bit her lip "and continuing with that metaphor... to me, Hiccup is my safety instructor and manager, making sure I don't go too far in the heat of the moment."

"Wait, what?"

Stoick said, sounding baffled. Astrid braced herself for explaining her own kinks to these people who hadn't really earned the right to her prviate life.

"One of the most common paraphilias is called 'subbing', or submission, where you basically surrender control to someone else. It's an incredible act of trust - and I trust Hiccup. And he's never given me cause to doubt him, to re-evaluate that trust" she tapped the side of her cup with her fingertip "and he gives me all of those things you mentioned as being important for 'being as safe as you can' about it, while at the same time being my devoted boyfriend. He teaches me how to do things safely, makes sure I don't overstep my limits and hurt myself, asserts limits for how far we go, and like any good instructor, he gets his enjoyment from helping me do so."

Astrid wondered if she should mention he had her fill out a form and everything. But Cami spoke up, surprisingly quietly.

"He was the same for me… before I left."

"And why did you leave?"

Valka asked, just as quietly.

Cami held up a hand and looked to Astrid.

"I think we're ready for the next bit?"

Astrid nodded, pulled out her phone, and hit send on the pre-written text. There was a somewhat tense silence, Valka and Stoick visibly confused by the waiting. A moment later, the front door opened, and Hiccup's voice called out.

"Hello?"

Both of his parents jerked towards the door - and the naked relief on both of their faces was a point in their favour in Astrid's book. They were still heavily in the negatives, but it was at least something. They got up out of their seats as the sound of multiple people entering the house came up the hallway. Astrid coughed pointedly to get their attention. They looked back at her.

"We brought some character witnesses, as it were."

"Does that make you the Expert Witnesses, then?"

Stoick asked dryly. Astrid chuckled.

"If that works for you, but I think you'll find other people more knowledgeable. But just one thing I want to emphasize here."

"Yes?"

Valka prompted.

"Every person out there has consented, explicitly, to being outed to you from 'the scene'. That's scary… especially given how you two reacted. But they're our and Hiccup's friends, and are offering their help because they support your son. Remember that."

She'd timed it perfectly, as Hiccup led the crowd of people into the living room, and Stoick did a double-take.

"And I see you also brought your own legal representation?"

Mala smiled sharply.

"Oh, I suppose that I could do that, but that is not the position in which I'm here, Your Honour."

Astrid watched with satisfaction as the implications of that sank into Stoick's conscience.

"But… but… you help prosecute abusers!"

He sputtered.

"Yes. And then I go home to my two partners, where we have a healthy and consensual relationship that happens to involve kinky sex and voluntary power exchanges" Mala answerwed simply and cheerfully "I prosecute people who try to use my lifestyle as an excuse to harm others. There is a distinct difference - the same difference between jumping out of an aeroplane of your own volition for the thrills, and being thrown out of one against your will without a parachute."

Stoick's eyes were perfect circles. Meanwhile, Valka was staring at Atali, who was looking solemn where she stood by the wall. Before Valka could overcome her shock, though, Astrid spoke up.

"Hiccup, babe, do you want to make introductions? Your parents don't know everyone, after all."

Hiccup nodded.

"Mom, Dad, these are some of my friends…" he took a deep breath before pointing and naming "Eret, a Dominant leaning switch who's studying ecological management. Heather, a mouthy submissive and chemist in training. You know Miss Wing already. Atali, a flexible switch who works at Astrid's university lab. The two on leashes are Dagur and Throk, both submissives... "

He went down the line, introducing each of them in turn, and when he was done, he turned to his parents.

"So if you don't believe me, they've all said you're welcome to 'cross examine' them."

Stoick looked around at the group and then said weakly.

"Why don't you all just sit down? I feel that would probably be best."

There was a minor shuffle for seats, and Astrid noted with amusement as Mala took an armchair with a high back and sat in it like a queen on her throne, with Throk and Dagur kneeling at her sides, quiet but visibly happy as they looked to their owner, bodies free of tension.

Hiccup vanished briefly and returned with another teapot and stack of teacups, adding it to the side table. There it was quickly pounced on by their friends as he took his own seat between Astrid and Cami on the couch. Heather, for her part, was lounging cheerfully on Eret's lap as they sat in another Stoick-sized armchair, which made Astrid smile; her friends were very well suited for each other. She wondered just how much Heather was enjoying teasing her Dom in this situation.

With everyone settled, Hiccup took a deep breath and looked at his parents.

"So here we are. I… I understand why you jumped to the conclusion you did." He sighed again, and Astrid could feel the whipcord tension in his body next to her. "Astrid made a good point while we were discussing this."

"Which is?"

Stoick asked.

"It's simple. Which is more common, Dad? Plane accidents or car accidents?"

Stoick cocked his head.

"Car accidents. By a lot."

"And plane accidents always make the news, while care accidents don't. So people think that the cars are safer, because they're not seeing all of the information" Hiccup motioned to the room full of people "just like you only see the abusers. Not the healthy relationships, because those generally don't end up in your courtroom or moms shelter."

"Oh."

Valka said quietly.

"And, while I do not approve of your actions toward Hiccup" Stoick had the grace to look a touch sheepish at Mala's words "it is understandable why you did not even conceive of there being healthy relationships like ours."

Mala added.

"Why would you, if you had never seen it?"

"But they do exist, and they exist between healthy, consenting adults of sound mind."

Cami said.

"So what happened to you then?" Valka asked. "Why did you leave Hiccup in the first place?"

Even from her spot on Hiccup's other side, Astrid could feel the other woman tense.

"Because of you."

Cami said simply.

"So Hiccup said… but I still don't understand."

Valka said softly and gently. Cami exhaled slowly, and Astrid's heart felt wrung in sympathy.

"My father… he left my mother pregnant with me. My mom doesn't trust men from that and other experiences, and she raised me to believe that men would just treat me as 'breeding stock'."

She looked down at her hands, and then leaned into Hiccup's side when he put a comforting arm around her - an action that Astrid had zero problems with. Gods knew that Cami was being brave talking about her own neuroses in this sort of environment to someone that arguably didn't deserve the answer, let alone the explanation behind it.

"You see, one way in which paraphilias develop is from taboo subjects. It's why rape fantasies are common in women - because the fantasy puts them in control."

Mala added while Cami gathered herself. Though both blanched at the word 'rape', they did keep listening. Valka nodded eventually at Cami, in a sort of 'go on' gesture.

"So I… I had fantasies. Fantasies about that sort of thing - about getting pregnant and being made to give birth" she squeezed Hiccup's hand "and I found someone who helped me explore them safely, with no fear, who wanted my explicit and enthusiastic consent for anything we did together, but had no intentions of even risking me falling pregnant because he knew it was acting, fantasy, that I wasn't actually saying I wanted to be forced in to having a baby."

She tried to keep talking, but choked on the next words, Astrid reaching for Cami's cup so she could try to clear her throat. Nodding gratefully, Cami managed to continue.

"And, and then I came here. And you… you were… planning…"

Astrid saw the bolt of understanding hit Valka, followed by Stoick an instant later. Valka's hand flew to cover her mouth, which had opened in horror.

"Oh no."

Cami swallowed hard enough that Astrid's throat twinged in sympathy.

"Oh yes. You were talking about weddings and kids and us moving in… and it was like a cage closing around me" she slumped "so I ran."

"And then the rest of us" Heather commented dryly "had to pick up the pieces of two of our best friends."

"Took a lot of glue."

Eret added just as dryly. Atali nodded in agreement.

"They were a very healthy, well-adjusted couple."

"I remember seeing how head-over-heels they were" Stoick said softly "that's… that's why we…" he looked at Cami "lass, I'm sorry."

She hunched and seemed to shrink into Hiccup's side.

"I'm not the only one you should be apologizing to."

Valka took in a deep ragged breath.

"I… I just want to make sure I understand?"

Hiccup nodded.

"Yeah, Mom?"

"We… we were basically engaging in reproductive coercion against her? Planning children she didn't want to have?"

"More or less" Mala said firmly. "It does not fall under the legal statute for reproductive coercion, but emotionally? It was more or less analogous. By making the plans without her input or consent, you were stating that you expected her to conform with your expectations as a prerequisite for continued relations with her partner, your son."

Astrid took a deep breath; sensing that neither Hiccup nor Cami were in a condition to continue on the subject, she picked up the thread.

"And when you called him last month telling him, ordering him to bring me here for a dinner, he had a full blown panic attack at the thought of losing me like he lost Cami."

Both of the elders looked guilty. Valka nodded.

"I… I'm sorry. I've seen reproductive coercion at the shelter so many times… it didn't even occur to me that I might… might be perpetuating it."

Cami nodded jerkily.

"But I'm not the only one you need to be apologizing to" She gently elbowed Hiccup "say sorry to your son, who you hurt so badly, not just with me, but with your accusations! And mean it."

Astrid looked at them, and let out a soft sigh of relief as Stoick looked at Hiccup and then nodded almost imperceptibly.

"Son… I'm sorry. For… for everything."

"I apologise too, wholeheartedly" Valka added, before tenatively asking "... do you forgive us?"

Hiccup nodded.

"Yeah. You… you're both good people. You just didn't know."

"Well, we can learn" Valka said firmly, and looked around the room "can… can we ask questions?"

"That's what we're here for" Atali nodded "ask away."

As his parents started to question their friends, Astrid pulled Hiccup up off of the couch - and then Cami as well - before she dragged the two of them to the kitchen.

"You two okay?"

she asked, as they both looked wrung out.

"Not now… but I think I will be."

Hiccup said softly.

"Same" Cami added "I feel very... naked, and not the fun kind."

Astrid turned to her.

"Well, once this is all over, I want my friend back, okay?" she put a hand on Cami's shoulder and squeezed "No more running off from this, alright? Everythings out in the open now, there's no need to disappear."

Cami scoffed and smiled.

"Okay."

On impulse, Astrid hugged her, and Cami hugged her back. They were going to get through with this. From what she'd seen, Hiccup's parents were listening, and with that, they could hopefully get through to them.

Returning to the living room, they mostly just sat as the conversations went back and forth. Thankfully, his parents' resistance seemed to have crumbled, and they were listening, engaging, and occasionally a bit perplexed - Mala was explaining her relationship with her pups with glee, and Stoick seemed perturbed - but overall, they were understanding that, as strange as it came across to 'vanillas', every relationship in there had been consensual. She could still see Stoick giving the two muscular men in knee pads and dog collars sideways looks - there was probably some internalised misogyny there, expecting men to only be Dominant. Though really, Astrid couldn't imagine anyone meeting Mala and thinking she'd be anything but a Domme.

Finally, though, it slowed to a halt, and Hiccup cleared his throat.

"So, um… Mom, Dad, I think we've given you two a lot to think about."

"That's putting it mildly, son."

Stoick said.

"So… just one other thing, that came up during our planning for this."

Hiccup said, and nodded to Mala. She nodded back in acknowledgment and looked to Stoick.

"Sir. We know that what we have presented to you can potentially be dismissed as hearsay or fabricated. And while you seem more intellectually honest than that, we concluded that it would be optimum to add a few other points to this. You suggested an anger management course or some other rehabilitation option when you thought that this was abusive. It is not, and rehabilitation is not needed."

Stoick nodded.

"That being said, you did inflict psychological harm upon your son" Mala said evenly "so I was going to suggest referring your son to Doctor Svenson."

"The psychotherapist? I usually recommend victim… oh. Oh."

"Yes. As Miss Hofferson noted, Hiccup experienced a panic attack from interacting with you" Mala definitely had her courtroom voice on, firm and calm and clear "and the good doctor knows of SS&C practices. Were this my court case, I would recommend that your son - and his partner - attend some sessions with him to assess the damage. And then, furthermore, while it might be somewhat legally complicated in the absence of a court order, I believe that it would settle your fears if he was able to independently corroborate the claims that the relationship between Miss Hofferson and your son is both consensual and healthy. No details, of course, but a simple statement from the doctor on a Yes or No to that effect."

Stoick nodded.

"I understand… but I don't think that would be necessary."

Astrid snorted softly, thinking to herself that it was not like the therapist would be reporting to Stoick just how much he had messed up his son. Hiccup had symptoms of PTSD because he was afraid of his parents finding out he liked kinky sex, which said a lot about the pressure he'd been put under. Still, at least Hiccup could heal a bit more now… and hearing his father give an affirmation that he trusted him enough not to need that report would undoubtedly help.

Hiccup took a deep breath.

"And I think that's eaten up enough of everyone's time" he turned in his seat to look at everyone "guys, thank you all for coming and helping, and outing yourselves. Quite explicitly, in some cases."

There was a chorus of 'of course!' and 'you'd do the same' and other statements with similar sentiments, which Astrid hoped reminded Hiccup just how good and loved he was, before her boyfriend turned back to his parents.

"And just one thing…"

"Yes?"

His mother asked.

"I know that you two want me to continue the family tradition and move in here and all of that..." he hesitated and then forged onwards "but I can't. I need my own space… away from you. At least for now, and I don't know when that will change, or even if it will change. Astrid and I are going to be moving in together, but I just don't see myself ever coming back here. Not to live. Not forever" he looked up at the ceiling "there's just too much baggage for me here."

"I… I understand, son" Valka said softly "and we're here for when you need us."

"Thanks mom."

Valka stood and pulled Hiccup into a hug.

"I… I don't know if I approve of all of it yet. I'm still wrapping my head around it all, but I at least understand more than I did."

"And I'm sorry for hurting you with my ignorance and judgment."

"Thanks, dad."

Hiccup said, patting him on the back.

Goodbyes were said, and the crowd of their friends reclaimed their coats and shoes, trudging out into the snow. Astrid couldn't help but laugh a little when Mala had to tell Dagur not to crawl through the snow. At least he wasn't only wearing those tight little shorts she'd seen in the club.

As they reached their cars, Eret ostentatiously looked over the mansion and then to Hiccup.

"It's a really nice place" he said half-jokingly "you really going to give up the option of living rent-free?"

"Oh, there's rent involved" Hiccup deadpanned "just not the monetary kind."

"Yeah, I understand that."

"We did think of making it a scene club if and when Hiccup inherits it, though."

Astrid said. Mala coughed in surprise, though she soon smiled

"Well! That would certainly be poetic" she chuckled "meanwhile, I believe you mentioned something about a party at your new home when you've moved in?"

Hiccup smiled - and it was the smile of her Dominant, the guy who made her tremble and shake and fall in love, that Astrid saw again.

"Yeah. We'll get back to you on the details."

-HTTYD-

Almost over! Just the epilogue to go!