Hey all! Next chapter. Not quite like my typical chapters but needed none-the-less. Enjoy!
Shout Outs!:
CHSHiccstrid
Yeah, that's why I try and space them out, too much information makes your brain choke kind of deal...now only if schools would get that memo :) It's definitely different than the cannon but I think this could leave a lot of room for some good scheming on Loki's part ;)
If you mean the HTTYD movies, yes I will be doing all of them. If you mean MCU movies, I will be doing any—or scenes from any—that could be impacted by Hiccup's influence of Loki/him knowing sooner.
Yes. I mentioned in both Cold Front and Wing of War pt 2 that his eyes were browning and it is intentional—its the Jotunn magic affecting his physical appearance. His skin just paled consistently until it turned blue, like how lips or skin does when you're cold, however, his eyes had to turn red. Since green is a combination of yellow and blue and, in subtractive colors, when you add red it turns brown. It just continued to do that until the red pigment in his eyes took dominance and turned his eyes red. Sorry if that was a bit confusing.
Cashagon
Great! It does indeed, imagine Clint's or Tony's horror if they realize how close Loki was to a human, oh that could be quite funny...oh man, or Fury XD
Dad!Loki is a thing and I'm here for it all the way. They needed some time, after everything I just put them through, they needed some down time. Oh gosh yes, Loki needs someone to ground him as much as Hiccup does right now.
Yeah, someone needs to leave Hiccup a script, poor guy's terrible with coverups. Good, 'cause you never know ;)
Eris
That is a thought. I've been bouncing a few ideas around in my head of how it could possibly work. You'll just have to wait and see ;)
Stag-beetle
All HTTYD movies will be done, no fear there. Avengers will definitely take a different view on certain things. HTTYD2 has been quite the whirl wind of thoughts and how best to play it out. Haha, oh gosh yes—the Alpha won't be the only ice-spitting being around. Not intentional to give off Frozen vibes but unfortunately, sometimes—with the ice abilities especially and identity crisis—it's unavoidable.
Jhousa
Oh the mischief. They already kinda are, though both might be kinda blind to it until someone says it to their faces. Loki was never meant to have appeared in this story at all when I first wrote it but I had a few readers ask for it so I thought "what the heck, it'll be a fun 'cameo-like' episode once off". Then I had requests for more and as I wrote them I didn't think he'd just abandon Hiccup and things continued to progress to the magic and now here we are. No where near where I had intended but I don't think I'd change it. Yeah, thought we could all use a nice, warm, fluffy breather.
Ohma flame
Yes! I do remember now! I never watched it, I'm getting the movie now 'cause it sounds interesting, because it came out when I was a kid and I barely sat still for five minutes for my favorite movie let alone anything else. I remember seeing it at Blockbuster if you can believe that :D Actually, for years I thought it was some kind of Grinch/Joker hybrid movie—what my childish mind thought it was
Writer's Log Supplemental—25 "Sundry Events and Panic Attacks"
Hiccup stared in poorly concealed dread as he held Inferno in front of himself. He, Snotlout, Toothless, Hookfang, and Garf were all backing up as the Slitherwings roared, poisonous spittle flying towards them.
The Slitherwings slid closer to them, tongues flicking in and out like a snake's. Several curled to strike and every other dragon and human's hearts pounded violently.
One of the Slitherwings stared at Hiccup intently. He knew that he was this Slitherwing's intended meal, but it didn't spring.
Snotlout whined, backing up against Hookfang in terror. "Why aren't they attacking already? Are they trying to make us die of a heart attack?!"
Toothless growled lowly, eyes wide with fear but pupils contracted. He pressed close to Hiccup and eyed three Slitherwings at once.
Another Slitherwing joined its kin in its staring match with Hiccup.
Hiccup swallowed thickly and held both their gazes, terrified to blink.
Snotlout whispered hoarsely, pressing against Hiccup as he slid behind him. "I don't know what you're doing but keep doing it!"
Hiccup frowned, desperately wanting to look back at his cousin with the deepest of confusion but his healthy fear of the prone Slitherwings still kept his attention. "What are you talking about?"
Snotlout continued to edge away towards the cave's entrance, seeming intent on using Hiccup as a sacrifice—only for Hookfang and Garf to follow. Toothless too turned his body to start scooting back but kept close to Hiccup. "Keeping their attention! Like, all of them!"
Hiccup finally broke eye contact for a second to glance to his left and, sure enough, the other four Slitherwings were there—curled and ready to strike, but only staring at him keenly.
Snotlout mumbled, sounding like his nerves were about to fall apart. "Oh Thor, let this be something from Loki and not just them playing with their food."
Hiccup's eyes widened when it finally clicked, whispering to himself. "Loki can command snakes."
Hiccup felt Toothless gently grab him by his vest and slowly pull him backwards.
The Slitherwings watched their movements and hissed, eyeing Snotlout and the dragons, sliding after them.
Hiccup moved in-between them and the dragons, Snotlout holding Hiccup's right arm and helping to guide him out.
"Tell those demonic snake-dragons to leave us alone, we're not on the dinner menu!"
Hiccup frowned, but didn't dare look back, keeping Inferno in front of himself while everyone else used him as a shield, but hissed. "I don't know how! I don't even know how I'm doing this now."
Snotlout shrugged and glanced back, the entrance was so far away. "Eh, don't question it, just pray to Loki that it holds out!"
The Slitherwings followed their progress, never staying more than a few feet away from Hiccup.
A white hot magnesium blast exploded on the ground between them and the Slitherwings.
The humans jumped and shouted in shock while the Slitherwings hissed and roared, slithering quickly away from the blinding light and farther into the cave.
Hiccup looked up to see Astrid and Stormfly circle around, Stormfly firing off another blast for good measure. "Oh, whoa! What was that?!"
Stormfly landed near Garf, ecstatic to see him but kept a warry eye out for the Slitherwings.
Astrid looked back at him with a relieved smile. "Her new thing. Pretty nice huh?"
Hiccup grinned, beyond grateful. "Uh, very."
"Here we go!" Ruffnut shouted from down the cave a bit. Some green smoke drifted around the corner before disappearing in a yellow-white explosion, sending the rest of the Slitherwings scurrying further into the cave.
Fishlegs and Meatlug followed suit, sealing some holes in the wall the Slitherwings disappeared into.
Hiccup sighed and mounted Toothless, extinguishing Inferno. He watched as Stormfly and Garf happily reunite but frowned thoughtfully, his right hand subconsciously rubbing Loki's bracer. Will the surprises never cease?
Hiccup sat crisscross in his hut, eyes closed.
Toothless napped on his slab not far away, purring contentedly as Hiccup meditated alone, not needing to keep on high alert.
Hiccup sighed after a minute and stared hard at the ceiling before glancing over to check that his hut door was locked from the inside. It was. He took a deep breath before removing the bracer, staring at his pale blue hand, mind temporarily at a loss. He hadn't really had time to actually look at himself since waking up, and didn't want to when Loki was around. He wasn't blind. He'd seen the looks Loki cast him before quickly covering them up with a reassuring smile—scared and unsure and sometimes, almost disgusted.
He'd nearly choked with fear the first time he saw it shortly after driving away Viggo and Krogan. He would never be able to forget the worry and dread that Loki would leave him, wanting nothing to do with something that appeared like the monsters and demons they'd both grown up hearing being warned about.
That worry was in vain, and Hiccup would never be more grateful for that, but he still sat—staring at his palm and turning it over to see even lighter vein-like-lines decorating his hand, worrying about how the other Riders and Berk will react. Having Æsir magic was one thing, but a Jötunn appearance would undoubtedly cause the whole island and Archipelago to uproar, shouting that he'd been cursed, or worse, go on a man hunt to rid themselves of the demon.
Maybe I don't need to tell Berk…I'm not sure if I'll ever have the courage to tell my dad.
He shook his head of the thoughts. They didn't matter at the moment because no one would know yet. Loki wanted to get answers first and understand how this even happened before they did anything. And, as Loki was the key to his change—not to mention a god, Hiccup decided respecting his wishes would be the best option for the moment.
Focusing back on his hands, he kept his eyes open and stared at them intently. After a second a bright white and green ball burst into existence, much bigger and brighter than his previous attempts.
"Toothless!" Hiccup laughed.
Toothless lifted his head, eyes half lidded and not overly thrilled about being woken up.
Hiccup giggled as he focused on the light, his magic manifested, and stretched it out to a cylinder before squishing it into an oval then letting it rest as a sphere.
Toothless rumbled deeply in his version of a laugh and laid his head back down.
Hiccup shook his head at his draconic friend and proceeded to play with the light, more than willing to leave all other thoughts behind as he touched and molded the almost tangible magic.
"'Born together, live together, die together. Ha!" Tuffnut smiled happily from across and the fire pit. "I mean, is that great or what?!"
I glanced up from the Dragon Eye I was finally piecing together, testing out a newly made gear and sprocket system, before returning my attention to it, but still listening to Tuffnut recount. I honestly couldn't be more grateful to be able to be back in the forge and using my hands again. It felt weird, I had to admit. Heat would never feel the same way to me again. Even with the bracer, it felt too warm and I was definitely sweated more now than I did, but it was worth it.
Tuffnut laughed again, entirely too pleased. "You should've seen the soul-crushing look on ol' Throk-a-dilly's face."
"Wow." Astrid breathed in complete shock. "I just never thought you'd do that to your own sister."
I tightened a screw then held out my hand. Astrid had the top half of the Dragon Eye which she then gave to me. I twisted it into position before sliding the outer ring around it and securing it in place. I glanced at Tuffnut as I checked the ring, making sure nothing was being compacted too tight. I couldn't say that Tuffnut's reaction was unexpected but I was still a bit disappointed—I guess that's what happens when you spend nearly every second of your life from birth with someone in a non-romantic way. Or maybe it was just a twin thing. I'm not sure.
Astrid seemed highly disappointed though while Tuffnut was blissfully ignorant, voicing as much. "Do what?"
Astrid folded her arms. "Get in the way of her happiness."
I could sense Tuffnut's confusion and knew that subtleties about love and romance would be utterly lost on him, so I clarified. "If Ruffnut really has feelings for Throk, it could mean she's passing up a chance at a lifetime of love and happiness."
I momentarily set the Dragon Eye down, glancing back at Astrid as she continued. "And same goes for you." She walked behind me and gently placed her hands on my shoulders.
I subtly tense, still scarred from the… events that took place two weeks ago.
Astrid didn't feel it, thankfully, as she continued. "Don't you ever want to meet a beautiful Viking girl and have a family of your own?"
I smiled but my heart stopped, the whole world seemed to stop…it had stopped, they were both frozen in place, in time, while thick frost and ice crept around them and the Clubhouse—
*O*
Hiccup shot upright in his bed, eyes wide and fumbling for the blanket as he tried to grasp it and throw it off of him—too hot—far, far too hot. He stumbled away from his bed and hit the wall, sliding down it and gripping his hair as he stared in unseeing horror at his bed and his path to the wall, both covered in ice with frost still spiraling out.
Toothless jumped up, startled when Hiccup practically threw his wing away from him and loudly staggered away from the bed. He crawled up and over the iced bed, cooing at Hiccup with concern and curling as best he could around him.
Hiccup reached a shaky hand for his friend's head but hesitated when he saw the icy mess behind him.
Toothless snuffed and shoved his head into Hiccup's hand, hardly feeling the frost that started spreading under his touch.
Hiccup took a shaky breath and closed his eyes, feeling the Jötunn magic. He took another breath and let it out slowly, trying his best to calm his emotions which were making the Jötunn magic run rampant. After minute, he could feel it, see it beginning to retreat and lay dormant once again.
He took another breath and released it shakily, exhausted but no longer tired.
Toothless crooned again and placed his head in Hiccup's lap, eyes wide and questioning.
Hiccup lay his head on Toothless' and sighed. "I just, I—I don't know bud. I don't know if I-"
Toothless nuzzled him and enveloped him in a wing.
"Bud?" Hiccup whispered, unable to lift his voice any higher. "What if I can't—with Astrid, what will happen if we have kids? What if they-?" His tongue caught and it took him a moment to find it again, shaking as he gripped Toothless tightly, willing unwanted tears not to fall. "Oh gods. I saw the way Loki looked, how he said he didn't want Odin to know…our stories of Frost Giants are based on the ones they told us, Loki said as much and—oh Toothless—what if something happens and Loki can't…Will they come after for him, me, for being a—for being a-
"And what about our kids? I don't want them growing up like this, scared for their lives. I don't even know if I can have kids. Toothless, I don't even know if I'm human anymore!"
He finally broke down and cried, gripping Toothless' side tightly as the only thing that could ground him.
Toothless cooed sadly and curled tighter around Hiccup.
Toothless basked in the small ray of sun that peeked through the dense trees, watching Hiccup half-heartedly.
Hiccup sat in front of a small stone, hands hovering over it as if he was debating if he should touch it or not. He bobbed his head side to side after a moment then picked up the notes Loki left him, reading them over again. He closed his eyes and pictured the rock in his hand before erasing that image and replacing it with one of Berk's coins.
He opened his eyes, hopeful, but it fell as the stone still sat in his hands. He grunted and closed his eyes again, brow furrowing as he concentrated. After another several minutes he opened his eyes again and glared at the stone.
He gripped the stone tightly in frustration before forcing himself to relax and take a breath. He stared at the stone and concentrated again, face hardening as he felt his magic begin to wrap weakly around the stone, willing his magic to take on the image in his mind.
Toothless watched as the stone began to flicker, one moment a stone the next a fuzzy image of a coin. He tilted his head curiously and poked his head near Hiccup's hand, trying to sniff it, accidentally bumping him.
Hiccup jumped, having been so focused on the stone he forgot about Toothless. The stone fell from his grasp to the grass covered ground, the meager illusion flickering out. "Awe, Toothless! I was just starting to get it!"
Toothless put his head on the ground and crawled closer, eyes wide and apologetic.
Hiccup sighed and rubbed his snout. "It's okay bud." He flopped back against him with a weary sigh. "Man this sucks. I'm tired already."
Toothless gurgled and covered Hiccup with his wing before curling around him, intent on a nice afternoon nap.
Hiccup squeaked at Toothless' sudden movement. "Ah, no—no bud, I do have things I have to get done."
Toothless huffed and buried his snout in Hiccup's stomach.
Hiccup rolled his eyes before leaning sideways against him. I guess a small nap wouldn't hurt anything…
Viggo growled in frustration. Never before did he think he'd ever stoop to banging his head against a table, but he was very seriously considering it.
He glared at the completely deconstructed Dragon Eye, a good half of which was totally unsalvageable. And most of that he couldn't even to begin guessing what the parts had once been. Was that circular-ish piece a cog or a melted pin? Or this deformed ring, was it once a ring to hold the lenses in place or some other thin piece of metal for allowing the gems to switch color?
Viggo threw the garbage, for that is all it could be now, on the table and leaned back in the chair, rubbing his eyes.
The door opened but Viggo didn't look up. He didn't even stop rubbing his eyes. "If you've come to inquire about the Dragon Eye's progress, don't. It will take me more than a few weeks to even begin figuring this, this thing out!" He gestured wildly to the mess on the table.
Krogan's lip upturned unpleasantly but held his tongue on that matter. "My men have managed to locate one of the Dragon Eye lenses."
Viggo removed a finger to glance at him, eyebrow raised.
Krogan folded his arms and stared blankly at the Dragon Eye. "The Bezerker girl is in possession of it, though I don't think she or any of the Riders realize it."
Viggo sighed and stood, walking around the table in thought. "Until I know for certain that the Dragon Eye cannot be repaired or rebuilt we should continue as if it works properly—at the very least we will keep the Riders from knowing our current state of affairs."
Krogan nodded, it was sound enough logic. "Then I'll let my informant know to enact the plan."
Krogan left and Viggo returned to the daunting task of repairing the Dragon Eye. He scribbled a few notes down about his ideas on the other pieces before picking up another ring, a rather thick ring at that. Maybe that's the connecter for the two halves, it would make sen—his thoughts died as looked closely at the ring.
Pieces of an opaque, glass-like substance were stuck all around the ring, seeming to have gathered at the bottom of it. Undoubtedly the position I'd been holding it in when Loki stuck it.
He frowned and turned it over a few more times, trying figure out its purpose. He halted and stared at it, eyes glued to the thick side of the ring where small, intricate designs were inlaid. This must be a joke. Are all the gods punishing me?
In his hand he held the remains of the lens that had been inside the Dragon Eye.
Toothless arced around and shot the lock of the cage holding Windshear captive, Dagur dropping it into the sea once she was free.
"Are you okay?" Hiccup asked Heather after she gratefully remounted. Both he and Dagur had nearly had a heart attack when they learned the reason Heather was gone, especially after what they found on Vanaheim.
She nodded, hugging Windshear's neck in relief. "I'm fine, but they got my Dragon Eye lens." She said and gestured to her now empty belt.
Hiccup blinked, at a loss for a second before what she said processed.
"Your what?!" He looked away before frowning in realization. "That thing on your belt, that was a Dragon Eye lens. How'd we miss that?"
Astrid on Stormfly flew closer, visually checking her friend to make sure she was okay. "And how did they know that?"
Hiccup shook his head and pulled back a bit on Toothless' saddle. "Only one way to find out."
He and Toothless shot away from the group and Hiccup hunkered low on his back. The others followed close behind, all rather ticked off by Krogan and his Flyers. Toothless flapped up once more before diving into a barrel roll and firing four sequential blasts until Krogan's Singetail couldn't dodge and one struck his wing.
Krogan's grip on the lens loosened with the surprise attack, not expecting the Night Furry of all dragons to be here so soon, and as he tried to regain control of the Singetail the lens flew out of his grip. "No!"
Both he and Hiccup watched it fall with minute horror that it would be lost in the ocean, he more than Hiccup as he knew his dragon's revulsion to water. Thankfully, for him, it landed on a sea stack. Thank the gods.
"He dropped it!" Astrid shouted. "Hiccup!"
"I'm on it!" Hiccup shouted back as he and Toothless arced down, wings close to make it a swift grab.
Speaking of gods…his head shot up to quickly observe the group and noted a distinct lack of a certain god. He also noted, with a slightly confused frown, that Hiccup appeared normal again—and he was also diving for the lens.
"Fire!" He shouted to his men, knowing he was too far away to make a dive for it and beat Hiccup.
They fired a wall between the Rider and lens and he smirked. "Brave? Perhaps. Successful? Not quite."
Hiccup glared at him as they circled back around—watching as Snotlout, with Johann, and Krogan both dove for the lens. He had to laugh when Snotlout threw the bag of chicken feed and Krogan's dragon shot at it, causing it to explode into a white cloud which they inevitably flew through. His face of utter shock was almost worth this whole experience alone.
Hookfang rolled and Snotlout snatched the lens off the rock.
Hiccup saw a Flyer coming in to intercept him and steal back the lens and Snotlout quickly searching the skies for friendly dragons. He gripped Toothless' saddle tightly and clicked the tail into gear, reaching down into the saddle bag. Toothless flapped his wings and flew towards the growing dogfight. Hiccup closed his eyes and breathed, letting Toothless guide them as he concentrated, and tried to relax as best he could.
Toothless roared and his eyes snapped open and gritted his teeth, discreetly tossing something back to Toothless tail. Come on, come on. It's now or never!
"Dagur! Heads up!"
Toothless spun and hit the metal Snotlout threw, sending it soaring over Krogan—the metal singing as it flipped end over end to Dagur who caught it.
Hiccup instantly changed gears and they dove, dodging multiple fireballs, and skimmed the lapping ocean—sending spray everywhere from their speed.
Toothless leaned upwards and Hiccup clicked the gears, arcing them back up to the high-stake game of keep away. Toothless gurgled happily as he rapidly shot by a Flyer—disorienting his dragon and preventing them from shooting at Fishlegs who was dropping Snotlout the lens.
"Oh, no!" Snotlout shouted in horror, realizing he missed his grab and messed up big time.
Johann watched in worry as the lens fell. "Oh dear!"
Hiccup's eyes widened and leaned close to Toothless, already diving in a desperate grab for the lens.
Krogan smirked at him as he dove and caught the spinning lens, chuckling as he guided his Singetail away from the now won battle.
Toothless changed direction, intending to chase the Flyers down, but were met with a wall of flames and veered off sharply. They watched as the Flyers disappeared around the clouds and he sighed, clenching the saddle again and closing his eyes tightly—evening out his breaths. "They're gone, there's no way we can catch up."
Astrid growled, hitting Stormfly's saddle with her fist. "And they have the lens."
Fishlegs hovered between them, concerned yet relieved. "Hey. We got Heather and Windshear."
Hiccup nodded and smiled. "You're right, Fishlegs. You're right. And given the choice, there is no choice."
*O*
The Riders and Bezerkers landed back on Dragons Edge, the Riders by the Arena and Berserkers by the storage hut.
Hiccup didn't change the tail fin, though, for landing. Instead, he clicked it so they could ascend to his hut.
Toothless landed just outside the closed door with a concerned warble.
Hiccup patted the back of his head but stayed sitting for another moment before slipping off and opening his hut. He walked in, followed by Toothless who kept nudging him and cooing in concern, and sat heavily on the stool by his work bench. Breathing becoming lightly labored.
Toothless roared softly, beginning to pace in worry.
The twins suddenly burst in, both cupping a handful of a fluffy white substance, Tuffnut nearly shouting at his brother trickster. "Hiccup, you have to try this!"
"Yeah!" Ruffnut agreed. "You know that bag of chicken feed Snotlout threw at Krogan?"
"It made this, delicious cloud of corn!" Tuffnut beamed, popping a piece into his mouth. "It's even Chicken approved!"
Hiccup nodded, subdued, and smiled—standing up and shaking lightly. "Th-that's neat."
The twins shared a look before Ruffnut asked, taking a step closer in concern. "H, are you okay?"
"I-" He took a few steps before the shaking became worse and gripped the table as his head started spinning. The next second he fell to his knees, just shy of convulsing.
The twins dropped their handfuls of cloud of corn and kneeled by him, Tuffnut holding his arm and head as he helped guide him to the floor so he didn't collapse entirely.
Ruffnut was nearly frantic, eyes wide with panic. "W-what is this Hiccup—is, is it your magic growing more? Or-"
Hiccup took quick, short breaths of air despite his best efforts to keep them slow and even. "I-I ca—I'm try'—can't sto-stop it."
Ruffnut shared a confused glance with Tuffnut before focusing on Hiccup, unsure if she should try and hold him down, check his temperature—which she wasn't sure what it was supposed to be now that Loki 'fixed' him, or run and get help from the others.
Tuffnut didn't have that problem, focusing on what Hiccup had said then frowning with bewilderment. "Can't stop what?" He asked slowly.
Hiccup's breath grew increasingly uneven before descending into coughing fits to try and drag in more air. "C-cast—" he coughed, "magic—ca-can't," he coughed again, "s-stop, it."
Ruffnut locked eyes with her brother in disbelief then glared at Hiccup. "You mean to tell me you've had magic for, who knows how long now and you never told us?! Or used it to Loki anyone!?"
Tuffnut frowned at his surrogate brother. "I am deeply disappointed."
Hiccup tried to smile apologetically and muttered "sor-" until he relented to coughing fits again. A moment later he felt something warm and wet run from his nose before night encroached on his vision and he yielded, too tired to keep fighting for consciousness.
Tuffnut cried out in mild terror as Hiccup suddenly laxed halfway, still coughing a bit and shaking, but no longer looking like he was having a seizure.
Ruffnut made a noise of distress as she ran to find a semi-clean cloth then held up Hiccup's head to stifle the blood flow.
They shared concerned and confused gazes as Hiccup's body finally stopped shaking and his breathing evened out.
Toothless lay flat on the floor and crept close to them, nudging Hiccup's head with a concerned warble.
Ruffnut laid Hiccup's head on her lap so she could rub his head comfortingly as she tried to stifle his bloody nose.
*O*
Krogan landed on the lead ship, tossing the reins to a nearby Hunter and shouting orders at others as he walked by. He found Viggo in a continuously spiraling state of chaos.
Now there were not only pieces of the Dragon Eye laying scattered on the table, but bits and bobs of other devices—no doubt pilfered to try and fix the Dragon Eye—and several papers full of hastily scribbled notes and crude drawings.
Krogan turned his nose up at the mess but said nothing, he wanted—needed—the Dragon Eye fixed as much as Viggo.
Viggo tore his eyes from a page and a few gears to look questioningly at Krogan. "I assume you were successful?"
Krogan smirked, holding up the lens. "For whatever it is worth without the Dragon Eye."
Viggo returned his gaze to his task at hand while he answered. "As I said before. Until we know for certain that this device will never work again, we should continue as if it does. Besides, we are already down one lens."
Krogan's smirk instantly dropped into a growl. "What?"
Viggo picked a piece up off the table and tossed it to Krogan. Krogan caught it single handedly and stared at the ring with a melted, glass-like sustenance. "Wonderful."
Viggo snorted and stood, taking a short break from his work, taking the lens that Krogan just acquired. "Well, at least it was a common lens and not one from the Strike Class."
Krogan snorted and tossed the now useless lens onto the table.
Viggo grinned and held up the new lens, admiring it. His brow knitted, as he took in the fuzzy decorative etchings around the metal ring—no doubt being exposed to heavy elements as a result of being worn everyday while riding a dragon is not good for keeping appearances pristine, but the lens itself should be fine.
Something about the lens still wasn't right though, and his frown deepened.
Krogan saw Viggo's face morph from pleased to confused. He was about to snap at the annoying man about what the matter was when the lens started flickering. Both he and Viggo stared at it in perplexed fascination as the thing's appearance blinked between a lens and a large sprocket. It finally winked out and left the sprocket in Viggo's hand, both staring at it in something akin to horror.
Viggo looked at Krogan, face blank, before returning to his previous work on the Dragon Eye. "I believe, as the Rider's resident pack of tricksters would say, we've been 'Loki'd'."
Krogan stared at the sprocket, now lying on the table, in pure anger—nearly shaking. "That boy is getting stronger and more dangerous."
Viggo twisted together a ring and the main body of the Dragon Eye, not seeming to pay Krogan any attention. "Well, as soon as he's finished building his Dragon Eye you can have the honor of killing him."
Krogan raised an eyebrow, arms crossed. "Oh? You don't want that 'honor' at all?"
Viggo spared him a half-second glance before returning to work. "Would I like it? Oh, yes. That boy has been nothing but trouble since the day he set foot out of that Archipelago. But I already have a death warrant and no desire to expedite it…I can use the time Loki is spending hunting you down to make my getaway."
Krogan scoffed but couldn't tell if Viggo was being serious or not. He turned and left the cabin, slamming the door shut in his frustration.
*O*
Ruffnut stopped rubbing Toothless when he moved his head, picking it up off the floor and opening it so his tongue dangled. She frowned in confusion as he held that position for a second until Tuffnut cried out.
"EW! Man, Night Fury spit smells the worst. Honestly, Barf's gas smells better. No wonder Hiccup complains." Tuffnut finished with a mumble.
She leaned over Hiccup to see what Tuffnut was making a face about. There, lying next to Hiccup, was a puddle of dragon saliva and a lens. "Uh, Tuff?" She pointed to the lens on the ground.
His eyes widened and he pointed to it in shock. "But I thought, the Flyers—they-! Oh my Loki, Hiccup Loki'd them so hard!"
Ruffnut shoved his shoulder with her free hand. "Get something to wipe it off!"
He nodded and ran to one the chests and pulled out a cloth.
She turned to Toothless. "That's why he seemed to let it go so easily. Usually he stews for a couple of days on stuff like this."
Tuffnut partially cleaned the lens, the thick strands of spittle no longer present but it was still sticky to the touch. "So if Toothless had the lens…what were we throwing around?"
Ruffnut shrugged, about to guess an answer, when Hiccup moved then coughed once—weakly trying to pull out of Ruffnut's grasp.
He groaned and asked hoarsely. "Uhn, are you trying to suffocate me?"
Ruffnut pulled away the rag, watching Hiccup's nose in case it wasn't done bleeding but it seemed to have stopped, for now. "Sorry."
Hiccup tried to prop himself up on his elbows but his arms shook as he moved them, too weak to push himself up. "What happened?"
Tuffnut frowned at him, crossing his arms and remembering his anger. "You didn't tell us, your brother and sister in Loki, that your magic was developed enough to use!"
Ruffnut nodded hard once. "Uh-huh. Honestly, I'm pretty hurt. Why wouldn't you tell us, out of anyone about it?"
Hiccup frowned and curled into himself a bit. "S-sorry. Things were just kinda crazy and…" He looked away, eyeing his bracer before staring at the floor. "There was more than just that going on and I—I can't tell you yet, Loki said he needed to figure some things out first."
Ruffnut frowned. "And would these somethings have to do with the reason he left so abruptly without telling us farewell?"
Hiccup grimaced and nodded—fully relaxed on Ruffnut's lap again, talking alone was exhausting. "Yeah, it-it does."
Tuffnut started to retort something when Hiccup cut him off, closing his eyes and saying tiredly. "Tuff, when I say its world shaking, I mean for both of us."
The twins frowned, sharing looks, before Tuffnut sagged. "Alright. But you can bet on us demanding answers from him as soon as he gets back."
Hiccup laughed weakly. "Be my guest. I'm kinda curious myself."
*O*
Hiccup and the twins sat in his hut. After a long night's rest he was feeling much better. Not perfect but more than enough to function again.
Keeping Astrid in the dark about Hiccup had been a bit tough and required some quick thinking on the twins' part—random destruction near her hut—to keep her busy.
Hiccup promised them that he'd tell her and the other Riders, but wanted to at least be able to stand by himself again, to which they acquiesced.
The twins munched on some freshly made clouds of corn while Hiccup showed them his light ball, smaller than the last several days had been due him still being tired.
Tuffnut tried to poke the ball of light but his finger just phased through it. "So cool."
Ruffnut nodded, eyes wide and staring at the light.
Hiccup grinned, bouncing the small light between his hands. "Loki's looks exactly like this. Well, except it's bigger."
They chuckled and Ruffnut asked. "So yesterday, how did you make the illusion? What'd it feel like? How do you do it!?"
Hiccup let the light die and held up a hand. "Whoa, one question at a time, Ruff."
Tuffnut shoved his sister out of the way, sitting next to Hiccup. "Bring the light back up!"
Hiccup frowned but complied. "Uh, okay. Why?"
"Wait for it…" Tuffnut made a shape with his hands in front of the light, casting a shadow that looked like Barf and Belch flying out of their gas with the light color. "Ta-da!"
Hiccup smiled and shook, amused by his friend. "You know, I'm pretty sure that's one of the last things Loki expected this to be used for."
"Loki didn't expect what to be used for what?" A familiar voice asked almost directly behind Hiccup.
Hiccup jumped, eyes wide as scared Gronkle's, and his magic—already raw—pulsed out.
Identical shouts of alarm from Ruffnut, Tuffnut and Dagur as they were flung to their backs filled his hut, along with the clatter of many, small, loose objects hitting the walls.
Hiccup stood stock still, eyes glancing over his friends but saw no injuries—only shocked and slightly fearful, Dagur, faces.
"Is everyone alright in there?!" Astrid ran around the corner and frowned as she took in the state of Hiccup's hut.
Heather, Snotlout and Fishlegs were quick to follow her, Snotlout chuckling. "What did you muttonheads do? Set off a Zipple bomb?"
Hiccup's eyes were becoming more panicked and he took a step towards his three fallen friends before stopping again, seeing the shocked and scared look on Dagur's face—his mind ratcheting and backpedaling, flashing back to Mala, the Flyer's, Krogan's—Loki's. "I-I, that's not—oh gods…w-what are you guys doing here? I thought we were meeting at the Clubhouse for breakfast…not my hut." I should've locked the door!
Fishlegs looked around, lips thin. "We were, but you three didn't show."
Hiccup looked up and out the door. It's that late already? "Ah."
Ruffnut picked herself up off the floor, Tuffnut beaming like a madman—mumbling something to himself about a prank.
Heather walked farther into the hut, looking at Dagur as he continued to stare at Hiccup like he'd seen a ghost. "Are you doing alright, Hiccup? We didn't see you at all yesterday after the battle. If you're upset about losing the lens-"
Hiccup quickly shook his head. "No, no I'm not."
The twins chuckled and quietly conversed amongst themselves.
"Oh," Heather sighed in relief, "that's good, then what-?"
Tuffnut shoved Hiccup forward a step, grinning. "You should tell them now H."
Hiccup glanced at Dagur who was now nearly as white as a Boneknapper and shook his head. "Yeah, no. I-I don't know if now is a good time."
Heather frowned at her brother before blinking in surprise. After a second she rolled her eyes and lightly hit him on the head. "Dagur, you're scaring him."
Dagur turned terrified eyes to her, becoming slightly crazed, and pointed at Hiccup. "Me, scare him?! He's Loki incarnate!"
Snotlout frowned and chuckled dryly. "Well yeah. He is Loki's Chosen."
Hiccup took a staggered step back. I can't tell them, I-I'm not ready yet. What if they react like Dagur? I still don't—his thoughts ceased abruptly as he glanced down. His eyes shot wide again and his heart hammered, he stumbled back, tripping over his chair. He hit the floor hard and groaned, turning to push himself up when he froze, along with the ground.
"Hiccup?!" Astrid cried, running in. "Are you okay?"
Hiccup held up his hand in a 'stop' motion, silently panicking more as he tried to regain control of his wildly beating heart—but only succeeding on making the ice spread faster. Oh, gods no. Loki make it stop!
Toothless roared and bolted passed Astrid, curling up around Hiccup—hiding him and the ice patch from view.
Now in completely darkness, Hiccup could finally have his freak out without worrying about the others.
Toothless tucked his head under his wing and cooed, both worried and curious.
Hiccup reached out and scratched his earflaps before hugging his head, taking a deep breath.
Dagur finally picked himself up off the floor, steeling his nerves. "Hiccup, brother?"
Ruffnut and Tuffnut jumped in-between him and Hiccup, hands up placating. "We can explain, well, Hiccup can but-" Tuffnut began and Ruffnut continued
"Actually, it's kind of a funny story."
Astrid frowned, hands on her hips. "Okay, what's going on?"
The twins shared a glance before looking back to Toothless with a frown. "Ah, well," Tuffnut started, quickly loosing words.
Ruffnut's frown hardened as she raised her voice. "Hiccup promised he'd explain everything to you guys today!"
Hiccup sighed, still in Toothless' wings. She was right. He was going to explain, mostly everything, today either way—they'd just caught him off guard. Really off guard. He took a few more breaths before crawling out from under Toothless, having got his heart back under control.
Toothless stayed put, hiding the icy patch of wood.
Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck and glanced at Dagur. "I guess I should start by apologizing, to you especially Dagur, you really caught me off guard." He started to mumble as he continued. "I usually keep my hut locked when I'm working on it…I must've forgotten with the twins here."
Dagur looked him in the eye, his own still slightly scared. "When did this happen?"
Hiccup bobbed his head from side to side. "'Round when the Edge was invaded."
Dagur ran a hand through his hair, eyes wide and staring at the floor as he muttered to himself.
The Riders got the sense that they weren't on the same page as the trickster trio and Dagur.
Hiccup gestured to his fireplace and picked up a chair and rubbed his eyes. "Well, to start with—my magic developed enough to use it."
He was met with surprised crickets and sighed, burying his face in a hand.
Astrid walked up to him and grabbed his hand. "Hiccup, just," she took a breath to keep the minor annoyance out of her voice, "explain."
Hiccup nodded and sat down next to Toothless before getting up again and pacing the length of his hut, everyone else finding a seat. He gripped his chin like he was in thought but it was only to mentally psych himself up. It's okay, they already knew I was going to get magic, Loki told them as much—Just, don't say anything about the Jötunn side, shouldn't be too hard-
He took a deep breath and stopped pacing, deciding to just show them first. He held his hands out slightly and focused, the ball of white and green light flashing to life.
The twins grinned like idiots while the others stared in shock, Dagur's just a bit more relieved when that's all Hiccup did. "This is about the extent of what I can do well…and without passing out."
The Riders nodded, staring in awe at the light ball Hiccup held.
Hiccup smirked then separated his hands, closing his eyes as he concentrated.
The Riders gasped and Hiccup opened his eyes, cheeks heating up as he grinned—the light having reformed to a Night Fury…or would it be a Light Fury now? He let it die and sat down next to Toothless, taking deep breaths. That's enough for now.
Dagur rubbed his eyes, exasperated and tired.
Fishlegs shook with excitement. "Oh, what else can you do?!"
Dagur held up a finger, looking at Hiccup with a hard expression. "Uh, I got one. What was that you did earlier?! 'Cause one second you're playing with your little magic light and the next, I'm on the floor!"
Hiccup cringed slightly. "Sorry about that. I was already using my magic so I'm guessing it just reacted when I jumped."
Dagur's eyebrows rose in self-concern. "If that was it just reacting, I don't want to be anywhere around when you start using it intentionally in a fight."
Hiccup chuckled while the other Riders nodded or agreed—thinking of that possibility and how much they might need it now that Krogan and Viggo had the Dragon Eye. Hiccup ran a hand through his hair, mind drifting back to the multiple times his magic reacted and disliked every time. He laughed dryly. "Yeah, maybe hold off on that one for a bit until I can do more than make a fancy nightlight."
So, kind of a random collection of episodes but none of them were worth rewriting the entire episode but some parts needed/wanted to be rewritten/added to. Hope it was good and will see y'all soon!
