Title: The Beauty in Other Things
Summary: He hadn't expected to fall in love. Honestly, he usually ran from it. His whole life he had been with his sister. His life had revolved around her and their dragon. After they set the dragons free to Their Hidden World, he started to see the beauty in other things.
Second Summary: Tuffnut Thorston had always been with his sister, Ruffnut. So, when he gets the chance to love someone other than himself and Ruffnut – he tends to run the other way. But when he meets Bella Atlisson, things change. He doesn't run from her affections; he doesn't turn his back on the blooming of love in his chest. He allows her to love him and in doing so she manages to let him remain the Tuffnut everyone knows.
Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD.
Her body was cool against his warmer one, she was a little shorter than him but that didn't matter to them. He could lay awake and watch her sleep and listen to her breathe all night. Her hands were smaller than his own, but he liked that. They were also softer and smoother, his were calloused from all that riding on his dragon in his teenaged years. She had long brown hair that he loved running his fingers through, and her big, beautiful blue eyes that are impossible to escape when he got lost in them. He had cut his hair short in recent years so it now resembled Hiccup's choppy locks instead of his sister's long blonde hair.
He hadn't expected to fall in love. Honestly, he usually ran from it. His whole life he had been with his sister. His life had revolved around her and their dragon. But after they set them free, he started to go after other things in life. He started to see the beauty in other things. His sister had gone off and started to be courted by one of their friends. He'd watched Hiccup and Astrid get married and start a family.
Bella was the love of his life. She was everything he had never known he wanted. He hadn't realized he wanted someone who was strong-willed and opinionated, loved to have fun, knew when to reign it in, but would also challenge him when he needed to be. Tuffnut Thorston had never imagined that he would get to wake up next to this gorgeous woman for the rest of his life. He hoped he would get to, so far so good. He hadn't actually married her yet. They were still engaged, but the sex was great. It hadn't been something they planned but it was incredible. It wasn't accepted that unmarried Vikings had sex before they married, but living away from Berk and not having to live by the rules of their parents and Chief made it easier.
Tuffnut reached out and gently ran his fingers through her hair near the crown of her head. It was soft and silky; it ran through his fingers like water or sand. He had only ever been this close to his sister to run his fingers through hair. Ruffnut's hair was never this soft or smooth. As he lovingly started to softly braid some of her hair he thought back to when they had met and their relationship had started.
Tuffnut had always been with Ruffnut. Ever since birth they were 'joined at the hip' as it were. Whenever you saw one it was a fair bet that the other wasn't far away. It was always Ruffnut and Tuffnut. Ruff and Tuff. Two-of-a-kind. Sure, they had their moments, but at the end of the day they were best friends, brother and sister. Their relationships beyond that of family, were difficult. Ruffnut wanted a romantic partner when she got old enough and was ready, but Tuffnut tended to run from romance. The closest thing he had to a romantic relationship was with Chicken or maybe 'Macey'. His friends were simply that…friends. His sister had often said that they – as twins – were a packaged deal. Born together, live together, died together. It was just the way they were. Their partners would have to understand that when they eventually formed their relationship.
His parents often wondered if they would have to marry each other. It is not an uncommon practice among close communities that had small populations. And Berk only had a small populous, many families had inter-relationships, but it wasn't as common on Berk. Sometimes they were lucky and a family like the Hoffersons and the Ingermans would marry therefore breaking the intermarriage. Even as much as Ruffnut loved her brother. She would refuse to 'marry' him. It just wasn't right. Tuffnut would've married her if he had to, despite it being a childless marriage – and the Thorston line would end with them.
That one time he had almost stopped Ruff from having a relationship, was always fresh in his mind when he looked at her or saw Astrid and Hiccup together. He had gone and faked his own death to allow her happiness – but had only done so because she would never stand in his way of romance. If he faced it head on and didn't run from it. And when he met her he didn't have to run from it, she handed it to him whole heartedly.
It happened on the eve of Snoggletog. The cousins of the Larsons had arrived. The Atlisson family were very different from their relatives. In particular the children, the two Larsons and the 4 Atlissons. Where first-born Gustav Larson was arrogant and overly-confident in his abilities, his cousin second-born Bella, was not. She was shy at first and she didn't talk a lot about herself, she shied from Tuffnut at first – even if it was Hiccup that had introduced them. It was his job and Astrid's to introduce her to the village as their trip had been to move Bella to New Berk. Tuffnut scared her because he was loud and out-going. But Bella fit into the populous of New Berk well and easily. And she inserted herself into Tuffnut's life quite by accident. After six months on New Berk, they had started to court each other.
He'd never been good at gift giving. Not in the slightest. So, when it came time that they would announce their intention to marry and be betrothed – they had to give each other a betrothal gift. Tuffnut had admired Hiccup's betrothal gift to Astrid many times, the medallion was perfect. But he had no idea what to give Bella. It wasn't until his father pulled him aside that Tuffnut had an idea what not to give Bella. His father said that girls like Bella, didn't want a weapon for their gift. It had to be heartfelt and something really special. Tuffnut chewed his lip in thought, a medallion was a nice idea but had been done already. It had to be something original. Something no one else would think of. Finally, he settled on something special and original. He just needed at least one other to be in on it. He'd only trust Hiccup or Gobber with it. It wasn't a medallion but it still hung around her neck, it was a piece of crystal that he and his sister had collected set in Gronkle-iron on a pure silver chain. Hiccup had put it together for him and was glad when Tuffnut proclaimed in 'perfect beyond measure' – it show Hiccup that Tuffnut was serious about Bella and they would be very happy together, particularly because he had just finished sharpening a new axe Bella had asked him to make for Tuffnut – putting his initials into the blade.
Tuffnut started when he felt her stir against him. She sighed as she rolled over onto her side, facing him as she searched for his warmth in her sleep. She always liked to have him close by. He could see the crystal lying beside her ear as it moved around her neck as she slept.
"Ssshhh. Go back to sleep." He whispered pulling her in close. She snuggled into his shoulder as she spoke.
"I can't, you're thinking too loudly." She whispered in reply, blinking her eyes open.
"I'm sorry. I was just reliving our relationship." He murmured.
"Oh? Was it a good story?" She asked, snuggling into his chest.
"The best." He replied.
"Oh good, maybe you can tell me it sometime." She said, looking up at him.
He smiled, "Maybe I'll write it down and we can read it together." He told her.
"I'd love that, Tuff." She smiled up at him and kissed him softly, "I love you Tuffnut Laverne Thorston." She said letting him pull her in close to him and snuggle into her as he lay down again.
"I love you too, Bella Atlisson." He replied, kissing her passionately before he proceeded to show her just how much he meant that sentiment.