Spawn Hades - Yeah, I wrote something like that too! Haha. And yeah, their relationship is not typical of mother and son with her absence so it's fun to play with.
Guest - YOU'RE WELCOME! Haha. If it helps, that's my number one thought too. There's a picture of Hiccup, Stoick and Valka that I saw and Valka is looking at Hiccup, and instead of thinking "aww she's looking at her son" I'm thinking VALCUP CONFIRMED. I'm awful.
-HTTYD-
Hiccup was in disbelief.
He was adopted.
"I guess your parents probably meant to tell you when you were older, and never got the chance."
Dagur was trying to get through to him, but Hiccup was still thrown. He had a birth mother and a biological father somewhere out there.
"You shouldn't have got this yet... this must be what that little guy was arguing about. You're not meant to be able to contact your biological mother until you're eighteen, and that is months off. You ought to file a formal complaint against that lady-mountain."
Did he look like them? Hiccup didn't look a bit like Astrid, true, but their dad had light brown hair and their granpda had green eyes. Hiccup had never had cause to think he wasn't theirs.
"Astrid! Stop humping my sister, we need you!"
Dagur's shouting reached Hiccups ears, slowly permeating his bubble of shock. He was about to tell Dagur to leave the girls alone, but they were already downstairs. Toothless nosed at his leg, whining.
"What's with the yelling? We were in the middle of a very important quest on Fable."
"Hiccup's adopted."
Finally finding his voice again, Hiccup scowled.
"Way to break it to them easy Dagur!"
Astrid blinked, turning to her brother.
"Wait, what?"
Hiccup held out the letter with his adoption records on, detailing how he had been born 'Harry Haddock', birth certificate changed to show Henry Hofferson when he was adopted at three months old. There was a name under 'mother' that sounded foreign on his tongue - Valka Haddock.
"No father on record. She must have been young, single... strict family?"
"Why are you trying to rationalise this? I'm not your real brother, which is a bigger deal to me!"
Astrid looked up at him incredulously.
"You think this changes anything for me? You're my brother, idiot. I don't care that you came out of a different vagina."
Heather and Dagur awkwardly sidled away, taking Toothless out into the garden to give Hiccup and Astrid time alone without being far if they wanted company.
"That's a pleasant image. This really doesn't bother you?"
"It's surprising, sure. But... no. We grew up together. You beat up boys for me, you taught me to ride a bike and we were partners in crime as kids. You carried me when I hurt my knee, supported me when I came out... and you take care of me now our parents are gone. Family isn't about blood Hiccup. It's about love, choice and standing by each other."
Astrid threw her arms around him as Hiccup teared up, squeezing him tight as he embraced his sister. No matter how big a revelation this was, Astrid wasn't going anywhere.
"Now, we are going to put this aside for the night so you can process, then if you want we can talk about it at therapy tomorrow. If not, we'll talk about it as just us tomorrow night. Sound good bro?"
"Yeah. Thanks Astrid."
"No problem. We'll get through this, together. Like we always do. The fearless Hofferson clan, no matter what."
His sister managed to make him smile, grabbing his head and kissing it loudly before laughing. The adoption letter pushed back in it's envelope and placed in a drawer, the letters pertaining to he and Astrid being allowed to continue taking care of each other pinned to the noticeboard. As Dagur had said, Hiccup wasn't even supposed to be allowed to contact his birth mother until he was eighteen. She might not even want to know him.
It wasn't that important. Not when he needed to be strong, tough, stable, capable of taking care of his sister.
"Are we ok bro?"
Bro. It was a short but sweet word, it reminded him Astrid still saw him exactly the same.
"Yeah. We're good. You and Heather go back to your game."
"You sure?"
"Yeah, I'm sure."
Astrid hugged him again, then retrieved her girlfriend from the garden and they returned to Astrid's room to play on her games console. Dagur came back in a few minutes later, face covered in Toothless drool.
"So, shall we dispense with the previous topic and go watch a show about food?"
Hiccup was reminded - nothing fazed Dagur.
"Yeah. I think there's some Bake Off recorded still."
"Excellent!"
Bouncing through to the living room, Dagur sheepishly returned to wash dog saliva from his face and stubble. They both headed there more sedately, settling on individual seats to watch shows about cooking. It was comfortable and easy and had nothing to do with the bombshell currently exploding in Hiccup's mind.
"Oh Thor, look at that pastry. I would bury my face in it until they pulled me off."
Dagur may have enjoyed cooking shows a little too much. Hiccup found himself laughing, his wonderful therapy dog hopping up next to him when he sensed Hiccup was still feeling low. Toothless rested his head in his lap, huffing until he was stroked and settling as soon as he was. Petting the dog often relieved some of Hiccup's anxiety, and that night was no different as the knot in his chest loosened just a little.
Heather came down about ten thirty, knowing they needed to leave - Heather could be late for school and not be at risk of getting Dagur in trouble. Astrid needed to get to bed.
"We worked on school stuff too, so Astrid's done her homework! See you soon Hiccup."
She kissed his cheek, Dagur gave him a one-armed squeeze hug and Astrid a squeeze too, then they left. Running through the nights checklist, Astrid gave him an extra cuddle before she went to bed. Hiccup let Toothless out, then headed to bed once the dog was back on his bed in the kitchen.
Laid down with nothing but his own thoughts for company, Hiccup turned over the new information in his mind again. What were his biological parents like? Did his mother know who his father was? Was he like them? Why was he given up? The thoughts kept whirling, over and over, back and forth.
All in all, Hiccup didn't get a whole lot of sleep.
Astrid could tell immediately, pouring him a fresh mug of coffee while he mixed up bacon, cheese and mushroom omelettes. He'd already made her lunch between his first and second coffees.
"Are we going straight to therapy from school?"
"Yep."
"I better pack a change of clothes, I feel like a child going to therapy in my uniform."
Astrid cut a chunk off her steaming hot omelette, blowing off some of the curling steam and popping it in her mouth with a 'oooh' sound as it was obviously still pretty warm.
"Don't burn yourself."
"Hush. Hey, do you think aunt Helga knows you were adopted?"
"I guess she might. I mean, people musta noticed mom wasn't pregnant? Why?"
"Just thinking... she might know why. Did they think they couldn't have kids? Only our ages are so close together, I can't imagine that was a strategic thing."
Chewing thoughtfully, Hiccup swallowed before he spoke.
"Huh. Maybe. We can't ask them... I wonder why they never told me."
"Maybe it didn't matter to them, like it doesn't to me. You were their son. You are my brother. Fuck biology. I'm sure they would have done before you turned eighteen, though social services wouldn't have had cause to hand deliver that if they were still around."
Astrid finished her omelette, then started on her toast - for a girl with such a slender build, she ate like a Viking. Hiccup theorized that was why she was so freakishly strong.
"I guess. I just don't know what to do."
"You mean about contacting them?"
"Mhmm."
"You don't have to do it right now. You could decide in a week, a year, a decade. It's totally up to you bro. Finish your food, I'm gonna go pack spare clothes."
Checking his watch, Hiccup realised they were in danger of running late and hastened to eat his now cold eggs. He pulled on his boots, careful not to tie the one over his prosthetic leg too tight as Astrid bustled about, giving Toothless an affectionate ruffling on her way through.
"Ready?"
Reaching for the keys on the hook, he nodded.
"Mhmm. Lets go."
Astrid shoved her lunch in her bag, then followed him out to the car.
"I want you to take a nap while I'm at school today, you look terrible."
"I'll try."
"Promise?"
Astrid held out her pinky finger.
"Pinky promise."
Hiccup met her, linking his pinkie to hers. She grinned, then buckled in her seatbelt while Hiccup started the car. She leant over to smack a kiss on his forehead outside her school, promising to be good all day.
"I'll see you for therapy later. Don't cause trouble."
"I'll try! I better go, there's Heather. Love ya bro!"
"Love you too sis."
She leapt out of the car, leaving Hiccup smiling to himself about how lucky he was to have such an awesome sister. He stopped by the supermarket - whether the talk about his adoption was at therapy or after, it called for comfort food. He picked up frozen pizzas and extra mushrooms and chilli, a tub of cookie dough ice cream and some sweet potatoes to make fries with.
He managed an hours nap on the sofa with Toothless drooling on his lap, then took the dog for a long walk to clear his head. By the time Hiccup was pulling up outside the school to pick up Astrid, he felt vaguely more human.
"Lets get this over with."
Cami, the exceptionally cute blonde therapist, greeted both of them happily as they sat at opposite ends of 'the couch'.
"Lovely to see you both again! Lets catch up."
She made it feel like they were just friends, just chatting about their day. Astrid looked over at him, asking if they were bringing up the adoption thing at this session. He shook his head. He wasn't ready to share that with more than family yet.
"I'm studying for my GCSEs, Hiccup is still a fantastic housewife slash brother. Bertha still wants you to say he's not coping... think those are the main points."
Cami smiled, tapping her notepad with her pen.
"How is exam prep going? Any subjects you're worried about?"
Hiccup watched and listened as the two females chatted, happy to watch Astrid increasingly recovering from the loss of their parents. It would never be totally okay, but he had high hopes it wasn't always going to be the dark cloud hanging over them.
"Hen- Hiccup, hows your PTSD treatment going?"
"Uh, it's going. I still get flashbacks... nightmares mostly, but if I didn't have to drive Astrid to school I probably wouldn't have gotten behind the wheel yet. Still some anxiety, occasional insomnia. The usual."
"Well, I have to say Hiccup, Astrid, I continue to be amazed by your progress and your connection. Teenage brother and sister would usually be at risk of fighting like cat and dog, but you have both adjusted very well. If all stays on track, I'll be happy to reduce your appointments when Astrid finishes school. If you feel comfortable with that, of course."
Hiccup always felt like he was dangerously close to failing Astrid. Cami seemed to see something totally different.
"Thank you. We'll let you know."
"Are you both still seeing seperate grief counsellors?"
"Yep."
"Every week."
"Very good. I'm supportive of you reducing or even ceasing those appointments whenever you feel ready. Your social worker can take it up with me if she disagrees."
"Thanks Cami. We'll uh, we'll talk about it and get back to you."
Hiccup often left therapy feeling weak and emotionally drained, but Astrid was flourishing, thriving. She turned and hugged Hiccup, grabbing his hand and holding it as they left the clinic.
"Do you think... do you think mom and dad would be proud of us?"
"What do you mean sis?"
"Like, is this what they wanted for us? If they couldn't be here like they aren't anymore... would they wish we lived with gran and gramps? Would they have chosen for uncle Spite to come live with us?"
Hiccup had to think how to answer, silent as they got into the car.
"I think mom and dad always encouraged us to make our own choices. So... yeah. I think they would be proud that between the two of us, we are damn well nailing it for two teenagers who lost their parents. Hel, I think they would be proud you tidy your room at least once a week."
Astrid's mouth quirked into that mildly irritated but mildly amused smirk, swatting at his arm.
"Muttonhead."
"Lets go home. I bought pizza and ice cream."
"What about-"
"The sweet potatoes are sliced and par-boiled, ready for shallow frying."
"Good man! Onwards!"
They ate until they could barely move, lazing on the sofa with full bellies and mildly disgruntled groans. Astrid accused Hiccup of trying to fatten her up, to which he replied
"You never gain weight! Just like me. We both got that from- wait. Guess we didn't. This is weird. All these things I was sure I inherited like dads hair or moms freckles... I have no idea where they come from."
Astrid picked up the tone change, pushing herself into an upright position and fixing him with her serious face.
"You wanna talk about it now?"
"I don't know. Part of me wants to burn that letter and forget all about it."
"I hear a but coming."
Hiccup sighed, taking a swig of coke.
"But... I don't know. I feel like if this Valka woman even wants to see me all grown up, then I should. Or I'll always wonder."
"Sounds like your mind is made up."
Hiccup looked over at Astrid, reaching for her hand.
"How do you feel about that?"
Astrid left him hanging for a second, but then she reached out and clasped his outstretched hand.
"You're my brother. I'm behind you one hundred percent."
-HTTYD-
have a chapter. It's not particularly exciting... but now I'm craving cookie dough ahhhh.