this chapter takes place about a month after the last... I couldn't reasonably drag out them not meeting any longer. Mostly because I want them to fuck and they can't do that if they never meet

-HTTYD-

"I'm nervous. What if she's disappointed how I turned out?"

Astrid frowned, watching Hiccup fuss with his shoe and jeans to ensure his prosthetic was hidden. He had spoken to Valka a couple of times on the phone, but they mostly talked about surface things - she didn't have long while she was out there working so they didn't get deep into anything.

Now they were about to meet, and Hiccup was petrified.

"Stand up."

Hiccup complied, his little sister taking his hands.

"Do you think mom and dad did a bad job?"

"What? No! Why-"

Astrid cut him off quickly.

"Then Valka has no right to be disappointed. Hiccup, she doesn't want the perfect son. She wants to see that giving you up wasn't a bad decision, so she doesn't regret it even if she wasn't up to raising you herself. You barely know each other, she's just happy you're giving her the chance. Now go fix your hair, I'll make sure Toothless is fed and whatnot. Then we'll go."

Hiccup knew one thing - he wouldn't be able to do this without Astrid. His sister was keeping him sane right now. Checking his hair and attempting to arrange the chaos into something tidy (failing miserably), Hiccup supposed he was as ready as could be. He almost left without the car keys, but thankfully Astrid wasn't completely out of it.

"Here, these might help. Come on!"

He watched Astrid bounce out of the door before he locked it behind them.

"Are you excited for this?"

Astrid hummed in thought as she clipped in her seatbelt, drumming her hands on her legs.

"It is kinda exciting. She's this mad vigilante woman who loves animals. I can't bear her ill will... if she hadn't given you up we wouldn't be brother and sister. And besides... she makes you smile. That's a big plus."

Keying the ignition, Hiccup felt the butterflies in his stomach begin to multiply. He was about to meet the woman who gave birth to him. She'd spent eighteen years wondering how he turned out... and he was a skinny geek with PTSD and a metal leg.

He didn't owe Valka anything - Hiccup wasn't her son in anything other than the biological sense, but that didn't mean he wanted to disappoint her.

"Where is it we're meeting her?"

"Near Dragons Edge, that's the hotel she's staying at. She said there's a frozen drinks place nearby that we can't miss."

"Is she not permanently back in the UK?"

Hiccup shrugged.

"She never said. Hel, I never asked. Still, unless she owned a home beforehand... hotel or a friends house makes sense."

"Good point. Are we going to be super early like you always are?"

Hiccup stuck his tongue out while they idled at the traffic lights, his little sister laughing.

"I'm pro-active. What of it?"

His palms were sweaty on the wheel - Hiccup didn't love driving but he'd had to to be allowed to take care of Astrid. The usual nerves of being in a car after what had happened to him, to their parents, plus the added nerves of being on the way to meet Valka? It was frankly amazing he hadn't had a panic attack yet.

"Wow. She wasn't wrong about not missing it."

'Dragon Ice Sanctuary' was unbelievably distinctive - it looked as though it had been carved from a huge ice block and placed where a shop should have been. Many of the stores and buildings around them had dragon themed names, and Hiccup wished he had known about the area before. He loved dragons.

"Ok. I'm guessing this is the place. Go look in the window and see if she's there yet?"

Astrid nodded, thankfully not mocking Hiccups request as she hopped out of the car and headed up to the window while Hiccup parked in the car bay two stores down. He paid for the ticket machine thing, stuck it in the window and walked back to Astrid. At least his limp wasn't that bad today.

"I see nobody who looks like you. Let's go get a drink."

Astrid grabbed his hand, yanking him in to the Sanctuary and eyeing the names of the frozen drinks.

"Does anybody really order a drink called a Deathsong?"

Hiccup squinted to read the ingredients, shrugging.

"Maybe. Actually sounds kinda nice. I might get that."

"Eh. Think I'll have an Edgewing. It's got mint in."

They ordered, both collecting brightly coloured ice drinks while Hiccup looked around nervously every ten seconds. His heart pounded, something between excitement and nausea swelling in his chest and Astrid noticed his hands shake.

"We'll go sit downstairs, you need to breathe and there are no seats up here. Hey you" Astrid turned to the guy on the till "if someone who looks just like him comes in, tell her we're downstairs? Thanks."

She guided him toward the steps, holding his drink so Hiccup could cling to the banister rather than stumble on his prosthetic limb. There were hardly any people downstairs to notice him starting to panic, which made him feel a touch better as Astrid steered him into a corner chair, placed their drinks down and knelt next to him while holding his shaky, clammy hands.

"Ok. Breathe in... two, three, four... and out. And in.. "

Astrid knew how to try and calm him, talking him into the breathint excercise until his muscles began to loosen. Taking a few deep lungfuls of air, he nodded.

"I'm ok."

Astrid stood up, kissing his forehead before turning to loop around the table for her own seat. She stopped dead where Hiccup could only see the back of her and some peripheral furniture.

"Wow. She really does look just like you."

Hiccup stood up to see over her shoulder, heart spasming in his chest when he saw her.

That grainy old picture hadn't really highlighted much about Valka. From across the room he could see her impressive height, the way her high cheekbones caught the light... and there was little doubt he inherited her hair colour as an auburn-autumnal braid resided over her shoulder - much the same way Astrid did.

She hadn't seen him yet, obviously looking around for him and Astrid had been hiding him accidentally.

"Valka!"

Astrid didn't want to wait for her to turn around, the sudden utterance of her name turning Valka toward them immediately. She literally lit up, like there was nothing she could want to see more than the awkward Hofferson male before her.

"Oh gods she's coming over. I can't do this."

Astrid heard him babble, reaching back for his hand and squeezing it reassuringly.

"You must be Astrid? I recognise your voice."

"That would be me. And this is Hiccup, or Henry as you know him."

Astrid stepped aside, leaving the two to stare at each other. They hungrily absorbed every detail of the others faces - she was definitely not the origin of his freckles, but Hiccup saw himself in her narrow jaw and thin lips, rounded nose and green eyes. She was... remarkably youthful and fresh-faced for a woman in her late thirties, a couple of lines around her huge doe eyes not detracting from the fact she was undeniably beautiful.

"Gods, I can't believe it's you. I'd convinced myself for years you would never... but here you are."

There were tears in the woman's huge green eyes, hands pressing to a slightly trembling lip. Worrying she was going to dissolve into sobs, Hiccup reacted as he would with Astrid. He held out his arms a little awkwardly, and Valka almost leapt into them, clutching with a strength to rival any Hofferson woman.

"Hey, don't cry."

Over her shoulder, Hiccup saw Astrid beaming with her thumb up, having managed to surreptitiously retrieve her drink while the other two had had eyes for only each other in that moment.

"I'm sorry I'm getting in such a state, I'm just so overwhelmed to finally meet you."

Valka pulled away and Hiccup noted in a distant part of his brain that he didn't like that much - she smelled soft and exotic... much like her voice. She wiped at her damp eyes, still staring at him rapturously.

"I'm sure if you want to be completely underwhelmed, Astrid here will happily malign my reputation."

She turned to Astrid, who smiled warmly and openly in response.

"So... are you Henry's girlfriend?"

"No!"

They both denied vehemently, then dissolved into laughter. It wasn't the first time they'd had that question.

"Hiccup's my big brother. Best big brother theres ever been. And even if he weren't, boys aren't my type."

One thing Hiccup had always encouraged - Astrid was never to be embarrassed of her sexuality. Valka didn't so much as blink, taking the information in stride as they finally sat down rather than draw attention from the four other patrons in the room with them.

"I... I brought a picture of your biological father. I wasn't sure if you were interested in that?"

"Heh, we brought pictures too. Well, I did. Hiccup didn't want to."

"I look ridiculous in them! I would like to see that picture though Valka."

Astrid immediately invited herself to look at the picture, both blinking at the picture of a young Valka next to a rather recognisable mountain of a man.

"So it was him. Blimey, you didn't get much from him... I'm guessing the freckles though since Valka here has none."

Valka watched them nervously, obviously unsure about how to ingratiate herself when they had such a solid dynamic.

"When we found out about you, my girlfriend found a picture of you in some old newspaper. There was a picture of you and Stoick, which I'm guessing this is?"

She blinked, then nodded in acceptance.

"Ah, yes. My school sweetheart, as they say. I've not seen him in near twenty years now, but I kept that picture in case you ever wanted to see it."

Hiccup took a pull on his straw, much of his drink beginning to melt already but it wet his dry mouth.

"Thank you, I appreciate that."

"You can keep it if you like."

Hiccup put it in his pocket - if they never saw each other again, he could offer her the notion he kept the photo she held on to for eighteen years just for him.

"Oh! I have pictures, lets annoy Hiccup."

Astrid dropped into her seat, digging through her jackets inside pocket for a handful of pictures. Hiccup buried his face in his hands, groaning.

"This is his first school photo, naturally with gappy teeth. Uh... this is me and him at my fifth birthday, please excuse the hair. That's Hiccup winning his first art contest at ten. Then... this is us and our parents, and that's Hiccup and his therapy dog Toothless last year."

Hiccup noticed the tiny quiver in Astrid's voice at the mention of their parents, but Valka looked to be too distracted by the pictures of a little Hiccup. She looked so utterly taken Hiccup couldn't even find the energy for righteous indignation any more.

"Those are copies by the way, you're welcome to keep them."

Valka hovered over the picture of them with their parents, clearly seeing Hiccup did bear a passing resemblance to their dad.

"When did they tell you?"

Hiccup and Astrid shared a look, pain still lancing through him as he remembered.

"They didn't. I found out about six months before I turned eighteen... they had been dead for another six months before that."

Valka gasped, suddenly horrorstruck.

"My gods, I'm so sorry."

"Why? It's not your fault. Me and Astrid have each other... we muddle along. I'm not really looking for a new parent but... I'd like to have you in my life all the same. If that's alright with you, of course."

Any silence or answer was interrupted by Astrid's phone going off, her excusing herself for a second as she mouthed "its Heather" to Hiccup. Valka continued to look at him like she may never get another chance, like she couldn't quite believe he was real.

"Hey, can I borrow you a sec? Won't be a minute Valka."

Astrid gave him no chance to argue, hauling him to his foot and metal, taking him a few steps away.

"I won't go if you need me here, but Heather is kinda hoping you don't because she is having a study crisis with her Technology project."

"Oh. How will you get there?"

"Train station is five minutes walk."

Hiccup frowned - he was a little overprotective, he absolutely knew that.

"Ok, but let me know when you get on the train, then get to Heather's? I know you're a grown up, but I just don't wany any extra worries today."

"Of course. Thanks Hiccup, you're the best."

Astrid threw her arms around him and squeezed, kissed his cheek and dashed back to their table for her drink.

"Lovely to meet you Valka, but must dash. Girlfriend trouble. Keep those. Bye!"

The whirlwind that was Astrid vanished off, leaving a somewhat thick silence between Hiccup and Valka.

"Would you like to leave and ensure she's alright."

"No, not at all. I'm a little overprotective, I know, but I've been her legal guardian since our parents died and we had to fight to be left to that. Passing tests and meeting attendance records, never late for the doctors or missing school. My life revolved around Astrid's every need to satisfy social services, I'm still coming down off that."

"Good gods, you're only a boy. And you lost them too."

"Yep. And I suffer PTSD, and I had to go through surgery and physio because I was injured in the crash that they died in. I think if I didn't have Astrid to take care of, I wouldn't have had any reason to get better."

Hiccup didn't know where the verbal onslaught came from, but luckily Valka didn't seem too shaken. Perhaps she was just good at hiding her feelings? Though, she had cried at seeing Hiccup.

"Wow. You really are quite something Henry. Or do you actually prefer Hiccup?"

"If you're more comfortable with Henry, call me Henry. Everyone else calls me Hiccup... do you wanna get out of here? I'm feeling kinda closed in."

"Me too. I've lived much of the last two decades in essentially open fields and animal reserves. Plus the odd prison cell."

"What?"

She laughed, a proper belly laugh as she held her side and let out mirthful sounds. Her eyes crinkled and her mouth curved, something about it making Hiccup feel inexplicably happy.

"Oh, nothing major. Just getting arrested for fighting for endangered animals. And perhaps a few fights with hunters."

"Don't hunters carry guns?"

"Yes, but that never stopped me."

They stepped out into the street again, and once Hiccup checked his parking sticker was fine they walked down the street in a somewhat companiable silence. Valka seemed to know her way around, elaborating when Hiccup asked.

"My father was in the air force, we moved around when I was a girl. I've always loved Dragon Square. I've always loved dragons really."

"Me too."

Valka lit up again, beaming and he found it infectious, smiling in return.

"There's a field just a half mile that way, if you can walk that far."

"What do you mean?"

"I notice you're limping. It's fine, I just don't want you in pain Hic- Hen- Hiccup."

She bounced back and forth, settling on Hiccup.

"Well... I would be alright but if we go back for my car, I won't have to worry about if I can't get back to it after?"

Valka nodded, turning with him toward the car park. Hiccup only realised how tight a space they were in when she was trying to fold her miles-long legs into the front seat gracefully.

"Push it back, its fine. Astrid won't mind."

"Are you sure?"

"Hel, she'll probably keep it that way and stretch out. Go ahead."

Hiccup hoped she didn't ask why he limped, and thankfully she didn't as he started the engine, following directions from her for a few minutes before they reached the field.

"No parking between... oh, I'm good for a few hours. Cool. Lets go."

Valka visibly flourished out in the open, taking off her light brown coat to reveal a yellow cloth top and brown and white skirt. It was a little... eccentric, but absolutely suited her. Hiccup sort of decided he probably inherited her build, as they were both rather slender.

"So... wanna tell me more about the times you got arrested?"

There went the belly laugh again, setting off a bubble of warmth in Hiccup's chest as he watched Valka pick a spot and drop herself into the grass, not giving him the usual exasperated look when he took longer to navigate down without a proper ankle joint.

He noticed quite quickly that now they were just chatting away about anything and everything, HIccup didn't feel nervous any more. It was a welcome change - Valka clearly managed to shelve her nerves that day already. He resolved to try and copy that, wanting to make the most of this one meeting at the very least, to try and know her as much as possible.

-HTTYD-

Slightly unhappy with the end lines but I'm falling asleep on my phone so take it and like it!

Valcup FTW!