Heeeyyyoohhh!
It's me.
No I'm not gone for good, nope. You won't get rid of me that easily.
I got sick and still am a bit but finally the chapter is ready. IT'S THE LAST ONE THO!
I know this one took me 3 weeks (I capitalized the number 3 just so that you know), but with the cold I got and the busy normal days…. Welllll, not even Superman could've done it faster so PLASE HOLD YOUR AXES DOWN LET'S NT KILL THE AUTHOR HERE!
Anyway, I have to thank you guys for the reviews. The last ones were not…. Very good but still it IS important so that I can improve my writing and understand what you guys like the most (somethings I won't change tho).
This story got a bit unrealistic? Yepii, for the…ANGST XD
Also I sometimes might write…. Sarcastically or…. Play with words or even insert some jokes. That's something I won't change… I just can't. I write how I speak and this is how I speak. I have a sarcasm problem everyone points out and I often joke about random stuff. That's how I am.
I'm sorry if there are mistakes as usual but my English is not always the best hehe.
- PLEASE READ THE FINAL NOTHES AT LEAST THE IMPOSTANT PART IT REALLY IS IMPORTANT! -
Enjoy your reading! XD
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Toothless stared at his human, worriedly.
Why was he doing all of that to himself?
He too was shocked with everything they went through on the Dragon Hunters' secret outpost but Hiccup? He had motives, yet Toothless' worry level had increased even more after he snapped at Astrid. He liked her so much after all. And that was destroying him even more inside. Keeping IT all inside was just... something to put an end to.
Worse than the image of... no. Worse than that was seeing his rider like this, wounded not only physically but psychologically.
He watched Hiccup mumble in his sleep, incoherent words leaving his mouth. Incoherent words the Night Fury understood very well.
"Ahh!" The 18-year-old screamed, waking up with a start.
They had moved downstairs about a day and a half ago. His human kept shivering and not even Toothless' shielding wings were enough to warm the boy up. The black dragon didn't understand though, since his buddy's skin was burning hot.
Well, humans were different from dragons. Toothless' kind was stronger and Hiccup's more fragile. He didn't really understand anything about how to make them feel better and healed.
Hiccup's shaking breathing made the dragon approach his best friend who had very slowly passed from a lying to a sitting position. He bumped his head against Hiccup's; one of the auburn boy's hands clutching his wound, the other rubbing his face.
"Tooth- Toothless?" He asked with bloodshot eyes. "It-it's okay buddy. It won't happen again. I promise." He declared, caressing the dragon's head and resting his own against it.
But Toothless had had enough of it. If Hiccup wasn't making the first move, then it was up to him.
In a sudden movement, the black dragon turned around and bolted towards the door of the hut, opened it with a hustle and disappeared outside. He had ONE objective. ONE.
"NO Toothless wait! Ple-please..." Hiccup said, shivering thanks to the cool air threatening to extinguish the fire keeping him from freezing.
Toothless didn't listen to him.
Xxxxxxxx
The gang all stood in the Clubhouse. Doing what? Nothing exactly… They just wanted to be... together.
Fishlegs sat with the Book of Dragons on his hands although he wasn't really paying attention to it.
Snotlout rested on Hookfang's neck, enjoying the dragon's warmth and looking sadly bored.
The twins too, didn't have much to do, and if they did then they didn't feel like it.
Astrid stared at the blade of her axe for eternities. She just couldn't stop thinking about the last crazy months and more specifically what they'd brought them... more like, TAKEN from them.
"That's it!" Snotlout exploded, getting up and earning everyone's glare. "Are we seriously going to sit here, doing nothing while he's there, Thor knows how!?"
"What exactly do you want us to do Snotlout?" Fishlegs asked dryly.
"Yeah, H has made it pretty clear. We screwed up!" Ruffnut added.
"Ohh and we screwed it REALLY, pretty badly-bad." Tuffnut commented.
"Yeah, well, and what are we doing now? Waiting for the happy ending? Hiccup's as stubborn as... I don't even know. We all know he won't make the move. Astrid, back me up on this!"
"We can't force Hi- him to forgive us Snotlout." Astrid said remorsefully. She had been the one misunderstanding it all after all. Something she regretted a billion times.
"I- ah. Are you kidding me?! You too? Are you gonna tell me you're not worried about him? You of all people?! We don't even know how he's doing! -Not... that I'm actually worried about him... it's just we're cousins and-"
"We know that already!" Fishlegs interrupted.
"We are all worried okay, Snotlout?! Remember what happened?!" Astrid replied, trying NOT to remember.
"Then act like it! Come on, let's do something. This here is just boring and useless!"
"Don-" Astrid started only to stop when footsteps were heard outside. The whole gang stared at the door and was surprised to see Toothless breaking in, running behind Astrid and pushing her towards the door.
"What? Toothless!" She exclaimed surprised. "What are you- Is it Hiccup?!"
Toothless rolled his eyes. Why couldn't things just be quick, easy and simple? Was that asking too much?
"Grrooww" He growled, trying to confirm her assumption.
It worked.
They all exchanged worried glares and started running at the same time, out of the Clubhouse and straight to the Haddock hut.
The gang turned and stopped at the open entrance, noticing Hiccup on the floor near the hearth. Astrid ran inside without a second though, kneeled near him and... Oh he was just sleeping.
"A-Astrid?" Fishlegs asked from the door.
"He-he's just sleeping" She answered, releasing all the air in her lungs in relief. But why was he sleeping downstairs on the ground?
She hugged him close just to hear his breathing, just to make sure. "Yeah... just sleeping... and burning WITH FEVER!"
"I'll get some water!" The others said in perfect sync. The awkwardness that followed next would've been hilarious. Fishlegs, Snotlout, Ruffnut and Tuffnut stared at each other for a silent moment before starting to run for the water. As if it was needed four Dragon Riders to go fill a bucket with cool water?
Astrid arched an eyebrow at her friends' behavior and turned to Hiccup again. Well, they were a weird group that was for sure. Their personalities always had been... peculiar. And it wasn't now that they would stop being that way. Although deep down she knew that they just didn't want to face the angry Hiccup, in case he woke up.
Speaking of whom...
Shivers travelled up and down her spine when the boy suddenly screamed and jumped in her arms. She turned to him only to see him gasping for air, mumbling something under his breath.
"Just a nightmare, just a nightmare…." He mumbled before realizing who he was holding on to. Astrid.
The tension in the air grew and Astrid started feeling uncomfortable under those two emerald, green orbs studying her. What was he thinking about?
She glanced at the door that lead outside but Toothless blocked the view wearing an angry, tired expression. Almost as if saying "great, you're here. Now do something about it."
Ohhhhh…. You smart, sly dragon, she thought.
The Night Fury's toxic green eyes, that reminded her so much of his rider's ones, narrowed and the dragon knocked his tail fin on the ground impatiently.
"Humm... Toothle-" She tried, but the dragon only motioned for his rider. Again.
You really don't lack stubborness, reminds me of someone, she mentally cursed. That was a cold move of yours.
Wait! Cold! Of course! That's why he came downstairs. He's shivering because of the fever!
Astrid turned again to Hiccup, his confused /mad /nostalgic expression being the first thing she noticed. Then she mentally slapped herself.
She didn't care if he was mad at her and the others, they were friends, at last she though they still were and until he had recovered from... everything, she was going to be there. He was going to have to put up with her. Snotlout was... righaah... Snotlout was ri- right when he said that they should do something.
Passing one arm under his knees and another around his shoulders, Astrid picked him up, bringing the blanket covering the boy with her.. Hiccup hissed in pain and the blonde tried to be as careful as possible.
Step by step they were upstairs. Astrid laid the boy on his bed and covered him with some more blankets. Knowing it still wasn't enough the blonde turned to the stairs in order to go pick up some wood and somehow make a fireplace in his room. She turned, but never left for a voice called her.
"Wait..." Hiccup said. Astrid froze and slowly turned around to find him looking ashamed. Okay, she was officially understanding nothing...
He looked at everything but her until, eventually, there was nothing else to look at. "I... no."
Taking a deep breath and putting their latest conversation behind her back, Astrid walked to his side, sitting quietly on the edge of the bed and staring at the wall she knew by heart by now. The wall she spent so much time looking during the days he'd been asleep.
An awkward, uncomfortable silence followed next. No eye contact. No nothing.
It was Hiccup who broke the silence. "I'm still ma-mad you know?" He mumbled. The Hofferson turned to face him, his facial features converging to a depressed look. His gaze landed on the window, and it was obvious he was trying not to cry in front of her. "I have that right, too."
" You do; every single right." Was all she could reply.
"I never look mad… but, it's hard to fake it…" He mumbled. There was a long pause. "… I couldn't stop thinking though, that I might've... overreacted."
She started finding it all really weird. The day before he snapped at her, saying he didn't need her and now... this?
"No Hiccup. We're the ones who did. I-I should've trusted you like you would do if it was me." She stopped to study him. "It's just that... we're a team. When one falls... the others don't know what to do. Especially if the one falling is our leader and... the way you were..."
"I know."
"No you don't. The way you were. That's the worst thing that could've happened to me."
He stared at her, an embarrassed look on his face.
"You don't have to forgive anyone, you don't have to tell us what happened... there. But let us help you; make up for not believing you." Astrid said, placing her hand on top of his. Instantly he pulled his hand from under hers.
"But that's just that. I- I can't tell you although it's tearing me up inside, stopping me from sleeping restfully."
"Why not?"
"Because... what if it happens the same to you guys?" He said, devastated.
"Just because you tell us?"
"NO! I mean..." He restrained a sob. "I don't want you to live with what I'm living with. I don't want you guys to tremble before the Hunters, before Ryker, before Viggo. I don't want you guys to become weak like I did. To think of the what if's and... That is the worst that can happen to me."
"But the thing is, we're your friends. We're here to help you, like you always are for us. I don't care about what you were forced to do, how bad it is, I want to know it if that makes YOU better. We all do." She finished. "So?"
Hiccup still looked unsettled. He couldn't stop thinking weather talking to Astrid had been a good choice or not, how about sharing the reason of all… THAT?!
After silent minutes, he finally broke, not capable of holding it all inside another second. "Toothless and I had gone on a morning flight as usual" He started.
Hearing his name, the Night Fury got up from where he was lying next to his rider's bed and laid his head on Hiccup's lap, giving Astrid a You're-doing-good-thank-you look. They both started petting the dragon's head, something that made it easier for Hiccup to continue.
"I- I don't... It was going great actually, but ... I don't know how… next thing I knew we both were... caged in a wooden place. Probably a boat, I- they make sure I wasn't awake time enough to even realize where we were, how about plot an escape." He said, starting to pet his dragon faster to hide the nerves. "Well, they took us to a new, secret island far away from here."
New, and perfect to destroy…, The Hofferson girl though, rage starting to fill her inside just by hearing the first part of the story.
"Let me guess, they wanted information but you refused to." Astrid joined in, guessing that it'd be easier for him if she participated in the conversation.
"Yeah... exactly. First, they tried Viggo's way. They wou-wouldn't let me sleep, it was interrogation day and night. Then, it was Ryker's fun time..."
He stopped suddenly, his eyes starting to become watery. Astrid placed a hand on his shoulder and pushed him to a gentle hug, being careful with his wound.
"He tried to get information by his own hands... literally. Still, all he could get was angry at me" Astrid smiled slightly at that specific part knowing very well the why. However, her smile soon faded when Hiccup finally broke. His hands started shaking against her back. "He tri-tried something... el-else though. He ki-killed a... I-I provoked him way too much an-and I didn't believe him bu-but he actually did. Astrid... I made that poor Gronckle d-d-die."
Astrid's eyes widened. That was a low blow, even for the Dragon Hunters. She knew how much Hiccup liked dragons, they all did but Hiccup... he just had that connection with them. "It's not your fault Hiccup."
"But that's not the only one. He ma-made me... do it. First a Nadd-d-Nadder. With my very own han-hands-"
"I- " She honestly didn't know what to say to that. It explained the problem he'd been having with his own hands but… it was a low LOW blow. Her own eyes started to get watery.
"He'd found my weak point. After it, followed a Nightmare, and a Zipple-Zippleback. We got out in time... Toothless was next. He kept threatening my Too-Toothless."
And that explained why he had refused to fly on Stormfly, a Nadder, Meatlug, a Gronckle, Hookfang, a Monstrous Nightmare, and Barf and Belch, a Zippleback.
BASTARDS! THOSE ARE OUR DRAGONS' SPECIES!, she realised. They planned on tearing us apart from the beginning!
Hiccup was now sobbing uncontrollably and Toothless pressed himself against the two, so that he could be even more close to his buddy.
She heard footsteps and looked towards the stairs, finding the others standing there with heartbroken expressions.
Toothless cooed curiously at them, Hiccup raised his head and stared confusedly at his friends.
The twins were the first to unfreeze and in big steps threw themselves at Hiccup (Astrid and Toothless too consequently). "Thorston SANDWICH!"
Fishlegs dropped the bucket with water he was holding and rushed to do the same.
Snotlout walked towards the rest of the gang and stopped right in front of his still-sobbing cousin. The Jorgenson rose his index finger "This does not mean-"
"We know that already Snotlout!" Astrid interrupted. Snotlout closed his mouth and joined in the group hug. Toothless covered them with his black wings, satisfied.
It had gone way much better that he thought it would.
Hiccup looked at all of them, his sobs decreasing. The fact was that he was no longer cold. He looked at the whole group and stopped at Astrid, slowly and still a little insecurely grabbed her hand. The blonde held his hand back and sueezed it reassurely, giving him a sweet, supportive smile at the same time.
The fear was still there. The pain was still there. The guilt and shame were there too. But now, now they weren't alone. The burden of caring those secrets was still there. But it wasn't as heavy as it was before.
Although he didn't want his friends to live with a part of it, the truth was, the weight was now easier to carry, supported by those who cared about him.
It'd been a lot of things together that took her best friend away from her, not just the Hunter's part; Astrid deep down acknowledged. It would take a lot of time, she knew it, he could also never be the same again, she was aware of that, but she also knew that it would get better and if they stood together as a team, as friends, as family, the path Hiccup had to go through would be warmer and the following dark times would have beautiful days. No Dragon Hunters could destroy that. And if they wanted to...
Let them try, she though.
"We should really have more Thorston-Haddock-Hofferson-Ingerman-Night Fury-Jorgenson sandwiches like this" Tuffnut commented.
"Hey! Why do I come in last?!"
"Because you're Snotlout!"
"Wise words dead sister..."
"Grrooww"
"You too T. You too."
"Okay that's it. I'm out of this hug!" Snotlout complained.
And after so much time… Hiccup smiled.
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It's doneeee. I CAN'T BELIEVE IT IS ACTUALLY OVER!
It took so long, unfortunately, and became harder to update after summer but this fanfic is complete yay!
I seriously hope you guys enjoyed it as much as I did XD, it was, as always a pleasure to write for you!
NOW THE IMPORTANT WARNING! READ BELOW!
So, I'm still new in this fanfiction business and I'm trying out different types of fanfiction: Fluff, Comedy, and now angst….. A LOT OF ANGST NOW THAT I THINK ABOUT IT.
I'll eventually try Romance and that kind of stuff but always with adventure and action of course, otherwise it gets a bit boring in my opinion (at least for long fics).
With this said, I must tell you that this mess of brain of mine just had ANOTHER idea, and t doesn't revolve around new types of stories. More like…. A SEQUEL FOR FLYING TO NEVER STAND STILL!
I still don't know its name, but it's official and it'll be my next story so I'll put a warning on said fanfiction's page.
Well, as always it might take one or two weeks but I'm positive that these two next weeks will be less busy and I'll work faster and with more time (remember, I'm positive= I think).
Okay, so that's it.
This was the last chapter of The Depths of Mind XD ~~~WhenToothlessWrites
