Snap.
A twig cracked in the forest, making Snotlout jump. He was nibbling on a haddock since he hadn't eaten breakfast nor a suitable lunch. By now, he was getting sick of fish, but it was the sort of thing a Viking had to get used to.
Toothless was on high alert, his nerves frayed. He growled at any little sound that didn't make its presence known and even snapped at Snotlout a couple of times. Well, that wasn't exactly a new thing—but the dragon did it more than usual.
Snap.
There was that sound again. What was it? Maybe just Snotlout's imagination? His nerves somehow playing tricks on him? But, no, Toothless heard it, too. And when it happened a third time, the Night Fury and the boy nodded at each other in unanimous decision: they'd check it out.
Slowly, Snotlout stood from the ground. Toothless followed suit, snarling, and his pupils shrunk to slits.
The brush rustled again. Snotlout's eyes narrowed, and he cracked his knuckles. He was ready for a battle.
And then, with a final twitch, something jumped out.
Snotlout screamed, Toothless shot a plasma blast, and Hiccup stirred in surprise.
After a panicked minute, they checked to see what it was.
It was...
...a bunny.
Snotlout managed to calm himself down. He even put his hands on his hips and raised his eyebrows at Toothless. "S-see?" he panted. "Nothin'... nothing to worry about. You're getting too worked up, T. Go back and stare at Hiccup or something."
Still, Toothless didn't relax.
The bushes quivered a moment later, and Snotlout froze.
"I thought the bunny was gone...," he said, turning back to the sound. Toothless opened his mouth, a plasma blast burning blue in his throat.
Suddenly, a giant beast emerged, this one much larger than a mere rabbit. It was a wild Deadly Nadder—and to make matters worse, it had scars all over it. Snotlout was reminded of the time when Fishlegs had been kidnapped by a flock of wild dragons that had the same kind of scars on them like this one. And they had been hard to gain trust from. Snotlout prayed to the gods that this Nadder wasn't a Dragon Hunter victim, but from the way it was looking at them, it probably was. Of course, it was. They had to stop on an island like this.
The Nadder screeched and shifted on its feet, its eyes beady in preparation for an attack.
Snotlout and Toothless gave each other a brief look, in silent agreement to scare this guy off.
"Hey!" Snotlout shouted, standing in front of the Nadder and waving his arms. Toothless sneaked around behind him while the Rider distracted the other dragon. "What are you doing out here? This is our spot! Not yours!"
Now, even Snotlout knew provoking an abused dragon was risky, but he had to get its attention solely on him. And it was working. Toothless went unnoticed as he darted around the pair and readied a warning plasma blast.
But the plan was working a little too well. The Nadder was now enraged and jumped forward, Snotlout barely avoiding being sliced to pieces.
"Woah, woah, woah!" cried Snotlout. "That was way too clo—"
He didn't have time to finish, for the Nadder was chasing him around his camp. A sense of deja vu washed over him, and he remembered the time in Dragon Training when he was trying to escape a Nadder. He had got blasted out and lost. Not a huge deal... however, this time it was either you won or you died. As the Berkians said, "Death or Glory!" He couldn't lose this time.
Snotlout eventually had to run by Hiccup to escape the Nadder's wrath. As the dragon also passed by, it skidded to stop, sniffing the air. It seemed to be interested in something... or rather, someone...
He realized it all too late.
The Nadder smelled weakness. Disease. An easy kill.
Hiccup.
The Nadder let out an interested squawk and looked down. It seemed pleased to see a human on the ground, defenseless and just waiting to die. Its tail swiped the air and it leaned down to tear Hiccup apart.
"NOOOOOOO!"
What was that sound? With a start, he realized it was him. Snotlout Jorgenson. His cry felt like it was being ripped from his chest, it was so loud. So full of anger and condemnation.
Hiccup couldn't die.
He was his cousin. And no matter what, family looked out for each other. So that's what he'd do.
Snotlout rushed forward and rammed into the Nadder right before it attacked. It shrieked and fell over. Snotlout was sprawled out on top of it. Disoriented from the impact, he wasn't able to get off of the dragon in time...
A moment later, it slashed its spiky tail across Snotlout's right leg, and he screamed at the pain. Hiccup awoke a little at the sound of agony, and Snotlout heard him moan, "No... Sno...out... do..n.. hur... him..."
Snotlout fell off the Nadder in his discomfort, and the dragon immediately climbed to its feet. Now, it was furious with him. Snotlout knew the inexorable truth: he was a goner.
A million thoughts raced through his head. Thoughts of his family, friends, the Riders... even Hiccup. Would Hiccup ever know that Snotlout didn't hate him as much as he let on? Probably not. Because he'd never tell anyone that. He might die in the end—but his pride woils live on.
But before the Nadder could do any more damage, Snotlout heard a roar. He recognized it as Toothless's plasma blast.
Frightened, the Nadder recoiled back. It wasn't a stupid thing to do. Night Furies were very dangerous; you didn't want to trifle with one.
It looked back down at Snotlout's prostrate figure, screeched, then flew away into the night. Snotlout let out a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding. Toothless stared down at him, then rumbled in question. He knew Snotlout was hurt, and to the boy's surprise, was concerned.
"I'm..." He winced, trying to get up, and somehow managed to. "I'm okay... it's not deep, just a scratch..." Normally, if he'd been hurt, he'd've been whining about it, wanting sympathy. But he couldn't afford to be weak now. His cousin needed him. Even a fool could tell who was in the worse state.
He crawled over to Hiccup and checked his forehead. Snotlout grimaced. He was a little warmer than before.
The facts were all there, leading up to one final conclusion...
The Dragon Conqueror was getting worse.
Toothless sat down by his rider's side. He yearned to help but didn't know how.
Meanwhile, Snotlout dressed his wound, groaning each time he touched the injury. He was right, though; the Nadder's last mark was shallow, and it wouldn't scar. Still, he had to put minimal weight on his right foot.
"Hey, Toothless," said Snotlout, scooting up to the Night Fury. "How is he?"
Toothless whimpered, then licked Hiccup's limp arm.
Snotlout sighed. "Not good, huh?" He glanced at Hiccup. "Cuz, you've gotta wake up. Look... Even though we'll always despise each other... we'll always be cousins, too. And family doesn't leave one another. Not until... until it's time. And, dragon boy, your time hasn't come yet. Plus, Astrid would cut me up with her axe if I let you die. The chief would, too—even though he doesn't always say it, everyone knows he cares a lot for you. Berk will have lost its greatest dragon rider if you let some petty little sickness kill you. See? All of those reasons. You have to live, Hiccup. Everyone is depending on you... including... including me."
His speech was done. Toothless had been listening with pricked-up ears the entire time. Snotlout tried to avoid the dragon's gaze. Because underneath his mask of pride and suave, Snotlout actually cared for his cousin.
And no one could know that. Ever. He shuddered to think about if anyone found out about his true thoughts and feelings... that Snotlout could be pretty soft.
Snotlout's leg was hurting, and his eyes were drooping. It was time to get some rest, he knew. So he pulled up his single blanket and rolled over to his back. Exhausted, he fell asleep watching the night stars rotate above.
Snotlout woke up about an hour after the sun had risen. He cursed himself for not checking on Hiccup during the night and turned to glance at his cousin.
He gasped.
Hiccup was no longer shivering, and his lips were parted in a silent breath. Though he was very pale, he looked almost peaceful. Snotlout gaped, trying to erase the sickening jolt of horror than ran through him.
Was Hiccup...
Hiccup… he...
He dragged himself over, making Toothless stir. No, no, no, it couldn't be... Hiccup just couldn't...
Snotlout hurriedly checked Hiccup's neck for a pulse.
And then he found one, strong and stubborn. He could hardly believe it, his mind tight with the confusion at the sudden turn of events. Hiccup was alive!
He then moved his hand to the Rider's forehead. A smile choked him. The fever had broke! Hiccup's sickness had passed!
Toothless whined, curious at why Snotlout was acting so... odd.
Snotlout grinned at the Night Fury. "Hiccup! His fever's gone, and he's not shaking anymore. He's going to be alright..."
Toothless's tail thumped and he clambered to his feet, dancing around. Snotlout couldn't help but laugh. He was just so relieved. Hiccup was alive!
A few minutes later, Hiccup grunted. His eyelashes fluttered, then opened. They didn't close again. Snotlout had been sitting by him, waiting for the boy to wake.
"Oh, you're up," said Snotlout casually, like he didn't care that Hiccup was awake at last. "I was beginning to think you'd sleep forever.
Hiccup looked confused and squinted around. "Snotlout…? I... I feel sort of weird… like I've had a really long dream…" His eyes widened. "Where's Toothless?"
He was responded by his Night Fury bounding up and licking him all over his face. Hiccup groaned and laughed, trying to push the dragon away. Snotlout watched them in a quiet envy. Their bond came so easily, unlike his and Hookfang's.
"What…," Hiccup grunted, trying to sit up. He succeeded and laid his back against a rock. "What happened?"
Snotlout filled him in on the past few days' events, how Hiccup had pretty much fainted, the island, Snotlout sending Hookfang for help, and the Nadder attack. Hiccup was most surprised at the fact that Snotlout had injured himself in order to save Hiccup.
"How's your leg?" he croaked.
Snotlout shrugged. In the euphoria of Hiccup not being dead, he had kind of forgotten about it. But the pain was coming back. "Not too bad. Now, want to head down to the shore? Toothless and Hookfang found a spring around that area. We can get some water and wash up there."
Hiccup nodded, and Snotlout helped him to his feet. Hiccup was considerably lighter than the first time Snotlout had carried him and still weak. Snotlout tried to balance him, and Hiccup helped Snotlout walk without hurting his maimed foot further. He had had a lot of practice, after all.
Snotlout and Hiccup supported each other as they walked to the beach, Hiccup trying not to wince at every move. Toothless trotted beside him. Truth be told, Hiccup was half-expecting Snotlout to just let him go, but, no, his cousin held strong to him.
"Alright, cuz, we're here," said Snotlout, looking around. "Let's sit down while we… wait, what's that?"
The boy held up a finger and pointed to the horizon, where indistinct black smudges were coming over. Hiccup squinted, trying to make them out.
"It almost looks like…," he began. "No… it couldn't be…"
"Wait?" Snotlout demanded.
Hiccup cocked his head, unsure of whether his eyes were playing tricks on him.
"It almost looks like… like my father's ships."
Hiccup had spent years watching as distant boats disappeared to find the Dragon Nest. He had grown used to the Hooligan sails and the way their ships were built. These vessels… they matched his memory perfectly.
"Stoick?" cried Snotlout. "But I thought… Hookfang, you were supposed to go back to the Edge! Not get Berk's entire armada."
Hiccup grinned as the Nightmare's crimson figure came into view. He was leading the ships to them. They'd soon be helped…
"Snotlout?" said Hiccup, glancing at him.
The Rider looked back. "What?"
Hiccup sighed. "Thank you. For taking care of me when I was ill… for protecting me from that dragon. I'd be dead if it weren't for you."
Snotlout was stunned. The great and almighty Dragon Conqueror was thanking him? Hiccup was thanking him? He tried to regain his composure.
"Eh," he grunted, shrugging. "Cousin to cousin, the chief would've killed me if I let you die. So, I didn't really have a choice."
Hiccup smirked. "I think you did."
"Did not."
"Did too."
"Did not!"
Hiccup let out a weak laugh, surprising Snotlout further. "Alright, alright, you didn't have a choice." His voice grew serious. "But, Snotlout, I'm not teasing you. I truly am thankful."
Snotlout's tight expression loosened. "I… well, you always need saving, dragon boy. I was just unlucky enough to be the one to take care of you. By the way, when you get back to normal, you owe me. Big time."
Hiccup, amused, smiled. "Sure."
And then they faced the horizon and waited, cousin leaning against cousin.
And that's a wrap on 'Cousin to Cousin'. Thank you SO MUCH for reading, reviewing, faving, or following! Your feedback means the world to me.
I think I might put up a poll for what you guys want the next one-shot to be. Like, a father/son one, Hicctooth, Hiccstrid, etc... so, yeah. Let me know!
See ya!