A/N: Gah! Okay, before I begin let me just say THANK YOUUUUU! You guys are so amazing, your reviews have made me smile so much! Y'all are just super awesome, I can't believe how nice you are! :) Now, on to the story!
For the sake of the story, I'm going to call the older Hiccup and Astrid oHiccup and oAstrid (there's only one Toothless, so he doesn't need the o). Easiest thing to do, sorry...Depending on how this works I might delay watching the movie until the waaaay end of the chapter (or even until the next update).
Also sorry this took so long, I kind of dug myself into a hole I wasn't prepared to get out of. This should be okayish, I hope.
Oh and I should be watching Rise of the Guardians soon, so PREPARE FOR THE BIG FOUR MUAHAHAHA (and possibly the super six, thought not seven as I haven't seen BH6 :()
"Hiccup stop tapping your feet...I know you're excited about your mom but the sound is driving me crazy!" Astrid whispered from beside her boyfriend. Turning her head to glare as the click-thunk sound continued, she was surprised to see that his legs (er, leg) were being completely still. He shrugged, as confused as she was. Suddenly they heard a playful conversation from the back of the room.
"-and then when I tried it, I swear I was eating a rock!" That sounded familiar...none of the teens could place the obviously-female voice emanating from the shadows of the theater. However, Deiya instantly perked up, whispering something about "ohteepees" or something.
"No offense, but you aren't much better...that Yaknog stuff? Can't say it agreed with me; and I've eaten regurgitated fish before!" A nasally voice countered, and suddenly the group all faced the same revelation, even some of the dimmer members of the gang. But how was this possible?!
"How is that not offensive?! And why am I just now hearing about this? I've been making that drink for, like, five years now!" As the woman laughed despite herself, the pair walked into the dim light. Instantly their banter ceased as they looked at their younger selves. Ruffnut snapped out of her silence first.
"Okay so nobody freak out but I'm pretty sure that we know those two..."
"That's Hiccup, idiot! And my real princess, Astrid..." Five pairs of upset glares, from the couples and Deiya, plus an extra punch in the arm from the younger Astrid was enough to shut him up.
"Care to explain...?" OHiccup asked Deiya, who was smiling like an idiot at her newest guests. Hiccup picked up on the goo-goo eyes and questioned her.
"What, we weren't good enough for you?" He asked jokingly, waving to Astrid, to dissipate the tension a bit.
"Meh, you two don't do as much." She teased, then remembered the inquiry. "Oh right! Uh, I figured having you here would help him a bit or whatever; they're watching their future, your past and stuff. Toothless might have to leave during, erm, specific moments when you know-" the three who were in on the secret looked at the ground sadly. Even the awkward and somewhat silly way the Elitist phrased things couldn't make the tragedy any less difficult to remember.
"Does he know about the whole-" oAstrid forced a cough to cover up gesturing at her boyfriend's forehead. It didn't go unnoticed.
"Does he know that he has a forehead? I'm pretty sure. Man, I wish I had one, that'd be so cool!" Tuffnut's rambling was met with groaning from the others. After rolling her eyes at the male twin Deiya responded.
"No, and I wasn't sure whether to tell him or not." She then turned to speak directly to oHiccup. "Figuring you know yourself best, you can make the call." She pat him on the back and sat down, laughing at his terrified look. "Oh come on, it's not like you don't make hard choices on a day-to-day basis."
OHiccup sat down with oAstrid, in silence as he weighed out whether or not to tell his younger self what would happen. Snotlout, who had been generally uninterested in the conversation looked up with annoyance.
"What's up with you? You look like someone died." Snot was met with silence and a weird choked sound coming from Deiya. The girl regained her composure before continuing on.
"Let's just continue the movie, shall we? Unless you have any questio-" she sighed as Fishlegs timidly raised his hand. "Okay, but then you all really need to continue..."
"Does your dad ever convince you to be chief...?" He averted his eyes from the man, as if he felt he had insulted him, and waited for a reply. OHiccup was about to provide the poor Viking relief when Deiya cut him off.
"Shh! No! Spoilers! They'll just have to wait and see what happens...now let's get busy!" The Elitist had a spark of insanity in her eyes, and the colored front of her hair flailed wildly, resulting in a blurry blue frenzy. She clapped at the movie to resume.
[The Teens are on a small land of ice]
Astrid: I don't like it. They should've been back with Hiccup by now.
Ruffnut: I don't like it either. Eret, Son of Eret was the man of my dreams. My everything!
Ruff whimpered, the the collective eye-rolling of the others.
Snotlout: But, baby, I grew facial hair for you.
Fishlegs: Me, too.
Ruffnut's disgust was instantly replaced with disgust. OAstrid turned to her, offering a pitiful look.
"I know your pain...you kind of get used to it, though..."
"Hey! Don't even try to deny that you find this irresistible!" Snotlout snorted, posing to the two Astrids; both girls instinctively grimaced, the only thing keeping them from pouncing being the knowledge that it was just a last feeble attempt at their heart.
Astrid: What if Drago shot them down? What if they need our help? We have to find them.
OHiccup scoffed, and Hiccup snickered. "Now it just sounds like you're trying to make up excuses..."
"You don't say?" OAstrid's playful remark shocked the teen for a moment, seeing as he wasn't quite used to anyone responding to his witty comments yet. To the side, the other teens seemed just as impressed, especially the woman's younger self. She couldn't wait for the day she would be able to one-up Hiccup's snarky little remarks.
Fishlegs: Wait, wait. What? But Stoick said...
Astrid: It doesn't matter what he said, if they've all been captured. Come on!
Tuffnut and his sister were lost completely.
"I thought Hiccup was with his mom?" Snotlout smacked him on the back of the head before grumbling at the confused yelps he received.
"We don't know that yet, muttonhead! Now pay attention!"
[Eret's ship are seen on ice floes]
No-Name: Do we go back?
"Uh, yeah that'd be great thanks..." Snotlout whispered before quickly glancing towards Ruffnut. This went unnoticed by all except Hiccup, who sent his cousin and incredulous look before mouthing "no way...!". The teen tries to hide a laugh as the boy simply flaps his mouth like a fish trying to come up with an excuse. This just got a bit more interesting!
Eret: We've nowhere to go! Nothing to sell! And no heads to call our own, if we don't turn up with dragons and fast-
[Stormfly snatches him up]
Astrid: Careful what you wish for!
Ug: Eret, Son of Eret!
Eret: What is this?!
Astrid: A kidnapping.
"Ooh, hey, I wonder where you got this idea from...?" OHiccup teased, placing his arm around his girlfriend. She laughed, rolling her eyes playfully. Astrid seemed amused by the banter and slight display of affection; Hiccup, on the other hand, looked as though he had seen a ghost.
"Okay, just one quick question...how?!" He gestured at the two, and Deiya stepped in to answer for pair who were now laughing in hysterics.
"All she needed was a little more of this-" she gestured in the way the Haddock boy found all too familiar,"-and we all know you'd be more than happy to oblige, especially since you needed what she has to offer in your life."
The two nodded like the immature people they often tried (and failed) to hide, nodding at the breakdown of their relationship.
Ruffnut: Yay! Can he ride with me? Can he? Can he?
"Ah yes. Love interest, condensed space, lots of time to yourselves...what could possibly go wrong?" OHiccup turned toward the young version of his friend, winking to show he was only teasing. The Elitist girl shuddered at the likeness to the chief's old teacher.
"You're acting like Gobber again, what next? Are you going to insist that trolls are real?"
"They are! I'd prove it to you, but I don't exactly have that problem anymore-" he gestured to his left foot, and his younger counterpart continued.
"-they steal socks, but only the left ones...what's up with that? But yeah, poor Gobber only has the left ones..."
With the rest of the group either in a fit of laughter or staring at the two Haddocks like they were crazy, Deiya made a point of redirecting herself to the movie.
Astrid: You're gonna show us the way to Drago.
Eret: And help Dragon Riders sneak into Drago's camp? Just kill me now.
Astrid: That can be arranged. Stormfly, drop it.
[Stormfly drops Eret from her clutches. Eret starts to fall towards the sea.]
Astrid: Good girl! Stormfly, fetch.
Eret: ALL RIGHT! OKAY! I'LL TAKE YOU TO DRAGO!
Astrid: Ha, works every time.
Snotlout's eyes grew as wide as saucers." Wait a minute, wait a minu- you've done this more than once?"
The older blonde shieldmaiden nodded. With an evil glint in her eye, she provided an example.
"Yeah, if I remember correctly, that's what I used to stop you from hitting on me once and for all. It was bad enough when I was just plain old uninterested-" he portrayed a mock hurt at this, starting to realize he was on to something with the whole Ruffnut ordeal, "-but when Hiccup and I were an official thing! That was just plain aggravating."
Fishlegs bobbed his head, impressed.
"Uhm, no offense, but it seems like you've mellowed a bit during the past few years- oh man I should've checked to see if you had your axe before saying that, please don't kill me!"
"I'm not the one you really need to worry about, Fish..." She eyed herself, laughing at the infuriated look she saw.
Hiccup: Hey, I-I thought we were going to eat!
Valka: Oh, we are!
[Valka's Bewilderbeast jumps out the water and spits out fish.]
Valka: Ha-ha-ha.!
"That's incredible! This thing is like the exact opposite of the Red Death!" Fishlegs looked like he had just witnessed some ethereal treasure; his face was glowing with fascination.
OHiccup stared at the screen reminiscing of the time when everything had been so carefree. That is, until he felt the eyes of Astrid on the back of his neck. Turning to meet her blue eyes with his green, he raised an eyebrow. She blushed, something she was begin to hate, and looked back at the screen.
To be honest, with all the thoughts circling her head, she wasn't quite sure she was Astrid Hofferson anymore...
Hiccup: And from Dragon Island, I found this archipelago… Wow.
[Valka draws a map of the world in the snow. Toothless draws over it with an icicle, then it sticks to his tongue.]
"So it runs in the family, eh?" OAstrid asked the her boyfriend, jabbing him in the side.
"Yeah, I guess...but I'm pretty sure it's only on my mother's side. Most of my dad's old pictures remind me of Toothless' scribbles, to be honest." The two Astrids snickered, while Deiya nodded in agreement and oHiccup's eyes shone with a mischievous glimmer.
Hiccup couldn't understand yet how this could be his future. It was clear by Astrid's giggles that the older girl was definitely in there, but how could he get it out? Maybe he'd just have to learn to open up himself; he knew it was possible, he'd done it with Gobber for years.
[The dragons are hovering in an updraft. Valka dances from one dragon to another.]
Valka: Oh, when I'm up here, I don't even feel the cold, I just feel…
Hiccup: Free.
Fishlegs looked awed by the display of immense trust and knowledge, though his face betrayed his true thoughts. Green as grass, he eyed the heights and tricks of the two onscreen.
"Okay, I'm really happy for you and all Hiccup but please- uck, I think I'm going to be sick!"
Valka: This is what it is to be a dragon, Hiccup.
Hiccup: It's all well and good to call yourself a dragon. But can you fly?
"Babe-" oAstrid began threateningly, knowing that success with his flight suit only occurred about 40% of the time. However, she was cut off by her younger self, who was chewing out both boys for being so careless.
"Hiccup Haddock! What do you think you're doing?! Do you even see- er, feel?- those winds?! I swear to Odin, you two need a sitter at all times! That suit is more trouble than it's worth, and honestly I'd think you were too if you weren't so Thor-forsaken cute and-!" She clamped her mouth. Her friends looked at her, eyes bulging from the sockets, but decided this wasn't the best time to call her out or mock the two.
Hiccup stared blankly, as if trying to register what he just heard. The older couple were eyeing each other, oHiccup holding back obvious laughter as his girlfriend rolled her eyes. Deiya giggled silently, once again chanting about "ohteepees" or whatever, though in a soft whisper. Hiccup finally spoke up, realizing how long the silence had lingered and wanting to bring any awkwardness off of Astrid if possible; he hated when she felt uncomfortable,
"Uhm...thank...you?"
OHiccup laughed and shook his head, looking towards his girlfriend with a look that obviously said "we're too awkward to do this alone, huh?". He grabbed the two young Vikings by the shoulders, reddening more than they already had been at his touch, and faced them together.
Astrid still looked terrified. She was a Hofferson! This wasn't supposed to be how she acted! When Hiccup looked at her, he instantly saw everything she had inside. She was angry at herself; she was confused by what she felt; most of all, though, she was afraid that the feeling wasn't mutual. So, deciding in a split second what he needed to do, he swooped in for a kiss.
The shieldmaiden' eyes grew wider, before closing gracefully. Yeah, this was what she needed. Through the gasps of their friends, the calling from their future selves about how it was "about time!", and the screaming/giggling combo that Deiya seemed to be accomplishing, they remained kissing. It was nice, on both ends, to feel comfortable at last.
Finally they broke away. They sat back down together, no longer blushing but instead smiling, and resumed the movie.
[Jumps off Toothless. Gliding through the air with his flying suit]
Hiccup: Ha-ha, woohoo! Wooo-oo!
"Wait a second! I was supposed to be mad at you!" Astrid pounded her fist, as did oAstrid who seemed to come to the same revelation.
Snotlout shook his head, still not completely registering what he'd recently witnessed, and turned to the blonde.
"In case you've forgotten, we're cousins! He's got a smidge of the irresistible qualities I do. There's no fighting it!" He winked for emphasis, causing groans from everyone.
OHiccup attempted to ease everyone's conscience by reminding them of the obvious.
"I'm still here, aren't I?" They silently agreed and once again turned to watch.
[A small mountain appears in front of Hiccup]
Hiccup: Ah! Oh no. Toothless!
[Toothless and Hiccup crashes in the snow.]
Hiccup: Ha! Woo-hoo! Man, almost! We just about had it that time!
[Toothless sneezes, glares at Hiccup, then knocks his feet out from under him with a swipe of his tail.]
Toothless snorted happily, waving his tail like a flag. He pawed at the older version of his rider, eliciting a goofy smile from his target. Ruffnut and Tuffnut spoke up for one of the first times in ages.
First Ruffnut voiced her thoughts. "Isn't it kind of funny to think how protective we are all over Hiccup, when eventually we all know he's going to have to put up with Astrid's cooking?" Then Tuffnut added on, before the protesting could begin.
"Yeah, like, we all know that her recipes will be his demise..."
OAstrid grumbled, already having been in this same argument earlier that day. Astrid, however, was pumped up with a renewed energy and ready to fight back.
"My cooking's not that bad!"
Fishlegs spoke up, timidly as always. "No offense Astrid-"
"-aka this is going to be super offensive, but continue."
"-but they're right. Have you even tasted your own food?"
"Yup. Offensive. Whatever, though, it's not like he has a choice! Eat or die."
Snotlout chortled from somewhere to the side, something about how it was a lose-lose situation. Finally, though, the young auburn-haired teen spoke up.
"Actually, I do have a choice. In case you've forgotten, I didn't have a mom growing up, and I wasn't exactly Mr. Popular..."
"So? Guilt tripping us won't make me cook better-"
Tuffnut pointed a finger, and shouted. "Ha! She admits her faults!"
"Think about it! My dad doesn't have the time to cook for even himself most of the time, and I didn't generally eat in the Great Hall unless I had to. So..." He paused allowing them to connect the dots. Astrid and Fishlegs seemed to be close to a solution, though it was slightly out of reach. The other three teens weren't trying, as it involved thinking, and the two adults were unconcerned having already known about this (since oHiccup knew himself, of course).
Deiya smacked her forehead, a tad impatient, and connected the dots for the others.
"Hiccup can cook, guys!" Gasps and moans of understanding filled the room. "I don't know where he possibly learned it, but he's actually pretty good." OHiccup nodded and turned to the two versions of his girlfriend.
"Eh, she's right. Used to drive Gobber crazy, about as much as me using my left hand."
Ruffnut looked at the man questioningly. "You're left handed? Ugh, what other secrets do you have?" Deiya laughed, but then called the attention away from the poor boy.
"Alright, we better get back to this thing if we ever want to go ba-" But alas, something in oHiccup was triggered, as his face paled and he started calling out to whoever was listening.
"Oh gods, how long have we been here? I really need to get back, Deiya! Did you leave anyone in charge? Has anyone got their eyes on the twins, I hear they found my store of Nightmare saliva..." He was smacked out of it by oAstrid, mumbling a quick apology and turning back to Deiya.
Valka: [Examining Hiccup's wingsuit] Oh, incredible.
Hiccup: Well, not bad yourself.
All the girls in the room, despite whatever profile they had created for themselves, let out a small "Awh!". The boys felt the warmth of the interaction as well, though none more than the young Hiccup. This is what he had to look forward to! It was clear that it would be well worth the wait. OHiccup seemed to read his thoughts. He mumbled to himself fondly.
"That was a nice hug..."
Valka: All this time, you took after me. And where was I? I'm so sorry, Hiccup. Can we start over? Will you give me another chance? I can teach you all that I've learned these past twenty years. Like…
[She massages Toothless which causes him to reveal his hidden splitting fins.]
Valka: Now you can make those tight turns.
Hiccup: Did you know about this?
The six teens turned towards their reptilian friend to see him smiling, teeth retracted.
Valka: Every dragon has it's secrets. And I'll show them all to you. We'll unlock every mystery, find every last species, together, as mother and son.[Toothless, excited by the discovery, jumps around and then burrows through the snow, before popping out next to Cloudjumper and putting snow on his head. Cloudjumper then dumps the snow right back onto Toothless. Toothless shakes off the snow, and shows off his tail fins to Cloudjumper, who is unimpressed.]
The room was full of laughs; no matter how powerful the Night Fury was, he was neither graceful nor mature. That was what they loved about him, though.
Valka: This gift we share, Hiccup... it bonds us. This is who you are, son. Who we are. We will change the world for all dragons! We will make it a better, safer place!
Hiccup: Yeah! That sounds... amazing. [Valka hugs him] Ah, this is so great! Now you and I can go talk to Drago, together.
Valka: What? There's no talking to Drago.
Hiccup: But we have to-
Valka: No. We must protect our own. Now come on, we should be getting back.
"Ha! Runs in the family!" Tuffnut snorted.
"Please tell me we don't-" Hiccup began, a slight edge in his voice. He got a hurried reply, from himself.
"No, but they do kind of...find...us..." More groaning; either he found trouble, or trouble found him. There was no other scenario with him.
[Toothless grins and examines his fins again.]
Deiya clapped, stopping the movement onscreen. She turned to the two Haddocks, who had both been messing around with Toothless after exposing his fins.
"You might want to pay attention here. This is where Astrid and the others come in, and, well, I think it might explain a lot." She clapped again, and the movement continued.
[The rest of the gang arrive at Drago's camp. They drop Eret in the snow. He tries to run, but Stormfly lands atop Eret.]
Eret: Agghh! Okay! Look, I got you here, now get this thing off me!
Astrid: Never take a toy from a dragon. Don't you know anything?
Hiccup laughed, and turned to the beaming girl. "Someone's been paying attention in class, huh?" She scoffed playfully, rolling her eyes.
Snotlout was unamused. "Teacher's pet..."
After the blonde dished out her revenge, they continued once more.
Eret: Gah! Why does this keep happening to me?
Astrid: What's down there?
Fishlegs: Large diameter bubbles, massive lungs, cold water deep dweller, I'm thinking class five leviathan, maybe six.
"Please tell me I'm not the only one confused...?" Tuffnut looked physically pained while trying to figure out what his chunky friend meant.
[Drago's men tranquilize the dragons and capture the gang]
Fishlegs: Meatlug! What's wrong, girl?
"Tranquilizers tend to do that, y'know..." oAstrid's teasing was received with a bout of nervous laughter.
Drago's Men: Don't move!
Eret: Drago! Get off me! Ha-ha, always great to see you, my friend! Keeping warm up here? Well, as you can see, I'm here right on time with a new batch of dragons, just like I promised.
[Hookfang wakes up]
"Yeah, attaboy Hookfang! He gets it from me, y'know." The Jorgensen boy pumped his fist, while the grown version of his old crush nodded sadly; it was a very sad sight to see the Monstrous Nightmare so helpless.
Soldier #1: Watch out! He's waking up! Keep him steady!
Soldier #2: Give me some backup here!
Soldier #1: Watch out!
Drago: Drop the ropes.
[Drago starts to scream, swinging his bull hook. Hookfang lowers his head to the ground and Drago steps on his snout]
"Ugh, no! You've got to fight back, or I won't let you stop training for a week!"
"What is he doing to Hookfang? Does the frequency of sound intimidate their hearing or something?"
"How can Hookfang blow anything up if he's being stepped on?"
"I think that's the point, idiot! But it's still not cool..."
"Woah! Who does he think he is?! I wish he was here so I could give him a piece of my axe!"
The teens all let out cries of disgust and horror, except for their future chief and his older self. The young boy turned, a look of utter remorse on his face, and looked into the bright blue eyes of oAstrid. Only, they were much colder than usual.
"How many dragons does he tie up?"
"All of ours..."
"And how many does he end up controlling...?"
She bit her lip, not wanting to scare him or give away too much. "Um...all of them, for a bit. -It's okay though! We get them all back and do what we need to."
Hiccup's worrying gaze shifted towards his best friend. Through simply his eyes, he seemed to reassure the dragon that nothing would happen to him as long as he was around.
Snotlout: Hookfang!
Ruffnut: Hey!
Astrid: What are you doing?
Drago: (To Hookfang) You belong to me now.
"No, no! Hookfang..." Snot looked as forlorn as though he was losing a brother. Though he didn't always display it, he did love the Nightmare and had a heart almost as big as his cousin's.
Eret: And as an added bonus, I also caught you their riders. No extra charge.
Astrid: What?! Are you kidding me?!
Ruffnut: Ah, but you were so perfect!
"Oh yeah! 'Perfect' is an appropriate word to describe the guy who SOLD US TO A MADMAN!" Fishlegs erupted out of the blue, surprising all in the room. He whimpered a simple "sorry" and reclaimed his seat.
Deiya locked eyes knowingly, and his face burned with the heat of ten Suns. Confirming her hunch, Snotlout seemed more than a little miffed about Ruffnut's fascination with the trapper.
Eret: Turns out, there's a whole bunch of them out there. They-
Drago: [grabs Eret to choke him] How many?
Astrid: Drago doesn't have them after all.
OHiccup smiled as brightly as if he was seeing a baby dragon fly for the first time. "That's my girl! Way to use your head!"
Drago: HOW MANY?!
Astrid: Hundreds! A whole island full!
OAstrid felt unbelievably guilty. Maybe if she hadn't said anything, then Drago wouldn't have attacked...her boyfriend caught her focus and squeezed her hand, knowing exactly what her thoughts were on.
Eret: I wouldn't worry about it. My men are hunting them down as we speak. They won't know where you're hiding. I promise you that.
Astrid: Oh, yes they will! [Drago drops Eret] They know we're missing and they have tracking dragons. If you so much as touch us, Hiccup is gonna kick-
Hiccup straightened up, flattered. "Okay, I'm digging the support, but you don't think you might be stretching the truth a lit-" Astrid didn't even need to hesitate.
"Nope. Not a bit." OAstrid winked at both Hiccups, getting warm (though incredibly dorky) smiles back in return.
Drago: Hiccup?
Eret: He's not a problem. Really. Trust me.
Astrid: He's only the son of Stoick the Vast... his heir to the throne of Berk... and the greatest Dragon Master this world has ever seen!
Deiya tutted the girl jokingly. "Nnh, nnh, nnh! He's not gonna like that!" The teens whooped and laughed, excited about the prospect of Hiccup taking down Drago, even with their fears.
Drago: Dragon Master? I ALONE control the dragons!
Tuffnut: Nope. Mhmm.
Fishlegs: Sorry!
OAstrid whispered to Deiya, trying not to spoil anything for the younger Vikings.
"So, he's got a dragon that can literally control other dragons, and he's heard of Valka, but he still is convinced that only he has any power over them?!" The Elitist shrugged, as confused as the blonde.
Astrid: And unless you let us go, right now, he will blast through here on his Night Fury and blow your entire fleet of ships to splinters!
Ruffnut: Then they'll be crying like babies!
Snoutlout: Funny and beautiful.
Fishlegs: Good one, babe!
"Is that even a joke? How is that supposed to be funny?" OHiccup looked completely done with their flirting, especially after having put up with it for the past few years.
Ruffnut nodded a bit. "I wasn't trying to be funny. Oh! But I do have a joke; what do you get when you cross-" the rest of her joke was covered with the sounds of irritated grumbles, before everyone focused once again on the situation onscreen.
Tuffnut: Yeah. Like babies. They always cry. Real tiny ones...
Snotlout saw his chance, and rolled with it. "Awh, yeah! Like babies- speaking of which, when are you two going to get down to repopulating the archipelago?" Fishlegs and the twins paled before falling into hysterics; Hiccup and Astrid sunk into their chairs awkwardly. If there was ever a look of pure rage and disgust, OAstrid was wearing it.
"Babe. Axe."
He whispered back reassuringly. "No, wait, this is perfect. Just play along..." She nodded briskly, though a bit skeptical.
"Oh yeah, y'know we were just talking about that!" Already, he could sense the teens' discomfort, plus Deiya's amusement. His younger self started to catch on, knowing exactly what he was about to do. "Oh, we were thinking maybe right after this we'd see about getting started. What do you think, Astrid? Twenty?"
"Twenty-five at least!"
"Might as well make it thirty, then!" Hiccup laughed, surprised that the two hadn't busted up yet at the disturbed faces of their friends. Astrid was conflicted, not knowing whether to be embarrassed or if she should laugh as well. Deiya was running around, giggling into her hand, about "Hiccstrid babies" or something of the sort. Snotlout made fake retching sounds, and eyed his friends warily.
Drago: [Grabs Eret again] First there was one rider. And now all of Berk. And you lead them to me. [Throws Eret across the dock]
Eret: Drago!
Drago: STOP ALL PREPARATIONS! WE MUST ATTACK THE DRAGONS RIDER'S NEST AT ONCE! (savoring it) WE WILL TAKE DOWN THEIR ALPHA... AND THEN WE WILL TAKE BERK!
The room's fun atmosphere diminished as Astrid cried out.
"No! Stay away from Hic- I mean, uh, Berk!"
Eret: Drago!
Drago: And get rid of him.
Eret: Oh, Drago please...
[One of Drago's men throws a weapon at Eret. Stormfly protects Eret from weapons.]
[Stormfly gets tranquilized.]
Astrid: STORMFLY! NO!
[Eret looks amazed that Stormfly tried to protect him.]
While Astrid clenched her fists in rage and fear, Hiccup focused on the trapper. He smiled softly, much to the confusion of the others.
"We've got him on our side..."
[Back in the Dragon's Den.]
[Toothless is sleeping, suddenly awoken by baby Scuttleclaws.]
Hiccup: Well, bud, we can't wait around for Drago to attack this place. We've gotta find him first.
Hiccup confronted himself. "Don't you dare!"
His older self raised his hands in alarm, before gesturing to the screen.
"Trust me, I don't- er, we don't? But you're going to love this...watch."
[Toothless finds a baby Scuttleclaw nibbling on his tail.]
Hiccup: Let's go.
[Stoick sneaks up behind Hiccup.]
Stoick: Easy now.
Hiccup: You kidding me? How'd you get in here?
Stoick: Same way we're getting you out.
Hiccup: We?!
Gobber: All clear!
"Gobber!..." Hiccup hissed, trying to sound annoyed but he couldn't hide his amusement. Meanwhile the others were releasing the breaths they hadn't been aware they'd been holding (all but Astrid, who constantly realized she held her breath around the reckless boy). Thank gods, someone would talk sense into him!
Stoick: Toothless. Come.
Hiccup: Ah, Dad! There's something you need to know!
Stoick: Yeah, yeah, tell me on the way.
Hiccup: This isn't an on-the-way kind of update, actually...
"Ugh, this is like the whole 'I don't want to fight dragons' thing all over again..."
Astrid sighed. "You really need to learn to just spit it out." Both versions of the boy mumbled, though decided they couldn't argue with her logic.
Stoick: I've heard enough, Hiccup.
Hiccup: More-More of the earth shattering development variety.
Stoick: Yeah, just add it to the pile.
Hiccup: Dad, unlike most surprises I spring on you, this one you'll like. I promise! You just have to handle it delicately, so..
Gobber: Uh, you might want to take this one. Oh, boy.
"At least he didn't mention his underwear for once..." Snotlout watched the character interactions with amusement, enjoying his cousin being in a stuttering state.
[Stoick draws his sword]
Hiccup: Oh, Dad, can you put the sword away... please?
Tuffnut laughed maniacally. "Woah-hoh! Things are about to get interesting. The young son of the chief rolled his eyes.
"Yeah, not helping, really...I'm surprised he hasn't cut of another of my limbs, seeing as how often he likes to pull that sword out." He then gestured crazily as he provided examples, switching between his own voice and his impersonation of his dad; his friends snickered at his obvious annoyance.
"'Hey, Dad! You overslept and the council is waiting!'
'WHAA-? How 'bout I pull out my trusty SWORD to sort this out!'
'The twins got into the sheep pen again, and they brought paint! Want me to-?'
'No, no! Just wave around my sword here and they'll get the message!'
'Dad, what do you want for breakfast? Eggs or-?'
'Sword, Hiccup!'" He finished his rant, to the laughter of his friends, before settling back into his chair. Then he added one last note, turning to the screen.
"If my mom survives this little 'meeting' with all of her fingers, I'll be impressed. I guess he could always use his 'amazing sword' to fix it though!" Deiya snickered into her palm along with the others, but was glad that he had finished his little tirade. This was a very touching moment, and she didn't want the Vikings to miss out on it.
[Stoick sees Valka and drops his sword from shock]
Valka: I know what you're going to say, Stoick. How could I have done this? Stayed away all these years. And why didn't I come back to you? To our son. Well, what sign did I have that you could change, Stoick? That anyone on Berk could? I pleaded so many times to stop the fighting, to find another answer, but did any of you listen?
Gobber: This is why I never married. This and one other reason.
The Vikings, bar the two Hiccups and Deiya, seemed surprised by his words. Fishlegs muttered, a bit nervously, his and everyone else's thoughts.
"This kind of explains a lot, actually..."
Valka: I know that I left you to raise Hiccup alone... but I thought he'd be better off without me. And I was wrong, I see that now, but… oh stop being so stoic, Stoick. Go on... SHOUT, SCREAM, SAY SOMETHING!
The twins drummed on their chairs, waiting for the eruption to occur. Otherwise, the audience was all noticing sadly how terrified she seemed as she backed into the wall.
Stoick: You're as beautiful as the day I lost you.
Snotlout fought tears to the side. "Smack me, please, someone!" Unfortunately for him, the twins were a little over-excited.
"With pleasure!" They cried happily, slapping his face with full force and leaving two giant hand prints. Hiccup, unlike his cousin, was not trying to hide his feelings. He smiled his dorky little smile, and watched with semi glossed eyes as the reunion occurred.
[Stoick and Valka kiss]
Over in the chair, Deiya was squealing again and with tears in her eyes, trying not to let the tears flow; what was even weirder was that OHiccup was having a similar reaction. He was drumming his leg and humming to himself, teary-eyed and smiling slightly. OAstrid kept looking between him and the screen, her face seeming to fight between a smile and a frown. She couldn't help but be happy for the family, even though she knew in the back of her mind what would come only moments later...
Hiccup felt himself slump. It was gorgeous, it was a miracle; it was everything that life hated to throw his way. He counted the seconds, awaiting the moment that must've come soon when the gods would remember they hated him.
Something was bound to happen, and he wasn't sure he was going to be able to handle it. Suddenly his thoughts were pulled as he heard a noise in the back? He couldn't imagine who could be rummaging around in the back.
Any assumptions he had, however, left him utterly unprepared when he saw a large Viking adorned with an orange beard walk through the aisle. With a transfixed gaze, he uttered one word.
"Valka..."
A/N: Yay! Here's the next chapter! Sorry 'bout giving another little cliffhanger. I just watched Rise of the Guardians and Big Hero 6 so I'm super pumped up with new ships and just AMCOMEICOMWJGOEN179'd'akrowm. I hope nothing seemed exceptionally OOC, I tried my best. Let me know what you think, and again thanks for the comments! Too much commentary? Not enough? Not dispersed well? Anything I should know, go ahead and tell me!