A/N: SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY SORRY. I really did try to get this up sooner, but it just didn't play out that way. If you haven't seen RttE's season 3 read these next few chapters with caution, because (although I don't think I made any in this chapter) I'll probably start including references to the show. Enjoy! More to come soon, by the way, since I'm on summer break now.
Stoick
Hiccup.
"So close…" Valka chuckled, wincing sympathetically as her son sighed. Toothless growled in defense of his rider, not liking how fearful the boy looked at simply being summoned by his father.
Hiccup
Dad! Uh... I have to talk to you, Dad.
Stoick
I need to speak with you too, son.
"Ugh, here we go." Snotlout shook his head. Practically the whole village knew that, before Toothless, any conversation between the two Haddocks was strained. None of the teens were thrilled to be seeing how much worse it would be behind closed doors.
Hiccup and Stoick
I've decided I don't want / I think it's time you learn / to fight dragons. What?
Stoick
You go first.
Hiccup
No, no, you go first.
"Isn't it weird to think about how different everything would've been if you'd have gone first?" Fishlegs murmured, thinking over the possibilities.
OHiccup and Toothless eyed each other in wonder, before scowling and returning their attention.
Stoick
Alright. You get your wish. Dragon Training. You start in the morning.
"Oh, dear." Valka sighed, before shrugging. "Perhaps you could just tell him you don't think you want to anym- why are you laughing, Hiccup?" OHiccup and his younger self were bent over with laughter at the idea of Stoick actually listening. Even Toothless was rumbling in his own laughter of sorts. Meanwhile the chief was wincing; did his son really find it so bizarre he might listen?
Hiccup
[Panicking] Oh, man, I should've gone first! Uh, 'cause I was thinking, you know, we have a surplus of dragon-fighting Vikings, but do we have enough... bread-making Vikings, or small home repair Vikings-?
"Hiccup, why can't you just admit your one true passion?" OAstrid asked, smirking.
"And what might that be?" OHiccup eyed her suspiciously, fighting a grin.
"Making outfits of course. Matching outfits, to be exact."
Stoick
You'll need this.
"He can't even hold it up, and yet you're trying to get him into training?" Ruffnut questioned her chief's logic.
Hiccup
I don't want to fight dragons.
"There is literally no possible way for me to be more clear than that." OHiccup laughed, his father shrinking guiltily; it was such a blatant statement, and yet he had barely noticed his son speaking the first time around...
Stoick
Come on. Yes, you do.
"Dad, I'm not you!" Hiccup muttered in exasperation, earning multiple gasps.
"He finally admit it!" Astrid laughed, as the boy's older counterpart blushed furiously. OAstrid joined in as well, kissing her boyfriend's cheek lovingly.
"I'm glad we could finally get through to you."
Hiccup
Rephrase: Dad, I can't kill dragons.
"Technically…"
"Hush, Fishlegs."
Stoick
But you will kill dragons.
"To be fair, you are pretty good at killing dragons." Snotlout reasoned, before scowling. "Just...don't go anywhere near Hookfang, alright? Or I will beat the dragon training knowledge right out of you." Hiccup paled at the prospect, before his older self put a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"Don't worry. I doubt it'll ever come to it again, but you should know that you can definitely take him in a fight." He assured the boy, tensing up as OAstrid gaped at him.
"You're the one who knocked out all those teeth?! Snotlout told me he lost those wrestling Bjorn Boar!" Her surprise turned to amusement as she sized up her friend, almost as though seeing him for the first time.
"Wait, wait, wait." Stoick interrupted, his expression unreadable. "You're telling me that he," he gestured to his son carefully, "knocked out Snotlout's teeth?"
"3 of them, if I remember correctly…"
"Holy Thor." Stoick fought an impressed smirk, nodding slowly.
"Say what you will, but I still think I could- ahh!" Snotlout screeched as Hiccup cracked his knuckles threateningly. Deiya lost it at that, laughing on the floor as the movie continued.
Hiccup
No, I'm really very extra sure that I won't.
Stoick
It's time, Hiccup.
"Time for what? Time for you to start listening to our son?" Valka questioned snappily, throwing Stoick a look that clearly warned him he'd better start behaving.
Hiccup
Can you not hear me?!
Stoick
This is serious, son! When you carry this axe, you carry all of us with you. Which means you walk like us. You talk like us.
"We don't even sound remotely alike!" Hiccup huffed, rolling his eyes.
"Don't you think you're over exaggerating just a- actually, nevermind I hear what you mean…" Stoick blinked dumbfoundedly. He'd never quite registered just how nasally his son's voice was, or even how his accent was much tamer in comparison.
"That is weird…." The twins shuddered as the Haddocks stared at each other quizzically.
You think like us. No more of... this.
"Again?!" The Vikings all yelled in outrage, many glaring at Stoick in defense of Hiccup.
Hiccup
You just gestured to all of me.
Stoick
Deal?
Hiccup
This conversation is feeling very one-sided.
"Is this how all your conversations go?" Valka asked worriedly, noting how things were only getting worse for her son.
"Not all of them...sometimes we had Gobber mediate." Hiccup shrugged.
"But we're better now." Stoick added hastily as he received another set of glares.
Stoick
DEAL?!
Hiccup winced on instinct, his dad's face paling as he caught the reaction. His son was scared of him…? Toothless, noticing as well, inched slightly closer to the boy; though barely noticeable, the action was enough to ease Hiccup's nerves slightly.
Hiccup
Deal.
Fishlegs whimpered in understanding; he would've cracked under the pressure of an angry chief, too.
Stoick
Good. Train hard. I'll be back. Probably.
Hiccup
And I'll be here. Maybe.
"Well that's reassuring…" Valka rolled her eyes at her husband and son.
Gobber
Welcome to Dragon Training!
Astrid
No turning back.
"True, but you can sure as Hel cheat your way out of actually killing anything." Tuffnut mocked, pulling his best nasally impersonation of Hiccup.
"It's not cheating, I was just...using my resources." Ruffnut added, in her own impression of the one-legged boy. OHiccup blinked, dumbfounded, only to glare at his girlfriend and girlfriend's younger self a moment later when she started snickering.
Tuffnut
I hope I get some serious burns!
"N-no, you really don't…" Fishlegs muttered.
Ruffnut
I'm hoping for some mauling, like on my shoulder or lower back.
"Hey, a girl's gotta know what she wants!" Ruffnut defended her statement, seeing Fishlegs was about to speak up once more.
Astrid
Yeah, it's only fun if you get a scar out of it.
"By that logic, I must've had a blast." OHiccup snickered, gesturing towards his leg and causing his girlfriend's face to heat up.
Hiccup
[Sarcastically] Yeah, no kidding, right? Pain. Love it.
Tuffnut
Oh, great. Who let him in?
Gobber
Let's get started! The recruit who does best will win the honor of killing his first dragon in front of the entire village.
Snotlout
Hiccup already killed a Night Fury, so, does that disqualify him or...?
"Ugh, I wish." Hiccup smirked, imagining once more how much differently things could've gone.
Tuffnut
Can I transfer to the class with the cool Vikings?
"Who would want to transfer out of a class with Astrid…?" Hiccup muttered under his breath, unheard by all except the girl herself. She instantly turned tomato-red, avoiding his confused look by turning to pet an equally-confused Toothless.
Gobber
Don't worry. You're small and you're weak. That'll make you less of a target! They'll see you as sick or insane and go after the more Viking-like teens instead.
"I don't know about sick, but maybe insane." Astrid teased with a small grin.
"Guilty." Hiccup shrugged with a smirk of his own. His older self watched OAstrid knowingly, who began staring vacantly at three faint scars on her arm the moment she'd heard the word 'sick.'
Gobber (cont.)
Behind these doors are just a few of the many species you will learn to fight! The Deadly Nadder!
Fishlegs
Speed: eight; Armor: sixteen.
Valka giggled, eying the boy fondly for his knowledge. "Very sharp, even at such a young age." She praised him, grinning as he blushed bashfully.
Gobber
The Hideous Zippleback!
Fishlegs
Plus eleven stealth times two.
Gobber
The Monstrous Nightmare!
"The best dragon, naturally." Snotlout crossed his arms triumphantly, earning annoyed groans.
Fishlegs
Firepower: fifteen.
Gobber
The Terrible Terror!
"Y'know, I've always had a soft spot for Terrors." OHiccup explained, surprising the group. Toothless snorted in what the group could only assume was slight jealousy.
"Especially the little green ones, with the brown specks." His younger self added on enthusiastically.
"They are rather cute." Stoick agreed, shrugging at his wife's intrigued stare.
Fishlegs
Attack: eight; Venom: twelve!
Gobber
CAN YOU STOP THAT?! And... the Gronckle!
Fishlegs
Jaw strength: eight.
Snotlout
Whoa, whoa, wait! Aren't you gonna teach us first?!
"He's Gobber!" The Haddocks all explained, used to the man's methods.
Gobber
I believe in learning on the job.
"Knowing that, how do you still have even three of your limbs?" OAstrid gawked, snickering.
"Good question, actually." Stoick laughed at his son's response, shaking his head; Gobber certainly had a...different approach than most other Vikings when it came to learning.
"Wait, aren't you sort of learning on the job as a chief?" Tuffnut squinted, grimacing at OHiccup.
"Uh, I guess...but I did learn a bit when I was younger, so at least I'm not completely in the dark."
Gobber (cont.)
Today is about survival. If you get blasted... you're dead! Quick! What's the first thing you're going to need?
Hiccup
A doctor?!
"I stand by my statement."
Fishlegs
Plus five speed?!
"You can only run for so long…" Snotlout reasoned, grinning wickedly. "And then when you're tired? Chomp! Meatlug's got a snack."
Astrid
A shield!
"At least I learned something from this class."Hiccup smirked with a small laugh.
"A weaponized shield is probably even better." Astrid giggled along with him.
Gobber
Shields! Go! Your most important piece of equipment is your shield! If you must make a choice between a sword or a shield, take the shield!
"It would probably help if you used your dominant hand when you trained, ambidextrous or not." OAstrid chided, face scrunched up in worry. OHiccup shrugged off the comment, earning a similar concerned look from his dragon as well.
"This way's more fun, though! He's more likely to get burned!" Ruffnut cackled, her brother nodding eagerly.
"After all, what's dragon training without a little excitement?" Fishlegs added sarcastically, though the twins simply agreed.
Tuffnut
Get your hands off my shield!
Ruffnut
There's like a million shields!
Tuffnut
Take that one, it has a flower on it. Girls like flowers.
"Not necessarily." Snotlout informed his friend, shocking the others. "I've tried giving Astrid bouquets thousands of times, and it has never worked."
"That's mostly because I'm not interested, but whatever…" Astrid mumbled under her breath, her older counterpart sighing in exasperation.
"Wait, wait, wait!" Fishlegs spoke up, frowning slightly. "You mean there was a shield with flowers on it?! That's so much better than the one I grabbed!" The young botanical nut sulked slightly.
[Ruffnut takes the shield and slams it onto Tuffnut's head.]
Ruffnut
Oops, now this one has blood on it.
"Ok, admittedly not our best moment, but hey– we're both very particular about our shields. Hiccup knows what I'm talking about." Ruffnut cackled, surprising the others as she sneaked the gronckle iron shield from beside him and aimed it's crossbow feature into the audience.
"Woah, not near the money maker!" Snotlout yelped, though both Astrids secretly egged the twins to aim at his face.
"Um, if I could leave this theaterwith my last remaining limbs in-tact I'd really appreciate it." Hiccup carefully removed the shield from their possession, tucking it away in a safer spot as Toothless chuckled at him.
"And I thought they were wild in our time…" Valka muttered jokingly to her son, never taking her eyes off the twins.
"Oh believe me, it just gets worse from here…" Stoick interjected darkly, rubbing his temples with a huff.
[The Gronckle flies towards the Twins and blasts their shield with a fireball, leaving them dazed on the ground.]
Gobber
Tuffnut, Ruffnut, you're out!
"I'm glad Meatlug agrees, otherwise that could've gotten really ugly, really fast…" Snotlout rolled his eyes at the mentor's tactics, secretly thankful for all of their sakes that Meatlug had only shot once.
Ruffnut and Tuffnut
[Dazed] What?
Gobber
Those shields are good for another thing: noise! Make lots of it to throw off a dragon's aim!
[The remaining teens begin hitting their weapons against their shields, making the Gronckle shake its head, confused.]
"That is so weird!" OAstrid gaped, watching the images on the screen through the dragon's eyes. Toothless whined in protest of the noise, more adapted to the sounds yet still not completely content.
Gobber (cont.)
All dragons have a limited number of shots. How many does a Gronckle have?
"Who cares how many it has, all I'm worried about is avoiding them!" Tuffnut whined.
Snotlout
Five?
"Close." Valka encouraged, eyes wide as she watched the scene. The woman had a strong sense of dread building in her stomach as each moment passed, and she worried that Hiccup wouldn't be safe from the typically-friendly Gronckle's wrath.
Fishlegs
No, six!
Gobber
Correct, six! That's one for each of you!
[Fishlegs' shield gets blasted out of his hand.]
Gobber (cont.)
Fishlegs, out. Hiccup, get in there!
"Why?!" Hiccup exclaimed in protest, sneering at the very thought. He then continued to rant to the man onscreen. "You said we were supposed to survive, not fight." The boys friends blinked at him, surprised at the mild outburst but acknowledging the fact that it was justified.
Snotlout
So, anyway I'm moving into my parents' basement. You should come by sometime to work out. You look like you work out!
"Your loss." Snotlout grouched. "I made that basement into the ultimate bachelor pad, you would've loved it."
"He's not wrong, it is pretty cool. I've snuck in a few times." Ruffnut admit, shrugging as Snotlout's glare was directed towards him.
"I bet it's not nearly as great as Snotlout and Tuff's 'Awesome Viking Cave Club North East.'" OHiccup muttered to OAstrid, earning a small laugh from both the girl and Toothless. The others simply stared, not sure what they could possibly be talking about.
Gobber
Snotlout! You're done!
Hiccup
So, I guess it's just you and me, huh?
"Smooth, Hiccup…" Stoick laughed gruffly, his son's face turning red instantly.
Astrid
Nope, just you.
Gobber
One shot left! Hiccup!
"Is this how you lose the leg?!" Valka couldn't help but cover her eyes in fear, cowering into her husband until after she'd heard the final blast fire.
"No, that doesn't happen for a while." Deiya informed the mother, saving Hiccup from an explanation. He sighed, thinking of how many more near-death experiences he'd have to put on display for his family and friends.
"Oh boy…" His older self slouched, not at all looking forward to what was to come.
Gobber (cont.)
And that's six! Go back to bed, ya overgrown sausage! You'll get another chance, don't you worry. Remember: a dragon will always - always - go for the kill.
"Wait, what about- oh…" Fishlegs' eyebrows knit in confusion, before realizing that Hiccup was bound to have made the same connection that he did.
A/N: Sorry again that took so long...I've started throwing in RttE references, so if you haven't seen season 3 yet please read with caution. Also this would've been posted earlier but I always have to go back and make sure I don't forget Toothless (a major problem I seem to have, despite the dragons being the most important parts of this movie lol). I'll try to get the next chapter up, so stay tuned!