Stretching in his bed, Snotlout sighed before getting up. It was still dark outside and normally he'd still be fast asleep but Hiccup had assigned him to take the early morning patrol shift. Groaning, Snotlout shuffled towards the door and down to the stables. Gods, if only there was some sort of drink that would just magically wake him up.
"Come on Hookfang, it's time for patrol duty," Snotlout yawned. A flap of wings answered him.
"Hookie… don't do this to me! Hiccup will kill us if we miss another patrol shift," Snotlout whined. Snorting slightly, Hookfang clambered out of his pen and begrudgingly allowed Snotlout to mount up.
Flying around the island, Snotlout had to admit that the crisp morning air woke him up and it was kind of nice to be alone, with no one ordering him around. Of course, Snotlout would never tell anyone this but still, it was pretty nice. The water lapped peacefully at the sandy shores below and the sun was just starting to peek out over the horizon, turning the sky wonderful shades of red and orange. As Snotlout flew past a secluded sea stack, he felt a slight pang of longing.
"Oh shut up Snotlout! Get over it," he mumbled to himself. Hookfang cocked his head to the side and even though Snotlout couldn't see his dragon's expression, he could take a pretty good guess at what the Monstrous Nightmare was thinking.
"No! I am not talking about it!" Snotlout crossed his arms defiantly. Hookfang gave a low growl.
"No Hookfang! I do not want to talk about it!" Doing what Monstrous Nightmares do best, Hookfang proceeded to set himself on fire.
"Okay okay Hookfang you win! I'll talk about it," Snotlout shrieked.
"Talk about what, Snotlout," Astrid asked in a light teasing voice as she flew up beside him.
"Don't sneak up on me like that! Also shut up Astrid," Snotlout yelled before flying away, still aflame.
"What a muttonhead," Astrid muttered to herself before starting the final morning patrol shift.
A couple of hours later, Astrid stood in the hard packed dirt arena with the other riders, facing Hiccup, who was going over their drill for the day.
"Alright everyone! Today's training exercise is just going over basic formations," Hiccup started to explain before he was cut off by a loud groan from the twins.
"H… why do we have to do the stuff we already know how to do," Tuffnut groaned.
"Yeah why do we have to do this?" Ruffnut rolled her eyes.
"Guys… to be frank we're all a bit sloppy on these formations and if we don't clean them up, we increase our risk of being caught."
"All of us are sloppy?" Astrid arched an eyebrow.
"Okay well most of us-" Hiccup began.
"Why does Astrid get special treatment," Ruffnut whined, crossing her arms.
"Ugh," Hiccup facepalmed.
"Hey, does anyone know where Snotlout is," Fishlegs asked, trying to get the twins onto another subject.
"That's actually a very good question, Fishlegs! Where is Snotlout," Hiccup wondered.
"I saw him on the early morning patrol, which was weird because he usually sleeps through those shifts," Astrid said.
"And…? Did he mention where he was going?" Hiccup looked at Astrid expectantly.
"No, but he flew off on Hookfang, mumbling about not wanting to talk about something…" Astrid's voice trailed off and her irritated look faded into a more thoughtful expression.
"Well… we could go look for him or wait for him to come back…" Fishlegs suggested, hoping that Hiccup would choose the latter option.
"Fishlegs, I really don't think either of those are a good idea. Snotlout probably wants to be alone right now and who knows how long we could be waiting for him," Hiccup said, trying not to let his slight irritation show. Wrangling the twins and Snotlout went about as well as trying to herd baby dragons.
"You know you're probably right," Fishlegs replied with a sigh of relief.
"So what, we're just going to do formation training with only four dragons," Astrid asked in slight disbelief.
"Look, we need to practice formations where we don't have all our members. What if someone's been captured or their dragon got hit by a dragon root arrow?"
"Alright Hiccup but you'd better not let Snotlout off the hook for just disappearing like that," Astrid grumbled.
"I'll talk to him, I promise." And with that, the five dragon riders flew off into the sky.
Meanwhile, Snotlout had flown off to a small island just off the coast of Dragon's Edge. Running his fingers in an aimless pattern through the sand, Snotlout stared listlessly into the water. Hookfang nudged his rider in the shoulder but the young viking just shrugged him off. Too many thoughts were racing through Snotlout's head and trying to sort through them only made everything worse.
"Why me Hookfang?" Snotlout jabbed at the sand he was tracing patterns in, hard enough to break the stick he'd been using. Hookfang just rumbled and nudged his rider again.
"I just…" Snotlout trailed off, trudging down memory lane.
The fire roared merrily in the hearth and Snotlout eagerly warmed his hands by the flames. Outside the storm raged on with rain pounding against the door and thunder booming overhead. Reaching for his stuffed yak, Yakkity, Snotlout snuggled into his blanket and tried to ignore the thunder. An especially loud clap echoed throughout the village and Snotlout jumped in fright. Clutching his blanket and his beloved Yakkity, Snotlout ran to his dad, whimpering in fright.
"What're ya doin, boy-o? Jorgenson never cries!"
"B-but daddy… the thunder is scary," Snotlout sniffled.
"Well boy-o, yer gonna hafta toughen up! Yer probably the only eight-yer old afraid of a bit a thunder!" Spitelout chuckled heartily before walking away.
A few years later, Snotlout was coming home from a long day of Dragon Training. His bones ached, his muscles ached, even his teeth ached! Gobber had them practicing combat moves all day long and Astrid had taken it as an opportunity to kick his butt multiple times. She'd knocked him down so many times that Snotlout couldn't even count them all.
Taking a seat at the roughly cut wooden table, Snotlout pulled out some dried berries and munched on them. Hopefully his mom would cook up some of her famous yak chops and then he could go straight to bed. Reaching for more berries, Snotlout was about to pop them in his mouth when Spitelout came lumbering through the door.
"Boy-o! Make a good impression in Dragon Training?"
"Yeah dad of cour-"
"You'd better boy-o! Ain't no Jorgenson failing Dragon Training! You won't be able to bring home a wife if ya can't kill a dragon!"
"Okay dad," Snotlout mumbled, his eyes downcast.
"Since then, he's always been pressuring me to get a beautiful wife and have grandbabies," Snotlout muttered to himself. Hookfang looked at his rider sympathetically and nuzzled his shoulder.
"Thanks Hookie…" Snotlout snuggled into his dragon's side and promptly fell asleep.
Hours later Snotlout woke to the sound of the ocean waves lapping lazily at the sandy shore. He panicked slightly when he realized that he wasn't in his hut on Dragon's Edge but then the memories of yesterday came crashing back and the young viking remembered exactly where he was and how he got there. Oh gods, Hiccup was going to kill him when he got back! Snotlout quickly got up and went to wake up his dragon.
"Hookfang," Snotlout hissed. A grunt answered him.
"Hookfang come on! We need to get back to the Edge!" Hookfang narrowed his eyes in annoyance before getting up and allowing his rider to jump on to his back. As soon as Snotlout was in the saddle the pair took off for the Edge.
"Guys…? Hello? Where is everyone," Snotlout wondered as he and Hookfang laned in front of the club house.
"They're all out looking for you," Hiccup stated dryly as he emerged from the shadows.
"Well… shut up Hiccup!"
"Snotlout, what in the name of Thor were you doing?! You could have been killed! Dagur or Viggo could have captured you! Of all the irresponsible -"
"Look Hiccup I just had some things to work out, okay," Snotlout snapped before hopping back on Hookfang and flying away to his own hut.
"Well that was completely… wonderful," Hiccup mumbled sarcastically.
"Hiccup, there's no sign of him anywhere," Astrid announced as she and the other riders landed in front of the club house, missing Snotlout and Hookfang by a matter of seconds.
"Yeah we searched everywhere," Fishlegs added worriedly.
"Oh Snotlout's here alright. He flew in just before you guys did," Hiccup said.
"So you're just going to let him off the hook for missing drills and scaring us all half to death?" Astrid gave Hiccup one of her infamous glares.
"I'll talk to him later. He's clearly going through something and I think he needs a little time to cool down," Hiccup said.
"Or maybe you just need a woman's touch of tact," Heather chuckled.
"What?! I have tact," Hiccup yelled in mock outrage.
"Uh H, hate to break it to you but you definitely do not have.. Tact. Whatever that is," Tuffnut said. Hiccup responded with a facepalm.
"Hiccup… if you've already tried talking to Snotlout, maybe Heather and I should go," Astrid suggested.
"Okay… just be careful."
"Hiccup, he's Snotlout. It's like being threatened by a cupcake," Heather laughed.
"It's not that. We don't want him flying off like that again. With Dagur and Viggo out there… Snotlout could be captured and seriously hurt if he's not careful," Hiccup explained.
"Alright, we'll be careful," Heather promised before she and Astrid left in the direction of Snotlout's hut.
"You know H… if the group continues like this, we could become totally fractured. No bueno," Tuffnut pointed out.
"My brother's right. We Thorstons are experts in fractured groups. I remember when great Uncle -"
"Ruff, Tuff, really not helping!" Fishlegs spoke up in defense of his best friend.
"No Fishlegs, they're completely right."
"We are? Wow!" Tuffnut sounded amazed at his ability to be right at anything.
"You are. If the group becomes fractured…." Hiccup's voice trailed off sadly.
"It could take years to rebuild," Fishlegs finished Hiccup's thought.
"No bueno at all," Tuffnut exclaimed.
Knock knock knock. Snotlout opened the door of his hut to find Heather and Astrid standing there, looking concerned. Without even thinking, Snotlout gestured for them to come in. In all the time they'd been on the Edge, this was a first. Usually if Astrid showed up at his hut, it was to thoroughly kick his butt (usually for borrowing her axe to clean between Hookfang's claws). Sitting down on his bed, Snotlout stared at his boots. There was only one reason that Astrid and Heather would be in his hut, looking like someone died…
"Snotlout, what in the name of Thor is going on," Astrid demanded.
"What she means is, 'Snotlout, what's wrong?" Heather spoke in a far gentler tone.
"Right… I'm sorry, Snotlout. I'm just really worried about you," Astrid apologized.
"I…. just…" Snotlout mumbled to the floor.
"Come on Snotlout, you can tell us." Snotlout looked up, surprised by the sincerity in Astrid's tone.
"She's right, Snotlout. We really are worried about you." Heather sat down next to Snotlout, hoping to help him voice what was bothering him.
"Fine! I'm in love with….. Someone!"
"…That's what you're so upset about," Astrid asked incredulously. Snotlout looked at her with eyes that were pools of blue hurt.
"Snotlout, who is it? She must be pretty important to you if you're this worked up about it," Heather said with a glare at Astrid.
"It's… not... mtgttgkg," Snotlout muttered, his eyes returning to his boots.
"Sorry Snotlout, didn't catch that last bit," Heather said in a playful tone.
"Look, I don't want to talk about it!"
"Snotlout we're going to find out eventually," Astrid pointed out, trying to match Heather's tone. Fuck was it hard though when she had her personal thoughts about how Snotlout had been behaving in the past twenty-four hours.
"Shut up Astrid!"
"Astrid, we should probably go," Heather said. Nodding, Astrid followed her friend out the door.
"Thank Thor they're gone," Snotlout muttered as he flopped back on his bed.
"Weird about Snotlout, don't you think Astrid," Heather asked in their shared hut.
"Yeah… he's usually trying to hit on anyone and everyone. You think that if he was in love, we'd never heard the end of how amazing his girlfriend was," Astrid mused.
"Maybe his love is unrequited," Heather joked. Astrid was about to answer when there was a knock at the door. She jumped up to answer it and found Fishlegs and Hiccup standing in the entrance. She stepped aside to let them in and then returned to her bed.
"How's Snotlout," Hiccup wanted to know.
"You're not going to believe this but…" Astrid began.
"He's in love with someone," Heather finished.
"WHAT?!" Hiccup and Fishlegs yelled in unison.
"Like I said, it's pretty hard to believe," Astrid said.
"Snotlout in love… that's a strange thought…" Hiccup trailed off into silence.
"Maybe we should try to figure out who it is and… help them get together? Maybe then Snotlout would stop acting so reckless," Fishlegs suggested.
"Fishlegs are you suggesting that we help Snotlout get a girlfriend?!" Astrid was trying not to laugh.
"You know that's not a bad idea, Fishlegs! If we can help Snotlout, then hopefully we won't have to worry about him flying off and accidentally getting captured by Dagur and Viggo!" Hiccup was warming up to the idea.
"You all make excellent points but when Astrid and I went to talk to Snotlout, he was pretty insistent about not telling us who he was in love with. Plus, as much as I hate to admit it, Snotlout is a good warrior. He's not as reckless as the twins and even they've only been captured a couple of times," Heather pointed out.
"So you're saying that we should let Snotlout work this out on his own and trust him to not get captured or hurt or do anything stupid," Fishlegs asked with a look of slight disbelief.
"Yes," Heather answered.
"Hmmm.." Hiccup was pacing up and down the length of the room.
"Hiccup what are you thinking?" Astrid looked at her friend in concern.
"We should leave Snotlout to work out his own feelings but also let him know that we're here if he needs us. We're a team, remember? We all have each others' backs!" Everyone in the room nodded in agreement.
Meanwhile, Snotlout was tossing and turning in his bed. After staring at the ceiling for what felt like hours, he'd finally fallen into a fitful daze that only kind of counted as sleep. His dreams, if you could even call them that, were strange and hazy. Snotlout couldn't make out anything except the face of Fishlegs. Then he dissolved, only to be replaced by the faces of the rest of the riders. Snotlout couldn't make out what they were saying but from the way they pointed, he assumed that they were talking about him. Then the faces dissolved once more and Snotlout was left in total darkness.
Terrible Terrors were singing on the rooftops and Snotlout groaned. Why did any living creature have to be awake at the crack of dawn? Furthermore, why did anyone have to be so freaking happy at this ungodly hour?! Cursing under his breath, the viking stuffed his fingers in his ears and rolled over. Just as Snotlout was drifting back to sleep, he heard a pounding on his hut.
"Snotlout! Snotlout!" Astrid's panicked voice came through the wooden door. Instantly Snotlout hopped out of bed and jammed his helmet on his head. Pounding down the stairs, he yanked open the door to find Astrid, Hiccup, the twins, and Fishlegs looking at him with concerned faces. Snotlout's heart gave a little flutter at the way Fishlegs's bedhead framed his face but Snotlout pushed the thought away.
"What in Thor's name is going on?!"
"I was on patrol and a large fleet of Dagur's ships are heading this way," Astrid explained quickly.
" …. How large is large…?" Snotlout wondered, the color quickly draining from his face.
"Remember the last time Dagur attacked and you, Hiccup, and Fishlegs came back just in time," Tuffnut asked.
"… Yeah…"
"Double it." Tuffnut said with a look of seriousness that people didn't often see. That alone freaked Snotlout out even more, to see the group prankster looking as if someone had eaten his pet chicken.
"Alright gang! Let's get up in the air and formulate a plan! We're less vulnerable out of the range of the dragon root arrows and catapults. To your dragons!" Not that Snotlout would ever tell anyone this but he had always admired how calm Hiccup could stay, even in the face of battle against one Dagur the Deranged. Truth be told, if handling this situation was up to Snotlout, he would be fleeing the Edge in a panic.
"Oh and Snotlout?" Hiccup glanced around to make sure that they were alone before continuing.
"Y- yeah?" Snotlout glanced down at his boots, trying to stop the rush of color to his cheeks. If Hiccup had figured out how Snotlout felt about Fishlegs...
"We need you today. You and Hookfang are valuable members of our team," was all Hiccup said before hopping in the saddle and taking off to join the rest of the riders who were speeding towards Dagur's fleet. Thank fucking Thor.
"Alright Hookfang, let's go!" Snotlout jumped in the saddle before chasing after Hiccup and the rest of the dragon riders.
As soon as Snotlout pulled up to the group that was circling in the clouds above Dagur's fleet, Hiccup was already sharing his plan.
"What did I miss," Snotlout whispered to Fishlegs.
"Um… you, Hiccup, and I will be concentrating on the ships closest to Dagur. Ruffnut, Tuffnut, and Astrid will be taking out the support ships. If at all possible, we try to capture Dagur and take him back to Outcast Island," Fishlegs whispered back, looking shocked at having been spoken to in such a gentle manner.
"Everyone understand the plan," Hiccup asked.
"Yes," the rest of the riders chorused.
A single hand signal from Hiccup and the riders burst through the cloud cover. Toothless barrel rolled through a shower of green-tipped dragon root arrows and began blasting the ships. Behind him, Meatlug was spewing lava on the wenches and chains while Fishlegs yelled in anger. Gods, Snotlout could watch kind-hearted Fishlegs take on Dagur's men in a frenzy of angry justice all day long. Shaking his head, Snotlout pushed those thoughts to the back of his mind and flew into the battle with a battle cry of his own. Flying between steel chains, boulders being flung from sturdy wooden catapults, and showers of the one-hit-you're-dead poison arrows, Snotlout commanded Hookfang to set fire to as many ships as possible. Flames would catch on the wooden boats and erupt into explosions of heat, terrified screams, and Dagur's men jumping to their deaths in the freezing waters below. As amazing as Snotlout felt he and Hookfang were doing, there was just one problem. For every ship they sunk, five more seemed to appear.
"Snotlout! Look out!" Fishlegs's scream came from somewhere to the right of Snotlout but he couldn't see the other dragon rider through all the smoke and flames. The momentary distraction was enough for one of Dagur's men to get a clear shot. Snotlout heard the whistle through the air and just as he turned his head, as steel chain flashed before his eyes. Before Snotlout could react, an angry yell and a blur of brown zipped by him. For a split second the smoke cleared and what Snotlout saw, he could not believe. In flying faster than anyone had thought possible, Meatlug and Fishlegs had taken the shot for Snotlout and Hookfang. Dagur's face leered up at Snotlout before sailing away with Meatlug and Fishlegs still struggling on deck, wrapped in dragon-proof chains.
"NOOOOO!" Snotlout screamed before urging Hookfang to dive after the ship.
"Snotlout no! You can't take on Dagur's entire fleet!" Hiccup and Toothless were there in a flash, blocking Snotlout and Hookfang from chasing after the retreating ship.
"But Hiccup…." Snotlout's voice was thick with unshed tears.
"I know Snotlout. We'll get them back, I promise."
Snotlout just shook his head and flew off before anyone could see him cry. It was so unlike him and if any of the other riders saw him crying over Fishlegs…
"What in Thor's name was that all about," Astrid wondered as she watched Snotlout and Hookfang become a small speck against the cloudless blue sky.
"Yeah, what a muttonhead! He's not even going towards the Edge," Ruffnut pointed out.
"It looks like he's going towards Berk," Tuffnut added.
"Berk? Why would he be going back to Berk," Astrid wondered.
"I don't know. We just need to get back to the Edge. From there, we'll send a terror mail to Berk. While we wait for their reply, we'll work out a plan to free Meatlug and Fishlegs," Hiccup decided. The other riders nodded in agreement and started heading back towards their home.
Glancing back at the expansive skies behind him, Snotlout sighed in relief when he concluded that he wasn't being followed back to Berk. Normally the warm rays of sunlight hitting his back and the wind in his face relaxed Snotlout like almost nothing could but not today.
"Oh yak dung, I knew I should have waited until nightfall to sneak - I mean visit Berk," Snotlout whined softly. Hookfang rumbled in support.
"Good idea Hookfang! We'll wait on one of the sea stacks until it's dark enough that we can fly into Berk unnoticed! And they call Toothless the idea dragon," Snotlout chuckled. Again Hookfang gave a soft rumble and Snotlout responded by patting his dragon on the neck.
"Oh Hookfang! There! Head for that sea stack," Snotlout yelled out as Berk suddenly came into view.
The pair landed on the large sea stack that was about half a mile out from Berk's docks and lay down on the short but soft grasses that coated the wet heap of rock. Snotlout pulled out a burly cake from his saddle bag and was just settling into Hookfang's side for a long, undisturbed nap when an irritating voice interrupted him.
"Whatcha doing there Snotlout?" The viking in question opened his eyes to see none other than Gustav Larson, the captain of Astrid's auxiliary team, and his dragon Fanghook.
"Oh my Thor, Gustav! Don't you know not to interrupt people when they're napping," Snotlout snapped as he pushed himself off of Hookfang.
"Sorry Snotman but Stoic sent me to patrol the island. I need to make sure that you're not hiding Dagur somewhere to help him sneak onto the island or something!" Gustav looked immensely proud of himself.
"Hiding Dagur and -?! Gustav what in Thor's name are you - oh never mind. Just go away." Snotlout glared heavily at the younger viking who was still staring at him with that stupid little smirk.
"No can do, Snotman! Stoic sent me to protect Berk," Gustav bragged.
"He probably just said that to get rid of you for a few hours," Snotlout muttered under his breath.
"What was that, Snotman," Gustav asked cheerfully.
"Nothing. And it's SnotLOUT. Not SnotMAN!"
"Sure thing, Snotman! Now shall I bring you back to the Berk?"
"Gustav! I used to live here! I don't need to be escorted back to Berk and I am definitely not sneaking Dagur into the island," Snotlout yelled in exasperation.
"… I know Snotlout, but there hasn't been anything exciting out here for ages! Every time I try to tell the chief that, he sends me back out here to keep looking just in case. You're the first thing I've seen in hours and it's so much more fun if I pretend that you're secretly a bad guy," Gustav whined.
"Not my problem, Gustav," Snotlout snarled. Taken aback by Snotlout's extreme harshness, Gustav hopped on Fanghook and flew away without another word.
"Well Hookfang, we should probably go to Berk. With Gustav blabbing everywhere, the whole village will know we're on this sea stack within a matter of minutes," Snotlout sighed. Hookfang stretched before letting Snotlout jump on his back and then the two were off towards Berk.
When the pair landed behind Snotlout's old house, the viking breathed a sigh of relief. Sure, a couple of villagers had given him rather questioning looks but for the most part, Snotlout and his dragon were being largely ignored. Snotlout gave Hookfang a loving scratch on the snout and then signaled for his dragon to stay put. Hookfang gave Snotlout his best pleading puppy-dog eye look but obeyed nonetheless. Taking a deep breath, Snotlout gripped his axe and headed down to the blacksmith's forge, where Gobber was working.
"Snotlout! Don't sneak up on a one armed, one legged viking like that," Gobber exclaimed as he nearly dropped the axe he was polishing.
"Oh… uh sorry Gobber," Snotlout murmured, his eyes downcast.
"Sorry? I don't think I've heard you say that word since… never actually." Gobber's voice went from a quipping tone to a more thoughtful one.
"Um…."
"You know, I don't think I've ever seen you like this," Gobber continued on in that same thoughtful tone. Snotlout sucked in a breath and plucked up his courage. It was now or never.
"Gobber, you've never married."
"Aye, but what's that got to do with anything?"
"You like men, don't you." Snotlout stared at the ground as blood rushed to his cheeks. Gobber's silence answered his question.
"I… I should…. I should go," Snotlout stammered as he turned towards the door.
"You're right, you know." Snotlout turned back around and raised his gaze to meet Gobber's curious stare. For some reason his calmness broke the dam that was holding back a flood of pent up emotions.
"I'M IN LOVE WITH FISHLEGS AND - AND DAGUR CAPTURED HIM AND MEATLUG AND I…." Snotlout burst out as tears started to stream down his face. For a moment Gobber only stared in shock at the sobbing Viking but then he was pulling Snotlout into his hut that was located just below the blacksmith forge.
"W- wh- what… w- was… that for," Snotlout mumbled as he wiped the snot from his nose.
"Well I'm assuming you don't want all of Berk to hear about your feelings," Gobber stated matter of factly. Snotlout simply nodded and took a seat at Gobber's dinner table in front of the fireplace. The inside of the older man's hut was much cleaner and more organized than Snotlout would have ever expected from Gobber the Belch.
"So Dagur has Fishlegs and Meatlug and you're in love with Fishlegs. Do any of the other riders know?" Gobber wasted no time in getting right to the point.
"What, that Fishlegs and Meatlug were captured or…." Snotlout gave the blacksmith a look. Gobber responded with an even stare and Snotlout caved.
"Of course no one knows! I don't think they'd take it all that well," Snotlout groaned into his hands.
"Perhaps not but then again, they might not be bothered in the slightest." Gobber set down a bowl of steaming hot yak stew in front of his guest.
"I mean…. Astrid and Heather know that I'm… in.. well… you know. They just don't know who. I suppose it's only a matter of time before they find out," Snotlout sighed in dejected resignation.
"Then tell them. I don't think they'll take it as awfully as you imagine," Gobber smiled.
Snotlout shrugged noncommittally and fiddled with the spoon in his stew. His outburst of feelings was completely uncalled for, though considering how long he'd been keeping all his emotions pent up then maybe it was long overdue. Taking a sip of the yak stew, Snotlout smiled softly to himself as the warmth slid down his throat and into his stomach. He'd never really given it much thought before but Gobber was a good cook, even better than his own mother or Heather! Looking around the hut once more, Snotlout realized that there was a whole side of Gobber the Belch that he hadn't even known existed until half an hour ago. Maybe Gobber could help him figure out how to - No! Not helping, Snotlout! You're supposed to marry a beautiful Viking woman. Fishlegs can't happen, Snotlout scolded himself. Plus, he probably doesn't even like you back, a snide voiced quipped in the back of Snotlout's mind.
"So Snotlout, what are you going to do about all of this," Gobber asked as he sipped from his own bowl of yak stew at the opposite end of the dark wooden table.
"I don't know…"
"Even if you don't tell Fishlegs, you should go back to the Edge. They need you to help rescue him," Gobber pointed out logically. Snotlout only stared back at him.
"Look, you love him don't you? Go help him escape from Dagur. He needs you."
"I…"
"Go!" And just like that, the old Gobber was back. Deep down, Snotlout knew that the blacksmith was right. Regardless of how Fishlegs and the other riders felt, Fishlegs needed him right now. Snotlout grabbed his axe and leapt from the table. Just as he was pushing open the door, he turned back to look at Gobber.
"Thank you," was all Snotlout said before he hopped on Hookfang and the two were flying off in the direction of Dragon's Edge.
Seconds after Snotlout left there was a knock on Gobber's door. He opened it to find his best friend and the chief of Berk standing in the doorway.
"Stoick! What's going on," Gobber asked in surprise.
"Have you seen Snotlout? I just received a Terror mail from Hiccup and the other riders asking me if anyone on Berk has seen the lad," Stoick answered.
"As a matter of fact I have. He was just here a few moments ago."
"Well where is he now Gobber?" Stoick sighed in exasperation.
"Don't worry chief! He's gone back to Dragon's Edge."
"Ah, well it's getting late. Goodnight Gobber."
"Goodnight chief," Gobber smiled.
"Where in Thor's name is Snotlout?" Hiccup yelled as he paced the length of the wooden floor in the clubhouse and tried not to rip his hair out.
"I don't know Hiccup… but we've looked for him and we sent a terror mail to Berk. That's all we can do," Astrid said.
"Does anyone think it's strange that Snotlout flew away when he was in love with someone and then he flew away when Fishlegs got captured," Tuffnut broke into the conversation, only half aware of what he was saying.
"Tuff what are you saying," Hiccup asked, finally giving into the urge to yank on his shaggy brown hair.
Astrid and Heather shared a knowing look. Suddenly all the pieces of the puzzle had fallen together.
"You know what Hiccup, why don't Heather and I go with Tuffnut to um check on Snotlout," Astrid was trying so hard not to burst into laughter at Hiccup's cluelessness. As clever and empathetic as he could be, sometimes he just missed the point.
"Astrid, we don't even know where Snotlout is," Hiccup snapped. Before Astrid could call him out on his uncharacteristic harshness, Tuffnut spoke up.
"Actually I just saw him fly by on Hookfang about a minute ago."
"Tuffnut! Why didn't you say anything?!" Hiccup looked ready to scream.
Tuffnut shrugged in response.
"Hiccup, I know these past few hours have been very stressful for you - heck they've been stressful for all of us- but I don't think you're ready to go talk to Snotlout. Let Heather, Tuffnut, and me go talk to him first," Astrid said as she put a hand on Hiccup's shoulder.
"Okay you're right… I'm sorry guys, I shouldn't have taken my frustrations out on our group." Hiccup hung his head apologetically.
"Apology accepted Hiccup," Heather smiled and everyone else nodded.
"Alright guys, let's go talk to Snotlout," Astrid said as she and Tuffnut got up from their seats. Heather got up as well and followed them out the door. Within a few seconds it was just Hiccup, Ruffnut, and Toothless alone in the clubhouse.
"Hey Hiccup, wanna try out the boar pit?" Ruffnut elbowed her friend with what could only be described as an attempt at a seductive smirk.
"Oh gods…." Hiccup facepalmed.
Just as Snotlout was opening a bottle of Monstrous Nightmare gel to rub into the areas where Hookfang's saddle rubbed on his scales, there was a loud series of loud knocks at the door of his hut. Hookfang's head snapped up and he gave a low rumble. Patting his dragon on the head reassuringly, Snotlout went to the door and opened it to find Tuffnut, Astrid, and Heather all crowded in the entrance. Before Snotlout could even form words, Tuffnut pushed past him and headed straight for the table in front of the fire.
"Come sit with us young Snotlout! We have much to discuss," Tuffnut announced in a grand voice once he'd made himself comfortable.
"He's right you know," Astrid agreed as she and Heather edged past Snotlout and joined Tuffnut at the table. For a split second, Snotlout considered kicking them out of his hut but the curiosity to see what could possibly unite Heather, Astrid, and Tuffnut of all people, won out.
"Okay what in Thor's name brought the three of you - uninvited I might add - into my hut," Snotlout snapped. Oh Thor…. if they knew…
"We think that you're tired of riding Hookfang and want to ride Meatlug instead but you don't know how to tell Fishlegs that you want to trade dragons so you've been running away and trying to find a wild Gronkle so that you can abandon Hookfang and still have a dragon to ride," Tuffnut explained.
"Oh for Thor's sake….! No, Snotlout that is not what we think at all," Astrid rolled her eyes.
"Oh it's not?" Tuffnut asked in complete surprise.
"Well whatever it is, just get on with it!" Snotlout crossed his arms and glared at the other three vikings.
"Snotlout… we're not sure how to say this…." Heather began, unsure of how to word the rest of her thought.
"We think that you're in love with Fishlegs and that's why you've been acting so weird lately," Astrid finished in a whisper.
In that moment the room seemed to come to a complete standstill. Ice filled Snotlout's veins but his cheeks burned with enough heat to make a dragon jealous. The corners of his vision started to go fuzzy, his palms began to sweat profusely, and Snotlout could feel the bile in his throat working its way up into his mouth. Tears began to prick at the corners of his eyes and Snotlout felt his legs turn to yak butter. Oh gods this could not be happening!
"Woah you're in love with Fishlegs? Weird." Tuffnut's voice sounded distant and hollow, even though he was only a few feet away.
"Tuffnut! Not helping!" Snotlout turned his watery gaze to Astrid just in time to see her lightly smack Tuffnut on the back of the head.
"Snotlout come join us," Heather motioned to the empty seat next to her at the table.
"No!" And with that Snotlout stormed out the door, which he'd never bothered to close.
"You know I think it was going a lot better when we thought Snotlout was running away because he wanted to trade Hookfang for Meatlug," Tuffnut shrugged.
"Ugh someone needs to talk some sense into him! I'm getting so sick of him just walking out on us!" Astrid slammed her axe down on the table with enough force to make it rattle.
"Not to mention how draining it is on the group to be worried about Snotlout accidentally getting captured because he's wandered off without a clear head," Heather added.
"Maybe we should make Snotlout a special dinner so that he knows we're not judging him," Tuffnut suggested.
"Tuffnut, where do you even get these mutton-headed ideas," Astrid asked with an eye roll.
"Also didn't you call Snotlout weird for being in love with Fishlegs," Heather asked pointedly.
"Well sure, it is weird. Not because it's another man -I myself find them quite nice to look at- but because it's Snotlout. I mean who ever pictured him as being the type to have deep, romantic feelings for another person? Especially Fishlegs, who he's always bullied or teased just a bit too harshly" Tuffnut looked at the other riders with a casual shrug.
"Wait… are you saying that you too like men, Tuffnut?" Heather and Astrid looked shocked.
"What, are you saying that you don't?"
"Well… yes but um… we uh…." Astrid mumbled into her hands.
"We like women too. Men and women. Both. Both genders. We like both genders," Heather babbled, turning almost as red as the paint on Toothless's artificial tail.
"And since Ruffnut isn't really the dating type… you two are dating each other!" Tuffnut looked very proud to have come to this conclusion.
"Um… interesting logic Tuff, but yes," Heather said with a soft smile.
"So why not tell anyone," Tuffnut wanted to know.
"I guess for the same reasons that Snotlout didn't want to tell anyone about his feelings for Fishlegs," Astrid mused, finally able to look Tuffnut in the eyes.
"Why didn't you tell anyone that you like men, Tuffnut," Heather asked.
"Eh I figured if I ever started dating a man, then everyone would know. Until then, why bother?" Tuffnut shrugged his shoulders for the upteenth time.
"That is the most logical thing I have ever heard you say, Tuffnut," Astrid deadpanned. It was silent for a moment and then the three dragon riders exploded into laughter.
After the guffaws had faded into a thoughtful silence, Astrid voiced an idea that had been running through her head for the past couple of minutes.
"You know… since none of us are straight, perhaps we should go after Snotlout and tell him that. It might make him feel comfortable enough to actually stay at Dragon's Edge while he works through his feelings for Fishlegs."
"I agree with Astrid. It would be nice to not have to constantly worry about Snotlout running off unexpectedly." Heather stood up and pushed her chair in.
"Well I guess that settles it. Let's go find Snotlout." Astrid got up and pushed her chair in as well.
"You coming Tuff?" Heather looked at her friend who was still sitting in his chair.
"Yeah but maybe we should make this like a secret club or something! A club for non straight people where they can feel safe and supported! We could even have a rainbow as our secret club flag because rainbows make me happy and since this club is my idea, I'd be the president."
"Ugh," Astrid muttered under her breath.
"You know what Tuff? We'll talk about it later after we find Snotlout and make sure that he's okay," Heather compromised.
"Okay fine. Just shut down the Tuffnut idea farm why don't you," the viking replied without any real bite to his words.
"Alright guys, let's go! Snotlout couldn't have gotten far," Astrid exclaimed, making sure to close the door on their way out.
Standing down at the water's edge, Snotlout sadly watched the waves lazily lap the white sandy beach. Poking a stick into the thick sand, he absent-mindedly traced random figures while his thoughts wandered freely. First of all, how in the name of Thor did Heather and Astrid figure out that he was in love with Fishlegs? No, wait, scratch that. Those two women were pretty smart and just as observant as a certain someone. No, the real question was how in the name of Thor did Tuffnut figure it out?! More importantly, now that more than half of the riders knew about his secret, what was stopping them from telling Hiccup and Ruffnut? What was stopping them from telling… Fishlegs himself once he and Meatlug were rescued? A tear rolled down Snotlout's cheek and he brushed it away angrily.
"Oh hello there Snotlout," Hiccup blurted out as he stumbled into view.
"W- what are you doing here," Snotlout sniffled.
"Well to be honest Snotlout, this is where I come to think when I need time away from everyone."
"It's a very secluded beach," Snotlout agreed quietly.
"Look Snotlout, I know I've been really upset with you these past couple of days but I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for being so hard on you. You're clearly going through something and I just wanted you to know that I'm here for you." Hiccup sat down next to his cousin in the sand.
"I know," Snotlout replied in that same soft tone, still not looking up from the mindless drawings that he'd traced with his stick.
"So…." Hiccup encouraged his friend.
"I'm in love with Fishlegs." A couple of fresh tears rolled down Snotlout's cheeks.
"What was that Snotlout?" Hiccup's voice was laden with concern and understanding.
"I said I'm in love with Fishlegs," Snotlout sighed as he tried to hold back a fresh wave of tears.
"Oh Snotlout… that's all this has been about? The running away and refusing to talk to any of us about what you were going through?"
"It's not common for a man to love another man," Snotlout mumbled, staring out at the ocean.
"It doesn't matter, Snotlout! The six of us are a team! We're here for you no matter what." Hiccup's voice had a sort of firmness to it that Snotlout couldn't quite place. It was almost like loyalty…
"Plus I'm sure that Fishlegs won't be weirded out by this either," Hiccup continued.
"But Hiccup… what if he doesn't return my feelings? I'm in love with him." At this point Snotlout couldn't hold back his tears anymore.
"You'll never know until you try," Hiccup pointed out logically.
"Well first we need to get him back from Dagur - OH MY THOR WE HAVE TO GET HIM BACK FROM DAGUR!" The reality of the situation hit Snotlout like an axe to the heart and he started sobbing in earnest.
"Hey it's going to be alright Snotlout. We'll get Fishlegs and Meatlug back, I promise. I have a plan." Hiccup awkwardly patted his cousin on the back.
"A- al- alright… l- let's….g- go!" Snotlout wiped his nose and jumped to his feet.
"Agreed!" Hiccup threw his head back and did the dragon call for Toothless. Within seconds the Night Fury came soaring over the tree tops and landed on the beach next to the two dragon riders.
"Hop on," Hiccup said as he offered a hand to his cousin.
"So Astrid, let me get this straight. Your plan to look for Snotlout is to actually wait in the clubhouse instead of, I don't know, looking for him," Tuffnut asked incredulously.
"Yes Tuffnut! As Heather mentioned earlier, it might be a good idea to wait here and see if Snotlout comes back. If he doesn't come back soon, then we'll actively start looking for him. Plus this will give him some time to cool off and he might be open to talking to us," Astrid answered him.
"Oh sure, listen to your girlfriend over me," Tuffnut quipped. Astrid just rolled her eyes and said nothing. The silence was broken when Tuffnut leapt to his feet and pointed to the sky.
"Hey guys I think it's Hiccup and Toothless!"
Astrid grabbed a spare spy glass that was sitting on the table and peered through it. Tuffnut was right, Hiccup and Toothless's silhouette was quickly getting larger against the sunset painted sky. And there was something else -
"He's got Snotlout with him," Astrid announced with obvious relief in her voice.
"Tuffnut, you should probably go get Ruffnut… this might be a really important conversation," Heather suggested.
"What might be a really important conversation," Ruffnut asked as she strolled through the door.
"Ruff! What are you doing here," Astrid asked.
"I'm looking for Hiccup. He disappeared after I asked him about a game of boar wrestling so I thought I might ask again later and he's not at his hut," Ruffnut explained.
"Turn around sister Nut."
"Oh! There's Hiccup! Maybe I can ask -"
"Ruffnut. Focus. Hiccup has Snotlout with him and we might be having a serious conversation," Heather interjected.
"A serious conversation about what?! Did Snotlout blow something up again?"
"Ugh," Astrid muttered, rolling her eyes.
Before Ruffnut could say anything, Hiccup, Toothless, and Snotlout landed on the deck outside of the clubhouse.
For a moment, everyone stared at each other in awkward silence. Snotlout stared at the floor, trying not to look at Ruffnut. She was the last rider who wasn't aware of his feelings and Snotlout wasn't sure how much more of this coming out crap he could take. So far everyone had been unbelievably accepting but he was still terrified of what could happen as he opened up about being in love with another man.
"Alright gang! We're going to get Fishlegs and Meatlug back! Here's the plan -" Hiccup's calm voice interrupted Snotlout's internal monologue.
"And how in the name of Thor do we know that Snotlout won't fly off the handle again?" Ruffnut's incredulous voice cut off Hiccup's.
"Well…. Uh…." Hiccup scrambled for an answer that wouldn't out his friend. Snotlout took a deep breath. Here goes nothing.
"I'm in love with Fishlegs, Ruffnut. I wasn't sure how you guys would react but now everyone knows and I haven't been banished from Dragon's Edge so…."
"So you ran away from us countless times because you love Fishlegs?! Gods what a mutton head, am I right," Ruffnut laughed. Snotlout opened his mouth to snap at her but for once decided against it. Now was not the time. They needed to save Fishlegs and Meatlug!
"Alright now that we've gotten that cleared up, Hiccup, what's our plan," Astrid asked as she laced her fingers with Heather's.
"Dagur was heading north when we - wait, Astrid? Heather?" Hiccup's eyes fell to their intertwined hands and his grin faltered.
"Oh um… we…." Heather started to explain as she and Astrid turned bright red.
"Nevermind that! We need to save Fishlegs, remember?!" Snotlout looked impatiently at his cousin.
"Yes…. yes! Arlight! Um, let's go! Dagur was, um, headed north when Fishlegs and Meatlug got, uh, captured. There's a couple of Hunter ports in the direction so… um… we fly to them," Hiccup stumbled through explaining the plan as he tried to keep the smile on his face. Once the riders were up in the air and headed for the Hunter ports though, he allowed his mind to wander. Since when had Heather and Astrid become a thing? Sure, Hiccup knew that as kids, Astrid didn't have any feelings for him. Then, when he'd first found Toothless, she had kissed him a couple of times. Once on the cheek to thank him for the sunset ride on Toothless, and once on the lips after he'd defeated the Red Death. Of course a couple of kisses didn't signify a relationship but they'd grown so much closer since their time on Dragon's Edge. Hiccup had tried not to get his hopes up too much but the thought of being with Astrid, his best girl friend and right hand in battle, had always been in the back of his mind. But now she was with Heather… and since when did Astrid feel that she had to hide who she was attracted to from him anyway? She was one of his best friends for Thor's sake! But yet they had never talked about relationships before so maybe she didn't know she could trust him? But that was ridiculous! They had been friends for years now!
"Oh bud, it's all so mixed up," Hiccup whimpered into his dragon's ear. Toothless rumbled softly and kept flying. Sighing, Hiccup knew that his dragon was right. They had to focus on getting Fishlegs and Meatlug back from Dagur. Afterwards there would be time to worry about his feelings for Astrid and her being with Heather. For now though Hiccup needed a clear head.
"Alright gang! Approaching the first port! Stay in the cloud cover until we're directly over the island so that we have the element of surprise. Astrid, Heather, Ruff, and Tuff, you distract the hunters while Snotlout and I go find Fishlegs."
"ULTIMATE DESTRUCTION," Ruff and Tuff cackled before diving below the cloud cover.
"Not exactly what I had in mind," Hiccup grimaced.
"There goes the element of surprise." Astrid rolled her eyes.
"Come on, we'd better go save them," Heather sighed before urging Windshear to follow after Barf and Belch. Without a backwards glance, Astrid nudged Stormfly to take off after the Razorwhip and her rider. Hiccup watched them go with an odd twist in his stomach. Dragging his mind away from Astrid and her new relationship, Hiccup turned to his cousin.
"Okay Snotlout, we're going to fly around the distraction that the other riders created and see if we can find a different, less guarded way into the port. We need to be quick because -"
"Yes, the idiot twins blew our cover before we were directly over the island! Yes, yes I know! Let's go already!" And with that, Snoutlout was tearing through the clouds in the opposite direction of the twins, Astrid, and Heather. Hiccup gave Toothless a reassuring pat on the head and followed after Snotlout.
Minutes later Snotlout, Hookfang, Hiccup, and Toothless had landed on a somewhat secluded beach about half a mile away from where the other riders were drawing the hunters' fire. Quickly glancing around Hiccup spotted a cave entrance that seemed to be unguarded. Nudging Snotlout, he pointed to the cave and nodded. Before either rider could make a move, a trio of hunters popped out from behind a large boulder.
"Oh gods - SNOTLOUT LOOKOUT!" Hiccup shouted in alarm as a hunter fired an arrow at Snotlout. With a stroke of luck, he managed to knock it out of the air with his ax and hop on Hookfang in one smooth motion.
"Let's go Hookfang!" Snotlout yelled in a panic.
Toothless fired a plasma blast at the hunters, turning their flock of dragon-root arrows to dust in mid air. As the hunters reached for more arrows, Hiccup leaped into his dragon's saddle and urged him to take off into the sky to get out of range. Toothless fired one more shot as he climbed into the sky, then did a barrel roll to avoid even more arrows as other dragon hunters came running towards the new fight. As soon as Hiccup and Toothless were out of range, the pair leveled out and sped off in the direction of Snotlout and Hookfang.
"Hiccup, where do we go now?! Where are they keeping Fishlegs?! WHAT IF HE ISN'T EVEN AT THIS PORT," Snotlout started to yell hysterically as soon as Hiccup and Toothless landed beside him in the cave.
"Snotlout calm down! We'll find them! If they're not here, we'll take a guard back to the Edge and question him. Now focus! You lead the way down this tunnel and Toothless and I will cover you from behind. Signal if you see any sign of Fishlegs or Meatlug," Hiccup said firmly.
Snotlout simply nodded before continuing down the tunnel with Hookfang lighting the way. After a few minutes the group came to a fork in the tunnel. One pathway seemed to climb upwards until it disappeared into nothingness while the other continued in a rather flat line until it too disappeared into a swirl of darkness.
"Which way, which way, which way," Snotlout muttered to himself, trying to keep his emotions off his face for once. It wasn't working.
"Straight. Fishlegs and Meatlug are… well you know, so it would be much harder for the hunters to drag them up such a steep incline," Hiccup reasoned.
"Don't call my boyfriend fat, Hiccup Haddock!"
"I wasn't - wait did you say boyfriend? You guys aren't even -"
"Shut up, Hiccup!"
Rolling his eyes, Hiccup chose not to say anything as he and Toothless started following Snotlout and Hookfang down the tunnel once more. Within less than a minute the tunnel widened into a roughly carved circular room that was dimly lit with weak torches. Squinting around, Hiccup noticed that there were multiple doorways filled with criss-crossed iron bars lining the perimeter of the cave…
"Snotlout! I think we found where the hunters keep their prisoners," Hiccup whispered, trying not to do a little happy dance at the thought of being one step closer to rescuing his best friend.
"Hookfang, flame up," Snotlout commanded.
The light from Hookfang's fire showed the two dragon riders that they were indeed surrounded by cells meant for prisoners but…
"Yak dung! They're all empty," Snotlout felt tears starting to well up in his eyes. Fuck this.
"But look Snotlout! There's an exit tunnel and… wait! Listen!"
Everyone stood still as statues while Hiccup and Snotlout strained their ears. A very faint, almost undetectable whimper could be heard coming from beyond the room. The riders and their dragons crept across the dimly lit cavern towards the exit tunnel. The closer they got, the louder the whimpers became. Looking at his cousin, Hiccup raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. Definitely Fishlegs," Snotlout agreed.
Before Hiccup could get a word out about their strategy, Snotlout took off running down the tunnel. Hookfang looked at Hiccup and Toothless quizzically before plodding after his rider. Shaking his head, Hiccup gave the signal for Toothless to follow their mutton headed friends.
"ANSWER ME YOU DRAGON RIDER SCUM! WHERE IS THE DRAGON EYE?!" Dagur the Deranged stood in front of Fishlegs's cell with his hands wrapped tightly around the bars and a maniacal glint in his eyes. The younger man shrank back against his Gronkle and whimpered.
"I REPEAT, WHERE IS THE DRAGON EYE?!" Dagur shook the bars in a fit of irritated rage. Fishlegs only whimpered again and curled even tighter against his Meatlug.
"HOW DARE YOU TALK TO FISHLEGS LIKE THAT?!" Snotlout burst into the smaller, yet more brightly lit cave with his axe drawn. Pulling himself up to his full height, the dragon rider glared daggers at Dagur the Deranged and waited for the older man to make his move.
"Oh, oh well isn't this charming? I mean, Snotknuckles, I… I didn't even think you liked old Fishy here! That is, that is just," Dagur doubled over in laughter, unable to finish his sentence.
"LEAVE HIM ALONE," Snotlout bellowed as he charged full throttle at Dagur, who in his fit of laughter, was unable to see the axe swinging towards his head. A clank of metal on metal and Dagur was no longer laughing but was instead staggering to get up from where he had stumbled. An outraged cry erupted from his lips and he swung a fist towards Snotlout's jaw. Unable to block it in time, Snotlout staggered back as he weakly held up his axe. Oh gods this was going to hurt but if Dagur wanted to get to Fishlegs…
"Oh my! Trying to defend your friend Fishy here?" Dagur chuckled at the sight of Snotlout maneuvering himself between Dagur and Fishlegs's cell.
"Well Snotman, it looks like you're about to go down," Dagur crowed gleefully as he moved in for another punch.
"Not so fast Dagur!" Snotlout could have hugged Hiccup right then and there. His cousin, Toothless, and Hookfang stood at the edge of the tunnel and were all giving Dagur looks of intense hatred.
"Well… I…" Dagur chuckled nervously as he took a step back from Snotlout. Toothless bared his teeth and Dagur took off running down the other tunnel that presumably led to the center of the base.
"Duck Snotlout! Toothless, plasma blast!" Snotlout ducked just in time to avoid being roasted alive by the Night Fury's flames.
"What….. No!" Hiccup ran to the bars and grabbed them in frustration while Snotlout got up and straightened his helmet.
"Dragon proof bars? Well thank Thor we've got Hookfang's Monstrous Nightmare gel," Snotlout exclaimed.
"Thank Thor for that," Hiccup sighed in relief as Snotlout opened a bottle of the gel and poured it on the bars. Within a few seconds the bars were gone but Fishlegs and Meatlug still hadn't moved.
"Come on Fishlegs, we need to get out of here," Hiccup called out in agitation. Giving his cousin a look, Snotlout merely shook his head before padding over to where Fishlegs was still curled tightly against Meatlug.
"Hey, Fishlegs, it's me, Snotlout. Hookfang, Hiccup, Toothless, and I are here to rescue you and Meatlug," Snotlout whispered gently. Fishlegs immediately leapt up and buried Snotlout in a bone crushing hug.
"Okay, okay, can't breathe Fishlegs," Snotlout chuckled.
"Guys, celebrate later! We need to get out of here!"
The ride back through the tunnels was mildly uneventful but when the dragon riders finally burst out into the sunlight, they were greeted by a flurry of arrows and boulders raining down upon them. Hiccup and Snotlout were able to avoid the fire but Fishlegs and Meatlug weren't so lucky. A large boulder crashed into them and then they were spiraling down towards the gleeful hunters waiting below.
"NOOOOOO!"
With a dive more powerful and concentrated than any of the riders had ever seen, Hookfang and Snotlout tore through the air and momentarily disappeared in a cloud of green tipped arrows hailing down on them. A second later, against all odds, the pair emerged victorious with Hookgang clutching Meatlug in his claws. Fury blazed in Snotlout's eyes as he bellowed curse after curse at the hunters and screamed for their blood. The fire that Hookfang was pouring on Dagur's ships was nothing compared to the inferno that burned within Snotlout. With one last animalistic war cry, Snotlout and Hookfang cut through the air towards the ship where Dagur and Viggo stood awestruck on the wooden deck. There was a split second of surprise, another gut wrenching yell from Snotlout and then the ship was engulfed in flames so thick that no one saw Hookfang carry his rider away to the safety of their friends.
"Snotlout! Where's Fishlegs," Hiccup yelled as his cousin flew through the smoke rising from the sinking ships below. Snotlout didn't answer but it didn't matter. As Hookfang flew closer to the other riders everyone could see Fishlegs slumped against Snotlout's back with his arms dangling loosely around the shorter man's waist.
"Hiccup we need to get back to Dragon's Edge now," Snotlout commanded, the look of blazing fury still fresh in his eyes.
Without waiting for a response, Snotlout turned Hookfang towards Dragon's Edge and they began flying away as fast as dragon-ly possible.
"You heard the man! Let's go!" Hiccup followed after Snotlout with the other riders right on his tail.
As soon as Hiccup and the other riders had landed they raced into the clubhouse where Hookfang and Snotlout stood protectively around Fishlegs and Meatlug. Signaling to everyone to keep the dragons out of the clubhouse, Hiccup quietly walked over to where Snotlout stood. All the fight had leaked out of him and now he stood meekly in front of the man he loved, wishing that he could have done more to protect him.
"It's all my fault Hiccup! If Fishlegs hadn't taken that arrow for me…" Snotlout trailed off, his voice thick with unshed tears.
"No Snotlout! It's not your fault," Hiccup whispered back. Good gods, his cousin was being an absolute mutton head right now.
"But Hiccup…. Fishlegs is…" Tears began streaming down Snotlout's face.
"No. He's not dead, Snotlout. See?" Hiccup pointed to the faint rise and fall of Fishlegs's chest.
"But… but… he's not waking up."
"He might not wake up for a while," Astrid stated grimly as she and Heather came to stand beside Hiccup and Snotlout.
"W-what do you mean," Snotlout squeaked out as his face paled considerably.
"Well you see great uncle Kjorstad with an axe handle to head one day as a young viking," Tuffnut exclaimed as he and his sister joined the group.
"Ah yes! Great uncle Kjorstad! He spent a good few months in bed after that axe incident," Ruffnut reminisced.
"Did he ever wake up," Snotlout asked, almost not wanting to hear the answer.
"Don't remember," Tuffnut shrugged.
"Yeah we were just kids when it happened," Ruffnut added.
"Guys! Not helping. Snotlout, I'm sure that Fishlegs will wake up. We just need -" Astrid began.
"Gothi," Hiccup and Heather finished for her in unison. For a moment there was an awkward pause where the two stared at each other and Hiccup could feel his gut doing the weird twisty / clenchy thing it had started doing since he found out that his cru - friend was dating Heather.
"Right. Gothi. We can't fly Fishlegs in this condition so…" Hiccup stopped talking as he picked his brain for a plan.
"Hiccup and Toothless will fly back to Berk and fetch Gothi, as well as inform the Ingermans and Stoick about what happened. Astrid, you and Stormfly will help move Fishlegs into my hut. We'll put him in my bed, I can sleep on the floor. Ruff, Tuff, you guys will go with Heather and do a patrol of the island to make sure that Viggo and Dagur didn't double back or send any of their men after us. Oh and Hiccup? Get Gobber to come as well. He might have some ideas on how to care for Meatlug. If he doesn't, check Borg's papers or the Dragon Eye." Snotlout spoke calmly but his hands were shaking like an earthquake.
"That… is the most logical, well thought out, Hiccup -like thing I have ever heard you say," Tuffnut exclaimed in amazement, while the other riders nodded along in pure shock.
"Look, Fishlegs could die and I fucking love him, okay," Snotlout snapped.
"And he's back," Astrid whispered to Heather, who chuckled.
"You guys heard Snotlout! I'll be back with Gothi and Gobber as soon as I can," Hiccup said before departing for Berk on Toothless.
"Ruffnut, Tuffnut, let's go!" Heather hopped on Windshear and flew off. The twins exchanged a shrug before getting on their respective dragons and taking off after her.
"Alright, well that leaves just us then," Astrid smiled at Snotlout.
"Come here, let's see if we can find something to lay Fishlegs on or -" Snotlout started to say but he was cut off by Hookfang gently grasping the larger viking in his jaws. The Monstrous Nightmare looked at his rider as if to say come on now, let's move it! Nodding, Snotlout and Astrid solemnly followed Hookfang to Snotlout's hut. Once they had reached the front door, Snotlout opened it and Hoofang passed on through to the freshly made bed, where he laid the unconscious viking.
"You make your bed every morning," Astrid whispered in shock as she stared at the multi-colored quilt hanging neatly over the mattress.
"Yes! Now hush!" Snotlout fluffed the pillow before gently laying Fishlegs's head on it.
Sensing that she was not wanted, Astrid ducked out of the front door and smiled to herself as she saw Snotlout tenderly brushing Fishlegs's hair out of his eyes. For someone who had been so crude and just plain awful when they were kids, Snotlout sure did have a good heart and a soft spot for Fishlegs. It was rather sweet.
"Dad! Where's Gothi?" Hiccup was gasping for breath as he burst into his father's house.
"Why isn't she at her hut, waiting to care for the next injured viking," Stoick asked.
"No and I desperately need to find her and -" Hiccup started to babble.
"Son, what's going on?"
"Dad, Fishlegs was captured by Dagur and -"
"Aye, we already knew that."
"Fishlegs got hurt during the rescue and he won't wake up. Neither will Meatlug," Hiccup explained, trying not to cry.
"Alright son, we'd better get Gobber to come along too. I'll go find him and Gothi. You go tell the Ingermans about what happened to their son and that we'll be sending Gothi and Gobber over to the Edge to take a look at him and Meatlug," Stoick replied gravely. Hiccup nodded and turned on a dime to go search for the Ingermans.
Roughly forty-five minutes later Stoick, Gobber, Gothi, and Hiccup had reconvened in front of the great hall. The talk with Fishlegs's parents had gone about as well as Hiccup had expected; in other words it took strong scribbles from Gothi and a direct order from the chief of Berk himself to stop the Ingermans from going to visit their unconscious son. Hiccup had promised to send a terror mail for them to come visit when Gothi had given an official diagnosis. Until then there was no sense in overcrowding Snotlout's hut while the healer tried to work her magic.
"Alright guys, let's go," Hiccup called out to the group. Toothless, Thornado, and Gothi's dragon took off into the air after Toothless and began flying towards the island base.
Two hours later they landed outside of Snotlout's hut. Gobber immediately dismounted from behind Stoick and headed for the club house to check on Meatlug. Gothi quickly scrambled off of her purple hued Gronkle and pushed the door of Snotlout's hut open with her staff. Hiccup and his dad quietly trailed in behind her. Snotlout looked up in surprise and began to blush furiously as he quickly dropped Fishlegs's hand and scooted away from his crush. Gothi took no notice of this but Stoick raised an eyebrow at his son. Hiccup shrugged back, pretending not to know what was going on between his cousin and his best friend.
"Well Gothi? What's the diagnosis," Hiccup asked. In response she dumped a bag of sand on the ground and began scribbling furiously.
"I'll get Gobber," Stoick said and he returned moments later with the blacksmith.
"Ah! She says that Fishlegs is a vegetable and to stay with him day and night to make sure he doesn't decompose. A vegetable eh? Now that seems -" Gobber was cut off by Gothi whacking him with her staff.
"Oh viking! She says Fishlegs will need one of you to stay with him day and night to make sure he doesn't die," Gobber corrected himself.
"But how will they get the boy to eat and drink if he's unconscious," Stoick wondered. Gothi scribbled furiously.
"If he doesn't wake up in three days time…." Gobber couldn't finish the sentence but everyone knew what he meant to say.
"Oh gods… I can't imagine Fishlegs… not being here with us," Hiccup whispered sadly. He looked over at Snotlout who seemed to have taken the news harder than the others in the group. Feeling his cousin's gaze on him, Snotlout looked up.
"He has to wake up Hiccup. He just has to! I…."
"I know Snotlout. I know," Hiccup replied quietly.
"Gobber, what's the diagnosis for Meatlug," Stoick asked, hoping to change the subject.
"Oh she'll be fine! Should wake up in a few hours," Gobber replied cheerfully.
"But Fishlegs might not," Snotlout pointed out, a few tears rolling down his cheeks.
"Gothi, is there anything we can do to help Fishlegs while he's unconscious," Hiccup wanted to know. Scribble, scribble.
"She says that you should wet his lips with water and place a cool towel on his head if he gets a fever. Unfortunately that's about it. Keep someone with him in case he wakes up," Gobber translated.
"You mean she doesn't have any potions or hypnosis or… or anything that could wake him up," Snotlout asked frantically.
"Sorry Snotlout but you're just going to have to wait this out. We all will," Gobber replied..
"Snotlout, maybe you should go check on the other riders," Stocik suggested.
"No! I'm staying here," Snotlout replied somewhat defiantly as he scooted closer to Fishlegs and took his hand again. Stoick raised his other eyebrow at Hiccup and this time Snotlout caught the look as well.
"Chief… I'm in love with Fishlegs."
"Ah well best of luck Snotlout. We're all praying that he wakes up in time." Stoick sounded only the slightest bit shocked at Snotlout's declaration of love.
"Thank you Chief," Snotlout whispered quietly.
"Alright well we should be going. Terror mail us if you need anything or his condition changes," Stoick called out over his shoulder as he headed out the door. Gothi and Gobber followed him out. Hiccup took one last look at Snotlout and then followed his dad and the others outside as well.
"Thanks for coming dad. And Gothi and Gobber… I just… thank you," Hiccup whispered, trying not to burst into tears.
"Of course son! Fishlegs is a valuable member of Berk and your best friend. I pray to Thor that he pulls through," Stoick replied.
"He'll pull through Hiccup," Gobber said encouragingly.
"I hope so…" Hiccup glanced back at Snotlout's hut with a look of concern. Stoick, Gobber, and Gothi all followed his glance before calling out their last goodbyes before flying back to Berk.
Inside his hut, Snotlout absent-mindedly rubbed his thumb against Fishlegs's index finger. Gods he had dreamed about holding hands with his crush for months now but not like this. He wanted to be holding hands while Fishlegs smiled at him as they sat cozied up at a Bonfire, listening to Tuffnut's ridiculously lame ghost stories, or sitting in one of their huts, just talking about dragons and holding hands (Snotlout would never admit it but he could listen to Fishlegs geek out about dragons all day), or cuddling in one of their beds and holding hands… but all these fantasies involved Fishlegs being awake, not lying on his deathbed. Snotlout sniffled and tried to wipe his tears away but it was no use. They came cascading down his cheeks like a waterfall.
"Gods damn it, Fishlegs! I've been waiting to tell you how much I love you but I never imagined that it would be like this," Snotlout whimpered. Through his tears it almost seemed as though Fishlegs's lips curved into the smallest of smiles but then the moment was gone and Snotlout thought he'd imagined it in a fit of desperation.
Back in his own hut, Hiccup had been pacing back and forth for the better part of an hour. In less than forty-eight hours his entire world had been turned upside-down. First, his best friend of almost nineteen years was most likely going to die in a few days. Second, his crush of, well years was now dating another woman. It wasn't that Hiccup was weirded out by two women or two men dating, it was just that he really, really liked Astrid and now she was with someone else. Ugh, if only he had made his move sooner! But wait… what if Astrid didn't like men at all? What if she only liked other women?! Hiccup sighed. If Astrid was only into other women, he would have to accept that. Hel, even if she liked men too, she'd chosen to be with Heather and Hiccup knew he'd have to respect that. He wished he could find out more about Astrid's dating preferences but he knew that he'd most likely come off as nosy or hoping for them to break up, which would probably ruin his friendship with Astrid. Ugh, this whole thing was a mess and Hiccup wished it would just go away.
"Come on bud. We're going flying," Hiccup called out to Toothless.
Back outside the clubhouse, Heather, Ruff, and Tuff were reporting to Astrid about their patrol of the island.
"We didn't see any sign of Dagur, Viggo, or their men," Heather said.
"Thank Thor for that! We have enough to worry about without them," Astrid exclaimed in relief.
"Yeah, how's Fishlegs doing," Ruffnut wondered. Astrid took a deep breath to compose herself before answering.
"Ruffnut… Gothi was just here and she said that… that if Fishlegs doesn't wake up in three days time…"
"He'll wake up though, won't he," Tuffnut asked in a serious voice.
"It's not very likely," Astrid replied and then suddenly she was full on bawling as the reality of the situation hit her. Aside from Heather and Hiccup, Fishlegs was one of her closest friends! She'd known him since she was six years old! He couldn't die, not now!
"Oh my gods, I don't think I've ever seen Astrid cry," Tuffnut whispered to his sister in surprise.
"That's because Fishlegs is probably going to die, you muttonhead," Ruffnut snapped back.
"Right! We should go… say goodbye…" Tuffnut whispered sadly as he walked out of the clubhouse. Ruffnut followed him dejectedly and within a few seconds they were gone, leaving just Heather and Astrid in the room.
"I can't believe Dagur did this! I knew he was seriously evil but I didn't believe he'd intentionally go for a kill shot on Fishlegs and Meatlug! Then again he wiped out my entire island with no second thought. He's complete scum," Heather raged as she gripped her axe furiously.
"Heather… Fishlegs isn't….not yet," Astrid sniffled as she tried to reign in her tears. She was a warrior for Thor's sake and sobbing uncontrollably wouldn't be doing any good to anyone!
"He might as well be," Heather snapped.
"Heather…"
"I'm sorry, Astrid." Heather's voice softened as she set down her axe and pulled her girlfriend into a hug. The two stayed like that for a few minutes before Heather pulled away.
"Astrid, I have to go."
"W-what? Heather, that's completely ridiculous!" Astrid stared at her girlfriend in disbelief.
"No, not really. We all know that I'm Dagur's sister. What if I have that same…" Heather trailed off and dropped her gaze to the floor.
"Heather. You are not Dagur," Astrid spoke firmly, hoping to knock some sense into her girlfriend.
"It will be easier on everyone if I'm gone," Heather argued.
"No! Heather, please don't leave us! Don't leave… me," Astrid begged as a fresh wave of tears welled up inside of her.
"Goodbye Astrid." Heather placed a quick kiss on her ex-girlfriend's lips before mounting Windshear and becoming a distant speck against a sky so blue it hurt to look at.