Fire and the Thud [Hiccup x Reader]

My Propeller

"Hiccup?"

His silent stare was tying my stomach into knots, but the vocalization seemed to snap him out of whatever trance he had been in.

"Sorry, I just.. was not expecting that," he admitted. His hand had snaked behind his neck, a common gesture of his, and he began twirling the braid between his fingers. I tried to read his expression, to understand why I was seeing some trace of uncomfortableness mixed with something I couldn't quite place. Was it really that weird for me to feel that way, after more than a decade?

"Well, you were the one insisting I 'admit it', so I did. There you go." I shrugged a shoulder, gesturing a hand out to him.

"I didn't.. I mean, you didn't have to," he trailed off, the words fading with the quieting of his voice. Desperate to change the subject and avoid his awkward gaze, I shrugged my shoulders again.

"Just forget I said anything," I suggested, trying to pull my tone up into a lighthearted one.

"No, it's fine, I'm just not used to hearing it, I guess." He waved his hand around aimlessly, as if to dismiss my remark.

"What do you mean?"

"Well it's definitely not something you hear everyday on Berk." He raised an eyebrow, and the familiar sarcastic delivery of his response made me feel better. At least he wasn't uncomfortable, or whatever it had been.

However, I did wonder for a moment about the years I hadn't been here, and the ones before. How could someone not be used to being told they were loved unless they never were told it enough? Perhaps he had gone through a rough patch in his life, or maybe I just had weird parents who had stated their adoration far too often.

"..(Y/N)?" I heard Hiccup's voice vaguely and it pulled me out of my thoughts. I turned my eyes to him, raising an eyebrow as I hummed a question.

"You were obviously out of it for a moment, but I was trying to ask about Frostbite," he teased. I tilted my head in an attempt to encourage him to repeat whatever he had asked before.

"What are we going to do with her now?"

I paused, contemplating his question. I already knew what I would do, but wasn't quite sure of whether Hiccup would agree. That alone helped me settle on voicing the exact idea I'd had.

"The village already seems to know about her, so I don't see the point in trying to hide her anymore," I said slowly, adding a shrug of my shoulder. He grew silent, and I could see from his eyes that he was strongly considering my words, before he spoke up again.

"I guess you're right."

---

"Hey, Hiccup?"

"Yeah?"

"Now that we're not hiding Frostbite, do you think we could.. I don't know, maybe you could give me Night Fury lessons or something. Seeing as your the only person who has any idea about them, obviously," I rambled, feeling strangely embarrassed to be saying it. It made me feel like I couldn't handle a simple dragon, despite past incidents proving that perhaps I really wasn't the greatest when it came to the creatures.

"Night Fury lessons?" Hiccup repeated with a slight disbelieving laugh. I narrowed my eyes in his direction, watching him as he strolled over to the staircase opening.

We had decided earlier upon bringing Frostbite over to my house, though Hiccup had still insisted on us trying to rush her as much as possible. He was rather hesitant on ceasing to hide her but had agreed upon it being the only feasible option left, and so now Frostbite was to stay with me in my room. Currently she was making her place in the corner of it, having shoved strewn clothes and a boot away to claim the spot.