Dragons, Superheroes and a Tear in Time

Hiccup: Like Breathing (Final Alternate Epilogue)

Dagur stares at me, astonished. "Oh... you called me brother."

I bow my head down slightly, giving him a sincere smile. Then he pulls my arm, still holding his, forward and wraps me in a hug. He proceeds to squeeze me to Helheim and back. "Thank you, brother." he gushes.

"Haha, you're welcome." I wheeze. He lets me go finally and steps back, a grin on his face as I double over to catch my breath.

"I won't forget this, brother." He tells me, before he turns and walks through the portal. I watch him go with a smile, bent with my hands on my knees as I try to catch my breath.

"That guy is a whole bag of weird." Sam says.

Dagur, on the grass on the other side of the portal in New Berk, turns. "Hey, 'that guy' can hear you."

Sam gives a fake smile and lifts his middle finger at Dagur. Whatever that means.

"Dude." Rhodey says as Dagur gives a confused squint. "it's no fun if he doesn't understand it."

"It's pretty fun to me," Sam shrugs. The portal closes and Dagur vanishes from sight.

I turn and face everyone, clearing my throat.

"I'd, uh, actually like to go back to my world, after all." I announce.

Toothless and I walk back up to the group after I perform a check on our gear and put on my armour. Strange is already beginning to form a portal for us. I take a slow breath in, willing courage to fill me. No matter what happens, I have to be there for my people. For funerals. For protection. For anything.

I sigh as we approach. "I hope I'm making the right call here."

"You are," Natasha says calmly from my left. "You can't run from this type of thing."

"And you can't leave them wondering about you." Steve adds from somewhere behind me and to the left. "Not everyone gets the kind of chance you're getting; to go home. A lot of people would... would kill for it."

I get the feeling he's talking about himself.

"I've spent my whole life with my people." I explain slowly, turning to face everyone. The portal slowly grows behind me. "I've never been able to imagine my life without them. Losing my father was hard enough. But my friends? Astrid? And my mum? My mum... gods, twenty years without her and then I got her back, just to lose her again? I can't... I've only known her for two years."

"Listen, think of it like this." Dr Strange says and I turn to look at him as he continues making the spell out of thin air. "I talk a lot of shit. There's a high chance that that alternate reality 'me' was lying through his teeth. Trying to get to you psychologically."

"A lot of the people we fight do the same," Peter adds.

"Yeah, it's usually because they're insecure!" Kate adds.

I let my shoulders drop. "Yeah... well, It's not like I will have anything left to lose. if I stay here I'm giving away my life with Astrid. if I go and she's... well, then it was already gone."

"That's... not the most optimistic take, but at least it's something." Steve admits. I shrug.

"Here, when those pills run out you'll probably need a few more before you're better." Pepper advises me, tossing me another container. I smile in thanks and tuck it away safely in one of Toothless' saddle compartments, where it joins the other one.

"So, can we get on with this?" Tony claps his hands together. "I'm all out of coffee."
I glance at Toothless. I'll never feel ready. "Yeah." I shrug.