Fire and the Thud [Hiccup x Reader]

Fireside

The next couple days were hectic. I didn't get to see Hiccup or any of the other teenagers aside from split second sightings in the village. It's a lot tougher than you might think to try and fall back into the routine of a village that has changed incredibly since you were last there. I was still having trouble getting used to the whole 'pests-turned-pets' situation, but I knew if this tribe could do it, I would be able to as well. Mainly I just watched from afar as villagers interacted with their own dragons. They were so affectionate to one another, it was hard to believe that these people and creatures had once had a sole purpose to kill the other. Fortunately, (or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it,) I had spent a good amount of time witnessing the fights to know they had occurred. Hell, I'd even been expected to join in on them had I not moved away. I was starting to think about how I would've been one of them if I hadn't moved, waltzing around the island with my own dragon and more. I shook the thoughts away, reminding myself that I had moved away, but now I'm back, and nothing can change what's happened.

"Flower, can you come watch this for me?" I heard my mother call from the kitchen. I nodded and moved away from the door of my aunt's house, not bothering to make sure it was shut. She was standing by the fireplace with a pot over it. I could smell an aroma of some type of soup as I neared her.

"I'll be quick. Just going to check on your aunt," she explained before stepping away. I nodded again, moving to take her spot.

My aunt Erica hadn't been doing well at all when we first arrived, but she'd been gradually worsening as the days went on. We didn't know what was wrong, she was just badly ill. She spent most of her time up in her bed, acting as if it wasn't boring to be in one place for so long.

I hummed softly to myself, staring intensely at the soup. It was bubbling calmly, and I squinted my eyes, willing it to explode or something. It didn't, so I sighed and crossed my arms, letting my gaze drift around the house. Something caught my eye from the direction of the door, and I turned my head to look more closely. I could see a few villagers talking outside one of their homes, and caught sight of another one walking while holding something in the distance. I tilted my head as they continued walking and almost gasped when I recognized the tall boy. Hiccup was holding some sort of covered bowl in his hands, his eyes focused on it as if he didn't want to spill it. Knowing him, he'd probably manage to drop it within seconds of becoming distracted.

I moved forward from the fireplace a couple steps, trying to figure out where he was headed. This was probably some level of creepy, but I was deprived of socialization at the moment and stuck to watch a pot of soup boil. I'm sure I'd be forgiven. My random train of thought stopped when I noticed that he was headed in the direction of my aunt's house. He was definitely going to pass by, at least. I fiddled with my right armband, biting my lip. Do I stand here, or should I go close the door? If I tried to do that, he'd definitely see me closing it and not saying hi and that would be really rude, but if I didn't close it he'd definitely see me standing here next to a pot and just watching him, which would be even weirder--

I didn't manage to decide upon anything because at that moment he had started walking up to the door and I froze, probably looking ridiculous standing halfway from the door and the fireplace.

"Hey, (Y/N)," he called, giving me a smile. I opened my mouth to reply, my hand moving up to wave when I heard a sudden odd noise from behind me. Hiccup's eyes darted in its direction and I turned, catching sight of the soup I was meant to be watching bubbling up over the sides of the pot and dripping to the ground. I swore, rushing over and grabbing the nearest cloth, pulling it up and away from the fire. Slightly panicking and completely embarrassed, I set it down on a nearby table and dropped the cloth, looking back up to Hiccup. He was trying to hide his laughter but it must have been difficult with no free hands to cover your face.