Hiccup held the newly finished saddle under his left arm, pushing out of the forge with the intention to give it to (Y/N) as soon as he found her. It was around noon, so presumably she'd be home, and so he decided to make his way towards her aunt Erica's house. He followed the familiar path, barely needing to pay attention to where he was going at this point. Instead, his focus laid upon potential places his girlfriend would be hanging out at if she wasn't home. He began to absentmindedly fiddle with the string around his middle finger which held his arm-piece in place, mind listing through (Y/N)'s favourite hiding spots.
He didn't see the villager rushing towards him until collision, a surprised noise pulled from his lips as he stumbled backwards. The saddle slipped from his grip and his eyes glanced down a second before he bent for it, apologies rushing from his mouth as he returned his gaze to the person he'd run into.
"Ah, no worries, Hiccup! Is that for the Night Fury?" The villager, a familiar face but a name not quite yet coming to Hiccup's memory, eyed the saddle which was now back in Hiccup's hold once more.
Hiccup's stomach dropped for a moment, eyes widening as the villager's words rolled through his mind again. For that second, he was scared that somehow Frostbite had been discovered, but he pushed away the worry as he reminded himself that they probably just meant Toothless. It only steadied his heartbeat slightly, but he ignored his concern to instead focus on remembering the villager's name.
"Uh, yeah it is," Hiccup paused but quickly managed to recall their name, "...Igar."
The man gave a grin, an excited gleam in his eyes and Hiccup couldn't keep himself from adding onto his side of the conversation.
"Toothless is growing out of his old one, so..." Hiccup lifted the saddle a bit for emphasis, praying that Igar didn't hear the awkward tone in his voice.
The short laugh that erupted from the villager startled Hiccup, and he furrowed his eyebrows in response, unsure of what earned the laughter.
"Alright, Hiccup.. Whatever you say." Igar chuckled again, before nodding and backing away to make his leave. Hiccup watched with confused eyes, shaking his head lightly as he worked through their conversation. He had no idea what had just happened, nor why the villager had reacted like he had. His only option was to continue making his way to (Y/N), but instead of his mind being occupied by where she might be, it was now concerned by what Igar might have meant.
---
"Hold on!"
I shouted downstairs as the sound of knocking floated up to my room. I already recognized the noise, matching it to Hiccup's usual knock. I assumed it was a tad weird to be able to know who was at the front door by how they essentially punched the wood, but it must be a side effect of hearing it often for the past several years.
I hopped on a single foot towards the staircase, pulling on my other boot before making my way down. The knocking began again a few seconds before I reached the door, and I rolled my eyes, pulling it open quickly.
"Somebody's awfully impatient," I announced as I spotted Hiccup, hand still midair before he pulled it away, giving a chuckle in reaction.
"Sorry, you were taking a while," he said with a shrug.
"Apologies for not flipping down the stairs to open the door for you." I shook my head, giving him a playful once-over before moving aside to let him in. He stepped forward, leaning down to press a kiss to my cheek before entering. I closed the door behind him, turning to watch as he wandered further into the house.
"So the weirdest thing just happened," he said once he stopped walking, spinning around to face me. I crossed my arms, raising my eyebrows in a gesture for him to explain.
"I was heading here, as you probably guessed, and all of a sudden I ran into someone. Literally ran into them, but, uh.. Do you know who Igar is?" he added, tilting his head a bit. I paused, thinking it over before I shook my head.
"Oh, um.. well, he looks like-- actually, it doesn't matter. The weird thing was the conversation. He noticed the saddle and asked if it was for 'the Night Fury'.. but he didn't even clarify Toothless. Just said 'Night Fury'. And then when I lied and said that it was for Toothless, he start laughing and acting as if he didn't believe me. As if he knew there was another Night Fury, besides Toothless. But, I mean.. That's not possible, right? How could he know?" Hiccup was rambling at this point, sounding more as if he was talking to himself rather than to me. I furrowed my eyebrows, listening to the worry seep into his voice.
"Unless Frostbite's gotten into the village recently, I don't think so," I offered. Mentioning the village brought a thought flashing into my head and I widened my eyes, pointing a finger at Hiccup.
"Oh! I just remembered, I've been meaning to ask you about something," I exclaimed.
"Ask away," Hiccup gestured a hand toward me and I nodded, taking a breath.
"Have you been getting any weird looks from people? It seemed like all day yesterday there were villagers watching me for some reason. It was a bit unnerving, honestly." I shrugged, thinking back to last night.
"I haven't noticed, but now that you've mentioned it, I'll probably be looking," he admitted with a shake of his head. I exhaled quietly, biting my bottom lip. He seemed as if he was going to continue speaking but he looked down, noticing the saddle in his hands and he raised his eyebrows.
"Oh yeah, here. I finished it." He stepped closer, holding out the saddle for me to take. I did so, admiring his handiwork.
"Thank you.. but why didn't you just put it on Frostbite?" I asked curiously, returning my eyes to his. He shrugged his shoulder.
"I thought about it but I figured you would want to do that yourself," he explained with a small smile, moving his left to the back of his neck before he began twirling a few strands of hair against his forefinger. I tilted my head, an idea popping into my head and refusing to dissipate. I closed our distance, reaching out for the strands he was messing with. His hand slowly fell away from his neck, and he watched my face with curious narrowed eyes.
"What exactly are you doing?" he asked with a gentle laugh as I spun the strands within each other.
"Making a lovely little braid," I murmured, concentrating on my fingers.
"I don't think my hair's long enough for that, (Y/N)," he said with another laugh, starting to shake his head.
"Quit moving, I almost got it," I complained, the strands slipping from my fingers.
"Sorry," he said, a bit sarcastic as a smirk played on his lips. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes and began braiding again. A few moments passed and I stared triumphantly at the complete, albeit short, braid in place of the free strands I'd been messing with just earlier.
"It's long enough," I assured him. He reached up to glide his fingers along the braid, and I worried that he'd pull it apart.
"Don't--"
"Relax, I was just checking. I can't believe you managed one." He shook his head in amused disbelief. I grinned, shrugging a shoulder with pride.
"I am talented at many things," I said teasingly.
"Like making tiny braids," he added with an eye roll.
"Exactly like that," I agreed. He huffed a laugh, the smile remaining as he reached a hand out to push lone hair behind my ear, taking a step closer so that he could lean towards me. I instinctively lifted my face up toward his, and his lips barely managed a light brush against mine when an insistent knock ripped through the silence. I jumped a bit, head snapping to look toward the door as Hiccup gave an annoyed sigh, shaking his head.
"It's probably my aunt with her hands full," I said with an apologetic tone. He just blinked, still looking a bit frustrated and I resisted a laugh as I made my way to the door, pulling it open.
The greeting faded on my tongue as I recognized someone who wasn't my aunt standing before me. Alva, a regular at the bakery who was a close friend of my aunt, was nearly bouncing on her toes as she smiled down at me.
"Um, hello?" I hoped that the surprised greeting didn't sound as rude as I felt like it had, but it didn't seem to phase Alva at all.
"Hello, (Y/N)! Is this where the Night Fury is?" she asked, eyes darting around the view she could see of my home. I paused, raising an eyebrow. She did the same thing Hiccup said that Igar had: she only pointed out 'the Night Fury'.
"...No, there's no... Uh, Hiccup," I called back, glancing toward him. He must've noticed the urgency on my face and he walked over, placing a hand lightly on my back as he stood behind.
"Hiccup! I asked around and they said you were here," Alva explained. He looked as lost as I felt.
"Uh, yeah... What did you need?" he asked, watching her carefully.
"Is it true?"
The excitement in her voice mirrored her eyes and I glanced up at Hiccup, hoping he'd understand better than I currently did.
"Is what true?" he said slowly, and I realized he knew as much as I did, which was close to absolutely nothing.
"That you found another Night Fury, o' course!" she insisted. I felt my stomach fall as soon as the words came, and I heard Hiccup's gasp.
"Wait, who even told you that?" Hiccup asked, and I noticed the way his voice held a slight tremor. I couldn't even imagine how distressed he was, what with his apparently failed intention to keep everything a secret for as long as possible.
"So it is true! Can I see it? Oh, could I have it?" she added with a hopeful exclamation. I raised an eyebrow, ready to insist that the Night Fury was claimed already, thank you very much, but Hiccup cut me off.
"I didn't.. I didn't say it was true, I just asked who told you that," he insisted. I decided to keep my thoughts to myself, and just listened.
"Well, see, I heard from Helga, who heard from Mulch, who heard from Edgar, who heard from Gobber, who heard from your dad. So it's true, yeah?" Alva somehow managed her explanation without more than a single breath and I was still trying to understand what she'd said when Hiccup's eyes narrowed.
"My dad?" he repeated in a murmur. Alva only nodded quickly before trying to peek over and between our shoulders.
"Can I meet it now?" she asked.
I looked to Hiccup, waiting for him to argue or deny or do anything but he only stood there, silently with a pensive expression. I sighed inwardly before trying to come up with an excuse.
"Sorry to ruin your day but there isn't a Night Fury, we have to... yeah, okay, have a nice day, Alva, I'll tell my aunt you said hi," I said quickly, moving to close the door.
"Okay, but consider giving me the Night Fu--"
Her plead was cut off by my door shutting, and I felt bad for a moment but Hiccup distracted me from any further worrying about her feelings. He placed a hand over his forehead, shaking his head slowly.
"I knew my dad would say something. Didn't I tell you this would happen?" he muttered.
"Maybe it wasn't him," I offered even though I knew I was probably wrong.
"Oh, come on, (Y/N). It's my dad. Nobody else knew.. Did you tell?" he added with a raised eyebrow as he gave me an accusing look.
"What? Of course not!" I said, feeling defensive at the expression he was giving.
"And I didn't tell, obviously, so who else could it have been?" he insisted, growing further and further annoyed.
"Hey, it's okay, Hiccup. Let's go check on Frostbite and maybe we'll see your dad and you can ask him about it," I tried to reassure him, rubbing my hand lightly along his upper arm. His eyes trailed from the touch to my face before he sighed, pressing his lips together for a moment before shrugging.
"Alright, I guess. Come on," he breathed, starting for the front door.
---
"I get what you meant earlier," Hiccup murmured. I glanced up, noticing a villager standing outside his home with his eyes locked on us, and I now recognized the desire in them, the expression that seemed to occupy most of the people who'd been glancing our way. Now that I was aware that they probably all already had heard about 'the Night Fury', I could finally decode the looks. They must've all shared the same idea; somehow, someway, they wanted Frostbite as their own dragon. An understandable request, but impossible nonetheless.
"The staring?" I mumbled back. Hiccup only nodded in response, avoiding the eyes of any villagers as we neared his home.
He opened the front door, ushering me inside so that he could close it as quickly as possible. He was probably worried about someone catching a glint of Frostbite.
I ran the tips of my fingers along the leather of the saddle beneath my arm while I followed Hiccup upstairs. Frostbite was curled up in the corner, and I realized Toothless must've given up on trying to move her out of it, at least for the moment. He was watching her intently from a few feet away, as if the moment she moved he'd bound over to take her spot.
"Hey, Frostbite," I murmured with a grin. Her wide pupils swept over me before she hummed a quiet croon in response, eyes landing on the saddle in my grip.
"I'm just gonna put this on you," I explained as I walked over. Her eyes narrowed, and she shook her head, wriggling her body as to maneuver herself away from me without leaving the corner. I huffed, watching her.
"Come on, Frostbite. It's only a saddle! Look at Toothless, he's completely okay with his," I tried. She only gazed at him lazily before looking back at me, no change in mood visible.
I turned my eyes onto Hiccup, who was watching with an amused smile. He shook his head at me, already knowing what I would ask and I groaned in frustration, looking back at Frostbite.
"How about we just try it out for a little bit? I'll take it off you in a couple hours and we'll try it again later," I offered. She looked as if she was considering my words, huffing through her nostrils.
"Please?" I added, resisting the urge to pout. She only rolled her eyes before turning around, offering her back to me. I grinned, glad that persuading her to do things was taking less and less effort. Perhaps she was slowly growing to trust me. The thought sent an ecstatic jolt through my heartbeat and I rushed to lean down, fiddling with the saddle until it sat upon her as comfortable as I could attempt.
She shook her shoulders a bit, before wiggling her hips and snarling quietly.
"Just for a few hours, okay? Maybe you'll get used to it," I assured her. She only huffed up at me again before raising herself onto her feet, waltzing toward Hiccup, who was sat on his bed. The second she moved, Toothless shot forward, settling into his corner with a satisfied sigh. I couldn't help the giggle that escaped at how happy he was, and I caught Frostbite's responding eye roll before she nuzzled up against Hiccup's legs. He reached down to scratch behind her ear gently and I narrowed my eyes.
"Why is she like that with you? That's not fair," I complained. He only gave me a cocky grin before shrugging.
"Well, we better get going if we want to find your dad," I piped up. I was starting to get really jealous of how easy Hiccup managed to make Frostbite trust him, and I didn't want to experience that. He ignored me for a few seconds, focused on petting Frostbite as she purred and I crossed my arms.
Toothless must've been feeling the jealousy a bit as well, because he gave a sharp growl as to call Hiccup's attention. It worked, because his rider glanced towards us quickly.
"Huh?" Hiccup said. I held back an eye roll, gesturing to the stairs.
"Your dad? We have to find him," I repeated.
"Oh, right. Let's go," he nodded, running his hand along Frostbite one last time before he walked over to me. He was totally oblivious to my current emotion, so I exhaled quietly before heading downstairs.
---
"Why hello there, Hiccup. And (Y/N)," Gobber added with a nod my way.
"Hey, Gobber. Have you seen my dad?" Hiccup asked as we reached the blacksmith.
"Ooh, too late. You just missed him, went off to help some lady with a 'household issue'," he said, making an air quotation with his hand around the last phrase. Hiccup mumbled under his breath when I began to realize something. I turned to him, leaning closer.
"Didn't they say they heard it from Gobber?" I said quietly, but the aforementioned Viking overheard me with a raised eyebrow.
"Heard what from Gobber?" he repeated, curious. I froze, glancing at Hiccup in embarrassment.
"Oh, it's nothing. Just some villagers who think we found another Night Fury. You haven't heard any of this, have you?" Hiccup asked slowly, with a raised eyebrow and feigned innocence. Gobber grew visibly nervous, fiddling with the prosthetic on his arm and petting his braids.
"Oh, hah, I've no idea what you're talkin' about... Oh dear, look at that. I should fix the thing over there, that one.." he gestured aimlessly towards the back of the forge but Hiccup shook his head.
"Come on, Gobber. I know already," Hiccup insisted.
"Knkw what? There's nothing to know," Gobber replied quickly. Hiccup only sighed loudly, crossing his arms.
"I know my dad told you."
"Okay, okay. Maybe he did, but I didn't mean to tell anyone else! It just kind of happened. Like the drinks I had that night. Total accident," Gobber babbled, waving his hand around dismissively. Hiccup started shaking his head as I raised my eyebrows.
"But it's true, isn't it? How did you manage to find another one?" Gobber asked, his voice quieter, almost in wonder.
"I don't know. It just sort of.. happened," Hiccup finally said, glancing at me. I only widened my eyes for a moment, unsure of what he wanted me to do.
"Well, if my dad comes back, tell him I want to talk to him." Hiccup nodded, obviously not wanting to expand any more.
"Alright. I am sorry, by the way. I really didn't mean to tell," Gobber said apologetically.
"Eh, it's fine, it would've came out sooner or later," Hiccup shrugged. I couldn't tell if he was just saying it so Gobber didn't feel as bad or if he was actually coming to terms with everything getting out.
With a quick farewell, I followed Hiccup back out into the village.
"So what now?" I asked as we strolled along the walkways.
"I really don't know. We can just go back to my house, I guess," he murmured. I stared at him, eyes trailing along. He seemed passive, almost tired. I didn't want to pester him any further about the Frostbite situation, so I simply nodded.
---
Upon reaching his home, we found our dragons had migrated downstairs while we were gone, and had made quite a mess in his kitchen, with pots and bowls strewn on the floor and across tables.
"What..?" Hiccup drifted off, eying the room before landing on Toothless, who had a bowl guiltily in his jaw. He dropped it instantly, and sat up straight, eyes wide in an attempt to convey innocence.
"Toothless! What did you do this for?" Hiccup said, a mild scold in his voice as he gestured to the mess. Toothless only made a questioning noise before glancing at Frostbite.
"He's so whipped," I muttered under my breath.
"What?" Hiccup glanced at me, probably didn't completely catch my sentence but I only shook my head, smiling lightly.
I headed over, starting to pick up stuff off the floor and set them on the nearby table. Meanwhile, Toothless slunk around me, calling out some noise to Frostbite before shaking his torso and yelping again. He did this so often, I wasn't even sure what it could mean, but then he decided to grab a nearby pot with his mouth and toss it up, catching it perfectly on his head. He sat up, triumphant and proud, crooning a few times. Frostbite looked as if she was trying to hide her surprise behind an eye roll, watching Toothless with a passive expression.
"Is Toothless serious?" I said, giggling in disbelief at the dragon's ridiculous attempt to seduce Frostbite.
"What?" Hiccup murmured as he stood up from collecting remaining bowls, glancing toward the two Night Furies. I watched his expression change from curiosity to amusement, and I laughed again.
"Is that how he flirts? I mean, if so, I definitely understand why she isn't reacting," I teased.
Toothless wiggled his shoulders, tilting his head up as if the pot upon his head was a crown. I held in more laughter, the absurdity almost overwhelming.
"Oh, come on, he's not that bad. Look," Hiccup said, and I heard a quiet metal sound as I turned to observe him. He was placing a pot he grabbed off the table on his head, imitating Toothless as he tilted his chin up and puffed out his chest.
"Anything?"
"Apart from the urge to smack that off your head, no."
Hiccup's eyes glanced down at me, and he raised an eyebrow.
"Harsh, much?" he muttered with a playful tone before stepping closer and leaning to press his lips to mine. Within the first second of his kiss, I felt a sharp pang of pain hit the top of my forehead and I pulled away with a surprised noise, hand reaching up to cup my head as the pot that had slid off of Hiccup's head and hit mine fell to the floor with a loud clatter.
"Hiccup!" I shouted, giving him a halfhearted glare. He laughed sharply before regaining himself, holding a hand to his chest.
"I forgot, (Y/N), I'm sorry. You're just so captivating, I can't help but ignore all the cooking utensils on my head," he assured with sarcasm laced between every syllable.
"Shut up," I muttered, rubbing lightly at the stinging spot on my forehead.
"Aw, here. I'll make it better," he teased, moving to press another kiss to my forehead. I dodged him, shaking my head insistently.
"Stay away, I don't like you," I warned.
"Oh, come on, that's a total lie," he scoffed. I bit the corner of my lip. Of course it was, but I didn't need to affirm that.
"You're insane," I settled upon replying.
"But you love it. Go on, admit it," he nodded with a smile. I felt my heart skip, but only began shaking my head again.
"Come on, (Y/N). You know I'm right," he said playfully, stepping closer. He had a dark smirk on his face, and I realized what he was planning seconds before I felt it on my sides.
"Hiccu- stop it, get off- I swear to Odi--" I managed between shrieks, trying to fight off his hands as he mercilessly tickled my waist.
"Nope, you said I'm insane, right? I don't have to listen to you," he insisted, a lopsided grin on his lips. I tried to spin out of his grip but he only continued to attack me from behind, and I felt my legs weaken from the force of my laughter.
"Seriously, Hiccup, sto- stop, please, I can't brea--the!"
I regretted ever mentioning I was ticklish, because since then (years ago!) he used it against me at the worst times. And any attempts I would make to see if he was ticklish were thwarted since, unfortunately, he was stronger than I was. He always managed to slip away a whole lot quicker than I could.
I felt his grip loosen for a moment and he finally stopped, holding me while I attempted to catch my breath.
"Only because I feel generous today," he murmured. I laughed in utter relief, still gasping for air as I steadied my breathing. I felt his chuckle, chest shaking lightly against my back. I was glad that he seemed to have forgotten about today's incidents for the time being, and I smiled against the warmth circulating in my chest.
"I love you," I murmured, casual and quiet as if I'd announced it every time the thought had previously entered my mind. But the problem was that I had never actually done that before, neither of us had. I froze, and all of a sudden I was worried I'd made a mistake, unsure of how it escaped so naturally.
"What?"
His voice was small, uncertain. Wondering if he'd misheard me, or imagined it, or anything to suggest it hadn't really happened.
I wrestled with my mind, unknowing of whether I should pretend it was a mistake or own up to it. The obvious answer made itself known rather quickly.
"I love you," I repeated, surer than before despite losing the casualness of the predecessor phrase.
I felt his hands on my waist and he spun me around slowly, and I tried to ignore the racing of my heart at having to actually face him. It was easier to say things without looking someone in the eye, even if the person was Hiccup. My Hiccup, but regardless, it was making me anxious.
I forced myself to hold his gaze, and he eyed me with a guarded expression. I waited, impatient, for some sort of reaction. Anything.