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"I was stranded on an island with only my broom!" He exclaimed, "It was a very small island. It's no wonder the Boneknapper found me again. He never forgave me for taking that treasure." At this point you decided to close your eyes and try to ignore Gobber's nagging voice, "But then from the depths of the ocean lept, a giant hammerhead whale!" You removed your arm from your face and looked at the man with disbelief. There was no way any of this happened.
"Woah!" Fishlegs exclaimed, apparently he believed this, "And the hammerhead whale ate the Boneknapper?"
Gobber grinned, "Almost- but he got away. Years later the dragon hunted me down again and chased me into the jungle!" See the first story he told today was believable, but now all of these were sounding fake, "All I had was my trusty egg beater. I carved through that thick brush as fast as a jungle cat. Still, the Boneknapper was right behind!" You groaned, and the other teens looked at you, agreeing, "I ran up the side of a volcano and courageously lept across the fiery crater." If he had just kept the stories simple they would have been believable, "Then, deep within the burning volcano, burst forth a giant hammerhead yak!"
You chuckled, imagining a hammerhead yak, "Okay, wait a minute. Now you're saying a giant hammerhead yak lept out of a fiery volcano and ate the Boneknapper?" You heard some rustling next to you as Hiccup sat down. You glanced over at him and sent him a tired smile. He chuckled lightly, reaching out and brushing some of your hair out of your face. You leaned up slightly and shifted your body before leaning your head on his thigh, looking up at him. He placed his hand on your head and stroked your hair lightly.
"Ha!" Gobber called out, "You would've thought so, wouldn't you? But the dragon got away again!" He growled, "I knew that boney scoundrel would keep coming after me! So, I set up a gauntlet of traps and waited for the beast." He started, earning another sigh from you.
"And when he was ready... he charged!" Gobber swung his hands around, "And then I ran like the wind, but the traps failed! Then, captured, I did what any brave Viking would do... I called for help!" He mimicked the voice of what sounded like a woman calling for help, "The gods must have heard my prayer. I looked up in the clouds and it was Thor!" He made an "oo" -ing noise, "He tossed a mighty thunderbolt. But he hit the ground! I thought he missed, but he told me "Wait for it!"." Gobber bellowed in a deep voice, "Then from the center of the earth, blasted forth... the hammerhead yak riding the hammerhead whale." You chuckled slightly before looking up at Hiccup who also had a smile on his face.
The children back on Berk must love Gobber's stories.
"As they ate the dragon they fell back to the earth. The whale gave me a salute as he disappeared into the ground." Gobber finished.
Fishlegs let out a woah, "The whale saluted you?" He asked, believing the story.
"Haha! Can you believe it? But the Boneknapper got away again! He found me..." Gobber started but you tuned him out only hearing Snotlout instead. You sat up and leaned against Hiccup's shoulder.
"Are you kidding? I don't believe any of this." Snotlout growled, pointing at the man.
Ruff and Tuff nodded, "You totally made everything up!" Tuffnut said.
"It's time to get out of here!"
"We need to get home!"
Tuffnut spoke up once more, "You don't even have any proof that that thing exists."
"Of course I have proof. I still have the treasure!" Gobber said, pointing at Tuffnut, he then threw the rock he was sharpening his hook with and stood up, pulling up his belt, "It's this stunning belt buckle!" He revealed a small t-shaped bone, "It was in the Viking's treasure chest. It's kept my pants up for years."
Hiccup stood up before holding his hand out for you, you took it and he pulled you up.
"It is stunning," Fishlegs said.
You felt a nudge to your back and turned around to see Astrid gesturing for you to say something.
"Ah- listen, Gobber?" You started walking toward him, "Instead of chasing down an imaginary dragon, maybe we should figure out how to get home?" You had to admit that at first, you believed in the dragon, but after all the stories it just seemed a little less real.
Gobber nodded, pointing at you, "Say no more! I hear you loud and clear. I've got a plan!" He stood up with a slight groan, "All right. Who'd like to be dragon bait?" He then pointed at Fishlegs causing everyone to gasp, and Phil the sheep to bleat.
Gobber dressed Fishlegs up to look like himself and then he tied a large ribcage to a rope and hoisted it so it hung above the boy.
"Uh, Gobber, are you sure this is safe?" Fishlegs called.
Gobber held up his thumb to measure the distance between the ribcage and the ground, "Ah- safety's overrated." He then turned back to the group of you, "Okay, here's the plan. The Boneknapper wants me, right? He comes down that trail, sees Fishlegs, thinks it's me, rushes Fishlegs, causing Phil to trip that rope, dropping that ribcage, and then we rush in and finish him off, once and for all!"
Snotlout leaned towards the twins, "It's sad when they get old."
"Gobber." Hiccup began, "You're taking this way too far, okay?" He waved his hands, "You need to face it. There is no such thing as the Boneknapper."
Gobber shook his head, "Wormsquat! Now, get into position." You let out a groan, the fact that he wasn't giving up on this pushed your buttons. He then turned around, "Way to go, Fishlegs! You're doing fine!" The group of you kneeled behind some rocks.
"No wonder the entire village thinks your crazy." Hiccup said, facing the man. You felt a soft breeze behind you and turned around, coming face to face with the Boneknapper. You reached out and quickly grabbed Hiccup's arm, at a loss for words at the creature you saw in front of you. Everyone was muttering and arguing about what was going on, but none of them were paying attention to what was currently going on.
"H-hiccup!" You stuttered as the beast grew closer.
Everyone turned towards you, "What!" They all called before going silent and hearing a rattle behind them.
"It's right behind us isn't it." Hiccup said before everyone turned around and looked up at the dragon.
It reeled its head back and spread out its wings preparing to roar. It opened its mouth and let out a tiny squeak. Gobber was right, it had no roar.
The dragon then leaned forward and Gobber called out to all of you, "Run!" He exclaimed, causing you and the other teens to start running. As soon as you all got out of the way the dragon blew fire.
"Okay, Gobber, we believe you!" Astrid called as the dragon chased you towards where Fishlegs was. It swung its tail, sending a pile of bones, and you all, flying. You looked up, seeing the ribcage drop around you guys.
"Phil!" Gobber growled. All of you shot up quickly as the dragon ran over to the ribcage. The group of you screamed as it looked into your prison before reeling back. You looked over and grabbed Hiccup, pulling him behind one of the giant ribs, your arms pressed on either side of him as the dragon shot fire. You quickly pressed yourself against the boy so the fire wouldn't touch you.
"(Y/N)!" Hiccup called, causing you to look up at him, "I know this is a really bad time, but- do you wanna be my girlfriend?" He called, trying to be heard over the fire."
You nodded quickly, "Really bad time, but yes!" As soon as you said that the dragon stopped shooting fire and crawled up onto the ribs. You quickly pulled away from Hiccup and tried to find a way to escape. You heard Fishlegs begging the dragon to stop. You glanced back over at the brown-haired boy and noticed he realized something.
"Wait. It searches for the perfect bone to build its coat of armor." He said causing your eyes to widen, the two of you shared a look before saying, "The treasure!" In sync. "Gobber! Take off your pants!" Everyone turned towards Hiccup confused.
"No!" They all yelled.
Hiccup stepped forward, 'Wait, listen to me. I think Fishlegs was right. The Boneknapper is supposed to have a roar." The boy gestured to his sternum, "But maybe he can't because the bone he needs is your belt buckle." The dragon pulled one of the ribs off of the cage.
"Gobber, please!" You called, "You have to give it back."
He stood up, shaking his head, "No way! It's mine!" The Boneknapper then reached in and grabbed Gobber's leg, "Uh-oh." He said, before exclaiming as he was pulled out of the cage.
"Give him back his bone!" Hiccup called.
Gobber was being shaken around by the dragon, "NO!" He cried.
You repeated Hiccup's phrase, "Give him back his bone!" You said, with more anger in your voice.
"NO!" Gobber yelled out once more. The dragon threw him up in the air, "No... Alright." Gobber said, finally giving in and pulling the bone from his belt, and throwing it at the dragon. It somehow landed perfectly in the missing spot as Gobber fell to the ground.
The dragon leaned forward and let out a skull-splitting roar, causing you to cover your ears. It then stopped before leaning towards Gobber and tilting its head to the side.
"Gobber!" Hiccup called out, concerned.
The blonde man stood up, making his decision, "Alright, you've got me. Make it fast." The Boneknapper let out a soft purr and nudged Gobber affectionately. As soon as the dragon touched him, Gobber's pants fell. You all groaned, looking away.
"That's gonna give me nightmares." You said, looking anywhere but at Gobber.
Astrid placed her hand on your shoulder, "Well, at least we have a ride home!" She said enthusiastically, gesturing over to the dragon that Gobber was now scratching with his hook. The dragon rolled over and wagged its tail, hitting the ground.
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The group of you were now flying back in the direction of Berk, even though you started the day thinking that the Boneknapper was fake, now you were thoroughly convinced.
"He sure seems happy to have that bone back!" Hiccup said, speaking to Gobber.
Fishlegs then decided to speak up, "Well, legend says the Boneknapper's roar is its mating call."
"Oh, that's just a myth." Gobber chuckled. As soon as he finished speaking you heard another roar behind you, "Uh-oh. Well, I think Stoick will believe me now." He chuckled.
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You and Hiccup were in the forge, you were sitting on the wooden table watching him work. He paused, turning towards you, "So... now that we are out of danger, maybe I should ask you again." He stepped towards you, standing in between your legs and lightly caressing your arm, "Will you be my girlfriend?" He asked, his voice soft as he made eye contact with you.
His slightly red face made you chuckle, "I would love to be your girlfriend, Hiccup." You said before taking his face in your hands and pressing a soft kiss to his lips.
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