ikigai

(n.) a reason for being; the thing that gets you up in the morning

You could hear the footsteps coming closer as Valka was nearing the door. Unlike Stoick, she opened it slowly and when her eyes landed on your figure, they lit up instantly.

"(Y/N)! Welcome!" She greeted you with the most sweetest tone imaginable, Valka opened the door even further and took a step back, you walked in with a nod of gratitude and Crystal followed in pursuit.

"Where's Hiccup?" Valka asked with a curious tone, she peered outside and looked left and right before you stopped her.

"He went to the Great Hall with the chief." When you said that, the auburn haired woman heaved a sigh and closed the door.

"So chances are, they're probably not going to come back in a while." Valka replied and made her way to the table. The moment Valka motioned you to sit down, you felt like a complete idiot for just standing there and looking like a lost person. Not even a minute has passed and you already managed to make a fool out of yourself.

Valka went back to what she has previously been doing and that was cutting down potatoes. The fire was lit and something was already boiling in the pot. You bit your lip as the silence continued, though Valka didn't seem so fazed as she only hummed a song quietly. Crystal on the other hand, was sitting in one corner and patently observing Valka.

You were growing tense with each second and couldn't help but blurt out, "Let me help you with that!"

Valka rose a brow at your sudden reaction, but smiled nonetheless. While you took care of the cutting, Valka walked over to the pot and added a few herbs into it.

"It's nice to have a helping hand for a change." Valka commented and you bobbed your head, not knowing what to respond. The potatoes were done in minute and you dropped them in the pot, afterwards you placed a lid atop.

"Now all its left is to wait." You said whilst sitting down. Valka didn't say anything and when you glanced at her, her eyes were glued to Crystal. Her face held a woeful expression as she was lost in thought.

"So, uh, have you grown accustomed to Berk?" You asked, but Valka still didn't blink nor look away. She uttered a quiet 'yes' which was anything but believable. You huffed and were ready to confront Valka about her unconvincing lie, but she spoke again, this time staring at you instead.

"But its still...strange." Valka trailed off, her voice sounded distant and she seemed ambivalent about being here. "Its still weird to be surrounded by people instead of dragons."

"I feel like a caged bird here." Valka smiled weakly. "Back in the sanctuary I had all the freedom to do whatever I wanted, to go wherever I wanted, though its not the same with Berk."

Valka laughed in hopes to lighten up the mood, but that didn't stop the sadness that swept over you.

"But who's stopping you now? You're the cheiftess! You can do whatever you want! Just go out and fly!" You burst, but Valka only gave you a small smile.

"There are rules even a chieftess has to obey, (Y/N)." She said and you opened your mouth to ask a question, but Valka spoke again. "And people will talk."

You huffed and crossed your arms, before leaning back in the chair. "So that's what its all about, the people? They will always talk. No matter what you do."

"That's easy for you to say, dear. But I guess I'll take your suggestion into consideration."

"Please." A laugh escaped your lips.

-----

The sun was slowly disappearing and not providing anymore light, so Valka lit up the candles in the room.

The evening passed fairly quickly after getting more comfortable with Valka and talking to her wasn't so bad anymore.

Hiccup and Stoick were gone the whole day and you were on the verge of leaving. But as luck would have it, the door suddenly opened and Stoick walked in with Hiccup after him.

"Remind me again why I had to stay with you all day, dad?" Hiccup asked, boredom noticeable in his voice and it matched the indignant expression on his face. Though it quickly changed into a happy one when Hiccup's eyes locked with yours.

"Don't be grumpy like that Hiccup. One day you'll be a chief and everyday will be like this." Stoick replied and Hiccup's smile vanished as realization dawned on him. "So you better get used to it." Stoick laughed and patted his son's back.

"Alright sit down all of you, dinner is ready." Valka's voice came from behind, you turned around and found her pouring soup into a bowl.

"Smells delicious." Stoick commented as he sat down.

"That's because it is delicious." Valka laughed sweetly.

A few minutes later everyone was settled and Stoick was telling a few village gossips that have been circling around. While he and Valka were too busy discussing other things, you leaned closer to Hiccup.

"Are we going to tell them? You know about us." You asked and glanced back at the two other people in front of you. "Or maybe some other time?"

Hiccup eyed his parents for a few seconds, seemingly pondering on that thought and after a few seconds he shrugged. "Sure, the sooner the better."And with that he turned to his parents. "Mom, dad." Hiccup uttered, capturing Stoick and Valka's attention.

"We have something to tell you." Hiccup said and you anxiously bit your lip. Stoick and Valka stared with curious gazes before Stoick uttered 'go on'.

"(Y/N) and I are dating."

It seemed like an eternity as you awaited for their reactions after Hiccup said that. You have already precisely formulated every single outcome of this situation to the very last detail. From them glaring at you with a disapproving scowl or simply giving a smile of acceptance.

But what you didn't expect was...silence.

Time seemed to stop and your heart beat only accelerated. You were beginning to grow sick as the apprehension fluttered through your whole body and you found yourself having hard time breathing properly.

Though Valka and Stoick still remained silent and simply continued to eat their dinner as if nothing was spoken. You chomped down on your lips and glanced back and forth between Hiccup's parents.

"So..." Hiccup trailed off with an expectant tone, indirectly urging his parents to respond with something. You snapped your head in Valka's direction when she cracked up a smile, half of the anxiety deflated away upon seeing that, the smile was genuine and hopefully it was a good sign.

"That's wonderful Hiccup." Valka exclaimed and a soundless sigh escaped your lips. "We're happy for you two.

"Even though we particularly knew about it, but its nice that you finally came clean." Stoick added and then both him and Valka shared a laugh while you stared in disbelief.

"Wait, what?" You uttered incredulously, your lips slightly parted and eyes wide open.

"Lass, did you really think you were fooling us?" Stoick replied, his voice filled with amusement. For a moment you thought the pretending was going well, so well that nobody could suspect a thing. But you were completely wrong.

"The eyes are what reveal the most, (Y/N)." Valka began, her arms were crossed on the table and she leaned forward. "You can't hide the love in your eyes."

You let out a sheepish chuckle in response and looked down with a bashful face. You've played countless scenarios in your head, conducting the perfect replies, but now when the moment came, they all seemed to have faded away and left you speechless.

Hiccup took your hand and it made you glance at him. "See? There was nothing to be afraid of." The moment Hiccup said those words, you kicked his leg and sent him a death glare for saying that.

"Afraid? Why would you be afraid?" Stoick face twisted into an expression of disbelief and yours grew hot with embarrassment. Unable to catch their gazes, you looked away and mumbled a few incoherent words, when no reply was heard, you glanced up only to find Stoick and Valka watching you with utter bewilderment.

"Because I thought you wouldn't like me..." You repeated, your voice getting quieter with each word spoken. Valka laughed sweetly and Stoick just shook his head, a gentle smile etched on his face.

"Oh (Y/N), you're such a kind-hearted girl, why wouldn't we like you?" Valka replied softly and relief washed over you in a second.

This turned out better than I expected.

The dinner after that passed in a relatively casual manner, laughs were exchanged almost every minute and occasionally Valka and Stoick would ask questions about your relationship and some future plans.

Stoick then began to tell embarrassing stories from Hiccup's childhood, mostly filling in Valka on what she has missed these past years, but you found entertainment as well. Hiccup always interjected with a whine, pleading his dad to stop with the disdainful anecdotes, but that only made Stoick remember even more stories.

Eventually Hiccup gave up after seeing his efforts were unavailing and he was not changing his father's mind anytime soon. Most of the times he would roll his eyes when everyone burst into laughter, but a few times you caught Hiccup's lips twitch as he suppressed a smile.

After finishing the food, Valka got up and then came back with desserts in her hands, you were amazed at the magnificent presentation of the different kinds of berries on top of the cake. It was simply mouth-watering and you haven't had anything sweet in ages. So as Valka was placing the dish in front of you, you resisted every urge not to jump in and devour the food like a hungry wolf.

Being well mannered, you awaited the others to settle in and begin to eat. Just as you were about to take a bite of the lovely food, Valka asked a something which caused you to stop and stare with widen eyes.

"So, (Y/N), you never told us about your parents. Who exactly are they? We would like to meet them!" When Valka said that, your mind shut off and you were left sitting there with parted lips, spoonful of desert in front of them and a look of confusion spread on your face. Not once did you ever thought about how you would answer this question.

Obviously you can't tell your backstory this night. You can't just say 'Oh, my parents hate me, I got banished from my island and lived in the wilderness all these years' and then expect Stoick and Valka to look at you the same way. Their good assumptions about you will probably disappear in a matter of seconds.

You were thinking about what to reply and from the corner of your eye you saw Hiccup staring at you with a curious gaze and waiting for whatever you were going to reply.

"Uh...We're not in very good terms." You decided to just give in simple bits and pieces of the actual truth, that way you won't feel guilty or anything.

"Why so?" Stoick rose a brow and you bit your lip, carefully planning your next response.

"I, um, did something they considered...inexplicable." The moment those words left your lips, the mood changed drastically. You could only imagine what was going on in Valka and Stoick's head this time. Their friendly expressions were now changed into a look of concern and uneasiness.

They didn't say anything for a moment, only watched with expecting looks which was a sign to explain yourself even further. "I befriended a dragon." You added firmly.

Instantly, a flash of relief passed through their eyes. Valka and Stoick both visibly relaxed after you said that and you nodded to yourself. "At that time there was still an ongoing war between us and the dragons, so doing such thing was atrocious."

You took a sip of the water, it felt like your throat was burning so the cold liquid soothed your thirst. Your eyes shot up at Valka who asked what happened next and your breath hitched right away, the memories of that day flashed before your eyes in a second, and even though your heart was hammering hard against your chest, your face remained still.

"They-They..." You were lost for words for a moment, your mouth was left hanging open as you stared with lost eyes. You were losing your grip to reality, as if the past was pulling you back and you forcing you to relive that fateful day once more.

Then someone took ahold of your hand under the table and you glanced down to find Hiccup's fingers intertwined with yours. You gulped and looked back up.

"Uh, they didn't take it well like Berk. I wasn't able to change their minds like Hiccup did." You finally replied and finished with a soundless sigh. The talk then revolved around Hiccup and how he managed to form peace between the dragons and the humans. But then the topic of your past resurfaced when Stoick began speaking.

"If I recall correctly, you never told us where you're from." Stoick said and in an instant an internal debate formed in your mind, you were torn apart between telling the truth and facing whatever consequences or simply lying. "You just popped in Hiccup's life out of nowhere!" Stoick's laugh boomed in the house and you joined in with a sheepish chuckle.

"I'm from...Outcast island." You trailed off and watched how Stoick stopped laughing almost instantly, his whole body seemed frozen for a second as he stared back with a shocked expression. He stayed unmoving for what seemed like ages before whipping his head in Hiccup's direction and you spoke before he could say anything.

"But!" You said loudly and then continued with a quieter tone. "But, I left the island after that. That happened five years ago and never returned. I don't really consider myself an Outcast anymore." You babbled, hurriedly trying to defend yourself.

Stoick's face remained expressionless, and it was utterly terrifying when his narrowed eyes met yours. The two of you had a long staredown and you were growing tense with each passing second.

"Alright." Stoick nodded to himself, looking as if the information was finally sinking in. Then Stoick suddenly grabbed the helmet off the table, put it on his head and got up. In only a few steps he was already in front of the door.

"Dad!" Hiccup yelled after his father and got up as well, but Stoick just gave him one last look before slamming the door behind him. With a growl, Hiccup stormed out of the house and right away an argument began between him and Stoick.

It was not exceptionally loud so that the whole village could hear, but you were listening and of course you heard each and every hurtful words coming from Stoick and how Hiccup tried to prove him wrong.

"(Y/N) does not belong here!"

"Why not?!"

"She's an Outcast, Hiccup! Why do you want to be with someone from that barbaric tribe?!"

"Because I love her, dad!"

"I don't want you to be even remotely associated with anyone that has Outcast blood flowing through their veins!"

"(Y/N) is the only one that matters to me. Why don't you want me to be happy for once in my life?"

"Its not that I don't want you to be happy Hiccup, but there are better choices than this."

Unexpectedly a soft hand was placed on your arm and you glanced up to find Valka staring at you with a pitiful expression. You didn't say anything, only gently put away Valka's hand.

"But what difference does it make if she's from Outcast island? Its not like (Y/N) is a bad person!"

"Hiccup, you don't understand-"

"Okay then, explain to me dad. I have all the time in the world."

Though you didn't stay to find out. Crystal and you fled from the back door and headed straight to the Edge.

Your eyes welled up with tears you've been suppressing since the fight began. A few teardrops managed to escape and fall down on the saddle, to that Crystal immediately crooned.

"This is all my fault..." You let out an exasperated sigh and aggressively wiped the tears from your face. "If only I lied, then everything would've been good. I could've just said, 'Oh my parents are dead' and then maybe they wouldn't have asked any further questions."

Crystal emitted an irritated roar and you nodded, "You're right, I would've just trapped myself in a web of lies and they would've found out sooner or later."

You had the sudden urge to look behind and when you did, Berk was now just flashing dots in the far distance. You half expected Hiccup to be right behind but he was probably still having a heated argument with Stoick.

And that only reminded you of the things he said about you.

In the following minutes you drowned yourself into the self destructive thoughts that kept on pilling up. Though when you said them out loud, Crystal didn't hesitate to instantaneously spin around and let you slide off the saddle so you were falling down. It was her way of making you stop thinking about whatever reason.

She caught you soon after, even though you still kept thinking about the whole situation, you remained silent, not wanting to risk spilling anything that could lead into you being thrown away again. But as hours passed by, and the sun was beginning to rise from the horizon, the wind pushing against you only calmed you down bit by bit.

It was early morning when you arrived back on the Edge. You didn't expect anyone to be up in these hours, but you your surprise, Ruffnut and Astrid were in the Dome.

They spun around in your direction when Crystal landed and immediately rushed over.

"(Y/N)! How was it? Good? I knew it! See I told you so!" Ruffnut talked even before she was in a close distance, but you only gave her a weak smile.

"Something's not right." Astrid caught on quickly and Ruffnut's grin faded upon noticing as well. You heaved a sigh and sat down on the ground, the others joining you soon after.

"I never should've went to that dinner. This was a terrible idea."

"What happened?" Ruffnut asked, but her question came from one ear and exited from the other.

"I shouldn't have listened to you Ruff...Maybe things could've turned out better."

"(Y/N), what happened?" Astrid questioned more sternly, obviously growing agitated. "And where is Hiccup?" She added after not seeing him around.

"I don't know...Probably back in Berk." You shrugged your shoulders nonchalantly, gaze still fixated on the ground. Astrid and Ruffnut rose a brow at your response, but didn't say anything back, only awaited for you to continue.

"Everything was going smooth at first, you know." The girls seemed more attentive now that you began to finally talk about the subject. "We told them we're dating and Hiccup's parents took it well."

"Then what's the problem?" Ruff asked, her eyebrows furrowed together in confusion. Astrid seemed puzzled as well and they both shared a look before turning back to you.

"The topic of my parents came up-" The moment those words escaped your lips, Ruffnut gasped loudly and leaned forward.

"Did you tell them how you were banished from your island?!" She exclaimed.

"What? No!" You uttered in shock. "Thor knows what they'll think of me if I told them that."

"So you lied?" Astrid hummed, crossing her arms.

"I didn't lie, Astrid." You replied staring at the blonde with a determined look, and after that you glanced at Ruff. "Nor did I told them the truth."

The girls were obviously getting impatient so you decided to elaborate even further. "Stoick asked about my parents and I told them we're not in good terms, they asked why and I told them how I befriended a dragon and left the island when the village didn't accept me."

Ruffnut and Astrid both processed the information and nodded. "Okay so...why exactly was this dinner unsuccessful?" Astrid asked and you pursed your lips.

"Because I told them I'm from Outcast island." When you said that, Ruff and Astrid's faces softened straight away. "Stoick left the room and Hiccup went after him. And after that they had a pretty intense fight."

There was a quick moment of silence before Astrid reassuringly patted your shoulder. "I'm sorry that happened, (Y/N)." She said and you shook your head.

"Me too... I feel guilty now." Ruffnut piped in with a sheepish tone, she was shamefaced and you were quick to dismiss her.

"No, none of this is your fault, Ruff. They would've found out eventually, it was just a matter of time." You sighed and got up. "I'm exhausted. I'll take a nap, bye guys."

"(Y/N), stay. We can talk about this more." Astrid offered and was about to sit up but you stopped her.

"There's nothing left to talk about. Stoick hates me and that's final."

"Its not final. You didn't tell us how you feel about that." Astrid spoke and you didn't stop her getting up this time. Only watched her as you pondered on what to reply.

"I don't know how I feel..." You trailed off, but after looked up and seeing how Astrid and Ruffnut were staring with pitiful expressions, you knew it would be too bothersome to explain. "I just need a little time to think."

After that you walked away, there were protests of course, but nonetheless, you still managed to escape them and arrive in your hut.

You sat down on the edge of the bed and gripped the covers. You knew exactly what you were feeling and it was just a mixture of emotions all fighting for the top.

Disappointed from your heritage.

Angry for being so openly honest which lead to this commotion.

And most importantly, sad.

Sad for not being good enough in Stoick's eyes.

You laid back on the bed and desperately hoped that the sleep would consume you any time soon so you could, just for a moment, forget about everything.

-----

It was nighttime when you wake up from your deep slumber and not a minute later you heard a familiar crow. Much like a rooster in the morning, this dragon or animal always crows in exactly two in the morning. You still haven't figured out what was making that sound, but it helped you know what time it is.

A deep sigh escaped your lips as you pushed away the covers.

You slept in peace nearly the whole day, but the rest of it was just forcefully pushing yourself to get back to sleep once more and not having to think about anything, but that only ended in getting nightmares.

The last one was so terrifying that it caused you to wake up with a gasp, you spent a moment trying to calm down and convince yourself that it was just a bad dream.

Having nothing else to do, you remained laying in bed and looking around. But that proved to be a terrible idea because the room was dark and you couldn't stop imagining that something else is in there as well.

This carried on for solid five minutes until you were fed up with the fear and got up. Crystal didn't budge at all while you passed her and made your way downstairs.

You quietly opened the door and glanced up at your dragon who still hasn't moved. After exiting you were instantly greeted by the cold breeze.

Winter was approaching and the temperatures were dropping drastically. As you were walking, you couldn't help but rub your hands against your arms in order to heat up. Your clothes were no help as they didn't provide much warmth.

You hurried your pace and in a moment's time arrived right in front of Hiccup's hut. With one single push you opened the door. It creaked loudly in the quiet night and you winced as you closed it afterwards.

You carefully tiptoed up the stairs, not wanting to make any further sounds. Upon arriving at the second floor, you saw Toothless' eyes were open as he stared at you walking. The moonlight was shining directly at them, making his green eyes brighter than anything else in the room.

"Hi bud." You whispered and smiled at the dragon. But while doing so you walked on spot in the floor that creaked, you put your feet away immediately but it was too late.

Hiccup already jolted up from his bed and he had the inferno lit up and pointed at you, it was just inches away from your face and you could feel the heat radiating from it.

"Whoa Hiccup, are you really going to attack your own girlfriend?" You chuckled lightly. You were wide awake by this point but Hiccup was still too busy processing what was going on. He blinked a few times, trying to adjust to his surroundings.

"Girlfriend that creeps in my room in the middle of the night." Hiccup replied after a short while, his voice was hoarse than usual due to the sleep.

"Sorry I had a nightmare." You responded while Hiccup turned off and placed away the inferno back on the nightstand. "Do you mind if I stay here for a while?" You questioned.

"Of course not, come here." The corners of your mouth curved up in a grin when Hiccup said that and you didn't hesitate to jump in and wrap your arms around him.

You breathed in deeply, already feeling ten times safer. For a moment you thought Hiccup had fallen asleep, but then he spoke. "Are you feeling alright? You slept the whole day."

"Deliberately..." Your voice was so quiet it was barely audible, but Hiccup heard you perfectly. "If I was awake then I'd just end up overthinking."

"I'm sorry things turned out this way." Hiccup's sincere words caught you off guard and you backed away a bit to face him. You knew exactly what he was referring to.

"Don't, this is not your fault." You said reassuringly and cupped his cheek, Hiccup held your gaze for a while but then he looked away.

"I didn't think my dad would react like this." He muttered, staring at the window with empty eyes. "I mean, I know he's sort of close-minded but I didn't know it was this much."

"Uh... Are things okay between you and your dad now?" You asked worriedly and Hiccup chuckled, for a moment you thought it was a good sign until you realized that he was faking it.

"No. I just left. And I don't plan on returning any time soon." There was clear determination in Hiccup's tone and his serious face only backed up his words.

"You're joking right? Snoggletog is in a month and half, of course you're gonna go."

"Are you going to go?" Hiccup completely ignored your previous statement and asked a question of his own.

"I don't know...But you're the chief's son! You have to be there." You countered, straightening up and resting your head in your palm. You rolled your eyes at Hiccup who mimicked your actions.

"Says who?" He asked with an arched eyebrow. While you were too busy pondering on the correct answer, Hiccup took your silence as an answer because a triumphant smile formed on his lips.

"Exactly." Hiccup said proudly and you swatted his shoulder.

"Don't you exactly me!" A giddy laugh spilled past your lips. "What I meant to say is that its an unwritten rule, Hiccup, the chief's family has to participate in the celebration. It would be disrespectful if you didn't go."

"Not as disrespectful as my dad." Hiccup scoffed and you immediately pursed your lips.

"Well...yeah." The room fell into complete silence after that. You began playing with the corners of Hiccup's hair, twisting and curling it around your finger. "But still, at least be there. You'll be with the gang and it will be alright."

"If you're coming then sure." Hiccup said and you shot him a look before going back to playing with his hair.

"Stoick will kick me out the moment he sees me stepping foot on Berk!" You burst into laughter, but stifled it in order not to wake up the whole island. What you said was meant to be a joke, but it might not be too far from the truth.

"My dad really needs to get his facts straight... But I'll take your answer as a no?"
Hiccup asked and you nodded in confirmation.

"So its gonna be just you and me." You said in a hushed tone, the corners of your lips rising up in a happy grin as you leaned forward and pecked Hiccup's lips.

You backed away only for a second before Hiccup pulled you back until there was no space between the two of you, he connected your lips together into a loving and passionate kiss.

The corners or your mouth curved up in a small smile as you cupped both sides of his face and let the lips worked their magic.

Every previous thoughts were obliterated in a matter of seconds and all of the worry vanished without a trace. You felt tranquil just by being next to the boy you love.

When you finally broke apart for air, your breaths mingled as you stared at each others eyes with soft smiles.

You took one good look at Hiccup before giggling lightly and sinking down, resting your head in the crook of his neck and breathing out.

"You know what I just thought, what if we went to our island for Snoggletog?" You suggested when that idea randomly popped in your mind.

Hiccup seemed to ponder on that thought for a quick second before shrugging.

"Its gonna be winter and probably freezing cold." Hiccup replied with an apologetic tone, as much as he didn't want to shatter your idea, he still had a point.

"Why do you have to be right all the time?" You murmured, feigning an angry tone. The two of you laughed for a minute until the laugh died down and the room fell silent again.

You didn't know how much time passed while you were pondering on the idea that was still stuck in your head. "It would be nice if we had a little hut there." You smiled at the thought, just imagining all the times Hiccup and you could go for a small vacation on the island.

You glanced at Hiccup when there was no response and found him deep asleep.

You huffed and laid back down. Yet again there was no one to talk to.

You were well rested, sleepless and now time passed excruciatingly slow.
No matter how many times you attempted to fall asleep, each time was futile.

You hated how this was a nightly struggle, but there was absolutely nothing you could do except sit in bed and wait till the sleep engulfs you.

And that's exactly what you did.

You twisted and turned but nothing helped for the first two hours, and only when the sun begun to rise did you feel the sleepiness slowly seeping through.

------

Repeated loud banging caused you to groggily open your eyes and try to locate where the sound was coming from. A voice calling out from downstairs made the task easier as you finally comprehended that it was Ruffnut who was speaking.

You squinted due to the extreme brightness in the room and heaved a sigh when the banging grew louder.

"Hiccup, go get the door." You murmured, only now feeling his hands snaked around your waist.

"You get it." Hiccup said sleepily.

"No, you."

"You're closer to the door." He said and then turned around to the other side, his back now facing you.

"Ugh, fine."

With a grunt you pushed yourself off the bed and carefully walked down the stairs, everything was a bit hazy whilst you wiped away the sleepy sand from your eyes.

A yawn escaped your lips as the door opened and revealed Astrid and Ruffnut standing outside. Their expression completely changing upon noticing that its you instead of Hiccup.

"Oh, you're actually here." Astrid said, a tad bit surprised and then glanced back at Ruffnut

"See! I told you she'd be here!" Ruff exclaimed a bit too loudly for your liking and you couldn't help but wince at her tone.

"We didn't find you in your hut and Ruff suggested you'd be here." Astrid filled you in before you could ask what was going on.

"Did you guys need me for something?" You asked and watched how Ruffnut began tugging away Astrid, who looked slightly confused.

"Nope! We'll just be on our merry way and you-" Ruff's face twisted into a smug one as she eyed you top to bottom. "You do you." She grinned and they both walked away after that, leaving you staring at them with befuddled expression.

The girls chatter echoed afterwards and then Ruffnut burst into laughter, you watched as she doubled over and wondered what could've made her laugh so much.

Nonetheless, you rubbed your eyes and just as you were about to enter the hut, someone spoke from behind.

"(Y/N)?" You spun around only to find Snotlout, who suppressed a laugh the moment he saw your state.

"Wow, you're a mess." He commented, a tinge of mockery in his tone. Your hands instantly went up to your hair to level it down while you kept your glare on the black haired boy in front of you.

"Shut up Snotlout." You sneered. Snotlout just waved you off with a chuckle and called out for the girls in front to wait up. They spared him a glance before continuing their walk, with a much slower pace.

With a grumble you walked back in Hiccup's hut and stretched your whole body, hearing the satisfying bone crack after arching your back to the fullest. With a deep exhale you stood back on your flats and ran up the stairs.

Your eyes landed on Hiccup who hasn't moved an inch since earlier.

"Hey, wake up sleepyhead." You giggled and stopped to see the designs clipped on the wall. There were new inventions you hadn't seen before and while you were skimming through them you heard Hiccup mumble an annoyed 'no'.

"Hiccup, Hiccup, Hiccup." You repeatedly said his name in hopes of wake him up, but instead Hiccup just threw a pillow in your direction. It was coming straight at you and you yelped while taking a side step to evade it.

Not a second later a startled roar emitted from behind and you saw the pillow falling down from Toothless' head.

This made Hiccup straighten up and see what happened and you stifled a laugh when Toothless looked around in confusion.

"It was him." You said pointing an accusatory finger at Hiccup who widened his eyes as the black dragon rose up.

"What? I didn't mean to hit you bud! It was meant for her!" Hiccup was suddenly awake and on his feet, desperately trying defend himself, he motioned his arms in your direction but Toothless was having none of it and only took a step closer.

You exploded with laughter when Hiccup suddenly sprinted past Toothless and down the stairs. Toothless effortlessly jumped from the second floor down to the first and he now stood right in front of Hiccup who had nowhere to go.

"Serves you right!" You exclaimed happily just before Toothless tackled Hiccup and playfully punched him. You watched as they had a friendly fight for a minute until Toothless licked Hiccup's face which made him shrink back and gently push away the dragon.

You walked past them with a bounce in your step and just before you could exit the place Hiccup spoke.

"Where are you going?" He asked curiously and craned his neck to see better since Toothless was blocking the view.

"I have to change, but I'll come again and we'll grab breakfast!" You exclaimed and with that, left the place. The walk back to your hut was quick and after changing into a more suitable attire, you headed back to Hiccup who came out of his hut just in time.

Both of you made your way to the clubhouse.

The moment you stepped in, you were greeted with the gang and... an unexpected guest.

You stared in utter bewilderment at the scene in front of you.

It looked as if Tuffnut had cloned himself because standing next to him was an exact replica of himself, as if another a third twin randomly popped out of nowhere. You could barely tell the difference between Tuffnut and the new person as the only thing setting them apart were their clothes and hairstyle.

"Hiccup! (Y/N)! You're just in time!" Tuffnut rushed over between the two of you and placed a hand around your shoulders. "Meet our wonderful cousin, Gruffnut!" Tuffnut then pointed at the stranger in the room who greeted both of you with a slight bow. But then Tuffnut pulled aside Hiccup. 

"Hey, Hiccup, can I talk to you for a second?" Tuff whispered and waited till Hiccup gave an unsure nod, after that they exited the clubhouse. That was fairly odd. You were dying to know what they were talking about, but weren't that rude to eavesdrop on their conversation. In the mean time, you focused more onto listening to whatever Gruffnut was boosting about.

"So, cuz, what have you been up to?" 

And not a minute later Tuffnut suddenly spoke out of nowhere, his voice was so loud that it startled you to the point of jumping a bit. While he walked forward to Ruffnut, you couldn't help but notice the disapproving expression Hiccup had and how he was basically glaring daggers at Tuffnut's back. 

Gruffnut casually took a seat in one of the chairs and began explaining how he had been winning gold by spear throwing competitions, you glanced over to Ruffnut who was staring at him askance. She had her arms folded across her chest and a bitter look plastered on her face.

When asked where the gold is, Gruffnut replied that he didn't have it anymore and to that Ruffnut rolled her eyes.

"What a surprise." She commented, her voice encased with thick sarcasm.

"Yep, gave it all away to the poor." Gruffnut responded calmly, shrugging his shoulders in a nonchalant manner. Either he was completely oblivious to Ruffnut's sarcasm, or he simply didn't care, Gruffnut still had a proud grin.

"Your generosity is only exceeded by your adventure-osity!" Tuffnut spoke with such adoration that you were taken aback for a moment. He was praising the guy like Thor himself was standing there. You were missing out on something, but couldn't quite figure out what exactly was it.

"I have an idea...cuz. Why not show everyone your awesome spear-throwing skills that won you all that gold that you conveniently don't have anymore?" Ruff challenged. She kicked the spear that Snotlout was leaning against since you arrived and that sent Snotlout falling to the ground. In one swift move Ruffnut was able to catch the spear and throw it to Gruff who fumbled and and struggled to catch it.

Once he had the spear tightly gripped in his hand, Gruffnut stood up confidently, pushing out his chest as he slammed the spear on the ground "I'd be happy to put on a little exhibition!" He said, but then began to stroke his arm. "Except that my arm is still injured from...that shipwreck...that darn shipwreck..."

The way he was speaking, it was almost begging for someone to ask  him to elaborate. 

And Ruffnut immediately did. "What shipwreck?" She asked and the confidence grew back on Gruffnut's face.

"Oh, I didn't mention the saving of the sinking shipload of orphans?" He effused, placing a hand on his chest as he did so. Nobody said anything and as expected, Tuffnut jumped in to fill the silence.

"No. Buried the lead, I guess. 'Cause you're so humble!" He said happily.

"The most." Gruffnut then spun on his heels to face Tuffnut. "Well, enough about me. Tuff, what have you been doing while I was out winning fortunes and saving orphans and defeating the Kraken?  

Tuffnut's face dropped even more with each achievement Gruffnut listed. Gruffnut was able to shrivel him with just a few words and it caused Tuffnut to stiffen his shoulders. It wouldn't take a genius to know what is rushing in his mind now. Perhaps he wonders that what he had done in these past years was no match to what Gruffnut has accomplished, but that is in no way the truth.

And as he pondered even more, it seemed as if Tuffnut's eyes were suddenly deprived from the cheerfulness that was previously present there, he frantically looked around the room, wondering what to brag about. And when nothing came in mind, he grabbed the last resort in his hands.

"I-I- I have a chicken!" He hopelessly uttered and you watched how Gruffnut's expression changed into a pitiful one as he tried not to laugh. From the corner Snotlout cringed audibly and all of this made Tuffnut's spirits wilt.

Thankfully Hiccup decided to step in. "Hey, Tuffnut, why don't you show Gruffnut around the base-uh...uh around your base?" Tuffnut was staring at him in disbelief, like he couldn't believe his ears that Hiccup was actually saying that. Gruffnut, on the other hand, gasped, obviously astonished at this new information. You glanced around the room seeing everyone sharing confused glances and even yourself. 

"Your base? Whoa." Gruffnut marveled. Upon seeing the surprised reaction, the happiness returned to Tuffnut and the corners of his lips rose up in a pleased grin. He pushed away Hiccup to the side and took a step closer to the very amazed Gruffnut.

"Well, it's not really my base...I just designed it, built it, run it. Come on, follow me. We'll give you the grand tour ahead." After that both of them begun to make their way out. But not before Tuffnut threw Chicken back to Ruffnut, the poor animal squawked in distress as she was tossed in air.

And with that the two were out of the room.

Now you were free to ask questions surrounding Gruffnut.

"Is it just me, or does Tuffnut practically worships the guy?" Your question was mostly directed to Ruffnut who was putting down Chicken on the ground with a growl.

"No, its true. Tuffnut's got it in his head that Gruff is some awesome and a fearless adventurer when in reality he's just a fraud." Ruffnut was speaking with such anger you've never seen before and you concluded it would be better not to ask further questions that may lead to something disastrous. You so desperately wanted to ask why she hated Gruffnut this much, but decided against it.

"Gruffnut just blows into town and before anyone can get too close, he slithers off like the snake that he is!" Everyone was listening to Ruffnut while she was talking, but all of your heads snapped at Astrid's when she shouted 'Hiccup' with a threatening tone. 

"The base belongs to Tuffnut now? What's that all about?" She asked in a more calm manner than a moment ago and everybody murmured in agreement as if suddenly remembering again.

"Come on, don't be like that. You saw how he looked." Hiccup tried to reason with everyone. "He asked me aside so it wasn't just some reckless idea." Hiccup sighed before speaking again. "Let's pretend for a day that Tuffnut owns the place, alright?" Hiccup's unsure suggestion made everyone protest and disagree, but in the end all of you decided to accept and promised to stay silent.

After that everyone went on with their usual daily errands. Hiccup and you strolled back to his hut and whilst walking there, you spotted Gruffnut and Tuffnut down at the dome. Tuffnut was demonstrating the arena roof and when he pulled the lever, it broke in his hands.

"Oh my gods- just- lets go." Hiccup grunted angrily, having seen enough. He gently tugged your hand forwards and you could tell that he was already regretting his decision, but even so you didn't suppress the snicker. You looked back at the dome to find Tuffnut worriedly looking around to find if anyone had seen him and letting a sigh of relief afterwards.

"Why did you even agree to this?" You questioned as the two of you entered the hut. Hiccup just heaved a sigh and sat on the stairs.

"I-I don't know. I guess I thought nothing would happen? But who am I kidding, this is Tuffnut we're talking about, disaster always follows." Hiccup threw his arms in air and you chuckled lightheartedly.

"Yep, who knows how much stuff he'll break in the next twenty four hours?" You jokingly asked and scooted over next to Hiccup. "It was a pretty nice gesture when you stepped in to help though, I'm sure it made Tuffnut's day."

And speak of the devil, Tuff barged into the room, startling you yet again. 

How did they get here so fast?

"And this is where I do all of my inventi-ish-iating." Tuffnut spoke, paying no attention to Hiccup nor you as he walked inside with a curious looking Gruffnut trailing behind him.

"Is that a bed over there?" Gruffnut quizzed as he pointed upwards.

"Yeah, I let Hiccup sleep in here." The moment Tuffnut said that, Hiccup looked so offended, you covered your mouth in order to stifle a laugh. "You know, to guard my inventions. Like this one!"

Tuffnut then randomly picked up a thing from the piles of stuff laying on the floor, in this case, he chose the Dragon fly.

"With this, I can really fly. Like a dragon! I'll give you a little demonstration." Tuffnut put on the invention on his back and jogged to the side, Hiccup already knowing what Tuffnut was planning to do, tried to stop him but it was too late.

Tuffnut had opened the wings and sent one going straight through the wooden wall. 

Hiccup let out an angry growl at this, but Tuffnut simply continued showing off the inventions as if nothing happened.

"This invention is my sword of fire!" Tuffnut exclaimed.

Gruffnut looked full of amazement. "That sounds magnificent! How does it work?"

"I'll show you!" Tuffnut offered and began to shake around the inferno, not knowing how it actually works. He murmured a few incoherent words to himself and everyone knew how this would end.

"No no no!" Hiccup screeched, he was on his feet ready to stop Tuffnut, but again, it was too late. 

Tuffnut managed to somehow light up the inferno and cut through the fabric covering, leaving a huge hole in it. He stared with wide eyes for a moment, before awkwardly speaking up.

"I've been...meaning to do that, actually. 'Cause I needed...better...ventilation in here. Hey! Check this out!" Tuffnut attempted to change the theme by holding up Hiccup's shield but Hiccup, who looked done with everything, walked over to Tuff before he could do any more damage to the place.

"Hey-uh, actually, would you mind if I talked to...my boss here, for a second?" Hiccup asked, leaning a bit on Tuffnut. A quick snort escaped your mouth when Hiccup referred Tuffnut as his 'boss', he was clearly going full on with the acting.

"Sure, and Tuff, don't be too hard on him. Accidents happen." Gruffnut waved dismissively. You hurriedly got up as well, not wanting to be alone with this stranger and luckily you were able to catch up with Hiccup and Tuffnut when they were just about to close the door behind them.

"It's going great, am I right?" Tuff uttered the moment all of you were outside.

"Uh, no! Look, I'm sorry, Tuff. I was trying to help you out, but this is not working." You managed to overhear what Hiccup said, you had bid your goodbyes with them a second ago and were now walking away when something unexpectedly whizzed past you with super high speed.

You jumped in surprise and turned around with furrowed eyebrows seeing Tuffnut fearfully clutching Hiccup's, now opened, shield. He sent you an apologetic smile before sheepishly handing it over to Hiccup, but you only shook your head in disbelief and continued your walk.

"My gods." You murmured to yourself while carefully stepping down the stairs.

-----

You were in the dome with Crystal when Barf and Belch landed on the ground. A few minutes ago the twins and Gruffnut had taken a short flight and now returned and while Ruffnut and Tuffnut effortlessly got off their saddles, Gruffnut seemed scared out of his wits. He was staring wide-eyed, breathing heavily and gripping the saddle for his dear life.

You chuckled silently and went back to playing with your dragon. But then Gruffnut said something that made everyone turn their heads in his direction.

"Hey, Tuff and Ruff, thanks for the dragon." Gruff tried to take off, but because Barf was without a rider, the dragon fall back down to the ground and threw off Gruffnut who groaned in pain.

"What was that? Did you just try to steal our dragon?" You watched how Ruffnut approached him, placing her hands on her hips as she stared down at Gruff with an incredulous look.

"Don't be ridiculous." Gruffnut stood up, dusting his clothes and avoiding eye-contact at any cost. 

"You said, 'Thanks for the dragon!' and then took off." Ruff accused sharply.

"Yeah? 'Cause I was making a joke!" Gruffnut immediately retorted and moved past her to Tuffnut who seemed to completely ignore what happened just a moment ago and take Gruff's side.

"Yeah, Ruff, can't you tell when it's a joke?" He said and the two boys walked away together, leaving a shocked Ruffnut behind. 

She didn't shift her gaze from them until they were out of sight and then suddenly whipped her head in your direction.

"Can you believe this?!" Ruffnut exclaimed furiously, but forced herself to calm down. "Let's keep an eye on cousin Gruffnut." 

-----

Hiccup and you were deeply concentrated while playing Maces and Talons in the clubhouse, when suddenly the doors burst open and an angry looking Ruffnut stormed in. She blamed that that Gruffnut supposedly entered Hiccup's hut on his own and all of you went to investigate.

And to your surprise, he actually was there.

The moment Ruff opened the door, light shone in the room and Gruffnut became visible. He was sneaking up on Toothless and jumped when Hiccup said 'excuse me'.

After hearing his rider's voice, Toothless straightened up and noticed the person next to him, he cornered Gruffnut right away and snarled dangerously.

"Whoa, hey!" Gruff gasped, his back hitting the wall and he had nowhere to go.

"Toothless, easy bud. It's okay." Hiccup ran up to calm down his dragon and Ruffnut rushed after him. She shouted 'gotcha' with a triumphant tone for managing to catch Gruffnut red handed.

"You sure did! I'm sorry but I just couldn't help taking a closer look at this magnificent tail device!" Gruff easily defended himself, but you weren't buying it. "Amazing workmanship, Hiccup! You know, I'm a bit of an inventor myself." Gruffnut pressed on with his lies.

"Oh, yeah right." Ruffnut countered, her words dripping with sarcasm. Before Gruff could say anything else, Tuffnut appeared in front of you holding two boars in his hands. He wobbled a bit as the animals tried to escape, but didn't let them go.

"There you are, Gruff! C'mon, I've got the boars greased, pig prime." Tuffnut grinned and a smirk played on Gruffnut's face as he clasped his hands behind his back and walked past Ruff and Hiccup.

"Sorry Hiccup, uh, another time perhaps?" He offered. Ruffnut then walked closer to the edge and Tuff glanced down at the boars, a guilty frown crossed his features.

"Huh, gee, Ruff, I only brought two boars." He said and Gruff let out a laugh.

"Yeah, you'd get 'boar-ed' just watching. Get it? 'Boar-ed?'" Ruffnut just gritted her teeth as their laughter boomed in the room until they walked out.  

-----

The next morning you were walking to the dome when you stumbled upon a very distressed Fishlegs holding rocks in both of his hands.

"Excuse me, has someone been feeding Meatlug feltzfard again? You know how it bloats her!" Fishlegs complained with a tinge of vexation in his tone. Your gaze landed on Meatlug was laying on her side, looking as if she was in deep pain.

Hiccup pursed his lips before speaking. "Looks like we need someone to take your patrol shift. Any volun-" 

"Uh, we'll do it! We'll do it." Tuffnut interjected by rising his hands upwards. 'We what' Came a confused reaction from Ruffnut standing a step behind him, but everyone turned to Snotlout when he rose his hands in a defensive position.

"Who are you, and what have you done with the real Tuffnut?" He said and the attention was brought to Tuffnut once more. He looked around with a confused expression resting on his features. 

"What- what is that supposed to mean?" Tuff finally managed to ask.

"No offense, you just don't volunteer very...well, ever." Snotlout elaborated.

"Oh, yeah! I mean, you're right. But now that, uh, that Gruffnut jerk is gone I think Ruff and I could use a little us time. Right, sis?" Tuffnut said and locked eyes with Ruffnut who had a massive grin on her face.

"You had me at 'that Gruffnut jerk.' Hey, what if Macey comes along, too?" Ruff suggested excitedly, she grabbed the said mace from the pile and offered it to Tuff. 

Now the thing that shocked you the most was that Tuffnut rejected the offer. Everybody knew how much Tuffnut loved his mace, treating it care and now to suddenly forget about that, to go to the limits of saying that Ruffnut should hold it instead, it was odd.

You were about to share your thoughts, but Tuffnut scurried off before you could utter a single word. Ruffnut swung the mace over her shoulder and stared at him with squinted eyes, obviously finding this suspicious as well.

----- 

"Don't you find it weird what Tuffnut did?" You questioned, giving Hiccup a piece of wood that he then nailed on the hole in the wall. 

"Did what?" Hiccup asked with a risen eyebrow and you rolled your eyes.

"He rejected Macey! I mea-" You were suddenly interrupted when a scream came out of nowhere. Hiccup and you both looked in the sky to find Gruffnut holding onto a Night Terror as he flew to the deck. He landed with a loud thud and a painful whine but got up immediately.

"Hiccup! (Y/N)!" Gruffnut called out and while you were too busy processing what was going on, Hiccup took a firm step and shouted a venomous 'you'.

"Yes. Me! Thanks for the ride, Peggy. C'mon, get." Gruffnut shooed away the dragon.

"What are you doing back here?" 

"Uh, I live here."

"Oh, no you don't! I don't know what you've conned Tuffnut into, but no way, Gruffnut."

"Hiccup, I'm not Gruffnut, I'm Tuffnut!" Gruffnut stated, Toothless had been circling around him and sniffing and only when he snarled did Gruffnut moved to the side.

"Yeah, sure you are. You do a very good Tuffnut impression. I think I know one of my best friends when I see him." For some reason, what Hiccup said made Gruffnut gasp loudly.

"Hiccup! We're best friends?! Really?" Gruffnut asked incredulously. "Even though I almost..." He then began listing things he that had done that lead to disasters, and they were stuff that only the real Tuffnut would know.

"Tuffnut! It really is you!" The familiar grin resurfaced on Hiccup's face, though it disappeared upon realization. "Which means that Ruffnut's out on patrol with Gruffnut pretending to be you!"

Without waiting a single second they both hopped on Toothless and flew away while you left to share what just happened.

-----

The sun was just beginning to rise when the twin's voices echoed throughout the whole island. Occasionally they decide to have a 'morning talk show', as they called it, and it made everyone lose a few hours of sleep.

Ruff and Tuff did their usual introduction with the Thunder Ear, but then announced a special guest.

"Hi-hi there." Hiccup's voice came through and your yawn came to a halt.

"What in Thor's name is he doing there?" A chuckle escaped your lips as you got up and jogged to the window. And sure enough Hiccup was there, sitting next to the twins and Chicken.

You leaned on the edges of the window and listened to Hiccup compliment the twins for their wonderful work and how they saved Gruffnut even after everything he did.

"Speaking of which, where is Gruffnut?" Hiccup questioned and a cackle from the twins followed.

"We decided he should have a real adventure for a change." Ruffnut replied and you smiled, already knowing what she meant.

You spun around and wondered how Gruffnut was holding up, being left surviving out there in the wilderness all by himself with just a spear as his protection is not an easy challenge for the untrained.

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