Chapter 6

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By the next morning, Y/n and Liu were hesitant to even leave the room. They didn't even have too as Stoick had find them. Salem had brought Stoick to them and had kept himself in the door frame as Stoick came and sat a respectable distance away. Y/n glanced to Salem, but all Salem did was nod from his spot by the door.

Only Stoick and Salem were aware of Ares posted outside the room, counting the seconds until Stoick had to go so Odysseus could work on Liu's hand again.

"Salem told me where you guys have been and why you are here," Stoick wrung his hand together. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there to help."

Liu felt his chest ache, but it only seemed to ache more when he saw Y/n's tears. Y/n shook her head and slowly looked up to Stoick. His shoulders where sagging, his posture slacked. He was still big, but it was apparent he was making himself as less threatening as possible.

"I'm sorry we never came back," Y/n muttered. "It w-wasn't intentionally for us to be here for so long."

Liu gently rubbed Y/n hand, his eyes drifting away. Stoick only looked at them both, his chest aching for them. He could only image what they've been threw.

"It is not your fault," Stoick stated. "You needed to heal, and there is nothing wrong with doing so."

Y/n had broken down into tears. Liu held her gently as he raised his head to meet Stoick's gaze. Salem glanced to Stoick before walking into the room to comfort his sister. Liu let her go as Salem held her. Stoick could only watch remembering what Salem told him before they got here.

'Y/n doesn't do well with physical contact outside of me, Ashaw, Liu, Cherry, and Malani. Some men have done things that can't ever be reverses. Since then, it had been hard for her to let anyone near her. It took us weeks before she let us hold her again. I just ask, unless she approaches you, you keep a respectable distance.'

And so Stoick sat unable to hold the kid he helped raise. It hurt, but he respected Salem's wishes, no matter how badly he wanted to hold her close again.

"Did they ask about me?" Liu's voice was quiet. "My parents?"

Ares's glanced to the doorway, barley hearing what was said. He waited quietly for Stoick's response. As Stoick sat up slightly, his eyes shifting away as he slowly shook his head.

"They haven't spoke of you since we discovered the mountain," Stoick started. "Spitelout, however, spoke highly of you to keep you in the memories of others."

Liu chuckled lightly shaking his head. Spitelout and Snoutlout were his neighbors. Snoutlout's mother had always made him food on the nights he visited. Spitelout had aidded in training him to fight before Snoutlout. It was simply for age reasons, but because his parents like Liu so much, Snoutlout had always had a love hate relationship with Liu.

"Heh, yeah I guess that makes sense," Liu whispered. "They were more family than my actual parents."

Ares felt his chest twinge with pain as he shook his head slowly.

"Anyways, how have our frie.. uh. How have the riders been?" Liu corrected his wording.

Y/n blinked and looked to Stoick as she held Salem's arm. Salem looked over to Stoick, gentle rubbing her back. Stoick looked between them and seemed to have been reluctant to really speak about them.

"Been exploring the great beyond," Stoick started. "Freeing dragons and fighting off dragon trappers."

Liu and Y/n shared a worried look. They only hoped it was just dragon trappers. Salem noticed Ares peering around the corner gesturing silently that their time was up.

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