Life on the Edge

Disquiet on Dragon's Edge

The day after Hiccup's poorly thought-out attempt to find Viggo, the Riders all agree to meet in the Clubhouse so he can explain what happened. Hiccup, however, has something else to take care of first.

He takes a deep breath as he stops a few feet away from Ragnar's building. The door is open so he knows Ragnar is inside, but he can't help the uneasy feeling rising in his chest.

He hasn't seen Ragnar all day- not really. Any attempts to talk to the healer and apologize have been met with stubborn silence and even avoidance.

It was a special kind of hurt to watch Ragnar turn and walk away from him.

They don't fight often and, when they do, it's over quick. They'll argue and lay out whatever the problem is (admittedly, usually with some yelling) then, once they've figured things out, apologize and move on.

This is different.

This is a cold shoulder and Ragnar barely talking to him or looking at him or touching him and...

Hiccup hates it. He hates it.

It hasn't even technically been a full day and Hiccup is more than ready to find a way to apologize and explain himself and, hopefully, get them back to where they were before- where they should be.

Hiccup looks down at the flowers in his hand. The purple oleanders are a little crushed from the journey in his saddlebag but still good for the dragon root antidote.

He's brought Ragnar flowers before. It's always something he can use in medicines or treatments, and this is no different. This is the first time he's had to use them as a sort of peace offering though- as an apology.

Hiccup takes another deep breath and steels himself. "Baldur help me," he mutters, doing his best not to let the nerves show as he knocks lightly on the doorframe and steps inside.

Ragnar automatically looks up from his work at the sound and frowns when he sees a nervous Hiccup in the doorway. "What?" he asks flatly.

With a slight wince, Hiccup holds up the flowers. "I, uh, remember how I mentioned the antidote to dragon root?" he asks awkwardly.

"You did," Ragnar says, tone carefully neutral now and making no effort to move closer or take the purple flowers. It's hard to fight the almost instinctive urge to do so, but he manages.

As soon as he lets himself get closer to Hiccup or touch him, he knows he'll forgive him.

"Well, uh, you were right, of course," Hiccup goes on. "Purple oleander. That's the final ingredient."

"Okay."

Hiccup waits for him to say anything else. When he doesn't, he sighs quietly and walks over to stand on the opposite side of the table he's working at. Ragnar still doesn't say anything. He just continues to strip rosemary off the stem.

The room is filled with tension. It's far from the usual comfortable silence between them.

Hiccup chews the inside of his cheek for a second before he decides to test the waters and see where he stands on fixing things right now. He casually rests his hand on the table- perfectly within reach for one of those gentle, healing hands to grab his own much rougher one.

His heart clenches when Ragnar glances at it then pointedly keeps working.

"Rags, I'm sorry," he says. "I'm so sorry. You have to know that."

Another moment of silence passes as Ragnar slowly sets down the plant in his hands and decides whether or not he's ready to start this conversation. He's not and he knows it, but he also knows he'll only be able to push Hiccup so far before that patented Viking stubbornness kicks in and he has no choice.