Found again (HTTYD FF)

★28★

Hiccup's fingers tingled with nervousness. What the hell am I doing? I've spent my whole life trying to hide from the world and now I'm just marching into a village that just a few days ago was killing dragons for fun? I must be crazy!

He took a deep breath before stepping out of the hiding place provided by the trees and their shadows. He was tempted to turn around and crawl back to where no one would ever find him again, but he continued on. Toothless walked at his side and Astrid and Stormfly followed right behind.

He was definitely going crazy.

I can do this, I can do this, I can do this, he told himself over and over. His eyes darted between all the Vikings who were close enough to notice them and began to turn curiously in their direction. He tried to ignore their stares. To ignore the rush of questions from all the gathering dragons, to ignore the curious looks from all the eyes.

He was grateful to Toothless as he growled at them all without a word, scaring them away. The Night Fury was the most feared not only among the Vikings, but among the dragons as well. Hiccup and Toothless hadn't figured out why that was, yet.

He slowed down and let Astrid take the lead, he wasn't comfortable going first in all the attention. He lowered his gaze to the ground, trying to force out the uncomfortable stares.

The nervousness in him grew with every step. With each step, the place where his parents were, long since resigned to his death, drew nearer. Parents who probably didn't expect him to return, who didn't expect any of what was to come. His heart was beating as fast as a hummingbird's wings flutter in flight, his breath hitching in his lungs. Anxiety crept over him.

Astrid knocked on the door in front of them. Hiccup unconsciously held his breath. He focused with all his senses on the sounds from inside. There were two pairs of footsteps: one light and almost inaudible even to his acute hearing, almost like the footsteps of a dragon, the other heavy and thunderous.

The door opened. Inside stood two painfully familiar and strange figures.

He almost didn't hear when Astrid ordered everyone in, almost didn't feel when she gently nudged him. Toothless followed right behind them, watching everyone warily.

Hiccup took a deep breath. It wasn't nervousness that made him wrap his tail around his leg, it wasn't uncertainty that made him avoid looking at his parents; it was fear. Fear of everything that might come. He might be able to defend himself from a dragon, but he couldn't defend himself from disappointment if they rejected him. From the disappointment on their faces when it all became clear, when everyone present truly accepted the truth. Would they be able to accept him, even though he was no longer even remotely human?

He resolved to lift his gaze to them, to his parents. He looked around discreetly, without moving his head. He recognized the house. It may have looked a little different, but its atmosphere remained the same.

He realised that Astrid wasn't here - when and where had she disappeared to? - and began to panic. So far, she was the only one in the village he had begun to trust fully again. She was the only one he felt safe with. She was the only person he even felt comfortable around. He didn't know why.

"You don't have to be afraid, we don't want to hurt you."

Hiccup forced himself to be calm and nodded. He looked Valka in the eyes with new courage.

"Be careful. They may be your parents, but you never know what they'll do - they're still Vikings," Toothless warned. He certainly didn't trust them.

"I know," Hiccup whispered. He didn't want the two people standing in front of him to hear, they might think to ask the meaning of Toothless' words, and Hiccup couldn't lie. Everyone always figured it out, no matter how hard he tried - at least it worked that way with dragons.

"Is that a Night Fury?" Stoick asked, only now properly registering his presence. He sent a look of hatred and old grief in his direction, which he quickly tried to hide, but it didn't escape Hiccup's eyes.

"Y-yes, Toothless is a Night Fury," Hiccup replied softly. He moved closer to his brother and placed his hand on his neck. It always had a calming effect on him. "My brother."

"Brother?"

"Not by blood. By heart. He's been with me ever since I-"

"Ever since he took you away from here. Truce or not, the dragon dies today." Stoick spat the words out like sour venom, that caused an aftertaste on his tongue that he wanted to get rid of.

"W-what!?"

"Just try it!" Toothless growled, standing between Hiccup and his parents, teeth bared, ears lowered.

"Stoick! What's got into you? That dragon was taking care of our son when no one else did! It doesn't matter that he took him from us, he's back! Nothing happened to him, he's back!" Valka tried to stop him.

She succeeded. Stoick calmed down a little. "I'm sorry, dragon. I still can't get used to it. The dragons... and the fact that we don't have to fight anymore."

Toothless accepted the apology with a murderous glare, which he still used to watch Stoick's every move. "Get used to it faster," he said in annoyance, though Stoick couldn't understand a word he said.

"How can you be so sure he's our son, Val? How can you be so sure it's Hiccup?"

Val was visibly flustered. The evidence was clear to her, but how to explain it to Stoick?

"S-she doesn't have to," Hiccup interjected, earning curious looks from both of his parents. "Toothless knows where I came from. Night Furies have a perfect memory. If he says I'm from here, it must be true. And... and I remember it too..."

Valka was the first to move. With small steps, she began to move forward. She stared wide-eyed at Hiccup as if it was the first time she had ever seen him.

Hiccup tried with all his might to stay in place and not flinch. His instincts were screaming at him to get as far away from the humans as possible. Why hadn't they done the same with such intensity when he was with Astrid? He watched Valka's outstretched hand; she wanted to touch him. The moment her hand came dangerously close, he flinched. He flinched and fixed his gaze on the ground. His instincts were stronger than he was, now that they had intensified.

"I'm sorry," he muttered.

"It's all right. It's nothing, I get it. It's going to take time," Valka said softly. Maybe they all still had to get used to the fact that they were actually family, but Valka had long since taken that for granted. She easily adapted to changes, especially to good changes. The return of her son was a good change, no matter that he wasn't human.

Hiccup nodded. Although he had been reunited with his parents, found his old home and his old friends, he didn't feel comfortable here. In this place, in this house, on an island full of Vikings. His true home was the nest. He knew that now. Nothing could compare to the nest.

But he was going to try. If there was a chance he could stay and live with his family again, he didn't want to waste it. If there was a chance he could be happy here, he wanted to take it. He didn't have to get another one. He wouldn't give anything for a trial. He could always get out of here if something went wrong. He wouldn't get the missed chance back that easily. There would be too many obstacles against him if he let his unique chance slip away.

The further and further into the story I get, the more dissatisfied I am with it. Anyone here have any idea why that is?