To The End - A Tuffnut Love Story (HTTYD)

20. Return to Crescent Island

***

Iris's face was immediately red, and her laughing stopped. There was silence for a moment as she processed Tuff's words. She looked up into his baby blue eyes, they looked soft and innocent; he was waiting. Iris flung her arms around him, knocking the viking to the ground.

Landing on top of him, Iris leaned down and pressed her lips onto his. She felt his arms rest around her back as he kissed her back. Their mouths moved together in perfect harmony, until Iris finally pulled away. She looked down at him with a wide grin, "I seriously love you too, Tuff."

"Woah," Tuff breathed, as if he couldn't believe she had actually said it back. But his grin betrayed his joy. His heart fluttered as he pulled her back down into yet another long, meaningful kiss.

***

"Are you sure you want to see it?" Mora asked hesitantly as Iris readied herself to leave Berk.

Giving her friend a kind smile, Iris responded, "it's were I lived my whole life..I need to see it again, just once."

Ariel, Mora's Daughter, then piped in, "can we go, too?"

Mora looker from Ariel to Iris and asked in amusement, "permission to tag along?"

It still felt odd to Iris, being the leader of a force that had never had a formal leader before. Therefore, she did her best to be very lenient and not too controlling. "Of course; it was your home, too," Iris agreed before turning to Ariel and asking, "why don't you see if any of the other warriors want to come?"

Ariel nodded and hopped away energetically. Just then, Iris felt her feet fly out from under her. She let out a shout in surprise, only to find that Tuffnut had lifted her up and was now holding her under her knees and shoulders.

Mora watcher in amusement as Iris kicked her legs playfully, and giggled, "put me down, Tuff."

"You're all dressed up in uniform," Tuff observed as he let Iris down with a grin, "going somewhere?"

"Back to Crescent Island, actually," Iris explained. When she saw the smile fade from Tuffnut's face and his eyes widen sadly, she quickly added, "just to have a look around."

"Oh, right," Tuff responded in relief.

Iris placed her hand into his and asked teasingly, "did you really think I'd leave like that?"

"Well..." Tuff joked, earning himself a punch in the shoulder from Iris. A dreamy smile landed on his lips at that, and he joked on, "I might have to come with you, just in case."

Mora sighed and shook her head, watching the two interact. She spoke with a light laugh, "it's strange..how can two souls so different from eachother fall in love?"

"Well, if we're in love, are we really that different?" Iris countered, leaning her body against Tuff affectionately. Butterflies stormed through his middle; even after months of being able to call Iris his, Tuff couldn't get over how lucky he was. He looked down at her with a smile and pecked her temple.

***

Iris gathered everyone who was leaving down by the arena. Ariel had recruited two of the men. Grout, who was Tuff's height, with shaved head; and Thorn who was taller than Hiccup, with long features and short black hair, and also happened to be Mora's husband.

Finally, there was Tuffnut. For once, Ruff wasn't with him. Iris gave her love a questioning look, and he seemed to know exactly what she meant. "Ruff didn't want to come," he explained, "she said watching Eret train would be more entertaining, though I..greatly disagree."

Iris laughed lightly and nodded. Arrow then came up to her and nuzzled her way between the two. Iris clicked in the back of her throat, and Arrow responded. "Alright, you'll be riding Arrow with me," Iris told Tuff.

"I thought you don't like riding dragons?" Tuffnut asked in confusion.

"I don't," Iris agreed, "but the wraiths have offered to take us, so we are accepting their help."

"Oh, awesome," Tuff exclaimed with a grin as Iris climbed onto Arrows back. He came after her, and then the group left. As they flew through the sky, Iris was comforted by the wind in her face and the feeling of Tuffnut's hands on her waist. For the whole ride, he entertained her with jokes that made no sense and stories that were surely embellished.

When the moon shaped island came into view, Iris let out a deep breath. What was once a land of life and magic had been blackened by fires and turned to a wasteland. Even Tuff stopped talking at the sight and frowned, speaking in sorrow, "oh, man."

Arrow landed with the others on what was once the beach infront of their village. When Iris jumped down, a cloud of ashes rose around her feet. She then felt something grab her hand. Looking back, she saw Tuff. His eyes were kind and loving as he assured her, "it's okay to be sad."

Hearing this, Iris couldn't help but let her eyes water. But she was glad to have her love with her, for her final good-bye to the island that raised her and all of her ancestors.