Secrets

For rinardj

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You are 17. Hiccup is 18.

Race To The Edge.

Valka was never taken by Cloudjumper, but hid him in Berk's forest for years, until Hiccup made peace with the dragons.

*************************

"Stay here, (Y/ N)," ordered Hiccup, hopefully for the last time.

"No," you said, stubbornly. "It's not fair that you can all go and protect dragons while I'm stuck here. Doing nothing! I'm sick of being forced onto the sidelines, Hiccup! I'm coming with you! I won't take no for an answer."

****

The door shut and locked.

"This is not what I meant!" you shouted, stomping your foot in anger. You took three steps forward and laid your hand upon the cage door.

"Sorry, (N/N), but this is for your own good," assured Hiccup. "Let's go, gang."

"Hiccup! Hiccup! You can't leave me here! Hiccup! Big brother! Big brother, please!" you started to cry, knowing he couldn't say no to you then. "B- Big b- bro- brother!"

He hesitated, almost turning his head to look at you, before squeezing his eyes shut and keeping himself from glancing at you. "No, (Y/ N). Not this time." He continued walking.

Your cries ceased at once, knowing your plan at failed. That was a first. "Big brother," you whispered, heartbroken. An actual sob escaped from between your lips, making Hiccup automatically turn to check and see if you were okay.

He couldn't leave you like this. Broken and scared and alone. What kind of brother would he be?

"Fine," he agreed, but you didn't stop sobbing, letting Hiccup know how much he truly hurt you.

He quickly unlocked the door and waited for you to come running into his open arms. You hesitated.

"I'm sorry, (N/N)," he said, letting you know that he wasn't mad at you. He took the first step and brought you into his arms. "It's okay, now. You can come, but you'll be staying out of range of the arrows, okay?"

"Deal!"

"Hiccup," your (secretly ex) boyfriend, Jack Frost, warned. "I don't think-"

"Jack, you better keep that mouth of yours closed, or I'll sew it shut," you threatened. You heard a clamp from his teeth as he did what you ordered. "Yay." (Aka: Jack Frost doesn't have his powers, but a light blue and white Nadder named Snow).

"Alrighty, then. Suit up."

"The dragons are already ready, Hiccup."

*****

Although the temptation to joke around on the way to the mission was overwhelming, you stayed as focused and serious as possible. If you behaved on this mission, it would be easier to convince Hiccup to let you come on future missions.

You flew between Hiccup and Jack. Jack looked bored, leaning forward on Snow since he didn't care enough to hold his own posture. His white hair blew back, making it annoyingly messy. Jack didn't care, but you absolutely hated it.

You turned look at Hiccup. He sat up straight, tall and proud. The pride of Berk would certainly make for a great chief. No doubt. His deep, concerned emerald green eyes stared straight ahead, predicting Viggo's movements. His body was sculpted but thin. His thick auburn hair glided back as the wind brushed it into its free flowing style. Unlike Jack's hair, you liked Hiccup's untamed. You especially loved the little braid he let you tie in the back.

You shook your head. Hiccup is your brother. You shouldn't be thinking of him that way. It should be gross, disturbing, and repulsive. Jack was the second best guy on Berk. Hiccup, the best guy on Berk, was out of the question. At least for you.

Jack, though, just didn't care. Neither of you truly loved each other. You just lived through the motions. Well, use to. Jack favored Astrid, but she was Hiccup's. At least someday she would be. You went on dates, kissed cheeks, sometimes cuddled, and etcetera, but other than tolerance and friendship, there was nothing. You haven't even shared a peck on the lips. The corner of the lips, yes, but not directly on the lips.

You and Jack weren't even best friends, but you were almost, considering both of your best friends were your crushes (and your case, brother), you needed someone to talk to. You both rarely talked about that, though. Facing reality was difficult, easier to avoid it.

You sighed, quiet enough so no one heard you over the raging wind.

"What's wrong, (N/ N)?" Hiccup asked. You blinked. He always knew when something was wrong.

"Just thinking," you answered, staring at the ship in the horizon. "That it?"

Hiccup nodded. "Yeah, that's the ship. Thinking about what? The mission? We'll be fine. We've done this plenty of times."

"Everyone but me! And just because mom didn't want me to move out so soon," you grumbled.

"Hey, don't be like that. Mom loves you. She was just concerned."

"Well why couldn't she be more concerned about you than me! You are the future chief, after all."

"Exactly, meaning I can take care of myself. Plus, I won't have much time for exploring when I'm busy being chief. You won't ever have to worry about that. Take your time. Breathe. Grow up, explore, find love, settle down."

"I'm already grown up. Found love. Too young to settle down. All that's left is exploring!"

Hiccup chuckled. "Speaking of mom and dad, they sent terror mail for us."

You perked up, missing them desperately. "What did it say?"

"They want us back home for a week or so. It's not an emergency, but they said they have something to tell us. Said it's important."

"Think dad will retire early?"

Hiccup's faced portrayed pure horror. "Thor, I hope not."

You busted out laughing. "Your face! Whoa!" you exclaimed, dodging a sudden stream of dragon root arrows.

"We'll finish this later. (N/N), get out of range!" ordered Hiccup, diving down. Toothless prepared a plasma blast, sending out a high pitched siren.

You did as ordered and watched from above. Occasionally you dived to deliver a blast before racing back up. Hiccup was pleased with your precautions, though didn't have much time to think it over.

More ships, however, sailed out of the thick fog from the east, overwhelming the dragon riders with ease.

"Retreat!" Hiccup asked.

Everyone followed his orders. You waited to make sure they got out of range, blasting boulders and arrows away if they came too close.

Everything was going well until you heard, "Never retreat! Never surrender!"

You started to turn as Snotlout raced by, but the force knocked you off (D/N). You screamed. "Big brother!"

"(N/ N)!" Hiccup hurried to turn Toothless around and dive, but you were plummeting too fast.

(D/N), who couldn't fly without you, was caught by Stormfly, though (D/N) desperately tried to catch you. You held your hands up, telling (D/N) to calm down. She hesitantly did as told.

"(N/N)! Grab my hand!" Hiccup shouted.

You reached out just to recoil it as arrows flew by, barely missing you. Toothless quickly dodged but had to retreat. Snotlout was already back with the rest, having destroyed two ships.

Hiccup's eyes is what made you truly scared. Lost, scared, desperate. He reached out for you, but Toothless was hovering, and you hit the water.

You winced, letting out a gulp of air. The water hurt upon impact. You didn't finish swimming to the surface before a net started to enclose you in it. You barely avoided it.

You broke to the surface and started swimming away from the ships, but you landed in the center of the fleet. You paused to look at Hiccup, wondering what he would tell you. He stared straight at you and nodded. He'd be waiting. You smiled and nodded back, then continued swimming.

The rest of the gang was leaving. Astrid stayed by him though. Watching. You sucked in air and dived swimming underwater to make it more difficult to catch you in their nets. You had repeated the process until you broke free the fleet line.

But as you went above water one last time, a net trapped you. "No!" you shouted.

"No! (N/N)!" You heard Hiccup shout.

The net was heavy, so you were being pulled underwater. You breathed in and looked at Hiccup.

Please.

Suddenly, a plasma blast and Nadder spike dove into the water, followed by the respective dragons. Hiccup broke away from Toothless to cut the net and drag you back to the lovable beast.

You coughed as Toothless broke free of the water. Immediately, Toothless took for the skies.

"Thank you, Hiccup, Toothless."

"Anything for you, (N/ N)," Hiccup smiled, turning to face you.

Your heart warmed your cold being. Blush rose to your cheeks as your lungs decided to take a small break, forcing you to put them back into an unsteady pattern of work. You went from shivering cold to sweating hot.

Hiccup narrowed his eyes and held your cheek tenderly in his soft hand. You held your breath as he leaned forward, a determined look in his eyes.

Surely he wouldn't. But maybe so. In front of Astrid, though? He loves her. Surely I'm mistaken. I must be. I- Your thoughts raced, then went blank. His face was just inches from yours.

Your eyes started to flutter close when he pulled away. "We need to get you home. You're already catching a fever. We'll head to Berk once you're healthy." He went back to steering Toothless.

"I'm not sick."

"Not yet, you aren't. Hopefully, if we get you into dry clothes soon, you won't get sick at all."

Once you caught up with the group, you hopped back on (D/N) and hugged her. She gargled happily.

The ride back to the Edge was relatively short but also rather quiet. Once above the Edge, everyone wished each good nights and went their separate ways, excluding you and Hiccup, who shared a hut.

Upon landing, Hiccup avoided eye contact- even looking at you. You took off the dragons' gear then warmed up next to the fire, dressed in dry clothes.

Hiccup stared intently at the crackling fire. Silence was overwhelming, but no one dared to brake it until you apologized, "I'm sorry."

Startled, Hiccup looked up and asked, "What? Sorry for what?" but it was your turn to avoid eye contact.

You brought your knees to your chest, pushing yourself further back in the chair to do so. "For messing up."

"(N/N)," he soothed, "you couldn't have done better. It wasn't your fault you fell, and you even helped everyone out while still obeying my orders. You were perfect. Now if I can get Snotlout to follow orders," he murmured the last part, trying to be rid of the tension in the air.

It work to a slight extent. You let out a quick, soft laugh and smiled at no one in particular.

The air was silent- filled only with shallow breathing and the crackling fire- until Hiccup wondered, "How are you feeling?"

"Not sick. I feel fine, big brother. Just a little tired. Nothing a good night's sleep can't fix," you answered, smiling at him.

He smiled back. "Glad to hear." He stood, pushing his chair back. "I think it's time we follow our dragons' examples and head to bed. We both need our rest before going to Berk tomorrow."

You stood, agreeing. "Yeah. We leaving at dawn?" It was when he usually decided to leave. Everything either started before or at dawn.

"Nah. Not this time. We had a long day. We'll leave whenever we wake up," he informed, walking up the stairs to bed. You followed him.

You knew you'd both be up around dawn, despite the exciting day you had today, but nodded. "Okay."

********************

As predicted, your eyes automatically fluttered open shortly after dawn.

"Go back to sleep," a voice whispered. Arms tightened around your waist.

You started to do just that when you suddenly jerked your head up, finding yourself on top of your brother. You had yet to complete your bed, so you were temporarily sharing one with Hiccup. You both must have moved around in your sleep because now you were using his chest as a pillow and he was in the middle of the bed with his arms firmly around your waist.

Blush dotted your flustered cheeks as you tried to pull away.

But Hiccup refused to let go. "Wait. I want to stay like this for just a minute more. Just one more minute, please." You couldn't say no to his desperate tone, so you agreed and relaxed against him. You cuddled for more than a minute, but neither of you seemed to be bothered by the time. You rested your eyes and hugged Hiccup tighter, wishing that this wouldn't be a one time occurrence.

But it had to. And it also had to come to an end. As all this must.

Slowly, you moved your head so your chin rested against Hiccup's chest. "As much as I don't want this to end, we have to head to Berk. Mom and Dad are waiting."

Hiccup sighed, opening his eyes. "Yeah. I guess you're right."

You sat up. "Excuse me? I know I'm right."

There was a quick moment of silence before you both busted out laughing.

"That you are," he agreed.

You both got ready for the long flight and ate breakfast along the way.

"What do you think they called us home for?" you asked, watching Berk become more defined with each passing second.

Hiccup shrugged. "Maybe Mom wanted to check up on us?"

"But the letter was in Dad's handwriting," you pointed out.

"Good point. I don't know. Race you there!"

You leaned against (D/N). "Oh, it's on!"

*********

Your mom (Valka) was overjoyed to hold both of her babies again and showered the two of you with hugs and kisses.

"We're fine, Mom," chuckled Hiccup.

"Yeah, perfectly fine," you sincerely repeated. You both had agreed to not tell your parents about the previous day's events and to instead act as if yesterday never happened.

"Any fun adventures to tell about?" she hinted.

"Uh, not really. Things are pretty slow at the Edge as of late," denied Hiccup.

"Yeah. Unless you count watching the twins and Snotlout fight, big brother and Fishlegs geeking out over dragons, and Astrid and big brother disappearing just to be found making out during Dragon races!"

Hiccup blushed. "That was one time, and we were not making out!"

"Sure," you sang.

"Honest!"

"Then what we're you two doing exactly?" your mom teased, too.

"Seriously, you too, Mom?"

You all laughed.

"Astrid and I broke up. It was mutual, so we hugged after agreeing to still be good friends."

"You didn't tell me you broke up," you said, shocked. You forced yourself not to smile, but couldn't help but feel happy that Hiccup was single.

"It was yesterday! I didn't think it was that big of a deal."

"My poor baby," your mom cooed, pulling him into a hug.

"I'm fine, Mom. As I said, it was mutual. We brought it up at the exact same time," he assured but accepted the hug.

"I guess this means I should come clean, too."

"Hmm?" your mom hummed, releasing Hiccup.

"Jack and I broke up, too. Mutual, just like yours and Astrid's. No hard feelings, and we're still great friends."

"Oh, both oh my babies!" She brought both of you into a tight hug. You stayed like that for another minute before your dad landed nearby on Skullcrusher.

"Dad!" you shouted, gaining his attention.

He held his arms out wide, laughing deeply when you ran into him. "How's my favorite princess? Oh, I missed you!"

He squeezed you tightly, making you grunt, "Can't. Breathe."

"Sorry, sweetheart," he apologized, setting you down. He ruffled your hair before greeting Hiccup and placing a tender kiss upon his wife's lips.

"Stoick, not in front of the kids!" she lightly scolded.

"Mom, you do realize that we've both had our first kisses already, right? It's nothing new to us."

"Actually, I haven't," you cut in.

"You haven't? But I've seen-"

"Jack and I never kissed on the lips. Mostly the cheek, sometimes the corner of the mouth, but never the lips. I wasn't ready to kiss anyone," you admitted, blushing at the real reason you never kissed. "Jack respected that."

Stoick beamed. "You don't ever have to be ready, sweetheart. You'll always be my baby girl!" He ruffled your hair again, and you playfully swatted his hand away.

"Hey! I know, Dad. Now, why did you call us out here?"

Your parents exchanged a look, causing you and Hiccup to exchange a nervous look. You gulp when you heard your dad say, "Why don't we go inside?" You both nodded, following his indirect order.

You were guided to the dinner table. You took your appropriate seats and waited with half a minute of silence.

"Now, before we begin, we love both of you very much," your mom started. She held her husband's hand tightly. She, too, was nervous.

"We know that," you insisted, shuffling around.

"We only waited this long to tell you because we thought it was for the best. But we want to tell you the truth in case something happens, with the hunters and all."

"Nothing will happen to us, Mom," promised Hiccup. "We take the up most of care to keep ourselves and the dragons as safe as possible."

"Still, danger or not, you both deserve to know the truth," your dad insisted. He glanced at his beloved, who nodded for him to continue. "It's time to tell you our secrets." You both nodded. "(M/N) and (F/N) were two strong warrior Vikings. Brave, kind, and in love. They were the perfect couple, everyone supported the wedding. Two years after their marriage, the coupe delighted the village with the arrival of a new born baby girl."

"What do they have to do with you calling us back home?" questioned Hiccup.

"Let me finish, son. Anyways, the baby girl was dotted on by the entire village. She loved everyone and everyone loved her. Her smile and laughter were contagious, her eyes had a shine that make you want to protect her, and her grip was as strong as her mother's. She grew fond of the neighbor's baby son. You, Hiccup."

"Me?" he asked.

"Yes, you. She smiled brightest for you. Laughed the longest. Anything you did was perfect."

"What happened to her? I don't remember her? What was her name?"

"Hold on, son. It was a tragedy when (M/N) and (F/N) died."

"I recognize those names," you mumbled. "Weren't they the two Vikings you told us stories about?"

"Yes," your mom nodded. "You always adored them, dear."

The story continued. "Everyone fought about what would happen to their one year old girl. Who was to raise darling (Y/ N)?"

You sucked in a breath at your name. Your eyes widened.

"We took you in, (Y/ N). Raised you as our daughter," your mom- Valka- said softly.

"S- so I- I'm not a- a Haddock?" you stuttered, gripping to the seat of your chair tightly.

"You are! Blood or not, you are one of us, dear," Valka insisted, walking to your chair to hug you. You allowed her to do so, but didn't hug back.

"So, (Y/ N) is not my sister?" You detected some hope in his voice. Could it be he didn't want you as a sister?

"Of course she is, son! Don't suggest such a thing!" scolded Stoick.

"No. By blood, I mean," he corrected. "She will always be my sister."

"Yes, I suppose. But it doesn't matter," Valka said, pulling back to just rest a hand gently upon your shoulder.

"It kinda does," he argued, looking to the corner of his eyes.

"How? (Y/ N) apart of this family. Always has been and always will be."

"I know that. But what I mean is- oh this looks bad. Here, let me show you." He stood up, walked to you, and brought his lips to yours, pushing them together.

You eagerly kissed back, instinctively wrapping your arms around his neck. You loved the passion he put into the kiss. The love mixed with the perfect amount of gentleness was warming.

All too soon, he pulled back. You gasped for air and blinked. Your eyes widened with the realization of your actions, making you blush.

A chuckled followed. "You have no idea how long I've waited to do that," he admitted.

"Same," you breathed.

"I told you, Stoick," Valka gloated, leaning against her husband, who smiled kindly at his family.

"That you did, Val. That you did."

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