You Know The Truth

For DragonGirl2003

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You are both 19

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"I love you, my sweet," Hiccup cooed, rubbing his nose against yours.

You giggled and hid your blushing face in the crook of his neck. "I love you, too," you whispered, shyly.

He chuckled at your adorableness and rubbed your back, gently. The village was extra noisy today, and the strong wind pounded again the wall and rattled the door, but neither of you paid attention to it.

Hiccup listened to your steady breathing as you fell asleep, laying on top of him. You moved in your sleep, which pleased Hiccup because he could see your sleeping face.

All your stressors vanished as you slept. Your face softly took in a breath than released a breath, repeating the soothing pattern again and again. Hiccup smiled softly, letting your almost inaudible puffs of air soothe him and his worries. He would be fine with you by his side. That he was sure of. You looked like a little innocent child with not a single worry.

If only that was true.

Your haunting past was no secret to Hiccup, which is why he constantly fretted over the silliest of tasks. He was extra careful not to raise his voice around you, since it frightened you dearly. He was also careful not to show anger, knowing you thought anger always meant you were to get a beating. He went out of his way to make sure you felt comfortable and safe at all times.

Hiccup had made sure that your uncle would never hurt you again. Your uncle was found guilty for child abuse and neglect and shipped off the face of the earth. Now, Hiccup just had to teach you that you were safe.

Seeing you like this, so peaceful and relaxed in his arms, made him confident he could do this. He could do anything, as long as he had you.

He got out from under you, careful not to wake you, and walked to the kitchen, leaving you to your peaceful dreams on the couch.

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"I love you, Hiccup," you giggled, watching as he played with your fingers. He was leaning against a rock with your back to his chest. He had taken you to the cove for a picnic date, which you loved.

Suddenly, he squeezed your hands tightly, making you wince in pain.

"Well, I hate you," he spat in your ear.

You were quick to scramble a few feet away, almost unable to believe your ears.

"You pathetic brat," you heard your uncle's words, his voice, but the person before you was still Hiccup. His evil words were coming from Hiccup's lips.

You let out a sob. "H- Hic-"

"Don't even say my name, you filthy pig!" he cut you off. "Don't even look at me, you ugly troll!"

You walked backwards as he quickly walked towards you. You found yourself on the ground after tripping, as vulnerable as a child. "P- p- please!" you begged.

"Shut up!" he yelled, kicking your head to the ground.

You curled up in a tight protective ball as the boy you trusted kicked, hit, and punched you to his heart's content.

********

"(Y/ N)! (N/N), wake up!" a kind voice shook you awake. "Wake up, love. Wake up."

You bolted into a sitting position and took in your surroundings. At the sight of a worried Hiccup, you cowered away. He looked hurt, but you were too busy shielding your face from imaginary danger to notice.

"Please don't hit me! Please don't hurt me!" you sobbed.

He tried to pull you into his arms, but you fought back until he gave up a few seconds later. He stuck with running his hand through your hair.

"Hey, sweetheart. It was just a dream. I would never hit you. I would never hurt you. You're okay now. You're safe. I won't hurt you. I love you," he soothed. When your cries faded into little hiccups, Hiccup pulled you into his arms and rocked you back and forth, slowly. He repeated his soothing words until you were calm again. "Are you hungry, love? I made lunch while you were sleeping." He helped you to your feet and guided you to the kitchen.

He was worried about how unresponsive you were being, but just blamed it on trying to collect your thoughts from the nightmare.

You absent mindedly ate lunch, then Hiccup guided you back to the couch, where you stared into space for an hour.

"Hiccup," you finally whispered.

He released a relieved sigh. "Oh thank goodness, you're okay!" He hugged you, but you didn't hug him back.

"I can't do this," you stated, so softly, he wasn't sure he even heard you.

"What?" he asked in disbelief.

"I can't do this."

"Do what?" he asked, afraid that his assumption was correct.

"Us. This."

He broke.

"No, please, (N/ N)-" he started. He reached out for your arm but you stood up.

"No. I'm sorry for leading you on. I thought I could do this, but I can't. We can't be a couple. I'm sorry."

And you ran.

"No, (N/ N), wait!" he tried calling you back, but you had already dashed out of his house, not even bothering to close the door. He stumbled to shut the door, then up to his room, where he screamed and wept for his loss.

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Six months later

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You avoided Hiccup as much as possible, knowing you would give in if he begged you to try again, like you did last time.

You loved him, you really did, but you didn't want to be hurt again. Every time you came close to giving in and running back to Hiccup's open arms, a nightmare would set you straight.

Sadly, today was not your day.

After a week of almost no sleep (product of the nightmares), you were wondering through the village collecting groceries.

"Hiccup," Astrid walked up to him, having passed you less than two minutes beforehand.

"Yes, Astrid?" he asked as cheerfully as he could muster. The brake up had taken a huge toll on him, too. But dreams of having you back in his arms kept him going.

"You need to get back together with (Y/ N). She's a mess."

He sighed, a longing look showing itself in his weary eyes. "I know, Astrid, but she won't let me in. We haven't even talked since she broke up with me. She walks the other way the second she sees me coming."

"Then don't let her see you. Anyways, she stumbling around the village getting food and stuff. She looks like she hasn't slept in a month! She needs you, Hiccup. She's just scared. And can you blame her? All she's ever known is hate and pain. Now you're showing her love and kindness, she doesn't know what to do. She doesn't think it's going to last. She's confused, lost, and she needs you to show her the way. Anyways, good luck," wished Astrid, patting his shoulder and walking away.

With a puff a determination, Hiccup took off in the direction Astrid came.

As always, when you spotted Hiccup running in your direction, you turned the other way. He usually didn't chase after you, but his running had you a bit worried, especially as the distance shrunk.

"(N/ N)!" he called, sending you off running. "(N/ N), no! Stop!"

You weren't very good at running, especially when sleep deprived, so when you tripped Hiccup's arm wrapped around your waist and caught you.

"Don't. Run. From me. Again," he panted, setting you on the ground, leaning you against a building. He sat next to you.

"Leave me alone. I don't want to talk to you."

"We both know that's a lie," he said, staring into your eyes. "I won't hurt you, (N/ N). You know that."

"No. You will hurt me. Just like-"

"I'm nothing like him, (N/ N)! Yes, he hurt you, but, no, I won't. I will never hurt you. Just, please, come back to me."

"How do I know I can trust you?"

"You know because you know the truth, and the truth is: I will never ever hurt you."

You stiffened and avoided his gaze but pulling you knees up to your chest and hiding your face in them, knowing you would break with just one look into his humble green eyes.

"(N/N), look at me."

"No."

"Please?"

"No. Leave me alone."

"I won't. Never. I will be by your side through thick and thin, through the good times and the bad, through every second of every day, from today onwards. I'm never letting you go again."

You looked up in his eyes to see nothing but love and sincerity.

"Hiccup, I-" you stopped.

"You," he encouraged with a small smile.

You looked away before looking back into his perfect green eyes. "I- I, uh, I lo- I l-"

"Here, let me," he insisted, lowering his head to connect his lips to yours.

You kissed him back, giving up on pushing him away. It was a lost cause to begin with.

The kiss lasted only a few seconds, and you rested your head on his shoulder once you pulled away. He wrapped his arm around your shoulders and pulled you closer.

A yawn escaped your lips, making him chuckle. "Sleep, my love. I'll carry you home."

His words made you realize what you almost forgot. You shook your head and jerked yourself into an upright position. "No, I can't fall asleep," you informed him, standing up to keep yourself from falling asleep.

His eyebrows came together with worry and confusion. "Why not?" he asked, standing up beside you, your basket of groceries in hand.

"Uh," you hesitated.

"We're together, now. You can tell me anything," he told you, softly. He grabbed your hand and lead you to your house, which was a few houses down.

You nodded, but waited for the safety of privacy in your house before speaking. Once Hiccup shut the door, you began.

"Nightmares."

"What about nightmares?" Hiccup urged.

"They're why I can't sleep. If I fall asleep, they'll come," you told him, nonchalantly, putting away your groceries. There wasn't much, so that distraction didn't last long, so you stood facing the counter and wall.

"When was the last time you didn't have a nightmare?" You avoided his gaze, but he insisted on looking at your face, so he spun you around. You still avoided his gaze. "(N/N)," he warned, repeating his question.

"The last time I fell asleep in your arms. But that, too, turned into a nightmare once you left to make lunch. In your arms was really the only time I slept peacefully."

He shook his head, angry at himself, and dragged you to your bed. "You're going to sleep, and I'm not going anywhere this time," he informed.

"But-"

"No buts, you need to sleep, (N/N), and if in my arms is the only place you can peacefully sleep, well, I'm not complaining."

"Fine. But let me at least dress for bed."

He nodded in agreement and laid face down on the bed to give you some privacy. You quickly dressed and crawled into bed to let him know he could face you now. He smiled at you and pulled you on top of him.

"Hey, beautiful," he flirted.

You blushed, and hid you face in his chest. "Seriously, Hiccup?" you groaned.

"You're cute when you blush," he defended.

"Yeah, right."

"It's true," he insisted, hearing your self- doubt. You yawned before you could reply. He laughed, "Get some sleep, love. I'm not going anywhere."

You lazily nodded, closing your eyes and resting your head on his chest, where his strong heartbeat lulled you sleep once again.

Hiccup watched you as you slept, this time letting your soft breathing lull him to sleep as well. There was nothing he wouldn't do for you. And if it meant holding you every night all night just so you didn't catch a nightmare, then so be it. He would gladly hold you close and protect you from all things evil, even in your dreams.

And so, soundly you slept, dreaming peacefully of living the rest of your life side by side with the love of your life, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the third, with not a single nightmare to scare you away.

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