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Hiccup whooped as Toothless did a barrel roll midair then dove towards the sea only to even up at the last second. Astrid laughed as she and Stormfly raced after them, "slow down!" She called to him. He smirked back at her, "why? Can't keep up?" He teased, Astrid responded with a playful glare, she leaned down and patted Stormfly's neck, "come on girl, we can't let those two beat us" she whispered, Stormfly growled in agreement and they shot forward after the troublesome pair.Toothless weaved between the stone islands rising out of the sea effortlessly, he chortled boastingly to Stormfly who had almost caught up with him but always just behind. Stormfly huffed and glared ahead a determined look in her eye.Hiccup turned to savour the annoyed look on Astrid's face as she spurred Stormfly on, they were racing to their favourite island as they usually did and Hiccup always won. Astrid hated to lose.Today would be different, today she wouldn't have to put up with the stupid look on Hiccup's face when he won, or listen to him bragging for the next hour and wave his victory in her face. No, today she would be the one gloating and rubbing his face in it, she could already picture the victory dance she would do when she out-flew Hiccup and Toothless.Hiccup faced ahead again with a crazy smile on his face, "let's show 'em what we got bud" he yelled over the wind, Toothless nodded before he launched himself into a spinning ascent up above the clouds.Astrid squinted up into the direction Hiccup had just climbed, blinded by the sol she couldn't see where they had went. She shielded her eyes as she searched for him in the side. Suddenly a blur of black and red flashed down past her and circling the sky once before he fell back next to her, his screams of excitement echoing off all the neighbouring islands, Astrid laughed once again and shook her head at her wild, carefree boyfriend.He was too busy showing off to notice a low hanging branch on a tree hanging off one of the islands he zoomed past, "watch out!" Astrid called, Hiccup span around quickly to see the branch and flattened himself against Toothless, barely skimming the branch as he passed.He sighed in relief and sat back up again, "phew, that was close" he laughed wiping his brow, Astrid caught up with him again and fixed him with a nagging expression, "be careful! Stop showing off before you get hurt" she warned. Hiccup waved his hand, "it's fine, Toothless has my back right buddy?" He asked, Toothless made a humming sound in the back of his throat in response, "see?" He said to Astrid with a smile."Whatever, I'm totally going to beat you this time" she called, "in your dreams Hofferson" was his confident response.They both poured on the speed as they raced to the island as fast as they could, Hiccup could see the island and he was miles ahead of Astrid, "ready to lose?" He teased, Astrid growled in frustration, "come on Stormfly!" She urged.Hiccup grinned but as the island got closer and closer the buckles on Toothless' tail fin started to come loose. Hiccup spun around in his saddle to see the fin fly off and into the wind, Toothless screeched in panic as he began to spiral quickly.Hiccup cursed, he had been in such a rush to get out this morning he mustn't have secured the tail fin properly in his haste, he was so stressed and overwhelmed with chief work when Astrid suggested they went for a ride he had leapt at the chance.Toothless beat his wings wildly trying to slow the fall, "whoa! Easy bud!" Hiccup tried to keep the panic out of his voice but all he could do was steer Toothless towards the island, with the speed they had been flying he knew the crash would not be a gentle one.Then with a rush of wind Hiccup was ripped from Toothless' saddle and away from his dragon, "Toothless!" Hiccup screamed over the rush of wind, he watched as Toothless fell below him. Toothless was lucky, he was able to tuck and roll landing clumsily but unharmed, Hiccup wasn't so lucky.As he was lighter than the dragon he had a little more time, he quickly grabbed at the coil on his flight suit to extend his fins but his hands were frozen and numb from the cold and clumsy from the fear gripping his chest. He wasn't usually worried, Toothless could always catch him when he fell but this time there was no Toothless to save him, Astrid was too far away to help and he was falling far too quickly. He looked down to see the ground speeding towards him, he squeezed his arms shut and shielded his head in his arms then braced for impact. Astrid couldn't do anything but watch in horror, "Hiccup!" She cried, she tried to fly towards him but even as she did so she knew she wouldn't reach him in timeHiccup collided hard with the rocky cliffside of the island before he tumbled down the cliff-face hitting every sharp rocky ledge on the way down as he fell, eventually he hit the sandy floor with a sickening thud, rolling a few times before he came to a stop. Toothless stumbled to his feet, shaking his head and roaring to Hiccup in a panic. Hiccup didn't sit up or move as his dragon went bounding towards him and began nudging him looking for signs of life. Astrid didn't even wait for Stormfly to land before she leapt from her back and ran towards Hiccup as fast as she could, "Hiccup" she screamed. Anxiety stole her breath when he saw he wasn't moving. She fell to her knees at his side, Toothless whined and sat back so she could run her hands over him, checking his injuries and inspecting his body. His face was bloody and cut, already his hair was sticky with blood, "Hiccup?" She asked shaking his shoulder. When his eyes didn't open she pressed her ear to his chest, she breathed a sigh of relief when she heard a faint heartbeat, he was alive. She pulled her head back and looked at him worriedly whilst she pressed her hand to his cheek. She tapped it a few times in attempts to bring him around, "Hiccup, wake up" she panted as her chest threatened to heave in panic. He didn't respond at all to her and so she gulped and got to her feet. With a little difficulty she picked him up and slung him over Toothless' back, "we need to get him back to Berk and get help quick" she said to Toothless as she jumped on Stormfly's back. Astrid and Stormfly searched until they found Toothless' tail fin, Astrid secured the fin again and prayed it would work.Thankfully the fin didn’t appear to be damaged and were able to fly back to Berk with Toothless flying as carefully as he could so Hiccup wouldn't fall. "Hiccup?" His dad voice called to him, but it was echoey and far away. Hiccup hissed and screwed his eyes tighter shut, instantly he was hit by a sharp pounding pain in his head. He felt a small hand on his forehead, he opened his eyes slowly to see Gothi leaning over him, her face peering down at his as she placed a cool damp cloth on his head. He felt the pain subside fractionally. Hiccup blinked and looked next to her where his dad stood, but he looked weird. He looked far older than he'd looked that morning, his fiery red hair had faded to a rusty copper with streaks of grey hiding in his beard."What happened?" He asked. There was a ringing in his ears that made his voice sound distant and quiet in comparison. "You got into an accident flying, you hit your head and you've been in a coma ever since. That was a few days ago now" he explained. Hiccup frowned, flying? That didn't make any sense to him. When he tried to recall the details of his accident the pain in his head intensified, he winced and shut his eyes grabbing his head. "Take it easy son, don't strain yourself" his dad said, surprisingly soft. Hiccup took a deep breath and opened his eyes, "I think I'm missing some memories, I can't remember the accident at all" he said. His dad stroked his beard and looked at Gothi, she scribbled something in the dirt with her staff and his dad nodded. "How much can you remember? Think back, what's your last memory?" He asked. Before Hiccup could answer the door to the small hut slammed open and in hobbled Gobber, "ah good! Yer awake" he grinned. "Yer gave us all a bit of a freight when Astrid came back with yeh unconscious like that" he chuckled as he made his way over to Hiccup's bed.Hiccup's frown deepened, "Astrid?" He asked, "I should go get her actually, let her know you're awake. She's barely left yeh bedside since she brought yeh here, your mom practically had to drag her away just to get some stew down her" he laughed. Hiccup's eyes widened in alarm, "mom?" He repeated looking at his dad, "mom's back?" He asked. His dad studied him with an interested look on his face, "do you not remember?" He asked. Hiccup frowned and looked between his dad and Gobber, "no, should I?" He asked, his dad's hand on his shoulder was soft and gentle, "why don't you tell us the last thing you remember son?" He suggested. Hiccup nodded slowly and licked his dry cracked lips, "well I got up this morning and went to work in the forge. I was working on my new dragon catching invention then-" his dad held up his hands cutting him off, "whoa whoa whoa. Dragon catching invention?" He questioned. Hiccup nodded, "yeah, it's like a long range net. You shoot it at the dragon and traps their wings so they fall from the sky" he explained, Gobber frowned, "just out of curiosity, how old do yeh think yeh are?" He asked. Hiccup felt confused by his question, he may be missing a few memories but surely he wouldn't be missing more than a few days, "14" he replied. He didn't like the way his dad and Gobber's eyes widened. "What? What is it?" Hiccup stammered nervously, "you're not 14, you're 20. You're missing 6 years of your memory son" his dad said gravely.
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Hiccup didn't have time to wrap his head around the bomb his dad had just dropped on him as the door to the hut flew open and something large forced its way in. Hiccup's brain didn't know how to process what he saw because he had no idea how to comprehend it, what he saw before him simply didn't make sense.There before him stood a dragon, not just any dragon but an almost fully grown nightfury, his large green eyes focussed on Hiccup as he leapt around the room in almost a happy manner, knocking pots and books off Gothi's shelves. The dragon had half its tail fin missing, instead replaced with a prosthetic seeming made of metal, leather and a red cloth like material. On the dragon's back was a leather saddle with stirrups attached either side and sat in the saddle was Astrid. At least he thought it was Astrid, she looked completely different to the Astrid he knew. She was older and taller and definitely more beautiful. She no longer had a cute baby face but instead high cheekbones and better defined features that carried an almost graceful air of beauty. Her sharp blue eyes had become bluer, they were more of a cool electric blue now as opposed to a calm sea blue, somehow they were calmer though, and held more warmth too. They no longer surveyed the room as if she was analysing the best way to take them all down, now they were kinder and more inviting. Her clothes had changed too, she'd ditched the spikey studded skirt for a blunter metallic one, she wore the same skull bet around her waist but she dressed more feminine. hiccup tried not to focus on how much so, her body had developed and changed to give her a more delicate female shape. Astrid wore a red tunic that did little to hide a pair of boobs that Hiccup swore hadn't been there before. Her hair was half hidden by a fur hood she wore presumably to keep the wind out of her face but Hiccup noticed it was longer and softer looking too. When Astrid saw him she gasped and dropped her hood, "Hiccup! You're awake!" She cried happily. She pressed her hand to the back of the nightfury's neck, "Toothless, calm down" she said seemingly unafraid, but Hiccup was terrified. The dragon bounded towards Hiccup and pinned him to the bed, Astrid still sat on his back. Hiccup screamed in terror and squeezed his eyes shut, "Toothless down" Astrid said, then she slid off his back. With a reluctant growl the dragon sat back on his haunches next to Hiccup's bed, Hiccup opened his eyes slowly when he felt the weight ease from his chest. Astrid sat next to him on the bed and raised her hand to his cheek. She surged forward and crashed her lips against his in a passionate kiss, Hiccup squeaked and his brain turned to mush. He'd been in love with Astrid for as long as he could remember, which apparently wasn't very long, but this wasn't the Astrid he knew, and everything was so confusing right now. He saw a movement in the corner of his eye, he quickly pushed Astrid out of the way and grabbed the closest thing he had on hand, which happened to be an empty goblet, "Astrid look out!" He cried and launched the goblet at the nightfury. The goblet hit the nightfury in his nose, the dragon crossed his eyes as he looked at his nose, he stumbled back and shook his head before he looked back at Hiccup in confusion, seeming unhurt. Astrid pushed her fringe out of her eyes with a look of annoyed indignation, "Hiccup! What's wrong with you?" She snapped, she got to her feet and crossed to the dragon. She rubbed his nose where Hiccup had struck him with the goblet with sympathy, still looking at Hiccup angrily. Gobber limped forward to where Astrid and the dragon stood, "it's not the lad's fault. He's lost his memory and he thinks he's 14 again" Gobber explained but Hiccup wasn't listening, he still watched the dragon in fear, "dragon!" He screamed, pointing at the nightfury, startling Astrid and making her jump. She rushed towards him, her hands raised, "no! It's okay, he's your best friend!" She said, Hiccup frowned, best friend? A dragon? Mankind's greatest enemy? That couldn't be right. But Astrid nodded, "yes! He's called Toothless because when you saved him you thought he didn't have any teeth" she explained, this only confused Hiccup further, "I saved him? But he's a dragon"Suddenly his face grew hot, "you kissed me" he said dumbly. Astrid turned red at this too, "I'm your girlfriend" she explained, if not a little awkwardly. Hiccup's jaw dropped open. Astrid was his girlfriend? Astrid, the beautiful blonde shield maiden stood in front of him. "g-girlfriend?" He stammered, she nodded, taking a sudden interest in the floor, "you?" Hiccup asked. Astrid's looked up at him defensively, "yes me" she said a little roughly, "but you're- you're- seriously?" He asked. Astrid frowned, "yes, is that bad?" She asked, Hiccup shook his head hastily, "no! Not at all! The exact opposite actually, so you're telling me you, Astrid Hofferson, are my girlfriend?" He asked, her cheeks turned from pink to crimson but she nodded, Hiccup grinned and punched the air, "yes!" He screamed. The dragon quickly got into a defensive stance thinking something was wrong, his dad rushed forward and patted the dragon's head to calm him down, "son, we have much to discuss, Gothi suggests filling you in on what you've forgotten may restore your memory"
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Hiccup shook his head, worsening the pounding against his skull, "mom is alive?" He sputtered, his dad nodded, "and she's here?" He asked, his dad nodded again. Hiccup threw back the covers of the bed, "well I need to go see her" he said.He went to swing his legs over the side of the bed and fell forward, he was missing a leg from the knee down. Astrid caught him quickly, "whoa, easy Hiccup" she said as she pushed him back up.He stared down at his stump in horror, "where's my leg?!" He exclaimed, Gobber picked up a metal prosthetic from the foot of the bed, "here it is" he offered. Hiccup's eyes cut between the metal leg and his own stump, a sense of grief and loss washed over him, was this how it felt the first time? "What happened? Why do I only have one leg?" Hiccup yelled, his voice rising in panic.Astrid held up her hands in a soothing motion, "Hiccup calm down, you've been missing your leg for 5 years now" she said softly, Hiccup's eyes widened, "5 years?" He exclaimed, she nodded, "you lost your leg in a war to save your dad and Toothless" she explained. Hiccup looked at the nightfury who had reluctantly slinked off to the corner so he wouldn't frighten Hiccup, "the dragon?" Hiccup asked. Toothless flinched and looked at the floor, he whined sadly in response. Gothi stood by his side silently comforting him, she stroked his head and nodded sympathetically, Astrid sent him an apologetic look before she nodded at Hiccup, "he saved your life you know, you were knocked out of the sky right into the fire and Toothless dove after you. He shielded you with his wings, if he didn't you would've died for sure. As it was you fell into a 3 week coma and your leg was severed in the fall, but if it wasn't for 'the dragon' you would've died. In fact, I've lost count of the amount of times 'the dragon' has saved your life since" Astrid said. Hiccup looked at his stump and then up at Toothless, "I don't remember you yet, but I will. Thank you" Hiccup said, Toothless purred happily and flashed him a gummy grin, now at least he could see why he called him Toothless. Hiccup took his metal leg from Gobber, turning it over in his hands and inspecting it. The craftsmanship was remarkable, "did I make this?" He asked, Astrid nodded a little proudly, "you designed it yourself, crafted it, modified it time and time again to perfection" she said. He marvelled at the exquisite design of the leg, he ran his hands along the padded dip where his leg went, the straps and buckles that fastened to his knee he assumed. He didn't remember how exactly to put it on but as he tugged his pant leg up and rested his stump into the leg his hands worked quickly with a mind of their own, he must've done this so many times it had become a part of muscle memory. Then a memory flashed back to him, not an important one but a memory nonetheless. He remembered all the mornings he spent fitting his leg when he got out of bed and all the evenings he loosened his leg and placed it on his end table before he went to sleep. "Do you need help?" Astrid asked, but he shook his head, "no, I think I remember how to do this" he said, looked a little surprised but she smiled, "see, your memory is already starting to come back to you"sheHiccup's dad lay a hand on her shoulder, "he remembers because it's muscle memory, let's not rush the boy Astrid" he said gently, her face fell a little but she turned away so Hiccup didn't see. The chief noticed the hurt in her eyes, "he'll remember you soon enough, just give it time" he whispered, she looked at the floor as she nodded, "thank you chief" she said trying to keep the disappointment out her voice. Hiccup set his fake foot down experimentally, "if you don't mind, I'd still like to see my mom" he said, Astrid stood and took his arm, "come on, you'll probably find it a little awkward to walk at first but I'll help you" she said, his dad took his other arm and between them they helped him to his feet. He stumbled a little as he took his first step, Astrid was right it did feel awkward to walk. His dad's grip on his arm was strong and familiar, "don't worry, I've got you son" he said, Hiccup grunted as he took another step, "thanks dad". He didn't want to look at Astrid, not because she'd done anything wrong but she was just so beautiful and the fact she was his girlfriend made his head spin and his heart race. How could someone as awkward and clumsy and Hiccupy as he get a girl like her, his name was Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III for Thor's sake. Her hands were soft and warm as she held his arm, that felt familiar too but at the same time it made him nervous and fidgety. He was suddenly very conscious of himself, his dad said he'd been in a coma for a few days did he smell? How did his hair look? He must've looked so stupid limping slowly outside needing the assistance of his girlfriend apparently and his dad. When he finally sent a quick glance her way to check the look on her face he noticed something shocking. He was a lot taller than he remembered, he was taller than Astrid now by a good few inches. Her fringe fell over her eyes as she helped him walk but when she saw him looking at her she tucked her hair behind her ears revealing her clear blue eyes. She gave him an encouraging smile and Hiccup nearly fell over a stool. He swallowed and looked quickly at the floor again, his cheeks turning red, why was he so useless? His dad's grip on his arm tightened as he righted him again, "steady on son" he laughed. Astrid released his arm to open the door for him and Hiccup involuntarily hissed at the light, raising his hands to block the sun shining in his eyes. After being in a coma then the dim light of Gothi's hut the bright summer light was difficult to adjust to. Astrid laughed, "what are you a night terror?" She joked but Hiccup just stared at her blankly, "oh right, memory. You don't remember" she said slapping her forehead, Hiccup shook his head, "sorry" he apologised. Astrid shook her head, "no it's okay, it's not your fault" she said quickly. When they stepped outside Astrid and his dad must have realised how different it would look for Hiccup because they paused to let him take it all in. The huts were more dragon friendly now, with metal structures and shillings instead of wood. The most shocking thing wasn't the huts however but more the dragons sat on top of them, there were dragons everywhere. They sat on the roofs, walking or flying next to their trainor, plodding around the village, working in the forge. There was a small herd of tiny dragons playing outside Gothi's hut that crowded around her feet as she walked behind Hiccup. She began drawing instructions in the dirt for Hiccup's dad on how he needs to recover, rest, a timeframe for when his memory will return etc but Hiccup was too blown away by how different Berk looked now. When he limped outside people stopped and smiled at him, "hey Hiccup! How are you feeling?" A man that looked familiar asked him, Hiccup smiled back and nodded, "uh yeah, I'm okay" he replied awkwardly. Hiccup spotted Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut and Tuffnut walking up the hill to Gothi's hut, they ran towards him when they saw Hiccup, "hey buddy, we were just coming to see you" Tuffnut said. They all looked so different, like Astrid they were all taller and older. Fishlegs was slightly more muscular and now he had a light layer of blonde facial ghosting along his beard line, his head hair was longer too.Snotlout was exactly the same short height but like Fishlegs he was stronger and had grown a light layer of facial hair.Ruffnut and Tuffnut had probably changed the most. Tuffnut wasn't as lanky as before and like the others he grew a little facial hair, his face was no longer mischievous and boyish, now he looked like a man. His jaw was squarer and his face was older, he still had an expression that said he was up to no good but he seemed maturer somehow, as unbelievable as that was. Ruffnut's hair was neater, styled into two blonde braids either side of her face. Her jaw was pointier now and her face was more feminine, she wore a little light makeup which surprised Hiccup. Her body like Astrid's had formed more feminine curves, although her looks were nothing compared to Astrid's, Hiccup's girlfriend. Hiccup frowned and turned to Astrid, "are we friends?" He asked, she held up her finger, "hang on, one second. Wait here" she said, she leaned in to kiss his cheek before she stopped herself, remembering that Hiccup had forgotten they were dating and that he was stuck in his 14 year old brain again. She decided it better she didn't, he had turned bright red when she looked at him, if she kissed him he might pass out. She laughed it off and released his arm before she walked over to the group to talk to them.Fishlegs glanced over at Hiccup worriedly, "hey, how is he?" He asked, "it's good that he woke up this soon" Ruffnut noted, Astrid waved her hand from side to side, "he's fine except for one thing" she said carefully, the gang frowned at that, "what is it? Is he okay?" Snotlout asked. Astrid smiled over at Hiccup who was watching them with a curious expression on his face before she turned back to their friends. She nodded, "he's okay, but he's lost his memory" she said, "really? Cool!" Tuffnut cried earning a slap on the arm from his sister, "not cool, Amnesia I assume, how much is he missing?" She asked. Ruffnut had been working for Gothi and learning how to be a healer like her, so she was the most medically knowledgeable out of them all. Astrid nodded, "Amnesia yeah, he's missing 6 years. He still thinks he's 14" she explained. Everyone looked as shocked as she felt, "6 years?" Fishlegs asked, Astrid nodded, "meaning he doesn't remember Toothless, he doesn't remember us dating, he doesn't remember being friends with any of us" she said. Snotlout held his hand to his chest, "not even me, his best buddy?" He asked, Astrid shook her head, "nope sorry Snotlout" she replied, "wow, it must be bad if he can't remember me" he said looking back at Hiccup. "So what do we do? Has Gothi said how long it'll be before his memory returns?" Ruffnut asked, Astrid shook her head and shrugged, "she says anywhere between a week to indefinitely" Astrid said gravely. The smile melted off Tuffnut's face, "wait, you mean Hiccup's memories could never return?" He asked, Astrid swallowed at the thought bitter in her mouth but she nodded, "she says if we tell Hiccup memories and introduce him to familiar things it could help but there's no guarantee" she said. Fishlegs lay his hand on Astrid's shoulder, "wow that's tough, your boyfriend not remembering being with you, I'm sorry Astrid" he said sympathetically, Ruffnut looked at Hiccup then Astrid, "don't worry, I'm sure his memory will return. I mean you're Hiccup and Astrid! The strongest couple in all of Berk, Hiccup could never forget you, not for good anyway" she said encouragingly. Astrid smiled weakly, "thanks guys, but maybe it's best you keep your distance, at least for today. It was a big enough shock for him when he heard that he was dating me, he's going to re-meet his mom in a sec, he was terrified of Toothless when he came in, I don't want to overwhelm him" she said. They all nodded, "we understand, you know where to find us if you need anything Astrid" Snotlout said, she nodded, "thanks Snotlout, maybe tomorrow we can reintroduce you all to Hiccup, tell him a few stories, see if that'll bring any of his memory back" she said. Ruffnut nodded, "I'll do some reading up on Amnesia, see if I can find anything that could help Hiccup" she said, Astrid smiled at her friend, "thank you, that'd be great" she said gratefully. Tuffnut stroked his chin in thought, "and if that doesn't work we can try hitting him in the head where he fell, maybe it would reverse his Amnesia" he suggested, Ruffnut slapped him around the head, "come on, let's go dummy" she said. Astrid made her way back over to Hiccup, "hey, sorry about that, once your dad's done talking to Gothi we can go back to your hut. I know your mom was just as worried about you as I was" she laughed. He laughed, "wow that sounds weird, I know she's been around for a few years but I can't remember her at all so for me this is like meeting her for the first time" he said, Astrid smiled sympathetically, "I'm sorry your memory's missing Hiccup, this must all be so weird huh" she asked. Her swallowed and nodded, "a little, but the weirdest part is the fact I'm dating you. I've been in love with you for years, well I guess I really have but I mean from when I was 14, it's kinda weird seeing you like this. It feels like one morning you were 14 too, and then I opened my eyes and we're 20 and you're-" he trailed off unsure of how to phrase it. Astrid raised her brow in amusement, "I'm what?" She asked, Hiccup turned red, "you're- uhh... A woman" he answered, his voice cracking on the word woman. He didn't know his voice could still do that at 20, but he was back in his awkward 14 year old brain so really it didn't surprise him. What had surprised him when he woke up was the way his voice sounded. He didn't sound like himself, his voice was deeper and richer, it didn't warble uncomfortably, in this state he'd already been through puberty. It didn't squeak and crack either, although it had raised in pitch slightly when Astrid had kissed him and just then when he'd called her a woman. Astrid snorted and laughed, god her laugh was like music to his ears. She shook her head as she looked at him, "gods, I forgot how awkward you were when you were 14" she laughed. Hiccup laughed awkwardly as he rubbed the back of his neck, "uhh, thanks?" He said, she punched his arm lightly, "I'm just playing with you, although you are definitely less awkward than when you were 14 thank Thor" she said. Hiccup looked down at his fake foot, kicking at the dirt slightly, "I'm sorry, I'm sure I'll get better as my memory returns but as you know I'm stuck in my teenage Hiccup brain" he tried to joke but it just came out weird. Astrid smirked mischeviously, "oh I know, I'm planning on making the most of it whilst I can" she said evilly, Hiccup's eyes widened, "uhh, what does that mean?" He asked, she laughed, "don't worry, I just know you'll be easy to embarrass right now and I'm going to use that against you", she might be older and more beautiful but she was definitely the same Astrid Hiccup knew before.Hiccup groaned, "great" he muttered, she slowly inched her hand towards his and slipped her fingers in his experimentally, watching his face to check he was okay with it. Hiccup turned red but he intertwined his fingers with hers. All he could think about was suddenly how sweaty his palms were, could she tell? Astrid grinned, "oh this is going to be so much fun" she laughed.
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They were silent as they walked to Hiccup's hut, he was trying to process everything, he was no longer Hiccup the Horrendous, according to Astrid and his dad he was strong and confident and a leader but Hiccup had troubles believing that. How could someone like him be all of those things? He was weak and wimpy and far from confident or a leader. "Are you alright son?" His dad finally asked as they neared the hut, Hiccup was pulled from his train of thoughts and realised he'd been glaring angrily at the ground. He eased up his expression and nodded, "yes, sorry, just- thinking" His dad laid a heavy hand on his shoulder, "I know it's a lot to handle all at once, we can take baby steps, we just want to get you back" Hiccup stopped in his tracks and stared up at their hut, like all the other huts it was wildly different. It was made mostly of metal and wood with a large stable attached to the side of it, but there were small dragons on the roof and there were dragon prints surrounding the house. "This is it?" Hiccup asked, his dad nodded, "we don't have to go in until you're ready" but Hiccup didn't want to wait, he wasn't sure if he was ready but he wasn't entirely unprepared either, "no, I've spent my whole life wondering where I came from, who she was, I need to meet her. I need to meet mom"His dad nodded gravely, "aye" he gave Hiccup over to Astrid and opened the door for them both. Astrid shifted her grip on Hiccup and together they hobbled into the hut, "ah" Hiccup stumbled over the threshold and caught himself on the cabinet in the hall. Astrid held his torso so he wouldn't fall, "do you need to rest?" She asked, "it's alright, you two stay here, I'll go get your mother" Hiccup's dad said and disappeared in the house. Hiccup felt embarrassed. He had done this to himself, he was the one who fell, he lost his memories and now he was useless. He couldn't walk, he couldn't remember anything, he was so dependent on Astrid and his dad, he hated it. He leaned on the cabinet as he recovered, "are you okay?" Astrid asked, he didn't want to look at her so he just nodded. When he straightened himself and looked in the mirror hung above the cabinet he almost fell back in shock. He didn't recognise himself, he was a completely different man, if his eyes weren't the same deep shade of green he would think he was looking at someone else. Everything about him was different, everything had changed, except from his eyes, his eyes were the same. His face had taken a more masculine shape, with a squarer jaw and more defined features, his baby face was gone too. His hair was longer ending at his shoulders, what struck him was the ginger tone it held within the lighter brown shades, his hair was nearly black when he was 14 and he guesses after years in the sun it had lightened to a reddish brown. His eyes ghosted over the gash on his forehead, now crusted over with dried blood as it began to scab. That must've been where he hit his head, it looked pretty deep and nasty, he knew it was serious if he'd lost his memories from the hit. His brows were thicker and more shapely, his jaw was covered in a light gingery scruff, his head was no longer too big for his body, dare he say it he was more handsome than he was before. What struck him the most was how much his body had changed, he was no longer a skinny pinheaded stick of a boy, he was a strong well-built man. Sure he wasn't particularly brawny, but he had filled out nicely, he was no longer dancing the line between underweight and barely healthy. His shoulders were broader, his neck was thicker, his chest didn't concave on itself anymore, although his arms lacked the muscles of someone like his father they definitely had definition and weren't as twig-like. Hiccup took a step back in shock only to be caught by Astrid, she held him up as his knees buckled from underneath him. It felt so strange to stare at himself in the mirror and not recognise his reflection looking back at him. A gasp caught in his throat as he studied himself, "are you okay?" Astrid asked again. He pushed himself away and walked slowly towards the mirror, the man on the other side following as he did, he frowned and relaxed but the other Hiccup did too. The mirror was real, it wasn't some strange optical illusion, that was him. He raised his hand and stroked his jaw, feeling the soft scruff that dusted his beard line, "who's that?" He murmured, to himself or Astrid he wasn't sure. Astrid laughed and stepped forward so she stood next to him, "that's you, Hiccup" she replied, her tone dancing with amusement. He looked at her slowly then back at his reflection, "that- that's- me?" He stammered. Astrid laughed before she pursed her lips and smiled at him affectionately with a nod of her head, he felt an overwhelming love for her in his heart and felt the urge to kiss her but he was too distracted by the man in the mirror who was supposedly him. He leaned closer to the mirror and inspected the spray of freckles that dusted his cheeks or the just slightly less pale tone of his skin, it must be true, he must be a dragon rider and one that spends lots of time riding under the sun. "Wow" he managed, Astrid stepped closer, resting her hand on his chest and her head on his shoulder. Hiccup swallowed and wrapped his arm around her waist, looking at the two of them in the mirror he couldn't help but to think about how perfect they looked. They fit together like a puzzle, maybe they really were meant to be. He hoped some sort of memory would flow back like when he fitted his leg, but nothing. It felt right, but no matter how hard he tried to concentrate and remember or no matter how hard he willed something to come back to him, no memories surfaced.He saw a movement in the mirror behind him, an unfamiliar woman appeared from the kitchen followed by his dad and Hiccup whirled around to face her. She had hair like his, swept back from her face and braided at the back. Her face was delicate and beautiful, she had eyes like Hiccup's and a kind nature about her. She smiled when she saw Hiccup and went to rush forward to hug him presumably before she stopped herself, remembering Hiccup didn't remember her she took a slow step towards him. Hiccup only had to look into her eyes to know she really was his mother, he took a step towards her, "mom?" He asked, her smile widened, "Hiccup" she said softly, stepping towards him and raising her hand. When Hiccup didn't shy away she ran a gentle hand through his hair, pushing the hair back away from his eyes and falling to cup his cheek. Tears pricked at Hiccup's eyes, he breathed a short laugh, "it's you" he whispered, he wrapped his arms around her and didn't let go. She didn't hesitate to hug him back, her hand on his head and back. Hiccup buried his face in her shoulder to hide his tears, "I never thought I'd see you again" his words were muffled against her shoulder but she laughed, "Hiccup, you saw me the morning of the accident" He let her go and took a step back again, "I know, but I don't remember that, for me this is the first time I've seen you in 13 years" he said. Her brows knitted together in concern, "how is your head?" She asked, she touched a painful spot at the back of Hiccup's head, he must have a second injury there from where he hit the ground. Hiccup winced and she gently felt the cut on his forehead, "when will he heal?" She asked nobody in particular. Astrid was the one to speak this time, "the cut's will heal in a matter of months but" she sighed before she continued, "we don't know when or if his memory will return, all we can do is hope and pray to the gods" she said heavily. Hiccup took her hand, it was almost instinctive, like his first reaction to her sadness was to comfort. She looked down at his hand then smiled, a little sadly, at him. His mom didn't hold the same grave expressions his dad and Astrid did however, she held out her hand to Hiccup, "come, let me show you something", Hiccup looked back at her then took a deep breath and accepted her hand.Stoic and Astrid followed as she lead Hiccup through to the kitchen and then out a door at the far back leading to the stables. Hiccup gripped her hand tightly when he saw two large intimidating dragons sleeping. He looked to his mom but she was unafraid, she dropped Hiccup's hand and walked calmly over to the dragon with a square head and two large horns connected in the middle of it's head in a dipped V shape. Hiccup held his breath as she crouched in front of the beast, "Cloudjumper" she whispered and the dragon stirred. She looked back at Hiccup with a comforting expression, "it's okay" she reassured seeing the fear on his face. She gestured for him to join her, Hiccup looked back at Astrid and his dad that watched warily from the entrance, "come on" his mom encouraged and so he walked cautiously towards her and the woken dragon. The one she called 'Cloudjumper' rose to his feet and looked at Hiccup with a look of admiration and joy, he pushed his head into Hiccup's hands and rubbed against his chest. Hiccup tensed and held his hands up above his head and looked at his mom for what to do, "uhhh" he said unsurely. His mom took his hands and placed them either side of Cloudjumper's head, "he's friendly. He's just happy to see you again, he hasn't seen you in a week. Dragons are intelligent, more than we give them credit for, he knew something was wrong when you never came back and he's relieved to see you're okay" she explained. Hiccup didn't relax but he slowly stroked the dragon, "um, thank you Cloudjumper. I'm alright" he said awkwardly, the dragon made a purring sound almost like a cat. Hiccup looked at the creature with curiosity cast on his face, he didn't notice the smile that had crept onto his face until he saw his reflection in the dragon's magnificent yellow eyes. His dad stepped forward and cleared his throat, "I think maybe that's enough Val, we don't want to overwhelm the boy and we should probably get him to bed" he said but his mom laughed and shook her head, "nonsense, he's been in bed all week, you're fine aren't you Hiccup?" She asked. Hiccup looked up slowly at the mention of his name, his face still filled with wonder, "y-yeah, I'm okay" he said slowly when he tore his eyes away from Cloudjumper. His mom gasped, a mischievous glint in her eye, "want to ride him?" She asked. "No, absolutely not" his dad said immediately but his mom looked at Hiccup expectantly, waiting for his response. He felt his fear returning, but he also felt a longing in his chest and so he looked at his dad, "it's okay, as Gothi said, familiar things may help me remember, and I'll be with mom" he said looking back at his mother. She grinned and climbed on top of Cloudjumper before she offered Hiccup her hand, he looked at his dad and Astrid, "I'll be fine" he said again, he hesitantly kissed Astrid's cheek then turned and took his mom's hand. She pulled him onto Cloudjumper with her, she sat in a leather saddle secured to Cloudjumper's back but there was no room for Hiccup and so he sat in front of the saddle, in front of her in between Cloudjumper's shoulder blades. She waited until he had settled comfortably before she patted Cloudjumper's flank, "slow" she told him. He plodded out of the stable then launched into the sky, Hiccup fell forward and clung to his neck and screamed but once they'd reached a good height Cloudjumper straightened and flew carefully. He looked back at Hiccup with a questioning look, "I- sorry, I'm okay" he told the dragon. His mom's hands rested on his shoulders anyway so he couldn't fall, it was just took Hiccup by surprise, he wasn't sure what he was expecting. "So? What do you think?" His mom asked as they flew above the clouds. Hiccup didn't know where to look first, it was breathtaking all of it. In just a matter of seconds Berk was miles below them and the people look like ants. They were surrounded by white fluffy clouds that dissolved when he touched them, "this is awesome" Hiccup breathed, "you ready to go faster?" She asked with a smile. Hiccup leaned forward and grabbed one of Cloudjumper's spikes that jutted out around his neck like a mane and nodded. His mom made some sort of guttural grunt and Cloudjumper shot forward, "whoa" Hiccup gasped as he almost fell back. The wind blew back his hair and clothes but Hiccup hung on, the feeling of riding through the sky on a dragon like this felt familiar. Hiccup closed his eyes and suddenly he saw his mom and him flying above the clouds together, her on Cloudjumper, him on Toothless. They laughed and talked as hey soared through the sky going nowhere in particular. Hiccup furrowed his brow and the scene changed, he remembered when he fell from the sky as he tried to show her some invention of his.The details were foggy but something saved him and her hand wandered to his cheek when she made sure he was okay. She drew her hand back and then experimentally cupped his cheek again. He remembered closing his eyes and pressing his face against her hand.His eyes flew open, "I remember" he gasped, "what? What do you remember?" His mom asked escastically. He told her what he'd seen, "that's great! So tell me, what do you know?" She asked. He licked his lips and frowned in concentration, he was still feeling confused but suddenly it made sense. Or at least some of it, it was like he had found the first few pieces of a puzzle he was trying to complete, "I know that I found you about 6 months ago, I don't know how or why you left but I remember it had something to do with dragons. I remember Toothless is my best friend but I don't remember meeting him or how to fly. I know you live with me and dad, that-" he trailed off. His mom nodded, "we're a family again" she completed.