Lycanwings Are Real

by AZ09_razza

Summary:

They weren’t supposed to exist; everyone knew that. Sure, there were believers like Gobber, but everyone knew Lycanwings didn’t exist. Now, Snotlout faces the fact that a Lycanwing bit him and he’s turning into one every full moon. How much longer can he keep it a secret, or worse, how long until he bites someone?

Notes:

Lycanwings have always interested me, plus my love for werewolves.

Chapter 1: Morning Light

    He let out a pain-filled groan as his bones resettled back into his joints. His skin was slowly shrinking back to fit his frame as his arms pulled the bones back from the shape of wings. His mouth hurt the worst; his teeth rounding back to human-like teeth, and his lower canines shoved back into his mouth.

   Everything felt like it was being set on fire by lava. He couldn’t move, he could barely breathe, he could only stare blankly ahead at Hookfang, who watched over him with concern. 

   Last night was a haze; after he transformed, he could only remember blurry glimpses of what happened. He closed his eyes as the cold dirt provided some relief from the pain. 

   Hookfang nudged Snotlout’s arm, which had finally returned to normal. Snotlout slowly moved each one of his fingers, his nails still caked in dirt and blood. He closed his eyes and opened them again, the morning light dimmer than it was a few seconds earlier. 

   He tried to move, tried to force his body up, but he couldn’t. He grunted as he tried to make his legs move, but he couldn’t. His eyes flicked up to Hookfang, who carefully grabbed the stolen blanket -Snotlout couldn’t remember where they stole it from- and wrapped Snotlout in it before grabbing the blanket and flying back to the Edge. 

   Wind blew around him as he peered at the orange sky. Would they notice? He hoped not. As embarrassing as it would be to be the thing he had spent days disproving, who knows what they would do? 

   Lycanwings weren’t supposed to exist; they were supposed to be old wives' tales used to scare kids. Lycanwings weren’t weird-looking dragons that you come across in the woods and attack people at random. Lycanwings doesn’t turn a normal human into another Lycanwing, and the person is forced to transform into a dragon every full moon. 

   Hookfang squeezed the two of them into Snotlout’s hut, laying the Viking on his bed. Snotlout sighed, his body slowly relaxing, and after a few more minutes, he managed to sit up. It hurt, everything hurt. 

   He looked at Hookfang; scratches and bite marks littered the Monstrous Nightmare’s skin, and even patches of scales were missing. He had defended Snotlout after he was bitten and slowly transformed. 

   He slowly stood up, using Hookfang as a crutch as he stumbled over to his closet, and he slowly pulled on a long nightshirt. 

  “Are you ok?” His voice came out scratchy and halfway like a growl. He bent his head, coughing and hitting his chest. “Fuck!” He closed his eyes. 

   Suddenly, there was a knock on his door, making his body tense up. He slowly stumbled over, shooing Hookfang to the side silently. He cracked the door open and peered out, spotting Astrid at his door, her arms crossed.

   “Where were you last night? You were supposed to keep watch!” She hissed, Stormfly eyeing him impatiently.

  “I got sick.” He whispered, “I’m still sick.”

   Astrid took a step back, “Thor, you sound like shit. I’ll send Fishlegs up with some medicine when he wakes up.” 

   “Thank you.” He croaked, getting a nod from Astrid.

   “Get better soon and get some rest.” She said before walking away, Stormfly prancing behind her. He closed the door and collapsed to the floor, his joints stabbing themselves. Hookfang let out a soft rumble as he helped Snotlout to his feet and his bed.

   “Thanks, Hookster.” He grumbled, slowly pulling the covers over his body. His skin felt exposed without scales, and he stared at his bare arms. He couldn’t remember anything about the scales he had, but he felt weak without them.

   Maybe last night was all a dream, maybe he was getting sick and it was a hallucination, but when he looked at Hookfang’s scabbing head, he knew it wasn’t true. He petted Hookfang’s head as he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.

Chapter 2: Round Two

Summary:

His second transformation

Notes:

First bit is a bit graphic, very heavy in some body horror.

   He may not have been the best liar, but he managed to convince the other riders that he had gotten sick while patrolling the island. Hookfang landed to take care of him, then the dragon had to defend him from a wild dragon. Of course, that lie made all of the riders search every crook and cranny of the Edge, but it was worth it, keeping them from keeping a watchful eye over him while he was “sick”. 

   His skin itched as he glanced over to the setting sun. He needed to get out soon, but Hiccup had insisted that they eat together. 

  “You ok, Snotlout?” Hiccup asked, making the other riders look at Snotlout. 

  “Yeah, just tired.” He lied; he had to force himself not to shake from nerves. His voice had returned to normal after a few days, would it get easier? “Can I go?” He asked, shifting out of his seat.

   “Sure, go ahead.” Hiccup sighed, returning to his conversation with Astrid. 

   Snotlout kept walking, but he was sure he was out of earshot. He scrambled onto Hookfang’s back and they flew into the forest, far away from the buildings. Snotlout’s heart raced as he watched the sun start to set and looked over to the east, spotting the moon peeking its head over the water. 

   “Land!” He growled, looking at his arm as small scales started climbing out of his skin, ripping through his skin, but no blood came out. Pain shot through his entire body, and he gripped tighter onto Hookfang’s horns. Hookfang didn’t fully land before he rolled Snotlout on the ground. 

    His body echoed each new pain, and he closed his eyes as the sunlight fully disappeared. His skull throbbed as his jaws extended, his teeth grew and sharpened, and horns started growing from along his nose bridge and down his spine. 

    His arms stretched out of their joint only to pop back in when the joints matched the growing size. His fingers pulled from his hand and became long bones that supported the large wings that grew membranes between his fingers and from under his armpits. His legs contorted as they matched Hookfang, his toes grew and moved around, with his big toe moving around to be like a dew claw. 

    His spine felt like it was breaking, reforming, and breaking again as a long tail sprouted from his tailbone. It soon gained its own harsh pain as spines grew from it. His neck was pulled forward, a harsh popping sound echoing in his longer and more sensitive ears. 

   Then the pain stopped, no waves disappearing like the first time, just stopped like dumping water on a flame. He slowly opened his eyes, the world looking like it was in the daytime, and he looked up at Hookfang, who approached him cautiously. 

  Hookfang let out a soft rumble, and though Snotlout couldn’t understand, he slowly raised his head. He was shorter than Hookfang, not by much, but it was noticeable. Hookfang roared softly, walking around Snotlout. 

  “Hookfang.” He carefully roared back. There was recognition in Hookfang’s eyes, and he let out a happy roar. Hookfang ushered him through the trees, carefully walking around.

   Everything seemed closer. He could smell wild birds, the sea, and the smell of the Edge from the winds. Each leaf rustling in the wind sang a different song, and with each step, he could feel the dirt beneath him talking to him about all of the creatures that lived in it. He looked up at the sky, the stars shining like silver whispering secrets through the night to each other and the moon. The moon was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. It was perfectly round, light radiating off it like an elegant cloud, but it seemed to be dusted with silver and crystals. 

   He looked forward to Hookfang, who had stopped and stepped to the side to show off a cliffside. Hookfang let out a rumble. He wanted Snotlout to fly. Snotlout slowly raised himself on his hind legs, stretching out his arm-wings. The breeze was calming, and the sea that churned below was calling him, calling him to jump off and fly. 

   Hookfang rumbled again, jumping off the cliff and flying around, waiting for him. Snotlout took a deep and shaky breath, his wings itching to fly, and jumped off. He flapped his wings, and instead of panic rooting in his chest, he felt calm. He flew next to Hookfang, and the moments felt practiced and familiar. He picked up speed and flew up, towards the clouds, towards the moon.

   He broke through the clouds, and before him was the moon. It looked back at him, Máni, the moon deity, was watching him. Did he know of the curse the moon caused him? He looked at the stars surrounding the moon like a halo. Did they whisper about the new Lycanwing?

   Suddenly, Hookfang appeared through the clouds, a panic roar shaking the clouds around him. Hookfang pushed him through the clouds before flying in front of him. Then Snotlout heard wing beats that weren’t his or Hookfang's. 

   “Hookfang! What are you doing out here?” A scratchy voice asked.

   “You’d think a dragon as loyal as Hookfang would be next to Snotlout.” The other, less scratchy voice asked. Ruffnut and Tuffnut. Shit.

   Hookfang roared, getting a response from Barf and Belch, and the dragons dipped down. The twins screamed curses at their dragon, and Snotlout carefully followed behind them. 

   “What is their deal!” Ruff asked, her scratchy voice making his ears slightly sting. “Snotlout better thank us for grabbing his dragon!”

   “I don’t know!” Tuff shouted back, “Belch! Control yourself!”

   “Barf!” Ruff snapped, holding onto her dragon’s horns. 

   Snotlout lowered down in the clouds, the cold water sticking to his scales. He could see Hookfang leading Barf and Belch towards the island’s beach. Snotlout's stomach dropped; they were closer to the Edge than he thought. He looked down at the riders, then his eyes met Tuff’s.

   “What is that!” Tuff shouted, pointing up at Snotlout. Snotlout shot up in the clouds, and the sounds of Hookfang, Barf, and Belch roaring filled the air and blocked out the twins’ voices. 

   He saw him, hopefully, Ruff could convince him it was nothing. What would he do if that wasn’t the case? They would start looking for him, Fishlegs and Hiccup would get obsessed with finding a “new dragon”. 

   Finally, he heard the twins again, “Are you stupid? There’s nothing there!” Ruff snapped, and a loud whack shot through the sky.

   “Ow! There was something! I swear to Loki that there was a dragon there!” Tuff exclaimed. 

   “Yeah? What kind of dragon was it?” She taunted.

   “It was a new dragon! It was right there! Com’on Belch!” Tuff cried, getting an annoyed growl from the Zippleback. 

   “There’s nothing there!” 

   “Then why would Hookfang distract us? Explain that, sister!” Tuff replied.

   “Fine, we'll take a look.” She agreed, and Snotlout quickly flew further away. He could hear the disgruntled noises of the Zipleback and worried rumbles from Hookfang. 

   He kept the clouds between them as the twins looked around. “It was just here!” Tuff shouted, “Let’s keep looking!”

   “Come on!” Ruff shouted, “If your mystery dragon was here, it ain’t here now! If it’s even real.” She mumbled the last part.

   “It is real!” Tuff snapped, getting an annoyed sigh from Ruff.

   “Whatever, you can look for it on your own time.” She snapped.

   The wing beats slowly faded, and after a few minutes, Hookfang popped his head through the clouds. He let out a relieved roar.

   “Are we safe?” He asked, slowly flying around Hookfang, who nodded. He looked up at the moon, the beautiful moon. It wasn’t even high in the sky yet, but Snotlout could feel its light touching every scale. He closed his eyes, drinking in the light; it was going to be ok. It had to be ok.

Notes:

Tuffnut is no idiot, as much as he lacks common sense sometimes.

Chapter 3: Tuffnut's Suspicion

Summary:

Tuffnut starts looking into the mystery dragon he saw.

Notes:

I feel like the twins sometimes just get played off as idiots, and people forget that they lowkey have some big brain moments, particularly Ruff.

   Tuffnut may not have a lot of common sense or intelligence, but he was not crazy; he saw a new dragon. While Ruff and the other riders chatted in the morning, talking about the plans to explore some small islands just off the coast of Deathsong Island. Tuffnut was hunched over, carefully drawing the dragon he saw last night. He was far from talented like Hiccup or Fishlegs, but when he finished it, it looked like the mystery dragon.

   It had a short snout with a hooked nose, two tusks that curled up from its slightly protruding jaw. Its head was square, and its ears were long and thin. Small black horns trailed up from in between its eyes before growing in size as it made a wall of horns on top and behind its head and partially down its neck. Its large wings were also its front arms, and its hind legs were much smaller than the muscular wings. Its long tail was thin like a whip and covered in black spines that trailed down from the spine and thinned out the closer it got to its underside. It had a large chest to match its massive wings and a smaller, thinner back end. He remembered its scales ranging from blue-gray to a silver-white, making the black horns and spikes stand out. 

   He looked up at his friends, chatting and laughing, then he looked back down at his drawing; they would call him an idiot. He folded the paper and stuffed it into his pocket. He would prove that this dragon was real; this wouldn’t be like when he thought he was bitten by a Lycanwing. He looked at Snotlout, noticing some bags under his eyes. He had proved Tuff wrong last time, and he wouldn’t do it again. 

   Tuff slowly walked past the other riders, catching Snotlout looking at him before returning his eyes to the riders. Tuff scratched his chin as he walked on the bridges that connected the huts. 

   Hookfang was out when he saw the new dragon. Hookfang led them away from the new dragon, and Tuff only managed to get a good look at the new dragon because he had looked up away from the distraction. He stopped in his tracks. Why would Hookfang make a distraction for a new dragon that could be a danger to the Edge? Unless Hookfang knew the dragon wouldn’t be a danger, but then, where was Snotlout? Snotlout would’ve loved to boast about finding a new dragon. 

  Tuff resumed walking, spotting the dragons rolling in the dirt below the dining hall, and Tuff quickly raced to Snotlout’s hut. What if the new dragon was the reason Hookfang was injured last month, but then what had caused Snotlout to get sick? 

  He circled Snotlout’s hut and found Monstrous Nightmare claw marks and unfamiliar claw marks. He followed the marks up into Snotlout’s hut, and a shiver raced up Tuff’s spine. 

  He might not have gotten bitten by a Lycanwing, but what if Snotlout had? He didn’t even think for a moment longer before racing back to his and Ruff’s shared hut. He nearly dived under his bed once he was inside and pulled out a book of mythology he had ‘borrowed’ from Gobber.

  He sat against his bed and began flipping through the pages until he came across Lycanwing, which was written in big, bold letters.  

 

   Lycanwings: a mystery-class dragon that is a human cursed to transform into a dragon every full moon. This curse is passed through biting, and the inflicted wounds will heal increasingly fast. These dragons are unknown and are described to have gray-blue scales. VERY DANGEROUS DO NOT ENGAGE!!!

 

   Tuff’s stomach dropped. Gods that couldn’t be true, maybe Ruff was right, he was just seeing things. He pulled out the drawing from his pocket and stared at it. It had been so clear; it wasn’t a cloud. He closed his eyes; it was so clear in his mind. The large wingspan, the short snot, the round human-like eyes. Blue, human-like eyes. Blue like Snotlout’s. No, he slammed the book shut. He was too far away to see the dragon’s eye color. He leaned his head back and sighed. Maybe he was just an idiot and crazy, like everyone said.  Tuff sat up, no, he was going to prove them wrong. Even if it wasn’t a Lycanwing, he saw that dragon, and he was going to prove it was real, no matter what.

Notes:

Invetigatior Tuff

Chapter 4: Beach Cave

Summary:

Third time transforming, and someone comes along.

Notes:

I'm having fun

   Snotlout was starting to get worried about how long he could keep up the lie. He had barely skated around being on night patrol and managed to trade it with the twins in exchange for the night after. The day after transforming might be the worst, but better than someone trying to find him on patrol. He rode Hookfang to the other side of the edge, this time tying a bag to Hookfang with clothes for the morning, and stripped just as the sun set, he’d rather not shred another set of clothes, and he stuffed it into the bag under some fresh clothes that didn’t reek of sweat. 

  The transformation was smoother, but far from painless. He felt each of his bones growing and his joints stretching out and popping in and out of place, but this time it felt faster, and the pain stopped quicker. When he finally stopped transforming, it seemed like it had only been a few seconds of pain. Was this getting easier?

  Suddenly, his stomach rumbled; right, he had skipped dinner, claiming he had a stomach ache, which was why he traded days with the twins. Hookfang seemed to understand, and the two took off into the air. The night was quiet as they flew over the ocean. 

  It was strange, he could see small outlines of schools of fish from so high up. His stomach roared, and his mouth watered; he wanted to eat them so bad. He dived down, pinning his wings to his sides and splashed into the water with his mouth open. Salt stung his eyes and gums, but when he rose from the blue waters, he had fish in his mouth, and he swallowed them down greedily. 

  Hookfang roared in horror, and only then did Snotlout feel sick. He ate live fish, like a dragon. He threw up, whole fish falling out of his mouth and back into the ocean. Snotlout flew back to the Edge, panic tearing through his body. Was he losing his humanity? He landed on the sandy shore and crawled into a cave. Hookfang followed suit, and the two stared at each other. 

  “Hungry, I’m so hungry!” he cried, his stomach stabbing him, ripping him open from the inside out. 

   Hookfang rumbled before flying off, and Snotlout lay down, praying that he would return with food, cooked food. 

   Was he losing his mind? Eating live fish like a dragon, well, he was a dragon right now, but he was human still. He didn’t eat live fish or even raw fish, but he was starving, and he wanted to dive into the waters again and eat all the fish he could catch in his mouth. He was starving.  What if he lost more of his humanity? His mind went back to the night he was bitten. The Lycanwing had dozens of wounds: bite marks, scratches, even pieces of its wings missing. It had attacked him when it saw him, and worry was sinking into his gut. Would he turn out like the other Lycanwing? 

   Hookfang let out a happy roar as he dumped several fish on the floor before roasting the fish in front of him. Snotlout slowly ate the fish from the floor, easily swallowing the fish, but worry still sat in the back of his throat. He laid his head on the cold stone floor.  Was he doomed to become a mindless monster? Was this the calm before the storm? He looked up at Hookfang, who blocked the cave entrance. Would he attack Hookfang one day? 

  His stomach rumbled again, hunger stabbing his entire body. Hookfang roared again and disappeared into the night, leaving alone in the cave alone. He lay his head down, letting the waves calm him as they rolled over each other and landed on the beach, clawing to get onto land. 

  Wingbeats. He looked up, expecting to see Hookfang back with more fish, but backed up when he saw Tuff, Barf, and Belch standing at the cave entrance. “I knew it!” He shouted, raising his torch high above his head. “You are real! I had to search for a month, but I found you!” 

  “Get out!” He roared. Barf and Belch gave him a confused look but seemed to get the message, and Belch grabbed Tuff by his collar. 

  “No! Put me down!” Tuff shouted, a sharp tearing echoed in the cave, and Tuff walked closer to Snotlout, raising his hand and turning his head away. “Please, please, please…” The Viking chanted as he stepped closer and closer to Snotlout. 

   What was he supposed to do? “Tuff, back off!” He roared, scooting further back until he hit the back of the cave. Tuff looked up, studying him, shit. “Get him out!” He yelled at Barf and Belch, who looked at each other with confusion. 

   An angry cry broke through the sky as Hookfang appeared at the cave entrance. Hookfang set himself on fire, roaring at the Zippleback, who responded by producing gas and making small sparks. Gas started to leak around the two dragons as they screamed at each other like an old married couple, and Belch opened his mouth with a large spark.

   “Belch no!” Tuff screamed, and Snotlout wrapped his body around Tuff as the explosion rang in his ears. Rock crumbled around, hitting Snotlout’s wings, but he didn’t budge until his ears stopped ringing. He slowly raised his head. The entrance had rocks by it, but they could still get out. 

   “Stupid Zipplebacks,” he growled, looking down at Tuff, who had terror written across his face. Shit. Snotlout quickly scrambled away from Tuff, who stared up at Snotlout before pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket. 

   “You look like my drawing.” He said before looking directly into Snotlout’s eyes, “And your eyes are blue!” Tuff paused as he walked closer. 

   “Get back!” he roared, and Tuff paused. Snotlout could feel his heart racing. Tuff needed to leave; he wasn’t meant to see him.

   “Are… are you Snotlout?” 

   Snotlout’s heart dropped, shit. No, he couldn’t know, he couldn’t!

   “Snotlout?” He reached his hand out, “You’re a Lycanwing?”

   “Hookfang!” He cried, but he could hear the two dragons fighting outside. 

   “So are you Snotlout, or am I crazier than I think I am?” Tuff sighed, crossing his arms and staring up at him. 

    Snotlout sighed, waving his head to get Tuff to follow him before stepping out into the sand. He spotted Hookfang, Barf, and Belch screaming at each other, and he somewhat understood their argument, whether to tell Tuff. 

    “I’m telling him!” Snotlout roared, making the other two dragons fall silent. He sighed before turning to Tuff. Then Snotlout wrote in the sand, “I’m Snotlout.”

   Tuff looked at the writing, then at Snotlout, a weird smile forming on his face. Snotlout looked at Hookfang, who was looking at Tuff. Tuff put his hands on his head, leaned back, and let out a primal scream. Then he moved his head from his head to the front of his chest with a deep breath before looking up at Snotlout, “I was right about them fucking existing!”

   Snotlout nodded, bending his head down to meet Tuff’s eyes. Was Tuff going to tell the others?

   “So when did you get bitten?” Tuff asked, rocking on his heels.

   Snotlout narrowed his eyes and threw sand into Tuff’s face with his tail. “I’m not writing anymore!”

Notes:

This is now my new hyperfixation lmao

Chapter 5: Sunrise Secrets

Summary:

Within the morning light a secret is buried again

Notes:

This is becoming really fun to write, low-key. I hope you enjoy!

   Snotlout stepped out of the cave, back as a human and dressed in the extra clothes he had left with Hookfang. Regret seeped into his stomach as he saw Tuff next to Barf and Belch. “So are we going to talk about last night?” Tuff asked, raising his eyebrows.

   “Do we have to? We can just pretend it didn’t happen.” Snotlout replied, fear and worry eating at his soul. 

   Tuff shot him a look, “Sure, we can just ignore the fact you turn into a dragon once a month.” He said with a heavy dose of sarcasm. “But seriously, we have to talk about it.” 

   “What’s there to talk about? I got bitten by a Lycanwing, now I’m Lycanwing, and every full moon I transform into a dragon. The end.” He sighed, “And now you know. I’ve only been like… this for three months now.”

   “And you haven’t told anyone else?” Tuff asked, confused.

   “No, besides, Lycanwings don’t exist, remember? I proved that months ago.” Snotlout said with a roll of his eyes. 

   “But,” Tuff waved his hands at Snotlout, “here you are? This is a huge discovery. Why wouldn’t you want to tell someone?”

   “Yeah, great idea!” Snotlout laughed, “Let me show myself as a monstrosity to the world and point out that I am slowly losing my sanity when I’m transformed and a possible danger? Sure! Let’s go tell the closest people in the world to me that I’m a monster and scare them away!”

    Tuff bit his lip, “You aren’t really that scary.”

    “Sure, I’m sure that would comfort everyone. The guy who everyone thinks is crazy and stupid says I’m not scary.” 

    “You really aren't that scary, so what's the big deal? They could help you deal with this!” Tuff snapped.

    Snotlout’s mind wandered back to the Lycanwing in the woods, deranged and angry. Any humanity left in it was gone. Snotlout and Hookfang hadn’t even tried to get near it, they knew that injured dragons could be jumpy. They had tried to back off, to get Hiccup, who was great with injured dragons, but…

    “If I’m losing my sanity and humanity each time I transform, who knows how long it’ll be until I attack someone.” He looked up at the sky, the sun stretching its rays across the water and onto the beach. 

    “And what if you’re just becoming more dragon-like, not crazy or evil, just like a wild dragon?” Tuff suggested, “I think you’re overreacting.”

    “And what if I’m not?” Snotlout said, turning his head back to Tuff, “What if I transform next month and I lose control and I bite you or someone else on the Edge?” Tuff sighed, and Snotlout continued. “It’s better if I stay away during the full moon.”

    “What if I helped you during the full moon?” Tuff asked.

    “What?” Snotlout scoffed, “How could you do that?”

    “Well, you said that you're worried about accidentally attacking someone, so what if I got stuff to restrain you or even distract you so you can’t do that?”

    “And what about you?” Snotlout asked, “How would you stay safe?” 

    “I’d find a way, besides, Hookfang would help.” Tuff began, the words stabbing Snotlout’s heart. “Maybe I could-”

    “Enough!” He snapped, shoving his finger inTuff’s chest, “This is why I didn’t want anyone else to know, you guys would try to help me!” A growl echoed through his heart. Snotlout stepped back, his heartbeat pounding in his ears. 

    “Snotlout?” Tuff asked, stepping forward, but Snotlout pushed him back.

    “Back up!” he growled, and his heart raced faster than a Speed Stinger. “Back up…” He breathed out. He looked down at the sand, his feet aching to touch the grains and feel the coolness that revealed the itch that settled in his bones. “I don’t want to hurt you.”

    “You won’t,” Tuff insisted, but Snotlout shook his head.

    “You don’t know that!” He felt tears race down his face. “We don’t know anything about Lycanwings! I just fucking growled at you!” His knees buckled, and he fell onto the sand. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up at Tuff.

    “Then we’ll figure it out.” Tuff offered a firm smile, “We’ll be like Hiccup and Fishlegs, and we’ll study this and…”

    “And then what?” Snotlout sniffled, wiping his nose. 

    “We’ll figure it out, but I’m not going to leave you to deal with this alone.” 

    “Why do you care?”

   “Because I’m your friend and even if you’re an ass sometimes, I care about you,” Tuff replied, his eyes smiling at Snotlout.

   “That’s stupid.” Snotlout scoffed with a laugh.

   Tuff chuckled, “I’ve been told I do a lot of stupid things.”

   Snotlout smiled, “But you aren’t always an idiot, you can have some pretty good ideas.”

   “So I did have a good idea?” Tuff raised his eyebrows with a smile, and Snotlout pushed Tuff back a bit with a laugh.

   “Maybe, but… let’s keep this a secret.” Snotlout sighed, his smile falling. “I didn’t want you knowing about this, and I don’t want anyone else finding out.”

   “Are you sure, they could-“

   “Are you with me or not?” Snotlout snapped, looking Tuff dead in the eyes. “If word about Lycanwings gets out, imagine what people would do. Imagine what dragon hunters would do.”

   Tuff seemed to look straight through  Snotlout’s eyes and into his head, seeing the horrors that he saw. The blood, the pain, the death. “Nobody finds out about this.” Tuff agreed, offering his hand and helping Snotlout to his feet.

   “Nobody finds out about this,” Snotlout repeated. 

 

Notes:

More fun to come but what kind of fun

Chapter 6: Teeth and Bets

Summary:

Back on the Edge, some things are amiss

Notes:

Sorry for the long break, writer's block ,and other stuff

   “Remember, we didn’t meet up last night,” Snotlout repeated as they came in view of the Edge. 

   “I’ve got it!” Tuff sighed, “Relax, will you?”

   “I think you wouldn’t be able to either if you were in my position,” Snotlout replied, rubbing Hookfang’s horns as he stared down at the buildings. “See you later.” He said, breaking off and sneaking over to his hut. 

    The sun lay over the ocean, and the rays of sunlight skimmed across the rolling waves like skipping stones. He carefully landed behind his hut, and he ran inside so he could check himself in his mirror. His face looked normal, with no cuts or scratches that he had to explain away. He smiled, and his stomach dropped.

    He pulled back his cheek on his right side, spotting sharp teeth where his molars were. The only reason he had seen it was because he had smiled so wide, but when he looked closer at his molars, he wanted to vomit. They were sharper than his canines, and their roots went up further into his gums. He frantically checked the other side, finding more sharp teeth. 

    His heart was pounding directly in his brain as his lungs tried to use his entire body for breathing, but he couldn’t breathe. He wasn’t going back to being fully human. He could hear himself falling on the ground, but he didn’t feel it. He couldn’t see anything as the world spun so fast he was feeling dizzy, and he felt nauseous. He was turning into a monster; he was transforming past the night. He could kill someone-

    “Snotlout!” A familiar shouted, shaking him aggressively. “Look at me!” Snotlout could barely make out Tuff’s face as the world spun diagonally. “Come on, deep breath in for three; one, two, three. Hold one, two, three. Release one, two, three.” Breathing felt like torture, forcing his body to relax when every part of him felt like he was being hunted by the Lycanwing. He closed his eyes to make the world stop spinning, and his mouth and throat felt like they were filled with sand. 

    “Are you feeling better?” Tuff asked as Snotlout finally opened his eyes, a little dizzy still, and panic etched into his bones. 

    “I’ll be ok. Thanks.” He mumbled, realizing his hands were crushing Tuff’s. He quickly let go and curled himself up. “Sorry.”

    “Sorry for what?” 

    “Making you deal with… this.” Snotlout whispered, “I just got scared.”

    “Do you want to talk about it?” Tuff asked, offering his hands that were red and looked slightly bruised.

    “Easier to show.” He pulled back his cheek, which felt easier to pull back than before. 

    “Those are pretty sharp,” Tuff said, no fear in his voice.

    Snotlout sighed, wiping his hand on his pants, “They aren’t transforming back.”

    “Maybe it's just a side effect setting in, like some things are going to change in your human form?”

    “Then, gods know what else will start popping up. Face it- we know nothing.” 

    Tuff grabbed his hand and looked Snotlout dead in the eyes, “We’ll figure it out, we have time on our side and a safe spot to hide out. You're not alone in this.”

    “Thanks,” Snotlout smiled, before it felt like his ear flicked towards something near his door. He snapped his head around and spotted Ruff’s eye peeking through the crack. “Ruff!” He shouted, scrambling to his feet and pushing Tuff to the side. 

    “Astrid!” Ruff shouted as she raced away, cackling as she shouted, “Astrid!” 

    “Shit.” Snotlout hissed as Tuff joined him. “How much do you think she heard?” His heart was sinking as she ran across the bridges. 

    “If she heard anything about the situation , she would’ve started pestering us.” Tuff said, “Loki, no!” He put his hands on his head and looked up at the sky.

    “What’s wrong?”

    “It’s the bet she and Astrid have a bet going of who they think is getting together!” Tuff pulled his hands down his face and screamed into them.

    “Does she?” Snotlout pointed to him and Tuff.

    “I don’t know! I just know that she and Astrid have this bet going, but nothing else.”

    “Gods, do they have nothing better to do?” Snotlout sighed, “Come on, let’s at least bet them to breakfast, because I swear to Thor if they try anything I’m throwing them into the sea.”

    “I will second that,” Tuff grumbled as he followed him down the bridge. “They better hope Jörmungandr isn’t hungry.”

     Snotlout looked out to the ocean, the waves calling to him with each roll of water and soft crash against the rocks. “Come home,” The waves cried, “Come be with your kin!”

     “Snotlout!” Tuff said, shaking him slightly, “We have to get going!” He said before running off, but Snotlout looked at the sea. 

     “Fly home, fly home, your home is here!” The waves, he could see faces in them as they crashed over each other, claws reaching up to the sky before diving down into the rich blue water. 

     A bang turned his head from the water and to the dining hut, followed by a screaming match that could only be between the twins. Snotlout took a deep breath and raced to the hut as the twins tumbled out the door and down the stairs, tugging hair and biting each other as they fell.

     “What the Hel?” Snotlout asked, looking back at the other three riders, who looked confused, except Astrid, who gave him a look. 

     “Ruff came in yelling for Astrid, and they started talking, then Tuff nearly slammed a pan in her face.” Hiccup sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Dented our pan and took a chunk of rock out of the table, I’ll deal with them.”

     “And I’ll start looking through the Dragon Eye, better figure out where Krogan and the dragon hunters will want to strike next,” Fishlegs said, following Hiccup out the door.

     “So?” Astrid said, raising an eyebrow as she stretched her muscular arms. 

     “So what?” Snotlout replied, grabbing the plate that was meant for him and shoving food in his mouth as his stomach rumbled. 

     “Ruff told me something interesting, so are you two…” She asked with a wave of a hand. 

     “No, she’s lying,” Snotlout quickly said, “What would you expect from someone trying to win a bet?”

     “So you know of our bet?” Astrid asked with a mix of worry and curiosity. 

     “Tuff told me he overheard about a bet, but put the pieces together.”

      Then Astrid smiles, “You know, she’s the one who bet that you two wouldn’t get together?”

       “She’s still a liar,” Snotlout said, shoving the rest of his food in his mouth and rushing out of the hut, the ocean still calling his name. 

Notes:

We'll see when I get the next chapter posted, the heat is killing my brain

Chapter 7: Loki Plays Both Sides

Summary:

The twins will fight, but how far will it go?

Notes:

Guys! The heat didn't kill my brain! Enjoy!

    Hiccup was pulling Tuff away by his jacket as Toothless pulled Ruff away by her jacket. Tuff spat out blood, a mix of his own and hers, “Stay out of my business!”

    “Maybe you should man up and stop tiptoeing!” Ruff shouted back, spitting blood out of her mouth. 

     “What is this even about?” Hiccup snapped, letting go of Tuff to stand in between the two, and Toothless dropped Ruff so he could sit by his rider. “I haven’t seen you two fight like this in years!”

    “She and Astrid are taking bets about us!”

    “Well, maybe you should just admit it!” 

    “Enough!” Hiccup shouted, putting his arms up to keep the twins separated as they tried to lunge at each other. “Ruff, we’ve talked about betting on each other. I don’t know the full story, and at this point, either drop it or tell me the whole truth.”

     Ruff opened her mouth, but Tuff cut her off, “You say anything, sister, and will start spilling about the thing .” 

     “Fine, we’ll quit.” Ruff snapped, storming off as she cursed to the gods. 

     “Sort it out.” Hiccup sighed, walking away with Toothless, and Tuff ran after Ruff. 

     “Can we talk?” He asked, only to be met with a punch to the jaw. 

     “You’re going to make me lose the bet!” She snapped, “Astrid said you were going to secretly date!”

     “Easy, sister, we aren’t dating.”

     Ruff snapped her head to him, “Then why were you all hand-holdy with him, and don’t say it’s just a friend thing, cause he’s not a fan of being held.”

     “Look, he was having a rough go and needed help through that.” Tuff explained, “We’re just friends.”

     “And you wish you weren’t.” Ruff sighed, rolling her eyes, “Just ask him.”

     “We don’t know if he likes men like that!” Tuff said, his face turning red. “Why don't you ask Fishlegs out then, since you’re for a direct approach?”

     “That’s different! He’s been fancied by Heather since she joined us.” Ruff shouted, her face flushed ruby red. 

     “Then, can we agree to back off each other’s cases?” Tuff asked, rubbing where Ruff had punched him. 

     “Fine, but if you do…”

     Tuff slapped Ruff across the face, “Agreed?”

     Ruff rubbed her cheek, but nodded, “Agreed, now fuck off.” She said, walking away as she cursed under her breath. 

     Tuff sighed, then felt a hand on his shoulder. “There you are!” Snotlout said, “I was trying to find you, but then Hiccup caught me and gave me the night shift.”

     Tuff looked at Snotlout, his sky blue eyes looking him over. “Yeah, I think I at least got Ruff off our backs.”

     “I can’t say the same for Astrid, she is going to be giving us the look for a while. I told her Ruff was lying.”

     Tuff nodded, “I’ve got to get patched up.” He sighed, and Snotlout smiled.

     “Yeah, thanks for fighting your sister for me.” He chuckled. Tuff could spot the ends of Snotlout’s dragon teeth peaking out. He didn’t say anything; he didn’t want to worry him anymore. “Do you need help? She got you pretty good.”

     Tuff shook his head, “It’s fine, she wasn’t really trying.” The bite on his arm made Snotlout raise his eyebrow.

     “You can just say no, you don’t have to lie,” Snotlout said, walking off. Tuff looked at him, part of him wanting to call him back, but he stayed silent as he disappeared among the grass and rocks. 

     When had he even started growing feelings for Snotlout? Two, three years ago? He had been on a patrol with Snotlout around the oceans of Berk and realized he loved being around Snotlout. He was funny, and even though he could be a little dense, he was smart, caring, and tough. For a while, he just thought that’s what friendship was like, then after talking to Hiccup about his relationship with Astrid, reality hit him like a brick. 

     He slowly walked over to he and Ruff’s shared hut, which they had recently divided with a wall of blankets. He stepped inside the hut, spotting Ruff on her separate side, and he ignored her. He felt pain dot his arm, and he sank into his bed, the frame creaking. He bent down and pulled out a small medicine bag from under his bed, and when he cracked it open, the smell of herbs whacked him in the face. He slowly applied some salve to his wounds, dried blood chipping off. He didn’t care to wash it off; he never really did. 

     “So, are you ever going to tell him?” Ruff asked, her voice low. 

     “Are you ever going to tell him?” Tuff replied.

     “I’ll talk to Astrid about ending the bet.” Ruff sighed, “As much as I would love to win a dare over her, I care more about your feelings.”

     “Thanks, sister, but you don’t have to end it.” Tuff couldn’t help but smile, “I’d want to see you get your ass whooped by Astrid, but keeping it on the low would be better.”

     Ruff laughed, “Hey, maybe if you two are getting closer, I’ll win.”

     “In your dreams!” Tuff said, wrapping bandages tightly around his arm. 

     It was quiet for a second before she spoke up, “So, are you actually going to say anything, or is this going to be like Snoggletog, where you tried and then pretended to choke on your yak nog to get out of talking to him?”

     Tuff sighed. He wanted to, but as confident as he was, it was hard to bring that up. Gods, now would be the worst time, Snotlout was going through Hel. “Maybe later.”

     “You keep saying that, but you never get around to it!” Ruff exclaimed, throwing something at the thick blanket wall. “Just do it!”

     “I’ll do it when you tell Fishlegs about your feelings!” Tuff said, tossing the empty slave container at the wall, the metal hitting the floor with a thud. 

     “Fine, I will!” Ruff said before rushing out of the house, “Fishlegs!”

     Tuff felt his stomach drop.

Notes:

Here we go, my friends, enemies, or those yet to be determined, we are getting to the chaos.

Chapter 8: Thank You

Summary:

Not a real chapter

Notes:

Y'all have been so fun

     Hey guys, not a real chapter, but I wanted to thank you guys for all of the love and support, not just on this fic, but on A Viking Boy at Heart. It has been truly amazing sharing this journey with y'all. I do have a Tumblr if you want to find me; my username is ratznsweaters, and one of my few posts is some design concepts for this fic. I can't thank y'all enough for the continued support, and I hope to post the chapters at least once every one or two weeks as I am balancing writing with my own life and starting college soon. You guys have been awesome, and I can't wait to post the next chapters.

    Best, AZ

Notes:

Thank y'all again, you've made this journey incredible.

Chapter 9: Dancing On Eggshells

Summary:

Nearly a month later, the issues still remain.

Notes:

Guys, I still can't thank y'all enough for the support, and I hope you enjoy this chapter!

    The first few days were painfully awkward. Astrid and Ruff would give Tuff and Snotlout weird looks in between Ruff horribly trying to flirt with Fishlegs; Snotlout wanted to melt into the floor each time she tried, and everyone seemed to notice except Fishlegs. Snotlout wanted to jump off into the sea each time Ruff opened her mouth, as Fishlegs would think she had gotten interested in his dragon research and then start info-dumping to the point even Hiccup would leave. 

    By the next week, he had started to get into a rhythm: Get up before everyone else, eat, patrol, eat, patrol, bed. He avoided everyone, including Tuff, which he thought he wouldn’t mind, but he did.

    By the third week, Tuff finally caught on to his schedule and would walk with Snotlout. It felt nice not to feel so alone and not worry about his teeth showing.

    “So then I say, well, what do you mean you can’t sell me a pound of yak milk, I’ve already traded you three boulders,” Tuff exclaimed as he continued on about his dream.

    Snotlout was choking on his laughter as they walked towards the dining hut as the sun started peeking over the waves. The water still called to him, their voices like whispers to a song he didn’t know. “Why were you still bartering with this guy? He’s worse than Johann!”

     “I don’t know! So then I’m like, well then what can you trade me for a sword that can kill the gods, and he is like a stick.”

     Snotlout chuckled, “Dude, I told you to stop drinking spiced mead before bed.”

     Tuff shook his head, “You, my friend, have not truly understood the trip that is spiced mead. I've got to get you to try it!”

     Snotlout shook his head, reality slowly sinking into his gut, “Until I bite someone.” His teeth hadn’t gone away, and he had started getting itchy on the back of his neck as the night of the full moon got closer. 

     “Relax, you won’t bite anyone,” Tuff said, a soft smile crossing his face. 

     “You have a lot of faith. Loki must be laughing at you.” Snotlout sighed, his eyes spotting the moon slowly dipping under the sea. “Five days.”

     “Are you nervous?” Tuff asked, “We’ll get through it.”

     “What if something else stays? What if I start having scales or spines or-” 

     Tuff grabbed his hand and squeezed it tightly. “We’ll figure it out. I’m crazy, not an asshole. I don’t care if I have to sew big ass hats and wear matching hats with you, I will be here.”

     Snotlout smiled, wide enough to show off his dragon teeth, “You mean it?” 

     “Of course I do. I don’t say things I don’t mean.” Tuff smiled back, “I care about you.”

     “Well, I’d hope so, we’re friends.” Snotlout chuckled.

     “yeah.” Tuff mumbled before switching to an upbeat tune, “I was thinking about how we were going to lie this time.” Snotlout squeezed Tuff’s hand, nerves biting at his insides. Tuff squeezed his hand back as they continued to walk, the fresh morning breeze carrying the smell of the sea up to them. “I was thinking we could call it a boys' night, ya know? I doubt anyone would pay much mind.” Tuff offered.

     “Yeah, who’s patrolling that day?”

     “I think Fishlegs?” Tuff said, walking into the dining hut and letting go of Snotlout’s hand to light the fire, and tossing a pot of premade porridge over it. “He wouldn’t notice much if we’re careful.”

     “Yeah, hopefully,” Snotlout said, his eyes tracing the flames under the pot. “Hopefully.”

     “You aren’t convinced.” Tuff deadpanned, “What’s on your mind?”

     Snotlout sighed, “I’ve been hearing the sea. It keeps calling to me, telling me to come home.” He could hear it louder now, an itch in the back of his mind. “I keep thinking about it.”

     “Maybe we should follow it, see where it goes,” Tuff suggested, sitting down next to Snotlout. “It can’t hurt to try.”

     “And who knows what’s out there? We used to think that this place didn’t exist, who knows what we could run into or what we’ll find.” Snotlout could feel the worry burrowing in his heart. “We could fly into death and not even know it.”

     “And what if we uncover the secrets of Lycanwings?”

     “Is it really worth it?” Snotlout hissed, grabbing a bowl and scooping some porridge out, “What if we just expose me and bring every crazy person here?”

     Tuff paused, drumming his fingers on the table, “We don’t have to do it. I just-”

     “Thought it would help.” Snotlout finished. “I just don’t want to lose myself more than I have. I ate raw fish without hesitation last moon, what would happen if I followed some weird calling?”

     “We can do whatever you want. I don’t want to pressure you.” 

     It was quiet, the sounds of the wind whistling around the building as the air grew colder and the ocean called for him like a siren. He slowly ate, occasionally looking up at Tuff. He wished Tuff would break the silence with some bad joke or story, but Tuff stayed silent and kept his eyes down. 

     “So Fishlegs, what else are you doing today?” Ruff asked as the two entered the hut.

     “Well, after I finish my newest dragon card, I was planning to mess around with Gronckle Iron and see if we could reuse it to make swords that could cut chains and locks made of it,” Fishlegs explained as Meatlug waddled in behind the two as he tossed a rock to his dragon. 

     “I can help, me and Barf and Blech can help test it out.” Ruff offered, leaning on Fishlegs, “We can make sure the sword is sturdy.”

     “Thanks, but Hiccup and I were going to call in Gobber to help. He’s been experimenting with Gronkle Iron in between dentistry, he’s even used some of the metal to replace dragon teeth!”

     “That’s fascinating, tell me more,” Ruff said, reaching for Fishleg's hand, but missed as he pulled out a small booklet.

     “Well, you remember the formula of the original iron, so what we’ve been doing is we’ve been adding other metals to see if we could…”

     Snotlout tuned out Fishleg’s ramblings as he finished his meal and left, passing Astrid and Hiccup as they walked in. He didn’t want to deal with people and he didn’t want to deal with transforming or the sea. 

     “Snotlout!” Tuff suddenly yelled, his feet sounding like thunder on the wood. 

     “Are you good?” Snotlout asked as Tuff tried to catch his breath. 

     “I had an idea!” His words sounded strained, “For guys night, maybe we could leave a little early.” 

     “Is that really the smartest?” 

      Tuff stood up fully, “It gives us time to find a safe spot to camp out, we don’t have to worry about coming up with an excuse night of, and we can make it a monthly thing so no one questions it.”

      “That’s genius!” Snotlout nearly started laughing, “We could leave the day before-”

      “Or leave today and give us extra time to explore and find the best spot.”

       Snotlout paused, his mind racing. Find a nice cave to hang out, decorate it, somewhere near the sea. Listening to its call, feeling the wind on his face, the roar of the world circling him. “That would be great!”

       “Alright! If we leave tonight, no one will notice until morning when they find the note that I’ll write.” Tuff smiled. 

        “Meet you at my place at dark?” Snotlout asked, and Tuff nodded.

        “Great! See you then!” He said before running off. 

        “Come home, come home.” The waves called. He looked at the crashing waves, and something in his bones urged him to jump into the cold water. It was an itch, something poking in the back of his head. He reached up to scratch it, hoping it would ease it, but his nails caught onto small, hard bumps that hid just under his hair. He felt around, finding a few more, and one was so sharp when he touched it, the skin broke, and blood trickled down his neck. He grabbed the bump and froze. It was a spine.

Notes:

Here we go.

Chapter 10: Nighttime Flying

Summary:

Heading out into the sky for a few days away.

Notes:

Good morning (at least for me), friends! Enjoy.

    Patrol. It was the only thing he could think to do. Hookfang occasionally piped up with a worried rumble, but didn’t push it as Snotlout ushered him on. It was getting worse; he had begun obsessively rubbing the back of his neck and head, feeling more bumps and more spines rising from bloody graves. Twenty-six spines had sprouted from his skin, and five were still buried. It was eating him alive; he was going to be a monster. 

    He looked up at the setting sun as he approached the Edge. He should turn around, leave Tuff on the Edge, and hide. Hookfang let out another rumble, his yellow eyes flicking up to Snotlout. “Let’s just get ready.” His voice was shaky, and as they landed, his heart was racing with fear. Uncontrolled, fast, and shook his entire body. 

    “Snotlout!” Tuff shouted, a small pack slung over his shoulder. His blond hair looked wilder, and his hair rings shone like the moon. “Are you ready?” Then his smile faltered as he got a good look at Snotlout. “What’s wrong?”

    “Spines, thirty-one.” He said, lifting his hair and showing the trails of dried and fresh blood that went down the back of his neck. 

    “By the gods…” Tuff whispered, quickly following Snotlout inside. 

    “I know, I’m… I’m becoming a monster.”

    “No, you’re not,” Tuff said, placing a hand on Snotlout’s shoulder, “You’re still Snotlout.”

     Snotlout’s eyes burned as tears forced their way down his face, and his body started to tremble. He turned to face Tuff. “I’m Lycanwing, I’m not a human. I’m cursed.”

    Tuff grabbed Snotlout’s face and looked him in the eyes, “You may be a Lycanwing, but you’re still Snotlout. You’re brave, caring, and funny. You are not a monster, you are whoever you want to be, and I will help you no matter what to make sure you become that person.”

    Snotlout could hear his heart in his ears, pounding in fear of the monster he was becoming, but also with the love he felt for Tuff. He could see tears lining Tuff’s eyes, “You mean it?” 

    “I don’t say things I don’t mean.” 

    Snotlout didn’t think as he pulled Tuff in and hugged him. He didn’t know what to say, but his heart felt like it was going to melt. He felt Tuff wrap his arms around him. 

    “You’re handsome,” Tuff muttered, his voice dancing in the air.

    “You are, too,” Snotlout replied.

    “Tuff!” Ruff’s scratchy voice cracked through the air, making the two break apart.

    “Shit!” Snotlout cursed, racing to a small pack, “Get that note and get on Hookfang!” Tuff didn’t argue and pulled a creased and yellowed paper from his pocket and went outside, a thunk sounding as he stuck it in the door. Snotlout shoved clothes into his bag, not paying attention to what condition it was in before tying his bag closed. He raced out the back door, where Tuff and Hookfang were waiting. He slung himself behind Tuff, reaching around him to grab onto Hookfang’s horns. “Go!”

     Hookfang shot up into the air, and the cool night breeze blew his hair. He felt Hookfang’s horns underneath his hands, the familiar texture grounding him. 

     “We did it!” Tuff shouted, shooting his arms into the air and nearly hitting Snotlout in the face. “Boys night!”

     Snotlout couldn’t help but smile, taking his hands off Hookfang’s horns to raise them in the air. “Snotlout! Snotlout! Oi, oi, oi!” 

     “We’re going to party like the gods!” Tuff added, cackling as his hair blew back. “Let’s go find a place to crash!” Hookfang let out an excited roar. “Yeah, Hookfang!”

     Snotlout laughed, “We’re so dead when we get back!”

     “Who cares? The next few days are about us!” Tuff smiled. 

      The moon hung just above the water like an ornament, glowing like a fire. “Why are you ignoring us?” it whispered, “We’ve been calling you.”

      “Máni?” He asked, and the moon was all he could see. 

      “What?” Tuff asked, “Snotlout, are you ok?”

      “The moon, Máni, he’s calling me. The waves, carrying his message.” 

      “Do you want to follow it? See where it goes?” Tuff cautiously asked. 

      Snotlout looked out to the moon, his bones aching to follow the god’s words, but his mind held onto his soul; he would get lost, hurt, and what if he hurt Tuff or Hookfang?

      “No, let’s just keep going. The faster we find shelter, the better.”

      “Are you sure? We have time.” Tuff responded, putting his hands down as the wind and waves churned around them. 

      Snotlout slowly returned his hands to Hookfang’s horns, sighing, “I don’t want to get you two hurt, it’s bad enough you have to deal with my transformations…”

      Tuff placed his hands on Snotlout’s, “It’s an honor to help you, you stubborn ass. We can handle whatever you get us into.” Tuff looked back at Snotlout and smiled. 

      Snotlout wanted to smile, but he gripped Hookfang’s horns tighter, “I don’t want to see you guys get hurt, it’s awful to see… even seeing you after your and Ruff’s fights.”

      “And I hate seeing you hurting from this curse thing and forcing yourself to stay away from everyone,” Tuff said as he laced his fingers with Snotlout’s. 

      “I never got why you cared so much, you should've just told everyone.”

      “I didn’t want to hurt you, you were so worried already, I didn’t want to make it worse.”

     “That hasn’t stopped you before with me or other people.”

     “That’s different, this is on a really personal level, your own body is out of your control. I don’t want you to worry any more than you have to.”

     “I- I didn’t think you would be that considerate.” Snotlout choked out, his heart felt like it was going to explode from his chest.

     “I can be, just don’t care enough most of the time.” Tuff shrugged, and he squeezed Snotlout’s hands.

     “Would you have done this stuff for the others?” Snotlout cautiously asked, turning one of his hands over to better hold Tuff’s. 

     “I dunno know, probably not.”

     “Then what makes me so different?” 

     “I love you,” Tuff said.

     The world went silent, with even nature knowing it was time for a pause. “You… you love me?” He must have spines growing in his ears.

     “I don’t say things I don’t mean? I love you more than a friend.” Tuff’s voice was barely a whisper. 

     Snotlout slowly gripped both of Tuff’s hands tightly and hugged him awkwardly. “I love you, too.” 

     “You mean it? Like as partners?” Tuff looked up at Snotlout.

     “Yeah, like boyfriends.” 

     “Gods- uh shit!” Tuff said, nearly breaking his spine to face Snotlout, “Snotlout, would you go out with me?” He shouted, making Snotlout laugh.

     “Yes, I would love to.” His heart felt like it had grown a pair of wings and was trying to fly out of his chest. 

     “Can we kiss?” Tuff asked, letting go of Snotlout’s hands so they could more comfortably face each other as Hookfang continued flying. 

     Snotlout carefully grabbed Tuff’s face and leaned in. The kiss was soft, unsure, but nice. Snotlout could forget for a bit of the monster crawling under his skin, forget the damage he could cause, and think for the first time since he had been bitten, forget his fears. 

    When they split, they both smiled, “You can’t be comfortable sitting like that.” Snotlout chuckled.

    “No, why would I?” Tuff cackled, slowly twisting forward. “Let’s find that cave!”

    Snotlout’s smile stayed on his face as they continued flying, but deep in his gut, he couldn’t rest. Boyfriend. What if he hurt him? Would Hookfang even be able to protect Tuff and himself from him? He looked at Tuff’s face as he yelled in the wind with Hookfang. Snotlout would rather live in solitude or chains than have his curse hurt anyone.

    “Snotlout!” Tuff said, shaking Snotlout slightly, “Cave!”

     Snotlout looked out into the horizon, a small rock island that the riders had deemed too small and rocky to put the Edge on. His eyes followed Tuff’s finger to a small hole carved into the rock. “Let’s check it out.” He crossed his fingers, “Gods don’t let it be a Whispering Death hole.” 

     Hookfang slowly flew near the cave, and it was not round enough for a Whispering or Screaming Death hole. Hookfang carefully squeezed himself inside, but once in, the entire cave came into view. It was far from the largest cave he had seen, but it wasn’t cramped. It was big enough for two dragons to stay in comfort, and though a little damp, it was nice.

    “This is the cave,” Snotlout said, the waves’ whispers following them inside. 

    “Come home, come home.”

Notes:

>:)

Chapter 11: Home of The Lycanwings

Summary:

It's the full moon, and Snotlout follows the call

Notes:

Here we go

    The three spent the next few days gathering some stuff from nearby islands to make the cave a bit homier. Tuff had been smart enough to bring some blankets, but the two had spent the next few days gathering food and wood for a fire. 

   “You good?” Tuff asked as he turned the fish over. “We have more food.”

    “Fine… I think I’m stress-eating at this point.” He said, spying the red sky from inside the cave. “Are you sure you want to stay tonight? You can take Hookfang-”

    “I want to stay.” Tuff said, grabbing Snotlout’s hand, “I’m not leaving.”

    He could feel his bones itching, taste the smell of the burning wood, and his stomach felt like an endless pit. Tuff handed him another fish on a stick, the smell filling his lungs like water.

    “Come on, one more?” Tuff asked, shaking the fish.

    Snotlout snatched it off the stick and snapped his jaw open, hearing a sickening pop before swallowing the fish whole. He looked back at Tuff, whose eyes were wide. Snotlout raised his hand to his jaw and ran to the bucket of water they kept for drinking. 

     His lower jaw jutted out several inches, leaving a gross gap between his lower and upper jaw that exposed the inside of his mouth. His teeth had become sharper, and his bottom canines had begun stretching up like vines and peeking out over his bottom lip.

     It was rising, he could feel it. 

     His entire body snapped, joints pulling out of place as bones broke and reformed. Spines and horns ripped out of his skin like a knife through paper, and his jaws cracked into place. Scales dug out of his flesh like bugs crawling out of the ground before covering him like a blanket. He shook his body as he closed his eyes, the light around him growing, and every noise tripling. 

    Then, as quickly as it started, it stopped.

    Snotlout around, had he hurt them? He quickly spotted Tuff, standing frozen by the fire with his mouth open. Snotlout stepped back. He had scared Tuff. Why would he have even gotten his hopes up that he wouldn’t?

    “Are you ok?” Tuff whispered, “I have some pain medicine if you want some.” 

    Snotlout carefully stepped closer, looking over to Hookfang as the Monstrous Nightmare watched with cautious eyes.  He paused, barely a few feet away from Tuff. Was Tuff not scared?

    Tuff carefully stretched out his hand and placed it on Snotlout’s jaw. “You remember me?”

    Snotlout slowly nodded, leaning into Tuff’s hand. How could he forget him?

    “Are you feeling ok?” Tuff asked his thumb carefully along the scales along his jaw.

    Snotlout nodded again, letting a small rumble. “I’m ok.”

    “Good, now what can I do to help you?” 

    “Come home, come home!” The moon and waves screamed at once. Snotlout turned his head to the entrance.

    “Want to follow it?” Tuff asked.

    Snotlout could feel the words beating in his heart, filling his lungs, lining his entire body, “Come home!” What home was calling him? He turned his face back to Tuff, wondering if it was worth the risk. What if the call led him to an answer, a way to fix the curse?

    “Well?” Tuff asked, studying Snotlout’s face. 

    “Let’s go!”  

     Hookfang quickly got up from his spot on the floor, letting Tuff climb into his saddle as Snotlout slowly crept out the entrance. “Come home, we’ve been waiting for you.” He looked back at Tuff as he adjusted himself in Hookfang’s saddle. Berk was home, his friends, his boyfriend, the Edge, it was home. The words in his ears kept ringing, calling to something deep in his soul. Home.

    “You ready?” Tuff asked, offering a smile. 

    Snotlout nodded, dropping out of the cave’s entrance and into the air. The cold air whistled around him as he flew up into the clouds, watching Hookfang and Tuff follow behind him. Tuff laughed as he held onto Hookfang for dear life, and Snotlout let out a deep, rumbling laugh.

    “Come home, your home is here.”

     Snotlout looked up at the moon as its light danced across his scales. He slowly closed his eyes, listening to the call, to the tug in his bones. He opened them, the smell of salt filling his nostrils. “This way!” he said, flying southwest.

 

    The sky was clear, and he could feel the call grow stronger. Hookfang and Tuff easily kept up with him, Tuff telling stories and jokes to keep the mood light. Hookfang would occasionally let out a roar to grab Snotlout’s attention, breaking him from the trance the call pulled him into. 

    Was this the right decision? What if the moon set before he found wherever they were going? Hookfang could travel long distances, but it might push it.

    “Snotlout!” Tuff shouted, having pulled a spyglass out of some pocket, “There’s an island just up ahead!” 

    Snotlout sighed, “We’ve passed multiple islands.”  

    Tuff may not understand what he said, but he rolled his eyes, “I know, but I’ve got a good feeling about this one!”

    Snotlout saw the island as they broke through a wave of clouds. It was small and rocky, but in the middle of the island was a thick forest of tall trees. “Home, your home!” It called, and Snotlout slowly started to fly lower. Around the island were large rocks that stuck up like daggers, creating a sea of whirlpools. 

    “By all the Gods…” Tuff whispered as they approached the rocky shore, high above the water, with no real way to climb up. No boats could get near the cliffside for humans to climb up, the perfect hideaway for dragons, or Lycanwings.

    Snotlout landed with the grace of a tired Terrible Terror, nearly falling face-first into the rocks. 

    “You good?” Tuff called from Hookfang’s back as they landed. 

    Snotlout nodded before turning his attention to the forest in front of them. Despite the appearance from above, the trees were small and had enough space for anyone to walk through. Snotlout slowly walked to the treeline, looking back to check that Tuff was still on Hookfang, and dipped his head under the cool shade. 

    He nearly scrambled back as something in his brain told him something, no, someone was there. Hookfang seemed to pick up on it, too, and started growling at whatever was hiding in the trees. 

    “Get off our island!” A voice cracked through the air. Snotlout froze. That wasn’t a normal dragon roar. 

    “Who’s there?” He yelled back, if the spines on the back of the neck could stand up, they would be facing the moon above.

    A silver-gray head poked out of the trees, blue-gray splotches lining their neck as they crawled out. They looked like him, though their spines and horns were more curled and brown than his. “ You're one of us!” They said, their brown eyes widening,  “Are those two hurting you?”

    Snotlout turned back to see Tuff’s hand on the knife at his side as Hookfang bared his teeth.

    “It’s ok.” Snotlout quickly said, stepping between the three. He looked at the other Lycanwing, “Who are you?”  

    “They call me Pyri. Who are you and your… friends?”

    “I’m Snotlout, and this is my boyfriend Tuff and dragon Hookfang.” He said, pointing at them with his head. 

    Pyri laughed, “You’ve got jokes! Your dragon!”

    “He is my dragon, I’m a dragon rider.” Snotlout replied, “Berk is known for having dragon riders throughout the archipelago."

    Pyri laughed harder, “Skala! He says he rides dragons!”

    Another harsh laugh broke through the woods as a towering Lycanwing with gray eyes and graying horns stepped out. “How can you ride a dragon when you are one?”

    Snotlout felt his gut drop. “Am I not going to be able to turn back to a human soon?”

    The other two Lycanwings stopped, Pyri dashing off into the woods as Skala lowered his large head, “You are a fresh one, aren’t you?”

     “I got bitten four months ago.”  

     “It took you a while to come home,” Skala said, raising his head to look at Hookfang and Tuff. “And they shouldn’t be here.”

     “Don’t touch them!” he snarled, and Skala sighed.

     “I wasn’t planning on it, not yet.”

     “They helped me get here, I ignored the call for four months!” He felt something burning in the back of his throat as he begged. “They won’t tell anyone about this place.”

     “Snotlout was it, your human name?” Skala asked, his eyes searching the skies and seas. “Tell your friends to follow us.”  

     Snotlout waved his head, and Hookfang carefully followed on his heels as Skala led them deep into the forest. Light barely broke through the trees as he led them down into the center of the island. 

    “Are you good, Snotlout?” Tuff asked, leaning over to whisper in his ear.

    Snotlout nodded, then Skala spoke up, “I’ve heard of Berk through word of mouth, back when I could be human. Is it truly how they say it is?”

    “Yeah, Vikings and dragons live together and work together.” he paused, the words stabbing his heart as he spoke them, “How long will it be when I can’t transform back?”

     Skala didn’t reply as the tree trunks disappeared, though the leaves still hung above, and before them was a camp full of Lycanwings. Every size and age scattered around, acting like wild dragons except one other, who waited patiently with Pyri.

     “Tell your friends to stay back, the others spook easily.” He said, walking towards the center of the camp. 

     “Stay, I’ll be back,” Snotlout said, his eyes meeting Tuff’s. He quickly joined Skala in the middle, the moonlight poking small holes through the thin leaves. 

     “You must be really fresh if you can still turn back.” A shrill voice said, her brown horns curled around her ears. 

     “Easy Gnist,” Skala said, “Snotlout, this is the Lycanwing council. We are the last three that have our humanity.”

     “Isn’t there a cure?” Snotlout roared, making a few other Lycanwings turn towards him.

      Pyri shook their head, “No, but what we’re more concerned about is who turned you. We don’t turn humans into us.”

     “I … I don’t know, but he’s not here. He was huge, big as Hookfang, but.. He just attacked me. I tried backing off, I thought he was just another dragon.”

     “Vin.” Gnist snarled, “I thought we killed him!”

     “Pyri, Gnist, go check the perimeter. Vin won’t give up easily.” Skala hissed. The other two bounded off, and Skala turned to Snotlout. “You have a choice, you can stay on Berk until you start losing your humanity, or stay here, safe with us. There is no telling how long it will take for you to lose yourself.”

     “And there’s no cure?” Snotlout whispered. he felt like he was sinking into the ground.

     “No known one. It would be best if you stayed here; you wouldn’t have to worry about humans.”

     He was going to lose himself, a ticking time bomb. He wanted to cry, but he choked back his wails, “I need to be with my family and friends.”

     Skala didn’t protest, “If you wish, but once it’s time, you need to come home, to us. No human or dragon is following you. It is what we have to do.”

     Snotlout nodded as he ran back to Hookfang and Tuff. He was going to be a monster.

Notes:

Hope y'all enjoy this chapter, and I'll be back next week.

Chapter 12: A Thousand Words Not Spoken

Summary:

Snotlout and Tuff return to the Edge

Notes:

I'M BACK, BABY! Hello again, friends, enemies, and those yet to be determined. I've got another chapter for y'all and hope you enjoy. Check the end notes for some updates about chapter postings.

   He didn’t talk for the rest of the night, or into the morning as they flew back to the Edge. Tuff held Snotlout’s hand tightly, repeating that he would listen whenever he was ready to talk, promising to deal with whatever the rest of the riders had for them. Snotlout still didn’t know how to start.

    “You wanna talk about it now?” Tuff asked, squeezing his hand tight. “We have some time before we reach the Edge.”

    “No…” He croaked out, leaning forward and resting his head on Tuff’s shoulder. His eyes felt dry and heavy from crying for hours, which was only made worse when he realized he still had his sharp dragon teeth and spines poking out from under his hair. Nothing else changed, yet.

     The sky was a churning mass of gray as an occasional boom would shake the sky with the force of Thor. 

    “I love you.” Tuff said, looking over to Snotlout, “And I know you don’t want to hear this, but you gotta look happy. I have a plan to somewhat distract them, but it requires you to fake being happy.”

    “What are you planning?” Snotlout asked, closing his eyes as the wind whispered into his ears, “Go home, go home.”  

    “Come out of the gate and say we’re dating. I can keep everyone busy if you want to be quiet. I can probably get most of the blame on me if I don’t make them forget what we’ve done.” He explained, squeezing Snotlout’s hand. 

     “Is that how you and Ruff keep getting out of shit?”

     “Hey, if it works, it works.” Tuff shrugged, “Does the plan sound good to you?” 

     Snotlout barely nodded, “It’s fine.” He couldn’t really focus, his mind drifting back to the night before. Nothing would stop him from transforming into a wild dragon. 

     “We’re almost there,” Tuff said, making Snotlout lift his head and look down on the island. 

     “Are you sure the plan will work?” Snotlout asked, spotting a large dot standing next to a smaller brown blob as they started descending. 

      “It’ll have to. If anything goes wrong, you got food poisoning.” Tuff added as Astrid suddenly flanked their side, Stormfly snapping her beak. 

      “There you are!” Astrid seethed, her face red as Thor’s beard. 

      “Yes, we are here, you must have missed us,” Tuff said playfully, and made Snotlout smile. He loved how easily Tuff could roll with things. 

      The two dragons landed, and riders quickly dismounted as the others appeared, anger smeared across their faces. 

      Ruff raised her eyebrow as she looked at the two, before noticing they were holding hands, and before Astrid could start her peace, “Oh my Gods!” She then burst into a laugh. 

      The other riders looked at her, and Snotlout squeezed Tuff’s hand tight, only relaxing when he felt a joint pop. He looked at Tuff, who was holding his smile, so Snotlout held his. “Well, if you would give me a second to explain our little situation,” Tuff began before Ruff interrupted, her cackling harder. 

       “You asked him!” Her smile was wide like a half moon. 

       Astrid’s eye clicked with recognition, and though anger dusted her face, her memory of the bet kept her from telling the two off. Hiccup and Fishlegs looked at each other, trying to piece the conversation together. 

       “Yeah, I asked him,” Tuff waved his hand to Snotlout, who couldn’t help but chuckle at Hiccup’s and Fishlegs’ faces. 

       “He asked me to go out with him. I said yes.”

       “Fuck yeah! I won!” Ruff shouted, dancing and pointing her fingers in Astrid’s face. 

       “Uh, well, congrats.” Hiccup began clapping his hands together. “But what took so long?”

       “Food poisoning, not fun.” Snotlout replied, “Don’t.” He said, shooting a look at Astrid as she gave them a look. 

       “I’m not saying anything,” she said, looking the two up and down, “I just hope you two are ready to deal with the consequences.”

        Tuff rolled his eyes, “Oh come on, Astrid, it was my idea anyway. Let my poor boyfriend be left alone. Pretty sure it was that fish that did it.” Tuff mumbled the last part, and his act seemed convincing. 

        “Ok, since you want to take the blame, you're grounded for an entire month.” Hiccup said, a smile forming on his face, “Unless we are on a mission or under attack, you are keeping your feet on the ground until next month.”

         Tuff’s mouth dropped open, “Hiccup, I think it’s a little unfair-“

        Hiccup raised an eyebrow, “Is it? We had to cover both of your night shifts, and since you're taking the blame, no dragons.” Hiccup flicked his eyes over to Snotlout, “That includes riding with someone else, not just your dragon.” 

        Tuff crosses his arms, “Fine.” 

        “Great, now you have a list of chores that I can’t wait to give you.” Astrid piped in, “Including a full month of night patrol for Snotlout.”

        “Hold on, Tuff’s taking the blame.” Snotlout injected, but Hiccup sighed.

        “Look, it’s just a month's work. Please, just do it.”

        “Fine.” The two grumbled.

        “Thank you. Astrid, why don’t you get them started?” Hiccup said before hopping onto Toothless, “Fishlegs and I have to go talk to Gobber.”

 

        He didn’t say another word all day; his thoughts were too consumed by the knowledge of his fate. He would become a monster. By sunset, he had crawled back into his hut and collapsed on the bed. His body ached, his muscles throbbing, and his bones itched. The spines on the back of his neck were covered in sweat and stung around the ones that had fully healed up from growing out. His stomach roared, but he didn’t want to move. 

       “There is no telling how long it will take for you to lose yourself.” The words bounced in his head. He cried. There were no other words for the ugly crying as tears soaked his pillow and snot poured from his nose. His wails were choked on the damp fabric as his head started to pound. 

      “Snotlout? Dear?” Tuff whispered with a soft knock, though it sounded like he was only a foot away. Great, he was getting dragon-level hearing. He heard the door slowly creak open and close as Tuff tiptoed in. “You’re missing dinner.” 

      “Go away-“ he sobbed, but instead he felt Tuff sit on the edge of his bed and place a hand on his shoulder. 

      “I don’t want to pry, but this isn’t healthy. Please talk to me.” 

       Snotlout slowly sat himself up, wiping the tears from his eyes. He still didn’t like expressing emotions in front of people, but Tuff, he could rest easy. “It’s about last night.” He sniffled, lacing his hand with Tuff’s. 

       “Take your time,” Tuff assured him.

       “There’s no cure.” He whispered, tears trickling down his face faster than he or Tuff could wipe them away. 

       “I still love you, we can try to find something,” Tuff said.

        Snotlout shook his head, “I don’t know how much time I have…” he let out a wet cough mixed with his sob, “I’m going to be stuck as a dragon forever. I’m going to lose my mind.” His body shook as his sobs broke free, and Tuff held him close.

        “We’ll find something, we will.” Tuff insisted, carefully rubbing Snotlout’s neck, his fingers twisting around the horrid spines. 

        Snotlout wanted to keep talking; tell him how much he loved him, where he would want to live with him, how he wanted to spend the rest of his life next to Tuff’s side. Instead, all that came out were the cries of a broken beast. 

Notes:

Thank y'all for being patient, but I'm back and have some writing done while I was gone. I plan to release the already written chapters as a chapter a day. It's great to be back, and if you want to find me elsewhere, find me on Tumblr here: https://www.tumblr.com/blog/ratznsweaters
Seriously, guys, thank you for the support, and see you in the next chapter.

Chapter 13: Horns

Summary:

Tuff starts thinking

Notes:

Hey y'all, hope y'all enjoy!

    Tuff didn’t know where to start as his mind raced for something to cheer up his lover. A joke, good news, another one of his spiced mead dreams. Snotlout cried into his shoulder, his body heaving like he was going to throw up, only to let out another choked sob. Gods, for once, he was glad that Snotlout’s home was farther away from the others. He slowly just repeated that he loved Snotlout and that they’d find a cure, it was all he could think to do as he traced lines down Snotlout’s neck and back.

There were more spines now, small hard bumps that had yet to expose themselves, but Tuff knew what they were. They couldn’t hide this much longer, but with each sob, he remembered that it was Snotlout who had begged him to keep quiet, so he did. By the time Snotlout had cried himself to sleep, Tuff had managed to count fifteen new spines trying to poke out. 

    He slowly peeled off Snotlout’s helmet as he lay him down on his bed, dried tears stained his cheeks. Tuff sighed and hung the helmet on the bed frame before placing his yen helmet on the ground and holding Snotlout as they lay in the dark. Snotlout didn’t deserve this curse, Hel, he could hardly think of anyone who would, but his lover was suffering from his own body betraying him. 

    Tuff curled his body around Snotlout’s as he began planning. Planning wasn’t usually his style; a spur-of-the-moment idea or action was something Thorstons were known for, but he knew this would take more consideration. White lies and improv had held, but they were starting to lose control of the situation, and the secret coming out was greater. 

    He sighed, running through scenarios in his head as he tried to think of how each one would end. None ended in any good favor. What could he say to even get them off their trail before they started realizing that something was wrong? Or… he paused, acknowledging something was wrong but that it was personal. 

    He shook his head, no, that wouldn’t work. Though Hiccup was a firm and strict guy, he was also considerate and would try to talk to Snotlout face to face. He trusted Snotlout, but under this much pressure, he might snap and accidentally tell the truth or some lie that would easily catch up with him. 

    “Think Tuffnut.” He whispered to himself, knocking on his head, “Think.”

    Snotlout shifted in his sleep, and Tuff carefully moved so his spines wouldn’t dig into his chest. They couldn’t keep doing this alone, but he couldn’t tell anyone. The moonlight crept in through every small crack in the house, shining on all the claw marks that were Snotlout’s. All it would take is for Fishlegs or any rider with large dragon knowledge to know that Hookfang didn’t leave those marks. 

   “Ok.” He told himself as he carefully slipped out of bed, taking off his shoes so he would make less noise as he walked around; first things first, he had to do something about those marks. If he could figure it out, any rider could if they looked close enough. 

   A soft rumble came from the entrance, and when he opened the door, Hookfang was waiting patiently. His yellow eyes flickered to the bed before falling to Tuff’s face. 

   “I need help. Please, he can’t take much more, and the…” he just pointed atthe  marks. Loki, how was he supposed to fix that? 

   Hookfang pushed Tuff to the side as he stuck the front half of his body in, dragging his claws along the floor as he backed out. Tuff looked at the marks, the old covered by the new. “That’ll do, now, to make it all easier for him.” He looked up at Hookfang. “Thoughts?” 

   Hookfang looked confused at first, his eyes staring at Tuff like he had said that the sun was made of cheese. 

    “Right, what can you possibly do to help?” Tuff asked himself. He heard Hookfang grumble before flying off as Tuff paced around the door, peering in to check on Snotlout. Scenarios ran in his head as he tried to talk them out to himself, each one ending badly. 

    “Tuff,” a whisper said.

     Tuff immaturely turned to Snotlout, pulling him close under the moonlight before dark clouds pulled in front of it. Thunder clashed as rain started pouring down on them. “Shit, rain is back,” Tuff said, ushering Snotlout inside. “I didn’t mean to wake you up.” He said, running his hand through Snotlout’s hair.  

     “It’s fine, my head hurts.” He replied, closing his eyes as he leaned on Tuff.

     “Crying can do that. I can get you some water.” Tuff said, his hand freezing.

     “No, I just want you to hold me.” He replied, grabbing Tuff’s free hand. “What’s wrong? You stopped.” 

     Tuff squeezed Snotlout’s hand, “Love… you’re growing horns.”

     Snotlout shot up, fear in his eyes, “No, no, nononono.” He cried, rushing to his mirror as he lit a small candle. He pulled back his hair, and there growing like thick black rocks were a pair of tiny horns. They couldn’t be any bigger than a small fingerbone. Running in between his horns were small bumps, more spines to come. He stepped back, stumbling, and Tuff quickly caught him. 

     “Hey, it’ll be ok-“ Tuff said.

     “How? I- I….” He collapsed more into Tuff, his eyes glazed over, and his body limp like seaweed. 

     “Babe?” Tuff asked, shaking him. “Talk to me, please.” He begged as he dragged Snotlout back into his bed. 

     Snotlout’s breaths were short and shallow, his mouth hung open, and sharp teeth poked out. 

     “Snotlout?” Tuff’s eyes burned as tears tried to escape, holding him close. “Breath for me, please.”

Notes:

Bro I've got so much planned, its not funny.

Chapter 14: Deal

Summary:

Good morning to the Edge. Snotlout is dealing with his feelings as Tuff begins setting out his plans.

Notes:

Good morning, y'all (at least morning for me). This is the last chapter I have ready to go from my break, so chapter updates will resume once a week/ every few days.

    He woke up with Tuff curled around him, his headache gone, and a pair of horns growing out of his head. He felt them as he lay in bed, sharp daggers that were barely noticeable to the eye. He slowly shifted, trying to get out of bed, but strong arms pulled him closer. 

    “We have to get up,” Snotlout said. He wanted to sink to the bottom of the ocean. 

    Tuff’s hands held his, “A Few more minutes.” He kissed Snotlout on the cheek. 

    “Tuffs…” Snotlout muttered, his ears straining for footsteps. “We have to get moving. I have to hide my horns.”

    Tuff let go, kissing Snotlout’s temple before jumping off the bed. “I love you.” 

    “Tuffs,” he whispered, getting a hum in response, “Do you think… Do you think there’s a cure?”

     Tuff quickly flopped back on the bed, his head hanging off the edge as he looked at Snotlout. “Yeah, are you worried?”

     “Can you promise me something?”

     “Anything.”

     “If I transform too far, when I lose every bit of myself, I want you to let me go.”

     Tuff quickly wrapped Snotlout in his arms and against his chest as tears streamed down Snotlout’s face. “You aren’t going to lose yourself.”

     “You don’t know that. My only answers have been that I will.” He slowly said, his eyes burning from crying. 

      He felt Tuff run his hand down the back of his head before placing a kiss on his forehead, “I’ll find some answers, get some rest, I’ll deal with the others.”

     “No, I can work.”

       “Just rest,” Tuff said, looking him in the eyes. “Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.”

      “But-“

       “No buts, unless it’s your butt in this bed resting,” Tuff said, a smile forming across his lips. “I know you want to be this ‘big man’ your dad wants, but you have to consider that you’re not physically or emotionally well. Just get some rest while I figure things out. Please?” 

        “Stop being so caring,” Snotlout said, getting another quick kiss from Tuff.

        “When Ragnarok comes.” Tuff said, “Don’t worry about anything, just rest.” 

 

        Tuff shut the door behind, sighing, Loki must be laughing. How in all of Midgard was he supposed to keep this under control? The sun was breaking over the sky, and he quickly ran through his ever-growing to-do list. Astrid would be looking for him soon as he mulled over each thought, each worry. 

        “Tuff!” His twin suddenly shouted as her arm swung around his neck and nearly yanked him to the ground. “I need help with what I should dare Astrid to do!” She said, leaning around as Tuff steadied himself. 

        “Ruff, I need a favor.” He said, flicking through every scenario in his mind, “A big favor, no questions asked.”

         Ruff widened her eyes, and her grin grew wicked. “Brother, what do you need?” 

        “I need to get Snotlout out of all the chores and stuff Astrid has him doing.”

         Ruff scratched her chin, her eyes looking up at the sky as she hummed. “I could dare Astrid to do all the stuff she has for Snotlout, minus the night patrols. I think Hiccup would step in if he didn’t get some punishment.”

         “What's the price for that?” Tuff asked, he knew that as much as Ruff would enjoy doing that to Astrid, it wasn’t what she wanted to do. 

         “You help me with Fishlegs. He isn’t interested in Heather, I know that, but he is as thick as a rock when it comes to flirting.”

         “Maybe it’s because your version of flirting is overly sexual jokes or letting people info-dump,” Tuff added, earning a swift punch to his arm. 

         “Not my fault, the guy is really into his dragon cards! He spent an entire night teaching me how to quickly identify the cards when he was shuffling them, and then we started quizzing each other. I don’t know how he even did that for an entire night because I sucked at it! I couldn’t even tell him the basic ingredients for Gronckle iron cause I keep switching the ratio!” She exclaimed, waving her arms around as she talked. 

      “Why don’t you just ask him?” Tuff asked, raising an eyebrow. “You aren’t scared, are you?”

      Ruff’s face turned bright red, and she turned her nose to the sky as she crossed her arms, “No, I’m not scared.”

      “Great, I’ll go tell him-” Tuff said, walking by Ruff before being yanked to the ground by the back of his vest. 

       “Hel, you are!” Ruff shouted, “Besides, why do you need this favor?”

      Tuff looked up at her, “I said no questions asked. Why can’t you just tell him you like him?” He said, getting on his feet. 

       “I might be slightly nervous, but I'll get there. I just…” She mumbled the last bit.

       Tuff raised his eyebrow, “Just what?”

       “I just need someone to talk to him about if he likes anyone, so I don’t go and embarrass myself!” Ruff said, her body waving back and forth like seaweed. 

       Tuff rolled his eyes, “Fine, I’ll do that if you dare Astrid to take Snotlout’s day chores.”

       Ruff snatched his hand and shook it vigorously, “Deal!” She then cracked her chaotic smile before running off, calling Astrid’s name. 

       Wind pulled his hair back as he faced the rising sun, its golden rays signalling another day stuck on the ground, another day without riding a dragon in the sky. It was almost taunting him, but his feet stuck on the ground would be worth it if it could help him protect Snotlout. 

       “Ok,” He breathed, “Let’s figure this out.”

Notes:

Don't worry, guys, I'm working on some happier chapters.

Chapter 15: Grounded

Summary:

Tuff and Hiccup have a chat

Notes:

SURPRISE, ANOTHER CHAPTER TODAY!

    Tuff was certain he would throw himself off a cliff if it meant to feel like he was flying, not that he was planning on doing that. It had been five full days since making the deal with Ruff, and though he was cleaning the entire Edge and cooking. He couldn’t cook well, but at least it was edible. 

    “What are you cooking for lunch today?” Hiccup asked, the clicking of his metal foot signalling his entrance. 

    “Trying to make mutton stew, but at this rate, we might be eating this for three days.” Tuff chuckled, stirring the stew as he looked down at the messy handwritten recipe. “Once I’m done, I’ll run a bowl up to Snotlout.”

    “So, what’s wrong with him?” Hiccup asked.

    Tuff looked up at him, “It’s just some personal stuff, he didn’t really like opening up about it to me,” He said. It wasn’t a lie, but not quite the truth. 

     “Is it Spitelout again?” Hiccup said, peering into the bubbling pot, “Add some salt to that; your last dish was bland.”

     “No, though I think what that man has told him isn’t helping the current situation.” Tuff hissed, throwing salt into the pot as he continued to stir. “He doesn’t want to talk about it, and it’s taking a toll on him.”

     “And that’s why you convinced Ruff to dare Astrid to do his chores?” Hiccup said with raised eyebrows.

     Tuff shrugged his shoulders, “I can’t control what my sister does, you know this.”

     Hiccup just sighed, sitting down on a stool as he watched Tuff cook. “Tuff, be honest with me, do I need to step in. He hasn’t left his house in days unless it was when Astrid got him out for night patrol. I know you want to protect him, but this isn’t helping him.”

     Tuff focused his eyes on the paper until the lines blurred and his eyes burned from dryness. “He only told me because he couldn’t hide it from me well. He won’t want to tell you at all.” 

     “How long has this been going on for?”

     Tuff's heart swam in an ocean of emotions. Telling him anything would be a betrayal, but Snotlout needed help. They couldn’t keep doing this alone, they couldn’t keep sneaking out, and they needed help finding a cure. 

     “Tuffnut, what’s going on?”

     “I can’t tell you, I can’t betray him,” Tuff muttered, grabbing a bowl and filling it and shoving at Hiccup; thick, chunky soup spilling over the edges. 

     Hiccup looked at the bowl, then back at Tuff, “It’s not betrayal if he’s in danger.”

     Tuff felt his heart shatter, the pieces sinking into the ocean of emotions. “I can’t.” It came out a whisper. All his plans, all his ideas, and he forgot that Hiccup was one of the most perceptive people he knew. “He’d hate me.”

     “Tuff, if he’s hurting, it doesn't matter. He can hate you now, but once he’s better, he’ll realize that you love him. You’re not doing this out of hate.” Hiccup slowly said, “Hel, me and Astrid have had those moments, but at the end of the day we forgive each other.” 

     How would Snotlout react? Would he run away, would he break down again? What if he did something to hurt himself? 

     And what if he didn’t do anything? How long could they keep this charade going? Hiccup was already onto them, sure, they could divert some attention, but how long would that last? What if they got captured by Krogan and his riders? What would they do if they found out about Snotlout? 

     What if Tuff couldn’t find a cure and Snotlout was stuck as a dragon forever? What if he did go crazy? What if, during a full moon, another dragon attacked him? What if dragon hunters shot him down?

     “Tuff!” Hiccup snapped, and when Tuff’s vision came back into focus, the other riders were there looking at him with confusion and worry. 

     “Hiccup, you need to talk to him.” Guilt tore at the shards of his heart and burned them with fire from Muspelheim. 

 

Notes:

Guys I surprised myself today with another chapter.

Chapter 16: The Truth

Summary:

The truth finally comes out

Notes:

SURPRISE I WROTE ANOTHER CHAPTER! Y'all are getting spoiled today.

    He knew before he walked up to the door and called out that it wasn’t Tuff. It was Hiccup. Shit.

    “Snotlout! Open up!” Hiccup said, his voice booming in Snotlout’s ears. He pulled his pillow over his head. Was this why dragons hated loud noises? It sounded like he was shouting in his ear.

    He slowly rolled out of bed, taking the time to peek at himself in the mirror, and small bumps had started forming on the bridge of his nose and up his forehead. If he asked, they were pimples. He slowly opened the door, peeking out at him. “What do you want?” He whispered, trying to keep his mouth as closed as possible. 

    “We need to talk.” He said, “We can either do it here or in the air.”

     Snoutlout could hear his heart in his ears, his lungs crawling at his ribs, “Air, I’ll meet you up there.” He said before shutting the door. He listened to Hiccup call Toothless over, and the two leaped into the air. He heard Hookfang breathing by the door, and he opened it. “We can’t hide it, can we?” 

     Hookfang looked down at him, his eyes full of worry. He slid onto Hookfang’s saddle, and the Monstrous Nightmare took off. 

     The wind licked his ears as he went up, closing his eyes as the world blurred around him. He was so tired of feeling something and nothing, and as he felt the cold clouds dust him with water, his gut was twisting like a bag of snakes. 

     “Snotlout.” Hiccup called out, making Snotlout open his eyes. “Lead the way.” 

     He didn’t care what direction, he just needed to think. What could he even say? Gods, what would Tuff do, if only he were here. He just needed a lie, any lie-

    “I talked to Tuff before we left. I couldn’t get an answer out of him.” Hiccup began, his brown hair seemed almost weightless as he and Toothless flew around like one being. “But after pushing him, he told me to talk to you.” 

     Snotlout felt his lungs trying to claw out of his mouth. 

     Hiccup flew right next to him, “He cares about you, we all care about you. I know you hate opening up, but what you’re doing isn’t healthy. Let us help you.”

     He would hurt them, they couldn’t know. Tuff wouldn’t say anything now, but who knows when he would crack, or just get bored like Spitelout did and tell anyone who cared enough to listen. But Tuff told him to corner him, and he betrayed him.

     “Leave me alone,” He croaked out. He felt pathetic. 

     “Tuff didn’t want to even talk, and he was crying when I left.”

     Snotlout looked at Hiccup’s face, which held a heavy look filled with grief. “He…” He leaned over the side and vomited into the sea. He didn’t feel any better as he wiped his mouth.

     “Snotlout, we respect your privacy, but there’s a line. Remember when I was insecure about my leg for months, and you would snap at anyone who made fun of me? You didn’t even ask me if I wanted help; you just did what you thought would help. Which it did, but it made me feel…”

     “Like a burden,” Snotlout added, his eyes on the clouds.

     He felt like the world was speeding around him, and at the same time, it was frozen in place, thoughts blended together like a foul-tasting stew. 

     “Snotlout, we want to help. You’re not alone. You don’t have to do this alone.” Hiccup said, “Whatever it is, we'll do what we can to solve it.”

     Snotlout swallowed back the rest of the bile sitting in the back of his throat. “If you knew your fate, and you knew it would be bad, what would you do?”

     “Bad how?”

     “Bad as you knew that the end of your life would be lonely and miserable.”

     “You aren’t going to die lonely and sad.” Hiccup replied, “I don’t think Tuff will let you go that easily.” He added an awkward laugh that stopped when he noticed Snotlout’s silence. “What happened when you guys ran off?”

     “I learned that I was going to lose my sanity.”

     “Did you go to the Urds?” Hiccup asked, his eyebrows pinched together. 

     “I’m a monster.” He whispered, and blood dripped down his nose.

     Blood.

     He slowly raised his hand and ran his fingers along the newfound spines that sprouted proudly from his skin. He looked at Hiccup, “We need to get back, I can only say this once.”

 

     Fishlegs carefully applied ointment to the new spines, even though they had started closing up on their own. Tuff had gotten a bucket and placed it by his feet, and it was halfway full, chunks of stew floating in it. 

    Tuff held his hand, letting Snotlout squeeze it as the others each took a look at his spines, horns, and teeth. 

    Finally, Fishlegs spoke up, “Well, this is something. Do we have much information about Lycanwings?” He said, whipping out his dragon cards from their pouch.

    “Not other than Gobber’s fairytales,” Astrid said, her eyes avoiding Snotlout entirely. 

    Ruff had laid herself over the table as she scratched her chin and stared intently at Snotlout, which made his skin crawl.

    “I have to go back to Berk to get my spare leg fixed, so I can swing by Gobber’s and poke around.” Hiccup offered, “Maybe Gothi would have an idea.”

    “Gothi would catch on immediately, she’s not stupid, and you’re not subtle.” Astrid chimed in.

    “Well, whatever we do, we need to do it carefully,” Fishlegs said, his voice somehow calm. “If anyone learns about this, who knows how long that information would get to Krogan?”

    Snotlout bent over and threw up.

    “There’s got to be something we can do in the meantime to reverse this?” Tuff asked, rubbing circles into the back of Snotlout’s hand. 

    Snotlout still didn’t know how he felt; he felt betrayed, but Tuff looked so apologetic. Tuff had offered to do everything for Snotlout, but his body felt sick.

    “I don’t know,” Fishlegs said, his voice starting to crack as he flipped through his cards, the shuffling created a quick beat like lungs breathing.

    “Relax.” Ruff finally said.

    “How do you expect-” Tuff snapped, but Ruff sat up criss-cross.

    “Every time you get more stressed and more upset, you get more dragony. You didn’t have any of this the first time, and once you went back to ‘normal’, you didn’t have anything noticeable.”

    “It’s worth a shot.” Hiccup replied, his voice unsure. Then clapped his hands together, “Ok, Fishlegs, you’ll come to Berk with me and question Gothi about cures while I question Gobber. The rest of you guys will try to get Snotlout to relax and see if that has any effect.” He then peeked his head outside. “If we leave now, we’ll get there before morning.”

    “You guys don’t have to do this,” Snotlout muttered. Suddenly, he felt everyone squeezing him tightly.

    “Shame we care so much,” Ruff joked.

    “We do, you’re family,” Astrid said, her eyes barely meeting his.

    “We love you,” Tuff added.

    “You’d do the same.” Hiccup said.

    “You aren’t alone.” Fishlegs ended.

     He felt everything and nothing as he tried to put it all together. The care, the love, the lack of rejection, but also the pushiness and betrayal. He closed his eyes. “Thank you.” He was confused, but he didn’t feel so alone.

Notes:

Guys, I'm so excited. I'm getting so pumped to write and haven't written the next chapter yet lol.

Chapter 17: Sorry

Summary:

Sad boi

Notes:

Hey guys, I know this chapter is short, but I would also like to mention that I started a new fic called Camp Berk. More info about the new fic will be at the end of the chapter

     “Step one, we get a hot tub running,” Ruff said as she began making a list, as she paced around. Snotlout watched her carefully as Tuff carefully rubbed his scalp, which was relaxing, but did not stop the dread creeping into his heart with each breath. “Then we make comfort food and make the coziest bed ever!”

      “Ok, I’ll tackle the hot tub, Tuff and Snotlout, go get cozy. Ruff, you're on food.” Astrid said, before walking off. 

      “Come on, we can go to your place,” Tuff said as he pulled Snotlout to his feet.

      “Yeah, sounds good.” He mumbled.

      They all knew. It was strange; he felt sick. He looked at Tuff as he led them to Snotlout’s hut. He had betrayed him, pointed Hiccup to talk to him, and forced him to finally come clean. Once in the hut, he walked past Tuff and collapsed onto his bed.

      “I’m sorry.” Tuff said, “I didn’t want to do that.”

      Snotlout didn’t say anything.

       “I’m going to get you more pillows and stuff. I’ll be back.” He said before running off.

       Snotlout felt like his body was pinned down by boulders, and his mind drifted in a sea of numbness. He was too tired to feel anything else, but anger boiled just beneath. Too tired to cry, but his eyes tried to anyway. Everything felt frozen in place.

       “Hey,” Tuff said, dumping a mountain of soft blankets and pillows, “can I lie down with you?”

       Snotlout slowly scooted over, and Tuff lay down next to him.

        “I’m sorry, I’m so fucking sorry,” Tuff mumbled, carefully running his hand through Snotlout’s hair and massaging his scalp. “I love you, I love you so much.” 

         “You hurt me,” Snotlout whispered, curling into Tuff. He wanted Tuff’s comfort as much as the betrayal stung his heart. 

        “I know, I hate that I hurt you.” Tuff’s other hand held onto Snotlout’s hand. “I just couldn’t stand to see you suffer alone. I wanted to help.”

        “I don’t know how to feel. It hurts to feel.” Snotlout whispered.

        “I know, I know. Take your time, I will be here for however long you want.”

        “Don’t leave.”

        “I won’t.”

Notes:

I know some people will be worried, BUT I'm not abandoning this fic. I started the new fic as a spur-of-the-moment inspiration, and I will be posting there as well as here. I will do my best to update both fics weekly and hope you guys enjoy.

Chapter 18: Guilt

Summary:

Guilt eats at them

Notes:

Guys, we are hitting major sad boi hours

    Nothing made sense to Tuff anymore. He used to believe that all it would take to fix problems in a relationship was communication and trust, but now he had broken that trying to save his love. Snotlout had fallen asleep, and Tuff carefully massaged his shoulders, feeling knots that were like rocks. He shouldn’t have said anything. 

    “Gods, I’m sorry. I love you.” He mumbled, his eyes stung like someone threw a fistful of salt into them. He had caused Snotlout so much more pain; he had forced him to talk about something that he didn’t want to.

    But what else could he have done? The other riders were catching on, and Snotlout was suffering so much. Tuff loved him so much, but what could he have done? Each scenario he ran, each idea would lead to Snotlout’s secret being discovered and Snotlout freaking out. 

    “Tuffy?” Snotlout muttered, his head buried in the crook of Tuff’s neck. 

    “Yes, dear?” Tuff replied, forcing his voice to stay together.

    “I had a nightmare,” He whispered, his voice shaky, “did i hurt you?”

     “No, you didn’t hurt me. You’re ok, it was just a nightmare.” Tuff assured him, and Snotlout wrapped his arms around Tuff. Snotlout easily fell back asleep, and Tuff closed his eyes. Tuff had hurt him.

 

     He could only see blurs. He was in the forest, smells assaulting his nose as distant yells came closer. He couldn’t fly; they had ripped his wings apart. He ran. He could feel blood dripping down his body as arrows flew by his head. 

     Run.

     It was all he could do. Then he fell into the sea. The water was cold, and salt stung his wounds as he sank to the bottom and rose up in a cave. He crawled on the rocky ledge, coughing out water and teeth. Dragon and human teeth came out with blood and salt water. He looked into the water, his reflection flashing between dragon and human. 

     He started throwing up, fire burning his insides as something tore out of him. He looked at the molten red liquid, and from it rose him as a dragon. Dragon him looked at him with wild eyes, mindless and haunted. 

     His heart pounded, breaking his ribs, and his lungs deflating. 

     Dragon him opened his mouth and shot fire out at Snotlout, burning him alive, but he couldn’t die. He saw flashes of his friends dying. Gored and burned by him, by Dragon him. Fishlegs was emptied of his guts, Astrid was burned so badly he could barely recognize her, Hiccup was bashed into pieces, Ruff was impaled on a rock, blood flowing out of her like a waterfall. He looked around, the dragons snarling at him. They had wounds bleeding and burned into their skin. He opened his mouth, and something dropped to the ground.

     Tuff.

     Tuff was alive, groaning in pain as his body pulled itself out of place. Scales crawled over his skin, horns and spikes shooting up from his body.

 

     He opened his eyes, and he was back in his bedroom, Tuff by his side. It was a nightmare. “Tuffy?” Snotlout muttered, his head buried in the crook of Tuff’s neck. 

    “Yes, dear?” Tuff replied.

    “I had a nightmare,” He whispered, his voice shaky, “did i hurt you?”

    “No, you didn’t hurt me. You’re ok, it was just a nightmare.” Tuff assured him, and Snotlout wrapped his arms around Tuff. 

     Snotlout closed his eyes, his body too scared to sleep as much as his brain wanted to. It couldn’t have been just a dream. Snotlout was going to hurt them.

Notes:

I know these past few chapters have been short, but I want to try to focus on the emotions and how hard it is to deal with them, while also maybe slightly unsure how to move on. Anyway, hope y'all enjoy. SHAMELESS PLUG: read my new WIP called Camp Berk, it's a bit more cheerful and very gay.

Chapter 19: Fishlegs

Summary:

Fishlegs and Hiccup return to Berk

Notes:

Fishlegs POV

     The soft flapping of Meatlug’s wings was a calm reminder of reality as a storm of words pelted his eyes as he tried to think of the best way to begin a conversation with Gothi. Berk was the same as it had been, dragons and Vikings being happy together. He rubbed Meatlug’s head, and she looked up at him with soft eyes and a small growl. 

     “I know, girl. I’m trying to relax.” He assured her as he read the thoughts in his head. Hiccup was talking to Gobber, and he had to talk to Gothi, who honestly made him nervous. He spotted the old healer standing outside her hut, her Gronckle and Terrors sitting around her like cats. They landed, and Fishlegs slid off his dragon’s back and tossed her a bit of granite. “I’ll be right back. Go play.” He said. 

     Meatlug immediately leapt at Gothi’s Gronckle, which he had forgotten the name of, and the two began playing. He looked to Gothi, whose worn face seemed to have some knowledge of his visit.

     “Hi Gothi, I have some questions about medicine.” He started, his voice trying to stutter.

     She lifted her eyebrow and wrote in the dirt with her stick. What about?

      “I have been wondering about the dragon root the hunters use and was hoping you would have an idea on how to make a faster cure that we can keep on hand. I know Dagur shared his recipe with you-”

      Gothi quickly wrote in the dirt, This is about Snotlout. Fishleg’s eyes widened, and she continued to write. The boy is cursed.

       “How’d-” He started before she began furiously writing.

       He is in danger. I saw it in the runes. Bring him here.

      Fishlegs felt a little faint and felt Meatlug’s rough skin under his hand. She looked up at him as she let him rub her head, and she wagged her tail. “Thanks,” He whispered as he gathered himself. “We’ve got him settled on the Edge right now, hopefully, if Ruff’s plan goes well, he’ll be better when we get back.”

      Gods, he hoped she was right, it wasn’t a bad plan, a little out there, but not bad.

      Bring him here, I need to see this curse myself.

      Fishleg started scratching Meatlug’s head, anxiety biting at his hands like rats. “Are you sure you can’t just come back to the Edge with us?”

      Do you want to carry my entire house back there? She narrowed her eyes and whacked him in the shoulder with her staff as she continued. Bring him to Berk, and I will see what I can do. 

      “He doesn't like to talk about it; he’s getting paranoid.” Fishlegs admitted, “He was forced to tell us and-”

       He needs to come in. Tell him to grow a pair and get his ass here!

       “I am not telling him that!” Fishlegs said, “But I’ll get him here, just keep quiet about it, please. If we can cure it,” He paused, remembering Snotlout’s warning. There was no cure. “It’s better we keep this on the downlow.

       Fine

      “Thanks, Gothi, I’ll be back.” He replied, climbing onto Meatlug. Meatlug carefully flew down from Gothi’s home and through town to Gobber’s forge and dentistry. He spotted Toothless watching Gobber and Hiccup talk with great interest, his eyes flicking from the humans to the metal Gobber held with his metal hand. 

       “Well, you also have to take account that the first tale was back when my grandfather was a wee lad,” Gobber said, dipping Hiccup’s metal foot into a barrel of water. 

       “So there’s not much then?” Hiccup asked as he tapped his real foot on the ground while he was leaning against the wall.

       “Nope!” Gobber lifted the foot up as he inspected it. “What brought this on anyway?”

       “Well, Tuff is still on about the whole Lycanwing situation and asked us to ask you when we came.” Hiccup explained, looking over to Fishlegs with a worn look.

       “Welp, there’s not much else,” Gobber said, handing Hiccup his foot, and he put it on. “But this ole’ noggin’ has got a lot of other tales if he’s interested."

       “Thanks again, Gobber, maybe it’ll get him off my back.” Hiccup sighed, looking at Fishlegs, clearly trying to tell him something. Fishlegs grumbled, his lack of social skills strikes again. “Hopefully, I won’t need to come back anytime soon.” 

       “Hiccup, we better get heading back,” Fishlegs mumbled, widening his eyes as Gobber returned to his work. 

       “What did Gothi say?” Hiccup asked as he hopped onto Toothless, the black dragon grinning up at his rider. 

       “She knows, she wants us to bring him back so she can look at him.” He replied as Meatlug puttered up into the air. “Who knows how he’ll react?”

        Hiccup sighed, “Then we won’t tell him.” 

        Fishlegs looked at him, “You can’t be serious, you want to ignore Gothi?”

        “If Ruff’s plan works, then we don’t need to see her. Besides, it'll be suspicious if we immediately come back after a visit. We can wait a few weeks and then make up something that we have to come back.” He explained.

         Fishlegs looked down at Meatlug, who looked up at him expectantly. “Fine, but we have to tell him soon.”

         Hiccup nodded, “Don’t worry about it, I’ll tell him, but I don’t want to freak him out more.”

         Fishlegs nodded, and the rest of the flight was silent as he debated whether Hiccup would tell him or not. 

 

Notes:

Gothi is known to be able to look into the future as part of her role as healer, and village elder would be to be able to predict the future and weather.
SHAMELESS PLUG:
Check out my other work, Camp Berk

Chapter 20: Relax

Summary:

It's finally time to relax

Notes:

I'M BACK, BABY! ENJOY SOME FLUFF!

       Snotlout slowly stepped into the hot tub as Stormfly shot a blast into the woodpile below. The water slowly began to warm up, melting some of the stress stuck to his skin. He looked up at the stars, their whispers in a hushed language that he couldn’t understand, but it was something of wanting, of new beginnings. He closed his eyes, the waves crashing around him, but they didn’t say anything to him. 

       His mind drifted back to his dream, phantom blood drenching his tongue and making him hack. He looked around. Hookfang was the only one around, and his body was wrapped around the tub. He leaned against the smooth rock as he forced his brain to ignore the dream. 

      “Hey,” Ruff said, slinging her bare feet over the edge as she took a seat on the ledge next to Snotlout. 

      “Hey,” He replied, closing his eyes. 

      “So, how you feeling?” She asked, kicking her feet in the water, and the small waves crashed into his arm. 

      “Fine.”

      “Are you?” She asked, “I didn’t think trouble in paradise would happen so fast.”

      He sighed, “I do love him, I love him a lot, but..”

      “But?” She dragged the letters out. 

      “He’s the reason you all know about,” He gestured to his head. “I want to trust, I really do, but it hurts. He apologized, and I’m pretty sure this morning he was trying to clean my house after bringing me breakfast, but he still did that.”

      “Yeah, that’s Tuff for ya. He does everything in the nine worlds to make up for his mistakes.”

      “It reminds me of my dad.” He paused, “You know, the apologies, then doing all the nice things. Used to tell me I was man enough after we had fights and I left for a few days.”

      “Tuff never wanted to,” Ruff said.

      “I know, but it still hurts.” He sighed, “I don’t want to hurt anymore.” 

      “Nobody wants the heart to hurt; that's why it's so protected by ribs and stuff. No matter how many axes and punches and falls from high places someone can take, nothing can hurt it more than when someone you love hurts you.” 

       “I want to love him so much, but there's a nail in my heart because I keep thinking of what he did.”

       “What else can I do to fix it?” Tuff said, and when he opened his eyes, Tuff had replaced Ruff. 

       “Hey.”

       “Hey, love.” 

       Snotlout leaned his head back, and Tuff began rubbing his scalp. 

        “I’m sorry,” Tuff whispered. The sun was starting to set, and the warm light made his eyes shine like iron. “What else can I do to fix it? Anything?”

Snotlout closed his eyes again, “I don’t know. I think it’ll just hurt for a bit.”

       “I love you.” Tuff said, “I love you so much.”

       “I love you, too. I want to be with you.” He took a deep breath. “Can you come in and cuddle?”

       Tuff slipped in beside him, and Snotlout leaned against his body. “Better?” Tuff asked as he wrapped his arm around him.

       “Yeah, a lot better.” He said, Tuff’s heartbeat provided a soft comfort as he held his other hand. “Your shirt is going to get wet.”

       “It’ll dry, I’d get it soaked a thousand times if I could sit next to you.” 

       “Sure.” Snotlout chuckled, “I would get struck by lightning again if I could be with you.”

       Tuff started messing with Snotlout’s hair. “I would nearly die in a self-made avalanche again if I could spend the rest of my life with you.”

       “I would fight a thousand dragon hunters to spend eternity with you.” 

       “I would walk through Hel and back to be by your side.”

       “I would steal the apples of Iduun to be with you.”

       “And I would fight all of the gods to protect you. And then I would fight all of the other beings that tried to hurt you.” Tuff said before kissing Snotlout’s forehead. 

        Snotlout opened his eyes to stare at the smile on Tuff’s face. “What?”

       “I love you.” He said, placing another kiss in the middle of his forehead.

       “Careful,” he said, his voice falling to a whisper, “The spines.”

       “Are you feeling relaxed?” Tuff asked, his eyes lighting up like stars. 

       “Yeah, I guess, being next to you helps.” He said. It was true, he felt better, comforted. 

       “Good, now I can kiss your forehead and make the rest of those spines go away.”

       “What!” Snotlout yelled as he raced to touch his forehead, finding it smooth. Relief washed over him as he ran his hand through his hair, finding small bumps from his horns and spines, but none stuck out like ugly rocks. “They’re leaving.” He smiled and grabbed Tuff’s shoulders. “They’re leaving!”

       “I know!” Tuff said, kissing Snotlout’s cheek.

       “Are you going to stop kissing me?” Snotlout asked as Tuff wrapped his arms around his waist.

       “Not even Raganrok could stop me!” He shouted as he kissed him on the lips. Snotlout wrapped his arms around Tuff’s body, Tuff’s heartbeat a steady drum. 

       “You mean it?” Snotlout asked as his body felt like he had just ran from a bear. 

       “I do, I do,” Tuff said, leaning his head down to rest on Snotlout’s. “I love you so much.”

        Snotlout sighed. Tuff smelled like dirt and sweat, but he couldn’t care; he was next to him. “I love you, too.” 

        It would be ok. This may be temporary, Hel, this was worlds better than the fear he had been swimming in for months. His heart still aches from betrayal, but Tuff, he was good, right? He wouldn’t hurt him again.

       “Promise me you’ll never betray me again.” Snotlout, serious, filling his words, “Promise you’ll never hurt me again.”

       Tuff took a deep breath, “I promise, I swear on everything I own, on my name and on all the Gods in Asgard.” 

       “Good.” Snotlout said, “And I promise I will never hurt you, no matter what I have to do to make sure you’re safe, I will do it. May Thor strike me down if I am lying.”

       He felt Tuff lift his head, “Well, the sky is still clear, still at twelve for being struck.” Tuff chuckled, kissing Snotlout’s head. “Don’t worry, nothing bad will happen.”

       Snotlout nodded, “My feet are burning.” He said, sweeping Tuff off his feet. ”Let’s dry off.”

       “Did I ever mention how much I love your muscles?” Tuff smiled.

       “You should do it more often,” Snotlout replied as he climbed out of the tub. 

       Tuff kissed him again. “Will do handsome.”

Notes:

Y'all imma about to go to college and lowkey might start posting less often so heads up.

Chapter 21: My Dear, My Love, I'll Never Let You Go

Summary:

Some fluff and angst for y'all

Notes:

I LIVE! Enjoy the fluff while you can

    Tuff found himself waking up next to his lover as he snored. His spines and horns were gone, and his teeth had dulled down to almost normality. Almost. Tuff didn’t have the heart to tell him that if someone looked close enough, they could tell that some of his teeth were far too sharp. That didn’t matter now, though; he was safe.

    “Tuffs?” Snotlout mumbled, his head buried in Tuff’s chest.

    “Yes, dear?” Tuff asked, pressing his forehead to Snotlout’s.

    “What time is it?” He asked, his black hair stuck to his face. 

     Tuff slowly lifted his head, sunlight barely peaking out from under the door. “It’s morning, Hiccup and Fishlegs are probably back now.” He said, unable to move as Snotlout clung to him. “Dear,”

     “We can just lie here a bit longer.” Snotlout whispered, “The sun is bright.”

     “We have to get moving.” Tuff chuckled, slowly wiggling out of Snotlout’s arms. “Come on, get your butt up.”

     “I will, just give me… five more minutes.” He mumbled, pulling his blanket over his head. 

     “Fine, I’ll just wilt away without you.” Tuff sighed dramatically as he stood up.

      Snotlout grumbled as he rolled out of bed and unceremoniously flopped on the floor like a fish as he swam his way out of his blanket. Tuff couldn’t help but laugh as he helped Snotlout to his feet and brushed away the hairs in his face. 

      “I want to go back to bed.”

      “I know, but we have to get moving, seize the day,” Tuff said, shaking Snotlout slightly, and Snotlout collapsed into Tuff’s arms.

      “How about I seize my bed?” Snotlout chuckled, looking up at Tuff. “I’ll get up in a bit, please?” He said, widening his eyes, but his puppy eyes looked more like fish eyes. 

      “Fine, but if you aren’t up by noon, I’m dragging you out of that bed myself.” Tuff laughed as he walked out the door. He blew Snotlout a kiss. “I love you.”

      “Love you too,” Snotlout said, waving him goodbye as he crawled back under his covers. Tuff carefully shut the door. He quickly spotted Toothless and Meatlug playing in the grass with the other dragons. He quickly raced to the dining hut, but slowed as he heard arguing.

      “Are you seriously going to keep this from them?” Astrid snapped, her voice snapping like a spine shot.

      “You said it yourself, he’s improving with relaxation and care, we don’t need to say anything.” Hiccup snapped back. 

      “Gothi saw his curse in runes, that’s reason enough to tell him!” She shouted. Tuff peered his head in, watching as Hiccup and Astrid bicker while Fishlegs and Ruff stood to the side. “Are you planning to hide this from Tuff, too?”

      “I wasn’t planning on telling any of you until Snotlout was settled.” Hiccup said.

      “And when would that be? A few months? A few years?” She said, her eyes throwing daggers at Hiccup, “As smart as you are, you need to put emotions aside. Either way, when you tell him, he’s not going to react well!”

       Fishleg’s eyes fell onto Tuff, and he quickly pointed him out to Ruff. “Guys-” Fishlegs started.

       “I’m just trying to make his situation better. Fishlegs shouldn’t have told you.”

       “Guys-” Fishlegs said.

       “Ruff told me after Fishlegs told her! Honestly, Hiccup, you can’t hide this-”

       “Everyone shut up!” Ruff shouted, pointing at Tuff. “Tuff is right here!”

        Heads snapped to Tuff, and he felt like his knees were going to snap under him. “The fuck.” He breathed out. Anger boiled in his bones, holding his joints together as he marched up to Hiccup. “The fuck you mean Gothi knows?”

        Hiccup shoved Tuff back, but anger burned his skin like the surface of Hel. “She saw it in runes or whatever and wants to see the curse herself. I was going to wait a bit to tell him!”

        “You want to wait on a curse that’s a ticking time-bomb? Great idea, oh glorious leader!” Tuff said, poking his finger into Hiccup’s chest, “You aren’t the one with the curse, so why should you decide what he knows or not?”

        “Then go tell him!” Hiccup said, fury building in his eyes. 

        “I will!” Tuff said as he stormed back, each breath letting out a storm of anger, and when he reached Snotlout’s door, his anger had turned to numbness.  He had to tell him; he couldn’t lie about this. He took a deep breath and opened the door.

         “Back already?” Snotlout said, flipping the blanket up to let Tuff in. He turned to face Tuff, his face dropping, “What’s wrong?”

         Tuff grabbed him, holding him close to his heart, something to help brace him for the news. “I’m right here.” He said, though it was more for him than for Snotlout.

         “What’s wrong?”

         Tuff took a deep breath. “Gothi saw in runes that you’re cursed, and she wants to see you so she can examine the curse. We don’t have to leave anytime soon, but I'm not letting anyone keep that a secret from you.”

          “Oh,” He mumbled, and Tuff carefully ran his hands through Snotlout’s hair. 

          “I’m not going to force you to go, but if she wants to see you...”

          “She’s not going to stop until she does.” Snotlout finished, wrapping his arms tightly around Tuff’s waist. 

          The two lay in silence, holding each other as the world seemed to shake around them. Tuff slowly breathed as he heard his heart pounding in his ears before he heard Snotlout snoring like a hog. Tuff smiled and kissed his lover’s forehead. 

          He sighed as he tried to make his body relax, but it felt like a raging river was crashing through his veins and made his body tense up with a world that felt like it was moving around him. It was dizzying, but he refused to move, refused to let him go.

          What would Gothi even do? Snotlout wasn’t exactly the most popular Viking, and even after months of being on The Edge, he still held onto his pride and ego to deal with tense situations. This had scared him out of his ego. Would Gothi poke and prod him? Reveal him to the others. Gods, what would his family think?

          “I’ll do anything to protect you,” Tuff said, and he refused to say anything that wasn’t true. 

Notes:

Don't worry I ain't done with this story yet

Chapter 22: Senses

Summary:

Something isn't right

Notes:

>:)

    It had started as an itch on the back of his head. He and Tuff had checked, worried it was a spine, but there was nothing. Snotlout chopped it up to his body, being weird, and tried to relax.

    Three days later, his ears were itching, like something was breezing by to touch them and disappearing before he could start scratching. This caused Fishlegs to make him wash his hair to make sure there wasn’t any lice. The wash was nice, and his hair felt the cleanest it had in months, but the itching still happened. 

   The next day, the itch was replaced with the feeling that something was constantly watching him, biting at his brain. It made him scratch his arms and snap his head around at every noise and movement just out of the corner of his eyes. He held onto Tuff’s hand constantly, and his teeth had grown out into large fangs that stuck out from his lips. 

    “Dear?” Tuff asked, brushing Snotlout’s hair.

    Snotlout turned to look at his lover. “Fine…” He mumbled, his eyes flickering back to reality, “Just thought I heard something again.”

    “You sure? You’ve been on edge.” Tuff asked, the ocean wind blowing his blonde hair as the two faced the sea. “We can check the island again.”

    “We’ve done that a thousand times, aren't you annoyed with me?” Snotlout asked, squeezing Tuff’s hand, “I mean, isn’t this ridiculous that I’m dragging you down every nook and cranny on a feeling?” He laughed, but found a wall of calm and seriousness in Tuff’s eyes.

     “It’s not ridiculous, I think even the dragons are getting a little antsy. Whatever it is, it's not crazy, and even if it turned out to be something silly, it would never make me annoyed at you.” He said, his eyes softened. “I will do whatever it takes to help you, and if it means letting you drag me to check the entire island another thousand times.”

    “When did you get so serious, gods.” Snotlout chuckled, leaning on Tuff’s shoulder as he stared into the sparkling sea. 

    “You needed someone more grounded, and as much as we both love me being chaotic and serving Loki to the fullest, my crazy isn’t what we need right now.” Tuff said, “Doesn’t mean I’ve lost my charm, next Loki day is already planned out.”

    “Gods,” He smiled, “You better not have anything crazy for me or you’re not being cuddled.”

    “What!” Tuff said, grabbing Snotlout, and the two tumbled backwards into the grass. “Say it isn’t true.”

    Snotlout kissed Tuff’s lips, “Is it?” He said with a raised brow.

    Tuff gasped with a chaotic smile, “How dare you!” He shouted, tackling Snotlout, and the two rolled in the grass as they cackled. “I thought you loved me!”

    A breeze rolled through, but it wasn’t right; there was a heaviness to it that made him quiet and shoot up to his feet. He walked over to the edge of the cliff, looking down at the rocks and sea, but finding nothing. He flopped back in the grass, “I think I’m going crazy.”

    Tuff lay down next to him, “The only crazy one here is me.”

    Snotlout punched Tuff’s arm, “Shut up, you know what I mean.” He looked up at the sky, and the clouds seemed to hide something. “Get the dragons.”

 

     “Well, this was a great use of our time,” Ruff said, the night sky setting over the edge as something crawled over Snotlout’s skin like millions of ants. 

      “We did find that Terror nest, so maybe that was it,” Fishlegs suggested, flying close to Ruff, and by the looks Tuff shot Snotlout, the two had started their own silent bet. 

      “No, it’s something else.” Snotlout said, “There’s something watching me.”

      Toothless and Hiccup came back into view, Astrid close behind. “Nothing at the cliffside, but the dragons definitely knew something was up.” Hiccup said, “Snotlout is one about something not right, but it’s not hunters.”

      “Whatever it is, it hasn’t given up yet.” Astrid added, “Even I’m starting to get the creeps.”

      “What would possibly want to hunt us? We are literally friends to dragons, and if it’s not hunters, what in gods name could it-” Snotlout paused. Blood, so much blood. Pain ripping through his body like a scorching knife as Hookfang fought the Lycanwing, but that monster had a name- “We need to secure the Edge, now!” He said, Hookfang diving down with his command back to the base.

       “What is it?” Hiccup asked as the riders landed by the dining hut.

       “They said he would get up easy, they said he would be back,” Snotlout mumbled as he searched the skies, feeling the spines and horns popping out of his skin with thin trails of blood running down his body. 

       “Who?” Hiccup asked.

       “The Lycanwing that turned me!” Snotlout said, “They said he wouldn't give up on his prey.”

       He listened as the dragons blocked their riders as Hookfang stood behind him. Vin was here, somewhere. Snotlout’s heart pounded in his chest as he felt scales digging out from his skin. Vin was watching them with dead brown eyes that were the color of dried, rotten flesh. 

      Then he heard a harsh tap against rocks.  He narrowed his eyes to the cliff, and a head appeared over the side. He nearly passed out.

      The head appeared human-like, but thick, wavy brown horns grew out like a crown of branches as silver and blue scales replaced most of Vin’s skin. His neck was far too long for the human torso that had scales and spines sprouting from it like weeds. His arms were nearly as long as he was tall, stuck halfway as wings with webbing in between wing joints, and his hands so human-like that they looked fake. Vin’s legs were broken, his knees cracked back, and his ankle was as long as a normal human calf should be. A crumpled tail with a fleshy color to it swayed behind him as he moved, moving the little cloth he had around his waist. Scars littered his entire body, painting a map of violence. 

      He heard the dragons growl and yowl, but Vin kept his eyes on Snotlout with an all too human smile.

      “There you are,” Vin said, coughing before speaking again like a human. “There you are.”

     “Go away!” Snotlout choked out, his body begging to run, but frozen in place.

     Vin blinked slowly, smiling as he did. “Adorable, the hatchling thinks he has a bite.” Vin laughed, his eyes then raised to the other riders. “Are those your keepers? I can fix that.”

    “Get out!” Snotlout roared, pain shooting through his body as his fingernails and toenails shot out into talons. “You aren’t welcomed here.”

     Vin bent his head so he could meet Snotlout’s eyes. “You dare reject your own kin?”

     “You aren’t my kin!” He shouted, “You’re a monster!”

     Vin laughed, “Then what does that make you, hatchling?” His breath smelt of rot. “We aren’t that different. You’ll realize those humans hold you down, force you into a box.”

     “No.” He breathed out.

      “You don’t know anything. You are a child.”  

      Snotlout stepped back, and Hookfang stepped forward, baring his teeth as he growled.

     “Round two, dragon?” Vin chuckled, showing his broken and yellow teeth, “Come on!”

     Hookfang lunged forward, blasting a wave of fire at Vin, making the Lycanwing jump back, but Vin used his unnaturally large body to leap onto Hookfang’s back, clawing into his skin. 

     He tasted blood in his mouth.

     Everything was moving, but his eyes tracked the silver being through the blurs.

     Cries of humans and dragons filled his ears.

     Blood choked his nostrils.

     Then his body hit the ground with a thud, and the world spun around him. Voices were overlapping with each other like they were chanting their thoughts at the same time. Pain etched his body like tattoos, and something rang in his ears as he dug his talons into the dirt and pushed himself back up.

      His eyes met Vin’s.

      “There you go, hatchling, look at yourself.” Snotlout’s vision folded together, back to normality. His clothes ripped, and his arms too long and spines stabbing out. His heart pounded in his ears as Vin smiled. “Congrats, hatchling.” He said before disappearing over the side of the cliff.

Notes:

What an introduction to Vin! Hope y'all enjoyed some fresh body horror.

Chapter 23: When Does A Man Become A Monster

Summary:

Snotlout woke up with no memory of what happened the night before.

Notes:

Here we go guys, another chapter, more tea. Read end notes please for some updates on chapter schedules!

     He shot up from a dreamless sleep with fear pumping through his lungs. It was quiet, too quiet. Tuff wasn’t at his side, and when he looked down at his arms, he saw bandages stained with dried blood. He slowly looked around. He was in his hut, but no light peered through the doorframe. He could hear breathing coming from outside, so he called out, “Hey! What’s goi-” He tried to stand up and walk over, only for his legs to give way, and he face-planted.

    “is it safe to go in?” someone whispered, making Snotlout sit up. 

    He could hear them.

    “Guys, I’m ok!” He cried out. He paused, grabbing his throat as pain shot through his arms, finding bandages tightly wrapped around his throat. He coughed, clearing his throat. “Guys, I’m ok!” 

    “just let me see him.” someone hissed, shoving and struggling echoing from the outside.

    “tuff, no! he nearly ripped your throat out!”

    Snotlout’s heart dropped. He nearly hurt Tuff? That couldn’t be right, he’d never hurt Tuff- was he losing his sanity? He choked up a sob as pain stung his body like a blanket of burning needles. 

    “dear?” Tuff’s voice danced across the floor, and Snotlout looked up at the crack of light, his love’s face outlined perfectly in the dim room. He slowly stepped closer, his hand outstretched, “how are you feeling?” 

    “Tuffy?” Snotlout crawled closer, pain biting his bones. 

     “I’ve got you dear,” Tuff said, wrapping Snotlout in his arms and pulling him into his lap. “I’ve got you.”

     “Tuffy, what happened?” Snotlout asked, burying his head into Tuff’s chest, pressing his ear up to Tuff’s heart. 

    “You fought the bad Lycanwing off. Hookfang is in bed rest, but he’s ok.” Tuff said, running his hand through Snotlout’s hair, “Just relax, dear.” 

    “They said I tried to hurt you.” His brain felt heavy like a boulder as it sank to the bottom of the sea. A churning of dark thoughts and fear shoving the boulder down.

     “You were just scared. You didn’t hurt me, you just got spooked. Do you not remember?” 

     Snotlout shook his head,” I can’t remember anything after Vin started attacking Hookster.” He looked up at Tuff, “They said I almost ripped your throat out.”

     “You heard that?” 

     “I’m sorry.”

     “I forgive you, you were just scared,”

     “I’m still scared.” Snotlout slowly admitted, “I’m scared I’m going to hurt you guys.”

     “It’s ok to be scared, when I’m doing anything crazy, I’m scared, but we can’t let it hold us down.” Tuff said, rubbing Snotlout’s back carefully. “Once you’re better, we can go to Gothi and get her to help you.”

     “No, please not soon. I’m not ready.” He mumbled, closing his eyes.

     “Don’t you want the curse gone?” Tuff asked, slowly picking Snotlout up on shaky legs.

     “I do, but I don’t want him to see me like this.” Snotlout couldn’t see Spitelout looking like he had lost a fight, and not when he could hold himself together. Tuff dropped him on the bed, placing a kiss on his forehead. 

      “I’ll talk to the others, just get some rest, ok?” Tuff said, walking out the door, and Snotlout could hear him tell the others to get away. 

 

      “He’s not looking well,” Tuff admitted once he was sure they were out of earshot, which was on the other side of camp. “But he’s not going to Gothi until he’s better.”

      “I don’t know if he gets much choice in this anymore; he literally tried to kill you.” Hiccup said, slamming his hand against his forehead. “How could you even forgive him?”

      “He doesn’t even remember that!” Tuff snapped back.

      “He just transformed back into a human-looking form after being a dragon for two days! We don’t have much time or options!” Hiccup said, anger wearing down his face. 

      “Do you think I’m stupid? Of course I know that! But forcing him to do it is only going to stress him out and make him dragon out again.” Tuff looked at his friends, their eyes weary and fearful. “Guys, he’s still Snotlout, he isn’t a monster.”

      “Tell that to Barf and Blech!”

      “Or Meatlug,”

      “Or any of our dragons!” Astrid said, her face unreadable, “Tuff, he isn’t the old Snotlout, and you need to accept that. He is turning into a monster, and our best hope to fix this is to take him to Gothi now.”

      Tuff could hear his heart in his ears, and his eyes drifted up to Snotlout’s hut, “Just give him a few days, then we’ll go. I’ll talk to him.” He pushed past his friends and quietly marched up the steps to Snotlout’s hut, avoiding the chunks of wood missing and deep gouges that ran up the way. 

      He raised his fist to knock, “Tuffy?” Snotlout asked, “You’re back?”

     “Of course I am, can I come in?” He asked.

     “Yes.”

      Tuff slowly pushed the door open, the floor covered in splinters and blood. He would have to get Snotlout out of here before he realized the destruction surrounding him. Silver scales were scattered across the floor like shells on a beach, and when his eyes trailed to Snotlout’s bed, he found a pair of blue eyes staring back at him. 

      “Tuffy?” Snotlout asked, his teeth large and sharp like swords. Spines jutted out of his scale-covered skin, and his ears were stretched out in a funnel shape. 

      “Hey, how are you feeling?”

      “I hurt. Worse than anything.” He mumbled, and Tuff brushed his black hair, or what was left of it. Most of his hair had disappeared and replaced by a thick forest of spines that held the remaining hair prisoner between them. 

      “We gave you some pain medicine when we did your bandages. You got pretty beat up when you fought Fin.”

      “Vin.” Snotlout corrected, “I didn’t want him to hurt my friends.”

     “You didn’t have to; we would’ve found a way. Toothless ended up getting him pretty good.” A lie that scorched his tongue as his eyes drifted to the bandage around Snotlout’s leg, where Toothless had blasted him. “All the dragons did.”

     “You’re not a good liar. You’re just trying to make me feel better.” Snotlout sighed. Tuff could feel his shirt get wet from Snotlout’s tears.

     “I don’t want you to feel worse.” Tuff said, “You didn’t mean it.”

     “I don’t want to hurt you guys.”

     “I know.”

     “Did I hurt all of you guys?” He asked, tightening his grip on Tuff’s clothes. 

     “The dragons wouldn’t let you get near us. They all got some pretty good hits on you.” Tuff said, “They’re doing alright, you weren’t able to hurt them that much, just some scratches that’ll heal. You didn’t know what was going on.”

     “But I still did it!” Snotlout sobbed, “I hurt them!” Tuff rocked him slowly as he continued to sob, before he shoved Tuff away. “Just leave me alone.”

     “Dear,”

     “Look at me!” Snotlout screamed, “I’m hideous, how can you look at me and call me dear? I’m a monster!” He curled himself up, “I should just leave.”

     Tuff scooted beside him, “You aren’t a monster and you aren’t hideous.” He said as he lifted up Snotlout’s face, his jaw protruding out awkwardly, “Stay, we’ll find a way to fix it. Once you’re calmed down and relaxed, we’ll take you to Gothi.”

     “Are you sure, I’m enough of a problem-”

     “You are not a problem, you beautiful man!” Tuff dropped his hand, but Snotlought grabbed it with his twisted and scale-covered hand. “We’ll find a way. Trust me.”

     “Do I have much choice?” He whispered, leaning his head on Tuff’s shoulder.

      “Unfortunately, you fell in love with a stubborn dumbass.”

     “You aren’t dumb, a stubborn ass sure, but you're not dumb.”

      Tuff smiled, “I love you too.” 

      “You keep telling me.”

       “I don’t say things that aren’t true.”

Notes:

Hello those who chose to read this.
As you may know, I have another fic that I started while writing this. HOWEVER, because I have been neglecting that fic, I will be focusing on that fic for a little bit, just to get it some more love. If you like to check that one out, it's called Camp Berk.

Chapter 24: Full Moon

Summary:

Another full moon, but how will everything go?

Notes:

Hey y'all! Another day, a new chapter. Enjoy!

     Snotlout had prepared for the night. He hadn’t seen much of the other riders outside of Tuff for the weeks in between, but today he had holed himself up in his room and snack on food he had stashed away. He had tried to hurt them; what would happen if he got out tonight? He didn’t need to look outside to know he had a few minutes before the moon would rise. 

      “Dear, I brought dinner,” Tuff said, making Snotlout raise his head to his door. He had Tuff chain it shut from the outside, he had to make sure he couldn’t get out. 

       “I’m fine Tuffy.” He grumbled, and he felt his heart sinking as he lowered his head to the floor. “I’m fine.”

       “Can I come in please?” Tuff asked, his voice was calm. “We both know you’re not fine.”

       The chains around the door dropped to the wooden platform.

       “Tuff don’t- ” He said as moonlight poured through the door. His transformation was smooth like water washing over his body. The dark became brighter as he grew tall before Tuff’s body, and he could feel his heartbeat in his claws.

       Tuff paused, reaching a shaky hand out to Snotlout. “You remember me, right?” Snotlout lowered his head, lower than Tuff’s, closed his eyes, and pressed his head against Tuff’s clammy hand. “You’re ok. You’re ok.”

       Snotlout opened his eyes, moving his head away, “Get out.”  

       Tuff tilted his head and scrunched his eyes together, “I can’t understand you.”

       Snotlout looked to his bed, comically small like everything else in his room. He curled himself as tight as he could, blocking Tuff from his vision, “Get out.”

       He heard a light thud, and when he lifted his head, he found Tuff sitting criss-cross on the floor, staring at him with a smile, “I’m not leaving you. After a shitty few months, you shouldn’t have to be so alone. I’m going to sit here all night if I have to.” 

       Snotlout sighed. Why did he have to be so stubborn? He could snap at any moment and try to hurt him again. Why would he even want to stay so close? Gods, was he that insane? He slowly uncurled himself and began pushing Tuff towards the door with his snout.

       “Dear, come on, it’s ok! I can stay, you won’t hurt me!” Tuff protested, “You were just under a lot of stress. You always lose sight of what’s going on when you get emotional!” 

        Snotlout paused, lifting his head to look directly into Tuff’s eyes. He shook his head, no, he was a monster now, he attacked him because he was a monster.

       “Dear, please, listen to me. You have only gone mad once, which happened when you were in a heightened state of emotions because there was a fucked-up bastard trying to kill us!” Tuff paused, and Snotlout watched as small tears dripped down Tuff’s face. “You aren’t a monster. Being a Lycanwing doesn’t make you a monster. Look at the other ones you met! They were sane!”

        Snotlout let out a shaky breath, feeling the fear bite his bones like rats. He couldn’t let Tuff get hurt; he couldn’t let any of his friends get hurt. He slowly nudged Tuff the rest of the way out and curled up again. He listened as Tuff got to his feet and slowly walk off. Good, now he couldn’t hurt him. 

        Snotlout closed his eyes, his mind wandering back to the Home of the Lycanwings. The churning waves, the trees, the calmness in his bones. He wouldn’t be able to hurt anyone, but he would never be able to see any of his family again, never see anyone again. His heart ached; he wished it would just rip itself out so he wouldn’t have to feel it hurt any longer. Why did he have to start opening up? Why did he have to start caring? He could feel his stomach ache; great, he hadn’t eaten enough. He raised his head, moonlight pouring in, and he slowly walked to the door. Tuff had said he brought dinner, and it sounded much better than any snacks he had hidden away. 

        He peered just outside his door, spotting a plate with a large salmon on it. He grabbed it carefully with his teeth before tossing it back into his mouth. It was cold and flavorless, but cooked, better than raw fish. He heard a slight shifting noise coming from behind him, and when he looked up, he scrambled back inside as Stormfly landed in front of his door. 

        He looked at the dragon, finding her riderless, and she slowly stepped inside his hut with her eyes trained on him. Bandages were wrapped around Stormfly’s legs and neck; her wings were covered in scratches, but most noticeable was a chunk of flesh missing from her bottom lip. 

        “I’m sorry.” He said, earning a sharp growl from Stormfly as she stepped closer. He lowered his head, his chin nearly touching the floor as Stormfly stood above him with wide yellow eyes. Finally, she paused before racing out the door, leaving him alone again. He raised his head. Would all the dragons come in to look at him? He could see his shredded bandages littering the floor like sand. Gods, he was tired of all this. 

        “Are you sure?” Fishlegs asked as an army of wingbeats filled the air. 

        “Yes, Stormfly came back just fine,” Tuff said, stepping in front of the doorway. Snotlout felt Tuff shaking with each step as he slowly came closer. “You’re ok.” Snotlout looked at Tuff. This was the man he loved, someone who trusted him. Why couldn’t Snotlout calm down and accept that? “I’m right here.” Tuff closed his eyes and held out his hands.

         A steady beat filled his ears, but it wasn’t his own. It was panicked, but it was slower than the racing beat of Snotlout’s own, and he looked down, lowering his head, the beating growing louder. Tuff’s heartbeat. He was scared too, scared that Snotlout was going to hurt him, but he didn’t want to hurt Tuff. He couldn’t keep being scared, not when it was driving him insane, making him jumpy and… Snotlout pressed his head against Tuff’s warm hands.

        “Hey, dear, are you feeling ok?” Tuff asked, his hands grabbing Snotlout’s jaw and leading him towards the door. Snotlout slowly nodded, his eyes flicking to the other Vikings just outside. “It’s ok, you won’t hurt them, and they won’t hurt you.”

        “Whoa,” Astrid said as Snotlout stepped out of his hut and into the moonlight. He carefully stretched, his muscles feeling tight, and the wounds he had gotten weeks earlier were a mindless buzz in the back of his head. 

        “Is he..?” Ruff asked, pointing at Snotlout with one hand and waving at her head with another. 

        Tuff let out a dramatic sigh, letting one hand drop so he could face the others, but kept his other hand firmly on his scales. “Yes, he is aware. Yes, he can understand things. No, he is not able to think properly when he is mad. Yes, he will remember everything.”

        “So if I pranked him?” Ruff asked, rocking back and forth on her feet.

        “He’s just like his normal self, just built like a dragon,” Tuff explained, looking up at him with a smile. “Isn’t that right?”

        Snotlout nodded, his eyes falling on the dragons as they looked at him with worry. They had bandages and wounds marking their bodies. Hookfang wasn’t there, and Snotlout’s heart dropped. He raised his head, taking in a deep breath, searching for the smoky smell that stuck to Hookfang like honey. He jumped into the air and flew over to the dragon barn. He could hear the others yelling at him, but he didn’t listen; he had to see Hookfang. 

        Snotlout landed and rushed inside, searching the stalls for Hookfang, finding the Monstrous Nightmare asleep in a stall. A large brace sat on his left wing, and there were tears in his wings sewn back together with brown thread. Had he done all of that? 

        Hookfang raised his head, his face littered with scabs and scars. He let out a soft rumble, asking if Snotlout was ok. 

        “I’m sorry, I’m sorry,” Snotlout said, lying on the floor. Gods, he fucked up. 

        “Hookfang will be ok.” Hiccup said, his metal foot was a pounding drum in Snotlout’s ears. “Most of his injuries were from Vin.”

        “I hurt him.” Snotlout replied, “I keep hurting you guys.”

        “He’ll be ok, it’s not like you meant to hurt him.” Hiccup said, stepping into view. “He’ll be better in a few more weeks. We just have to let the tear in his wing heal.” Snotlout sighed, watching as Hookfang drifted back to sleep. He had failed to protect Hookfang, and he had gotten hurt again. He slowly looked up at Hiccup, “Come on, you’ve got to be hungry.”

        Snotlout sighed. Maybe food would help. He slowly followed Hiccup, flying beside the connecting bridge, and landed at the dining hut. The warm smell of roasting mutton filled his throat, and when he peeked his head inside, he found a large pot of bubbling stew. His stomach rumbled, but he stepped back; he would not be able to fit inside the hut. He watched as the other humans walked inside, while he and the dragons waited outside. 

        He watched as the dragons started play-fighting, letting out soft growls before going into the grass below. At least the dragons were relaxed in his presence. He looked inside, where he watched the other riders grab bowls and ladle stew into them. Tuff grabbed a huge pot, filling it up before dropping it at Snotlout’s feet. “Here ya go.” Snotlout looked at the others as he slowly ate, listening to them.

       “You know, whatever you say, he can hear it,” Tuff said, sliding back into his seat.

       “We know, doesn’t mean we can’t have a private conversation.” Hiccup replied, pulling a piece of paper out and scribbling on it. 

       “I’m not going to do this, guys, he’s still Snotlout,” Tuff exclaimed. 

       “You can’t deny that we need this. What happens if he goes crazy again? Not to mention we have to take him to Gothi, I’ve already received a letter from her.” Fishlegs said, rubbing his hands together. 

        Tuff sighed, looking back at Snotlout. Snotlout pushed the pot back into the building and slowly glided down to the grass below. They didn’t want him around; he wasn’t human. Not like they really wanted him around all that much before. Tuff was a small exception, at least that’s what he told himself as he continued walking. He looked back at the other dragons, playing and having fun. He didn’t fit in anywhere, not anymore. He looked up at the moon. He wasn’t ready, not yet. 

        He closed his eyes, Vin’s face popping up like dead fish in his mind. He shook his head and started wandering back to the dragon stables.

Notes:

Don't worry, things will get better soon. At least for a while.

Chapter 25: Push Comes To Shove

Summary:

Snotlout finally returns to Berk to see Gothi.

Notes:

*kisses Monsterous Nightmare sized rock*

HERE Y'ALL GO! ENJOY SOME ANGST!

This was inspired by a comment from MagnetesmortsPrincesso. You're welcome.

     Sunlight was a true relief. Two months since Vin, two months since he went crazy, and two months since he had regained control over his body. He looked up, Hookfang watching him with soft eyes. The dragon’s wounds had scabbed and started turning into scars, but the stitches in his wing were gone. He grabbed the clothes he had stashed in the dragon barn the day before, letting the sunlight meet his skin. An odd comfort, a reminder that he was safe, but not as reassuring as the moon. 

    He turned his head before Tuff even walked into the doorway, putting his pants on before Tuff peeked his head in. “Morning, dear, how are you feeling?” Tuff asked, holding two bowls of porridge. 

“Fine,” He said, slipping his shirt on. 

     Tuff kissed him on the cheek. “I have some news, but food first.” Tuff forced him to sit down before shoving a bowl into his hand. Snotlout slowly started eating as Tuff started rambling, “Ok, so, talking to Hiccup, and we kinda came to the agreement that since Hookfang is all healed up, we head to Berk and deal with Gothi.” Snotlout looked at Tuff, who looked nervous and let out a chuckle, “You said that you would go once Hookfang was healed up.”

     “I know.” He mumbled, then looked down at the floor. He closed his eyes, listening as the world shifted around him. Everything was always moving, even if it couldn’t be seen, it was always moving. It was a knowing that would keep him awake for hours. He could hear the blood in his veins, his lungs moving, and if he listened hard enough, he could hear his eyes moving. He couldn’t keep living like this. “Are we leaving soon?”

      “Once you eat and get Hookfang saddled. The others are coming up with some lies to tell the rest of the village while you go see Gothi.” Tuff said, “Do you want to tell your family about us?”

      “I don’t know how he would react. You know how he can be.” Snotlout mumbled, setting down his empty bowl. 

      “Yeah, I was planning on telling my parents, but I figured I'd run it by you, you know.”

      Snotlout nodded, “You can tell them, I’d rather tell my parents myself.”

      Tuff wrapped his arm around Snotlout, making him open his eyes and look up at his lover. “You sure you’re ok?”

      “Just worried. It doesn't help that Gothi will probably confirm what we know about the curse.” He said, leaning on Tuff.

      “Have faith, dear,” Tuff whispered, “It’ll be good news, there’ll be a cure.”

       Snotout slowly pressed his hand against his cheek, feeling his teeth through the skin, feeling the monstrous teeth behind the skin. Awful reminders of what a monster he was. “We’ll see, but there’s no outrunning fate.”

       Tuff sighed, “I know, but maybe we could delay it, even for a little longer.” He kissed Snotlout on the top of his head. “I’ll be waiting for you.” He said, grabbing the bowls and leaving the building. Snotlout sat still until he could no longer hear Tuff.

       “I’m sorry,” Snotlout said to Hookfang, who had walked out of his stall and curled his body around Snotlout. Hookfang let out a soft rumble, his eyes flicking up to him. “I’m sorry, you don’t deserve me. You deserve a better rider.” 

       “You are good. Good rider,” a scratchy voice echoed, and as quickly as Snotlout snapped his head around, he realized it was Hookfang.

       “I- I can…” Snotlout’s heart was banging against his ribs, threatening to break them with each beat. 

       “Go to Gothi. Find cure.” Hookfang rumbled, his eyes staring at him. 

       “I’m sorry,” he mumbled.

       “I forgive you.” 

       Snotlout looked out at the sunrise, his ears shifting with every noise it picked up. “Get ready, I’ll grab your saddle,” Snotlout said, walking to the small wall of dragon gear. Most of it had small parts for saddles, straps, and repair items. The saddle was hung on the wall, stitches running down it to outline the large scratches that were once in it. He ran his hand over the marks, feeling invisible claws grow out of his hand and dig into the stitches. Fear stung his fingers like bees, and he forced himself to grab the saddle and quickly strap it to Hookfang. 

       Back home to Berk, back home. Right?

 

      The smell of Berk stung his nose, and he gripped Hookfang’s horns tighter. Flying on a dragon felt weird compared to flying himself. He wanted to fly, the itch to jump off and fly with the other dragons. He shook his head. It was the curse, it had to be. He was human, human with a curse he had to get rid of. He looked over to Tuff, who offered a smile as Toothless appeared between the two of them with Hiccup lying down on his dragon’s back. 

      “We’re almost there,” Astrid said as she and Stormfly flew up behind Snotlout. 

     “Finally,” Stormfly added as she flew around the other dragons with ease. The other dragons, including Hookfang, roared in agreement. 

       Snotlout looked down between the clouds to see Berk. It was like how it was when they left last time. He looked back to the other riders, “So, we stick with the plan?” His body itched to run. 

       Hiccup nodded, sitting up and clicking his foot back into place. “Yep, we’ll keep the village busy, including Spitelout. You go to Gothi.” 

       Snotlout looked ahead at the hut at the top of Berk, his mind drifting in and out like waves in the ocean. He let Hookfang lead; it was all blurring around him. He heard things from the dragons, heard things from people; they were all so loud. Each voice drummed in his ear, and he forced Hookfang to fly higher. His hearing was getting better, too good, and it hurt his head. When they landed, he rubbed his ears as he tried to relieve them. Then he was whacked on the shoulder by a hard stick.

       He jumped as he saw Gothi, her face pulled into a scowl as she grabbed his wrist and dragged him into her hut. He could feel a shift of energy as he walked into the hut, and he jumped as Gothi slammed the door shut behind him, making his ears ring. “Gothi!” He growled, slamming his hands over his ears. Gothi then grabbed his face and ripped his hands from his ears, and shoved beeswax into his ears. 

       It was quieter, not by much, but his ears didn’t hurt, and his muscles relaxed. He looked at Gothi, who started writing on her dirt floor before digging through her bottles and herbs that filled her walls like vines.  The curse, what is it?

      Snotlout sighed, “I got bit by a Lycanwing.”

      Gothi paused, her head turning slowly as she looked up at him with fear burning like a single candle flame. What. 

      “The old legend is true- look.” He said, pulling back his cheeks to show her his teeth, and when his fingers brushed against them, he could feel them grow slightly. Gothi peered at them with morbid curiosity, tapping them with a long nail. She pulled her hand back, her eyes wide. “Gothi, what’s wrong?” he begged, his voice barely a whisper. 

       She quickly began scribbling in the dirt before rushing through her stash of things, and Snotlout felt his heart shatter with each word. I can’t fix this

       “You’re joking… right?” He felt beyond sick, the fear rushing through his blood like a disease. “There has to be something you can do?”

        Gothi shook her head, pulling out bowls and bottles full of herbs. I can only stop the curse for a little. Delay the inevitable. 

        “Gothi… please, by all the Gods in Asgard, tell me you have something better.”

        She shook her head before grabbing some tiles with runes on them and tossing them in a bowl like salt in stew. She then peered in the bowl before grabbing an empty locket and shoving it full of herbs that stung the inside of his nose, and then making a hushed cry at it. She then looked up at him, fear filling her eyes as she shoved the locket in his hands, the message clear. This will help delay it. He didn’t question it and threw it around his neck and hid it under his shirt. 

        “How long do I have?” He asked, his eyes starting to drip tears down his face. 

        Gothi went over to her bowl, which now that he looked at it looked like a plate because of how wide and flat it was, and began throwing rune tiles in. Her eyes watched them with patience, mouthing out small noises. Finally, she looked up at him with sullen eyes. You won’t make it to the end of the year.

        Snotlout let out a shaky sigh, “No chance of changing that?” Gothi shook her head, and she slowly started writing.

        No changing fate. You can only face it.

       Snotlout didn’t have the energy to be angry or sad, just a numbness like the cool salt waves in the ocean. “Thanks, Gothi.” He said, slowly walking out of the hut. He took a deep breath once outside, the smell of herbs sticking to him like honey, and the salt from the ocean stung his nose so bad it felt like fire. 

       He looked at Hookfang, who lowered his head so Snotlout could climb onto his neck. No changing his fate. Snotlout gripped Hookfang’s horns, his mind flickering in and out as his hands appeared to be claws. He closed his eyes, “Come on, boy.” The wind whipped his hair back, and Snotlout forced his mind to empty. 

Notes:

Hi guys! College has been a time and I have some otehr stuff coming up so posting for both this fic and my other fic, Camp Berk, will be few and far vetween because of that. Hop ey'all can understand. Best, AZ09.

Notes:

This is only the beginning of the body horror.