Chapter Text
Hiccup is different from the other Berkians. He always has been, and he always will be. He needs no reminder about the fact that he is nothing like the others, and he most likely never will be.
And yet, the reminders never stop. Ever. The people of Berk don’t like Hiccup, and they make sure he knows it. It seems like the only times he’s not being looked down on by the other Berkians is when he’s being so entirely ignored by them that they wouldn’t notice if he disappeared for days at a time.
It used to bother him. He used to be so eager to do whatever it took to become one of them. But as time went by… well, Hiccup has figured that if he has to change everything about himself just to be accepted by them, then maybe they aren’t the kind of people he wants to be accepted by.
And as he started to figure that out, he also started to figure that… maybe if they didn’t like something… it’s worth double checking if that something is really all that bad. That’s probably why he kept going back to that cove.
Back to the night fury within it.
⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏࣪﹏𓊝﹏﹏⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪
He may have stopped seeking their acceptance, but Hiccup still doesn’t want to spend the rest of his life being hated by everyone for his very existence, so when he’s put into dragon training he uses what he’s learned from Toothless to make his way to the top, all without hurting any of the dragons.
(It doesn’t sit right with him, seeing those dragons caged. Maybe he can plan an “accident” where they all end up escaping.)
His plan works, and the Berkians start being nice to him, celebrating him, praising him. They actually take notice of where he’s at now, no longer ignoring him. It makes it harder to visit Toothless, but he manages.
All the attention feels hollow. Just meaningless praise offered to someone that isn’t really him. They don’t like him— they like who they think he is, and that person doesn’t exist. Every compliment that he’s given, every bit of praise that he receives just alienates him further. He’d thought fitting in would make things easier, make them feel better, but now that he does, it still just feels off. The way the Berkians treat the dragons keeps building up that resentment… and Hiccup isn’t sure how much longer he can handle it.
⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏࣪﹏𓊝﹏﹏⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹ ࣪
It all boils over when his father returns. Their relationship is better now… at least, that’s what Stoick thinks. He’s actually proud of his new, “dragon conquering” son. But Hiccup doing well in the arena isn’t as much of a bonding point as Stoick thinks it is. For Hiccup, it just drives the wedge between them further.
Stoick is talking with—no, more like at him, and everything he says just further emphasizes to Hiccup that he’ll truly never be the son his father wants.
“All those years of the worst Viking Berk has ever seen! Odin, it was rough! I almost gave up on you!” Almost gave up on him? Could’ve fooled Hiccup. To him, there were so many moments where it felt like his father already had. “And all the while, you were holding out on me! Oh, Thor almighty! Ah, with you doing so well in the ring, we finally have something to talk about.”
Hiccup’s eyes narrow for the briefest of moments at that, before he catches himself. This conversation has already been frustrating, but something about that comment cut deep. Is Hiccup knowing how to handle dragons really the only thing his father can think of for them to talk about? Does he not have a single other redeeming quality in his eyes?
“…yeah. Thanks, dad, I’m glad you… appreciate me. Well, I should get going— lots of practicing I need to be doing if I want to keep it up in the arena,” Hiccup offers a half-hearted smile, trying to keep the edge of annoyance out of his voice.
“Oh, son, I… before you go, I brought you something. To keep you safe in the ring.” Stoick holds up a Viking helmet, holding it out to Hiccup.
“Wow uh… thanks.” Hiccup takes the helmet from him, surprising himself with how sincere he is about his thanks.
“Your mother would’ve wanted you to have it,” Stoick tells him, “It’s half of her breast plate. A matching set,” he points to his own helmet, “It keeps her close, y’know? Wear it proudly, son. You’ve kept up your end of the deal, you deserve it.”
The reminder of their “deal” drags Hiccup’s mood down again, frustration building anew, “Right, well, I really should… get going…”
⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏࣪﹏𓊝﹏﹏⊹ ࣪ ﹏𓊝﹏𓂁﹏⊹
“Toothless, let’s go!” Hiccup pats Toothless’ side before hesitating a bit, remembering the helmet his father had given him. He runs his hand over the metal, thinking for a moment, “Actually… I have an idea.”
Hiccup thumbs at the side of the helmet one last time before heading towards the forge. Making sure nobody’s around, or awake, with a quick once-over, he brings Toothless into the forge.
“Toothless, melt,” Hiccup instructs after placing the helmet into the crucible, knowing he could get the job done a lot quicker. Toothless obliges with a plasma blast, heating the crucible in an instant.
Hiccup recasts the molten metal into a mask— an intimidating, menacing one. Not exactly his style, but that’s the point… he doesn’t want to be recognized. He quenches the mask before holding it just in front of his face, sizing up the still-warm metal. A perfect fit.
Now came the hard part. He needs to come up with a way to free the arena dragons and get off of Berk, without being caught. The mask is a start, but not many Vikings are built the way Hiccup is. Unless… they have a dragon to do the heavy lifting. That’s it— he can use Toothless! Masquerade as some sort of dragon-riding vigilante… the Berkians will be fine if a few things end up on fire. They’ve dealt with that before.
But even the most prepared village can face… casualties, if something unexpected happens, and an entire arena’s worth of dragons being freed is definitely unexpected. It wouldn’t be all that shocking for the world’s worst Viking to be the only casualty when it happens.
It’ll help all the more to keep him from being recognized if the Berkians think he’s dead. After running through every scenario in his head and talking with Toothless, Hiccup’s ready. It’s time for the arena dragons to finally be free… and it’s time for Hiccup to die.