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A loud noise woke Hicccup up. A high-pitched screech of a large species of dragon that had gotten a little too close to the hideout.
Hiccup leaped out of bed, tossing the covers to the dirt floor. His mind felt like it was humming, and yet, strangely, no real thoughts were present, only a feeling: Danger! Danger! Danger! He had to get moving, otherwise he would die before reaching tomorrow and fail everyone who had ever loved him.
Fishlegs sleepily opened his eyes as he heard loud, scrambling footsteps.
“Hiccup? W-what are you doing?” He slowly rose out of bed and put his glasses back on, squinting at Hiccup, who froze, eyes like a broken animal, the endever in one hand, a leather satchel in the other. Hiccup didn’t respond. His body was tense, and he looked like he wanted to run. Fishlegs wasn’t even sure if Hiccup recognized him. He had heard of sleepwalking, but Hiccup was awake. Thai was something else entirely.
“Hey…Hicccup…are you alright?” Fishlegs got out of bed and walked towards his friend. “It's ok, you're safe…well…I mean, as safe as the rest of us.” Fishlegs tried to channel Hiccups usual optimism, even if he himself was just as frightened.
Hiccup replied in frantic dragonese. Fishlegs only caught one word. “Danger.”
Fishlegs didn’t know what his friend had been through while he himself was enslaved, and then trapped underground, encased in glass, but he knew that in order to outmaneuver both Furious and Alvin, he would need to have the flight instinct of a rabbit.
“It’s alright, Hiccup, we are all here. You’re in the hideout your mother sent us to. Do you remember?”
Hiccup blinked as if his mind was waking up long after his body. He set his sword and satchel back down on the table. “D-did I try to run again?”
Fishlegs nodded. “Um, yes–a little.”
Hiccup ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “I’m sorry. I just… I don’t know why I am like this right now…it’s just muscle memory, I guess. I hope I didn't wake you. I’d feel terrible.”
Fishlegs was about to tell his friend that, of course, he woke him up; it’s the middle of the night, why else would he be awake? But he decided to lie to spar Hiccups feelings. “Oh no, I’ve been awake for hours, really. All that dragon noise outside is hard to sleep to.”
“Yeah…” Hiccup’s voice was distant and filled with a quiet sadness.
“Since we’re both away, why don’t we put on some tea?” asked Fishlegs.
“Won’t that wake Camicaiz?” asked Hiccup.
“What will wake me? I heard my name!” Camicaiz jumped out of bed like a bouncy ball, joining both Hiccup and Fishlegs, her hair even messier than usual from all the tossing and turning she did in bed. The girl was never still, not even in sleep.
“How long have you been awake?” asked Fisghlegs, amazed at how much energy Camicazi had despite the fact that the moon was still high in the sky.
“Around when you two started talking,” Camicazi grinned. “So, what’re we doing?”
“Oh, we’re just having tea, care to join us? Asked Hiccup politely.
“Only if you don’t make it boiling hot again,” teased Camicazi.
Hiccup smiled for the first time all night. “Hey, I told you to wait a few minutes. It’s not my fault you drank it immediately after I gave it to you.”
The fire provided a pleasant warmth in the otherwise chilly hole. Fishlegs took the kettle off the fire and poured out the three cups of tea for the three little sleep-deprived vikings
Hiccup drank his slowly, trying to ground himself in the taste of lemons and herbs. He was ok. He was safe, at least right now. So then why was his heart still beating like the wings of a nano dragon? Why did he have to physically stop himself from bolting like a frightened deer?
“W-w-why a-are r-rude humans m-making s-so much noise?” Toothless crawled out of the little bed Hiccup had made just for him. He was not too happy to have his sleep interrupted
“Sorry, Toothless. Do you want a little honey?” Hiccup smudged a little of the golden liquid on his finger. The company had a very small jar of honey that they were trying to ration to the end of the war. Lugsured like that were in short supply. Hiccup didn't like using it too much, but Camicazi insisted that this was a good time for something sweet.
Toothless flew over to Hiccup, gladly accepting the sticky-sweet apology. With Toothless close, Hiccup’s heart felt a little easier, and he felt like he could breathe again.
“You should try to get some sleep, Hiccup,” Fishlegs suggested.
“Y-yes s-sleep is v-very g-good. T-toothless likes s-s-sleep.”
Hiccup petted the little dragon. “You can go back to sleep, Toopthless, but I’m not sure I can; I’m too stressed.”
“Hey, why don’t we cuddle together, remember, back in Rome?” suggested Camicaiz.
Hiccup’s face flushed. “Yes, but we were children then, now that we’re older wont that be…weird?”
Camicazi shrugged, “Aren’t we all weird already? Besides, there’s nobody else here to judge us.”
Hiccup grinned, “You make a very good point.” It was a little relieving not to have to uphold the typical masculinity that was expected of Viking warriors.
Camicazi took Hiccup’s hand, giving it an earnest squeeze. “We are family, maybe not by blood, but by choice.”
“Are you sure none of you would rather sleep in the beds?” asked Hiccup as he lay on the hard ground, in a heap of blankets, one leg under Camicazi and one arm around Fishlegs, with Toothless sleeping on his chest, curled up and vibrating softly. “I don't want you to think you have to do this for me–”
“Oh shut up and just let us do this for you, nerd,” grumbled Camicazi, hugging Hiccup. Her hair tickled his shoulder and neck. It felt weird and embarrassing, but also nice and safe.
“I'm sorry I’m so…” Broken was the word echoing through Hiccup's brain. Something was wrong, and he didn’t know what. “I'm sorry I keep behaving so strangely,” he finally whispered. “I wish I could stop it, but I can’t.”
“Oh, just rest already. You’re not a problem, you are our friend.” Hiccup heard Fishlegs’s muffled voice coming from the pillow, where his face was squished against.
Hiccup decided to take Fishlegs’s advice and closed his eyes. He actually felt safe, for the first time since Snotlout had revealed his slave mark, and he was forced to flee. He knew he wasn't truly safe, not with the rebellion dragons and Alvinsmen searching for him vigorously all through the night, but with the weight and heat of his friends lying next to him, he couldn’t bring himself to care. The soft, steady sound of their breath seemed to drown out the screams of dragons and wild winds outside. Hiccup smiled, letting his mind drift back into a peaceful sleep.