How to Deal With Amnesia

Chapter 11: Geeking Out

Hiccup was in his hut, getting to know Toothless better again, playing with the dragon, scratching the black scales, learning more about the tailfin prosthetics in his notes, and even talking a lot to the Night Fury, which still amused him. That was when he heard knocks on the door and found Fishlegs waiting on the other side.

"Hey, Hiccup. How are you doing?"

"Fine... Did Astrid send you here? Look, I appreciate all your caring, but I don't need to be watched all the time. I'm not a kid, and I'm fine..." He almost completed with 'and it's weird having so many people around', but he decided it was better to stop there.

"I know you don't need, but we care for you. So Astrid didn't have to ask me to check on you... But yes, she did, actually." Fishlegs answered, Hiccup rolled his eyes. "Hey, I brought our Dragon Book, you can read it again, and maybe you could even get some memories back, who knows? But if you don't want to, I can just leave."

"No, it's okay, I just don't want you here because you feel like you have to. I can take care of myself. Besides, I have Toothless." He petted the dragon, playfully.

"I'd love to tell you how we found the newest information in this book. You might not remember, but we used to spend hours geeking out about dragons... I kinda miss that..." Fishlegs admitted quite embarrassed for having to explain something that used to be so natural.

Hiccup was surprised to hear something like that, even though Fishlegs told him he was part of the team, that their table had six sides, one for each of them, it still felt weird to be into the group when all he remembered was Snotlout and the twins mocking him and Astrid and Fishlegs ignored him.... But, well, he still rather be ignored than mocked at, but it was not like Hiccup could remember the last time in his fifteen-year-old self that any of them had spoken with him anything other than teasing. So, the boy smiled, he didn't know having friends could cause such a warm, fuzzy feeling inside his chest to erupt.

The auburn haired one gestured to the table and they both sat at it with the open book in front of them.

Hiccup started reading out loud all the things they discovered about the different species, Fishlegs telling him the stories of the encounter with the dragons. From the baby Typhoomerang they called Torch to the Blue Oleanders that were poisonous to reptiles and how they got the antidote, to the Whispering Deaths and the Screaming Death there were underneath Berk, to the story with the Changewing's eggs that were mistaken for stones of good fortune, and many more amazing situations. They spent hours talking, almost the whole afternoon.

"Oh, and there was this time we found out why dragons hate eels so much!"

"Really? Why?" Hiccup asked curious and interested.

"It makes them very sick. Toothless ended up eating one to save you and then he started sneezing explosive red blasts!" Fishlegs said with his usual overjoyed tone as he continued telling him that they were searching for the ingredients to the antidote for eel pox, and then Hiccup and Toothless got stranded on Eel Island, Fishlegs going after them and helping them by distracting the Typhoomerang after them and then making an antidote for Toothless. "So, we finally managed to go back to Berk and Gothi did the antidote for everyone who was sick."

Hiccup giggled as he looked at Toothless, lazily sleeping on the corner of the room, imagining the black dragon sneeze red dangerous blasts in a flash in his mind. Was it really true or what he saw was just his imagination? He couldn't tell the difference, it all seemed so far away... So distant... So surreal...

"Thanks, Fishlegs, it was a really enjoyable afternoon, getting to know all of these things about dragons again, but I'm getting tiered, I think I'll just read some more notes before I go to bed."