Solitude is hard to come by in a village like Berk. There are forests and quiet moments in the air, but it's not like those years wondering out in the icy north with only a crew. Here Eret can hear fires crackling, children's laughter and yelling and the clanging of metal and it's new and strange to be waking up to it but he's starting to like it.

He's especially starting to like the stables, where he can sit down and stare at each dragon and calculate how much it's worth and how to trap it and then it would look at him, eyes big and honest and unconditionally trusting, and he'd wipe the thoughts from his mind and smile.

He's starting to like Fishlegs and Snotlout although he's getting the drift that they might not like him too much. The half jokes and icy laughs and 'playful' punches on his arms that almost break their fingers and leave terrible bruises on his skin almost make him laugh. The make Hiccup laugh. They make him laugh very hard, and sometimes Eret laughs, too, but only when Fishlegs and Snotlout are gone.

He's starting to like waking up in the same bed every morning. He can still remember the trapper days when he used to follow the business, the migration patterns, the clients. But now for once he's got a permanent home where a Terrible Terror that has taken a particular liking to him comes flying into his room through the window every morning to sing him an off key wake up call.

He's starting to like the twins, because just when domesticity seems to be getting monotonous they come along and remind him why the concept of 'boring' doesn't exist in a place like Berk. Sure, Tuffnut is a raging psychopath and Ruffnut is a stage five clinger and they've both had way too many injuries near their craniums but they're wild and fun and they've got heart and he'll never tell Ruffnut this but they're both cool as hell.

He's starting to like Hiccup, and it's not that hard to like someone like him. For weeks after he first moved in he watched him closely, trying to find some flaw in him. He gave up after maybe a month. Try as he might he couldn't find one and the gods only knew how hard Eret tried to hate him, but Hiccup was so trusting and so clever and so kind and forgiving and he just couldn't hate him anymore.

He's starting to like himself now. The name he so proudly wore like armor for so many years has become of sentimental value to him now that he has a home and village to recognize it. He's not sure why, but they smile at him every day when they see him and the dragons snuggle him like all is forgiven between them and he realizes that if dragons of all things can let go of anger and rage than dammit so can he.

Home is a funny idea to him. It always has been and perhaps it won't be for much longer because there's a stable surface to stand on and Gobber tells him he's too young to have such variability in his life and that Berk is perfect for him and he just smiles and nods because part of him feels like Gobber is right because when he walks out the door every morning, the village is smiling at him and so is this new life and maybe the Gods are as well because he's happy here and he's starting to like that, too.