"Snotlout! Are you even listening to a word I say?"

Hiccup's cousin rolled his eyes. "Geez - relax, Hiccup. It's not like I'm hurting you by not listening to your stupid speech."

Hiccup face-palmed. His headache he had gotten from staying up all night was progressively getting worse.

"Snotlout, this is not a 'stupid speech'. I'm just trying to tell you what Dad told me to-"

"Yada yada yada," Snotlout interrupted, miming a talking mouth with his hand. "I know what to do. We get there, our dads have this grand feast thingy and we make a little announcement about how well we're doing at the Edge and everyone tells us how great we are - well, I am, at least. Easy!"

Stoick the Vast and his brother Spitelout had called their sons to Berk. They were part of the chief's family, and were expected to sit in on this special tribal feast. The other Riders didn't have to come, and they needed someone to hold down the Edge, so their friends had stayed behind. Hiccup and Snotlout, however, could not skip this, so left Astrid in charge and departed about three hours ago for the long journey to Berk.

"It isn't easy, Snotlout," said Hiccup. He swallowed, feeling slightly sick. Huh. That was odd... maybe there was a little turbulence that Hiccup hadn't noticed, and was making him feel ill. It didn't happen often, but maybe with his recent sleep deprivation and skipped meals, his stomach was a little messed up. Yes... it had to be. "We have to make our own speeches about Dragon's Edge - not just telling the island how we're doing. We're giving Berk a sort of preview of our island. It needs to be good."

Snotlout wasn't listening. He was doing loops with a grudgingly obeying Hookfang.

"Snotlout!"

The Viking paused Hookfang with a groan and turned back to Hiccup. "What?"

Hiccup suddenly felt very unwell and was unable to speak. He was nauseated, and the slight pounding in his skull ached his entire head. "I...," he began, then felt too sick to continue. It was all he could do not to throw up. Toothless seemed to realize something was wrong with his rider and rumbled in concern. Hiccup tried taking deep breaths, like he did when he used to be seasick. In... and out... in... and out... guess I really should've gotten more than a few hours of sleep this week...

Meanwhile, Snotlout chattered aimlessly about how awesome he thought he was.

"You know, Hiccup," he said, smirking, "when I was only six years old, I got lost in the woods. Well - uh, actually, I wasn't lost... I just… couldn't find my way back. So I had to survive all alone. By myself. In a dark forest full of untamed dragons and poisonous plants. It was tough - but I survived."

Hiccup rubbed his temples. His nausea had relented a little since before and he found the strength to ask, "And how long exactly were you in there?"

Snotlout turned Hookfang away so Hiccup couldn't see his face. "Well... five hours."

"Five hours." Hiccup and Toothless shared a smile. "Wow, Snotlout, I guess I had underestimated you." He'd thought he'd only last for four.

His cousin flexed his muscles. "Finally, someone who appreciates my wits and survival skills. Dad didn't even notice I was gone."

Sickness abruptly bloomed in Hiccup's stomach, twice as bad as before, and he doubled over on Toothless, panting. His dragon now knew that something was up with his rider and whined with concern. Snotlout, however, was none the wiser, too busy going on about how strong and brave he was to notice.

With Hiccup solely focusing on trying not to hurl, he couldn't control Toothless's tailfin. They dipped down in the sky a bit and were slammed to the side by the wind. Hiccup felt much worse after this, so that he lost control completely as his vision flickered to red, then black. Toothless shrieked as Hiccup's prosthetic and real leg went limp and they slid from the stirrups. The pair started to fall.

"And then, Dad said, 'Boy-o, I don't..." Hiccup - Hiccup, are you even listening?" Irritated, Snotlout turned to find nothing but empty air. He glowered. "Very funny, Hiccup! Hide from Snotlout, won't you? Hilarious..."

And then he heard the scream.

It was bone-chilling and made Snotlout's skin crawl. But that wasn't the only thing wrong about it.

The thing really off about this was that it was not a human scream - it was the shriek of a dragon. Toothless.

Snotlout looked down and gasped as he saw his cousin and his Night Fury free-falling. Snotlout wondered why Hiccup wasn't doing anything about it, and was startled to see that he appeared unconscious. Did he faint? His mind raced with questions. Well, there no time to figure out that - he had to save them.

"Hookfang, dive!" he commanded, pushing his dragon down to where Hiccup and Toothless were. He began to fret. Was Hookfang big enough to support all of them until they found somewhere to rest on? Well, he had to be. Or else Hiccup... well, he just hoped his dragon had the strength.

The Monstrous Nightmare roared and spread his claws to try and catch Toothless in his talons. Snotlout grunted as his cousin's dragon clutched onto them, his weight dragging Hookfang out of the sky. Hookfang flapped his wings desperately to gain altitude, which nearly shook Hiccup from Toothless's grasp. Luckily, the Night Fury caught Hiccup's shirt and yanked him back to safety. Snotlout's heart was pounding at the thought that Hiccup could've fallen to his death.

"Hookfang!" Snotlout screeched. "We need - to find land - can't hold - Toothless and Hiccup - much longer-"

Hookfang, for once, listened to his rider. Even from here, Snotlout could see the terror in his dragon's eyes as they searched for an island. This situation had spooked both of them. Hiccup had always seemed... well... invincible. From losing his leg in an epic dragon battle to getting kidnapped by Alvin and Dagur, he hadn't had it easy, but he'd always made it through. Seeing him so weak... helpless... well, to be honest, it unnerved Snotlout - not that he was worried about Hiccup or anything, gods forbid. The sight was just weird, that was all. There was nothing more too it.

Snotlout grabbed Hiccup from Toothless's saddle and pulled him up next to him. He lightly slapped Hiccup's cheek, remembering something about that being a way to wake someone from unconsciousness.

Hiccup moaned at the movement, and Snotlout's brow furrowed. What was wrong with him? He'd been fine a minute ago... though he had caught him rubbing his head once or twice, and then leaning tiredly against Toothless before they left this morning... gods, had Hiccup tried to hide some hidden injury or illness or something? It was just like his cousin to do something like that...

"Hiccup?" he yelled over the wind. "Hiccup, can you hear me?"

The Dragon Rider's eyelids fluttered open. Snotlout noticed how blood-shot his eyes were. The kid really needed more sleep. He could also stand to gain a couple of pounds.

"Sn...?" groaned Hiccup. "To...thl...ss..."

"Toothless is safe," Snotlout reassured. "You just kind of... fainted, I guess. What happened?"

"I... vi..."

Hiccup's mumbles were cut off by Hookfang, who growled an alert. Snotlout looked up and was relieved to see a tiny island nearing. They could land there while Hiccup recovered from whatever he was enduring. To add to the stress, Toothless's extra weight made them dip and nearly skim the water.

"Good job, Hookfang!" Snotlout said. "Let's head there. Hiccup? Try and stay awake, for now alright?"

"Mm..."

A few minutes later, they crashed down on the sand - and it was good because Toothless was half-submerged in the ocean by now.

Snotlout hopped off Hookfang the moment they touched land. Hiccup slumped forward without his cousin to support him, but Snotlout caught him just before and let him lean against him. It was obvious he'd fall on his own.

"S...ry," Hiccup slurred.

Though Hiccup barely weighed anything, Snotlout rolled his eyes like holding him up was a huge burden. "You owe me, dragon boy. Big time."

Was it just his imagination, or did Hiccup smile? Before he could figure it out, Toothless ran up to the two boys, cooing in concern for his rider. "Hiccup's fine now, Toothless," Snotlout told him. "You don't need to-"

Toothless cut him off with a growl and a Night Fury death glare.

Snotlout held one hand up in surrender - the other was supporting Hiccup. "Fine! He's not okay!" He sighed, looking around. "Let's go find a place to... to figure things out."

At that moment, Hiccup gasped out and leaned forward. Snotlout knew what was coming next. Hiccup vomited onto the ground a few seconds later, and Snotlout was soon fully holding him up as Hiccup breathed heavily, hunched over. Dribbles of sweat rolled down his temples, and he was shivering. His cousin held to his arm a little more tightly, wanting to give some assistance but not knowing what do.

"Better?" Snotlout asked.

Hiccup nodded, though his eyes were closed and his skin was a pale green.

"Okay. Let's go find some place to rest, alright?"

What was that in his voice? Comfort? No, no, it couldn't be - he didn't care whether Hiccup was comfortable or not... but he sounded awfully concerned right then, and he was scared of that. He didn't care... he didn't...

At Toothless's rumble, the four came into the brush. This island was pretty rocky - there were lots of caves built into cliffs and boulders lying around. Snotlout eventually stopped and had Hiccup sit on a rock to recover for a little bit. He managed to sit up, though he still looked ill.

Snotlout paced in front of him. He wasn't exactly worried... it was a more of an unconscious habit. He felt like he was about to lose his mind as he thought about what happened.

Unable to handle it all, and needing some consolation that he didn't care about Hiccup, because yeah, he really didn't, he snorted into his fist, a grin breaking through. "I can't believe you fainted… 'the great Dragon Conqueror' passes out right on his dragon! Heheh… wait till I tell Astrid… whatever she thinks she has for you will disappear... fainted..." There it was. That sounded more like him. He relaxed. Of course he wasn't worried about his cousin. He wasn't, and he wasn't going to let anymore concern seep into his voice again, either. "I'm much more manly, aren't I? Aren't I?"

He turned to look at Hiccup, and was surprised to find him not on the rock, but curled up in a ball on the ground. He was panting like he had just narrowly escaped death or something. Toothless was whining above him, distressed at the boy's state.

"Woah, Hiccup," said Snotlout, taking a step forward. "Are you...?" No. No, no, no, stop - he was not going to ask if he was okay...

"Mm... ff...ne...," Hiccup groaned.

Snotlout crossed his arms. "Mhm. And the world is round. Come on, Hiccup, admit it; you're sick."

Hiccup's eyes cracked open. "No... m'not..."

"Hiccup..." Oh, he was arguing with him now? If he said he wasn't sick, then why should he press? Stupid, stupid...

Hiccup tried to push himself to a sitting position, but his arms were too weak at the moment and he collapsed back down. "F...ine...," he huffed in defeat. "I f...eel little sick..."

Snotlout rolled his eyes, but at least Hiccup had admitted that much.

It suddenly struck him that whatever Hiccup had may be... serious. Even if Hiccup had just been shot, for Thor's sake, he tried to hide his pain. He didn't want anyone to worry or think he was weak. No. He'd had enough of that for a lifetime. If Hiccup was admitting he was hurting now...

Toothless grunted, motioning his head from Hiccup to his back. Snotlout understood after a moment. The Night Fury wanted his rider to sit on him.

"You sure, Toothless?" said Snotlout, doubting whether Hiccup could hold on while they searched for a place to stop. "Hiccup may fall..."

Wait. Since when did he care about Hiccup? Never, that's when… Hiccup could go on Toothless. Who cared if he fell? He certainly didn't. Let him fall, it'd be fun to watch... Still, Snotlout felt a twinge of regret as he loaded Hiccup onto his dragon's saddle. Hiccup gave a weak smile and scratched Toothless's head, earning a satisfied moan in return.

The group continued on through the trees until Snotlout found a grassy spot that would be good to rest on and where the dragons could find food. Toothless grudgingly let Snotlout take Hiccup from his back.

Snotlout set his cousin in the grass, trying to ignore the painful sigh Hiccup emitted, followed by a groan. Hiccup would be fine! He always was.

He had to be.

"So…," Snotlout said, wringing his hands. "Taking care of a sick person. Alright, Snotlout, let's do this... first step... diagnosis? Er... what are Hiccup's symptoms?"

He leaned over and placed his palm on Hiccup's forehead. Cringing, he pulled back. Hiccup felt as hot as a fireworm, and he could safely say that, because he'd had the misfortune of touching one before. Well, maybe not that hot, but still - Hiccup was burning up. Also, he was shivering as if he was cold, but Snotlout didn't want to risk bringing his temperature higher than it already was by giving him a blanket.

"He has a fever," Snotlout announced. "And als-"

Hiccup suddenly bolted up, his cheeks bulging. He barely managed to swivel his head to the side in time for him to throw up once more. Then, exhausted from the effort, he fell back down, nearly unconscious again. Toothless rumbled and licked his rider's sweaty forehead.

Snotlout's eyebrows pinched together. He didn't want to say it, but...

"Hiccup's sick," he said to Hookfang and Toothless, who watched him with interest. "And I... I don't know how to help."

Toothless whined once more and laid down by Hiccup's side.

None of them were healers. None of them knew how to help Hiccup, or had any medicine. And none of them knew if what Hiccup had was just a passing sickness... or something much more sinister.

Snotlout swiped his brow. It was going to be a long day.

For the rest of the afternoon, Snotlout played doctor. While the dragons ran and fetched buckets of water (they had brought along some for the trip to Berk), Snotlout tried to bring down Hiccup's fever with no avail. He tried everything from fanning his cousin to washing his forehead with a small towel dipped in water. Then, he removed Hiccup's vest to a light undershirt to let the body exert more heat at a quicker pace. Nothing worked.

Snotlout was getting stressed out. If he couldn't break the high fever Hiccup had now, his cousin would die within a few days. And if Hiccup died... Snotlout shuddered. No, he couldn't think about that... because for one, it was a horrible thought... and two - wait. No. He wouldn't care if Hiccup died, that was right. The only reason he was helping his cousin was because... because... because Astrid would kill him. Yeah. That was it. And the world still needed the Snot-man!

By the time it was evening, Hiccup had thrown up twice more. Snotlout was getting concerned. The boy really didn't need to lose anymore weight. He grew even more uneasy when Hiccup refused to eat anything. They both knew it would come back up a minute later, but Hiccup needed some energy.

Night fell, and Hookfang started a small fire for Snotlout and to sit by. Hiccup was kept far away from it, not needing to be any warmer than he already was. Toothless slept next to him, and Snotlout doubted he even closed his eyes that night, but he eventually fell asleep a few yards away from Hiccup. He woke a few times in the night to make sure he was doing okay, and in the end only got a few hours of shut-eye.

The sun yawned over the horizon, letting the world know that another day was starting. For Snotlout, though, it still seemed to be yesterday. One, long, terrible nightmare.

Hookfang went and caught a few fish for them to eat while Snotlout and Toothless stayed with Hiccup. The Night Fury never left Hiccup's side all the time, save to get more water, and was whining softly in hopes that Hiccup would wake. But the greatest signs of life Hiccup gave were feverish murmurs. Snotlout caught a few of them...

"No, no... m'fine... don't... no... Astr... Sn...tl...t..."

Snotlout flinched at that. Was Hiccup asking for him? But Hiccup never stayed on the topic too long, so it was hard to tell.

Hookfang came back with a bucket of fish later on, but no one was really hungry. Snotlout cooked a salmon over Toothless's fire on a stick. His face was grave as he stared into the flames.

"Hookfang," said Snotlout quietly. The Nightmare looked up, curious at the sudden serious tone of his usually arrogant rider. "I'm worried. I'm worried that Hiccup... that Hiccup's not going to make it. He's not doing any better, and it's been almost a full day. I think Hiccup's sick - really sick. I need you... Hookfang, I need you to go get help. I can't leave Hiccup here alone, and Toothless can't fly. You're the only one who can help."

His dragon snorted out a puff of smoke. Well, this was new.

Snotlout threw his stick into the fire and stood. "Hookfang! Can't you see that my cousin is dying?"

Hookfang rumbled in disagreement.

"Well - maybe not dying, but he's still very sick! I ask you to do things a lot, I admit, and some of them are really stupid. But this isn't! Hiccup has to live, Hooky. Listen to me just this one-"

But Hookfang had already spread his wings and taken off into the clouds. Snotlout watched him go, some resentment and some disappointment writhing inside of him. Hookfang hadn't even rumbled a goodbye.

Well, good. Stupid dragon. It was better that way. He had disappeared quicker, and therefore would get help in less time. Yeah... stupid dragon... and stupid feelings, too. He hadn't thought he'd had any until this point, but time was proving otherwise.

"Sn... Sno... t...ll...?" Hiccup moaned from his spot.

Snotlout tensed and came over to him. He was glad to see Hiccup had finally woken, but from his flickering eyelids, he could tell that it wouldn't last long. "What now, dragon boy? More water? Are you too hot?" Just because he let Hookfang know his concerns for the kid didn't mean he'd let the actual subject of his worry know.

Hiccup shook his head slightly, though it was hard to tell from the was he was trembling. "N-no... I wan... I wanted t... ask you someth... an' tell me the truth... kay?"

"Ask me something? Fine. What?"

Hiccup's bleary eyes met Snotlout's, and even through his slurs, his inquiry was dead clear:

"Am I going to die?"

Snotlout blinked, shocked that Hiccup would ask that.

"No!" he scoffed, though even he knew he didn't sound convincing. For some reason, he found it very difficult to lie to someone who looked like he was about to kick the bucket. "C'mon. After training the most deadliest dragon in the world-" Toothless's ears perked up "-you ask if some little stomach bug will be the thing to kill you?" He even gave a little laugh, like, well, that was a stupid question, though he found himself wondering the answer as well. "No way. You are way too stubborn for that."

Hiccup seemed to doubt his reply, but he drifted back to his febrile sleep. Snotlout bit his lip and sat back on his heels. Did Hiccup really feel that awful to ask something like that?

Hookfang, he thought. Please hurry. Please. Hiccup can't die.

He just can't.

I hope you guys like this so far! Part two will be up in a few hours, but since isn't working right, make sure to check for the new update later on.

Thanks for reading, and drop a review if you liked! :-)