[closed]

[i-saw-myself.livejournal.com]

It wasn't so much that he'd been slammed into a bookcase that was the problem. It hadn't even been that hard.

Okay, that was a lie, it'd been pretty hard, but the real problem was he'd also had his head slammed into a mirror, possibly against a table (that was hazy), and Jerry Stenson's fists, respectively, and while he'd had all that attended to after the mission, he'd only allowed as much fussing over him was necessary to get back on his feet again. As such, his noggin had still been a little tender when he'd been so unceremoniously slammed into a bookcase. And then, if you went even further back, he'd been concussed something fierce several times since being on the ship, and then even further back, in the fight with a giant dragon, and these things tended to be cumulative.

"Anyone in here?"

Comments

[i-saw-myself.livejournal.com]

"At this point, as far as I'm concerned, a minor concussion is a minor injury. Hence it being called a minor concussion."

[governorkang]

"It's a head injury, which automatically makes it more worrisome than something like twisting your ankle. Not only that, but if I remember right, you hit your head pretty goddamn hard when you fought that dragon back in Berk, you hit it again on that mining expedition about two months ago, again barely a week ago, and today. 'Minor' concussion or not, that's four times in less than a year. Four," Kang pointed out.

[i-saw-myself.livejournal.com]

"And I took care of it every time since Berk!"

Smothering, Kang! You're smothering him!

[governorkang]

"The point is, you should have told me about the concussion from the mission, and you shoudn't have tried to lie to me about this one," Kang snorted. "I wouldn't be near as pissed at you right now if you'd just told me."

[i-saw-myself.livejournal.com]

"Maybe I don't want--I don't want it to be a big deal. I don't want people hovering over me or--or--"

Something about all this bothered him and he was having trouble putting it into words.

"I get hurt sometimes. Okay, fine, it happens. I'm not some great warrior or--or soldier, that can dodge bullets, so it happens. It's going to keep happening until I get better at this entire thing or get killed off first. It doesn't have to be a big deal every time, and while I appreciate your friendship and the fact that you've stuck by me when I was hurt really, really badly, I don't want there to be a big...to-do, every time it happens. I don't want my friends hovering over me, or worrying, or coddling me. Sometimes I just want to check into Medbay, get fixed up, and go about my business like it's not a big deal."

He finally put his finger on it.

"It's like you guys think I'm weak. Fragile. But sometimes a knock to the head is just a knock to the head. You get it fixed and go on with your day."

He threw up his hands.

"So, excuse me for just--wanting everyone to stay away while I chill out here for a few hours. I figured if I told you I was here, you'd...I don't know."

[governorkang]

Kang went silent for a moment, and took a deep breath, "Hiccup. When have I ever treated you like you were weak or fragile? If anything, I've made a point of not doing so; I've never told you that you can't do something because it's too dangerous, or prevented you from learning how to fight."

He muttered a curse. "I don't like the fact that you got hurt, but the main reason I'm pissed is because you lied to me. If you didn't want me to visit you while you were in here, you could have said so, and I wouldn't have argued."

[i-saw-myself.livejournal.com]

"Oh."

Pfft, he was so fail.

Or...was he?

Because in all this, the subject of how he got hurt again never came up, and that was what he wanted all along.

"I'm sorry I lied. I just didn't want anyone to fuss. I'll be fine."

He settled back against his pillows.

"And next time I'll just be honest, okay?"

Problem solved, no questions, carry on.

[governorkang]

Kang shook his head, smiling, "That's all I ask. By the way, how did you hit your head again?"

If Hiccup really thought that question wasn't going to get asked...

[i-saw-myself.livejournal.com]

Note stricken face.

He couldn't lie now after promising not to.

He was kicking himself for contacting Kang to distract Astrid, instead of Ruffnut, but he'd hoped for a two-fer, to have them both distracted, so that neither wound up finding him in Medbay and then asked that particular question.

[governorkang]

"...what happened?" Kang frowned, getting a bad feeling.

[i-saw-myself.livejournal.com]

"I may have gotten thrown into a bookcase. Magically."

[governorkang]

"By who or what, and why."

That low rumble in Kang's chest that had dissipated was coming back.

[i-saw-myself.livejournal.com]

"By some guy."

A pause.

"I really don't think he did it on purpose." Another pause. "Okay, actually, it was entirely on purpose, but Stacy did the tentacle thing and there's...something wrong with this guy. Like he's sick, but he knows he's sick, and he said he's doing research trying to fix it, and he made it sound like he doesn't have much time."

Every moment longer, he said, took him closer to the brink.

"Major anger issues, though and he said the magic was tied to the anger and they fed off each other--" He was rambling. "I didn't want to get him in trouble."

[governorkang]

Kang took a breath, closing his eyes briefly and counting to ten in his head. It wouldn't do for him to lose his temper right now, not after what they'd discussed.

"And why exactly was he angry at you?"

[i-saw-myself.livejournal.com]

"I knocked over his books, and then he was being a jerk about it, and then I told him off and threw them on the couch out of order, and then he completely flipped out."

Yeah, that sounded way worse out loud than it did in his head.

[governorkang]

"What you did in no way warranted being thrown into a bookcase, let alone hard enough to give you a mild concussion, but you do need to learn to choose your battles," Kang bit back a hiss. As badly as every bit of him wanted to go find this guy, he knew it was a bad idea for multiple reasons. "One thing to remember: never get on the bad side of a magic-user."

[i-saw-myself.livejournal.com]

"I didn't get a mild concussion this time (probably). I just hit my head after getting a mild concussion last time, hence the need for observation," Hiccup clarified helpfully. "And I know it didn't warrant that, you know it didn't warrant that--I think even he knew it didn't warrant that."

Gesturing with his hands, he said, "Therein lay the problem. Before he threw me, he tried being really nasty to drive me off, and afterward, admitted he does that because he's afraid to hurt someone."

In short: Dude needed help.

"I was planning on telling someone. Soon. After getting this taken care of. Because I think this guy has something wrong with him and needs help, and I don't know if he'll go to anyone, but I didn't want to call Security and make a big thing of it, because the potential of that exploding even worse..."

[governorkang]

Kang listened, scales clicking slightly, and let out a breath, "I have to admit, that was pretty damn smart of you. Magic-users that can't control their power are extremely dangerous, especially when it's tied to their emotions."

[i-saw-myself.livejournal.com]

"He said he could have killed me. It didn't really seem like the sort of situation to send the Security Team in guns blazing, especially since Stacy took care of it."

[governorkang]

"...knowing you, you're going to continue to talk to him, despite the danger. Be careful, please," Kang sighed, leaning back in his chair.

[i-saw-myself.livejournal.com]

"Knowing me? What's that mean, 'knowing you'? It's not like I go around poking powerful, crazy people with sticks for fun."

A pause and he drummed his fingers on the blanket. "I miiight still talk to him, but most likely in the subtle checking-to-see-if-he's-gotten-help-yet kind of way. Otherwise, I'm steering clear--he threw me into a bookcase."

[governorkang]

Kang smiled wryly, "That's what I meant."

[i-saw-myself.livejournal.com]

"That's called being thorough and following up on things that concern me."

[governorkang]

"Well, it's something that should concern every person on the damn ship," Kang said dryly. "What's this guy's name?"

[i-saw-myself.livejournal.com]

"Thom. Of Trebond. Lord Master something something."