"Every time you step outside, disaster falls!"

"I've never seen anyone mess up that bad. That actually helped!"

"It's not what on the outside, it's what on the inside that he can't stand."

"Why can't you follow the simplest of orders!?"

Hiccup felt his chest tighten a little more with each voice and each hurtful word that popped into his head as he shut the door on Gobber. Then he realized what he just said.

"I just want to be one of them!?" he asked himself in disbelief. "I want to be accepted, not heartless."

In a flash of anger, he grabbed one of his father's many swords and chucked it. It slammed into the wall next to the door just as the door opened. Feet shuffled in shock, and then the door opened to reveal a wide-eyed Astrid. Hiccup stood there and glared at her, his chest heaving up and down noticeably in anger.

"What. Do. You. Want?" he growled.

"Uh," Astrid mumbled in shock, looking from back and forth from the sword to Hiccup. He couldn't lift anything but a small dagger knife. How was he just able to chuck that huge sword across the room. She heard Hiccup's impatient sigh and whipped back to look at him. "Gobber just wanted me to come make sure you didn't run off."

"Of course!" Hiccup burst out, making Astrid jump. He never yelled either. What was wrong with him? "Well, you can go tell him and Stoick that I'm actually following my orders for once in my pathetic life, ok?"

Astrid quickly nodded before rushing out, slamming the door behind her. She ran off to find the chief and Gobber to tell them what just happened.

Everyone in the village watched in confusion within the next couple of weeks as Hiccup had a couple of more outbursts. They didn't believe a thing Astrid had said - they figured the girl just overworked herself during the raid ... again. But they just watched as the 'village screw-up' slowly became more hardened and violent with each passing day.

"He's finally learning to be a Viking," Stoick would tell the villagers. Then he'd turn to Gobber and add, as if to assure himself, "Maybe he'll actually make a good Chief."

Gobber didn't speak up, but he didn't feel that Hiccup's change was a good thing. He'd only seen Hiccup act like this one other time, and that was after his mother died. Gobber had a scar to prove it. He'd taken Hiccup to the forge that night to try and get his mind off of the pain. Hiccup burst out and grabbed a dagger that a boy his young age shouldn't be able to even grasp, then stabbed Gobber in the leg with it. Gobber was able to calm Hiccup down and let the boy sit and cry while he treated to his wound. He'd always kept it covered and never had to tell anyone, and the one time he asked Hiccup if he knew that Gobber had the scar, Hiccup was clueless.

Gobber listened to each passing villagers' comments on Hiccup's changes.

"No one will miss that old nuisance."

"He and that Astrid girl could produce a strong and able heir."

"He's finally a Haddock."

And that night, when Hiccup burst out again during dinner in the Mead Hall, all Gobber could do was sigh and frown as Hiccup stomped out of the Hall while everyone continued eating as if he'd always done this.

"Did you hear, Astrid?" Fishlegs asked. "Stoick wants you to marry Hiccup."

Astrid felt the blood drain from her face.

"What's wrong?" Fishlegs asked, noticing her change in behavior.

"You look like you've seen a ghost," Snotlout laughed before Astrid punched him, knocking him out of his seat. It was quiet for a minute at their table before Astrid finally spoke up.

"I can't believe I'm saying this," she sighed. "But I'm scared of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III."

"What?" Snotlout asked, finally getting back into his chair. "Afraid of marrying the wimp or afraid that he'll finally best you at everything?"

She glared once more at him. "At his changing. It's not ... It's just not Hiccup, and it scares me."

"I say embrace it," Tuffnut said. "As long as I don't have a wimp as a chief leading me into future battles."

Astrid slumped down in her chair in defeat.

Hiccup felt himself sweat as he paced his room. He finally grabbed his charcoal pencil and his notebook and slammed them onto his desk, collapsing into his chair as tears began to fill his eyes. He knew someone would come soon; he had to do it before the opportunity passed itself. He wrote:

I'm sorry that I was never good enough.

And by the way, I wasn't becoming a Viking.

I was crying out for help.

Trying to keep himself from throwing up, he carefully set the pencil down and pulled himself to his feet. His legs felt shaky and weak, but he pushed himself forward. And for the first time in a long time, he smiled a real smile.

Astrid grumbled as she and her friends headed up the hill towards Hiccup's house. Stoick sent them - mostly Astrid - after him. To "bond", as he explained. She knew it was complete crap, but no one was to disobey the chief. So to "bond", they were going. Astrid knocked before they entered the house. It was filled with a dead, eerie type of silent.

"Hiccup?" Astrid called out.

No answer.

The teens looked at each other in confusion before hollering his name one more time. Again, no answer.

They headed up the steps to the room at the end of the hallway - Hiccup's bedroom.

"What is that smell?" Ruffnut complained.

"That smells like ..." Fishlegs smelled the air, then his eyes widened. "Alcohol and blood."

They all looked at each other before they burst through the door. On the bed was Hiccup. In his limp hand was a bloody knife, and empty alcohol jugs littered the room. Fishlegs wandered towards Hiccup's desk as Astrid hurried over to Hiccup. His arms were bleeding severely; the skin was practically stained in red. He was really pale, too, but a slight smile sat contently on his face. Her hand brushed his neck for a pulse as Fishlegs dropped the notebook.

"He's gone."

Astrid's hand wandered to Hiccup's hair as Fishlegs picked the notebook back up and read the note to the group. Holding tears back, she just petted his hair while the others ran to get Stoick and Gobber. She shakily stood up and kissed Hiccup's foreheard, whispering, "I'm sorry."

That night, a funeral was held, and everyone hoped Hiccup could hear their apologies. And whatever people said happened after we died, Astrid swore she saw Hiccup standing in the shadows of the trees, watching as his casket was buried. They locked eyes, and he smiled. When she blinked, he was gone.

Yes, depressing but I know there's not a lot of stories where Hiccup's depressed. If you think I should do a longer one (with a happy ending or a sad ending? Or maybe do both and have one be an alternate?) review and let me know!