Friends
Well, here's my newest one-shot! I was just thinking about Hiccup and Fishlegs from the books. So you guys get this :)
Hiccup and Fishlegs hadn't always been friends and Snotlout hadn't always bullied Hiccup.
In fact, Snotlout didn't start in on Hiccup until the son of Stoick was about seven and what kick-started it was an instant Hiccup would never really forget.
It was during some sort of test that the whole tribe was watching, waiting to see who would become proper Hooligans. The Meatheads were visiting, too, and Mogadon had brought his gangly, awkward son called 'Thuggory' a lad of about eleven or twelve who was clearly suffering from adolescence.
Snotlout was about nine or ten by this time and he was sitting with a group of other boys around his age and Stoick couldn't miss the fact that his son was not among them.
Hiccup had a knack for disappearing in large crowds, however, and by the time Stoick finally tracked him down, a few other people had joined the group, people that Stoick didn't approve of. The African-American boy named 'Speedifist', who seemed to value agility and speed over strength and muscle; Tuffnut Junior, who couldn't insult somebody if his life depended on it; and lastly, that weird little runt of a boy with no parents, Fishlegs.
Nonetheless, his son had no friends and he had never properly hung around boys his age before, so Stoick shooed him away and sent him off to go play with the other boys. He wasn't a natural worrier, but he was, admittedly, a little nervous. The other boys, besides Fishlegs, Speedifist and Tuffnut Junior, were all much bigger and tougher than Hiccup. Hiccup didn't even know how to use a measly dagger for Thor's sake, much less how to throw a punch. What if the other boys started playing Bashyball, and they ganged up on Hiccup?
Of course they wouldn't, Stoick soothed himself. Hiccup would defend himself. He was the son of a chief.
He put the matter out of his mind.
As Hiccup went to sit over next to the other boys, he noticed Snotface Snotlout's little eyes gleaming meanly as he looked over the boys, wondering who would be his next victim. He was bored, he decided, and he hadn't picked on Fishlegs in awhile.
He sauntered over to the smaller boy, who was sitting stiffly, quietly beside the other runts, Hiccup, Tuffnut and Speedifist, but they weren't talking.
The other boys shrank back and scattered, like sparrows fleeing a hawk. Hiccup stayed, but he definitely scooted back a little bit to give Snotlout some room.
Fishlegs tensed, but he kept staring at his lap.
Snotlout picked the runt up by the collar of his shirt and threw him down into the snow, letting Dogsbreath grind his face into it.
Hiccup stared openly.
Snotlout chuckled before spotting Hiccup. "What are you looking at, Runt?"
Hiccup hesitated, caught. And then he forced himself to speak. "Stop it, Snotlout." It came out so quietly that at first, he thought Snotlout had not heard him.
Snotlout gave a disbelieving laugh and then, when he realized Hiccup wasn't flinching away and waiting for a punch, but had, in fact, stood up so he could look at Snotlout better, the older boy stopped laughing.
"What?" he demanded quietly.
"You…you heard me," Hiccup said, sincerely wishing he hadn't. "Just leave him alone, Snotlout." He had never exactly been scared of his cousin before, but as he saw the way Snotlout eyed him hungrily, he thought he saw why all the other boys were.
Fishlegs' face was covered in snow, but he raised his head to watch Hiccup and Snotlout.
"Oh, really, cousin?" Snotlout demanded, taking a step towards him. To Hiccup's credit, he didn't flinch. "Bash him, Dogsbreath!" he commanded.
Dogsbreath obeyed.
As Hiccup joined Fishlegs in the snow, miserably spitting out the cold, wet substance that was so plentiful on Berk for nine months out of the year, Snotlout and Dogsbreath sauntered off, laughing their heads off.
Hiccup stood and dusted himself off. Fishlegs studied the ground, still lying there. He hadn't moved since Hiccup had first spoken, but he felt the other boy's eyes on him.
"Well?" he demanded aggressively. Even at seven, he'd learned he had to be tough. Nobody else was going to stick up for him; he was completely alone. Nobody cared about him. Nobody stood up for him whenever Snotlout bullied him. He had to do it on his own.
Hiccup extended a hand without speaking. Fishlegs took it hesitantly. "Thanks," he muttered grudgingly.
The other boy's hand was firm, but warm and for the first time, Fishlegs thought he saw sincerity in the other boy's eyes.
The other boy turned bright red. "Um…s-sorry. About Snotlout, I mean. My name's Hiccup," he added shyly. "What's yours?"
"Fishlegs." the boy admitted. He expected Hiccup to run. He expected the other boy to flinch back and yell about that freak with no parents and go off to wash the hand that Fishlegs had touched. But, to his surprise, Hiccup didn't. He gave Fishlegs a gap-toothed smile.
"Fislegs," he repeated, unable to pronounce the 'shh' sound quite yet. "Cool."