Stoick had always known his son was different, as a Military Admiral Stoick was very much in favour of his son being bulky, well built and able to hold his own. Though he was granted a wiry slim young man, he was never disappointed after all, he was his son, he would always have his back. Stoick stared at the papers In front of him, he shook his head. Hiccup was a strange one that's for sure, he seemed to spend more time than ever talking to his cat Toothless.
An odd name yes, he had been found as a kitten and had lost all his baby teeth due to a virus, luckily his adult teeth had no such problems. Stoick began to sign some of the sixth form papers Hiccup's head of year had sent home. He was insanely clever, studying all sciences and maths for his A levels. Not to say Stoick wasn't aware of the terminology, but it stopped at military experience and rarely branched onto theoretical. Stoick nearly flew out of his chair when he felt something fluffy rub against his leg, he let out a grunting laugh.
"Ye silly sod" he chuckled looking down at Toothless who mewled in his direction. "Ah I forgot to feed ye" he grumbled getting up and opening a tin can of wet food and grimaced as it plopped into the bowl making an unsatisfying sound. "I don't understand why ye like this, it's disgusting" he grumbled. He looked at the mess on the plate, according to the reviews it was the most healthiest and even the vet had recommended it.
Stoick shuddered when he remembered how his curiosity had gotten the better of him and he had tried it, only to be startled by Hiccup and drop the chicken concoction onto his beard. His son had said nothing but stared at him bewildered before backing away. He placed the plate by Toothless and the small black fireball dived into his food, Stoick opened the cupboard and pulled out a pack of soft wet wipes. The cat was such a messy eater that if they didn't clean his mouth the food would stay on his fur for the rest of eternity. Stoick's mind wondered back to Hiccup, the boy was always alone, and he never interacted much with others. He had taken up training within the military but he seemed to be doing a little bit of everything. Stoick could honestly say that he was impressed that Hiccup could handle being in education while also training with the military. He shook his head and sighed watching the cat mewl as he ate, the sound caused Stoick to snicker slightly before sitting back down with the wet wipes.
In all honesty the boy was always tired and his eyes seemed to be hiding something deeper to his personality. Stoick had always taken precautions regarding Hiccup, the boy had been extremely prone to getting into fights when he was younger and it was very gruesome causing him to be expelled from several schools. With medication and therapy he seemed to have calmed down. The one plus to the situation was they got along well, Stoick had learned when to give him his space and when to chastise him. He felt that his son had also strived to understand him which caused both of them to calm down significantly. Toothless meowed and jumped onto Stoick's lap. The bear of a man held the wet wipes delicately and softly cleaned Toothless before letting the cat go. Stoick gathered the papers up and set them on the table before heading upstairs to bed, he had an early morning and he knew Hiccup would be home soon.
It was close to midnight when the door opened and he stepped through. Hiccup looked around the dark house curiously as he shut the door and he could hear the walls rumbling from his father's snoring.
"Typical" he murmured wiping the small amount of blood that trickled down his nose. He headed towards the table and smiled when he saw the forms neatly piled together. He placed a post it note down where the papers had been
Thanks dad he wrote in large letters knowing the sleep dust tended to cause his father's vision to become blurred. He sighed and trudged up the stairs dragging a heavy duffle bag with him. He opened the door to his room and smiled when he saw Toothless curled at the end of his bed. He gently scratched the cat behind the ears and he purred and curled into a tighter ball. A loud clunk was heard when he dropped the duffle bag onto the floor and sighed rubbing his eyes. It had been a long night and he was exhausted. He slipped off his clothes and turned on the shower.
Hiccup shuddered in satisfaction when he saw the steam gently rise and condense on the mirror. He stepped in and groaned when he felt the hot water loosen his muscles. Hiccup was tall but he was by no means skinny. His body was lithe and lean, hard muscles traced along his abdomen and his eyes focused briefly on the pattern the water was tracing. He long calloused fingers threaded through his Auburn hair before pressing against his scalp and massaging gently. His shoulders were broad and the muscles on his arms were proportioned to his body. His shoulder blades protruded slightly the muscle shifting against his hand as he reached back to massage the bruise. He closed his eyes and stood on his strong legs which were wired with muscle, and let the water fall over his face. His Adams apple bobbed as he swallowed and his chest rose and fell in rhythm with his breath. His knuckles were slightly bruised and he stared down at them, the water slowly dripping off his long eyelashes which brushed against his cheek each time he blinked.
He had stayed in that shower for 40 minutes before finally deciding to step out. He wiped the mist off the mirror and stared at his reflection. His hair was brushed back and his thick eyebrows seemed to be stuck in a frown. He groaned and rubbed his fingers over them trying to relax, but to no avail. He headed into his room and began to dry himself, squeezing the excess water out of his hair. He slipped on an oversized t-shirt and a pair of pyjama trousers before falling into the soft bed. He felt himself sink into the mattress and moaned happily. He delved under the covers and sniffed slightly. His sheets had been changed and he chuckled.
"Dad must've done the house work" he yawned slightly before curling up and drifting off into a deep undisturbed sleep.
Hiccup sighed as he parked his car just around the corner from the school. He stayed inside for a moment leaning his head against the steering wheel and grimaced. Another day another battle, the school was classified as a good school but the teachers and students were animals. He stepped out and stretched, he was glad in a suit and grumbled angrily. It was one of those anal schools which required some form of uniform, he snatched his lanyard out of his pocket and slipped it on. His father had decided to take it upon himself to also polish his dress shoes and frankly he'd done such a good hip that they violently reflected light. He hefted his backpack on one shoulder and walked towards the gates of the school.
Hiccup could see the year 7 up to year 11 gathering on the play ground. He had no doubt in his mind that the sixth form was locked away in the silent study, breaking keyboards in an effort to get their essays done before the first period. He walked in through the gate and stretched feeling eternally grateful that the year 12 and 13 male students were not required to wear ties. He had on a simple navy suit and a white shirt which had a few buttons open at the top. He entered the common room and he looked towards the table in the corner. There was a girl seated on one of the chairs, she had big round glasses and her hair was set in a French braid. She had her nose buried in a book, Hiccup tilted his head the side wondering how on earth she was able to read in all this noise. He watched her out of the corner of his eye she was pale and seemed to be too skinny, clearly she wasn't eating well. He frowned wondering if he should buy her lunch, but he doubted she would eat food offered by a stranger. He sighed scratching his head
"I don't need this today" he mumbled before feeling a hard punch on his arm.
"Don't need what Haddock" Snotlout sneered.
"You coming up to me" Hiccup said his voice lowering and Snotlout sighed.
"It makes it hard for me to bully you when you give me the scary eyes you know" he grumbled.
"shut up snot" Hiccup retorted before looking at him and grimacing. "look I'm on edge alright" he sighed looking at the bulkier teen. Snotlout eyes widened slightly before nodding.
"Bad night?" he asked quietly and Hiccup nodded.
"5" Hiccup murmured and Snotlout swallowed audibly.
"That's a lot" Snotlout said as he grabbed a sandwich and picked up an extra one.
"Who's that for?" Hiccup asked " you going to eat both?"
"Nah it's for my cousin" he said tilting his head to where the girl with the glasses was, "her name's Astrid, she just moved in with us" he shrugged.
"Does she eat?" Hiccup asked and Snotlout's face fell.
"Not recently, I keep having to remind her, it's like her mind is occupied constantly, she just forgets" he sighed. Snotlout felt a head press against his back and he turned and saw Astrid.
"Hey buddy" he mumbled and she looked up at him before snatching the sandwich.
"stop talking about me" she snapped before storming off.
"We were talking quietly, how the hell did she hear us?" Hiccup asked his eyes wide and Snotlout shrugged.
"I guess she has really good hearing" he mumbled and Hiccup stared at her his eyes narrowing.
"Yeah I guess" he said quietly watching as she picked at the sandwich before seeming to forget about it.