Birthday Leap
A 'This Is War' One-Shot
It's that year again- a Leap Year. Which so happens to be the day Hiccup was born... Silus and Aurora don't know quite what to do, though...
Rated T for drinking & minor language (not cursing), no violence here though, thank Thor... Friendship/Hurt/Comfort, 'This Is War' AU
"Come on, lazy, get up! It's your birthday!"
The young man beneath Silus' excited figure moaned, weakly attempting to push the energetic young man off his bed.
"Oh, don't be like that...! Oh, wait, no, I get it. It's a weekend..." Silus trailed off, heaving a mock sigh of disappointment. He laid on top of the Dragon Rider, one of his arms splayed out across Hiccup's face. "So we're just gonna lay here for the day? Wow, that's how I'd spend my birthday... That ooh, comes every 4 years!"
"You know... You're starting to sound like an ass." Hiccup heard Silus mock-gasp.
"I DO NOT sound like a donkey-mule hybrid creature thingy, thank you very much!" Silus lightly punched the older Rider's back, earning a muffled groan from underneath the covers. "COME ON! I've waited 4 stinking years to officially call you six!"
Hiccup frowned, although it was concealed by the pillow his face was still buried in.
The man managed to lift his head long enough from the feather-stuffed cushion to question him. "Who told you that?"
Silus snorted, playfully shoving the rider's head into the pillow again.
"Uh, YOU, feather brain! Jeez, all the Dragon Generation Theory lessons must have hit you hard." Silus smirked. "Even harder than puberty..."
Hiccup snarled in the pillow, his wings flaring up from annoyance. While laughing his head off, Silus fled, jumping from the balcony into the clear morning skies. Silus nearly fell mid-flight, he was laughing so hard. When he passed by the other riders returning from Morning Patrol, he was certain he got strange and concerned stares, but he couldn't care less...
Except for when he realised he had a rather pissed Dragon Rider in front of his path, that had him cut off completely with a smug face.
"Uh oh..." He screeched, trying to break away, but Hiccup soon had him stuck. The auburn-haired man rolled his eyes, flying forward and whacking his head with a hand and bearing down on him with a playful scolding before zooming past Silus, gliding down towards the city.
After dropping by his sleeping room, and dressing in a casual blue tunic and some armour guards, he headed back to the plaza, where he met up again with Silus.
Folding his black dragon wings, Hiccup walked casually along the street, saying hello and good morning to passing dragons, riders and animals.
He was soon joined by Silus, who, like he usually did at this time on a weekend morning, was bouncing around and talking to everyone he saw, making Hiccup pause more than one time.
After stopping by to talk to the third pigeon that morning, he face-palmed, and threatened to have Toothless smote Silus' butt if he didn't hurry up. The pigeon soon flew off, leaving Silus no choice.
x-X-x
Breakfast went along as usual, aside from the multiple happy birthdays and hugs he got- After that, Hiccup simply decided he would go about a normal weekend- so he did. (For the most part, at least...)
Silus and Aurora joined him and Toothless like normal on their midday weekend flight, completing 6 laps around the entire giant city before heading back to their Dorm.
Well, they were called Dormitories, Dorm for short- ironically, they weren't just for sleeping, but that was their main purpose.
Him, Silus, Toothless and Aurora shared their 'Dormitory' with 2 other duos, as was the housing system in the City; each Dormitory was huge, so dragons three times the size of Toothless could sleep in there with their riders. However, with some huge dragons, there were only three pairs in a Dorm.
Each Dormitory consisted of three sections; the sleeping room, the study room, the entertainment room, and the gym.
The Study Room was the roof, and had bookshelves and desks to work at in privacy. A large mattress with cushions and blankets also allowed late night reading and naps with a dragon... Reason why his group took rotations...
The entertainment room was a large room, with the purpose of winding down after a long day, playing, talking, just anything, really.
The gym was underground, and exactly what it sounded like. While it was nothing in comparison to the one they trained in, it was still rather big and spacious. Warming up, winding down, burn off last night's feast... Hiccup wasn't too familiar with that last one, to be honest.
The sleeping room was a huge space, nice and airy, and at times, able to make an echo. There were four beds in their sleeping room, all of them bunk beds, despite the fact there were only 4 of the riders. Between the beds on either side, a large cave-in was placed with padding, a big mattress, and all of that stuff- that was for the dragons. There were four large perches above each station. The riders' own beds were amazing, feeling like heaven, which only made getting up early at 5 in the morning, all the more painful.
His Dormitory pals were like his family. He'd do anything, for each one of them. He'd suffer. He'd willingly die, if it meant saving them.
Although, he also knew any of them would do it for him, too.
Hiccup and Silus entered the huge room, chatting about the Elves and Dwarves of Alagaesia. The history of magic, more specifically dragons, was a subject Hiccup loved, simply because it only expanded his love for the mysterious creatures. A popular theory explaining the origin of dragon kind was the 'Dragon Generations Theory', which he had chosen to study for last year, and the rest of his fourth year, along with Silus.
He may love it deep down, but the Theory was much bigger than he was told... Hence the reason of his countless days spent in the Study Room.
x-X-x
"Oh, you so do!" Silus cried, attempting to, but failing to stifle his laughter.
Hiccup blushed, his face almost as red as Crimseara's scales. He finally managed to gather up his wits, defending his rather embarrassing case with reason and logic- "Hey, she's the one who stole my book!" Hiccup threw his arms into the air, wings fluttering on his back.
"And," Silus ignored Hiccup's deadly glare, pointing a finger up in a lecturing manner. "You're also the one who walked into Ellia's room while she was naked!"
Unable to contain himself, Hiccup howled, and pounced playfully on Silus, pinning the man to the bed. In the background, sharing a bed tightly, Toothless was laying with Aurora, both said dragons chortling. Hiccup growled in a dragon-like manner, before raising his wings in a challenging position. He stood up on the bed with his knees, letting loose a maniacal draconic laugh.
"Bow down before me, lowly winged-human-dragon-creature!" He screeched, dramatically throwing his arms in the air. "I am the almighty, all-powerful Queen Scarlet! Ruler of dragons...! And the ONE and ONLY true Alpha..." He stopped. Would she be considered an Alpha- no time for thinking...! "I AM THE TRUE QUEEN-ALPHA-RULER-DRAGON!"
Toothless and Aurora were both snorting uncontrollably, puffs of blue and green smoke escaping their nostrils. Silus was laughing heartily, knowing his brother-by-friendship was only being childishly silly, mocking of their worst enemy, and playful. He would never ever actually hurt him- aside from in the Gym...
"Oh, I would, I would! Of course I would bow down to my oh-so-great and all-powerful Queen... If you didn't have me pinned down like a stupid pigeon underneath a very annoyed Toothless' claws." Silus smiled smugly, as Hiccup whipped his head around with a mock gasp, his expression absolutely hilarious. "Just pointing out the facts, my Queen..." Silus bit back a severe case of uncontrollable laughter, as his friend slapped a hand to his heart, a hurt look spread on his face.
He spread his wings, and pinned down Silus' arms with his own.
"Now now... You don't want big, mean Queen Scarlet to initiate a lethal, simply TERRIBLE, horrendous PILLOW fight, do you?" Hiccup hissed in a low voice, tucking his wings tight to his slim, lean figure.
Silus gasped. "You wouldn't!" He cried.
"Oh, I would!"
Silus pretended to start losing consciousness, making fake choking sounds. "You're... Evil...!"
Hiccup's body proceeded to strike a graceful pose, as his wings fluttered. His eyebrows lifted, eyelids batting like a girl's, and he wore a hurt, shocked look.
"Oh, I simply could NOT imagine being EVIL... But I do try."
He paused, tapping the younger man's nose with his wing-claw. "Wow. I think that was my best impersonation of Queen Scarlet to date! Now, where did I leave my record scrolls...?"
x-X-x
"Hungry?" Silus asked, his eyes shining energetically. Hiccup thought about it a bit, before warbling in a way that said 'Maybe a bit later?'.
Always the one who could translate Hiccup's every move and sound, he nodded in understanding. "Until then, want to go to the Gym- Spend the rest of the afternoon with light exercise?" Hiccup was surprised by the younger rider's request, puzzled.
"I though you hated working out after midday?" Hiccup queried.
"Only on week-days! Besides, aren't you supposed to be getting back into shape? Taking it easy before you go back to normal training?" Silus gestured to his friend's chest, where a dagger had sunk in only a week or two ago.
Hiccup pondered on the tempting offer, eventually nodding. It had been ages since he had allowed himself to have a bit of a stretch out of his comfort zone... And hadn't Lulu said she would be there? "Alright, fine, but not for long. I'm going to be up late tonight, studying with Aloysius and Crimseara."
At that self-remainder, Hiccup inwardly groaned. He didn't enjoy sewing even 20 % as much as flying...
….He blamed Toothless.
x-X-x
Hiccup laid on his back, reading a book on one of the beds (they often switched beds, as they didn't mind). Toothless' faint snores disturbed the silence, exceptionally loud in the large space.
Two hours after they had started, Hiccup had been convinced he was tired, and admitted such to his friends, all saying things like 'told you so', and 'thank the stars'. Hiccup had walked out, chuckling to himself. Toothless had followed him to the Dormitory, curling up on his bed for an afternoon snooze.
The man was used to this patient behaviour, despite the factor he was, well, rather impatient. He didn't like to stay in one place for longer than ten minutes; but that didn't mean he couldn't do it. Injuries, sustained mainly over the course of his Dragon Riding life, had taught him well...
"Hiccup?" Kuornos' familiar voice snapped him out of his lull-like trance, the man flapping into the room. Voarex, his black Skulblaka, stepped inside after him, immediately padding over to Toothless' bed. Hiccup's dragon lazily opened one eye, groaning with a snort as Voarex rolled him over to make room for him. Both riders smiled, as they each draped a wing over one another, and Toothless rested his head on the bigger dragon's thick neck.
Hiccup sat up against the pillow, patting the open bed space in front of him. Kuornos glided over, ducking under the top bunk to land not-so-elegantly on the bed. His wings wound up flopped over his head, his butt sticking up, and one arm under his body. Hiccup snickered, helping his friend up.
"Thanks." Kuornos sat crossed legged, his wings tucked close to his body. "I really needed to get out of the Gym- those nutters were driving me nuts!"
"Wowww... How long did it take for you to come up with that?" Hiccup rolled his eyes, tempted to punch the older man.
"Not long, actually." Kuornos replied coolly, scratching his chin thoughtfully. "Figured it out flying back here. Silus and the others are still in there... They were knocking each other senseless, last time I looked. Hopefully there won't be any... Incidents, in there. The Ancestors know they're accident prone."
The young men talked for ages, soon joined by Silus, and eventually, Lucy.
Hiccup was glad no one mentioned it was his Birthday- he was fully aware, that they were aware, but they didn't say anything, which was probably for the best. Every time someone said it, all he could think of was Berk. He had just started to get along perfectly with his father, and had just met his mother, long thought to be dead, and then this whole thing happened.
But he also knew it was for the best. And eventually, whether it be months, to years, to decades away, he would see them again... When, he had no idea. But both Hiccup and Silus, despite how the latter felt, were anticipating the day when they did return...
But that was at least 2 years away, so Hiccup dismissed the thoughts bitterly. Now wasn't the time to think like that, not in front of his best friends...
"Uh, hello?! Wake u- Hiccup?" Lucy gently turned his head to face her, a frown crossing her gorgeous features. "Are you ok? You look upset."
He did? Oh no, not this again... "I'm fine," Hiccup lied, hating how it sounded. "One of the dragons must of brought up some dust."
None of the group were convinced, including the now awake and concerned dragons.
Yeah, that's right. Because we've been chasing each other around an ancient dusty ruins. Aurora grumbled, her icy blue eyes narrowing suspiciously. Toothless stood up, bounding over to his rider. He whimpered, sensing his rider's thoughts and emotions.
Hiccup glared at the female dragon.
"I'm fine..." Hiccup looked down at the bed he was sitting on with Silus, the bed opposite them having Lucy and Kuornos. "I just need a bit of fresh air, and some space to think." He stood up without another word, spreading his wings to fly outside. Toothless followed with a roar.
Well, that wasn't very good... Aurora said quietly, guilt ridden on her face. Silus groaned, running out.
x-X-x
"Hiccup?" Silus landed by his brother's side, sitting down beside him.
The man had his knees tucked up to his chest, head in between. "Hey Silus..." He mumbled, his voice muffled. Silus edged closer, wrapping a wing around him.
He knew what was going on. Berk. They both missed Berk, but Hiccup had a ton he left behind, everything he had ever known- it had all been torn away from him in a blink of an eye, replaced by a destiny, gods, dragons, magic... It was a lot to take in, and somehow, Hiccup had done just that.
"Hey buddy... You miss them, don't you?"
Hiccup mumbled his sentiment, curling up even tighter, if that was even possible in the first place.
"Look... I may not have been a significant presence on Berk, or even had much ties to it aside from my parents and a few friends, but I... Look, I miss them too..."
He paused, glancing at the black dragon approaching cautiously from behind, which probably meant Hiccup wasn't too happy with anyone. But Silus wasn't going to let that stop him.
"Toothless does too. You're not alone, Hiccup. You have Toothless, you have me, Aurora, Lulu, Voarex, Saphyrx, Kuornos- we're all here for you. And all I want right now, is to see my brother happy, enjoying his birthday."
Hiccup looked up, his eyes slightly red from crying.
While such a heart-broken face tugged at his heartstrings, Silus pushed forward. Toothless slipped his head under Hiccup's wing, only his snout poking out while he made funny noises, causing his rider to laugh.
Silus secretly gave Toothless a thumbs up, before pulling a loosened Hiccup to him, arms wrapped around his waist.
Neither knew how long they stayed like that. But when Hiccup nodded and pulled away, Silus took him on a flight, just them two. Later on, Hiccup returned to the plaza alone, as instructed by Toothless. Silus had gone off somewhere, saying everything was 'absolutely perfect' before giddily flying off.
Hiccup flew to the Hall, a frown across his features.
Tentative, he opened the doors, only to find an exceptionally dark hall. He paused, about to ask what was going on, when suddenly, lights burst into action, as every single dragon, rider, and animal on the island called out in sync; "SURPRISE!"
Eyes wide with shock, he was barely aware of a arm wrapping around his shoulders until his brother laughed. Silus gently punched him in the arm, before leading him into the already bustling party.
The also very, VERY chaotic, and... Eventful... Party.
x-X-x
"Oh my stars..." Silus groaned, slapping a hand to his forehead drowsily. "Yep... I definitely drank too much."
"You think YOU have problems?! Kacy said I had a freaking drinking contest with TOOTHLESS!" Hiccup groaned, followed by the soft rumble of his dragon, sluggishly splayed out across his bed upside-down.
Silus snorted in amusement. "And I take your mead addicted dragon won?"
Hiccup only groaned in answer, although that was good, or funny, enough for Silus. The man was laughing, and Toothless growled at him.
"Well, I see Aurora's out flying." Hiccup said, shocked when Silus shook his head, and pointed up. Hiccup followed his brother's gaze, and his jaw dropped at the sight.
The normally elegant and graceful dragon was laid on her back on one of the perches, her wings hanging loosely over the edge. She was snoring loudly, dried froth around her jaws and even a dribble of drool hanging from her mouth.
"She was drinking? No kidding?!" Hiccup exclaimed, in disbelief.
Uh-huh. Barrels of it, too. I'm exceptionally proud of how fast she downed the third one. Toothless snorted. Although she DID learn from the very best... Me. Hiccup couldn't help but roar with laughter, which eventually led to his stomach hurting.
"Alright-ey now... Where... Are the others?" Hiccup wheezed, and Silus, still chuckling, laid back, drained.
He paused, as if thinking. "Well..." He started, bringing up one wing to lay over his stomach. "Lucy, the naughty daredevil, is probably passed out in the Hall, and the last I heard, Kuornos went with his Voarex to a more secluded place, apparently his dragon was going downright crazy!"
Hiccup whistled, impressed. He stayed silent for a while, before sighing.
"Thanks, Silus."
"Hmm?" Silus frowned. "What for?"
"For one of the best birthdays I've ever had. Sure, it wasn't with any of my friends and family from Berk, aside from you and Toothless... But I still loved it." Hiccup closed his eyes, content. "And you were the one to help me understand that. So... Thanks bro."
"No probs... After all, isn't that what we do?"
"Yep... Now, If you will excuse me, I am going to sleep until next week..."
Silus chuckled. "Don't get comfy. I just read this note... We're off to sparring in an hour."
To say in the least, more than ten pairs of ears heard Hiccup's exasperated groan.
TheEnd
x-X-x
A/N: Ok, I know this wasn't much, but I felt obliged to write something for our beloved Hiccup's birthday! Come on- it only occurs every 4 years, on the extra day of a Leap Year! How crazy is that?
Any ways, it's kinda two days late over here, its actually the second of March for me! But it was started on the 29th... It counts.
Well, last thing, we must close with a bang...
'Deep breath in'
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU,
HAPPY DRAGON-DAY TO YOU,
HAPPY HATCHING DAY TO HICCUP...
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU!
HOORAAYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYYY!
Happy Birthday, Hiccup!
EDIT: Just fixed up a few things, including the re-name of Lucy, who was originally Kaceria (Kacy for short)
Crystallion12
x-X-x