Title: We're on his side

Requested by: Greatdivide101

Summary: Four months after HTTYD 1, a visiting tribe comes to renew a peace treaty with Berk, but the chief's son picks on Hiccup. Hiccup's friends notice, and they think it's high time for them to act as true friends.

Rating: K-T

Genre: Friendship, Hurt/Comfort

AN: Guess what everybody! Today is my two-month anniversary! Yippee! *streamers and confetti* brink out the cake! *grabs imaginary piece of chocolate cake* yum yum! Everyone have some cake! XD Okay, so here you go, and thank you Greatdivide101 for requesting this! :D

Hiccup opened the door and closed it behind him. Stopping short when he saw Gobber helping Stoick buckle the large metal chiefing belt.

"Oh great." Hiccup mumbled to himself. Toothless looked up at him in confusion. "So, what tribe is it today?" Hiccup asked, walking towards his father and the blacksmith. His still limped slightly, since it had only been four months since the Red Death, but Gobber said he was really doing quite well for the short amount of time he'd had his metal leg. Hiccup stopped, trying to distribute his wait evenly on both his legs. It was tricky getting used to being… well… heavier on one side and not the other. Hiccup and Gobber were still working on a leg that weighed enough to even him out, but it wasn't finished yet, so Hiccup just made do.

"It's Chief Elttab and his tribe. Since they're a smaller island, it won't be as big a celebration, but you know, got to show respect."

Gobber stepped back, setting his hand and hook on hips. "Yeah, I just don't understand… who would name themselves Elttab? I mean… really?"

Stoick gripped onto the belt, wiggling it about a bit to loosen it, "It's "battle" spelt backwards, Gobber. I guess he thought it sounded… scary?"

Hiccup shook his head, partially ignoring the rest of what his father said. The big thing that was playing in his mind, was that Elltab's son, Claidheamh (more commonly known as "Claid" pronounced "Clade"). Claid was even worse than Dagur, because usually Dagur didn't even try to hide what he did from Stoick, so he'd often get in trouble for whatever he did. But Claid would find some way to go off in private with Hiccup, be it hunting or setting traps, he always found a way. And usually, he'd rough Hiccup around, or tease him- sometimes both. But Hiccup always hid it from his Dad. He didn't want to cause any problems between the two tribes. Besides, it hadn't been very hard to hide the fact that Claid had hurt him, because his Dad didn't pay much attention to him normally, but when the visiting tribe was there, he hardly spoke to Hiccup at all.

But things had changed. Now, Hiccup and Stoick actually seed eye to eye on some matters. Not a lot, but some. And Stoick obviously had changed. He cared about Hiccup, and now showed it openly. He involved Hiccup in the village events, listened to Hiccup when he wanted to talk, or asked him his opinion on matters concerning the village. It would definitely be harder to hide things from his Dad now.

Not only that, but now Hiccup had friends. He was certain they'd take notice if anything happened. And Astrid was pretty short tempered. She would lash out in a flash, and BOOM they'd have a war on their hands.

Hiccup couldn't let that happen.

"Uh… Dad." Hiccup started. "H-how bout me and Toothless leave town for a few days?"

Stoick looked at Hiccup, startled. Then he laughed, "Course not Hiccup! You're the chief's son. You must stay here. Besides, you and Claid are friends, right? You two can hang out some more. Show him around Berk a bit."

"Uh, Dad-"

"Nonsense." Stoick said quietly, shaking his head as he left the hut, Gobber hobbling after him.

Hiccup sighed, then felt a scaly nose nudge his hand. Hiccup lifted his hand and rubbed Toothless's head softly.

"Well, guess this won't be any different than the other times." Hiccup said quietly. Toothless tilted his head up at Hiccup questioningly. "Come on, bud. We've got a bunch of dragons to move."

Hiccup climbed onto Toothless's back, nudging him gently. Toothless bound of the stairs, then jumped out the large window into the open air. The other dragon riders were already up in the air, going about and gathering dragons. They'd take them to Raven's Point, where they'd be safe until the tribe left.

After leaving the dragon's at Dragon point, including the one's they'd ridden, (poor Toothless hated it, but listened to Hiccup, so had stayed behind.) so they were all walking back to the village. Hiccup was quieter than usual, while the others talked excitedly.

"Boy, I cannot wait for Claid to get here! I mean, that guy is awesome. He's tall, big, tough, and had a huge gold battle axe since he was two! Have you guys seen it?" Snotlout went on.

Tuffnut nodded his head excitedly, "Oh yeah, it weighs like ten pounds! And you know, for a baby that's pretty heavy."

"Yeah, he uses it more like dagger now for throwing." Ruffnut added.

Hiccup remained silent, not really paying much attention to what they were talking about. His mind kept wandering to the fact that Claid was coming today, and he was in for a long two days.

Astrid looked over at him, she too being quiet. They walked a bit behind the others, so they could talk pretty much without the others hearing them.

"Hey, what's up?" Astrid asked, giving Hiccup's shoulder a little nudge.

"Huh?" Hiccup asked, looking up. He blinked twice, then seemed to snap out of it, "Oh, yeah, nothing. Nothings up. I mean, besides the sky. That's up. Trees too. Those are-"

Astrid punched him lightly, "I didn't mean that. I meant what's wrong."

Hiccup shrugged. "Nothing… absolutely nothing."

Astrid didn't look at all convinced. She eyed him suspiciously, but she ended up turning to look back at the others. "I don't believe you."

Hiccup sighed, but didn't say anything.

They stepped into a clearing, Berk not very far away. They were so close, Hiccup could see the people moving about on the docks. That also brought his eyes to the ships that were quickly sailing closer towards Berk.

"Oh, oh look! They're here! Hurry guys!" Snotlout shouted, first pointing at the ships before turning and running as fast as he could towards Berk.

The others took off, leaving Hiccup and Astrid to walk at a bit slower pace towards Berk. Hiccup's foot and prosthetic seemed to drag even more than usual. He really didn't want to have to put up with Claid. He wanted so badly to go back to the cove, jump on Toothless, and fly away until tomorrow night. Oh, he wanted to do that so so so badly…

"Somethings up." Astrid interrupted his thoughts. Hiccup turned and looked at her.

"Wh-what do you mean?" He asked, trying to cover up for how he was feeling. He almost sighed in relief at how cheerful his voice sounded.

"You're acting weird." Astrid paused, "Well, weirder."

Hiccup rolled his eyes. It was the standing joke between him and her. That and the punching… why did she always have to communicate using violence? "What else is new?" Hiccup asked, trying to look like he was playing along.

"You're-" Astrid started, but was interrupted by the loud horn that blew throughout the village. Hiccup looked up, but already knew what that meant.

"Well, looks like they're here." Hiccup said almost tiredly. "I'd better go meat Dad or else he'll be mad at me for not greeting Elttab."

Astrid snorted, still following Hiccup towards the docks , "Elttab." She laughed. "What a funky name."

Hiccup held his breath when he saw his Dad, followed by chief Elttab, coming towards him. He noticed that Claid was close behind, conversing with Snotlout and the twins. The four seemed to be getting on marvelously, and Hiccup only wished it would go the same for him.

"And you've met my son, Hiccup. And that's his friend, Astrid." Stoick said, stopping before passing Hiccup. He smiled proudly, although of course, Elttab didn't know the reason for that since they'd kept the secret about the "training dragon's".

"Oh, yes, of course. Good to see you again, Hiccup. Nice meeting you, Astrid." Elttab said nicely enough. He didn't make any move to shake his hand, to pat him on the back, or geez even to pat him on the head. He acted like Hiccup wasn't even there. He acted as if Hiccup were a wall that needed to be talked to.

"H-hi, Chief. How's the island?" Hiccup asked, trying to sound polite. It sure was hard though with his voice so shaky.

"Fine." Was the curt answer. Hiccup sighed, knowing that that would probably be all he'd get out of the chief.

"What happened to your leg, squirt?" Claid asked, stepping up once Stoick and Elttab had walked away. Snotlout and the twins looked at each other in surprise, but none of them said anything. Hiccup noticed Astrid stiffen beside him, and he glanced over just in time to see her reach for her axe strapped to her back. Hiccup nudged her with his foot to keep her from doing anything.

Hiccup stuttered a bit, hating himself for it. He wanted to try and appear to be strong… and not afraid. Not in front of his friends. "Uh, had a little… incident with a dragon."

Tuffnut stepped forward, "Yeah! He killed the Red Death all by himself! He and-" before he could say anything else, Snotlout grabbed him by his arm and shoved him aside.

"Yep, killed a whole Red Death, but we helped of course." Snotlout said, "I went in and hit it's blind spot, if it weren't for me, we'd all probably be dead."

On one hand, Hiccup was glad Snotlout was distracting Claid. But on the other hand, he really didn't like how Snotlout was praising himself.

Claid's look was one of shock. Hiccup smiled to himself, silently enjoying that look. For once, Claid actually looked jealous of Hiccup.

"He killed a dragon… by himself?" Claid asked, his voice filled with doubt.

"Yes. He did. If it wasn't for him, we'd all be dead." Astrid said fiercely, as though daring Claid to say differently. Hiccup was glad for her support, but he really didn't want her to start a fight over him.

Claid looked at Hiccup, his face hard. Hiccup gulped nervously. Great, now Claid had a reason to be angry at Hiccup. Great, just great…

"How about I meet you guys at the Great Hall tonight?" Claid asked, turning back to the others. "We can have some more fun then."

"Yeah, sure Claid. Whatever you want." Snotlout hurried to say, before hurrying off towards the Great Hall, the twins following close behind.

Hiccup looked to Astrid. "Y-You can go ahead… I'll meet up with you later."

Astrid eyed him for a moment, but when he gave her a sharp nod, she finally gave in. She shot Claid a harsh glare before turning to follow the others.

Claid stepped forward, startling Hiccup a bit. "So, that your girlfriend or something?" he asked, his voice rough and terrible.

"Friend." Hiccup corrected. "We're friends."

Claid laughed, "Last I checked you didn't have any friends."

Hiccup glared at him, "Well, things have changed."

"What, because you killed one lousy dragon? What, are you the big hero now or something?"

"Uh… no." Hiccup started, not really sure what to say to that.

Claid reached out and grabbed Hiccup's arm, dragging him towards the woods. "Come on, squirt. We have some business to attend to."

Hiccup struggled against Claid's hold, trying to break free. "Wh-why don't we talk about this over lunch or something? You know, like sensible people instead of-"

"Shut up." Claid interrupted, jerking Hiccup's arm for emphasis. Hiccup clamped his mouth shut, knowing that it would go faster if he stayed quiet.

He hated treaty renewals…

…

Astrid stepped behind a building, not far from where Hiccup and Claid were now standing. She glanced back and saw Snotlout, the twins, and Fishlegs not far away. She waved her arms in a gesture for them to come.

"What is it, Astrid?" Fishleg's asked.

Astrid pointed back towards Hiccup and Claid. "I don't trust him." She said harshly. "Did you guys hear the way he made fun of Hiccup?"

Snotlout shrugged, "It's just harmless funning."

Astrid glared at him. "It is not. He was being cruel." She paused before peaking around the building. She gasped when she saw Claid reach out and grab Hiccup's arm. "Guys, look!"

The others all popped their head around the corner to see what she was looking at. Fishleg's squeaked in alarm when Claid began dragging a struggling Hiccup towards the trees.

"What's he doing?" Tuffnut asked.

Ruffnut crossed her arms and pouted, "He's having fun without us, I bet."

Astrid took off down the path towards the trees. She stopped and said behind her. "Didn't you see? He's going to hurt Hiccup! We have to help!"

The others began to follow her quickly, Snotlout following at a more leisurely pace. "Yeah, sure. I think you're wrong. I bet they're going hunting or something like that. Like they always do."

"Hiccup was fighting Claid, Snotlout. He was being dragged forcefully." Astrid replied, not once stopping. They dashed into the trees, following the foot prints on the slightly damp ground.

Astrid stopped, and brought a finger to her lips to signal silence. She ducked behind a tree, signaling the others to do the same.

Astrid peered down into the gully that Claid and Hiccup were in. Claid had finally let go of Hiccup, who was now standing a bit to the side rubbing his forearm. Astrid's heart ached slightly for him at the sight.

She could just barely pick up what they were saying. "So, squirt, you've become a dragon killer, huh? The "big hero of Berk"?" Claid said angrily.

"I never said that." Hiccup replied firmly. Astrid wanted to cheer him on for the tone he used. It was one that clearly said, "I don't care what you think".

Claid whirled around and delivered a harsh kick to Hiccup's good leg, easily knocking the boy to the ground. Hiccup onto his side, but stopped when Claid kicked him again in the stomach.

"How dare he!?" Snotlout exclaimed in a loud whisper. "He- He just kicked Hiccup!"

"Let's get him!" Tuffnut exclaimed.

Astrid held out a hand. Yes, that was exactly what she wanted to do. Oh, how she wanted to go down there and just strangle Claid. But she also knew that if she did that, it would quite possibly start a war.

"Guys…" she started, but then her heart nearly broke when she saw Claid continue hurting Hiccup by kicking him. It was obvious Hiccup was trying to just deal with it, but he was also in an obviously large amount of pain. He cried out when Claid kicked him again, and this time, Astrid didn't care. Let a war be started, she didn't care. Claid was hurting Hiccup, and she couldn't just let that happen!

She jumped up, the others following suit. She jumped down he steep hill screaming a loud almost war cry.

She jumped and tackled Claid to the ground. She bent his arm behind his back, twisting his wrist so he couldn't get it free.

"He's not alone anymore!" she shouted at him. "We're on his side, and as long as we're his friends, we're not letting anybody hurt him!"

Claid yanked his hand free, and she let him. She stood up, and stared down at him coldly. "Get." She hissed.

Claid didn't have to be told twice. He crawled to his feet before running off back towards the village with a shout of, "I'm telling my Dad!" behind him.

Astrid whirled around, her voice filled with panic. "Hiccup!" she shouted, dropping to the ground beside him. The others were crowding around, none of them really certain what to do.

Hiccup moaned, pulling his knees up to his chest. His breathing was raspy, and uneven. He probably had the wind knocked right out of him, but not only that, he probably suffered from some rib damage as well. Astrid really hoped he his lungs hadn't been hurt.

"Can you stand up, Hiccup?" by the looks of it, he couldn't even sit up. But she didn't want to embarrass him by someone carrying him.

Hiccup nodded, all the while keeping his eyes shut. Astrid slipped her arm under his shoulder blades, helping him to sit up. Although the others probably didn't hear it, she heard the hiss he made through his clenched teeth.

"Hiccup…" she started.

"I-I'm fine… D-don't worry." Hiccup stuttered. He looked up at his friends, smiling lopsidedly. "Thanks… guys. F-for helping me…"

"Hey, we're your friends. And that's what friends do." Snotlout answered, surprising Astrid. He had actually said something… that was accurate and actually nice.

"He's right, Hiccup. This is what friends do. Besides, it's the least we could do for all you've done for us."
"Th-thanks…" Hiccup wheezed.

Astrid shook her head. "There's no way you're walking back to the village like this. Snotlout." She let go of Hiccup's back when Snotlout bent down, picking Hiccup right up. Hiccup closed his eyes, not even showing signs of discomfort or protesting like she though he would.

"Let's get you home." She said, turning to lead the way.

So, what happens next, you guys can just come up with your own endings in your heads… however you want it to happen. I hope you liked this… and it wasn't too boring. :D

See you in the next one! Thanks, everyone!