A/N: I've just received the dates of my final exams of term 1, great. So yeah, I'm not going to update until December 24th, but just to let you know, I'll always give away my best, since my code is: "Do it from the heart or not at all!" So here comes the next chapter!

Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD. Someday I might own something half as good… (a wild dream but hey, sue me…)

The song Numb by Linkin Park doesn't belong to me either!

Chapter 4: More like me, less like you!

Berk was never known for heat. Days when the isle looked bright were just not as cold as the other days. But right now, the atmosphere in the biggest house of Berk was dropping terribly fast and the temperature was rising like a maniac. The chief was just as nervous as his son and he made a mistake right in the parking round:

"The dragon needs to go. This is a private conversation."

Before Hiccup could even move his lips, Toothless threw a glare of death at Stoick, baring his teeth out. No way in Hel! – If not something clearer or nastier than that.

"Dad, I don't think he can actually talk to someone to tell them anything."

They sat down awkwardly while their eyes were glued on each other's face, like trying to predict who would drop the bomb first. But based on every creature's face in the room, Toothless might be the one who raised the curtain to get the show on the road first.

"Well, I can see that you understand him too well, Hiccup. Understanding your tribe and people is necessary, too."

"Yes, I know that, dad. Your point is?"

"What I'm trying to say is you should spend more time with us, Hiccup. You can give yourself to a dragon all the time."

"Um, I talk to you every day." – Maybe not really talk, but they did hear each other's voices every morning. – "I talk to the teens at Dragon Academy. Gobber and I work together. Everything's fine the way they are right now, dad."

"Yes, everywhere you go, everything you do, Toothless is with you. You should really try to be less dependent on him, Hiccup."

"What do you mean when you say that, dad?" – Hiccup's tone suddenly changed and respect was hardly heard anywhere in his words.

"You'll become chief someday, like me. You have to be a strong individual; therefore, you can't have a dragon around all the time."

"Toothless is my best friend, dad! And it's going to be years more before I even reach maturity! I don't see anything wrong with my first friend sticking around. In fact, my time with him still seems so little for both of us, since I spend all day fulfilling my duties as a dragon trainer!"

"Hiccup, you listen to me! I didn't even mention your little midnight adventures with that dragon of yours!"

"Oh, right, about that, I'm sorry for sneaking out without telling you, but has it done anything bad to you or to the tribe? Toothless and I did that all the time, and everyone's okay with that!"

"Because we don't know about that, besides, this isn't about me or the tribe, it's about you! You should be more responsible!"

"I am responsible. I help you with the dragons, run the academy, make the weapons and saddles and finish all the chores! I've always been like that, what else do you ask for, dad?" – Hiccup clenched his hand into fist, gritting his teeth.

How many things did he have to sacrifice more before his dad really accepted him for who he was, not who he was supposed to be? How many times did Toothless' life have to be on the line again just to drag him back from Hel?

"The village hardly knows anything about you, Hiccup." – Okay, new direction, where was this going to head to?

"Alright, if you want to know about anything, you can just… ask." – Hiccup stated emotionlessly. Did anyone bother to find out, so why did he expect them to know anything?

"Well, I wish we would know about you as much as your dragon does."

"You're asking a lot, dad. Toothless has asked first and who came first gets what he wants." – Hiccup rolled his eyes at his father's request.

Seriously, his dad expected him to spill his guts out just like that because the village needed him? Well, he would help them anyway without them giving a damn about him.

"We are your tribe, Hiccup, since you were born! We let you know everything about us."

"Well, that's a good point you're telling me dad, but what you guys did was practically shoving Viking customs into my head! Before Toothless, only mom cared to look and then she left, too!" – Hiccup shot back firmly; did his father really do that?

At the mention of mom, Stoick just stayed quiet and looked at nowhere lost in thought. He had made things much worse with his son, but his son was too stubborn and impertinent! Oh oh, and whose fault was that? Asking Odin why he had such an aberrant son, he was stunned when Hiccup was the one who continued on:

"I apologize for bringing her up, dad, it was a low blow. I'll work on the get-know-each-other thing."

Toothless shot him another sharp glare and departed with Hiccup, leaving Stoick with his headache. Making things right with his son was almost as terrible as witnessing the battle with the Red Death all over again. Though Hiccup had dared to give it a try, he would, too, or his name wasn't Stoick the Vast.

That afternoon, the teens pestered Hiccup about his conversation with Stoick but all they got was sighs and distant looks. Astrid couldn't buy his responses, let the cat out of the bag:

"Hiccup, Stoick and Gobber aren't the…"

"Only ones who know that I sneak out at night? Yeah. Toothless did give me a heads-up, thanks for your concern." – Hiccup petted his Night Fury thoughtfully. – "How much did you guys see?"

"Enough…?" – Fishlegs offered, but Hiccup narrowed his eyes at the fat young Viking.

"I hope your definition of enough doesn't match mine." – He stated.

"Yeah dude, we saw you talking with Mr. Night Fury over there, who got worked up because of Thawfest." – Tuffnut provided with an innocent face while whacking his sister on her head.

"Wait what?" – Hiccup and Snotlout shouted and looked at each other.

"Oh, you guys are like cowards! Here, I'll go first. Hey Hiccup, we saw you hanging out with your dragon at night and singing to him, including the conversation about why you lost to Snotlout in Thawfest. We're sorry our curiosity got the better of us, but we're not sorry about what we saw. There. Are we good now?" – Ruffnut spilled the whole thing out with a bored face. Seriously, why couldn't people just admit their deeds instead of denying it?

Hiccup's face darkened. Damn, things were a pure mess right now and he would need a really good plan to clean the whole thing up.

"Yes, you guys are good but not my father. He's not okay with that and I can't see why."

"Isn't it obvious, Hiccup? Your father doesn't want you to do stunts at midnight with a dragon!"

"Toothless isn't just a dragon, he's my best friend! We're like brothers so what could go wrong? We've done those things millions of times and no-one commented, so why start now? What's their problem?"

The teens got their mouths zipped right then. They were too focus on the fact that Hiccup valued his dragon more than his father and tribe to know why. They hadn't given Hiccup a good reason to trust them. Surly Hiccup did love his father and friends, but trusted them? That was another story. Love and trust wasn't the same thing.

"Hiccup, I know it's not easy to accept all the changes at once but you've got give your father and us a chance to make things right! We can't do anything if you just… get away before we can even lift our feet to take a step forward!" – Fishlegs stated seriously. He meant what he said and he wanted Hiccup to remember that.

"Okay, so what do you want me to do? I don't know what else I can do to satisfy people!" – Hiccup half-hissed.

"No, not you satisfying us, we're talking us making up for everything we did to you." – Astrid waved her hands in the air in frustration. Hiccup was the smartest one in the group but when it came to his own good he was just plain stupid. – "We expect you to be scorn, to hate us for what we did but reality is completely opposite, which we're very glad about! But you need to… let things out after all those years! I know that I would like to shout at someone after being mistreated. We're hoping that you would give us a chance to understand you."

"Right right, so that's what you want? To know what's going on in my mind?" – Hiccup slapped his forehand in defeat. All the fussing was just because of people wanting to know about him? He used to be desperate for some attention and understanding, but now he just wanted to be left alone. – "Tell my father to call for a meeting in the Great Hall. If you guys want to know me that badly, I'll give you what you want."

When everyone had all gathered in the Hall, Stoick looked at his son expectedly.

"Okay, everyone's here. That's great. Errr…" – Hiccup wasn't quite used to talking to the crowd just yet even though he was one hell of a leader. – "My father has been talking to me about us. I mean not like he and I, but like all of us, he, I, all of you, this whole tribe. I know all the changes around here are quite… overwhelming at times and some of you aren't comfortable with me sticking around our former enemies too much and too closely."

Hiccup paused and his eyes swept the room. The villagers nodded lightly, some gestured eagerly for him to continue. They really didn't know much about the chief's son.

"I assure you that there's nothing bad about it, me bonding with my best friend, Toothless." – As he said, the Night Fury licked his cheek. – "You'll know when you get to know your own dragon. As for the rumors…" – He shot a glare at Gobber who had an innocent look on his face. – "… about my little hobby, I don't deny it. I didn't intend to hide it forever, I just wasn't ready. So since my father's so upset about me not showing him my abilities, I supposed you'll all get something from me tonight. But I warn you dad, you're not going to like it." – Hiccup said sharply.

"Son, I'll take everything you're willing to give."

"I hope you remember that after this. This little piece of my mind was composed before the arrival of Toothless." – Hiccup took a deep breath.

I'm tired of being what you want me to be

Feeling so faithless, lost under the surface

Toothless created little growls from his throat to fit with Hiccup's rhythm. The villagers were completely stunned. They did hear what Gobber said, but they didn't expect Hiccup to be able to do something like this. The gods on Asgard might be fascinated by this particular gift. The lyrics did bother them, of course. The bitterness was somewhat visible in the words themselves.

Don't know what you're expecting of me

Putting the pressure of walking in your shoes

It was crystal clear that this certain line was for a certain chief. Stoick looked down in shame. Well, he did ask for knowing, didn't he?

Every step that I make is another mistake to you

I've become so numb, I can't you feel you there

Become so tired, so much more aware

I'm becoming this, all I want to do

Hiccup looked at his father in the eye, gesturing toward himself at this line.

Is be more like me, and be less like you!

Stoick was quite angry as Hiccup pointed at him in his face. His son's face was literally stoic, not an expression that they usually got to see on Hiccup's face. But then, the chief didn't have anyone to blame but himself.

Can't you see that smothering me,

Holding too tightly, afraid to lose control?

'Cause everything you thought I would be

Was falling apart, right in front of you

They didn't need to be geniuses to know that Hiccup was talking about the revelation about Toothless in the arena before the battle. This part must have been written lately and added to the song. It wasn't unusual to have a bunch of bottled-up feelings in your head after your father disowned you and tried to kill your best friend. Back then, they thought Hiccup was becoming one of them since he had his ways with the dragons.

Every step that I take is another mistake to you,

And every second I waste is more than I can take!

It took Hiccup a few hours to eliminate the threat that had terrorized both humans and dragons for 300 years. How much time had they wasted on fooling around with violence, thoughtless decisions and ridiculous judgments? It was funny how they prided themselves on being more superior to runts and ended up being lower than their enemies.

I've become so numb,

I can't feel you there,

Become so tired, so much more aware

I'm becoming this, all I want to do

Is be more like me, and be less like you!

Now looking back, they wondered how Hiccup had coped with all the treatments he got in all those years. He wasn't weak, not at all. It was so blind of them to not recognize that sooner.

And I know

I may end up failing, too

Toothless whacked Hiccup with his tail at this line.

But I know

You were just like me when someone disappointed in you!

Stoick was shocked at how right that sounded. He was always berserk when other people disappointed in him while Hiccup reacted the same but got shouted at every time it happened.

I've become so numb

I can't feel you there

Become so tired, so much more aware

I'm becoming this, all I want to do

Is be more like me, and be less like you!

Berkians were glad that Hiccup was so brave that he dared to be himself rather than become one of them. It brought Berk a brighter age, the age of peace. They got the best allies they could ever ask for: dragons.

I've become so numb, I can't feel you there

I'm tired of being what you want me to be

I've become so numb, I can't feel you there

I'm tired of being what you want me to be.

If they were him, they would have been exhausted, that was for sure. The last note was sung. Hiccup closed his eyes and leaned on Toothless. The song held many strong emotions that took almost all of his energy. Silence. Then Astrid stood up from the middle of the crowd and clapped loudly. Other people were confused at first but they soon followed her lead. The whole room was applauding him.

"It seems like my son has spoken his mind. Not everyone can do what you just did, Hiccup. Sharing your thoughts with other people, it takes a lot of… faith and trust."

"I'm glad you guys like it." – Hiccup replied with a monotone. – "But please dad, don't expect me to do it again soon."

Stoick wanted to protest, but he refrained himself from doing so. He knew he shouldn't push his luck. It was obvious that his son already wasn't so happy about this but he still did it because they wanted him to. In the end, Hiccup was still the one who had to please them.

"We won't ask for anything more, son. You can be whoever you want to be. I'm sorry, for everything. I know apologies can't really help but…"

"As long as we're cool, apologies are always helpful, dad." – smiled Hiccup. – "But there's someone you should…"

"I know I owe Toothless a lot of things, for example your life. But you have to understand…"

"You were trained to battle against dragons all your life, so you can't change immediately. Yeah, I know that." – said Hiccup. – "I just hope that you can accept my bond with Toothless."

"I do, son. I do."

A/N: Thanks for reading this. I haven't written for ages. It feels weird because my imagination feels so numb.

DoomsdayBeamXD: Even though the song in this chapter isn't the one you requested, I hope you enjoyed it, and the same to your sister. I don't know if I can post the next chapter in time to consider it as a birthday present for her so yeah…

Other readers: If you like a song and it somewhat fits Hiccup or Toothless or both of them, don't hesitate to make a request. I've just listened to the song "Let it go" - Demi Lovato (Frozen's OST). It sounds kind of nice. Anyone up for it?