Stoick Haddock loved his son. There was no doubt about it.
Yes, their relationship was rather strained and they definitely weren't as close as he would've liked.
And yes, Hiccup didn't turn out to be the kind of person Stoick had hoped he'd be (he only meant that fishbone remark to be a little joke, but he should have known better, and he regretted ever saying it when he caught that look on his son's face), but that did not, by any means, meant he loved his boy any less.
For what Hiccup lacked in brawn, he made up for with his brain, and his kindness, and his open-mind, and that strange but endearing way he opened his heart to everyone, despite him being so…not what they would expect of the son of Stoick "The Vast" Haddock.
But what others thought didn't matter.
If Hiccup preferred reading over sports, then that was perfectly fine. Stoick did some sneaking to find just what kind of genre his son preferred. He couldn't help feeling a tiny bit proud seeing his son's face light up on his birthday that year (…and a bit guilty for poking around his son's room…what? He wanted it to be a surprise!).
If Hiccup would rather spend time with his cat, Toothless, instead of people, Stoick wouldn't push. His son would approach them when he was good and ready.
If Hiccup developed an interest in metal and woodwork, Stoick would ask Gobber to teach Hiccup what he could (as long as it was moderately safe, he did NOT want to see his boy lying lifeless on a hospital bed again, one time was one too many).
The large man was drawn out of his thoughts after a loud bang came from upstairs.
"Hiccup?!" Stoick called. There was some fumbling before his son's head popped out of his room.
"We're okay, Dad! Jack accidentally knocked over a lamp!"
"I'm really sorry, Mr. Haddock!" Jack's head popped out just above his son's, "I'll pay for it, I promise!"
"Jack, that thing cost like, twenty-five bucks, didn't you just buy that new game the other day?"
The white-haired boy spoke again, sounding almost desperate, "I promise I'll pay for it!"
Stoick shook his head, chuckling quietly under his breath.
And when Hiccup fell in love with Jack, then Stoick did his best to support them.
Of course, after Stoick had a nice chat with Jack about his intentions with his wonderful son who deserved all the world had to offer and more, and he'd be damned if he let some boy court his son without the best of intentions (to be honest, Stoick was just giving the boy a bit of a hard time, he could tell by the way they looked at each other that Jack loved Hiccup just as much as Hiccup loved Jack).
He loved his son. Nothing would change that.
