A/N: PLEASE READ

I promise to be brief! There's a poll on my page, would you guys please go vote on it? Currently the RotG fans are winning in it and I wanted to see some HTTYD fan love...if you care... lol

YAY WHY LOOK NO LONG AN IT'S A MIRACLE! Also, while we're on the subject, more slightly douche-y book Stoick. Please don't flame, I'm just keeping him in-character!

UPDATE: Yeah...this is...well, a lot of you told me book Stoick was slightly OOC. I edited a bit of this, but I honestly can't see book Stoick doing some things differently than what he did here.


As Hiccup and the other teens finished clearing up the buckets, book Hiccup came into his yard and grabbed book Toothless out of the air. "What happened here?"

Movie Hiccup didn't look up from his work as he gave a brief explanation.

"Ouch," the other Hiccup said, wincing and looking at book Tuffnut. "You ok?"

"I'm fine," nodded book Tuffnut.

Movie Hiccup kept working, mouth drawn down in a grim line. Camicazi suddenly remembered talking to him on the beach earlier, when he was confused and silent.

She suddenly reached down and picked up one of the buckets, then ran into the ocean with it. Movie Hiccup didn't even glance up, but she quickly shushed the others, who were staring and clearly about to talk. She ran up behind movie Hiccup and dumped the bucket of water over his head. "WATER FIGHT!" she yelled gleefully.

Movie Hiccup jerked back up, sputtering. "Camicazi—

"C'mon, water fight!" she yelled, diving back into the water to get more ammo.

Astrid just shook her head, but book Tuffnut smiled suddenly and picked up a bucket, too. He doused Astrid, who got him back by punching him and sticking the bucket over his head.

He stumbled around for a few seconds while the others tentatively joined in, leaving Astrid out of it for fear she'd swat them again.

Camicazi doused movie Hiccup with water again and he stood back up, rubbing the saltwater out of his eyes. "Camicazi, guys, you guys need to stop playing around and get back to work

"Oh, lighten up, Hiccup," laughed Camicazi, smiling a bit. "C'mon, lighten up. Just join in. I'd avoid Astrid, though."

Hiccup turned to see Astrid rearing her fist back, clearly threatening movie Snotlout.

Movie Snotlout flinched away and dropped his bucket, instead going over to book Fishlegs.

Camicazi handed Hiccup a bucket. "Here's your weapon. Use it well." Then she was gone again, hitting everyone she noticed who tried soaking her.

Hiccup stared down into the wooden depths of his bucket and sighed. His friends really didn't understand the concept of work, he thought dismally, but suddenly his book counterpart got drenched by a good-natured Astrid and his eyebrows flew up. The other teens were one thing – but Astrid?

He walked out by the sea and caught Camicazi looking at him, so he quickly scooped up some water in the bucket, as if planning to use it to drench somebody.

He felt someone creeping up behind him, so he did the only thing that came naturally: he turned and threw the water on them.

Book Fishlegs grinned, wiping off his glasses. "Wow, I can't believe you heard me! I was being quiet as I could!"

"Your version of quiet is everybody else's version of loud, Fishlegs," book Hiccup quipped, walking by.

"Whatever," said Fishlegs.

"This is fun!" movie Tuff exclaimed. "I think we should see these guys every day, Hiccup!"

Movie Hiccup laughed awkwardly. "Um, I don't think so, Tuffnut."

"Whatever," Tuffnut said and was gone again as book Fishlegs took advantage of Hiccup's momentary distraction and used the water in his bucket.

Hiccup gasped and sputtered a bit, wiping the water off his face, grinning widely. "Oh, you are dead." He ran back to the ocean and scooped up a bit more water, only to find Camicazi and movie Snotlout refueling as well.

Snotlout gave him a shove that sent him under and he quickly swam back up to the surface to see Camicazi hitting him in revenge.

As Snotlout scampered off, she extended a hand. Hiccup gratefully took it and stood up, clutching his full to the brim bucket.

"Thanks, Cami," he breathed as he ran off, back to book Fishlegs.

The boy was completely unprotected, he thought cheerfully. He was using his ammo on Astrid, who wasn't paying attention.

Just as he was about to, he heard the splashes and shouts of laughter suddenly stop. He turned back around to see what had caused it before a shadow fell over him. Without thinking about it, he threw the water on the person whose shadow it was.

"What," thundered a voice above him, "is the meaning of this?"

Hiccup gulped nervously, looking straight up into the eyes of his uncle, Spitelout.


"All I asked was for you guys to clear everything up!" raged book Stoick, while movie Stoick sat, nodding vigorously in the corner. "Not get into a—what was it? Bucket race?"

"Water fight, sir," mumbled book Fishlegs.

"Yes. That. All I asked was for the work to be done! And YOU!" he cried, pointing at his son. "Letting them? What were you thinking, son? As future chief, you should have thought ahead to put an end to situations like this!"

Here, movie Stoick stopped his agreeable look and stood. "Not to undermine your authority, Chief, but if I may give my opinion, this is a bit harsh. Sometimes, even I find it difficult to make myself be heard, and your son…he's no more than a child, Stoick. While yes, the teens should have kept to their work, there really is nothing wrong with a bit of fun now and then. And they all stopped work. Not just your son."

Book Stoick folded his arms over his broad chest and stroked his beard thoughtfully. "Alright," he said, nodding a bit.

All the teens, meanwhile, had their eyes fixed on the two Chieftains.

All, that is, except one.

Book Hiccup hadn't looked at anyone since he'd been dragged inside his father's house five minutes ago and was instead tracing the crack in the floorboards with his finger, over and over again.

Waves of shame rolled through him. He had disappointed his father again. Somehow, he never seemed to please him.

Movie Stoick nodded, too. "Hiccup, Astrid, Tuffnut, Snotlout, and Fishlegs, you guys…" he pointed them out. "Are not in any trouble whatsoever. However, in the future, I wish you to respect my wishes and heed my warnings. There is nothing wrong with a bit of play mixed into your work, I would just prefer it be when you are not cleaning up a mess you have made."

Sheepishly, the movie teens nodded.

Meanwhile, book Stoick was telling book Hiccup to please carry out his orders before doing something like that again. He didn't sound angry, just exasperated and slightly annoyed.

Book Hiccup nodded, looking like he'd been let off slightly easier than he expected.

Book Stoick nodded once.

The moment the adults had left, movie Tuffnut snickered a bit. "Man, that was awesome!"

"My dad's right, though," movie Hiccup pointed out. "We probably shouldn't have disobeyed orders."

"Coming from the one who never listened to them before," pointed out Astrid.

"I listened to them when they made sense."

Book Hiccup slowly walked upstairs to his room, while the other teens continued to bicker.

After awhile, there was silence from downstairs. When the lithe, graceful footsteps sounded on the wooden stairs leading to his room, he looked up. His movie counterpart stood in the doorway, arms folded over his thin chest, posture slouched and relaxed, green eyes warm and non-threatening. "I'm sorry about your dad."

Book Hiccup shrugged. "It's not that bad."

"Don't worry," movie Hiccup said, never shifting from his position in the doorway. "You don't need his approval."

"But I do," book Hiccup insisted, the words tumbling out in a rush. "I've never been good enough for him. He's my father."

"So?" movie Hiccup quirked one eyebrow. "You think if we all physically needed our dad's approval our whole lives, I'd be standing here today? Nope."

Book Hiccup didn't respond.

Movie Hiccup shrugged and turned to go back downstairs.

"Wait! Hiccup?"

"Mmm?" he asked, poking his head back in.

"Thanks."