My Hiccup 36

"You kidnapped me," Hiccup complained for the four or fifth time since they landed and his father started putting their campsite together on an island half a day's flight from Berk. It was actually chosen at random while Hiccup was too busy complaining to really pay attention to where they were which only upset him more. He wasn't really quite sure exactly how far they were from Berk and if there was an emergency on Berk no one would find them and that worried him. "You're the one always going on about strengthening Berk's defenses and now that I'm completely on board with it you kidnap me during training? Does that make any sense to you because I'm completely baffled?"

Stoick didn't look up from his task of building a camp fire without dragon assistance. "Technically it's not called kidnapping when it's your father taking you on a greatly needed vacation that you had fair warning of. Now you can stand there whining or gather some firewood like a good boy."

Hiccup chose to do both. "I had a training sessions planned for the next week. You know Hookfang and Snotlout are still not working together? And if that's not bad enough things are only getting worse between Astrid and Snotlout? I mean they might actually kill each other before Outcasts gets a chance to," he continued to rant as he gathered fallen branches off the ground. They were camped on the edge of vast forest, meters from a large lake that Thornado was presently swimming in and Toothless was trying to catch fish. "They might even be dead by the time we get home."

Stoick shook his head in bemusement. "Now you're exaggerating. Astrid's a trained warrior and Snotlout…well he might have a broken body part or two by the time we make it home but I'm sure he'll be there ready to complain to you once we get back."

The young heir stopped what he was doing in sudden fright. "I might need a second vacation then," he murmured just loud enough for his father to hear.

His father chuckled softly with a shake of his head. Gobber was right. There were times Hiccup acted a lot like him and it was a little disconcerting but made his heart swell as well to think that his boy took after him after all. He continued working on the campfire, making it large enough to cook on. Then he set began setting up the tents, knowing Hiccup was now too big to want to share one like they used to. They didn't have a lot with them. Stoick had only grabbed the essentials such as a change of clothing, Hiccup's bindings for his amputated leg, their rolls and a blanket each and tents. Anything that fit in their bags but forget the frying pan which he had planned on making his special fried fish and the pot for his favorite bean dish and the beans for said dish. Well it wasn't the first time he went camping unprepared it just meant they'd have to hunt for their dinner and cook it on a spit like they used to, not that Hiccup liked hunting or anything.

Once Hiccup came to accept he was on vacation, even though it was against his will, he slowly began to relax. His smiles hadn't yet returned and he didn't talk much once the complaining was over, he just sat against a tree watching the dragons play and eventually he fell asleep. He slept a lot those first two days, the stress of the last few months finally taking its toll. Stoick worried at first, he seemed to worry more and more about his son every day now that he was a target for Alvin, but when the dark bags under Hiccup's eyes began to fade and his skin became a healthy pink again he relaxed. Perhaps all the boy needed was a few days of restful sleep with no worries about dragons or Outcasts or riders bickering over foolish things. Maybe all he needed was time away from the chaos that was often Berk. So Stoick let his son sleep. It was obviously what he needed and attempted to enjoy his time away from Berk. Of course being a parent meant you always worried and Stoick never went far from his boy without making sure Toothless was next to him. But as much as he loved his son, Stoick wasn't fool enough to completely trust him not to end the vacation short. He removed Toothless's saddle and flight gear and hid them in a tiny cave hidden behind some foliage that Hiccup was unlikely to take notice of. He'd give it all back when it was time to go home but until then he wasn't letting Hiccup and Toothless take off.

When Hiccup finally awoke on the second day of their vacation he felt much better and more relaxed than he could remember in recent history. He crawled out of his tent only to discover it to be late afternoon and he was alone at camp. Okay, maybe not alone. Toothless was chasing something along the edge of the forest which looked suspiciously like a rabbit. The Nightfury sometimes liked to eat the odd rabbit so Hiccup let him be and looked around for his father. To his surprise and utter astonishment he found his Dad out in the lake some one hundred feet. He was topless and the water came to the middle of his round belly. In one hand he held a long spear with hunting knife bond to one end. Hiccup what with fascination as his father moved slowly, his gaze focused solely on the water. It was rare to see Stoick with his hair out of its tight braid. It and his beard were soaking wet. He never looked so barbaric, not even in the heat of battle and covered in dragon blood. When Stoick's right arm shot downward, thrusting the spear into the water with such speed it made Hiccup jump. A second later that arm was up again and Stoick gave a triumphant shut at the huge fish impaled on the end of the spear.

Hiccup gave a tiny laugh at the absolutely giddy look on his father's face. "Why didn't you use your rod?" he called to Stoick as the man sloshed through the water back to the beach.

His father laughed. "Blasted thing broke the line then the rod," he answered with a gesture toward a bunch of broken wood on the beach.

"We have dragons," Hiccup reminded him as he laid the fish on a sheet of cloth on the wood pile. "Toothless and Thornado would have happily helped catch fish. They'd eat half but…"

Stoick was in a good and playfully ruffled the boy's hair, happy to see him awake. "Ah…and what did we do before dragons?" he asked teasingly. He suddenly sobered in thought. "You want to train your riders then this is a perfect exercise…in case you ever get separated from your dragon and have to fend for yourself for a day or two."

Hiccup's face pinched at the painful thought of ever being separated from Toothless again.

"Unless you're too tired…or have become too dependent on Toothless to look after you. I thought you have an equal relationship," Stoick challenged, folding his large arms across his chest.

"We do," Hiccup said quickly.

"So it you don't have a rod or a net and Toothless is wounded or you're lost in the forest by yourself with no food you know how to catch dinner?"

"I can snare a rabbit."

"What if there are no rabbits?"

"A squirrel?"

Stoick made a face. Squirrel was not good eating and didn't have enough meat. "Okay…but let focus on fishing since you're good at that. Have you ever spear fished?" He knew the answer but he wanted to see if his son was willing to admit his shortcomings.

"No," Hiccup mumbled, looking at his feet.

"Do you want to learn? I might come in handy one day. We can wait until you've got something in your belly."

Hiccup shook his head. "I rather learn on an empty stomach."

Stoick nodded in understanding. Hiccup was good at fishing, preferring netting his fish to using a rod. There were a few reasons for that; one, because of getting a hook in his hand when he was little and he was a little squeamish about killing things and blood. He liked catching and cooking his food before gutting it. So Stoick took his boy out into the water, not going quite as deep as he had been but still an area where the fish were swimming in clusters, rubbing against their bare legs hard enough to trip Hiccup if Stoick wasn't there to keep him on his feet.

"King Salmon," Stoick explained as Hiccup fought to keep his footing amongst the fish. "When you do this by yourself don't enter a cluster like this. It's spawning season and their all headed up river. They will sweep you away with them. The depth is good just choose a less clustered area or dig your feet into the sand real deep to keep your balance, understand?"

The boy nodded, his focus on the numerous fish swimming past them.

Stoick handed him the spear and gently pulled his arm back over his head and moved his body into the needed position. "Think of this as Thawfest when you have preparing to throw a spear at one of the targets only this time you're aiming downward – not at your feet, I'm letting you lose another limb, thank you Thor."

Hiccup couldn't help a nervous giggle. "Yeah, my aim's bad but not that bad."

"You're aim's perfect with a bow, it's the heavy weapons you have problems with."

"Oh what…nobody notices my big hulking muscles? I'm insulted."

Stoick chuckled. "You've got your mother's mouth, you know that?"

The youth smiled. "Well you have to explain me somehow."

His father squeezed his shoulder. "You're every bit your mother's son, lad. And mine too. Now, focus on the fish, watch the way they move. Stay still…sh…" They waited, neither moving nor speaking as the fish swam around their. "Anticipate where they go, just like when you're training a new dragon," Stoick whispered in Hiccup ear as he let go of the spear and left it in his son's hand. "Wait…now."

Hiccup's arm shot forward and with the same grace as his father he thrust the blade through a large salmon. He blinked in surprise. "I did it? I did it!" He laughed merely as he struggled to lift the fish that must have weighed as much as he did.

"Yes, you did," Stoick praised, lifting the fish out of the water for his son. "When you do this on your own you might have to go after a smaller one but this ought to do for dinner…especially since Toothless just stole mine. Hey…Toothless, drop that! Uh…never mind."

Hiccup giggled as his Nightfury looked at them guiltily and hung his massive head, the fish his father caught hanging out of his mouth. "Well on the good side he did make a trade," he said indicating the dead rabbit now lying on the wood pile.

Stoick sighed. At least it was a nice plump rabbit with a lot of meat. It made for good eating and he was happy to see his son smiling and laughing. It felt like forever since he last saw the boy act his age rather than worrying over grown up things. This wasn't like when Stoick was Hiccup's age and they were at war with not only dragons but numerous other tribes. Hiccup was not meant to be a soldier. He was a peaceful boy who preferred to be in the skies than on the ground and rather make peace than fight, unless he was fighting for someone or something he cared deeply for.

For the first time in years they talked, really talked. They talked about everything from the academy and the issue with the Outcasts to hunting techniques and fishing to silly little things like girls and dating which Hiccup prompting plugged his ears and hummed as loudly as he could which only encouraged his father to talk louder and pick on him a little until there was a nice flush to Hiccup's ears. But Hiccup was good at payback and reversed the situation by mentioning women who he knew had a crush on his father and how they flirted with him and how he should be careful otherwise Hiccup might end up with a younger sibling – not that Stoick ever dated let alone took much of an interest in anyone but it was worth teasing about anyway, at least until Stoick asked a question that threw him for a loop.

"What if I did decide to get involved with someone, would it bother you?" his father asked, suddenly very serious.

Hiccup stared at him in surprise. "Uh?"

Stoick sighed and leaned back against Thornado. "There are times when I feel as if I've been denying you a mother. Val's been gone a long time now and you're nearly grown up. I know I haven't been the best father and that I often push you too hard. It's the way I was raised, I suppose. That's no excuse, I know, but… I don't want you stressing yourself out just to prove yourself to me. You already proved yourself more than enough."

His son just stared completely flabbergasted.

"Sometimes I think if you had a sibling to play with you'd be happier," Stoick concluded, not really sure where he was going with this. He gave a start when Hiccup suddenly hugged him. He hadn't realized how emotional he had been until he had his boy in his arms. He buried his face in Hiccup's hair and breathed in his scent, remembering what a wonderful mother Valka would have made had she been there with them and how much Hiccup reminded him of her. He was sure her spirit was there with them for there had been no kinder woman than Valka and no one with a spirit like hers than Hiccup. He gave a small sniffle that he would later blame Hiccup's hair tickling his nose for and pressed his lips to the crown of Hiccup's head. Odin had given no greater gift than his little Hiccup.

"I am happy," Hiccup told him reassuringly as he had several times before when Stoick considered remarrying. "I had you and Toothless and between him and the gang that's as close to having siblings as I ever want to get. Besides…Toothless is more like a big brother at times. A very bossy big brother." He gave his dragon a pointed look. "And Snotlout would be pissed if yet another heir is born and knocking him in third in line for chieftain." He chuckled before grinning brightly. "And I'm not dealing with another mopping, whining Gobber jealous of whatever lady catches your eye. You get to deal with him. I'll fly off to the end of the world before going through that again."

Stoick chuckled and patted his back. "No worries, lad. I was just thinking out loud again. I suppose I just miss your mother more now that you're off doing your own thing and I'm not as busy as I used to be. Too much time to think."

"Tell me about her," Hiccup asked, sitting back and cuddling against Toothless. "Everyone tells me I look like her and I often act like her but I only know a few stories you and Gobber told me."

"Alright, what do you want to know?" Stoick asked carefully. He had always been a little reserved on what he told Hiccup about Valka when he was little, hoping to make his boy a warrior and not soft to the dragons. Of course that went out the window when Toothless came into their lives and proved that Hiccup was very much like his mother.

"Everything…how you met…how you fell in love. You know…all that sappy stuff you never talk about."

Stoick laughed. "Alright. Well we first met the day she was born when the Naming Dame and my father went to Old Wrinkly's hut, back when it was still in the village and your grandmother was one of Berk's lead bakers. Valka was such a tiny little thing, much as you were. Not a Hiccup mind you but still small and wiggly and I didn't like her one bit. I was only ten back then but already a soldier at heart so I was immune to such cuteness, or so I thought." He chuckled in amusement as he remembered his childhood so long ago and how much he pretended to be just like his father. He spent much of the night telling Hiccup stories of his mother and what she was like as a child right up until she was about Hiccup's age when he finally decided he liked her and tried to court her. It was a topic they spoke of throughout the remainder of their vacation while Hiccup learned for to spear fish and more wilderness skills that would serve him well as he grew up. Stoick watched him, his chest swelling pride and he knew, he knew that even though he often question himself and made mistakes in the way he raised his boy that in the end he and Valka had done well with Hiccup. He was going to make a good chief with a kind heart and protective of not only his people but also the dragons that defended them. Hiccup was everything Valka ever dreamed of and all that Stoick ever hoped for even if the packaging wasn't what he originally imagined. But that was being a parent, wasn't it? What the parent imagined and wanted for their children wasn't necessarily what they got. Hiccup was his own person and Stoick had come to accept that and he wouldn't change him for the world.