Author's Note: Hello, everyone! Welcome back to another edition to "Sticks and Stones!" =D And this time, this is a one-shot. =) I hope you guys enjoy it! =D

Summary: Hearing so many jokes being made out of his leg makes Hiccup feel uncomfortable. Stoick notices this, and he takes the young viking on a fishing trip so he can talk to him. (Post HTTYD.)

Of Prosthetics and Jokes

Certainly, a fishing trip couldn't go wrong…right?

Wrong.

Hiccup knew what his father was trying to do. He knew that his dad knew something was wrong, which Hiccup both liked (since his father was beginning to notice him), and he hated (because he simply didn't want to talk).

He didn't want to talk at all.

So, instead of marching up into his room and demanding to tell him what's wrong, Stoick had suddenly announced that he and Hiccup were going to go on a fishing trip. But Hiccup knew that the fishing trip wasn't going to be just a fishing trip. His father was trying to get him to talk about what had been going on for the past few days.

Hiccup begrudgingly went along, pretending that he didn't know what his father was up to. Stoick had gotten the net, Hiccup had pulled out two buckets, and the two set off, borrowing a boat from the docks and they set sail out into the vast sea. Hiccup hadn't been fishing in a long time, and he was hoping that he wouldn't get seasick like he had six years ago.

But if I got seasick, I wouldn't have to talk, thought Hiccup with a small, impish smile. He turned to his father, who was busy setting up the neck, and the young viking began to moan.

"Oh, Dad, I think I'm seasick," said Hiccup. He pretended to gag. "Maybe we should head back…"

Stoick turned to Hiccup, one of his eyebrows raised. "Hiccup, I've been your father long enough to know when you're sick and when you're not. And right now, you're definitely not sick."

Shoot.

Hiccup slumped and he placed his chin in his hand, hoping that this "fishing trip" would go faster than a Night Fury in a dragon race. He knew his father was trying to help him, but Hiccup really didn't want to talk. He didn't see how talking would help him.

Over the past few weeks, Hiccup had been trying his best to adjust to the sudden attention from the Berkians. He was now deemed as a hero ever since he defeated the Red Death, but he had lost his leg in the dangerous battle, and he was still getting used to the piece of metal that was now left leg. Hiccup thought that he was doing a pretty good job getting used to the feel of it aside from the phantom pains that occasionally plagued him. Since the Red Death, Hiccup's life had gotten infinitely better, he was finally noticed by people, and he didn't have to fear being targeted by Snotlout and the twins' bullying anymore. And—even better—his father had started to try and maintain a more, steady relationship with him.

So, why was Hiccup upset?

It all started earlier that week. Hiccup had headed to the former Kill Ring (now dubbed just "The Ring '' by viking-folk and the six teens) to meet up with his friends. He decided to walk there so he could practice with his prosthetic leg. Toothless followed not too far behind. Hiccup usually would have been able to get to the Ring quicker but now that he had his prosthetic, he walked a bit slower than usual.

Toothless didn't seem to mind at all. And Hiccup knew that his new friends (he was really going to have to get used to that!) wouldn't mind either. At least, that's what he hoped. Even though the other teens of Berk had befriended him, Hiccup still felt that they might leave him if he did something wrong. Or something ridiculous. Or something stupid. Or something…

Hiccup rolled his eyes. Okay, quiet you. There's nothing to worry about. It's a great day, so enjoy it.

Hiccup sighed and continued to walk toward the direction of The Ring. Toothless warbled from behind, and the young viking knew that he was offering to fly him to his destination if he didn't want to walk anymore.

"It's okay, Bud. I'll just keep on walking. I need to get used to this new leg anyway," said Hiccup. Toothless shrugged and continued to follow him loyally. Hiccup was almost at the steps that led all the way up to the former Kill Ring, when a viking ran up to him and exclaimed that his dragon was going crazy. Hiccup quickly hopped onto Toothless and the three ran all the way back to the village of Berk, where a Deadly Nadder was snapping at the people who came near it. Hiccup could tell that it was agitated.

It took some time, but Hiccup managed to calm the Nadder down. Apparently, someone had left an eel nearby, so Hiccup made sure to dispose of it before any other dragons went mad.

As he rubbed his hand against his brown, fur vest, the viking slapped Hiccup against his back, nearly making the teen fall over.

"Thank you so much!" he said. "I would have calmed 'im down myself but with 'im snapping 'is teeth like tha', I probably would've ended up like you!"

Hiccup stiffened. He knew that the viking was only joking, but he wasn't comfortable with his prosthetic leg yet. And he didn't see how other vikings could joke about their own prosthetics so easily. Hiccup shook himself out of his short daze and he told the man that it was no problem. He watched as the two walked away, and Hiccup turned to Toothless, who was looking at him with a concerned look. He didn't miss how his friend had reacted to the comment about his leg.

"I'm fine, Toothless," said Hiccup. He patted his dragon and hopped onto his back. "I guess we'll be flying to the Kill…er, I mean the Ring after all."

And that was what they did. The other Dragon Riders didn't seem to mind at all that Hiccup was late, and they spent the day racing through Raven Point. It was a fun time, and Hiccup never thought he'd actually have friends. Let alone hang out with some, so that made things even more exhilarating for the young viking.

During the race, the Dragon Riders had encountered a Zippleback that was caught in a dragon trap. It was the worst kind of trap: the one that would clamp itself to a dragon's leg. The Dragon Riders landed, and Hiccup told Fishlegs, the twins, and Snotlout to try and keep the Zippleback down while he and Astrid worked on removing the trap. Having worked in the forge for a long time, Hiccup knew exactly how to detach the trap from the dragon's leg. Astrid helped out by making sure it didn't snap again by slipping a large piece of wood in between the snappers after Hiccup opened them.

Hiccup patted his hands together. "Okay. Now we just have to bring this guy to Berk so he can get treated for his injuries."

"Thank goodness that trap didn't close on any of us. If it did, we'd probably end up losing a limb like Hiccup," said Tuffnut.

Twice in one day? Hiccup awkwardly stood up and said, "Why don't we get this Zippleback to Berk now?"

Astrid glanced at Hiccup, but the young viking gave her an "I'm fine" look. Hiccup knew that Astrid could probably see straight through him, but no one mentioned that comment made by Tuffnut the entire way back to Berk.

But that was just two comments that were made about Hiccup's prosthetic—a topic that he wasn't really comfortable talking about just yet. Throughout the entire week, Hiccup had heard several different jokes, jests, and comments comparing his leg to situations that weren't as dire as the Red Death. Hiccup felt uncomfortable every single time one of those comments were made, and he couldn't help but wonder if any of them—any of them!—realized how much what they said about his prosthetic affected him. This seemed to be untrue, because no one apologized. No one seemed to think how Hiccup felt after one of those comments were made. No one did except for Astrid and, eventually, his dad.

According to Stoick, Hiccup had been acting strange. While the young viking insisted that he was fine, there were many signs that told Stoick that something was wrong. The way Hiccup looked around before leaving the house. The way he'd look at his prosthetic leg as if it were something to be embarrassed of. The way he would run inside of the house and shut the door, breathing out a sigh of relief once he was home. Clearly, Hiccup was acting strange. Maybe even beyond it.

And this led them to the fishing trip. The trip that Hiccup really didn't want to go on.

The boat lurched forward, and Hiccup gripped the sides tightly. He wasn't in the mood for going overboard.

Stoick handed Hiccup one side of the net and directed him to hold it tightly. Hiccup complied and the two sat in a short silence, waiting for the fish to get trapped in the net.

"Okay, Hiccup. Tell me what's wrong. Out with it," said Stoick.

Hiccup picked at his vest. "There's nothing wrong. I'm fine, Dad, really—"

"No, you're not. You walk through town like you're awaiting an attack, you've been avoiding going outside, and you haven't been wearing your prosthetic lately."

"I—" Hiccup looked down and realized that he wasn't wearing his prosthetic at the moment. It was sitting to the side next to the buckets.

"I just…don't feel like wearing it sometimes," said Hiccup, but he knew that his lying was futile the way his father was looking at him.

Stoick sighed. "This is about the things that the others had said earlier, isn't it?"

Hiccup nearly dropped the net. Frankly, he thought his father hadn't noticed. He laughed nervously and said, "Things? What things? I haven't heard any…things."

Stoick raised an eyebrow.

"I—I mean, I've heard about things. But do we really know what things? I've just heard things. Not…not things, things," Hiccup went for a smile, but he knew that it was completely and utterly fake.

Stoick shook his head. "Hiccup, I'm not buying your act. I've heard what people have said about your leg. The way they just joke and talk about it, it's not right."

"They're just joking," said Hiccup. But even if they were just joking, Hiccup still didn't like it when they made a joke out of his prosthetic leg.

"It doesn't matter," Stoick said. "You don't like it, and it's hurting you. It's even affecting the way you act."

"I haven't really noticed that…" mumbled Hiccup.

"Why didn't you say anything before?" asked Stoick. Hiccup geared his green eyes toward his father.

"I just…I didn't know what you would say," Hiccup admitted. "Or what you would do. I mean, they're just kidding around. It shouldn't get to me. Others don't let it get to them and I just…I didn't want to seem weak or anything…"

Stoick felt a pang of guilt. The word that was so frequently used to describe Hiccup back then even though he was the exact opposite. Despite his small stature and frame, Hiccup was more than he seemed. Braver than he seemed. And a lot stronger than he seemed too. His injuries after the Red Death were more than bad, but he was still able to return to consciousness after just one week of being in bed.

Stoick placed a hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "Hiccup, you should have said something sooner. Comments like those can't easily be ignored. After what you went through with the Red Death, people should know better than to joke around with something like your prosthetic."

"But what should I do?" asked Hiccup.

"Well, for one, you could say something," said Stoick. "Make them aware that your prosthetic leg isn't a topic that you want turned into a joke or jest."

"I don't think I have enough guts to do that," stated Hiccup.

"You're going to have to," said Stoick. "Or I'll have to call a meeting at the Great Hall and—"

"No! No! I'll do it myself," Hiccup said quickly.

Stoick smirked. "And, you can always come talk to me, or someone you can trust. Like Astrid. She was the one who told me about you."

Hiccup blinked. "Wait, she did?"

Stoick nodded and Hiccup couldn't help but blush slightly. Astrid was actually that concerned for him?

Hiccup shook his head. "Still, will I ever get used to all of…this? I've seen other vikings joke about their prosthetics all the time and they seem completely fine with it."

"You'll get used to it eventually," Stoick answered. He patted Hiccup's back. "But for now, your prosthetic shouldn't be made into jokes."

Hiccup nodded, feeling better that he had told his dad about the jokes about his prosthetic. He knew that Stoick was trying his best to be a better father, and Hiccup was glad that he now had someone to talk to for help.

Suddenly, the boat lurched forward, and the net slipped out of Hiccup's hands. Stoick managed to grab a hold of it, and he yanked it out of the water. It wasn't filled with many fish. There was only enough to feed a couple of people or one dragon.

"It's better than nothing," Stoick said as he pulled the net onto the ship. He looked up at Hiccup, who was holding his stomach and was a pale shade of green.

"I think I might actually be seasick…" he said with a groan.

"Hang in there, Hiccup," said Stoick. He opened the sails, and he turned the ship back toward Berk. "We'll be back home in no time."

Hiccup nodded and he closed his eyes. He reopened them and then said, "Oh, and Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Thanks," Hiccup said with a smile.

Stoick smiled back, feeling as if he'd achieved something worth more than a box of gold. "You're welcome, Hiccup."