Author's Note: Hellooooooo, everyone and welcome back to "Sticks and Stones!" =D Hiccup is about six in this one-shot, and I don't really have anything else to say this time around, so I hope you guys enjoy "Fatherly Comfort." =)

Summary: After receiving a black eye and being made fun of by Snotlout and the twins, Hiccup tries (and fails) to hide his injury from his father and decides to seek comfort from him. (Pre HTTYD.)

Fatherly Comfort

He didn't want to tell him, but he knew his father was going to ask questions even if he didn't say anything.

Hiccup stared his black eye in the mirror. It hurt like dragon fire, and it stood on his face like a pink against black, but he tried his very best to ignore the pain. He tried his best to imagine that it wasn't there and what had happened with Snotlout and the twins never occurred.

The young boy closed his eyes. Then, he opened them again.

Nope, the grape-colored eye was still there. Clear as day.

Hiccup chewed his lower lip. What was he going to do? What was he going to tell his father? He was going to be upset. Hiccup knew for a fact that he was going to be upset.

But what other choice did he have? His eye hurt, he felt like crying in the corner, and what his cousin and the twins had said earlier had stabbed him in the heart. He couldn't just stand aside and pretend that he was fine when he wasn't. He would be lying not only to himself, but his dad.

He doesn't pay attention to me that much anyway… thought Hiccup.

Are you crazy? Dad loves you! The other side of his head argued.

I know, but he's been super busy, and I don't wanna disturb him…

Do you really want to walk around with a plum for an eye for the rest of your life?

W-Well…no…

And if Dad gets mad at you, at least he'll help you. What if your eye starts swelling? What if it turns green? What if you get sick and start growing scales because of that eye? What if…

"Shut up, me," Hiccup muttered out loud. His thoughts were silenced. He wasn't going to get sick and nor was he going to start growing scales like a dragon because of some black eye…

At least…he prayed to Thor that he wouldn't.

Hiccup shook his head. He decided that he was just going to hide his injury. He could just wear an eyepatch like all of the cool vikings did. Maybe Astrid would notice his new look…

No, no, no. This was about him and his eye, not getting his crush's attention.

Hiccup sighed and ran his small hand through his hair. He stared at his purplish-black eye in the mirror again. It hurt. It really hurt. He knew that he wouldn't be able to hide such a thing from his father for long, and even if he did, his eye would eventually need to get some medical treatment. Who knew what would happen if he didn't?

Also, Hiccup wanted his father's help. He wanted someone to consult about what had just happened. He needed to know if what the twins and Snotlout had said was true. It probably wasn't but…he needed to make sure. He needed to know the truth. The honest truth.

Hiccup heard the front door creak open downstairs. The sudden squealing of the door hinges nearly made him jump out of his skin. It had been rather silent for the past few moments he had been contemplating, and he wasn't expecting his father to arrive so early. Stoick usually returned sometime late at night; Hiccup often stayed up in bed waiting for his dad to come home. He would sometimes come really late at night, but Hiccup always made sure that he heard the creaking of the door, and the thud of it closing, and he would feel comforted by the fact that his father hadn't been taken away by a dragon the entire time he was out.

It was evening, which was way earlier than Hiccup's father came home. Maybe he finished all of his work early. Maybe he wanted to spend some extra time with his son. Hiccup's heart fluttered at the possibility, and his little boots patted softly against the wooden floorboards of his room as he walked toward the stairs. He got down on his hands and knees and he watched his father from above. He was carrying a few books and papers, and he placed them all on the table and sat down, grumbling to himself about trading, dragon raids, and food shortages. Hiccup didn't understand what all of those things meant, but he could perceive that this father was stressed. The auburn-haired boy faltered.

Maybe I shouldn't tell him… he thought. Besides, I can hide a black eye for a while. I'm barely noticed by anyone in the village anyway. No one will—

Suddenly, Stoick stood up from the table and walked over toward his bedroom. Hiccup quickly scrambled inside of his room and held his breath, praying that his father hadn't heard him.

Unfortunately, he did. The heavy boots of his father were coming up the stairs to his loft, and Hiccup started panicking.

Oh no, oh no, oh no! He heard you…he heard you! I need to hide…WHERE?!...In the closet? No, no…under the bed? Maybe…ohhh, he's coming closer! Where do I go…WHERE DO I GO!?

Hide, just HIDE!

Hiccup ran to the other side of his room and crawled under his desk and pushed himself so hard against the wall that he thought he would end up becoming the wall if he pushed any harder. Hiccup clamped his hand to his mouth and tried to breathe as quietly as he could. His father's footsteps soon reached the top of the loft, and Hiccup could hear the sound of his dad tapping his foot against the floor.

"Hiccup, I know you're in here," said Stoick.

Only silence replied. Hiccup huddled under his desk.

Stoick sighed. "Come out from under your desk, Hiccup."

What? How did he know?! thought Hiccup in surprise. Thinking that his father was just toying with him, Hiccup stubbornly stayed where he was.

"Now, Hiccup," his father spoke sternly. By the tone of his voice, he sounded a little impatient. Hiccup gulped and he shuffled from under his desk. He quickly grabbed a blanket and tossed it over his head before his father could catch a glimpse of his black eye. Hiccup walked up to Stoick as nonchalantly as he could, pretending that having a brown blanket over his head was a completely normal thing to do.

Hiccup couldn't see very well, but he stopped a few feet away from his father and waved. "Hi, Dad."

"Hiccup, what are you doing with a blanket on your head?" Stoick asked in slight bemusement.

"I…uh…just wanted to try something new," Hiccup answered.

Hiccup could envision his father raising an eyebrow. "Are you hiding something?"

"N-No."

"Then why do you have a blanket over your head?"

"B-Because…it's a fashion!" exclaimed Hiccup. "Blankets over heads. It's becoming a style."

There was a small, brief bout of silence, and Hiccup thought that he had actually got away with his fib when he suddenly felt the blanket being ripped off of him. Hiccup winced as the fabric brushed against his injured eye, and he looked down at his boots to avoid his father's gaze. Stoick, however, used his large hand to lift Hiccup's chin to face him, and the young boy was surprised that his father's touch was unexpectedly gentle.

Something flickered in Stoick's eyes as he examined Hiccup's eyes, and no words were said for a short amount of time. Hiccup's green eyes darted around the room uncomfortably. Finally, after some time, Stoick spoke.

"What happened?" he asked, although it sounded more like an order. Hiccup chewed his lower lip nervously.

"Um…um…I…I was…" Hiccup suddenly found that it was incredibly difficult to speak, and he didn't know if he should tell his father the truth or if he should make up some kind of crazy tall tale to cover up what really happened.

Well, you already got caught. You might as well tell him what happened, Hiccup thought. He fiddled with the end of his green tunic.

"It…It was Snotlout and the twins," answered Hiccup in a quiet voice. Stoick's posture stiffened in silent rage, but he regained a hold of himself and led Hiccup downstairs. The young boy didn't have much of a choice anyway; his father kept a strong hand on his shoulder as he led Hiccup down the stairs. Stoick told Hiccup to sit down at the table, and the young viking obeyed immediately. He didn't want to make his father any more upset than he was.

He's not mad at you, he's mad at Snotlout, Ruff, and Tuff, thought Hiccup. But he wasn't so sure of himself. What if his dad was a little mad at him?

Stoick rummaged through a few cupboards and drawers and returned to Hiccup's side with a cool cloth and he handed it to the boy. Hiccup tentatively took it from his father's hand and he placed it on his eye. Relief from the pain immediately followed, but Hiccup knew that his father didn't only bring him downstairs to treat his eye.

Stoick pulled up a chair and sat in front of his son, watching his every movement carefully. Hiccup tapped his boots against the chair, and his free hand was still fiddling with his shirt. Stoick sighed and laid his large hand on Hiccup's smaller one. All of the boy's movements immediately stopped.

"What happened, Hiccup. Tell me, please," said Stoick softly. Hiccup's stiff, nervous posture softened, and he shifted the cloth in his hand.

"W-Well…I-I was walking home from Gobber's when I ran into Snotlout and the twins," explained Hiccup. The memory was as fresh as a fruit and was as vivid as a dream in his mind, and the young viking knew that he would never forget it. "They…they started making fun of me and they called me names…"

Hiccup felt tears sting in the corners of his eyes, but he refused to let them fall. "Th-They said that I'm nothing but just a nuisance to Berk and that I'm weak and scrawny and that I can't do anything right…A-And they said that M-Mom l-left b-b-because she h-hated me t-too and she d-didn't want anything to do with m-me…"

Hiccup sniffed. "I-I told them that wasn't true and I p-pushed them out of my way. Then Snotlout punched me in the face and," the young viking gestured to his eye. "Y-you already know the rest…"

Stoick sat there in silence, and Hiccup didn't mind it at all. He didn't know what to do or say now. One question popped into Hiccup's mind, and he asked it before he could stop himself.

"A-Are you mad at me?" Hiccup asked.

Stoick looked surprised. "Mad? Why in the world would I be mad at you?"

"B-Because," said Hiccup. "You're supposed to be working right now and I interrupted you because of this…"

"Hiccup," Stoick said. Hiccup looked up at his father. "I'm not upset with you. I have no reason to be upset with you at all. My work can wait. Right now, this is about you. You're more important than a pile of chief's papers."

Hiccup felt a wave of relief. He threw his arms around his dad impulsively, and Stoick didn't hesitate to wrap his own arms around his son. He weaved a hand through Hiccup's hair, and the young boy buried himself deeper into his father's embrace.

"H-Hey…Dad?" came Hiccup's muffled voice.

"Yes, Hiccup?"

"Did…did Mom r-really hate me?" he asked nervously. "Is…is that why she left?"

Hiccup felt his father's embrace grow tighter, but the young boy didn't say anything. Stoick was silent for some time, but his voice soon cut through the silence, and it was softer than the wind.

"No…your mother loved you, Hiccup. She did everything she could to protect you," he replied.

"Is she gonna come back?"

Stoick shook his head sadly. "I don't think so, son."

"Oh…"

Warm tears slipped down Hiccup' cheeks, and he tried his best to ignore them. He clung to his father tighter and squeezed his eyes shut, not caring that his right eye pulsed with pain. Stoick hugged back and held him tight, and Hiccup felt comforted by his father's embrace, even though there was a little bit of sadness lingering in the air.

Stoick pulled away and wiped off Hiccup's tears with his thumb. "Next time something like this happens, come and tell me right away son. Don't hide it from me."

Hiccup nodded. "Okay."

Stoick smiled softly and he patted his son's shoulder. "Now, I want you to keep that cloth on your eye until it dries out. Come tell me once it is."

Hiccup nodded again and he headed back up to his room. He paused with every step, occasionally glancing back at his father, who was getting ready for a long session of reading and signing. Hiccup paused in the middle of the stairs.

"Hey, Dad?"

"Yes, son?"

"Thanks," Hiccup said with a smile.

Stoick looked up from his papers and, for the first time in a long time, gave Hiccup a true, genuine smile. "You're welcome, son."

Author's Note: Aww...father/son bonding always warms my heart. =) I hope you guys enjoyed this one-shot, and I'll see you all in whatever comes next! =D

Until the next chapter!

-BeyondTheMoon1203