Author's Note: Hello and happy Friday! =D It feels like this week has dragged on for a loooong time...I'm glad it's finally the weekend. =)

Anyway, welcome back to "Sticks and Stones!" =D This is the fortieth chapter (*tosses conffeti*), and I can't believe how long this one-shot has gotten so far! There's still a long way to go until it's finished, though, and I'd just like to say thank you for sticking around for this long, you guys. =D

So, the episode "When Lightning Strikes" is one of my favorite episodes in the Riders of Berk. I absolutely loved the storyline, and the fact that Hiccup took a lightning bolt to the head to prove Toothless' innocence truly shows how strong their bond is. It also makes me wonder if it took Hiccup a while to get comfortable in lightning storms after being struck by a lightning bolt (which, I assume, probably did X)), so this one-shot 'twas born. =DD I hope you guys enjoy it!

Summary: During a lightning storm, Hiccup tries to hide his fear without prevail, so Astrid helps him out. (DOB.)

Of Fear and Thunder

He hated that he had to fly out in such a storm. And what was worse was that they never even made it to their destination.

Hiccup and Astrid had gone out to search for Johann, who had told Stoick that he had some information on the Berserkers that he thought might be helpful. A storm was brewing, but Hiccup knew that if he and Astrid hurried, they would be able to get the information from Johann and be back before the storm hit. For some reason, he felt compelled to know what news Johann had on Dagur and his Berserkers. Maybe it was because they had attacked and hurt him and his friends and had constantly threatened Berk. Why, Dagur even got his hands on a Skrill! Someone like that needed to be stopped, and Hiccup wanted to stop Dagur in any way he could so that he wouldn't hurt Berk or anyone else ever again.

Astrid had kindly volunteered to go with him, and she was the only one who could. Fishlegs and Meatlug were busy, the twins were too…destructive (and they had to finish their long overdue chores that their mother had told them to do), and Snotlout declared that he had more important things to do than search for Johann's ship.

"And I swear that if I hear one of his stories, I'll throw myself off the edge of the earth," he added. Then, he and Hookfang walked out of the Dragon Training Academy, leaving Hiccup, Astrid, Toothless, and Stormfly. Thunder rumbled overhead and Hiccup stiffened slightly at the sound. He didn't know why he felt so anxious all of a sudden.

The young viking ignored this feeling and he mounted Toothless. "I guess it's just you and me, Astrid," he said.

Astrid shrugged and she climbed onto Stormfly's back. "Yup. Let's hurry and see what Johann has to say and come back before this storm hits."

Stormfly and Toothless took off, and the group of four soared through the air, looking for Johann's ship. He had said he would see them somewhere near the west sea stacks, although Hiccup didn't know why he had picked such a specific location. And why couldn't Johann just come to Berk himself? The young viking guessed that he probably had a lot of places to go and trade at, and maybe he just wanted to stay hidden from the Berserker's sights.

As Hiccup, Astrid, and their dragon companions soared through the air, the sky got increasingly dark, almost black like the scales of a Night Fury. Clouds built together like smoke, and the winds grew violent. Strong, forceful gales pushed against Hiccup and Astrid, and the wind's shrieking and wailing made it extremely difficult to focus.

Then the rain started. Huge, fist-sized raindrops pelted at the two vikings and dragons. The rainwater was harder than rocks, and when they got into Hiccup and Astrid's eyes, their vision blurred, and they couldn't see. Hiccup wiped the water away with his sleeve and peered up ahead only to see nothing but a churring, dark ocean and the blur of raindrops. Toothless and Stormfly were having difficulty in flying; their wings were almost at war with the wind. Toothless roared determinedly and Stormfly squawked, pushing against the intense winds. Astrid brushed her golden bangs, which were sticking to her forehead, out of her eyes.

"Hiccup!" she shouted. "We need to land! We can go on like this!"

"I know!" Hiccup yelled back. He peered down below. "I'm trying to look for somewhere to—"

Suddenly, thunder boomed from above. A bolt of lightning streaked across the sky and Hiccup felt his eyes widened in fear. He forgot that he was flying in the middle of a raging storm and remembered the searing, almost burning pain that he felt when he took a lightning bolt to the head. Electricity felt like dragon fire. Hot. Painful. And it prickled like a thousand sharp, pointed needles poking into flesh. Hiccup didn't want to go through that again. He didn't want to get hit. And he remembered being so scared. Scared that he would never see his friends or father again. Scared that he wouldn't see Toothless again. While he was only unconscious for a day, it felt like the Red Death all over again. Trapped in a bed unmoving, not knowing if he would ever awake.

Lighting flashed once again, and fear took over Hiccup's senses. All he knew was that he had to get out of there. Now. He couldn't get struck by lightning. He couldn't. Not again.

"Hiccup!" Astrid shouted. The auburn-haired teen was ripped from his fretful thoughts when he spotted Astrid flying next to him. "I spotted land just up ahead! And I think Stormfly saw a cave down there too! We can wait out the storm there!"

"Where is it?" asked Hiccup, almost in a rush. He hoped he didn't sound too desperate to get out of the thunderstorm, but Astrid didn't seem to catch the hint of timidity in his voice. The Hofferson took the lead and led Hiccup and Toothless toward a small island, about half the size of Berk, and landed in the wooded area. Hiccup slipped off of Toothless' soaked back and flinched when another flash of lightning lit up the sky. Stormfly sniffed the ground, squawked, and started walking toward the direction which Hiccup guessed was the way to the cave.

"Come on," Astrid said. "It's just this way."

Hiccup nodded and he did his best not to flinch, yelp, or show any sign of fretfulness as they made their way to the cave. Astrid would occasionally glance back at Hiccup, a look of worry rested in her sky-blue eyes. Hiccup would send her a smile—a smile that he hoped looked reassuring—every time she looked back, but the young viking knew that she suspected something was wrong with him. Astrid seemed to always know when something was bothering Hiccup. The green-eyed boy still found himself surprised knowing that Astrid actually worried for him sometimes.

Boots and dragon feet splashed against the muddy ground, and the cave soon came into view. Finally! Shelter from the rain! Hiccup smiled at the sight of shelter, but his grin quickly disappeared when a crash of thunder burst from above, this one louder than the last few. Lighting streaked and flashed in the sky almost repeatedly, and Hiccup found himself feeling overwhelmed. He began to shiver. He remembered that white, blinding flash of lighting was the last thing he saw before he got struck. The last thing he saw before his world went completely black…

No, no…you're fine. You're fine. Everything's fine. You're not going to get struck. It's just a storm. A silly little—

Another blazing flash of lighting lit up the sky, and Hiccup couldn't take it anymore. The young viking dashed into the cave, swallowing down a scream that threatened to crawl up his throat, and he huddled against the wall and brought his knees up to his chest. He buried his head in his knees and flinched every time the cave shook from thunder or lit up from the lightning.

Stop…stop…stop…! he thought desperately. It's just a storm! What are you doing cowering away like some little kid? Astrid's gonna think you're weak and pathetic and—

The cave briefly turned white from the lightning and Hiccup whimpered. He was scared. More scared than he would have liked to be over a storm. No matter how many times he tried to reassure himself that he was okay, the old memories of being struck by lightning flashed through his mind. He couldn't help but feel fearful. He couldn't help but feel scared. He just couldn't help it…

Hiccup felt something nudge his side and he looked up to see Toothless' acid green eyes looking at him worriedly. The Night Fury crooned with concern.

"I-I'm fine…Bud. I'm fine…" whispered Hiccup. But he didn't feel fine. He didn't feel fine at all. Thunder shook the cave and Hiccup cowered.

Astrid was on his right side, but the Haddock hadn't noticed her presence. Astrid was just as fearful, but it wasn't because of the storm or the fact that they were stuck on an island in the middle of nowhere. No, she was scared for her friend Hiccup. He looked so vulnerable and afraid that Astrid couldn't help but feel worried for him. And the way he had just ran into the cave with a look that could only be described as pure fear made Astrid feel a little fearful herself. She had never seen Hiccup so scared. She had never seen his bright green eyes filled with so much fear and terror as they were now. Astrid always viewed Hiccup as brave, but he must have felt far, far away from brave at the moment.

Astrid placed her hand on Hiccup's shoulder, and the young viking's head turned toward her. His arms still gripped the front of his legs, and his posture was stiffer than stone. Astrid squeezed Hiccup's shoulder reassuringly and asked, "What's wrong?"

Hiccup turned his head away. "N-nothing…"

"Hiccup, tell me. Please," Astrid asked with gentleness that she didn't even know she had. "I want to help. What's wrong?"

A crash of thunder came from outside, and a flash of lightning followed after. Astrid noticed how Hiccup tensed at the sound of thunder, but he completely cowered at the sight of lighting. The answer hit Astrid like an axe hitting its target.

"Is it the lightning?" asked Astrid, and she felt bad that she hadn't realized sooner. Hiccup had taken a blow to the head by a lightning bolt a while back, but he never seemed uncomfortable talking about it or fearful in most storms. He must have hidden it away so that it wouldn't show. That also answered why Hiccup was in such a hurry to hear what Johann had to say and come straight back to Berk before the storm hit. He didn't want to get caught in what he feared, but he, Astrid, and their dragons ended up finding themselves lost in the storm.

Hiccup squeezed himself tighter, and the motion didn't go unseen by Astrid. She wrapped an arm around Hiccup's shoulders in the most comforting way she could.

"You should've said something, Hiccup. We didn't have to come out here," said Astrid.

"I-I know…but we needed to get that information. Dagur could be up to who knows what and that info could've really helped us…"

"But you should've said something about the lightning," Astrid said. Hiccup shifted uncomfortably.

"Y-Yeah, but I-I…" Hiccup sighed. "It's a thunderstorm, Astrid. I'm not supposed to be scared of some little rainstorm…and here I am cowering away like a little kid…I'm fifteen for crying out loud! I shouldn't be scared of some itty-bitty—"

Thunder boomed from above and light flashed brightly. Hiccup squeaked.

"...storm," he finished quietly. The young viking buried his head in his knees.

Astrid chewed her lower lip and held Hiccup close. "Hey, I know this is pretty scary for you right now, especially what happened with the lightning a while back, but it's going to be okay Hiccup. You're safe here. Toothless, Stormfly, and I won't let anything happen to you, alright?"

To further prove her statement, Toothless nuzzled Hiccup's side and Stormfly sat down protectively near the cave entrance, blocking its view so Hiccup wouldn't be able to see the raging storm outside. The Nadder didn't even flinch at the loud rolls of thunder or sudden flashes of lightning.

Astrid turned Hiccup so he was facing him. "And if you ever find yourself feeling scared in the middle of a storm, come talk to me. I'm here to help, Hiccup. You just have to ask."

The blonde then pulled Hiccup into a hug, and the auburn-haired teen was rather surprised by the sudden gesture. But he didn't dislike it at all. Astrid's embrace was warm. Comforting. She had only hugged him a few times but every time she did, Hiccup couldn't help but feel reassured that everything was going to be okay. Hiccup's thin arms wrapped around Astrid, and the two sat like that for a while. Astrid was the first to pull away and she smiled.

"We'll wait here until the storm ends," she said. "Then we'll head back to Berk."

Hiccup nodded and he, Astrid, Toothless, and Stormfly sat in the cave, to wait out the storm. Every time thunder boomed, or lightning sparked, Hiccup found that he wasn't as scared as he had been before. Astrid kept her arm wrapped around his shoulders, and Hiccup didn't even flinch at the sound of thunder and lightning anymore at this point.

He wasn't scared anymore. Why? Because he had Astrid, Toothless, and Stormfly. They were there for him, and they wouldn't let anything happen to him, no matter what.