Unintentional Hero

Author: Nightstar Fury of Nightstar Productions

Rated: M for a variety of things that will happen

Pairing: Hiccup/Astrid

Disclaimer: I do not own HTTYD

24: Precious Gift

As he'd promised, Hayden returned to the hotel later on. They knew that for sure if Hayden made a promise, then he'd keep it no matter what his mood was and as they expected, when he returned to the hotel, he just sat in the chair by the window for most of the night. When they all went to sleep they never knew if Hayden did the same. When morning came, it was their last day back in Berk. Come Saturday, they had to be at Fort Dreki by 8am to catch the plane back to Iraq. Since the funeral was over, they weren't sure what to do with their day. It was almost the end of June, and all students were out of school. Hayden knew his family wanted to see him and he wanted to make sure Avery was okay since she'd been sick originally but when he saw her at the funeral she looked a lot better.

"So what is the plan for today?" Theo asked.

"It doesn't matter. You can do what you want..." Hayden stated calmly.

"Well your...friends invited us to the park for lunch. You wanna come with?" Daryl asked gently.

"I might as well. This might be the only time I'm home until the tour ends..." Hayden sighed as he got up from the chair and cracked his back.

"Did you even sleep last night?" Jason questioned.

"In the chair," Hayden answered before grabbing his civilian clothes and heading to the bathroom to shower. After ten minutes he was out and dressed his boots, black jeans, and a tan tank top. He checked the time: it was only 9:30am now. They were supposed to meet at the park in two hours with Camille, Avery, and his friends. He plopped back down in the chair and closed his eyes: honestly, he just wanted to get back to Iraq so the tour could finish and end. He felt wrong saying that he wanted to go back but at the same time, he didn't. The senior year would be starting in two months, and Hayden was worried he might not make it to his own sister's graduation. He'd pushed for the time off but didn't know if it would be approved, given how things were in Iraq and now this whole five day pass for a funeral thing.

"How's your arm?" Eli said to him.

"Healing still...Should be fine in a week," Hayden responded with his eyes closed and then after ten minutes of silence he ended up falling asleep again-they could tell when his head drooped down.

(Two Hours Later)

Hayden slept the entire two hours before they had to leave, Daryl was the one who woke him up so they could make it. Hayden took Toothless while the other five took the Humvee to the park. Of course his sister, Avery, and friends were already there. Surprisingly so were Ethan, Dylan, and Heather. Hayden got off his dragon as he landed: Toothless quickly found a spot to sunbathe in and sleep-then Hayden greeted his sister and girlfriend. Avery hugged him tightly, of course, and then just about refused to let go of him. They'd brought a basket of food: sandwiches, chips, cookies and also they brought a cooler full of drinks like powerade and soda, some water bottles too. "I've really missed being in these arms..." Avery sighed out after Hayden had kissed her.

"I know you have. You told me in your letter with the package of snacks that my gluttonous squadron decided to tear into. But I did enjoy the cookies," Hayden said and gave a soft smile.

"Hey, she said to share..." Theo reminded.

"Yeah. Share, as in all of us. Not you take the box and leave me the cookies..." Hayden rolled his eyes then sighed. "How are you feeling?"

"Much better, doctor said it was a bug," Avery smiled at him.

"We thought for sure she was pregnant," Rachel chuckled.

"And I find myself inquiring as to how everyone came to the assumption when I haven't seen her in six months," Hayden remarked shortly.

"Cuz it just happened so suddenly," Seth explained.

"First of all. Before deployment, the last time I saw Avery was the graduation day when Flinvor graduated Basic. Second of all, I only saw her for maybe five minutes the day I got deployed. So you tell me where in that time frame she could have possibly gotten pregnant? I was stationed in Visithug for nine months, and only home on a twenty-four hour pass where I'm just about sure I saw everyone," Hayden asked. They were shrugging now. "Like I told Cami...I wouldn't do that to Avery. Run the risk of getting her pregnant while I'm deployed...I couldn't do that to her or myself. God forbid anything happens to me...I don't want Avery to have to go through what Ritka's fiancee, child, and family are going through right now," Hayden sighed.

"So that's why...you were in the neighborhood on Tuesday. You were sent to tell his family?" Seth asked. Hayden nodded.

"And I don't ever want to have to do it again..." he mumbled shortly after.

"So if you weren't deployed and like...stationed in Berk would you two..." Heather started.

"Okay! Let's just drop the conversation now. Wouldn't matter where I'm stationed, I can still deployed anytime for an unknown amount of time and I wouldn't risk Avery getting pregnant when I can't be home to take care of her and the baby. Now leave it alone. Avery and I have only been dating a year, no where near ready for kids and not in the best position to be having one," Hayden huffed as she was burying her face in his shirt as she was sitting in his lap.

"How's your arm?" Camille asked.

"It's fine...only needed ten stitches this time," Hayden reassured her, motioning to his arm now. He flashed back on a moment to when it happened. Ritka had been reloading his gun and Hayden was covering him but when he turned to avoid fire, the bullet ripped through his right arm. Hayden blinked and shook his head.

"You okay babe?" Avery asked him softly.

"Yeah..." he said then leaned down and kissed her again, deeply this time. "I love you."

"I love you too," She replied after the kiss when her cheeks were flushed red from blushing.

"Awe, you two are so cute," Camille giggled.

"Shut it, sis," Hayden chuckled softly. Hayden noticed that Dylan was sitting close to her, their hands almost touching. Dylan opened the cooler and offered her a water bottle and Hayden felt the urge to hit him, to warn him to stay away from his sister but refrained, of course.

"So you have to go back tomorrow?" Rachel asked.

"Yep. Plane to catch at 8am from Fort Dreki..." Jason laid back on the grass.

"And no word on when your tour ends yet, huh?" Heather asked.

"Nothing yet. Hopefully soon," Hayden shrugged.

"Are...you gonna make it to the graduation?" Camille inquired.

"I put in for two weeks leave for next June. Haven't heard it that's been approved or denied yet, it all depends on how bad the war is when that time comes and if they can afford to let go of any soldiers who fight the front lines," Hayden replied.

"Hayden and Toothless are part of one of the best aerial strike teams on base. As soon as we landed, he was sent out on Toothless to fight and push them bastards back," Daryl chuckled.

"Alright, knock it off. It wasn't that big a deal guys...Toothless is just faster," Hayden sighed.

"Faster, smarter, blends in with night sky, has no shot limit, and incredibly protective over you. I still can't get over him finding you and Marx that night and bringin ya back. Hell, isn't Toothless the reason you were requested to go to Iraq?" Theo smiled. Hayden face-palmed.

"Wait...you were...requested in Iraq?" Avery said.

"They heard I bonded with a Night Fury from the officers in Afghanistan and then just...requested for backup soldiers to come and made sure that Alpha Fire was one of the squads coming too," Hayden told her calmly now.

"Yeah, they didn't need us, just Haddock but knew he wouldn't come without us!" Jason laughed punching Hayden in the arm as he glared.

"God damn it, Tarelto! Can I remind you I was shot in that arm a week ago, ya fuckin asshole!" he growled holding his arm.

"Oops...Sorry Lieutenant..." Jason winced back.

"You okay?" Camille asked.

"I'll live." Hayden sighed as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a pill bottle: he opened it and poured one into his palm before swallowing it then placing the cap back on to put it away in his pocket.

"What are those?" Avery asked.

"Pain killers, makes it so I can't feel shit from being shot," Hayden smiled, kissing her forehead. They all ended up having a good time for the next hour. Hayden stayed pretty quiet, relaxing on the grass and trying to block out his unit talking about Ritka and some of the more memorable moments since they all met in Afghanistan. Hayden hated it. He'd lost so many people since joining the military. Parkins, Richards, Oivind, now Ritka. There were a handful of others too but there were too many to name off. He kept his eyes open because every time he closed them he only saw death around him: his nightmare from before he woke up never stopped. It happened constantly and he was losing sleep over it.

"Haddock, you remember when your girl sent that package last month? With Ritka tryin' to steal the snacks?" Theo asked.

"Yeah..." Hayden trailed off quietly as he sat up now and Toothless nuzzled his cheek then dropped his army coat in his lap, he stared at it a good thirty seconds before he slipped it on his arms and stood up. "I remember...Good times. Always good times with Ritka..." he added before standing up and staring the sky silently.

"Haddock, you know that...it's okay to be upset about it right? He was a good friend to all of us. No one is gonna hold it against you for talking about how you feel or even crying. Hell I cried last night after everyone went to bed," Theo said to him.

"I know, Theo. I was awake when you did it. I know that no one will hold it against me. But you tell me what crying is going to do, or talking will do?" Hayden glanced back before looking at the sky again. "It's not like it will bring him back..." Hayden felt something hit the back of his leg as he turned around and saw a small blue and red ball, then a small boy about age seven rushing over to get it. Hayden turned over the ball and knelt down as the boy approached him. Avery and the others watched closely as the boy held out his hands for the ball.

"Can I please have my ball mister soldier man?" the boy asked. Hayden offered a smile as he crouched down and handed it to him. Avery just smiled: that was adorable to her.

"Here ya go kiddo," Hayden told him and the boy smiled brightly.

"Thank you for keepin us safe!" the little boy offered a salute then rushed to the sidewalk to get across to his mother who was waiting for him: she waved and mouthed a thank you also. Hayden sighed: he was always thanked for his service or whatever. The kid probably wouldn't have even known he was a soldier if he hadn't been wearing the jacket. The kid went to walk across the street but Toothless snorted and Hayden looked at where his head was looking. A group of cyclists were speeding towards them. Hayden looked back to the boy who was about to walk right in their path and wasn't paying attention because he was looking at his ball still. The kid started walking and Hayden just reacted right away. He dashed forward in seconds, grabbed the kid by the back of his tee shirt and pulled him back against him in his arms, falling back to the ground as the cyclists just sped by without even stopping. The worried mother quickly rushed across the sidewalk to get to him. Hayden had the kid on his chest and stomach with his arms around him when the mother got there.

"Oh bless your heart for saving my baby! Thank you...thank you so much!" she cried as Hayden released the child and sat up slowly then got to his feet, watching the mother cradle her young son and kissing his forehead to make sure he was okay.

"Lived here all my life and those cyclists never pay attention...Don't mention it, I see trouble and I just act," Hayden told her calmly.

"Thank you so much! Tommy, say thank you to the man for saving you..." the mother said gently.

"Oh no, really...It's okay. I'm glad he's alright." Hayden crouched to his level again and handed him the ball he'd dropped when Hayden grabbed him. "You hang tight to the ball now, okay? And always look both ways before crossing any street, even if it's a sidewalk. Can you promise me you'll do that?" Hayden asked him. The boy nodded his head quickly. The mother took his hand and then they were gone.

"Even off the field you still save people..." Jasmine beamed.

"Yeah yeah, instinct I guess..." Hayden sighed walking back over to them and sitting down on the blanket.

"Haddock, take a shot with us." Daryl said tossing him a shot glass and he caught it then saw Daryl pull out a bottle of Southern Comfort.

"We aren't supposed to drink on leave, guys." Hayden reminded them.

"We ain't on leave right now, this was a funeral. And we go back tomorrow...Come on. One shot?" Jason pushed.

"Hayden I didn't know you drank," Camille and Avery said, blinking a bit.

"He doesn't, not often anyway. It's forbidden on deployment, and on any military bases in the Archipelago. But we're civilians right now. It's one shot, Haddock...it won't hurt you. Not like anything could," Daryl pointed out.

"He did just take that pain killer guys..." Theo reminded.

"Oh right," Jason sighed. Hayden rolled his eyes and leaned forward a bit then turned his glass upward for them to pour in the alcohol for the shot.

"Fuck it. One shot for Ritka," Hayden smiled.

"Yeah! Atta boy, Haddock!" Eli, Daryl, and Jason cheered as Daryl poured him a shot and they all held their glasses full in a circle. "You wanna give the toast?" Eli asked looking at Hayden.

"Alright, gimme a minute." He took a breath, "For our fallen soldier, friend, and teammate...you gave your life for ours and we ain't gonna sit around and mourn you because something tells me that you'd just shake your head and call us a bunch of pussies for cryin over you." Hayden heard his friends laugh, they all had a shot except for Jasmine. "No, to you we will celebrate your life as if you are still here with us. You died a hero. A very brave, selfless, loyal hero. And we will never forget you brother. This is for you, Ritka- who iss up there with the greats having a party of his own and probably annoying the shit outta everyone. To Ritka!" Hayden called out.

"To Ritka!" Eli, Daryl, Theo, and Jason cheered as they clanked glasses and then all took the shot and slammed their glasses down laughing.

"Ugh, I hate that you drink soco...Why can't you grab Fireball or Captain Morgan." Jason stuck his tongue out.

"Hey, don't be knockin soco. You assholes loved it when we snuck off base with Ritka back on Titanwing and got drunk," Daryl chuckled.

"You guys snuck off base to go drinking?" Ethan asked.

"Yeah, right after Jasmine's graduation. We snuck out of the barracks to the bar just two miles away from base. Hangover sucked the next morning but so worth it," Hayden laughed.

"And whose bright idea was it to sneak out?" Camille asked now. The guys looked at one another then laughed harder.

"Who else? The trouble maker, Ritka!" Theo said as the guys high fived one another and relaxed again.

"Man this is great...sucks we have to go back tomorrow." Daryl said sighing out. They all lounged about for another few hours enjoying the drinks-non alcoholic, and leftover food. Around 4:30pm, they were packing up to get ready to leave when a woman and her daughter rushed up to them.

"Haddock look...It's Ritka's fiancee and daughter..." Jason pointed out as Hayden turned to look.

"Wait! Lieutenant, please wait..." she called to him. Hayden turned completely as she came to a stop, panting.

"Is there something wrong?" Hayden asked her. Why would she rush over to them and ask them to wait? She smiled softly now as she caught her breath after Eli handed her a water bottle.

"Nothing is wrong, we've been looking for you all day. Isabelle wanted to see you and I knew you'd be shipping out tomorrow. She's insisted on seeing you before you left." Hayden looked down at Isabelle now who was holding a small teddy bear in her arms that wore an army hat and coat. Hayden took a knee and used his arms to lean on his leg as he offered her a smile.

"You're...the one who brought my Daddy home, right?" Isabelle asked him, Hayden was a little shocked by the question but nodded to her. Isabelle pulled the bear away from her and then took his hand and gave him the bear to hold. "It's for you." she said. Hayden's eyes widened a bit as the others just watched from the sides to see what was going on.

"But this is your bear, I don't want to take it..." Hayden told her, trying to hand it back but she pushed it back to him.

"When Daddy was...umm...deployed, I was scared but he gave me this bear and told me dat it would keep me safe until he came home." She took a breath as Hayden looked at the bear: Ritka gave this to his daughter...so why would she give it to him suddenly? "My Daddy is home now so I want you to take Beary to keep you safe...until you come home too," Isabelle said as the group gasped at what she said and Hayden just about stumbled at her words.

"I think your Daddy would want...you to keep Beary to keep you safe." Hayden told her.

"But Beary only kept me safe until Daddy came home. And Daddy is home. Mommy says that I can't see him anymore but he still with us and always will be so Daddy will keep me safe now. You take Beary to keep you safe til you come home. Beary will protect you like he protected me. But I have Daddy now so you need someone to keep you safe," Isabelle said. Hayden's eyes just about watered as he looked at the little girl before him who had the widest smile on her face and wanted him to take her bear. "Take Beary please? I want you to be safe and I know Beary will keep you safe."

How could Hayden tell her no? "I'm sure he will. Thank you," Hayden told her now: without warning she kissed his cheek and then wrapped her arms around his neck as far as she could reach and Hayden was slow in his movements but he hugged her back. Camille, Rachel, and Avery were weeping slightly as the guys just stood in shock.

"Thank you for bringing my Daddy home to me and Mommy," Isabelle told him.

"You're welcome. Your Daddy was a good friend of mine and I'll treasure this for the rest of my life," Hayden said, holding the bear against his chest.

"Can we go for ice cream, Mama?" Isabelle asked her mother-who nodded, and then was dragged off by her daughter while Hayden stood there holding the bear in his hands.

"Hayden?" Avery asked.

"Just...don't ask right now...I'll see you in the morning." Hayden kissed her forehead as he jumped on Toothless's back and was gone seconds later. They wanted to stop him but knew he wouldn't listen right now. Ritka's little girl came and gave Hayden a precious gift of a bear to keep him safe since she'd said that it kept her safe when her Daddy wasn't home. Now that Ritka was home, the little girl wanted to pass the gift along to someone else to keep them safe. His army buds, they knew Hayden wanted to be alone right now: every time they thought he might be okay and recovering more, things like this happened and it set him back. All they knew right now was Hayden was a mess, they didn't know how to help him, and they were going back to Iraq in the morning.