A/N: Hello! It's been a while. I was sick for a couple weeks (and I'm sure all of you can guess what I was sick with). It wasn't so bad, but it lingered for a while and I wasn't always in the mood for writing. I did want to make sure that this new chapter was up in time for Hiccup's birthday, and I mostly made it.
Now that I'm pretty much recovered I do have to catch up on some things for my work, so there won't be regular updates for a few weeks. I will try to get back to a regular schedule as soon as I can though! Which of my stories do people want to see a new chapter for the most? I'll make that story the priority once the final part of this story is up.
—
Part 2: A Reason to Celebrate
Leaning back against a counter with a feeling of satisfaction, Hiccup gave himself a moment to catch his breath and enjoy the organized forge. It had been getting messier with each day as the forge became busier with the coming of spring. It was time to fix up tools for farming, repair any leaks in the stables, and restore rusted weapons.
The increasing mess of the forge had been bothering Hiccup and when he had finished his morning tasks, he had finally found the time to clean up and reorganize while Gobber was out working on something.
"Hey!" Hiccup protested, pushing off the counter to stand up straight as Gobber entered and proceeded to dump his tools and supplies on the ground and surfaces around him.
"What are you doing just standing around? There's lots to do." Gobber ignored Hiccup's protests and went about moving things around to find what he was looking for. Hiccup huffed and started to pick up the new pile of things that now littered his newly cleaned forge.
"I just finished with my tasks... and cleaning up." Hiccup answered as he continued to pick up after his mentor and friend.
"Then I have some more tasks for you." Gobber peered around the forge, used to finding what he needed from the former piles of scattered items.
"What do you need?" Hiccup asked, seeing that Gobber couldn't find what he was looking for.
"I need to gets supplies over to one of Mulch's yak stables, there's some water damage to the roof..." Gobber looked around some more, finally spotting what he needed on a high shelf. "And we need to get Ack's plow fixed, but I can't send you to do either job because..."
Hiccup reached over Gobber and snatched up the tool he had been trying to reach, then handed it to him.
"...you're just a little boy." Gobber finished, stricken as he looked back at a confused Hiccup. "Who are you?"
"Uh..." Hiccup didn't know what Gobber was going on about.
"When did you get so tall?" Gobber was looking at Hiccup with a scrutinizing gaze. "When did you start looking so grown up? How old are you?"
"Uh... I've looked this way for a while now..." Hiccup was thrown by all the questions. It seemed that it hadn't quite sunk in for Gobber until right then, that Hiccup had grown a lot since his sixteenth birthday. He still looked young and probably had some more growing to do, but he didn't look like the little fifteen year old boy he had been. In fact, he was taller than Gobber now and catching up to his dad in height, though Hiccup knew that he'd never outgrow his dad.
Gobber grumbled for a moment, though he seemed to be trying to hold back some emotions. "You were supposed to stay that little kid who looked up at me with an innocent face and asked me annoying questions all the time... Now, you're looking down at me."
"I... still look up to you, metaphorically..." Hiccup replied, unsure of Gobber's odd behavior.
After staring at Hiccup with a look of nostalgia, to the point where the young man started to fidget uncomfortably, Gobber finally tore his gaze away and snapped out of it. He sniffled and cleared his throat.
"Well, I suppose you're ready to move on to bigger tasks in the forge. It's about time too. It made me cringe watching you sharpening weapons that weighed more than you did." Gobber went back to his task of gathering supplies as if the whole exchange hadn't even happened. "Or pumping the bellows with your entire weight and still struggling..."
"Gobber." Hiccup tried to interrupt what seemed to be his mentor reminiscing on, more than he was criticizing, little Hiccup's former struggles.
"How old are you again?" Gobber asked, ignoring Hiccup's interruption.
"Um..." Hiccup suddenly looked unsure of himself, then he answered in a more quiet voice. "Almost seventeen."
Gobber raised his eyebrows as if he were just realizing what time of year it was. It was nearly Hiccup's birthday and he had let himself get so busy that he'd almost forgotten. The old blacksmith felt a pang of guilt and his face softened.
"Seventeen." Gobber stated proudly, though he knew Hiccup didn't like his birthday. "That's almost an official adult."
"Yeah..." Hiccup didn't seem very enthused. Turning eighteen would be a big change for him, because his dad would really be on him to start taking his future as chief more seriously. At least that was a year away.
"Instead of staying in the forge and doing busy work, how about you take one of my other tasks? Your choice." Gobber offered. Choosing between two tasks wouldn't seem like a lot of fun to most people, but Hiccup liked forge work, he liked to keep busy. He was probably growing bored doing menial tasks in the forge when he was capable of doing so much more. Gobber was showing Hiccup that he trusted him with the bigger, more important tasks— and he would be allowed to work on one of them by himself.
"I'll work on the farming equipment." Hiccup answered quickly, the light back in his eyes despite the reminder of his birthday. Before Gobber could say anything in response, Hiccup was zipping around him to pick up some of the supplies the blacksmith had left on the floor when he'd arrived. Hiccup slipped some of the tools into the pockets of his apron and selected a few more things from their places in the mostly organized forge, then he was headed for the door. "Thanks Gobber!"
Gobber watched his apprentice leave, shaking his head in fond exasperation. Hiccup was growing up, but he'd always be the same quirky and kind-hearted soul.
—
Hiccup was happy to be able to do some work outside, the cool spring breeze welcome after the heat of the forge. He knew the workings of the farming equipment well, even if he hadn't ever had to do repairs on them by himself. He had come a long way since his inventions that often caused more problems than they solved. With Gobber more willing to teach him about mechanics than before, Hiccup had improved in his inventing and people were more willing to give them a chance. Now, with Gobber trusting him to do some more important work on his own, it finally felt like his apprenticeship was progressing, that his skills were going somewhere.
"Gobber told me I could find you out here." The familiar voice of Stoick broke through Hiccup's concentration and he lowered the tool he was using so that he could face his father.
"Oh, hi dad." Hiccup gave his dad an inquiring look, wondering what he needed.
"He said you jumped at the chance to come out here on your own." Stoick smiled, seeing that Hiccup had really poured himself into his work.
"Well, he finally realized that I'm not the incapable, little kid I used to be." Hiccup looked down at the tool he had in his hand, fidgeting with it. Stoick frowned, not liking the way his son put himself down so easily.
"You know what tomorrow is?" Stoick pushed forward, wanting to ask the question that had him searching out his son in the first place. He could address Hiccup's negativity later, and it was probably due to what time of year it was anyway.
Hiccup nearly groaned as he closed his eyes in exasperation for a moment. He did know what tomorrow was, and he wasn't happy about it either.
"Tomorrow is February twenty-eighth." Stoick answered his own question. "Technically the day before your birthday, even though there isn't a twenty-ninth this year."
"What about it?" Hiccup finally met his father's eyes again, though it was clear on his face that he didn't want to have this conversation.
"Well, I've been thinking about it and... I don't want to ignore your birthday anymore." Stoick admitted, causing Hiccup to blink in surprise. "I know that's what you wanted last year, but I don't want to do that anymore. I ignored your birthday for years, and I shouldn't have ever done that. I may have lost your mom not long after you were born, but I gained a talented, wonderful son. Your mother would want me to celebrate what I gained, not what I lost... if you'll let me?"
"Okay..." Hiccup couldn't help but give in after Stoick brought up what his mother would have wanted. His mother meant so much to his dad, and the idea of her meant a lot to himself. "What do you want to do?"
Stoick smiled, having expected more of a fight from his son on the matter. The smile faltered however, when it occurred to him that Hiccup just really didn't care enough about his own birthday to put up that fight. The day really didn't mean anything to him and he'd do what his dad wanted, if only to get through it and put it behind him. Hiccup would do what his dad wanted in order to help him to feel better about himself and his past neglect of his son... For Hiccup, it wasn't about himself.
"It's your day, you should be the one to decide." Stoick pointed out, but it seemed that Hiccup was done humoring his dad as he just stared back at him with a blank expression— if it were his choice, then he would do nothing.
"Look, I cleared my entire day tomorrow. Gobber and Spitelout are taking care of my responsibilities, and Astrid offered to assist Gobber with anything, and volunteered your friends' help as well." Stoick couldn't help the amusement at the memory of Astrid volunteering the time of the group of friends, despite some protests. She had silenced those protests pretty fast too.
Hiccup listened with a renewed interest, remembering a childhood full of hope that his dad would give him another entire day where it was just the two of them. Where he set aside his chiefly duties to focus on his son, instead of the other way around.
"Why don't you fly us somewhere nice, and we can spend the whole day together?" Stoick suggested, surprising his son. Toothless raised his head from his resting spot in the sun, at the mention of flying. He had followed Hiccup out to the farming fields, then fell asleep to the familiar sounds of Hiccup's tinkering.
"Really?" Hiccup didn't want to get his hopes up. He had spent a lot of past birthdays with raised hopes that his dad would do something special for him again, just to be severely disappointed. Eventually, he had found it much easier and less painful to expect nothing. Though, when nothing happened, just like he expected, it still somehow made him feel bad.
"All day, then we can camp out, and return home on the first." Stoick confirmed with a smile, seeing that Hiccup was tentative but interested. "I think Gobber wants to cook for us when we get back and... Astrid might want to spend some time with you too."
Hiccup somehow got away without blushing. He really should be used to his dad making comments like that by now.
Finally, Hiccup smiled up at his dad, not being able to resist. Those plans really did sound very nice and it meant a lot to him that his dad was making an effort, was willing to set aside his chiefly duties just for a day with his son.
"I think I know where we could go, I mapped it out the other day." Hiccup finally let himself get excited as he told his dad about this new island that he and Toothless had found.
—
There had been no doubt in Hiccup's mind that he could successfully fix up the farming equipment, despite having never had the chance to do it on his own before. Once he had finished, he had informed Ack, gathered up his supplies, and headed back to the forge, Toothless following behind. It was only about midday and not too far of a walk, so Hiccup hadn't bothered with the idea of flying back. It would have been more effort to get set up to fly the short distance than to just walk.
Hiccup faltered, confused as the weight of the bag of tools he had draped over one shoulder, suddenly became lighter. As he looked to the side, expecting to find Toothless insisting on helping again, he was surprised to find Astrid taking the bag from him and draping it over her own shoulder with a smile.
"You look so confused." Astrid commented with a slight chuckle.
"Well, you came out of nowhere and Toothless never warns me when you're sneaking up on me." Hiccup glanced over his shoulder to see a smug Night Fury. Astrid merely chuckled once more.
"So I hear that you and your dad are spending the day together, tomorrow." She inquired.
"And I hear that you offered yours and our friends' time, helping Gobber with things tomorrow." Hiccup slowed as he looked to Astrid with a sincere smile. "Thanks."
Astrid smiled, looking down for a moment at the displayed gratitude. "Does that mean that you consider tomorrow your birthday? Or do you consider the first your birthday, because I've been wondering. It is kind of a... unique situation."
"Uh..." Hiccup suddenly seemed less enthusiastic. "Technically, tomorrow is the day before my birthday, and since there is no twenty-ninth, the first would be the day my birthday falls on instead."
"I guess that makes sense... though, that is weird. You're birthday month is February, but more often than not, your birthday lands in an entire different month." Astrid puzzled out.
"It's never really bothered me before, I don't think about it very much." Hiccup looked forward again, his pace no longer very leisurely.
"Right... I'm sorry to bring it up." Astrid picked up on Hiccup's change in mood. "I was just curious... and... I know you're spending tomorrow with Stoick, but I was hoping you'd want to spend some time with me, on the first."
Hiccup forced himself to slow back down, knowing that Astrid wasn't trying to make him feel bad. His birthday was on an odd day, she just wanted to know how it worked for him. On his sixteenth birthday, there had been a twenty-ninth, so they hadn't had to deal with it. She wasn't trying to remind him that it had never really mattered when his birthday was, in the past. Both days were always a disappointment. He spent both days alone, he hated both days...
"I'm sorry." Hiccup stopped and looked directly at her. "I don't mean to be rude... I just, I don't like thinking about it."
"I understand." Astrid assured him. She wanted to take his hand, to comfort him, but even though they had held hands on his sixteenth birthday and she had even given him a kiss on the cheek, they hadn't done anything like that for a while. They were older now, they looked older too, and little things like that had more meaning than they had before. She was pretty sure Hiccup had feelings for her, and she knew that she had feelings for him, but she wasn't sure if now was the right time for them to confront those feelings.
"Uh, yeah." Hiccup answered Astrid's inquiry, then expanded when he realized his response didn't match what Astrid had just said. "Gobber is going to cook dinner again, on my birthday. And me and my dad will be back, so... if you wanted to join us, that would be fine. I'd like that. Though it's really beginning to feel like I'm celebrating my birthday, when that's exactly what I didn't want to do..."
"Well, it isn't really a birthday. You don't allow presents or cake, and we're not allowed to say the words 'happy birthday.' It isn't a typical celebration, more like you letting the people who care about you, be there for you on a day that you find hard." Astrid explained, making an excuse for the little get together.
"I guess." Hiccup couldn't help the smile, amused by Astrid's attempt to excuse the celebration as not being a birthday party of any kind.
"You know... I've been thinking about things." Astrid seemed hesitant to bring up the next topic of conversation, and Hiccup's smile slowly faded into a slight frown, unsure of what she was going to say next.
"I get it, last year was a hard birthday. It was the first year that you had friends and the support of your people. You didn't know what to expect. Would someone acknowledge it? Would it be like all the other ones?" Astrid met Hiccup's eyes to determine how he was taking what she was saying. His eyes were narrowed, but she couldn't quite tell if he was angered, saddened, or upset by her words, so she pressed on. "But we've all become closer, as friends. You know that we all care about you. So... shouldn't this year be different?"
Hiccup tilted his head in question, but didn't say anything.
"Things are different now. Shouldn't you have... adjusted?" Astrid continued, though she worried about Hiccup's reaction. "Having friends isn't a new concept for you anymore. Don't you think that it's about time to tell your friends... when your birthday is? They really should know by now."
"Maybe they should..." Hiccup admitted before taking on a more upset tone. "We've celebrated all of their birthdays, and yet none of them have given it a second thought that we've never celebrated mine."
"That's not exactly fair, you won't let them."
"So I'm just supposed to tell them that my birthday is coming up and that they should feel obligated to celebrate it?" Hiccup questioned. "I'm not going to do that."
"If they knew, they'd want to celebrate you."
"That's... that's not the point." Hiccup didn't quite know how to articulate how he felt. Sure, he didn't doubt that if he told the others, that they would celebrate. They liked to get together and have fun. It was more the fact that, after all this time, they hadn't considered him in the first place.
"Then what is?" Astrid pressed.
"It's... I don't know. Nothing, never mind. I'm just being petty." Hiccup looked down, ready to end the conversation right there and leave, but Astrid wasn't done pushing for more answers.
"I doubt that, you're not petty. You can tell me." Astrid gave him an encouraging smile that didn't quite seem to affect him, though he answered anyway.
"I may not like my birthday, but it doesn't exactly make me feel any better to see that nothing has changed. After all this time, people don't consider me, they don't... care."
"People care about you, Hiccup." Astrid reassured him.
"Not for the right reasons..." Hiccup answered so quietly that Astrid almost missed it.
"What do you mean?" Astrid became immediately concerned, but it seemed that Hiccup was done talking now. He reached out and took his bag of tools back from her, then started walking briskly toward the forge, Toothless quick to follow.
"I have to meet up with Gobber." Hiccup said in parting, leaving behind a confused and concerned Astrid.
—
When Hiccup made it back to the forge, he dropped all of his things— much like Gobber had done earlier— without a care for his newly cleaned forge, and went straight to his backroom, grateful that his mentor didn't seem to be there yet. He shed his apron, leaving it in a heap on the ground, sat at his desk, and let out a breath.
He moved his hands to either side of his face and closed his eyes, continuing to take deep breaths and letting them out slowly. Astrid's words had brought back a lot of memories, had brought back past feelings, had triggered all of these things to hit him all at once. He had been desperate to get away, to hide himself before anyone saw how close to tears he had gotten.
A sad coo and the familiar bump of Toothless' nose against him, caused Hiccup to open his eyes. Without thinking, Hiccup reached out a hand to feel the comfort of his dragon's warm scales as he pet the top of his head.
"She says she understands, but she doesn't..." Hiccup said quietly, Toothless coming closer to rest his head in his best friend's lap— both warming him and providing much needed comfort. Toothless made another sound, encouraging him to keep talking.
"I don't know why it gets to me so much. It shouldn't. It's just another day..." Hiccup started talking, knowing that Toothless would do his best to understand. He could always rely on Toothless, he could say whatever he needed to, and the dragon would always be there for him. "But it isn't just another day. There are so many expectations for a birthday. They're supposed to be special, they're supposed to make that person feel special and loved— a celebration of them. And maybe if I hadn't had that one birthday that I remember, where I did feel special and loved, the others that followed wouldn't have felt so empty. I spent a lot of my childhood on the outside, looking in. I saw the things people would do for each other, how considerate they could be. Parents making special orders at the forge for their children, for their birthdays. The friends I wanted, back then, trying to make each other feel special on their birthdays. And I... was always alone. No one thought of me, no one considered me, no one wanted to make me feel special. It was a cruel reminder that I wasn't one of them, I wasn't part of that world. I didn't think I ever would be..."
Toothless made another cooing sound, leaning up to nuzzle Hiccup's face before settling back on his lap, letting his friend continue to pet him. Hiccup had explained birthdays to him the year before, and the dragon understood that Hiccup associated them with a lonely childhood. Toothless knew that Hiccup didn't have a happy past, and he understood that these birthdays made him unhappy too.
"Things are different now, and people don't treat me like they used to... but they didn't ever acknowledge how they used to treat me. They just want to ignore it, like nothing ever happened, and they expect me to move on too. And just the fact that I haven't, makes me a terrible person." Hiccup continued to talk, though Toothless grumbled when his friend put himself down. "I try not to think about it, to move on, but there are times when that is hard to do. They started liking me because I was able to help them make peace with dragons, not because they liked me as a person— they never did before, so why would that change? And I can't bring any of this stuff up, or they'll think I'm weak and petty. Astrid said that things are different now, and some things are. I have friends, people are nice to me, my dad is making an effort... but people still don't... they don't like me for me, they like me for what I can do for them."
Hiccup seemed to be struggling to explain what he meant as he stopped petting Toothless' head for a moment and ran his hands through his hair in distress.
"Is it too much to ask for... does it make me a horribly selfish person... to want someone to do something considerate for me, not because they have to or are obligated to, but because they want to? My dad is going to spend a whole day with me, because he wants to, and that is the most selfless thing someone has done for me for my birthday in a long time. Astrid stayed by my side last year, to support me, and that was nice too, but she wants me to tell our friends that it's almost my birthday so that they can celebrate too? It sounds like it could be nice... but, all this time and they haven't even considered that I must have a birthday too. They've made no effort... and I feel like a terrible person for feeling this way, but I don't want them to celebrate because they feel like they have to, I only want them to celebrate if it is something they want to do, because I mean something to them... We haven't even been friends for two years yet, and half the time I feel like I'm babysitting them while they complain about learning about dragons." Hiccup admitted to the root of his problem, to feelings he had been unwilling to talk about with anyone else and likely still wouldn't, if he could help it. "I'm a terrible person and a terrible friend."
Hiccup let his head fall into his hands, alarming Toothless. The Night Fury purred and nuzzled closer, hoping to be able to help calm his friend.
The closeness to his best friend brought comfort to Hiccup, knowing that at least Toothless would always be a genuine friend, and after a while, he felt better enough to stand back up and get back to work.
"Come on Toothless, I need to clean up the forge again." Hiccup wiped at his face to rid himself of any evidence of having gotten emotional. "Then we need to get back home and pack up for tomorrow."
Toothless cooed in agreement, following behind Hiccup and being sure to keep a close eye on him.
—
Waking up early wasn't exactly something Hiccup enjoyed doing. He could and usually did because Toothless was an early riser, but he would rather start his day a couple hours later. On the day before his birthday, he would prefer to not get out of bed at all. However, on this particular morning, Hiccup was awake, packed, and ready to go— Toothless all set in his flying rigging. They were just waiting on Stoick.
"I didn't realize you would be up so early." Stoick commented as he exited the house, a small pack in his hands. He knew his son's sleeping habits fairly well.
"I figured we'd want to try to get there earlier, so that we'd actually have the whole day to spend together when we get there." Hiccup answered as he took his dad's pack and attached it to Toothless.
"I'm not the one who has a problem with waking up early." Stoick teased. As chief, he was always up early and sometimes even after a late night too.
"Chief!"
Hiccup and Stoick both turned around in surprise to see Ack coming up toward them, a look of urgency on his face.
"What is it?" Stoick asked in an annoyed tone. He had been hoping that the early hour would allow them to leave in peace.
"I was preparing to start plowing this morning." Ack glanced at Hiccup who had worked on his equipment the previous day. "And I noticed that part of the land is starting to flood from the melting snow."
"Ack, you've been doing this work for how many years now? I'm sure you know what to do, and if you need help, take it up with Gobber and Spitelout. Today, I'm not the chief, I'm just a father." Stoick gestured for Hiccup to mount his dragon, but his son hesitated. Ack just stared at the two with a look of disbelief.
"Dad... if you need to take care of things, I understand." Hiccup protested. The last thing he wanted to do was get in the way of the well-being of their home and their people, even if he did appreciated his dad trying to put him first. Stoick had made the effort and Hiccup appreciated it, even if it was disappointing that things weren't going to work out.
"No, Hiccup." Stoick said a little too sternly, then turned back to Ack. "This happens every year, and we take care of it, every year. I thought you would have prepared for it, but since you didn't, go find Gobber and he'll arrange for some people to help you."
Ack just stood there for a moment, listening to his chief reprimand him and give him direction, before finally rushing off to do as he was told.
"Let's go." Stoick gestured for Hiccup to mount Toothless, wanting to get out of there before something else happened or someone else insisted on asking him for something.
"But..." Hiccup didn't move, so Stoick climbed onto the Night Fury and held out a hand to his son. Hiccup stared at the proffered hand for a moment, then looked up into his dad's eyes. Stoick softened his expression and insisted, finally getting Hiccup to concede and allow his dad to help him climb aboard.
Once Hiccup clipped himself in and connected his prosthetic to the stirrup, Toothless took flight and they finally left Berk.
—
The flight to the island that Hiccup and Toothless had recently explored and mapped out, wasn't too long. The map wasn't very big yet, since they hadn't had as much time to explore as they wanted to and hadn't managed to get that far out.
"You picked a good place, this is a beautiful island." Stoick commented as he observed their surroundings and stretched his legs. He wasn't used to flying for distances longer than one side of Berk to the other, especially since he no longer had a dragon of his own.
Hiccup just hummed in response while he fiddled with Toothless' rigging, causing Stoick to turn his attention to his son. Hiccup had been very quiet during the entire flight and for all his efforts, Stoick hadn't been able to draw him into a conversation.
"What's wrong?" Stoick asked, not bothering to beat around the bush.
"Maybe we should go back." Hiccup responded quicker than Stoick expected, telling him that his son had been dwelling on things the entire way there. "What if our people need your help? I don't want to be the reason that you weren't there, just for a stupid birthday thing."
"Hiccup, I'm trying to make you more of a priority."
"And I appreciate that, but... you don't have to, okay? I don't want it to be my fault-"
"You always go right back to tearing yourself down." Stoick interrupted, his voice coming out harsher than he intended. "Why would things be your fault?"
"Because everything was always my fault!" Hiccup matched his dad's tone, causing Stoick to blink in surprise at both the raised voice and what his son had said. Toothless growled from his position next to Hiccup, sensing his friend's distress. "No matter what I did, or didn't do... If something goes wrong while we're not there, all because you decided to come out here with me, then it'll be my fault. We tried... but we should just head back. My birthday isn't that important."
"It's important to me." Stoick clarified, his voice much calmer. He wasn't sure what to address first. "I'm sorry I raised my voice. I'm trying to make an effort, I thought you wanted to come out here with me."
"I did." Hiccup was still fidgeting with Toothless' rigging, his face turned away from his dad.
"We can still spend the day together." Stoick insisted. "You're not to blame for my decisions. I chose to be out here with you because I want to be out here with my son. I'm sorry that you feel like everything is your fault, that you have to give up so much for the sake of others. You're allowed to be happy, you're allowed to enjoy your birthday. You should have never been made to believe otherwise, and that's on me."
"I'm sorry." Hiccup said softly, like he had disappointed his father.
"For what?" Stoick was taken aback by the apology, confused at what Hiccup could possibly be sorry for.
"I... I was afraid things would go wrong, that a chance at having a good birthday was too much to hope for." Hiccup admitted. "So, when it looked like things weren't going to work out from the beginning... I figured it would be easier to just give up then, and save myself the disappointment later. I... I almost wanted things to not work out, because it feels like it's not supposed to."
Stoick took a moment to let Hiccup's words fully sink in, realizing the real damage that was done to his son. It seemed like a silly thing, something like a birthday causing so much trouble, but it was more than just that. Hiccup had been led to believe that he wasn't worth other's time or attention. That everyone was entitled to being loved and celebrated but him. Hiccup still believed that, to some extent, to think that he wasn't allowed to enjoy his birthday, to think that everything bad that happened was somehow his fault, and to think that what others needed outweighed his own needs. He was still so eager to please others, to make people like him, even though they already did.
"No, I'm sorry." Stoick put a hand on his son's back and Hiccup finally looked up at him with sad eyes, his expression almost enough to break Stoick's heart. "I should have made it clear to you, all this time, what you mean to me. I should have told you that I value you and love you. I want to spend the day with you, if you still want to?"
"What about the flooding?" Hiccup asked quietly.
"Ack made it sound worse than it probably is. That area always gets wet and swampy in the spring. We have ways of dealing with it, and Ack should know that by now." Stoick assured his son. "Sometimes our people have a tendency to rely on their chief more than they need to. They forget to think for themselves and exercise their free will. They're capable of problem solving and working without constant supervision. I will always take care of my people, but a chief isn't supposed to control their people or micromanage them. They need to be able to be independent."
"If you're sure... then I'd like to stay." Hiccup said a bit tentatively. Stoick smiled down at his son, glad to hear his answer. He had been looking forward to spending the day with just his son, and Toothless.
"I'm sure." Stoick affirmed. "How about we start preparing some lunch?"
Hiccup nodded, and the two worked together to unburden Toothless of their packs and supplies. Once free of the extra load, Toothless did his best to make sure that Hiccup really was okay.
—
There were groans and grumbled complaints as the group of friends trekked through the village after a morning full of hard work. Gobber hadn't held back on what he needed done, and since Astrid had volunteered their time, they'd had to follow through.
"Where did Hiccup and Stoick go, anyway?" Snotlout asked as they headed up to the Great Hall for lunch. All heads turned to look in Astrid's direction, though she refused to meet any of their eyes.
"I was wondering that too." Fishlegs joined in, trying to get Astrid to answer, but she didn't. She determinedly stared forward as they walked.
"Where'd they go, Astrid?" Ruffnut asked her friend directly, not caring to draw this out longer than necessary.
"How should I know?" Astrid finally responded, but with an irritated tone.
"You're the one who jumped at the chance to volunteer us for work today. Then you and Stoick talked privately." Snotlout pointed a finger in accusation at Astrid.
"He was just telling me some of the things he needed done for today." Astrid still wouldn't look back at them, staring forward instead.
"I don't buy it." Tuffnut narrowed his eyes, his sister nodding in agreement.
"I don't know what you want me to say." Astrid looked at her friends. "I can't tell you what I don't know."
With that said, Astrid picked up her pace, but instead of going to the Great Hall, she veered off and headed for home, leaving the group wondering about her behavior.
"She knows something." Snotlout said as they finally entered the Great Hall. "And we're going to find out what it is."
"I bet Gobber knows." Fishlegs suggested.
Gobber was already in the Great Hall, sitting at a table with Spitelout and finishing up his meal. He had told the group that they could head up to eat when they finished their task, but he hadn't expected it to take them so long.
"Finally finished?" Gobber asked causally.
"Cleaning out Mulch's yak stable took forever." Snotlout complained.
"Does he not do regular maintenance on that thing?" Ruffnut asked.
"He stopped using that one part way through winter, the roof took some damage." Gobber explained. "Animals still might have wandered in there on occasion though. Now that it's cleaned out, we can continue to fix it back up."
"Let me guess, we get to help with that too?" Snotlout's voice was completely devoid of enthusiasm.
"Stop complaining, it's the least you can do for your friend's birthday." Spitelout spoke up for the first time, reprimanding his son. Gobber immediately elbowed him, giving him a disbelieving look.
"Uh, what?" Snotlout responded to his dad's words with confusion.
"What?" Spitelout didn't understand what Gobber's problem was. "Hiccup had some kind of an odd birth date, didn't he? The twenty-ninth, was it? Leap Day?"
Gobber threw up his hands in exasperation and groaned. Hiccup wasn't going to be happy about his friends finding out, for whatever reason. Gobber didn't quite understand. He liked birthdays.
"Wait, Hiccup has a Leap Year birthday?" Fishlegs asked, his eyes wide.
"Why are you only telling me this now?!" Snotlout exploded at his dad.
"He's your friend, I thought you'd have already known." Spitelout said with nonchalance, not reacting to his son's outburst.
"Oh my gods... we completely missed his birthday last year!" Fishlegs worried.
"And we're missing it this year." Ruffnut pointed out.
"Why wouldn't Astrid tell us?" Tuffnut tried to puzzle out.
"Enough." Gobber interrupted sternly. "Just, leave it alone. Hiccup doesn't like to make a fuss about it, okay?"
"But we're his friends." Fishlegs pointed out.
"Just leave it alone." Gobber said again, as seriously as he could. He gave Spitelout one last glare, who merely shrugged, still not getting it, then the blacksmith left the Great Hall.
The group of friends exchanged concerned glances and came to a silent decision. They were most definitely not going to leave things alone.
—
Things had lightened up a great deal after the difficult talk between father and son upon first arriving, and they were finally starting to enjoy themselves. They had set up a campsite and snacked on some of their food, then Stoick had insisted that they go fishing for their lunch at the large pond that sat near the center of the island. It really was a beautiful place.
"So, you're going to sit there for hours, to maybe catch one fish. Meanwhile, Toothless will have caught an entire pile." Hiccup pointed out as he watched his dad cast a line and settle himself down on the grass for the wait. Fishing had never been Hiccup's favorite pastime, he had never had the patience for it as a child, and still didn't.
"My fish will be all the more enjoyable to eat after the effort I put into catching it." Stoick stubbornly persisted, getting a snicker out of his son.
"The lack of Night Fury saliva doesn't hurt, either." Hiccup pointed out as he sat down next to his dad, a relaxed smile on his face. Stoick looked down at his son after letting out a chuckle at his joke. He liked that Hiccup had settled down and committed himself to enjoying the day, as opposed to worrying about it.
They shared a pleasant conversation for a while, Stoick asking about how Hiccup and Toothless had discovered the island and what else they had found and mapped out. Hiccup was eager to share his findings and talk about his explorations. Everything was going smoothly and Stoick didn't want to spoil things, but he also had been wanting to ask his son about something.
"Why don't you want your friends to celebrate your birthday with you?" Stoick finally asked his question after a moment of contented silence. Hiccup startled at the question, his easy smile fading into a slight frown. Stoick immediately regretted his decision to bring it up, but hoped that he could help his son resolve more things.
"I'm not sure they're my friends for the right reasons..." Hiccup answered slowly, after some thought, though it almost sounded like he was asking himself a question.
"What do you mean?" Stoick hoped his son would continue to open up to him, it could be hard to pry this kind of thing out of him.
"It sometimes feels like they're in it more for what I can offer them, as opposed to being my friend because they actually like me." Hiccup looked like he was confronting the idea for the first time, but then he shook his head and tried to cast the idea aside. "But it's not like I'm an expert on friendship."
"I wouldn't say that, yours and Toothless' friendship sets an example for the entire tribe." Stoick pointed out, glancing at the Night Fury who was concentrated on making the pile of fish he had caught bigger.
"Then that implies that they really aren't my friends." Hiccup concluded, though it only made him look sad.
"What makes you doubt their friendship?" Stoick decided to ask, as opposed to simply insisting that Hiccup was wrong. Hiccup wouldn't believe him, he had to come to the conclusion for himself.
"They don't like to listen to me at the Dragon Academy, sometimes they still mock me, they go behind my back instead of supporting me or talking to me..." Hiccup had answers to give without hesitance, and that only served to worry Stoick. Hiccup had given this subject a lot of thought too. "But... we also have some good times together and we make a good team when they actually make the effort. So... I don't know. My friendship with Toothless is nothing like that."
"They're young and rowdy. They spent their entire childhood embracing what they were taught, and that was that the Viking way was the only way." Stoick tried to explain. "But things have changed, and we've learned that the Viking way doesn't have to be senseless violence and putting on a tough front. They might still be trying to adjust. They might not understand that you interpret things differently than they mean."
"I guess..." Hiccup seemed to be considering the idea. "I do get along more easily with Fishlegs than the others."
"Excluding Astrid?" Stoick smiled when Hiccup seemed at a loss of words for a moment.
"Yeah, sure." Hiccup finally got out. "Excluding Astrid."
"But you still don't want to let them celebrate with you?" Stoick moved on.
"Well, I didn't intend to celebrate at all." Hiccup looked up at his dad.
"I don't mean to push things on you."
"You're not." Hiccup assured his dad. "It's different with you."
That seemed like it could be a good thing, but Stoick didn't completely understand Hiccup's reasoning. He gave his son an inquiring look, causing Hiccup to look lost for a moment and he tried to articulate what he meant.
"It's just that... sometimes it feels like..." Hiccup looked torn between frustration and worry as he tried to explain. "People make kind gestures for others all the time, especially for someone's birthday, and it's sincere. But when it comes to me... it feels like people just take and take... and I keep giving, and I'm a terrible person for thinking this way, but it gets tiring after a while, and it would be nice if someone would return the favor for once, and do something considerate for me."
"You're not a terrible person." Stoick was quick to say. He was surprised to hear how Hiccup had been feeling, but he reasoned that it made a lot of sense. Hiccup had first been willing to come out here with him because he wanted his father to feel like his efforts weren't for nothing. Hiccup did it for his dad, not because he wanted to celebrate his own birthday. Then, Hiccup had flat out told him that he didn't have to make his son a priority, that he could tend to the village instead. Hiccup had wanted to go back, because he worried for the people and didn't care about what he wanted for himself. Hiccup always put others first, and it had to be wearing on him.
After a moment of thought, Stoick stood. Hiccup stared up at his dad with confusion as he reeled in his line, sans fish. Apparently they were done fishing and Hiccup couldn't help but wonder if the selfish feelings he had just admitted to had upset his dad in some way.
"Come on, let's go back to camp. I have something I want to give you." Stoick helped Hiccup to his feet and gestured for Toothless to follow. The dragon had finished eating his share of fish and looked back at the remaining pile, not wanting to leave it behind.
"I'll gather his fish." Hiccup said, eyes cast down. He was sure that he had just disappointed his father.
—
The walk back to their campsite wasn't very long, but it felt like it was to Hiccup. He didn't say a word as he followed behind his dad. The few fish that Toothless hadn't eaten in order to save some for his human friends, were wrapped in a cloth that Hiccup carried. Toothless remained by his side, sensing his unease.
Once back at camp, Stoick started rummaging through his things. Hiccup, not sure what else to do with himself, started a fire and set the fish up to start cooking.
"Here it is." Stoick said to himself, pulling out a familiarly shaped package that Hiccup was sure would contain the book his dad would give him for his birthday this year. He wondered why it was relevant to anything he had just admitted to.
"I shouldn't have said those things..." Hiccup started to say, feeling guilty for having such selfish thoughts. "I shouldn't expect anything from anyone, just because I'm willing to help others."
"Hiccup, stop." Stoick put an end to Hiccup's self-deprecation, though he was much more gentle about it this time. He gestured for Hiccup to sit next to him on the fallen log they had moved next to the fire pit, at their campsite, upon first arriving. Hiccup did as directed without another word, though he looked rather cowed. Toothless followed close behind and settled with his head resting by Hiccup's feet.
"You remind me a lot of your mother." Stoick started, getting Hiccup to meet his eyes with curiosity. "She was similar— always putting others first, showing kindness to everyone, being supportive, and she had this way of being able to see things from another's perspective. That's probably why she dabbled in becoming a healer and why she couldn't bring herself to fight the dragons."
"She didn't fight the dragons?" That was news to Hiccup, his dad didn't talk about his mother very often. Hiccup's voice quieted as he continued his thought. "I thought she was... I heard that she was killed by one."
"That is the likely conclusion." Stoick confirmed, though he seemed to struggle with is words for a moment. "She was taken by one, probably back to the nest."
Hiccup had to clear his head of the assumed ending of that story. He had seen what the dragons did with what they brought back to their Queen, and he didn't want to think about his mom meeting that same fate.
"She didn't like to fight the dragons, which is part of why I was so upset when I found out that you had befriended one. I had already lost her, and there you were, endangering your own life. My response to that was... terrible, and I'm still sorry about that."
The reminder of the day his dad had disowned him was not a happy one, but Hiccup didn't want to hold it against his dad. Hiccup gave Stoick a small, reassuring smile, and he resumed talking.
"What I'm trying to say is that your mom had a tendency to give more than what she could sometimes handle. Just like you, it would make her feel tired and sometimes even a bit frustrated. Neither of you are terrible people, Hiccup. The fault lies in the people who come to know you as someone who is willing to help, support, and give, then take advantage of it. It's easy to take advantage of empathic people." Stoick explained. "You're not being selfish, Hiccup. I'm sorry I haven't done a better job of helping you. I used to be that person for your mom, the one who helped keep her grounded, preventing her from overworking herself, or stopping others from asking for more from her."
"I just wanted someone to do something for me, for my birthday... because they wanted to, because I mean something more to them than just being the person they go to for help." Hiccup felt like he could confide in his dad again, after the reassurances.
"I understand."
"And you did that, by wanting to come out here with me." Hiccup met his dad's eyes. "Gobber doesn't say anything about my birthdays, but I know that he knows when it is because he'll do small and meaningful things that show that he cares. Astrid has made an effort to be supportive, even if she doesn't completely understand how I feel. And I can always rely on Toothless."
"But?"
"I'm not sure if I'm quite there with my other friends yet." Hiccup admitted. "They were my tormentors for longer than they've been my friends. Sometimes its hard to trust them with personal things."
That response had Stoick thinking for a moment, not entirely sure how to answer. Hiccup's words made a lot of sense. Stoick's reassurances had helped Hiccup to articulate what was bothering him and how he felt.
"I think, if you're not yet ready to let them be a part of certain parts of your life, that's fine. Maybe someday you'll get there." Stoick replied after some thought.
"Maybe..." Hiccup agreed, but he didn't seem convinced that he would.
"Your gift is different this year." Stoick held up the book, wrapped in parchment as usual. Hiccup tilted his head in curiosity. "I've had this book for a long time, I've kept it close. It means a lot to me, but I think it'll mean even more to you."
Stoick handed over the gift. Hiccup accepted the package, almost hesitant to tear off the paper, having the knowledge that it meant so much to his dad. He didn't think his dad cared that much for books.
As Hiccup carefully unwrapped the package, he had a puzzled expression on his face when he discovered that the leather bound book didn't seem to have a title or any distinguishing marks. Usually books had a title and sometimes even an image imprinted into the cover. In fact, this book had more of a personal touch to it, with some pages looking a little warped, pressed between all the others. It looked like so many of his worn and used sketchbooks.
Hiccup let the book fall open in his hands. The pages were covered in writing and crude sketches, in a combination of charcoal and rare ink. This had belonged to someone. Someone had filled up these pages with their thoughts, knowledge, and artistic endeavors.
"Who did this belong to...?" Hiccup asked quietly for fear that he would choke up with emotion, he was pretty sure he already knew.
"It was your mother's." Stoick answered, Hiccup's heart started to race as he flipped through the pages, wanting to learn more about the mom he never really knew. "She was more of a writer than a sketcher like you, but she drew some medicinal plants as part of her study, did some doodles of the dragons. I didn't understand her fascination at the time..."
After flipping through a few more pages, unable to say anything in response to what his dad had said because of the strain of emotions he was feeling, Hiccup slowly closed the book. He would look through the entire thing later, from cover to cover.
"Thanks dad. For this, and for coming here with me. It means a lot." Hiccup found his voice as he looked up at his dad who had been watching him as he looked through the book.
"You won't ever be alone on your birthday, not anymore." Stoick promised.
Without saying anything more, Hiccup stood and leaned against his dad, one arm holding the book close, and the other wrapped around his father's shoulder in a hug. Hiccup hadn't felt so loved and appreciated on his birthday since he had turned four.
The rest of their day together was spent talking about more pleasant things, enjoying each other's company, and celebrating Hiccup's birthday.
—
A/N: I hope you liked the new chapter! There will be one last part to this story, and I'll do my best to have it up within the next couple days.
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ZarduHasselfrau: Thank you! I'm glad you like how I write those two. I try to keep everyone in-character.
NightHowler0: Thanks! I'm glad you like it. I do like writing emotional stories, haha.
Ysabelle Anne R. Inoncillo: Sorry it took me so long to get back to this story! It was never meant to be very long in the first place and since there wasn't a cliff hanger ending or anything, I decided the next part could wait until Hiccup's next birthday while I focused on my other stories. I hope you like the new chapters!
Romantica 123: I finally added more to the story! The third part will be the last part in the story. Thanks so much!
CHSHicstrid: Thank you! I try to get into the characters' heads so that I can right from their points of view. I'm glad you liked it and hope you like the new additions to the story! This new chapter got emotional as well.
KN Hudson: They didn't know it was Hiccup's birthday, I don't think they ever gave it much thought before they were friends and then they were still becoming friends. They're also not the most considerate group of people, even if they aren't trying to be dismissive or anything. Hiccup finally did get to spend another birthday with his dad, though it has been years since that fourth birthday. I think as well as Stoick having the pressures of being chief affecting Hiccup as he was growing up, I think other parents (like Spitelout) would have been talking about their own children's progress which would make Stoick question if Hiccup was behind or not growing up like he should be. So then Stoick would try to get Hiccup to catch up to the others. It is good that Hiccup at least had Gobber, though Stoick should have tried harder while Hiccup was growing up and could have at least wished him a happy birthday. Stoick is trying to make it up to him now, though. I hope you liked the new chapter!
Silver Sentinel: I figured that if someone threw Hiccup a big party for his sixteenth birthday, that he wouldn't have enjoyed it. It wouldn't have felt sincere and he probably would have been on edge the whole time, just waiting for something to cause everything to fall apart. It'll take time for Hiccup to associate birthdays with something good again.
Guest: Thank you for reading and reviewing! I'm glad you liked it.