=Normal POV=
[Saturday, 8/27/2022-8:00 pm]
[Isle of Berk; Haddock Residence]

Hiccup didn't exactly know what was wrong with him; it started with him zoning off frequently while everyone was hanging out, and now he was just straight tired despite today being really easy going. Everyone was still having a good time at Stoick and Valka's house; enjoying welcome home party for Eret, Thuggory, Dagur, and Hiccup. The party would likely be closing down in the next thirty to sixty minutes because Dagur and Mala's twins would need to get to sleep at a reasonable time. Hiccup, though; felt tired enough to call it a night himself. However, he was looking forward to tomorrow; seeing his possible new house with Astrid; it would be fun, and then they'd probably get lunch together. Hiccup hoped this would be a place he could live in; that wasn't to say he was picky, but there basic things he'd prefer to have with the house that he didn't want to have to buy on top of all the moving in stuff. Hiccup was just trying to make the overall process easier on himself.

Another big thing Hiccup was thinking about was the vacation that he and Astrid were going to take to Dragon's Edge Campground & Amusement Park. The two hadn't discussed much about the trip, but were both definitely excited to go. A little getaway for just the two of them to really get to enjoy their relationship without work, school, or anything getting in the way. There would be no time limits, no rules, nothing except them. Hiccup and Astrid still needed to plan a time to go, but Hiccup wanted to get this house stuff taken care of first. The living situation definitely came before everything else. Tonight, though; Hiccup just felt drained and didn't understand why. Hiccup did feel he should probably just get some sleep, it was getting later after all; he'd had a few drinks, but nothing that would have him this tired.

"Hiccup?" Astrid asked when she looked to see Hiccup dozing off in the chair. Hiccup's head kept drooping down and his eyes were struggling to stay open. Hiccup felt that his eyes were heavy, and he was having a hard time actually staying awake. "Babe?" Astrid shook him a little as he raised his head and looked at her.

"Yeah? Hm? What's up, babe?" Hiccup asked.

"Are you okay?" Astrid wondered.

"I'm fine," Hiccup smiled.

"You sure? You've…Zoned off a couple of times," Heather inquired.

"I'm good," Hiccup repeated.

"But-," Adelaide started.

"For the third time; I'm okay. Leave it alone, would ya?" Hiccup retorted, slight annoyance in his voice now.

"Hey, don't be a dick because we care," Thuggory remarked.

"Not being a dick; I'm just sitting here like the rest of you. I'm entitled to zone off at random; it's a peaceful night. These were hard to come by while deployed," Hiccup informed.

"True that, my brother," Dagur nodded in agreement. "Nice to not be on guard all the time,"

"Tell me about it," Eret stated. "I agree with Hiccup…Nights like these are pretty rare for guys like us,"

"If it wasn't something war-related; it was training for war even while at war," Thuggory chuckled.

"Always ready to defend our home," Dagur, Hiccup, and Eret said together.

"Hey, we had some fun times, though," Dagur reminded.

"So it wasn't all work?" Minden wondered.

"Gods, no," Thuggory chuckled with the others.

"We had a blast in training to become soldiers," Hiccup nodded.

"You were first to get scolded by Viggo," Eret pointed at Hiccup.

"Ugh, don't remind me; it wasn't even my fault…" Hiccup mumbled.

"It was so your fault," Thuggory shot at him.

"He started it!" Hiccup argued.

"Doesn't matter; it was his job. You were supposed to stand there and keep your mouth shut," Dagur reminded.

"What happened?" Snotlout asked.

"In the beginning of Basic Training, when we were learning everything still; you could be scolded for breathing wrong. One mis-step, one lip twitch…Anything. Hiccup over here, doesn't know when to shut up," Dagur mentioned.

"He mouthed off, didn't he?" Gobber sighed.

"Worse; he made the Viggo shut up by outsmarting him. And as punishment for being defeated by an eighteen-year-old and looking foolish; Viggo gave Hiccup the workout of a lifetime," Eret stated.

"My Gods, if could have seen the state this man was in afterward…" Thuggory snickered. "He was so dead,"

"I only corrected where he was wrong," Hiccup crossed his arms over his chest and sat back calmly with his eyes closed.

"Which is exactly what you weren't supposed to do! That was the WHOLE point!" the three fellow soldiers yelled at him.

"The entire point was basically an overly dramatic game of Simon Says! In military form!" Eret remarked.

"If we got told to do something; we're supposed to do it," Dagur sighed. "You're the only one in our platoon who refused to follow orders,"

"The point was to follow orders-," Hiccup began.

"Exactly!" Thuggory, Eret, and Dagur said together.

"If I might be allowed to finish," Hiccup glared. "The point was to follow orders as we were taught the proper fashion to do them," he added.

"Huh?" the three stared, mouths open.

"I only got the harsh workout because of how I corrected him, sarcastic and disrespectfully. But…I'm the only one who passed that exercise," Hiccup informed. "The point of the test was for the Drill Sergeants to see who followed their orders, whether right or wrong…Or if they'd follow military protocol as taught. You three followed them, despite the orders being incorrect. I followed the proper way of things despite ignoring a commanding officer. The entire point was to disobey them if they were wrong. You all failed; I passed, and that my friends…Is how come I was made Private First Class at the end of Basic instead of Private like the rest of you. I showed them I was a leader, not a follower," he stated calmly.

"How come we were never told all this?" Dagur inquired.

"Defeated the purpose of learning on your own and using common sense. Why would they go through all the trouble of teaching us how things are done correctly to suddenly turn around and have us do it wrong?" Hiccup asked them. "The point was to see if we saw the difference, and then do it the right way, Every one of you failed for following orders. I followed my heart and instinct," Hiccup shrugged. "Which, might I add, has saved your asses plenty of times on the battlefield,"

"Dick," Dagur, Eret, and Thuggory muttered as Hiccup shrugged again with a smile.

"I'm just really good at what I do," Hiccup said. "But if you'd like to revisit fuck ups in training; I got plenty for you three,"

"Like what?" Thuggory inquired.

"Alright," Hiccup sat forward. "How about the time you didn't listen in gun practice and the RPG launcher knocked you on your ass?"

"That was an accident!" Thuggory said quickly.

"Your footing was wrong, dude," Dagur rolled his eyes.

"You with being unable to stay in sync during marching practice," Hiccup looked at Eret. "What about you in the field training exercise, Dag? Run through enemy territory where there is immense heavy fire?"

"Seemed like a good idea at the time," Dagur mumbled.

"You don't run through enemy fire as a large group; you split up into smaller groups and move away from shot range towards a safe point," Hiccup gave a bored look.

"Excuse me, Mr. Hotshot-know-it-all," Dagur stuck his tongue out.

"So childish…" Hiccup sighed. "And it's Lieutenant Know-It-All to you," he chuckled.

"You're such an ass," Eret muttered.

"I didn't earn my rank for being nice," Hiccup reminded. "You fucks wanna keep being disrespectful because I'll make all three of you drop right know and give me fifty,"

"You wouldn't…" Eret said.

"Test me, boys," Hiccup stared.

"Sir, no sir," the three said.

"Come on, I'm just messing with you. Geeze, where's your sensor of humor? Still on the battlefield?" Hiccup asked. "Is it being held hostage or something? Do I need to rescue it? I'll go back and get it if I have to, but for Odin's sake; lighten up. I ain't gonna make you do nothing,"

"You get so serious!" Thuggory reminded.

"And we know you're no easy boss!" Dagur added.

"Well, one of us has to be the serious one in the group. May as well be the leader," Hiccup chuckled a bit.

"We never know if you're joking," Eret mentioned.

"Good…I like it that way. It keeps you on your toes," Hiccup laughed as Astrid leaned against him, holding her arms. "You cold, babe?"

"Little bit," Astrid admitted.

"Here, sit up a sec," Hiccup told her as she did so. Hiccup pulled off his black sweater and handed it to her. Astrid blushed a bit and slipped it on before Hiccup sat back and locked his arms around her waist as she laid back against him.

"I'll put more wood on the fire," Stoick got up and grabbed a log; he tossed it on. The fire sparked up with a slight burst of flames as Hiccup's eyes widened and he flinched, closing them tightly.

Astrid felt the movement and looked at her boyfriend. "Hiccup?" But he didn't respond. Hiccup lowered his head, taking short breaths, but clenching his fist a bit. "Babe?" she asked.

"What's up?" Snotlout inquired.

"I-I don't know…" Astrid replied with some concern. Gobber got up and moved closer to him, seeing what was going on.

"Off him lass," Gobber instructed as Astrid carefully got off her boyfriend's lap. "It's a flashback,"

"Why did I have to move?" Astrid questioned.

"So he doesn't attack you if he comes out of the flashback and doesn't recognize where he is right away," Dagur informed.

"Why would he attack her?" Calder Hofferson inquired.

"It's PTSD, Astrid," Eret told her. Astrid gasped a bit; this is what Hiccup had to deal with? "The fire sparking the way it did must has triggered him,"

"Why would it? He's…Been fine all night?" Ruffnut wondered.

"There's no real way to explain it; triggers can happen anytime, anywhere," Thuggory said. "We've had a lot of nights while deployed when it was calm, and then it just gets chaotic with being attacks, flashes from grenades and bombs,"

"We all have cases of it…But Hiccup's is probably worse. Not in the sense he's a danger to himself or others, but he definitely got the brunt of the stuff we dealt with as team leader," Eret continued.

"Let me guess…The mindset that the protection of his comrades is on his shoulders, and anyone who died in combat he feels his fault. Coupled by likely seeing quite a few of those deaths, or losing them in his arms?" Gobber arched a questioning brow at the three soldiers.

"Bingo," Dagur nodded.

"Yeah, I figured…I've been there; I was a Major myself," Gobber nodded. Gobber tapped Hiccup's cheek a bit. "Alright, lad…Come out of it now. You're alright…It's just a flashback," Hiccup seemed to snap out of it by inhaling sharply and blinking a few times; then shaking his head. "There ya go…Easy…Easy now. You're safe and sound with friends and family,"

"I'm fine," Hiccup composed himself.

"Yeah, okay…And I'm a Viking Blacksmith," Gobber rolled his eyes. "You have PTSD, Hiccup, and we all saw it tonight," Hiccup tensed a bit. "Nothing to be ashamed of, laddie. Flashbacks, nightmares, responding to war-like sounds are in the territory of adjusting to life after war. You'll be fine as long as you don't let it consume you, and you get help if you can't handle it on your own," Gobber reminded.

"We all go through it, Hiccup," Eret stated calmly. "Thug has had to snap me out of a few,"

"Eret's had to calm me down," Thuggory nodded.

"I still have trouble sleeping," Dagur admitted.

"You don't always have to be such a hard ass," Gobber ruffled Hiccup's hair a bit. "All four of you, listen to me on this…Alright?" the four soldiers nodded to him. "Your cases of PTSD isn't any more or less than others. Every single soldier who has served in a war deals with PTSD. I've been out for years now, and I still have my moments where I go back and remember my days in war. I will tell you from experience with myself and friends I know that the only way it gets worse is if you let it take over and control your life. Where you can no longer see the line between war and home,"

"It's perfectly normal to be triggered by the simplest of things, and a flashback now and then isn't bad. However, if it gets to the point where you can't seem to get any relief…Get help. Not talking to your buddies, not trying to close yourself off and deal with it; talk to a professional. Too many soldiers feel like no one will understand, don't get help, and eventually; it takes over and many of them end up falling into deep depressions and resorting to suicide. Always remember that some of the battles you fight won't be on the battlefield; they'll be with yourselves. And just like in war; you don't have to fight alone," Gobber continued firmly.

"I don't want to see any of ya get that bad. It won't be only you who suffers; it's the people who care about you too. Don't do that to yourselves, or them. Believe those feelings of helplessness and suicide; it can just happen without warning. I've lost a lot of old friends that way. I see them one day, laughing it up and having a good time; then a day or two goes by and I find out they are gone. So reach out and get help if you need it; there's no shame. Understand me?" Gobber asked.

"Yes, sir," Thuggory, Dagur, and Eret replied. Hiccup only nodded.

"Hiccup…Do you understand me?" Gobber asked.

"I already replied, why you asking again?" Hiccup inquired.

"Because you've always had a hard time opening up about stuff that bothers you," Stoick pointed out.

"Have not," Hiccup countered.

"Oh, no?" Valka arched a brow.

"I'm sorry, who shut down for two weeks, left a note and bailed in the middle of the night, joining the army for the last eight years after a misunderstanding with his girlfriend?" Gobber inquired. Hiccup was about to protest.

"And who kept it from his friends for nearly a year about said misunderstanding?" Dagur remarked. Hiccup huffed, sitting back with his arms over his chest.

"Fine, fine…You made your point," Hiccup mumbled. "You don't gotta worry about me,"

"A lot of my friends told me that too, Hiccup…" Gobber reminded.

"A lot of our comrades told us that too," Eret told Hiccup softly.

"Yeah…I remember…" Hiccup sighed.

"Bet you do, so maybe you don't knock us for worrying about you specifically," Thuggory muttered.

"What happened?" Astrid questioned gently.

"Nothing you need to worry about, babe," Hiccup said.

"But I-," Astrid tried.

"Trust me…You don't want to know, so don't worry," Hiccup cut her off lightly, glaring at his four soldier friends to be quiet.

"It was something that-," Thuggory started.

"I said; leave it alone. That is an order, soldiers. Do not make me have to repeat myself or I will actually get pissed off. Have I made myself clear, boys?" Hiccup narrowed his eyes.

"Yes, Lieutenant Haddock," Eret, Dagur, and Thuggory gulped.

"Good," Hiccup got up, stretching. That was enough for one day; he knew it was time to call it a night after having a flashback and all this seriousness about the dangers of severe PTSD. Hiccup knew, all to well, the end result of someone not getting help and ending their own life; he wish he didn't, but that's how things were. Not to mention, Hiccup just didn't feel right tonight. "I'm calling it a night," he informed.

"Babe?" Astrid asked.

"Yes, Milady?" Hiccup inquired gently.

"Want to spend the night with me, at my house?" Astrid asked. The area fell a bit quiet except for crickets.

"Uh…Your, uh parents don't let me sleepover their house, babe; they never have," Hiccup reminded, clearing his throat a bit.

"Oh! We don't mind, Hiccup." Asvora chuckled. "In fact, we never minded once you and Astrid turned eighteen and had graduated,"

"But we love that you've remembered and respected the original rule all this time," Calder laughed a bit. "You're more than welcome to spend the night, son,"

"Oh, um, thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Hofferson," Hiccup bowed his head. "Our of curiosity…Why do you want me to spend the night, babe? Everything okay?"

"Absolutely; I suppose I just miss sleeping in your arms," Astrid blushed.

"Well, I can't argue with that. Alright; I'll spend the night. I've got a bag of stuff in my car anyway," Hiccup stated. "Night everyone, love you all," he said goodbye to his parents and Gobber, then his cousins, aunt, uncle, and all his friends before leaving with Astrid. The two of them got in Hiccup's car and headed for the Hofferson household.

. . .

[9:00 pm]
[Hofferson Residence]

Once reaching the house, Hiccup and Astrid bid her parents a goodnight and moved onto Astrid's bedroom. Normally, they'd stay up to talk or maybe watch a movie and end up making out a little. However, tonight; Astrid could sense that Hiccup was tired, so it was best for them to turn in. Also, Astrid heard Hiccup say he wanted to get some sleep while still at his parents' house, so it was a good indicator that he wanted to go to bed early tonight. It had been a fun day after all, and they had that house viewing tomorrow morning at 11 am; it would be good to get some rest and feel refreshed and energized for tomorrow. Hiccup changed in Astrid's room while she used the bathroom and brushed her teeth; he only put on sweatpants and a comfortable green t-shirt. Afterward; they switched for Astrid to changed into a red spaghetti-strap nightgown that reached to just above her knees while Hiccup used the restroom and brushed his teeth.

With both of them back into the bedroom now; they climbed into Astrid's bed with Hiccup's back against the wall and Astrid laying in front of him against his chest. Hiccup's arms locked around her gently before they shared a kiss. "I love you, Hiccup,"

"I love you too, Astrid," Hiccup replied as they got comfortable in their positions. Both of them closed their eyes, but as Astrid was about to ask Hiccup if he was alright from earlier; she noticed that he was already knocked out.

"I guess he was really tired," Astrid giggled a bit as she kissed his cheek; Hiccup's response was to tighten his grip around her figure. Astrid smiled as she relaxed and closed her eyes again; it didn't take more than ten minutes for her to fall asleep as well.