Happy Birthday, for All the Years I'll Miss

"Because, even though he left believing the village hated him, there was one day a year where they all made up for it."

Rated K+

4,353 Words

No Ships

Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Stoick, Gobber, Toothless

Hiccup Ran Away AU

August 3rd, 2020

Hiccup had left just a few days before his birthday. It was unintentional, really. Hiccup could've easily forgotten that his birthday was soon with the way the village treated, bullied, and abused him. He wanted to leave as soon as he could. It just so happened to be right before his birthday.

Stoick was not the one who suggested they do anything for Hiccup's birthday. He was heartbroken and shocked. His boy had gone missing several days ago; he disappeared and never came back. Hiccup was presumed dead. Gobber was also not the one who did anything for Hiccup's birthday. While he loved the little squirt to death—and he was probably the only one—he was not willing to force this on the chief. Stoick was grieving and in denial. The last thing he'd want is a remainder he failed.

No one wanted to suggest they do anything for Hiccup's birthday and, perhaps, no one could. At least, no one except for the little Hofferson girl. She was insistent, willing to poke the sleeping bear and to plead to Stoick about doing something. Hiccup's birthday was his favorite day of the year and, if they wanted to properly commemorate him, they should do something. Next year it would be up for debate but, this year, they would do it. It would be their final goodbye.

Hiccup didn't know what brought him back to the village that scorned him that day. He was well aware of what day it was, having notched off how long he's been gone in his journal. Hiccup also didn't know what he expected to see as he flew over Berk. He had always thought that the people would be relieved to get rid of their useless mistake of an heir. Stoick would pick a new heir far more capable than Hiccup and he would be forgotten in due time.

Hiccup did not expect to see what he did. The village was all gathered and decorations were put up but they themselves remained relatively silent. On a pile were some significant things in Hiccup's life that he had to leave behind including a toy he played with as a kid and the blanket he had when his mom was taken. There were also several letters.

Stoick and Gobber stood separate from the crowd, backs to the pile, and facing them. They weren't crying but everyone could see the two men wipe at their watery eyes. At the front of the crowd were the other teens, all stifling their tears in a similar way to the two men. Vikings didn't cry.

Gobber spoke first after dropping the apron that Hiccup wore while working at the forge into the pile along with his letter, labeled in some questionable handwriting. "Hiccup was a great apprentice. He was far more skilled than I ever will be. We lost a great blacksmith and a kind boy. May he rest in peace."

Stoick walked up to speak but, as he stood there, the words weren't coming. Everyone waited for a few moments until Gobber came up and patted the father on the back. Stoick took his offering—some of Hiccup's clothes that he left behind—and his letter and put it into the file before walking to the side and hanging his head in shame. Gobber was right there with him.

Tuffnut and Ruffnut came up first for the teens with a toy he had made for them when they were littler that shot water at its targets. The twins had enjoyed tormenting the village with it, much to everyone else's annoyance. Hiccup himself had fallen victim to their antics despite being the one to gift them the gadget. Still, he kinda enjoyed it. As the village embarrassment, it was always nice to see something he'd done making people happy. It was also a test for him—seeing what he could get some pieces of scrap metal, wood, twine, and other rubbish to do. The twins placed the toy on top of the pile with a crudely doodled-on letter.

"No matter how much we picked on him, he was a good kid that could laugh with us instead of getting mad at our jokes." The twins turned back to the crowd, moving to the back to avoid attention as they clung to each other and hid their red, puffy eyes from the crowd.

Hiccup felt a pang of guilt because he knew that, oftentimes, he absolutely loathed the twins' pranks and would have gladly yelled at them if he didn't feel so inferior. He learned to surrender that feeling as a kid when he realized that he'd never win a fight.

Snotlout came up second with a sketch Hiccup had made for him. Snotlout had asked him to stretch the truth a bit and draw him as bigger and stronger than he really was. Hiccup didn't feel like he was in a position to deny him. Instead, he took the sketch as an opportunity to hone his skills. He'd have to be more creative than his usual drawings which were direct copies of real-world things. It helped him with his inventing later when he had to draw his creations from his head without knowing what they looked like in real life. Snotlout loved the picture and patted Hiccup on the back when he got it. Snotlout placed his own letter with his signature 'S' on it and the sketch onto the pile.

Snotlout was more openly crying. It wasn't that he desired everyone to see him at his weakest point, but he couldn't hold it in as well. His sobs were quiet but his tears were visible. "I may not have treated Hiccup the best but the little guy was a really cool dude. No matter where he's ended up, I'm sure he still is."

Hiccup was a little surprised that Snotlout thought well of him. If anything, Snotlout seemed to be the person who hated him the most in the village. Whatever. He was probably lying to look good. Snotlout followed suit of the teens and stayed in the back.

Fishlegs was next. With him was a notebook that Hiccup had helped him with. Fishlegs was the only one that could rival Hiccup in the brains department. Arguably, the former was more knowledgeable about dragons. He could rattle off the facts like nursery rhymes. Still, they each had their favorable and unfavorable qualities. Fishlegs was a stickler for following the rules and easily anxious. Hiccup wasn't afraid to break them as everyone viewed him as a mess up anyways. He didn't see a problem with compromising his own safety for success. Fishlegs letter had beautiful and elegant writing on it and was decorated with a beautiful pattern of swirls. Fishlegs added his things to the pile.

"Hiccup is- was the smartest guy I know- knew." Fishlegs coughed. He was choking on his words and the crowd staring at him didn't make it any better. Hiccup kinda felt bad for him. "He was amazing and I looked up to him. I wish him the best, wherever his next journey takes him." Fishlegs shuffled to the back, shrinking into himself.

Gobber and Fishlegs were the only people that were remotely nice to Hiccup but he still didn't like them. Hiccup was Gobber's apprentice and the older man was obliged to treat him well. Not to mention that Hiccup was the chief, and his friend's, son. Fishlegs acted nice to Hiccup when he wanted something. Otherwise, the two didn't talk much.

Astrid strode up last. Her eyes were much drier than everyone else's and she was much less shaky. If anything, it looked more like she was going to make a battle declaration rather than saying goodbye. In her hand, she clutched the ax that Hiccup had made for her. Her knuckles were white.

Astrid's voice was far louder than the whimpers of everyone else. "Hiccup was special in his own way. He was smart and creative. He probably had more brains than our entire village combined—minus Fishlegs." A couple of people grumbled at Astrid's claim. Many people did still believe that Hiccup had been a walking disaster who sucked at everything she tried. Astrid didn't stop." "He may have been weak to us but, at the same point, I could never be as strong as him. What he lacked physically, he made up for with his determination and resilience. I know that he didn't go out without a fight." The other teens in the back quietly clapped. "May all his suffering cease and may he rest well. The gods know he deserves it," Astrid whispered as she placed her beloved ax on the pile along with her unmarked letter. She walked calmly past the crowd and passed the other kids. She had done what she came here to do.

Hiccup didn't know what to say. He had come to assume that Astrid thought of him like everyone else did—useless, weak, a runt. He was tempted to jump out, to say that he wasn't dead, but Hiccup wasn't so sure everyone would admit these things to his face. He told Toothless to turn around. He had gotten what he needed.

The kids couldn't fire the arrows. Stoick, Gobber, Spitelout, and a few of the other adults did, lighting the pile aflame.

Watching the fire from her locked room, crying away from the others, Astrid remembered what she wrote in her letter. "Happy birthday, for all the years you'll miss." Little did she know how close Hiccup was, getting one last look at her before he left again.

Astrid's birthday was next. Astrid knew the choice she had made when she forfeited her weapon. She, by no means, was going to give up being a fierce warrior. However, she never felt like she could be the same as she was since Hiccup died. Hiccup was strong and he didn't fight with his fists. Astrid wanted to be strong too.

Most of the village had gone back to normal, though Stoick was much more reserved and dragon training was still postponed indefinitely. Astrid had never been one for celebrating her birthday and it wasn't going to be any different this year. Her plan was to go to the forest to get some privacy and train. Her family would probably do something for dinner, but that didn't matter for now.

Hiccup had been adjusting to his new life well, far away from Berk. However, he couldn't abandon his home of fifteen years just yet. On birthdays, it was obligatory to treat the birthday boy or girl with respect. As his peers had thrown him one last celebration, he thought it would only be fair for him to do something similar for them.

Astrid had only slipped away from her training spot for a second to get some water from the creek. She was surprised when she saw a wrapped package waiting for her when she got back. No one knew she trained her; they wouldn't let her if they did. After Hiccup disappeared, everyone was wary of what lay in the forest, and women and children were banned from going in for their own safety. Men had gone in but found nothing, leading everyone to believe that whatever took Hiccup was still out there.

Astrid poked the package with a stick first, making sure it wasn't some prank by the twins. When nothing happened, she picked it up and gauged its weight and shape. Finally, she tore the package open bit by bit.

It was beautiful. It was an ax that was slightly bigger than the one she had burned not too long ago. The blade was shiny and sharp and the blue handle was finished with gold and silver crawling up. However, the ax wasn't what took her breath away. With the ax was a matching blue shield, also encrusted in gold and silver swirls. Astrid marveled at the set before realizing there was also an unmarked letter with it.

She opened it and read, 'Because sometimes the best offense is a good defense.' Astrid wondered who would have done it before she flipped the letter over to look for a name. Instead, it said, 'Happy Birthday, for all the years I'll miss.'

When people asked where she got the ax and shield from, Astrid would play dumb and say it was a birthday surprise. Then she'd accuse them of being the ones who gifted her them.

In her heart, however, she knew this was her parting gift from Hiccup. It was her best-kept secret.

Fishlegs birthday came third. Some time had passed and the teens had returned to dragon training. Everyone was pretty lifeless and unenthusiastic except for Astrid. How could they believe that they could win against the fearsome and murderous dragons that killed a boy so close to them? Sure, he was the weakest of the pack, but now that title fell on Fishlegs. He was petrified.

Fishlegs had taken Hiccup's place in the forge during his free time. It was only natural as he was the only other teen capable of understanding the complexities of the tasks. However, he was often too scared to be as creative as Hiccup with new inventions and stuck to what he knew. He talked less than before and nobody made much of an effort to talk to him besides Astrid. He was Hiccup's replacement and it terrified him.

Astrid insisted that they do a little something for Fishlegs birthday as they always had. The other kids were too scared to go into the forest so they used an empty Kill Ring. Gobber helped. They set up snacks, a couple of decorations, gifts, and a game. The party was short and awkward. No one was in the mood for it. They played the game and got out a few slight smiles with some small laughs. It was a success given the circumstances.

Fishlegs went home second to last, Astrid staying behind to clean up since it was her idea. It was dark and most everybody else was already home. Fishlegs parents had a nice dinner with him, both being too busy laboring to drop by the Kill Ring. Afterward, they said goodnight and went to sleep.

When Fishlegs saw the box on his bed, neatly wrapped, he first assumed it was from his parents. He opened the letter first, decorated with a beautiful sketch of a dragon he didn't recognize. It read,

'I heard you know a lot about dragons. Here are some notes you won't get from anywhere else.

-Happy Birthday, for all the years I'll miss.'

Fishlegs had a fleeting idea about who the gift was from but he wouldn't admit it. He felt too guilty, despite having nothing to do with the boy's apparent death. Fishlegs always felt guilty about not doing anything more to ease the boy's daily suffering. He opened the book and, sure enough, there was a notebook filled to the brim with more notes and sketches about some dragons Fishlegs didn't even know existed.

He spent all night reading the journal and, the next day, pulled out of dragon training. He claimed that he knew he would never be strong enough and almost everyone bought it; a look from Astrid told both of them everything they needed to know.

Snotlout's birthday came and, for the first time in a while, someone was actually excited about their birthday and pushing preparations. Snotlout had spent some time after Hiccup's death arguing his worth as heir to the chiefdom… at the insistence of his father. Besides Astrid and Fishlegs who had both gone a bit soft, Snotlout was the only capable one around Hiccup's age. So, Snotlout tried to shape up and he appeared to be doing okay.

Snotlout was still arrogant, hot-headed, and didn't always know when he reached his limits. Alone, though, he knew well that he wasn't ready and he'd need a lot of help and time to be. He never showed it in front of anyone else, though Gobber, Astrid, and Fishlegs pried and Snotlout was pretty sure Stoick suspected it. He pretended to be unaffected by Hiccup's death. Behind closed doors, he mulled over every mistake he made and how he should've done better.

As Snotlout's birthday came up, he made a big affair out of it. His friends were relatively excited. After Fishlegs' birthday success, they were more open to the idea of partying. For just a little while they could enjoy themselves. They celebrated in the Great Hall with a feast and music and decorations galore. They danced, talked, ate, and played games. Everyone except for Stoick was there.

The birthday boy knew why the chief wasn't there: Snotlout was replacing Hiccup as heir. They celebrated like they didn't lose the boy so recently. Snotlout knew that he would never be able to replace Hiccup. Snotlout knew that he wasn't chief material but he would try to be. Astrid was right that day. Hiccup was strong and kind. He was smart. Snotlout was a fool, a weakling, and mean. He'd never be what the people wanted or needed but he could take something from Hiccup; he could be resilient.

Snotlout had so many presents that he couldn't open them all before night fell and the party was over. He opened as many as he could but there was still a small table full to open in the morning. One of the presents was wrapped in a particularly underwhelming style with plain brown paper. The gift was also small and flat. Snotlout opened it last.

Inside was a note and a sketch. The sketch was beautiful with vivid reds, oranges, and blues. The sketch itself was an image of Snotlout, older and standing over Berk. It was flattering. Snotlout looked to see if anyone signed the sketch but there was only the note.

'I know you'll be a really cool chief.

-Happy Birthday, for all the years I'll miss.'

Snotlout smiled. Did he believe the note? No. But, as long as the people would stand with him, it didn't matter what he thought. Astrid and Fishlegs dropped by in the morning to hang out and Snotlout knew that he had his people there for him.

The twins' birthday came last of the teens. Like Snotlout, they wanted a big celebration. Unlike Snotlout, they didn't need the whole village to have a big celebration. They kept the list to just the other teens and Gobber. Over the year, they had become a tight-knit group.

The teens spent the whole morning setting up an elaborate maze-like structure littered with traps in the Kill Ring. They'd have thought that Astrid would be annoyed, Fishlegs would be scared, and Snotlout would be stupid and somehow hurt himself more than the twins intended. Then, Snotlout would also be annoyed and embarrassed. Instead, all the teens laughed and had fun setting off the traps. The twins knew that Astrid could tell where all the traps were but, if she was the one to reach a trap first, she still set them off. Fishlegs let loose a little and, while still getting scared by some of the traps, he enjoyed the maze. Whenever Snotlout fell victim to a trap, he didn't get as arrogant as he usually did. Instead of falsely claiming he was better than these traps, he complimented the twins. It was a great time and the twins liked that the others enjoyed their efforts.

The twins had dwindled down with their pranks after they realized most of the village wasn't having fun. Before, onlookers tended to chuckle behind their hands. Now everybody was annoyed. For several days they went cold turkey. The twins were bored out of their minds but it was better than having the whole village hate them. While their destruction was purposeful, the twins took up the mantle of being most destructive after Hiccup. Eventually, the twins built up pranking again. They did it much less often and the pranks were much less harmful. They just wanted everyone to smile.

After the maze, the teens had a cake and snacks and played a few other games. They reminisce over the passing year. For a second, the room got quiet but the mood didn't turn sad. They missed Hiccup but it was past the time to mourn. It was the time to thank him for all he had done for them. As evening fell upon them, everyone went to the twins' house for a sleepover.

The other three teens slipped away from the twins, claiming different things: Fishlegs was still hungry, Snotlout needed to use the bathroom, and Astrid wanted a bit of fresh air before going to sleep. Alone, the twins heard something fall in front of their doorstep. The other teens had already given them gifts but this was a new one. The wrapping had various funny sketches on it but no name.

They tore open the package to find a bag of spheres with pins in them and tiny stick-like things. Along with the weird items were some notes and a diagram. It said:

'Like you, these work in two. These are destructive so use them sparingly. On here you'll see notes about the design and a diagram so you can remake these when you run out.

-Happy Birthday, for all the years I'll miss.'

The twins didn't touch the gift they received for the longest time but, when they did, it didn't disappoint. It was very destructive and useful. They gave the design to Fishlegs to recreate, though they lacked the zippleback gas for it. They'd have to figure out how to get that one day. In the meantime, their supply was enough. They didn't need to destroy that much.

Gobber didn't want a birthday celebration. Nevertheless, his twins insisted. They all "ditched" his class to throw him off before surprising him with a cake and gifts. Gobber's party was not as eventful as the others but the kids did their best to make him enjoy it. They thanked him for all that he had done for him and for his support. They were gonna be done with dragon training soon, though none of them seemed to be heading in the direction of becoming dragon-killing warriors. Snotlout would become chief and Fishlegs would become blacksmith. Astrid still had fight in her but she was often reluctant. She'd rather try more peaceful tactics and knew that would compromise her on the field. People were wary of her. The twins weren't sure of where they would end up. What they did know was that they wanted to stay in Berk. They didn't want to have to come and go like many of their warriors did as they rushed into conflicts off of the island.

Gobber headed home the happiest he had been in a while. He stopped by the forge for one last look over before turning in and found a small package. As he unwrapped it, he saw an apron decorated with dragon scales. A paper slipped out and Gobber read:

'This is more fire-proof and smoke-resistant than anything you have.

-Happy Birthday, for all the years I'll miss.'

He smiled and hugged the apron close for a few moments. He wore it every time he was in the forge since.

Stoick's birthday was last and, this time, they couldn't convince him to do anything. He stayed inside the whole day. He didn't eat much, not that he ate much any other day. People came by and knocked on the door but he wouldn't open it. He just sat and drank, waiting for this day to be over with.

Astrid insisted that they do something. No one wanted to anger the chief but she said they didn't have to. With Stoick still hiding, she instructed all of the villagers to drop off gifts at his door. Many of them eagerly obliged, pitying the poor man. He lost his wife and his son. There were a lot of gifts.

Stoick opened the door that night, long after everyone had gone to sleep. He had passed out in the middle of the day due to his excessive drinking and had only just woken up. Among the gifts was one thing that stood out. There was a letter, alone, in the middle of the pile. The handwriting looked familiar…

'You'll get over it.

-Happy Birthday, for all the years I'll miss.'

Stoick cried that night but, eventually, he did. He got over it and helped Snotlout become chief. He was there as Astrid was placed in charge of Berk's warriors despite her only resorting to violence as a last option. He was there as Fishlegs decided that he was not going to replace anyone as blacksmith and became a healer instead. He was there as the twins proved themself capable of more than just destruction and they played with crazy inventions like Hiccup had.

His son was gone. Whether he was alive or not, Stoick would not say. He knew that his son wouldn't come back for him so he let him go. Stoick eventually did get over it.

Every year, Astrid and the others placed various letters out for Hiccup's birthdays. Whether he read them or the wind took them or some dragon thought they were food or something else, they didn't know. No one received any surprise gifts from a mystery sender after that year, but that was okay. They had all they needed to hold them over and they were ready to accept the boy back if he ever did come back from the dead.

He never did.

Hiccup wasn't sure what compelled him to come back that year. Maybe he was scared and still thought he was weak and he needed the safety net of being able to go back. However, one year later, he had changed. He had become stronger and braver and wilder and he was no longer scared. He had said his final goodbyes and he was at peace with his history with Berk. He would leave Berk at peace.

I finally watched the third movie. Yay!

I should stop writing these so late at night (it's midnight and I have to be up in the morning). I love writing soooooooo much. Okay, I really do… And then I got rider's block and didn't finish the story for another nearly twenty-four hours. I did finish this on the 3rd at 11:58 PM. Posting took a second.

The second invention I gave the twins was based off of the grenade-like thing Hiccup used in the third movie and his trusted sword Inferno. Since zippleback gas appears to be used in both and the twins ride a zippleback in canon, I thought it'd only be fitting.