Sequel to my Girl Talk oneshot. Not wanting to go on the path like his dad, Hiccup gives his son a proper father-son bonding that he never got the chance with Stoick. Hiccup-Nuffink interaction ft. Astrid-Zephyr. Also, for those who didn't get an idea on their ages from Girl Talk, this is set 16 years post-HTTYD 3. Hiccup/Astrid are 37, Zephyr is 15 and Nuffink is 12.

Son, we need to Talk

It's a busy day at the forge on New Berk as 12 y/o Nuffink Haddock is helping head blacksmith Fishlegs Ingerman with smelting old weapons. Gobber, now 71, had to retire from being the head blacksmith a few years ago due to his age. He's starting to be slow in terms of his actions and his eyesight was nowhere near as bright, but he still helps around occasionally. He first taught the chief's son when he was 10; coincidentally, this was the same age Hiccup started working for Gobber. Nuff was busy sorting out the discarded weapons when his best friend, 13 y/o Ashley Thorston, daughter of Tuffnut and Macey Thorston, came in to have her daggers sharpened.

"What'cha doing there Nuff?" she asked the blonde boy.

"Just smelting all these worn out Gronckle iron weapons. Uncle Fishlegs said these are some of the toughest materials used in swords, and we figured if we could use these as anchors for our ships." he explained.

Since it's been 16 years when their parents' dragons had left them for the Hidden World, the blacksmith's shop is often busy at work recycling Gronckle iron into something else. The tribe was now focused on becoming a naval power on this side of the Archipelago, with plans to build hundreds, if not thousands of ships to explore the other untouched parts beyond their current jurisdiction. Ashley loved to hang out at the forge watching her blonde best friend work on sharpening weapons or forging stuff; little did Nuffink knew that she's got a crush on him.

Oh Gods, why am I feeling funny around Nuff lately? The thought of being Nuff's girlfriend enticed Ashley, although they were still too young to actually date. Her daydreaming was snapped when the blonde Haddock boy asked her.

"Hello? Earth to Ashley, is she still there?" he waved his hand in front of Ashley's face.

"Oh…I..I'm sorry Nuffie." She blushed. Nuffink groaned at that nickname his best friend gave him, but that didn't stop Ashley from teasing him every chance she's got.

"You alright?"

"I'm fine. Can I stay here and watch you work?"

"Sure."

Hiccup and Eret had just finished another productive day of running the village. From completing another set of docks and ships to importing new livestock suited for New Berk's climate such as cows and horses, to mapping all of New Berk, they have done quite a lot without things going awry.

"Alright chief, that's the last of them for today." Eret announced proudly as the villagers rounded up the horses to the stables.

"Thank Thor for that. I'm knackered!" Hiccup replied with a tired tone in his voice.

"Now I understand why your father wanted to retire early." Eret added. Hiccup looked at the buff man with an unamused look. "What?"

"That's the fourth time someone's said that," the chief retorted, "First was Astrid, second was Heather, and to make it worse, Tuffnut's the third!"

"Why do you hate Tuff so much anyway?" Eret noticed that out of all their friends, the male Thorston twin seems to enjoy pulling antics at Hiccup, much to the chief's annoyance.

"I don't hate him Eret. He just gets into my nerves sometimes."

Eret chuckled, "Just like Astrid with Snotlout?"

"Oh yeah." Hiccup smirked.

After parting ways with his righthand man, the chief made his way to the forge and saw his son busy sharpening something with a ginger-haired girl watching him in his work. "Evening chief!" Ashley greeted him.

Hiccup patted her shoulder, "For the last time Ash, its Uncle Hiccup." The younger Thorston blushed in embarrassment.

"Hey Dad." Nuff smiled, holding a pair of newly sharpened daggers. "What brings you here?"

"Just checking in on your work." his father smirked. "I almost thought you and Ashley are having some alone time here."

The two pre-teens blushed heavily as Hiccup bit his lip to contain his laughter. Despite his age, he was still very teasing, especially to his son. Nuffink returned to the sharpening wheel as his boss emerged from the back room

"Oh he's doing mighty fine chief!" Fishlegs commented, patting Nuff's shoulder. Hiccup rolled his eyes at the mention of the word chief; it wasn't that he hated it, he just gets annoyed when his close friends call him that.

"Why is everyone calling me chief all of a sudden?"

"Sorry Hiccup, you are the chief after all. Besides, I feel like only Astrid should call you by your name." the stocky blacksmith shrugged.

"Nah, y'all just call me Hiccup for old times sake." the auburn haired chief riposted.

"But why does my dad call you Hiccy, uncle?" Ashley inquired.

"Because he thinks it's cool despite my objections." Hiccup rolled his eyes, recalling the time Tuffnut calls him 'Hiccy'.

"Alright Ash, it's done!" Nuffink turned to his best friend. After inspecting his handiwork, she gave Nuff a bear hug before heading back home. Hiccup and Fishlegs stared in awe at the sight, making the blonde boy rather uncomfortable.

"Is there something in my face?" he asked.

"Nope," Hiccup replied, "Come with me, I have something to talk to you about." Nuffink eyed his father confusedly, wondering what he wants to talk about. He glanced at Fishlegs, who nodded in approval of his departure, and the father-son duo left the forge.

Hiccup and Nuffink walked towards the cliff where they set their dragons free all those years ago. It was also the place where he and Astrid would go on their anniversaries. "Alright son, we need to talk." Hiccup started sternly. Nuff looked at his father with a confused look; did he mess up with something again?

"O..okay." he stuttered, genuinely confused at what's gonna happen. "Is this about Ashley and I?"

Hiccup shook his head. "I wanted to talk to you about this whole growing up thing, now that you're old enough."

"Because Grandpa didn't talk to you about this when you were my age?" Hiccup smiled, he loved Nuffink's inquisitive nature and wouldn't back down until he gets an answer, a trait very much like Astrid's.

"Yes son. And I don't want to make the same mistake with you." Nuffink remained silent, looking at the sun setting below the horizon. There was a long silence that followed suit, save for the wind blowing through their hair.

"I..I sometimes question my worth Dad." Nuffink suddenly opened up, "I mean, I already work at the forge and I have some friends too, but I still feel..."

"Useless?" Hiccup finished. Nuff nodded, avoiding his dad's eye contact. "Well, I used to be called Hiccup the useless when I was your age."

"Really? This was all before you became chief?" the blonde pre-teen gasped; never in his life did he think his father had gone through that.

"Yup. You can ask your mom what she thought of me back then."

As the sun set, Hiccup shared stories about having to prove his own worth during his youth. Although Nuff had heard this story countless times before, it was now that he can relate to what his father had experienced. From being called inferior to feeling worthless, Hiccup knew that his son is already experiencing what he had and didn't want him to follow that path anymore. He told Nuff how to handle his insecurities better and how he shouldn't be afraid to voice out his concerns. Afterwards, he gave him a bone-crushing hug. It wasn't like Gobber's hugs but Nuffink was held in place nonetheless.

"Thank for that Dad. It relieves a lot of pressure on my chest." Nuffink smiled, returning the embrace.

"You know Nuff, you're always free to talk to me. When you wanna ask how to invent new things or if you and Ashley are gonna..."

"DAD!" Nuffink groaned. Hiccup burst into laughter; it reminded him of himself from his younger years.

Meanwhile at the Haddock home, Astrid had just returned from a meeting with the engaged ladies at the Great Hall. (she was talking to them about how to be a loving wife) She was greeted by the smell of herbs, courtesy of Zephyr, who was cooking chicken stew in the kitchen.

"Where's your father, Zeph?" Astrid walked to the kitchen.

"I think he's still at the forge with Nuff and Uncle Fishlegs." Zephyr shrugged, before turning back to her cooking.

Gods, I never thought of Zeph being such a great cook. Hell, she's better than I am! Astrid smiled proudly, watching her daughter finish up her stew. She was about to finish setting up the table when the front door creaked, indicating that someone went in.

"Honey, we're home!" Hiccup called. Nuffink raced upstairs to his room to get changed into home clothes.

"How's the day, honey?" his wife asked, before pecking his lips.

"Same old stuff, different day. How did the meeting go milady?"

"Quite interesting, to say the least. Ruff was still acting like...Ruff." Astrid told, chuckling at the thought of the female Thorston's antics from earlier.

"Yeah, Fishlegs told me about that too."

"So what took you and Nuff so long at the forge?" she prodded.

"I'll tell you later."

After dinner was done and the dishes were all cleaned up, Nuffink and Zephyr retired to their respective rooms. Hiccup and Astrid were also in their room's balcony, watching the moonlit sky beyond the horizon. The Haddocks have an affinity for watching sunsets or the moon slowly rising up towards the night sky, it made them feel at peace for some reason.

"Aren't you gonna tell me what you and Nuffink were up to back there?" Astrid looked at her husband, eyes beaming with curiosity.

"Oh, we had a little boy talk honey. In our date cliff, might I add." Hiccup shrugged.

"Is he still thinking about feeling worthless?"

"Not anymore." he smiled as he stroked Astrid's long blonde hair. "I told him that I'll always be there for him no matter what. Even if my own dad didn't."

Astrid melted at that remark; she was right about Hiccup being a great father to their two kids. "You really are a great motivator babe, and I love you for it."

"And you milady," Hiccup paused, before kissing her lips. "Are a really great mom."

A/N: Who wants to see a one-shot/two-shot of Zephyr and Nuff paired up with someone? If you are interested in reading something like that, leave a message! I feel like I should write more Haddock family fluff, especially when they're at the dinner table. (both canon and modern AU)