AN: Hi, so, I'm back again. So soon I know... Anyway, updates will mostly be irregular since I'm a mess and don't have uni for another two weeks... and well, stuff. So I've planned lots of little things for future chapters and have all of chapter three planned out, may take a day or two... or hey! maybe a few hours to write it but it'll be there.

Another note, I don't have a beta, and I don't really like proofreading fanfic stories o.o; 'cause it's embarrassing, so sorry if there are weird errors. Also! The fact he's genderfluid will be pretty minor thing, like ninety percent of the time... and there'll be mention of a few quirky parts of his personality/interests only when it's really relevant... despite how chaotic my writing style is.

Time Skip ahead and potentially each chapter until he's sixteen.

Also in Ch.1 Stoic says "he's awake" and that's the only Icelandic I'm really planning to put in there, since google translate can only go so far o.o;

Anyways... Enjoy~ If you want *shrugs* I can't tell you what to do.

Chapter 2. How to Deal With Reincarnation

"Try not to get into any trouble," grumbles the large bearded man before me, his eyes weighted with grief.

Gently, I patted his hand atop my head, cheekily sticking my tongue out at him before retorting, "I make no such promise."

A startled chuckle left Stoic the Vast as he shook his head and opened the door. He paused and glanced back at me, squinting his eyes. "Gobber will be dropping by around noon," he huffed, appearing reluctant to leave me alone.

"Yes, Chief!" I declared, puffing out my chest, hands fisted against my waist. "I shall man the fort then!"

Observing a smirk pull at his features, I felt accomplished and watched him leave, waving as he looked back again until he finally closed the door.

Glancing about at the house I had come to call home in the past few years, I traipsed over to the journal and the piece of charcoal I had been drawing with.

I was four now, old enough to be somewhat independent but not so old most parents would feel comfortable leaving me home alone, though this was only temporary. With Val- Mum whisked away to the dragon nest and Gobber busy making, or mending weapons for the dragon raids I often got plenty of time to myself, not that St- Dad really approved.

In fact, just after Cloudjumper took Mum, I had been left with Snotlout and his mum while Dad was busy chiefing, which… was not fun. At first it wasn't too bad. I'd been mourning my old life and dealing with… well… panic attacks, flashbacks, fragmented memories, the usual stuff, and not having responsibilities helped more than it hindered.

That was… until little Snotlout started getting upset about having to share, well, anything with me, and then the tantrums started.

Now, I'm not usually one to be particularly bothered when a kid starts having a meltdown, but then I was uninvolved and could leave. And this was every. Single. Day. For weeks.

When he realised that screaming didn't get rid of me, it started to escalate to throwing things, and hitting me. Mrs Yorgenson could really only do so much to manage him, so when I was finally able to control my movements, walk around, and actually communicate with the adult Vikings, I demanded I be left in the house.

This didn't work for a few months but when I turned three and was asked what I wanted for my name day… I had an idea.

With wide watery eyes I stared up at Stoic, bit my lip, and whimpered with promises of being really good, that I wanted to stay at home and read the books Mum used to read to me.

I felt a bad for the amount of grief that showed on Stoic's face from that but I got my wish, and the quiet has never been so appreciated.

As is my freedoms have increased since then. I can now roam around in front of the house before Gobber drops by, and after he drops by I can go wherever I want so long as it's within the boundary of the village and so long as I return before sun down.

I couldn't say I was content with such limited mobility, as I wanted to learn my way around the island as fast as I could, but I took what I could get.

Starting a list in my journal, I began to jot down some of the skills I had to learn before meeting Toothless.

That was another thing I'd been trying to adapt to here.

Skills.

As far as I could recall, in the movie and in most of the fanfiction set in this universe, Hiccup was an inventor that had mastered several crafts, mainly blacksmithing and leather works, aside from drawing. Which meant that if I wanted to make a saddle for Toothless in the future, I had to know how, as well as make up for the genius gap, seeing as, although I'm Hiccup now… I'm not actually Hiccup.

Well, if I meet Toothless in the future.

I've actually started considering the possibility of being in an alternate set up, that could have plot points already set in place.

Which is a really terrifying thought.

I had read a lot, and I mean a lot, of fanfiction, and doujinshi, before… reincarnating, and in a fair number of those, Hiccup being hurt or abused was a really common trope.

Meaning less than ideal circumstances for me in some cases, and down right terrible circumstances in others.

But hey, let's be optimistic here, I could be in a setting where I'll discover a berry or flower that turns dragons into humans, or where Jack Frost shows up and we become… closely acquainted, or even where I become part dragon!

I can hope.

As is, if this does follow the original timeline of the movies and the TV series then I've got a lot of practicing and rearranging to do.

I've got about twelve years to see if I can get dragons to trust me, and somehow prove to St- Dad that they are just like really big… cats, not that there are cats here, uhh, big cute animals either way.

I will also have to see if I can get the other future dragon riders to believe dragons are friendly so I have some support… as well as get Dagur to be my friend and not attempt to kill me with throwing knives every time we meet if I actually meet him and he's part of this universe… and see if I can convince Dad to at least sign a treaty with Alvin, and maybe get Mildew kicked off Berk and…

I sighed, starting another list in English of my "to-do" list, I don't want anyone being able to read it so it seems safest.

Wanting to save my self some trouble in the future… is very troublesome.

Hearing a knock at the door I looked up startled, wondering if so much time had passed already.

Quickly, I hopped over to the door and opened it to see Gobber's smiling face.

"Gobber!" I laughed, letting him in. "What provisions does the chief's right hand send today?" I demanded, puffing out my skinny chest again, spindly arms going back to my hips.

Chuckling, Gobber lightly tapped me upside the head, and rolled his eyes. "Nothing if ye've burned the place down," he quipped as he glanced around, gaze landing on something over my shoulder. "Draw'n' dragons again, Hiccup?"

Looking over to the piece of parchment I had been drawing a Night Fury on. Well, a cute dragon cub of a Night Fury.

"Yup!" I squeaked happily, running off to grab it and show it to him. "It's a baby Night Fury!" I gleefully announced only for Gobber to shake his head and grin as he poked me in the head.

"Sur' it is, but where are it's big sharp teeth," he chuckled as he handed me a cooked chicken thigh from his basket, and took a seat by the fire.

I took the offered meat and pouted up at him.

"They have retractable teeth though… and it's a baby Night Fury so they may not have gone through yet…" I informed him, sulking. Brightening up, an idea came to mind.

Crawling up into Gobbers lap, to his amusement, I stared up past his long, bushy mustache and into his eyes with as much seriousness as the face of a little four-year-old Hiccup could muster.

"Gobber."

"Yes, Hiccup?"

"What would you do if you became friends with a dragon?"

Gobber burst out laughing as I continued staring at him in all seriousness. "What a joke! Sur' when sheeps fly, kid," he chuckled, wheezing slightly.

"But, Gobber…" I whined, pulling on the dangling, and knotted braid of facial hair before me. "You became friends with one… in- in this dream I had last night…" I confided sulkily, eyebrows dropping as I scrunched up my face.

"Oh? Tis 'at right?" he hummed, disentagling my hand from his mustache. "Do tell 'bout this dream ye had then."

Frowning now in thought, I tried to recall the episode where Gobber met Grump.

"Well…" I hedged, recalling the episode best I could. "I'm older. And I've befriended a Night Fury," I state, twitching a little as Gobber mumbled, "O' cours' ye did," under his breath. "A- and then this really bad man, a dragon hunter, was taking dragons. A- and he was gonna sell them and got lots of gold and buy lots of boats. So you and my friends-"

"Haha, what frie-" he started 'til I elbowed him in the ribs.

"Shush," I grumbled, scrunching my eyebrows even more. "As I was saying! We all went to get the dragons out, with this reeeeeeally good plan. Where one of them pre- prete-" I bit my tongue and frowned.

"Pretended," Gobber supplied.

"Thank you. Pretended. To be a rich person and you were his vvva- vaal-"

"Valet."

"Yes. And you were let in to the selling place-"

"Auction," Gobber supplied again as I huffed.

"Shush, yes. Anyway! You were led around the sel- auction, and you came across this dragon. He was an orange-y, brown-y colour and and big, and very low to the ground, and considered very ugly by the other you were with, but you thought he was magn- magnif- magnicent. So you went up to him and petted him and fed him some metal lying around, until the brother of the bad man stepped on him and said,

'Outta mah way, Grump. Fat beast.' And you got mad, turned to the man and gestured towards the dragon.

'Do ye auction off the ugly, fat one as well?'

And he laughed at you!

'Who would buy him? Besides he eats all the scrap iron and is the only dragon that can bite through a dragon proof cage. Personally I'd just as soon skin 'im and eat 'im. The fat would be tasty on two squares with some yak butter, ey Grump?' And then he shoved the dragon, and says that the bad man said there's a use for him.

And you went to hit him before you were stopped.

Anyway, later stuff happens and we all end up behind dragon proof bars and Grump comes by, and you ask him to help." I stop for a moment smiling. "And he knocks down the guards for you and eats the bars so we can get free! And then you two become really good friends, and we all escape."

Looking up at Gobber, I see him making a strange face.

"What is it?"

He shook his head and chuckled slightly, looking down at me. "You know what, Hiccup?" He shook his head again, smiling ruefully. "I prob'ly would punch som'one for 'at."

"So you believe me?" I cheered, looking up at him hopefully. "That there are good dragons."

He ruffled my hair, grinning as he shook his head. "Sorry, boyo. Dragons will just as soon eat yer." He gestures to his peg leg, and the cup attachment. "I lost two limbs to 'em beasts, can't affor' t' be soft'eaded 'bout 'em," he sighed, ruffling my hair, soft smile still in place.

Sighing, I gave up the battle for today I could try again later.

Thinking for a bit, we sat in silence just watching the fire snap and crackle in the hearth.

Shifting a little, I nudged Gobber's chin with the top of my head. "Do you have any more books?"

Chuckling at me he told me he didn't, lying since I knew he had the Book of Dragons and for some reason didn't want me to see it.

Huffing out a breath, I pouted and decided to ask something else.

"Hey, Gobber?"

"Yes, Hiccup?" he responded with a roll of his eyes.

"Could you teach me to do leather work?" I asked, fidgetting with my hands as I waited for his response.

"Ahh," he hummed as he rubbed his chin with his good hand. "Ye're a bit too small to-"

"Then give me something small to work with, like a bag," I interrupted, glaring at my hands defiantly.

I felt his eyes on the back of my head as he shifted and seemed to think of another excuse. "But ye could ge' hurt."

"I could get hurt walking outside too," dismissing his words.

He sighed and I looked up at him, seeing a small smile lifting one side of his face.

"Fine. But only if yer dad says yes," he relented, and I clenched my fists grinning.

After that I hopped off his lap, grabbing my journal and charcoal as I moved. Most times after lunch Gobber took me down to the forge with him, and today was no different.

I wasn't allowed to work, or go near any of the tools, or really touch anything, but Gobber let me sit on one of the benches and just watch him work, and sometimes relay requests from the villagers.

I liked to use this time either bantering with him, as much as my still pretty limited vocabulary could, and taking notes of what Gobber does around the forge, how he sharpens weapons, how he molds new ones, and how he does up the leather bindings. I drew little diagrams with some of my notes, and when I started to feel my mind drift to darker thoughts usually when Gobber was doing something loud or delicate and had to concentrate, I'd draw him, or the houses around us, or villagers passing by.

As the sun began to set I watched as villagers lit torches, and some began to search the skies as they carried on their business.

Not long after sun down Stoic picked me up from the forge and took me to the Great Hall for dinner, Gobber promising to join us after he finished a few more weapon edges.

I waited patiently until after dinner, when St- Dad and I were walking back to our house before I tried asking him.

"Hey, Dad?"

Stoic glanced down at me and smiled, raising a bushy eyebrow in the process. "Yes, son?"

Widening my foresty green eyes, I tried to smile sweetly, probably coming off awkwardly, so still probably cute. "Can I-" I paused as he squatted to be close to eye height with me, so I grabbed his warm hand with my two little ones, and tried again. "Can I learn leather working with Gobber?"

The Chief of Berk frowned as he looked at me, seeming to think it over.

Getting restless, I panicked and began to ramble. "I'll start with something small, and I'll be reeeeally careful, a- and Go-Gobber said it's okay with him so long as it's okay okay with you and-" I stopped sharply as Stoic began chuckling and patted my head with his free hand.

"Fine, fine," he laughed, the love in it rolling over me, as he grinned down at me. "Thor Almighty, trying to become useful to the village already…" he mumbled under his breath, shaking his head and the smile stayed in place.

Suddenly I was being lifted into the air and onto to broad shoulders, my feet slipping under Dad's beard as my small hands grasped the wide tusks on his helmet, his hands grasping my knees to secure me in place.

Startled, in a good way, laughter bubbling out of me as I felt loved and safe in a way I hadn't with my previous family.

Moments like these… They helped keep the loneliness, and grief at bay for just a few moments longer, helped me believe maybe one day I could accept this as my life now, just be Hiccup and enjoy it.