A/N: Heyyyy, so this is the second last chapter of him being five. After the next chapter I'm hoping to speed things up a little (eg. Taking my plot ideas for each chapter and moving them to fit as many into each chapter as I can)

Bonus! It makes it easier for me to write too.

Anyway, (if you're interested) send me story ideas for later arcs that I'm putting between the Defenders of Berk timeline and the Race to the Edge timeline (I'm not being a lazy author, I just genuinely want to know if people want to see Jack Frost and my Oc!Hiccup interact, or some such stuff like that)

Also… I'm really sorry this took longer than usual… It's been an up and down past few days… So uh… I made a tumblr blog (TheGodsHateMe) and that'll… have updates on how long til the next update and little drawings of scenes and extra stuff… or … ya know, see me talk to myself, I do that a lot there.

Upside! This chapter is even longer this time~ By like 1000 words so yay!

As per usual, Enjoy~ (Or Not~)

"words" – English

"words" – Icelandic

words – thoughts

Chapter 7. How to Build Your Body

"What do ye think ye're doing?"

I readjusted my grip on the handle of the axe resting on my designated workbench, focusing all the strength into my little arms and legs to try to lift it, not sparing any effort to look in Gobber's direction. "What does it look like I'm doing?" I huffed.

I felt the bench shift as Gobber leaned against it. "Honestly? Like ye're goin' ta hurt yerself," he quipped as the axe slid closer to the edge of the bench and the stool I was standing on but made no upwards lift.

I glared at the axe, frowning. "I'm just trying to lift it, since you so helpfully pointed out that I can't even learn how to heat the coals until I can lift an axe."

"Oh, and how's 'at workin' out for ye?"

I let go of the handle and glared in his direction. "You know, you could just tell me what I'm doing wrong instead of being all smug about it."

Gobber smirked from his place beside me. "An' what fun would that be?" He tapped his metal tong attachment against the axe. "All I'm sayin' is, ye're lookin' at this all wrong."

"Seriously, Gobber?" I asked, exasperated.

"No, no, really. Ye're not like the other Viking kids who can swing an axe about easily. Even the little Thorston devils can do that much an' they aren't much bigger than you."

"What's your point?"

"My point is you shouldn't be tryin' to do things like 'em 'cause ye're not 'em. Ye know?"

I squinted at him, half in disbelief and half in confusion. Was that a backhanded insult or genuine advice?

I brushed my raw hands off on my apron and continued on with the other leatherwork I had been doing before I was sidetracked. "You're just saying that so you don't have to watch my pitiful attempts anymore."

Gobber laughed as he moved back the forge, pounding a sword back into shape. For a bit, I watched the sparks fly off the metal with each swing of his hammer slowly molding the sword into place.

I hadn't been as worried about my weakness before hanging out with the gang. Even then I had been content with my strength since I am five right now, and even in my previous life I hadn't been particularly strong, or I hadn't thought I was anyway, but after watching Fishlegs move around a stack of heavy books, and even seeing the twins hitting each other with maces, I was a bit concerned.

Sure, Hiccup was weak when you first see him in the movie, but he could still move about a bunch of weapons without too much struggle, and, to be honest, I would like to be able to do that without any struggle by the time I'm as old as he was then.

Besides, I wanted to be able to work on the prototypes of various things already. I'm not necessarily tired of leatherwork… I just… I really wanted to make things. Like a teapot, or a kettle, or even just small trinkets from my old life, like the necklace I used to wear all the time.

I suppose I was also concerned about dying in this universe where Vikings fight other Vikings, and where dragons abound.

I mean, who's to say that Dagur won't kill me when we meet because I'm too slow?

I sighed and halted the movements of my hands, wondering if I should just wait another year before trying again, I mean, this is a child's body and I don't really want to cause it any more harm than necessary. Although…

I could try a few things.

Following behind Fishlegs, I avoided as many branches and roots as I could, stumbling less than I had done the past few weeks, happy enough to call that a small victory.

"Thanks… for taking me… to the meeting place… today," I wheezed, (more than) slightly out of breath. "Especially since you… don't like… hanging out with the whole… group…"

"Oh no, it's no problem, Hiccup," Fishlegs laughed, moving through the vegetation easily.

Moving a branch out of my way as I continued forward, I chewed on my bottom lip, thinking. "Will you be joining us today?"

"Nope. I'm quite happy to head home to my books once you've safely arrived," he chuckled, his breath catching after a moment. His head whipped around as his wide gaze met mine. "N-Not that I think you w-wouldn't be able to get there on your own."

I raised an eyebrow at him, wondering what I'd done to deserve such a reaction. "Hey, you wouldn't be wrong. I really am hopelessly lost out here," I offered, knowing I really would be lost if it weren't for the agreement everyone seemed to make, without my input mind you, to escort me from the village border to wherever we're meeting each afternoon.

"I-I don't think that's true," Fishlegs stuttered, his eyes darting around at the forest as if searching for some hidden danger.

This time I raised both my eyebrows at him. "Really?" I responded sarcastically. "So, it isn't because of my hopeless directional abilities that I require an escort almost every afternoon?"

"Well, Snotlout said-" he started only to stop.

"'Snotlout said'… what?"

"No, no it's nothing," Fishlegs laughed nervously.

"Fishlegs."

"Y-Yes, Hiccup?"

"I can tell the twins that you really want to go in the cave. With no torch," I threatened quietly.

I struggled to keep the smile off my face at his squeak of terror. No, I'm not bullying this little kid. No, really, I just really really want to know.

"Snotlout said we need to protect you," he whispered. "There, I said it. Promise you won't-"

"I won't. Geez. Why did you feel you needed to hide that?" I asked, fully aware of how I portrayed myself to Snotlout… and that I am actually very weak as this morning really only confirmed that.

"Y-You aren't mad?" he squeaked.

"Why would I be mad?" I asked, scrunching my face in confusion.

I watched his face change from fear, to realisation, and then one to anger. "Those twins," he growled.

"What?" I bit out, finally exhasperated.

"They said you would do really bad things to anyone who-" he paused, seeming to search for a word. "Implied you were… weak…"

I rolled my eyes. "I am weak and, although it bothers me that I am, I don't care if you guys know that." I was curious what stories they had told Fishlegs about me though, especially since he had met me first…

"O-Oh, um…" he stuttered. "I-If you don't mind me asking…"

"Not at all. What is it?"

"Why haven't you done something about it? Being weak… I mean."

I rolled my eyes again with a half smile. "You make it sound like I chose to be weak and fragile."

"Well, it's just… Astrid is as small as you but she's able to lift an axe by herself."

I flinched at the mention of Astrid, still unsure what to feel about her. I mean, she probably wasn't one of the lovers from my past life but-

I stopped the thought in its tracks and sighed. "Well, maybe if I had someone train me, I could get a bit stronger…"

"Why don't you ask Astrid? I'm sure she could-"

"Nope," I responded cheerily. "Nope, nope, nope." I could not spend that much time in her presence without wondering, hoping, for things I shouldn't hope for. Not happening.

Fishlegs seemed confused at my response but shrugged and continued walking. "Well then, why don't you just ask Snotlout? I mean, I would offer to teach you but I'm more for learning through books…"

I laughed at this and patted him on the back, glad to finally see the clearing with the twins and Snotlout already in it.

"Oh, and Hiccup?"

I turned around to face him on the edge of the copse of trees. "Yeah?"

"Don't ask the twins."

Less than an hour later, I did just that.

"You can't be serious," Snotlout groaned. "If you asked just me, I could understand but them? You're gonna get yourself killed."

"Relax," I laughed with a wave of my hands. "I'll be fine. I'm not going to do anything that'll kill me. Promise. I just want some ideas from… people who are closer to my body type."

"Yeeeeah, he'll be fiiiiiine," Ruffnut agreed with a roll of her eyes. "Since he said no to beating the snot out of Tuffnut. Don't know why. We'll go with something else. Look, we'll even start off with something easy."

"Yeah, follow me," Tuffnut sniggered, waving his hand with a dramatic flair. "Watch the master, be the master," he intoned dramatically as he scaled up one of the trees near us, climbing higher and higher until he got to a branch he liked. I smiled, liking where this was going as I walked up to the tree. I used to love climbing trees in my old life.

As I started up the tree, I lost my grip. Five times. I remember this being easier.

"Tragic. Can't even grasp something so simple," Tuffnut bellowed pitingly. "You need to be scaly like a bird, young one. Yes, scaly as your master is."

I rolled my eyes at him and took another look at the tree. Oh, right that… I looked down at my arms and touched the bark of the tree, remembering I was still very small and my arms would not reach any of the branches from where I was, so I grabbed hold of some groves in the tree trunk and tried climbing up that way. I still slipped a few times but managed to at least make my way up to the branch immediately above me.

Finally climbing up to where Tuffnut was, I sat beside him and looked down, satisfied with the relative height, even with the mild rush of adrenaline as I pictured myself falling.

Tensing up, I looked over wide-eyed at Tuffnut and held tighter to the branch. "You… aren't gonna push me off now… are you?" I asked suspiciously, waiting to be pushed off. And this is how I lose my leg before the first movie.

Tuffnut laughed uproariously. "Wh- No, that's ridiculous." He looked down at Ruffnut and waved as she came back with a yak and a boar. I didn't even notice her leave.

"Uh- helloooo! That's my yak!" I heard Snotlout yell, and watched him wave his hands in the air before throwing them to his sides with an angry stomp. Ah, so he hasn't grown out of that habit, I thought as I recalled baby Snotlout's old tantrums.

I raised an eyebrow in question as I turned to Tuffnut… who was currently hanging upside down. "What are you doing?"

He scoffed at me, "Uh, hanging upside down. What does it look like I'm doing? Tch, amateur."

"Riiiiight, so… what are the animals for?"

"Ugh, obviously to try to knock us out of the tree, duh. Ugh, this amateur is even worse that I thought," Tuffnut mocked, with a wave of his arms. "Would you get down here already so we can start!"

"Right, of course. Why would I possibly think we would be doing anything even remotely safe?" I muttered with a roll of my eyes.

I still ended up dangling on the branch using only my legs to hold me in place. Oh, look, there's the vertigo.

"Ready?" Ruffnut called, her hands raised high in the air behind the two animals.

"Ready!" Tuffnut called, laughing maniacally. "Oh, do you see that? You are so in for a good first time."

"Why?" I asked, wondering if I should just start making my way out of the tree now or if I should wait a little first.

"Uuuuugh, how much of an amateur are you? You can't possibly tell me you don't even know who Bjorn Boar is?"

"Oh, Bjorn," I sighed watching Ruffnut bring her hands down like some racing game character, some sort of cue for the animals to start attacking the tree. I could even hear her cackling from where I was.

Feeling the first shockwave hit the tree, I simply swung back and forth slightly, my hands sometimes smacking into Tuffnut's arms as he too swung.

Three thumps into and I could hear the leaves rustling harder and I was a little concerned I would slip but it wasn't too bad. I was more at risk of getting nauseous than I was of being injured. I wasn't sure it was making me any stronger though climbing trees and maybe learning how to hop from tree to tree could, but swinging like this… Not really, except maybe my core muscles as I adjusted my legs and occasionally swung my arms up to adjust my knee's grip on the branch. "This isn't so bad…"

"Is that enough for the warm up?!" Ruffnut yelled as we swayed.

"YEAH! Really go at it now!" her twin yelled back enthusiastically.

"Wait- WHAT?" I squeaked, hands reaching up to the branch as the animals began charging the tree, hitting it with their full bodies, causing my legs to bounce along the branch. Tightening my pitiful stomach muscles I kept my hands glued to the bark and my legs now wrapped around the branch, as Tuffnut continued to dangle and bounce with his hands facing the ground.

"Isn't this great?!" he chuckled, waving his hands about as his was shaken from the branch, neatly landing back on it with his legs still curled, no fear that he'll fall. No, remember that these two muttonheads live for pain, and you are the muttonhead that didn't just go along with it but asked for it. Damnit.

It wasn't long after that thought where Bjorn Boar barged into the tree so hard that Tuffnut flew even further off and down the branch so that as he landed, snap, it held him no longer, breaking as the twig it was further down. "Tuffnut!" I screeched, releasing my tight grip to try and grab onto him.

Only I needn't have worried as he somersaulted midair and landed on his feet, throwing his hands up in… victory? "Love that!" he called cheerfully, tilting his head back to grin up at me. "One more?" he asked, turning to Ruffnut.

I contemplated my chances of making it down the tree without flying off it whilst the animals were still attacking it and my chances of hanging on until the twins were satisfied.

"Nah, I think he can handle another five," Ruffnut cackled maniacally.

I'm going to die. That's it, I'm just going to fall and snap-

SNAP!

My heart plummeted at what I really hoped wasn't the sound of the branch breaking. Oh, and would you look at that, I thought with my eyes latched on the splintering wood barely clinging to the trunk. "Fuck."

I quickly gazed about for a branch within in reach and, thankfully there was one, if I just swung forward a little further.

Taking a deep breath in, I held it and blew it through my teeth as I shifted my body weight, swinging back and-

SNAP!

Air whooshed past me with twigs snapping and whipping across my face as I fell head first for the ground. I couldn't maneuver my bpdy as Tuffnut had so I threw up my hands in hopes of at least keeping my skull and spine intact, closing my eyes as I didn't want to add splintered, floppy, messed up arms to the trauma gallery in my mind. I had enough nightmare material as is.

Already envisioning the gory sight, I felt myself turn slightly in the air before landing on what felt light two solid branches cradling me.

"I told you this was a bad idea," Snotlout huffed, his thicker arms holding me up princess style. "You really could've died, muttonhead."

Shakily standing back on my feet, I smiled sheepishly up at him, my hand resting on his shoulder as the adrenaline ran its course. "I'm sorry… Thank you for catching me."

Snotlout scowled down at me, his young five-year-old face really leaving me with a sense of pitifulness.

"Come oooooon, Snotlout. He's fiiiiine," Ruffnut scoffed, her hands on her hips.

His glare turned to her sharply. "And if he'd died?"

"But he didn't die, Snotman," Tuffnut chimed in, waving his hands about and shrugging. "Right? You aren't dead, Hiccup, are you?"

I rolled my eyes and let go of Snotlout's shoulder, no longer woozy from my fall. "No, Tuffnut, I'm not dead."

"Right, but obviously we had…" Tuffnut started, pausing with a look at Ruffnut.

"Miscalculated."

"Yes, miscalculated the level we had set for one as small as him. So, dear Sister, ideas?"

"I have just the one," Ruffnut sniggered as she gestured for Tuffnut to follow her back to the village. "Come by tomorrow! We'll have something perfect for you then!"

"So…" I hummed, scuffing my shoe as Snotlout turned his angry gaze back at me. "Got any safer ideas on how I can… you know… get stronger… maybe?"

Snotlout clenched his face and let out an exasperated sigh. "Stupid weak Hiccup and his stupid hurting himself and.." he grumbled to himself quietly.

"What's that, Snotman?" I teased.

"You're a muttonhead," he quipped. "But I can teach you… If you promise not to do that ever again."

"Done," I agreed quickly, a little gleefully at his concern.

"Okay well, it's just what my dad has me doing so I can be ready for the Thawfest games when I'm older," he admitted bashfully as he rubbed at his arm and looked down. "We'll need a few things though…"

After a quick detour, with me to the forge, and Snotlout back to his house so we could get a few things, we met back at mine as it was only mid-afternoon.

"These are just the weights I was using when dad first got me to do it, so they should be okay," Snotlout hummed as he tied the straps of what looked like metal grieves, and shinguards, and arm guards, but felt like he'd tied bricks to me.

"What are they even made of?" I huffed as I attempted to lift my arms and shake then about. It was manageable but not pleasant.

"I don't know. Dad said I didn't need to know anything, I just needed to know it worked."

So, Spitelout didn't know either.

"And how does this… work, exactly?" I asked nervously, wondering if I would have to use my arms to block a slicing attack of some sort.

"Oh, it's easy, and really safe," he chuckled. "Yup. Did you bring the things from the forge?"

I held up a dagger and a short sword I had gotten from Gobber's forge, struggling to lift the sword but lift the dagger easily enough "What am I supposed to do with these?" I questioned him a little hesitantly.

"You lift them," he stated simply, using his hand to direct mine up into a curl. "Starting with the easy to lift one." He gestured to the dagger. "You do that twenty times, and then you do the heavier one," he said pointing to the short sword, "five times in between it. And once you've done that with each arm, you repeat five times."

I stared down at the weapons in my hands, considering them in a new light. I'm essentially going to be lifting weights, I thought but then peered at my arms and legs, with weights already attached to me. "And what's the point of these?"

Snotlout shrugged. "You just wear them when you do whatever you already had planned and you get stronger."

I nodded slowly as I considered doing the laundry while wearing them and tried not to frown in discomfort. Laundry will be a pain with these… but probably worth it… Maybe this is why Snotlout is strong for a five-year-old, even if it doesn't explain the others…

"Oh, right, also… My dad said that you need to eat a lot to get strong too," he chimed.

"Thanks for this, Snotlout. This'll actually really help." I smiled, giving him a one armed hug.

He hugged me back with one arm, looking about nervously. "W-Well, it's not like I can protect you all the time a-and i-if you get stronger m-maybe we won't have to only be friends in s-secret and-"

I rubbed his arm comfortingly and smiled. "You're a good friend," I said warmly.

Snotlout blushed bright red, stuttering out a couple of excuses about his yak being on fire or something and left in a hurry after that.

Now if only I'll survive today.

"Nearly there," Tuffnut sniggered with his hand gripping tighter around my arm as he pulled me along faster across the ground despite the multiple times I tripped and bumped into trees I couldn't see, as for some reason I thought it would be fine to allow the twins to blindfold both Snotlout and myself.

"Ready?" I heard Ruffnut chuckle from not far away.

Blinking at the suddent brightness as the fabric was lifted, I was honestly impressed. "How did you guys even manage this?"

Snotlout let out a whistle as his blindfold was removed.

"Oh, well, we just talked to our uncle and he arranged it using our designs," Tuffnut said with a shrug.

"So, Hiccup, will this do?" Ruffnut asked smugly, surveying the set up with a nod of approval.

I grinned and put my thumbs up at them both, pretty excited. "Can I test it?" I squeaked, hopping in place slightly, disregarding Snotlout's concerned look.

Before us spread an obstacle circuit, which was awesome, even if it did look a little scary and squeaked a tini bit much with each blow of wind.

"Shouldn't I go first? I mean, as the strongest here, I should go," Snotlout announced, his chest puffed out even as his eyes slid to me again.

I pouted and crossed my spindly arms against my chest childish. "But Snotlouuut, I wanna go fiiiirst," I whined.

Wide-eyed gazes locked onto my faces, mouths hanging open.

I furrowed my eyebrows. "What."

"Should we tell him?" Tuffnut murmured to his sister.

"Nah."

Snotlout pulled me to the side a few meters away from the twins, his hand on my shoulder as he looked in the direction of said Thorston's. "Don't do that. Ever. Again."

I glared at him and shrugged off his hand. "What? Don't argue with you?" I quipped with gritted teeth.

"Wh- No! Just don't…" he sighed his face bright red, looking at me and back to the twins who were giggling and punching each other. "Don't talk… like that."

My mouth popped open in an 'o' as I nodded mutely. Ohhhh, I embarrassed him…

As we walked back over to where the course started and the twins were now wrestling, I considered how weird the expectations and growth of kids are here, and I realised how Stoic treated me was very different from how the rest of the children are… I always thought it was because he felt distant since he's always doing Chief work but… maybe kids are expected to grow up faster here…

"So, which of you is going first?" Tuffnut huffed from his place on the ground.

"Well, I-" Snotlout started, his chest puffed out until I tugged on his shirtsleeve and gave him a big doe-eyed look. "Hiccup… is," he muttered grudgingly.

Throwing my hands in the air I let out a squeak of happiness. I actually just said 'yay' but had 'little spaced' at the idea of being able to go first and well… squeaking may or may not have occurred.

"Okaaaay," Ruffnut crowed with a clap of her hands, rubbing them together mischeivously. "So, want us to count you down?"

I nodded vigorously, with a wide grin on my face as I skipped over to the first obstacle. Wheels, that appeared to be taken from carts, had the center holes cut wider so as to allow for foot placement, typical of obstacle courses in my previous life, though we had tyres then.

"You know, originally we wanted to have the whole course on fire…" Tuffnut muttered sadly. "Our uncle said it wouldn't have lasted the afternoon if we did that, though…"

And, probably, would have killed someone…

"Ready?" Ruffnut asked, Snotlout hovering at her side trying to look tough and unconcerned. "Three!"

I stood ready in front of the first wheel and breathed out.

"Two!"

I dropped my shoulders a little as I leaned forward and slid my foot back, pretending it was a race, feeling disappoint that the course wasn't big enough for two people to go at once.

"Go!" Ruffnut called and slapped my shoulder startling me into bolting forward. What happened to the one?!

Hopping from one wheel to the next, I stumbled halfway through but managed to regain my balance and made it to a set of hurdles, with some of them being solid wood and others just beams being held up suggesting I had to go over and under. Jumping over the first one using my forward momentum with a hand placed at the top, I felt the wood give slightly as I swung over it. Brushing the concern from mind, I continued under the beam and over the next one all the way until the end of the six hurdles.

Coming up to a rope net fixated to the ground in certain places I heard Tuffnut call out, "Crawl under it! Like a chicken!" Ignoring the second part of his statement, as per usual, I lifted the edge of the net and relised it didn't lift very far off the ground. Low crawling it is then, I thought as I dropped to my belly and pulled myself forward mostly using my arms, still grinning even as rocks scraped against the front of my shirt and covered me in dirt.

Finally able to pull myself to a stand I stretched upwards, blinking at the structure before me. A rope was attached to a high wall of wood, at least as tall as two Stoics.

Not wanting to let my muscles cool, I simply ran to the wall and jump up to grab the highest point of the rope.

I regretted that decision as my hands didn't just grip to the rope and slid down it instead leaving me with minor friction burns.

Glaring at the rope, I positioned my hands to get a nice grip and placed my feet against the wall as I climbed/walked up it, struggling at the top to pull myself up without sliding back down. Once on the platform at the top, that the hinges or metal parts of gave a quiet groan in protest, I looked down over the other side and noticed some footholds and hands holds at random points like a rock-climbing wall.

Climbing down using the handholds, I slipped about a meter from the ground and landed on my butt with a cry of fear. I chuckled as I stood up and brushed myself off, feeling the endorphins rushing my system more from my short fall, and turned around to see…

A window.

This wooden structure was also tall but had a rectangle cut out of it just above my reach meaning I would have to jump to reach the ledge.

Bouncing on my toes for a moment, I bit my lip as I concentrated and ran up to the wall and jumped with my arms stretch high to find purchase on the ledge, before belligerently pulling myself through the awkward space, kicking the wall as I moved and ignoring the contined creaks and groans of the structure.

On the other side was a set of logs staged as steps that led up to what appeared to be monkey bars.

Huffing out a delighted sound, I ran up the steps, slipping on the one at the top but keeping my balance until I could launch myself at the monkey bars and swing across them happily. I was almost content to just hang on them for the rest of the afternoon, however, the next obstacle caught my eyes.

Ninja anime training! I cheered mentally, grining as I moved across the bars towards tall stilts that had been hammered into the ground.

At the last bar I dangled as I considered how I was supposed to transition from there, to the stilts as there was no platform to land on.

Figuring that this part was purposely extra dangerous, though I doubted I would really sustain anything other than a sprain if I fell, I swung myself back and forth on the bar. Timing it the best I could, I let go of the bar and pushed myself off each stilt my foot touched and jumped forward to the next with my forward momentum, hoping that if I missed I could just propel myself by pushing off the length of the wood.

Thankfully, I didn't miss, but when the stilts nearly ran out I nearly panicked with just a coil of rope dangling at the end. I caught it, receiving some rope burns as I did and used it to swing to a small wooden platform, wobbling as the structure wasn't as stable as I had hoped.

This time the structure that greeted me looked to be a small tunnel but had a swinging trapdoor on it.

Seeing that I was near the end of the course, I decided I could cope with a mild amount of claustrophobic tension and crawled through the door into the small, dark space, the sound of the door swinging echoing in the confined space along with my ragged breaths. Hearing the groaning of wood beneath me with each movement forward, I cringed and moved as quickly as crawling allowed.

Reaching a surface at the end of the tunnel, I gave it a push to reveal a thick branch half a meter in front of me with a balance beam nailed to it and another platform that led to where the others were waiting.

I gulped at the sight of it, trying to call my leftover anxiety from the tunnel and the growing anxiet of being up higher than I was used to.

As stable as I'd ever be, I launched myself out of the tunnel and grabbed the tree branch, cringing as I felt it dip and swing slightly.

"Oh Gods," I whispered to myself as I levered myself atop the branch and watched the beam in front of me.

Shaking my head, I top a step onto the beam with a hand against the trunk of the tree as support. The beam wasn't very long, and it was flat inside of cylindrical, which helped as I took a few more steps forward, refusing to look down.

Once my hand could no touch the tree trunk, I lowered it and brought it in front of me in case I needed to grab the beam beneath me if I slipped and fell.

Safely making it the the platform, I gave a sigh of relief at the same creak of wood I had heard from all the other platforms, glad to be on something more solid even if it wasn't particularly safer.

Grinning at the slide that would drop me at the feet of Snotlout and the twins, I breathed a sigh of relief and jumped forward to slip down the slide.

SNAP!

Falling through the wooden structure I landed on my back with a pained grunt on the soft grass but hard ground.

I seem to remember this happening to me a lot during my childhood. I can count at least three times I was playing on something, or jumping for something, and just slipped off or bounced off and landed on my back, I thought derisively. "Glad to see that hasn't changed."

"HICCUP!" Snotlout called from beside me as I heard the wood creak and groan, dispersing splinters and wood pieces from above to land on me, and reveal a patch of light as him and the twins lifted the structure.

I rolled out from under the enclosure to where their feet were and where there was light, then sat up and shook the wood out of my hair, feeling the would spin a little as I did. Concussion?

Feeling arms wrap around me, I flinched, my gaze snapping up to see the grins on the Thorston's face as they didn't try to hide their laughter.

"I've never seen a more beautiful sight!" Tuffnut laughed, bent in half.

Ruffnut was rolling on her back giggling, tears in her eyes. "You! You should have SEEN YOUR FACE!" she gasped, hitting the ground as she laughed.

"Sorry I worried you," I murmured as I, too, started to grin.

Snotlout's arms quickly whipped away from me as stood and recoiled from me, with one hand on his upper arm as he looked away. "Pfft, worried? I wasn't worried. Pfft, d-do I look worried?"

I couldn't hold in my amusement anymore as relief rushed through me and I started laughing as hard as Ruffnut, falling onto my back as I clutched my stomach. "Th-that was… AWESOME!" I giggled, snorting as I struggled to breathe through the cackling.

"Hahah- I-I was going to suggest, hah, running from angry yaks next but no," Tuffnut chortled, "you should totally do that again. No. I should do that next."

"Sure, once y-you, haha, fix it," I snorted, still rolling about even as I mentally started compiling a list of ways to fix the structures so they would be less damageable but still slightly unstable, since that was fun.

Waking up to the buzzing of a phone, I groaned and rolled over to see a text from an unknown number. It read, "I'm outside." Checking the time, I noticed it was nine in the morning, and I wondered if my friend realised what fresh Hell they had awoken me to, and then considered ignoring them while I slept for another ten minutes.

Groaning again, I pushed myself up off my mattress on the floor, ignoring the huntsman spider crawling up the wall beside my bedroom door, and continued down the hall to the front door.

I grumbled as I opened the front door, expecting to see my tentative friend who didn't seem to respect my nocturnal needs.

An oval face topped with red-brown hair and stubble greeted me instead, filling me with dread as muddy eyes met mine, no true colour registering. "You didn't think you could just leave, did you?" they intoned coldly with a sad expression on their face.

How did they find where I live? I thought in a panic.

Chilled by their proximity I nearly froze in place, barely finding the strength to slam the door in their face, my heart pounding hollowly in my chest.

Turning around to race for my phone, I froze.

Hollow eyes met mine, a frown adorning their lips as they looked at me in disappointment. "That wasn't nice…" they sighed, their warm, and wet breath coating my face.

Flinching, I bolted out the sliding door to my left that led to my parents' side garden, blinking as I entered a warn down hallway with a door that's paint was flaking off it at the end. Running to the door, I threw it open to reveal the same eyes now filling with anger.

"After all I've done for you…" they growled, stepping closer to me.

"GO AWAY!" I screamed desperately, backing up until the undersides of my knees pressed into a squishy and wet surface behind glancing back, I noticed blood-soaked sheets covering a bed with splatter marks of orange-y red licking up the walls of the cramped room.

"The least you could do…" they murmured from in front of me, their tongue darting out to lip their chapped lips as their larger form hovered over me. "…is make it up to me."

They toppled me onto the bed, pinning my wrists under their hands as they forces their knee between my thighs, the wet, cloying smell of blood filling my nose as the liquid soaked the back of my shirt and coated my legs.

Screaming, I struggled against their grip, thrashing about, trying to kick them, bite them, scratch them, anything and-

I gasped and thrashed as hands turned to fabric tangled around my arms, breath quicking as warm liquid soaked my sleep clothes leaving me with a sense of horror.

Rolling out of bed with a thud, I landed on the wooden floor and untangled myself from my blanket as I looked to my bed, the bed of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the third, five-year-old, not of Ryan Cassata the… however old now, which was wet but not from blood.

Sighing, I dropped my head until my chin leaned against chest as I breathed, needing the moment to deal with the mortification and the rest to reorientate myself with reality.

Shaking my head, I bit my lip and forwned, removing my clothes as I stood and moved over to a bucket filled with water and a cloth. It was normally there so I could wipe sweat off my body after a nightmare.

I changed my sheets and changed into dry clothes when I was done, not bothering to light a candle.

Slipping down stairs when that was done, I went to the fireplace that Stoic always left with enough wood to burn through until morning, and made myself a cup of tea.

Sipping at the warm drink, I stared into the flickering flames and clenched my teeth.

It had been ten years since I had even seen that person and at least nine since I had last spoken to them, I shouldn't even remember them let alone having nightmares about them.

I slammed my cup against the table I was seated on, not even caring as it clattered against the table and slipped onto of my hand, spilling the remaining tea, and falling to the fall with a sharp clack.

A decade past and I'm still letting it affect me, I thought with a snarl, slamming my hand against the table in frustration before putting my hands over my eyes, almost surprised as the wet trails leading from them to soak into my shirt sleeves.

"Hiccup?" Stoic's voice whispered softly, causing my head to snap up as my gaze landed on him, startled.

Great. Just great.

"Hey…" he murmured, coming over to me and placing his big hand on my shoulder. "What's wrong?"

"Just a nightmare," I mumbled, still mad at myself, at that person, and the whole fucked up situation that had been.

"Oh," he said, nodding gravely before smiling softly. "You know, you have nothing to be afraid of," he offered, his thumb rubbing against my collarbone.

"Oh?" I asked hollowly as I turned my gaze back to the table, already waiting for this conversation to be over.

"Yeah, because I'm here to keep you safe," he told me, as I felt his eyes on me and I tensed, annoyed by his words. Not because I didn't believe he would, but… because he couldn't. My own parents couldn't and we lived in a less dangerous time, what make him think he could do any better when he's away all the time because of his Chieftain duties. "I promise."

I brushed his hand off and glared at the ground as I hopped off the table. "There are some things parents can't protect their children from," I whispered as I left for my room, not looking back.