Protective Urges- Hiccup takes a fall from Toothless. While he's recovering, Stoick learns what it really means to be a father. A happy birthday gift for animalsarepeopletoo!

Heyyyyyy, guys! So, yeah, more and more birthday fics lately. *laughs* Anyways, animalsarepeopletoo's birthday was YESTERDAY, but I couldn't get this up in time (which I feel REALLY guilty for... ), so here's some father/son bonding and some whump to make up for it!

Anyways, Hiccup is his cute, young, little self in this one-shot, probably set shortly after the first movie. Just wanted to try out something a little different this time! Anyhoo, enjoy!

Stoick didn't completely trust Hiccup riding this...this Toothless. And as it turned out, he'd soon have good reason not to.

But, of course, his son, being the reckless young spirit he was, wouldn't take no for an answer. Instead, he promptly set off to show Stoick that flying Toothless was entirely safe. There was no reason to worry, he insisted. He and Toothless were almost like one up in the air. What could go wrong?

And that was how Stoick found himself watching his son swirl about in the air, a few dozen feet above him. That was how Stoick found himself thinking that Hiccup's idea of "enjoyment" was something he clearly wouldn't have even dreamed of a few months ago.

"See, Dad?" Hiccup called down from Toothless's back, a slow grin spreading across his mischievous features. "It's fine!"

"Yes, well, it'd be a lot finer down on the ground!"

Hiccup fake pouted and resumed a dive with Toothless. The sight made Stoick's stomach lurch and, averting his eyes, he sighed. He'd have to have another talk with Hiccup later on about his boundaries of flight.

"Now, remember, son," he yelled back up. "I want you to take it easy! You're still getting used to that new prosthetic of yours, and I don't want any accidents!"

Hiccup slowed Toothless down to send a scowl his father's way. "But, Dad-"

"But nothing. You either fly easy or you don't fly at all!"

It was no use in arguing with the Chief of Berk, Hiccup mused to himself, and he nudged Toothless a little more gently than usual. "All right, bud. Let's do a barrel roll. Slow."

Chortling, Toothless pushed off through the air, traveling faster and faster until they were spinning.

"Hiccup," Stoick reminded in a booming voice.

Hiccup cringed. "Easy, bud, easy…" He fumbled with the pedals, but his prosthetic kept on slipping off.

Without warning, Toothless started to dip downwards through the air. But the movement was not seen by either Hiccup or his father until it was too late.

Stoick could only watch in horror as the dragon lurched one last time and sent the unsuspecting rider sailing through the air. Hiccup hit the ground, hard, his head snapping against the impact. Toothless crashed beside him, but immediately stood afterward, albeit shaky,

Hiccup did not.

Stoick's face drained of color. "Hiccup!" he gasped, stumbling over to the spot where his crumpled son lay. Already a small patch of blood oozed from the back of his head and trickled down his neck.

The Chief knelt beside his son, eyes wide in horror, and dragged him upwards into his arms. "Hiccup? Can you hear me, son?"

Hiccup remained motionless, an almost peaceful expression covering his face as his chest barely rose and fell. This did little to soothe the worried father, who jumped upwards and set for home, panicked thoughts clogging his mind.

Toothless made a move to follow, but Stoick quickly shot him a glare, yelling, "Don't move, dragon. You've already hurt my boy more than enough!"

Stunned, Toothless watched, wide-eyed, as his rider was carried off, with him unable to do anything but sit and watch.

He could not claim a time when he had felt more useless in his life.

Hiccup was just beginning to stir when Stoick first laid him down on the bed, shifting about as weak moans escaped his lips.

Stoick pressed a hand to his son's forehead, caressing the troubled lines. "Hiccup, lad, can you hear me? Hiccup?"

Hiccup silenced, and Stoick felt his hopes fizzle out.

"Hiccup? Son?"

There was nothing.

Stoick bowed his head, praying fervently to the gods for Hiccup's well-being. My wife's already been taken away by one of those Thor-forsaken dragons… now my son will too? Just the possibility of it sent a chill up his spine.

"Don't worry, Hiccup," Stoick whispered, his head reeling as he backed out of the room. "I'll be back with help soon."

Still, his son did not stir.

"Stoick, he's going to be laid up for some time." Gobber heaved a sigh, shaking his head. "Gothi had to take a couple of stitches on his forehead, but other than that, his head is fine. He's likely to have a headache for a couple of days, but that will pass. His arm was broken, in two places, but Gothi managed to set the bones and put a plaster cast on the arm. His ribs are bound so that he doesn't move about and puncture a lung. He's going to be one mighty sore young man for a good number of days so Gothi'll leave some pain powders 'ere for him." Gobber offered his friend a comforting smile. "He's going to be fine, Stoick. Apparently, to what Gothi says, he's a lucky boy. He could have easily been killed."

"I know," Stoick said in a whisper. "When he crashed, I thought he… that he..."

"But he didn't. And that's the important part."

Stoick ran a hand down his face. But what if…?

"Eh, speaking of which, where's the dragon?" Gobber asked, looking around for Toothless. "Hope he wasn't hurt in the fall. It'd worry Hiccup to no end if anything happened to that dragon."

Stoick stiffened, and he cleared his throat. "The dragon is fine, Gobber. He's… somewhere out in the yard," he muttered.

Gobber turned to him, raising his brow. "Yehr not… worried about him?"

"Why should I be? My son's injured, again, and it's all thanks to that beast!"

Gothi swatted Stoick's side with her staff. Rubbing at the sore spot, Stoick shook his head silently before returning his attention to Hiccup. His heart leaped to his throat as he re-examined the still, unmoving form of his son. Hiccup's face was so white, the bandages seemed to have more color. His slow breathing barely caused his chest to rise and fall, and Stoick registered the extent of the bandaging with worry.

"He should be waking up by now, shouldn't he?" he demanded and swerved back to Gobber and Gothi. When they didn't answer, he grew irritated. "Well?

"Pretty soon, I'm sure," Gobber assured him quickly. "Don't worry, Stoick. He'll be all right."

Gothi promptly nodded and busied herself in rounding up all her supplies.

"Now, let him get plenty of rest over the next few days," Gobber ordered, crossing his arms. "Keep him in bed, make sure he doesn't strain that arm or his ribs too much. See if Toothless cheers him up."

Stoick felt his face harden. "I'm not letting that dragon back in the house, Gobber. Not after what just happened."

"Stoick, it was only an accident," Gobber exasperated. "Hiccup, 'ere, is still gettin' used to the fact that he's got a fake leg. He probably messed up on those pedals of his and tumbled off." His expression softened. "Let the lad see his best friend, dragon or not, Stoick, or he'll never forgive yeh."

"I'll see," Stoick grunted.

"Well… I s'pose that's good enough for now." Nodding, Gobber and Gothi trailed out of the room, gently closing the door behind them.

Stoick's gaze fell back to his son, the moment of him falling to the ground replaying over and over again in his mind. He squeezed his eyes shut. This new type of worry was concerning him. Of course, in the past, Hiccup had always been in danger of being carried off or killed by a wild dragon, but now, the stakes were much worse.

Because now, Vikings could ride dragons. They could fly just as smoothly as the beasts they rode. And it was all thanks to his son, Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Heir and Hope to the Harry Hooligan Tribe.

But… was this really all a good thing in the end? The dangers were far worse now. Unpredictable, even. Deadly. They meant trouble and pain for many people, including his son.

Maybe the ally with the dragons wasn't as good as it had first seemed to be.

"But why can't I see Toothless?"

"Because he's… preoccupied at the moment."

"Dad, I know he's not. He's probably worrying himself sick about me or… is he injured? Oh, no. Is there something you're not telling me?" Hiccup shot up in bed, but immediately regretted it as the hard pounding against his skull reminded him of his predicament.

"You lie down, young man," Stoick chided, wagging a finger in disapproval. "Toothless is fine."

Hiccup rested back against his pillows, giving a small sigh. "Dad, I know what you're thinking, and it isn't his fault. It was mine. I pressed too far down on the pedals, I caused us to crash." He shook his head. "And I'm fine now, Dad. Now, when can I see Toothless?"

"...once you've rested."

"I won't rest until I see Toothless."

Stoick rubbed his temple. "You, son, seem to quite like bartering." He sighed. "All right, you can see the scaly beast for five minutes, then I want him out of here so you can rest- and heal. That's what's most important right now."

Two minutes later, Toothless was let back into the house and happily bounded up the stairs to Hiccup's loft. "Toothless!" Hiccup cried, throwing his arms (or arm, as his broken one rested against his chest in a splint) out wide.

Toothless charged into Hiccup's embrace, and Stoick watched with a quiet grimace. "Careful, son, Don't overdo it…"

Toothless carefully licked the side of Hiccup's face. See? Gentle.

Hiccup laughed. "I know, Dad. It's fine, though. Stop worrying."

A pang hit Stoick's heart. Stop worrying. Wasn't that something Gobber had told him his whole life anywhere Hiccup was concerned? He had always been so reluctant to let go of his son and send him off into the real world, where all sorts of dangers lurked. Dragon training, for instance. He was sure Hiccup would be killed before the first dragon was let out of its cage. But Hiccup surprised him. He surprised them all. He did remarkably well in all areas, ranking at the top of the class. Gradually, Stoick's worry faded out.

But had it? Wasn't a father supposed to be worried about his own child? Stoick lowered his brow. Had he even been truly concerned about Hiccup when he was younger? Or was it all pretend, a ruse?

"...Dad?"

Stoick's head shot up, and clearing his throat, he offered a tired smile. "Yes, son?"

The joy was gone from Hiccup's face. He looked worried now, and even Toothless had slunk back into the corner in wariness. "Is… is everything all right?" Hiccup asked. "You just… kind of stood there for a second..."

Stoick nodded. "Just thinking, son. Everything's fine."

At Hiccup's dubious expression, he knew then that the boy had caught on that something was amiss. "Dad?" Hiccup repeated.

Stoick chose to ignore him. "Let's get you settled back into bed, now. It's past dark already, and you need all the rest you can get for tomorrow."

Hiccup reluctantly slid back into bed, his head pounding as he cast a look over at Toothless. He knew something was troubling his father. And for once, it wasn't just him. Was it Toothless? He frowned. It could be, but he didn't think that was the whole problem. After all, there was no reason to hold the dragon for any blame of what had happened. So, what was concerning him?"

"I'll see you in the morning, Hiccup," Stoick said, backing out of the room. "Call if you need anything."

Without another word, he was gone.

The worry was back.

The first soft pastel rays of morning light had just barely broke over the horizon, and it found Stoick Haddock pacing the floor of his room. Surely, Hiccup had rested nicely last night, he reasoned. The Chief had slipped a few sleeping powders into his son's drinks earlier that evening, which guaranteed a full night's rest.

So what was still eating at him? He had done all that Gothi had instructed him to. Checked Hiccup's arm, reapplied the bandages on his head, kept him quiet and rested, and even more. It just didn't make sense.

A soft sniffing broke his thoughts. It was coming from the hallway, along with a light patter of feet. Alarmed that Hiccup had wakened up already and was headed downstairs, Stoick threw his door open, only to find Toothless coming down the hall.

The dragon looked groggy if not anything else. Probably had spent most of the night lying awake, as he had.

"Toothless." Stoick sighed, his shoulders relaxing. He lowered his voice. "You know, dragon, you shouldn't be allowed up here without supervision. Especially after what happened with Hiccup the other day."

Toothless blinked slowly as if trying to comprehend what Stoick meant.

Stoick scowled. "Well, what is it, dragon? Is something the matter?"

The Night Fury glanced up at him with sad, bright green eyes. Stoick stiffened, alarmed at the intensity of the gaze. It almost seemed to say, I'm sorry. A desperate, sorrowful plead for forgiveness. Consolation, at most.

Stoick's eye twitched. "You're sorry for what happened, are you?"

Toothless only stared back.

Stoick sighed. "Well, I suppose it's not your fault any more than it is mine. Hiccup explained what happened, and I guess I should have forbidden him to ride you until he had completely gotten used to flying with his prosthetic on." He chuckled. "Youths these days."

Toothless chortled along with him.

"You're not half bad, dragon." Stoick folded his arms. "And if my son likes you, I suppose I'll have to get used to you sometime, eh?"

Then Toothless did something entirely unexpected. He smiled. No, not even smiled. He grinned. All his teeth sticking out in perfect symmetry; it was no doubt a grin. Odin. Not in all his years had he seen a sight like that.

"D...dad?"

Hiccup stumbled out from his doorway, auburn hair tousled from a restless night. His sleepy eyes suggested that he had only recently woken up, and Stoick rushed to his side. "You shouldn't be up, son. You know better than that!" he scolded.

Hiccup yawned. "But Toothless was gone, and I heard you talking to someone…"

"Nevermind that, let's get you back into bed."

"No, Dad. Wait." Hiccup took in a breath. "I know it's hard for you to accept all these dragons on Berk. Especially Toothless, the Night Fury. And after what happened yesterday, I know you're more convinced than ever to send them all away. But you can't, Dad. You-"

"No, son. It's quite the contrary," Stoick interrupted, smirking. "Toothless and I will be getting along soon, I guarantee you that."

Hiccup squinted. "So you're not angry with him because I got hurt?"

Laughing, Stoick shook his head and wrapped an arm around Hiccup's shoulder. "No, lad. I'm just happy you're all right."

Again, that same pang of worry suddenly crashed into him. A protective urge. Something calling him to take care of his boy until he could stand up again on his own two feet. It was… a father's worry.

Yes, Stoick reasoned. That had to be it. Over the past few years, he had just been too distracted to acknowledge it. But now, the urges returned. He wasn't going to let anything happen again to Hiccup.

Well, at least anytime soon. It was hard to keep a hand on that one.

Hiccup rubbed his eyes, yawning once more. "Yeah, me too." He drew in a breath. "Mm… I'm tired..."

Stoick raised his brow. "You should be. You've got a nasty head wound there."

"Do I? Oh, yeah… guess I do." Hiccup winced. "Well… I s'pose I'll be heading back to bed now..."

"Good. I'll stay with Toothless until you're up and ready to talk."

Hiccup smiled, pleased again with his father's warmness towards him. Ever since the Red Death, he had been unusually open. Any doubt from before left his mind, and suddenly he understood that befriending the dragons hadn't been a mistake at all. He had Toothless. He had his father. He had friends. He had all he had ever wanted.

"Hiccup? You all right?"

Hiccup looked up at his father and paused for a long moment. "Yeah, Dad. I just…" He hesitated. "I…"

Seconds later, he found himself buried deep within his father's arms, sharing the close embrace he had waited his whole life for.

And as for Stoick, as he hugged his son, he promised to himself that, no matter what, through thick and thin, he'd always be there for Hiccup.

A smile tugged at his lips.

Always.

So it would be.

Happy late birthday again to animalsarepeopletoo! Hope you enjoyed this one-shot, buddy, and have a great week! :D

Reviews would be awesome, guys, so please don't hesitate to leave one. They really really really make my day. :) See you all at the next whumpy one-shot! Happy reading!

-thepurplewriter333