Disclaimer: HTTYD is not mine. No profit is being made.

Summary: A series of snapshots from Hiccup's early years. What childhood influences make a Hiccup? Add one boyhood crush, a tablespoon of Gobber's mentoring, two cups of childhood loneliness and ostracization, and a heaping helping of fatherly disapproval. Stir vigorously. Bake for fifteen years, then leave to cool in the brisk Berk climate.

Author's notes: Thanks for the reviews, guys!

The Thrush That Can't Fly: Yeah, the gender role thing is something that's bothered me sometimes about the fics I've read. The gender dynamics of Berk society are done pretty subtly, but it's eye-opening once you notice them and realize what they are. That there's absolutely no question at all that Astrid and Ruffnut should be fighting and doing dragon-training is pretty freakin' cool, and I figure conversely, it's not really looked down on if a man sews or cleans or cares for their kids. Equality is almost a given there, it looks like. Hope the rest of the fic lives up to your expectations!

4ever2010: The way I see it is there's no way he'd like Astrid if she'd been making fun of him with the others from the start. And she was never shown mocking him in the movie, so what I sort of wondered was: was there possibly a time she was nice to him and they just grew apart?


Catching the Sun

By Saphie


Part 3

When they were nine, the mocking insults and jeers every time he lost at everything had started to wear on him, so he spent more of his time alone, occupying his time with looking at interesting bugs, drawing in what was to become one of many paper notebooks provided by his father, and, his favorite past-time, annoying the adults around the village with questions.

"Why's the sky blue, instead of, I don't know, green?"

"I have no idea, Hiccup."

"Do you think the gods just decided blue was blue? Or maybe there's something blue past the sky and the sky is clear. Like water? Could it maybe be that?"

"I don't know, Hiccup."

"Do you think the sun would still look gold if the sky was green instead? Do you think there's anything past the sky? I wonder if there's anything past the sky. If it is clear, I wonder if you can go past the blue part-"

"Hiccup, go home."

When he did try to hang out with the other kids, the highlight of most of their afternoons was the near-daily race they had. It took place through an array of obstacles around the town, up and over the docks, through the crates and baskets behind the mill, and around the edge of the fields. Hiccup always placed last, usually struggling for several minutes to climb over the crates and obstacles that the others hopped over in mere seconds.

"Slowpoke!" called Ruffnut as she and Tuffnut ran right by, during one afternoon's race. "C'mon, snail-boy, pick up the pace!"

"If we ever have to run from dragons to avoid getting eaten, at least we know we'd be okay. We only have to run faster than Hiccup!" Tuffnut teased.

Even Fishlegs managed to get over the obstacles faster than Hiccup, usually because of his strong arms. "Guys! Hey guys! I'm not sure if we should be engaging in such vigorous activity after eating lunch! There's a 65% chance we might get cramps!"

Hiccup was getting cramps. His tiny stride meant he had to work twice as hard as the others and he was usually too out of breath to even defend himself again their taunting.

"Look at me, look at me! I'm walking faster than Hiccup can run!" Snotlout said mockingly, half-walking-half-jogging by.

"And I'm running faster than you could ever hope to in your life!" crowed Astrid, quickly zipping past Snotlout and outpacing the others. She'd given them a head start, but it wouldn't do them any good. She turned back to Hiccup and laughed, but it wasn't mocking. It was almost as if she was doing it to say: 'You might not be able to outrun anyone, but I can do enough of it for the both of us.'

Somehow, even though he always placed last and got viciously mocked for it, that was the part Hiccup never minded. Every time he lost, he got to look ahead and see Astrid's golden hair flapping in the breeze, coming loose from her braided pigtails, and he got to hear her wild laughter as she jubilantly beat everyone across the finish line.

"Hurry up, lead-legs!" she always called back breathlessly and yet it always sounded more encouraging than anything else.

"I'm comin'!"

It was part of why he tried his best to not be too slow so he could at least see her win, but as they all got older and she and the others got faster, and he didn't, he found that she was always leaving him farther and farther behind.