Pumpkins and Punches

Part 4

He'd missed much of the last part of Senior Year but the School had sent him school work and organised it so he could take his final tests, still ending up graduating on the Honour Roll. Astrid had given the Valedictory speech for the Senior Year and he had attended on crutches, stump still too troublesome to wear a prosthesis but unwilling to miss High School Graduation. 

Of course, Snotlout had tried to muscle in on the Graduation Photograph...but Astrid had determinedly made her way to Hiccup's side and managed to brush her hand against his, meaning his Graduation photo captured his dorky, astonished lopsided grin for posterity. She had determinedly put the couple of braids in his hair again at Graduation and ordered him not to remove them. He had goofily nodded and promised...before his enormous, red-bearded father had swept him into his arms and spun the lanky shape round like a small child.

"SON!" he had boomed. "I couldn't have been prouder! My boy-a High School Graduate!"

"Dad..." Hiccup had gasped. "AIR! Need...air...to breathe..." Stoick had stopped and gently put his son back on his leg and crutches, noting as Astrid leapt forward to steady the young man. His big face folded into a smile.

"Sorry, son..." he apologised. "But you haven't introduced me to your friend..?" Hiccup wanted to face-palm...but knew that would end him on the floor. He had to content himself with rolling his eyes.

"Dad!" he said through his teeth, warning him to be discreet. "This is Astrid Hofferson. Astrid-this is my Dad, Stoick Haddock..."

"Pleased to meet you, sir!" she said politely as he crushed her hand in a vice-like handshake. She carefully inspected her hand when he finally released it to check she still had all her fingers.

"It's a pleasure to meet one of Hiccup's friends..." There was a pause that just asked 'you are a friend, aren't you?'  She smiled.

"I'm so glad he's here," she said genuinely and the huge man sighed, his grey-green eyes briefly sad. 

"He nearly wasn't," he said softly. "After his mother was lost in that plane crash when he was so young, Hiccup has been all I have. And to see him so wounded after saving that boy..." Astrid grasped Hiccup's hand as she saw his expression fall at the mention of the accident. 

"Sir, Hiccup was a real hero," she said determinedly, "and he's strong. He'll be back on his feet in no time..."

"You mean foot!" Snotlout commented, swaggering up. "I'm amazed you're here, Useless! I mean, Graduation is for proper students, not nerds and..."

"What did you call my son, Snotlout?" Stoick growled. The stocky boy spun round and just noticed the six foot ten four hundred pound man with the huge flaming beard...and he back-pedalled at top speed.

"U-Uncle!" he gabbled. "I-er-I didn't see you there..." Astrid and Hiccup shared an amused glance: Stoick was so large he almost warranted his own zip code. 

"He's your cousin?" she asked in astonishment. He nodded with a wry smile.

"Great family dynamic, right?" he commented dryly.

"But he's bullied you forever!" she hissed. 

"Yeah...but he's sweet as pie whenever he sees Dad...and I didn't want to cause a family row so..." He shrugged and she took his hand. 

"Well, he's done that all to himself this time!" Astrid reminded him smugly.

"How DARE you call my son Useless?" Stoick boomed. Snotlout backed up another five paces, his face white.

"It-it-it's a term of endearment!" he gabbled and Hiccup almost choked with laughter.  

"Yeah...all those times he was making my life Hel...it's nice to know it was all meant as a term of endearment!" Hiccup commented sarcastically.