When I Was Seven Years Old

One

Hiccup trudged - with a limp - his way up to his and his fathers house, covered in cuts and bruises and mud and a black eye.

Pushing the door open with a grunt, the seven year old boy slipped inside and painfully went to the bathroom in the hut to wash off the muck. As he cleaned himself up, he winced and let some heavy tears slide down his cheeks.

Once again, as usual, Hiccup had been stopped by his cousin Snotlout on his way to the mead hall after a long day of working in the village forge with his mentor and father figure, Gobber the Belch. His cousin, his bully, gave him a beating for being, well, him! Hiccup never understood why his cousin had to billy him, and never knew why Snotlout hated him.

The little boy had done nothing to his older cousin! He had always been kind and courteous and never raised his fist at Snotlout nor ever shouted at him and insult him. Hiccup could never bring himself to do such acts. He knew what it is like to be on the receiving end of others brutality and prayed no one else beside himself had to endure through it all.

Of course, Snotlout wasn't the only one who jumped him. The tribes mischievous twins who were devoted to the god of mischief, also joined in. Ruffnut and Tuffnut were equally tough on little Hiccup, if not more.

Snotlout would shout hurtful words at Hiccup and kick and punch him, leaving the bigger bruises, while Tuffnut and Ruffnut would mock him and take a more harmful route and would end up making Hiccup bleed from their torments.

The one other semi-bully would just brush him aside and call him names, which hurt as Astrid Hofferson was his childhood crush and was his first friend. But that didn't last long and she too began to get at the boy.

Hiccup did have one friend though, though like Astrid, Fishlegs Ingerman had told him he didn't want to play with him anymore and to not talk to him.

Hiccup was soon left alone with no friends his age. Or anyone for that matter. Well, minus Gobber. He was like a father the boy always wanted and a funny friend. The man with one leg and one arm would stand up for Hiccup when he could and would tend to his needs. Though with time, Hiccup began to think that the blacksmith with a interchangeable hand was doing it just to please his father, Stoick the Vast. Chief of the Hairy Hooligan tribe.

Hiccup soon finished cleaning up his body and went over to empty the mucky basin and dried his bruised and scarred body and slipped his clothes on.

Although hungry, Hiccup ignored his stomachs pleads for food and instead began to write in his personal journal that he kept hidden away from prying eyes. It wouldn't be the first time, nor the second or the third time on skipping out on a meal and doodle or sleep or write instead. No one knew, of course, and just figured he was just a weak fishbone; which he kinda was.

The little boy heard the door to his house open and close, signaling that his father had come home.

"Hiccup?" Stoick called out for his son "are you here?" Hiccup grabbed a fur from his bed and wrapped it around his fragile body to hide his new wounds from his father. He opened his door slowly and quietly walked down the steps and looked at his father "h-hey daddy..." it was rare for the boy to call his father daddy. Stoick had become accustomed to it and had figured that something was wrong with his son (but we all know that it was Gobber who told him this and not Stoick finding out on his own.)

Stoick went over to his sad and scared son and gently lifted his head after putting his large and sandpaper like hand under his chin "what's wrong, son?" Hiccup looked away and shook his head "nothing daddy... how was your fishing trip with Helga and Mulch and Bucket and the others?" He asked, trying to change the topic.

"It was alright. We didn't catch as many fish as we wanted, but we got some nonetheless." Stoick gently picked Hiccup up once he noticed that the boy wasn't paying attention, and carried him towards the fire in their hut and held him on his lap. He was worried though when his one and only son winced here and there. "Hiccup, tell me what's wrong."

The boy hid his face in the furs, trying to hideaway from the large and burly man.

Stoick peeled the furs off and away from Hiccup who struggled and protested against it. Hiccup, knowing he lost the battle, burried his face in the mans chest, disappointed in himself for not being strong. Stoick studied Hiccups bruised and cut and scarred body. He felt his blood boil "son, who did this to you." Hiccup gulped. Stoick had never studied his damaged body before, so it left Hiccup a blushing mess in embarrassment and shame.

"I-I just tripped in the forest while searching for trolls..." he said quietly. Stoick pulled Hiccups face away from hiding in his chest and stared into his forest green eyes "falling doesn't give you such bruises and cuts and a black eye." Stoick looked into Hiccups eyes, searching for honesty and sending a message that he wasn't fooling around.

Hiccup gulped and looked away, ashamed of himself. "I-it was Snotlout and the twins... I called Snotlout a pig and the twins morons..." Stoick sighed "I want honesty, Hiccup." The boy trembled "th-they jumped me b-because I-I'm weak and a dis-disgrace and so much m-more b-bad things..." he stuttered pitifully.

    Stoick sighed "you have to learn to show them that you are the boss around here." He said "you need to learn to defend yourself and fight others!" Hiccup flinched. He knew this conversation would turn this way. "B-but I'm only seven! And I work at the forge an-" Stoick cut Hiccup off "indeed you are seven. It means you should be stronger than all the other seven year olds!" Hiccup sniffed "but I'm the only seven year old, daddy..."

Before Stoick could argue anymore, Hiccup grabbed his furs and quickly headed up to bed, though tripped on the stairs, and curled into a ball. "Why can't I be strong and brave and big like daddy, Odin?" He whispered as he gazed out his window.

Words: 1107
Date: September 2, 2019
Status: ongoing and unedited
Comment: another story, I know! I will be working on this alongside Time to Disappear, but will have slow updates as I will be paying more attention to that story for now. Thanks for reading this and I apologize if this is bad!!