Chapter 19:

Hopefully this won't be too dull for you guys. And what happened to the big number of reviews that I used to get?

When Hic woke up on his birthday the following week, the first thing he noticed was that he had a death grip on Buttons. Normally, he would have worried about what the other kids thought about him actually sleeping with the stuffed dragon, but hanging out with Unn had made him more confident. Feeling comfortable and safe with Buttons, Hic decided to rest in a little more. At least until everyone else was out of bed.

Hic's parents knew well enough how uncomfortable he was around other people, and decided that he could decide how he wanted to celebrate his birthday. Hic was a little worried about how that idea would turn out. He didn't want to make a mess of things. That was the last thing he would want to have happen.

Hic snapped out of his thoughts when he felt a large body press up against him. Toothless Jr. had been sleeping with him ever since they had started hanging out together again. Hic wasn't one to complain, but the bed did get kinda crowded whenever the dragon joined him. But even he couldn't pass on a chance to hang out or bond with one of his best friends.

A sharp pain reminded Hic that his ankle still hadn't fully healed. He wasn't supposed to walk while his ankle was healing, which meant that he'd have to spend the entire day on dragonback. Not that he minded, but the sequence was getting really old, and fast. He felt vulnerable whenever he needed someone else to do things for him, but even he knew when to ask for help when he needed it.

Toothless Jr. must have realized that he was awake, because Hic felt a tug on the back of his shirt, and in an instant, he was on the dragon's back. Hic sighed. "I appreciate the help," he said, "But could you have waited a few more minutes?" Toothless Jr. did his version of a shrug before trotting out of the room. He stopped in the middle of the hallway, waiting for Hic to tell him where to go. Hic gave out a loud sigh before pointing in the direction of the main entryway. Toothless Jr. obliged to carry his friend to the area before sitting down in the middle of the room. "I still could have used a few more minutes of sleep," Hic complained. The black dragon grumbled as he lowered himself to the floor, allowing Hic to stretch out on his back and drift off to sleep.

Hic woke up later to the sound of his siblings walking into the room. He quickly straightened himself, trying to look important while he sat on Toothless Jr.'s back. Draco was the first to notice his younger brother on the black dragon.

"Happy Birthday."

Hic nodded in thanks. Camicazi walked past them and sat down at the table. She looked very unhappy. "What's wrong?" Hic asked. Camicazi hung her head. "I haven't been very nice to you two lately," she said, "And I'm really sorry." "I'm just wondering why you were acting like that," Draco replied. Camicazi shrugged. "I don't know what I was thinking," she said, "I never should have acted that way." "Are Mom and Dad awake yet?" Hic asked suddenly. "They're probably just talking," Draco said, "They usually do that every morning. Why?" "Just wondering," Hic said, shrugging.

As Draco guessed, Hiccup and Astrid were awake, and surprisingly, they were talking. That is, if you count exchanging a few words here and there. Hiccup was putting on and adjusting his flight suit while Astrid, who was already dressed, sat on the bed and watched him.

"Has it really been seven years?" Hiccup asked. He had been reflecting back to the adventures he and Astrid had together, and it was hard for him to believe how much time had gone by since Day One. "Believe it or not, it has," Astrid replied. Hiccup checked to make sure his flight suit was on straight before joining his wife, taking a seat on the bed next to her.

"Thank you."

Astrid looked surprised. "You don't have to thank me for anything," she said. Hiccup shook his head and took Astrid's hand in his. "You've given me more than I could ever ask for," he said, "You have no idea how grateful I am. You've been my biggest supporter, especially with what's been going on for the past couple of years. I don't know what I'd do without you."

Astrid was used to Hiccup's frequent expressions of love and appreciation for her, but she'd never expected him to do anything like that. It was true, if she had not been there, they wouldn't have had everything they had now. Mortem was living a happy, helpful life because of them. Draco, Camicazi and Hic happened because of them. They had done it all together. Astrid smiled at her husband, giving his hand a loving squeeze. Hiccup took this as a sign to embrace her, which he did. And he had no intention of letting go. Not after everything they had been through together. Now, if someone had said seven years ago that the two of them would be married with children, they wouldn't have believed it. But here they were, together, as they were always meant to be. Hiccup nuzzled his face into the crook of Astrid's neck and kissed her.

"I love you, Astrid."

His voice was slightly muffled, but she still heard him.

"I love you too, Hiccup."

Neither of them noticed Hic and Toothless Jr. watching them from the hallway. They had gone to see what had been keeping them. The young boy was used to his parents' frequent confessions of love, but he always looked away whenever they kissed. Deciding that they had seen enough, Hic steered his friend back to the main entryway. Not long after they left, Hiccup and Astrid pulled away and leaned in for a kiss.

The rest of the day turned out great for Hic. Not only was his ankle almost fully healed, but he managed to take Unn with him on a ride through the village. They reasoned to stay on the ground to give Unn more time to get used to riding on dragonback. Toothless Jr. was happy to see his rider-to-be making a new friend, and could somehow tell that they'd eventually grow closer to one another.

Hic had not asked for much for his birthday, only that it wouldn't turn into a disaster. But if there was one thing he knew, he had gotten more than he ever needed.

Just as long as his friends and family were beside him.

It was sunset when Hic and Unn arrived back home. Unn dismounted Toothless Jr. and looked up at her friend. "That was so cool," she said, "We should do stuff like that more often!" "I wish I could," Hic said, "But I have to wait until Gothi says I can walk again." "That shouldn't be too long," Unn said, "You're almost done healing already." She then started walking back in the direction of the village. "I have to go home now," she said, "My mom and dad will be wondering where I am. Bye, Hic!" She took off running, with Hic watching her until he couldn't see her anymore. He suddenly felt a large warm breeze on his neck, and turned to see Mortem looking down at him, smiling with his eyes narrowed. There was a warble, and Hic looked down to see Toothless Jr. looking at him the same way as Mortem. Hic rolled his eyes.

"What are you looking at?"

Raising a child isn't always easy.

But with all that they can learn from you, and how they use that knowledge will be worth it in the end.

Hic learned a lot from me and Astrid.

And he is definitely no exception.

I'm sorry that I have to do this, but it's the end of the story! Don't worry, though I'm planning one or two more of them, and I'm open to taking some suggestions from you guys. I'll be back before you know it, so leave me some reviews!