Stoick thought he was a good father.

It wasn't always easy, being a single father to a six-year-old son who had yet to understand why his mother was never coming back, even to say goodbye, but he did his hardest, and he did his hardest well.

Or, at least he thought he did.

In the back seat of their Suburban, his six-year-old boy, Hiccup, held a small, stuffed animal dragon, which he held in his grasp and held over his head, pretending to make it "fly". The plushie had been a gift from Hiccup's mother, Valka, and it had been presented to Hiccup when the boy turned two. He loved it; he never went anywhere without it.

Stoick never told him to leave it behind. It seemed barbaric to him. His son loved that little dragon. Who was he to tell him otherwise.

"Whoom!" Hiccup shouted from behind him. "And the dragon burned-ded down the town! Whoosh!"

"It's burned, Hiccup," Stoick corrected softly. "Just burned." He cranked the air conditioning up another notch; for the first day of summer, Stoick couldn't believe how unbelievably hot it was.

Their Suburban had a few minor problems with its air conditioning; whenever it went uphill, sometimes the air wouldn't work, but for the most part, despite its flaws, it was a good vehicle. Stoick had bought it at a used car shop, and although it came with a few quirks (one of the back seat-belts was remarkably hard to unbuckle, and one of the windows didn't roll down), Stoick didn't complain much about it.

Hiccup didn't seem to care that he had used improper English. "But then," the boy continued dramatically, "they learned that the dragon just wanted to be friends! The dragon wanted food, and when it got the food, it was a nice dragon!"

Stoick couldn't help but chuckle. His son wasn't exactly the most normal boy in the world, but he loved his little boy all the same, despite his differences.

Which was another reason Stoick thought he was a good father. He let Hiccup be who Hiccup wanted to be. He didn't force the child into things; he didn't push him against his will. Sometimes, he wanted to, and once or twice, he was guilty of doing it in the past, but he never meant any harm by it.

He loved his son. He was a good father to his son.

He parked the car in the back lot of a marketplace and unbuckled himself. The heat rushed at him all at once, especially without the air conditioning running, so he busied himself with getting out of the car and shutting the door behind him.

It was going to be a quick, in-and-out trip to the store. He had to get some supplies, and then, he and Hiccup would be back on their way home.

Stoick locked the car behind him. Yes, he was a good father. Hiccup was rather picky about what he ate, which led to Stoick having to go shopping just to get what the boy wanted, but he hardly ever complained about it.

He loved his son.

He'd do anything for his son.

Unfortunately, as he was lost in his thoughts, he forgot to let Hiccup out of the car. He couldn't hear Hiccup shouting for him as he started towards the doors of the building. He couldn't hear Hiccup struggling to unbuckle himself. He forgot that Hiccup was sitting with the seat belt that always jammed.

An honest mistake.

But a big one to make.

…

Hiccup couldn't believe it! His Daddy forgot to let him out of the car!

"Daddy!" Hiccup shouted desperately, but he knew his father was too far away for him to be heard. He released his dragon with reluctance and began yanking desperately at his seat belt, pushing his thumbs into the red button that should have unlatched it. He pressed the button, jerked against his seat belt, and pressed the button again.

It was hot. It was too hot. Simply too hot, and the heat was beginning to overtake him, to make him feel sick and tired and all Hiccup wanted to do was escape this new prison and get to his father. The parking lot wasn't busy; he could easily run into the store and find his Daddy. It wouldn't take long.

That is, if he ever got out of this seat belt…

He tried leaning forward and shoving the lap belt part of the seat belt over his head, but then, the belt locked, and he couldn't lean forward anymore. The fabric bit into his neck; it was too tight, and he was too hot. He was scared, alone...trapped.

He grabbed his dragon plushie and held it in the crook of his elbow while he continued yanking his seat belt desperately.

"Help!" he shouted. "Help me!"

...

Sixteen year old Astrid walked down the sidewalk, her phone held up to her ear. Her dark blue t-shirt matched the color of the summer sky, and her jeans went well with her outfit. She kept her blonde hair tied in a high ponytail, and her shirt matched her eyes with almost too much perfection."Look, I told you, Ruffnut, I'll be over soon," she practically yelled into her phone. "I'm-."

"What are you doing, girl!?" Ruffnut's voice shouted back over the line.

Astrid continued walking, through a parking lot. "I'm picking up some supplies, and then I'll be over. Give me about ten-" she began, only to be cut off by her friend again.

"You had better hurry up, Astrid!" Ruffnut shouted. "It's not every day we get to celebrate the first day of summer vacation!"

For the first day of summer, it was hot. It must have been over a hundred degrees, Astrid didn't know, and she really didn't care. Her friend, Rebecca (more commonly known as Ruffnut), was throwing a big "Welcome back, Summer!" party at her house.

Too bad Ruffnut was just so impatient.

"Look, I'll be there in a bit, Ruffnut!" Astrid shouted. "I'll-"

As she passed a car in the lot, she heard what sounded like muffled shouting, and it wasn't coming from her phone. She lowered the phone from her ear and studied the car carefully.

What in the world…?

Then, she heard the shouts again, this time, more clearer, since now, she was trying to hear them. "Help!" The cries were quiet. "Daddy! Help!"

"Astrid! Where'd you go!?" a voice on the other line shouted again, and Astrid jumped.

"Look, Ruffnut, I'm gonna have to call you back," Astrid said instantly.

"But wai-"

Click.

Astrid hit the "End" button, and then raced over to the car to investigate. Her instincts were kicking her. She didn't know who was shouting, or why they needed help, but the shouting sounded like it was coming from a child - a young child, at that. Why was the child shouting? What was wrong?

Astrid silenced her phone in case Ruffnut tried to call back and shoved her phone into her shoulderbag. She put her bag onto a nearby bench, and then hurried over to the vehicle.

Astrid put her face against the window, trying to see into the car, where the small cries were coming from. She saw, in the back seat of the car, a little boy - he couldn't have been older than six, maybe seven...no, he looked younger than seven. He could have been five, or six. Astrid really couldn't tell.

Not that she cared very much, either.

"Hey!" she called to him. She tapped on the windows. "Hey! Are you okay!?"

He obviously wasn't okay. She couldn't see much, but she could tell he was scared and panicking. He actually looked like he was crying…

That did it. She didn't know how long the boy had been alone, but she knew that if he was in the car for a long time, plus the fact it was over a hundred degrees outside...he could pass out, or worse, suffer heatstroke.

"Hang on!" she shouted. "I'm gonna get you out!" She looked around wildly for a moment, and then, spotted a very conveniently placed rock (well, it looked more like a chunk of asphalt, but whatever). Racing towards it, she grabbed it, and then ran back to the car.

She aimed, and smashed the rock against the bottom of the window. A large, gaping hole appeared, the glass where the rock had hit shattering. Astrid was glad the entire window didn't shatter...although quite honestly, with how the cracks were spider-webbing outwards and climbing upwards, she feared it just might.

She reached her hand through the hole in the glass, shoved the length of her arm in after it, and grasped around blindly for the handle to the door. As soon as she found it, she grabbed it, pulled on it, and the door swung open instantly.

As soon as it was open, she climbed into the car.

Astrid could tell for certain that the boy was no-way over seven or six. His hair was auburn and dampened by sweat, and his eyes were big, green, and full of panic. His face was flushed red, and he was pulling and tugging hard at his seat belt desperately.

He was wearing a green t-shirt and jean shorts, with a stuffed animal dragon tucked against his elbow. He gasped when he saw Astrid, and Astrid instantly tried calming him down.

"It's okay, it's okay!" she promised, holding her hand out to the boy. "I'm going to help you!" She climbed into the back seat as soon as the boy relaxed, but then, the lad tensed all over again and kept yanking at his seat belt.

"I can't unsnap it!" he cried. "It's stuck! I can't get out!"

Astrid understood that kind of panic; she had gotten her skirt caught in her seat belt buckle once when she was four, and she was terrified. But then, she had had her mother right there with her, instantly ready to help Astrid get free.

This boy was completely alone, for who knew how long. He must have been beyond terrified.

Astrid quickly grabbed the seat belt with one hand, her other hand pressing down repeatedly on the red "push" button. She grit her teeth when it didn't come undone right away. She pulled and pushed at the same time, too stubborn to give up.

Wow, that seat belt was really stuck!

At long last, she finally managed to get it undone, and as soon as she did, she threw it off the boy and grabbed him tightly. If he was on the brink of passing out, she didn't want him walking.

Being as careful as was possible, she hefted the boy into her arms with his chin on her shoulder and slowly exited the vehicle, bending over nearly double so her head and the boy's head didn't hit the ceiling. The boy kept his arms tightly wrapped around her neck with his dragon plush held tight in his hands, and she didn't blame him.

Poor thing was probably scared out of his mind.

As soon as she was out of the car, she kicked the door shut, ignored the sound of cracking glass, and carried the boy to the shaded bench, where she had set her shoulderbag. She seated herself down on the bench and tried to pry the child's arms off her neck, but he only held tighter in response, and after that, she simply let him stay where he was.

He gasped into her shoulder, clinging to her tightly as though she were his hero - which she kind of was. At long last, she finally managed to untangle his arms from her neck; she still needed to check his condition and make sure it wasn't serious. She set him down on the bench beside her, being as careful as possible, not wanting to scare him more.

"I'm just gonna check you out for a sec, 'kay?" Astrid said kindly, and the boy nodded. She put her hand against his forehead; he felt warm, but not burning hot, which Astrid was thankful for. "What's your name?" she asked.

The boy sniffled and wiped his eyes with the back of his hand. "Hiccup," the boy murmured.

…

It wasn't until much later did Stoick realize his son was not with him.

He was surprised by the quiet; normally, Hiccup would rant and ask questions everywhere from, "What's that say?" or "What is that?" or "Oh! Can we get ice cream? Plleeeaassee?" but now, the silence was just...odd.

He turned around, expecting to see Hiccup walking behind him (probably still clutching his dragon, no doubt), but what he saw made his heart skip a beat.

Hiccup wasn't there.

"Hiccup?" Stoick called. Ooh, this was bad. Hiccup never wandered off...well, he had once, but that was when they were at the park, and that was far different. Hiccup never wandered off when they were shopping, ever.

It was then Stoick realized he didn't remember even letting Hiccup out of the car.

Panic shot through his chest. Oh, oh no...he hadn't actually left his six-year-old in a hot car in summer when it was over a hundred degrees outside all by himself, had he?

He looked around again.

Apparently, he had.

All other thoughts pushed aside, Stoick turned and bolted, saying quick apologies whenever he bumped into someone in his haste. He didn't care how many people he bashed into.

As long as he got to Hiccup before something bad happened.

...

Hiccup? What an interesting name, although Astrid didn't mention it. "Okay," Astrid said. "How old are you, Hiccup?"

"Six," Hiccup held up his five fingers on one hand and one finger on the other. He sniffled again, clutching his stuffed animal close to his chest. "I'm hot," he whimpered quietly.

That was to be expected. "I know," Astrid assured him. "It's okay, alright?" She rubbed his bony, sweaty back with one hand while she dug around for her phone in her bag with her other hand. "Are your parents nearby?" she asked.

"Daddy's in the store."

Astrid nodded. It seemed a bit odd for a parent to leave his son unattended in the backseat of a vehicle. "How do you feel?" she asked.

"My head hurts. I want my Daddy."

"I know, I know you do." The boy seemed coherent enough; Astrid didn't think he had heatstroke, but he was lucky she'd found him when she did, or his condition could have been far, far more serious.

She didn't really have time to say anything else before the child crawled into her lap and laid there like a tired kitten, his eyes drooping. He looked up at her shyly with embarrassment flashing in his face, although it didn't look very much like he cared at that point. "I'm tired," he slurred, his eyes finally shutting. By the sound of his breathing, he wasn't yet sleeping. "I...I want my Daddy…"

Astrid nodded again. She knew a lot about children; when she wasn't in school, normally over the summer, she babysat for her friends. She knew that when children weren't feeling well, they liked being comforted and taken care of.

There wasn't much she could do for this boy she had just met, so she let him lie in her lap while she debated between calling 911 or not. The boy wasn't throwing up or passing out, which were both good signs, but he did feel warmer than what was healthy, and of course he seemed very, very, very exhausted…

"HICCUP!"

Hiccup bolted upright again, almost knocking his head on Astrid's chin. "Daddy!" he shouted. He squirmed, and after another moment, Astrid released him.

A man was racing towards him. He had the same features as Hiccup did, with auburn hair and an auburn beard to match it. His eyes were the same green as Hiccup's; there was no doubt about it. This man was Hiccup's father.

Hiccup ran to meet him, stumbling slightly over his feet. Astrid stood as well, ready to run forward and catch the boy should he suddenly collapse, but as it turned out, she didn't need to worry at all. The man reached Hiccup, and as soon as he did, he bent down and scooped his son into his arms, holding him tightly. Hiccup flung his arms around the man's neck and also held tightly.

Astrid's shoulders relaxed, the tension easing as she watched the father reunite with his son. She could see Hiccup's shoulders shaking, and it wasn't hard to understand why. They boy had been left alone in a hot car with no escape. He was allowed to cry, and Astrid had expected him to.

"I'm sorry, Hiccup," the man whispered, shutting his eyes, holding Hiccup even tighter, if possible. "I'm so, so sorry. Are you alright?"

Hiccup nodded. "M'alright," he murmured. "A really nice, pretty person saved me."

The man opened his eyes again, his gaze meeting Astrid. "You saved him?" he asked. Astrid nodded. "Thank you," Hiccup's father said, and Astrid could tell by his tone that he wanted to say so, so much more than just a simple "thank you." "Thank you, miss."

"You're welcome," Astrid replied. Then, she looked back at the Suburban, remembering the method in which she had used to rescue the boy. She winced when she saw the state of the busted window. "I'm sorry about-"

The man looked back at the same time she did, and he must have understood what she meant, and how she had got into the car, because he nodded. "It's alright," he said. "The window doesn't work there. I was going to get it fixed next week anyway."

He never loosened his grip on Hiccup, and Hiccup never let his father go, either.

"What's your name?" the man asked.

"Astrid," Astrid replied.

"Thank you, Astrid," Hiccup's father said once again. "I don't know what to say. You saved my son."

Astrid shook her head. "You're welcome, again, but you don't have to say anything else." For her, it was enough seeing the look of relief on Hiccup's face when she first got to him, and then watching Hiccup and his father embrace each other afterwards.

Astrid would have been fine with just those two things, without the "thank you" to follow it, even.

"It was my pleasure," Astrid added. "Just...make sure he doesn't get stuck like that again."

"It will never happen again," he promised. He held Hiccup tighter. "It will never happen again. I'm sorry, Hiccup."

"S'okay, Daddy," Hiccup whispered. "T-thank you, m-miss…"

Astrid couldn't help but smile. She didn't care if she never got more than a small thank you. She didn't care if no one ever knew what she did. She didn't care if when Hiccup got older, he forgot her. She honestly didn't care.

Because no matter what happened, she had most likely saved a life today.

And the relief and happiness in the little six-year-old's eyes was enough for her.

Author's Notes:

Sorry if the ending was kinda abrupt. I didn't know what else to say, and this seemed like a good note to leave it on, so yeah. There we go. :)

And once again, as I usually say with all the one-shots I write, yes, this is a one-shot, and there will not be a continuation. :)

Once again, this was requested by Markiplier is My Senpai, so all credit for the idea goes to said user! :) Thanks for requesting it, and I hope you liked it. :)

Until next story!

-BeyondTheClouds777