"Hello Stoick, how are ya doing? Is Hiccup alright?"

"Oh, he's doing fine Gobber, don't ya worry. He is strong and will make it through, although he usually gets phantom pains every now and then," Stoick replied, walking up to his old friend who was happily working in the forge.

"Understandable, I mean I remember the first time I lost a limb, my arm. It hurt to Vallhalla high, and the boy is only fifteen," reasoned Gobber as he happily hammered away at a new sword. It had been two weeks since the Red Death's defeat, and Hiccup was still having trouble

"Ay, he is small but will make it through,"

"Well, more of a fishbone in his eyes," muttered Gobber to himself, although Stoick caught it.

"Fishbone? When did he say that?"

"Oh plenty of times, manly when he was complaining about you… ahh nevermind, won't do any good dwelling on the past,"

"Complaining about me what, Gobber?"

"Ehh…"

"Gobber!" Stoick yelled, loosing his patience. If there was something he had to fox with he son, Stoick just had to know about it.

"Well, remember when he claimed he shot down Toothless, and you didn't believe him, as usual?"

"Ay,"

"And, remember how he destroyed a torch while leading a Monstrous Nightmare to it, then accidentally releasing the Deadly Nadders?"

"Yes, Gobber, I remember that," Stoick replied, tiredly rubbing his temple.

"Well, you asked me to take him back to the house, and I did. While we were in the doorway, he – how should I put it – complained about you never listening and so on, and then he started saying that – well I'll just tell you what he said, 'Excuse me barmaid, you brought me the wrong offspring! I ordered and extra large boy with beafy arms, extra guts and glory on the side! This here, this is a talking fishbone!'. I tried to comfort him, but I said it wasn't so much what he looked like, it was what was inside that you couldn't stand. Well, I was joking, but he believed me and just walked in," Gobber finished.

"Why didn't you tell me, Gobber?" Stoick managed to ask, dumbfounded by how much his son liked to critisize himself.

"Well, you really didn't seem to care about the boy at the time, and I didn't think you needed extra worry, so I didn't say anything," he replied, a bit awkwardly if anything. Gobber also left out that Hiccup had said much more than just that, giving the blacksmith hints that the teen really, truly believed his father hated him.

"I better go and make amends then,"

"Ahh, just, Stoick, do me a favour and don't tell him I told you. The boy may be a bit weak, but by Thor his anger is as strong as the next Viking on!"

"I won't, Gobber, but don't blame me if he finds out!" Called Stoick over his shoulder, making his way out of the forge.

"I won't,"

Hiccup had gone off for a peaceful fight around Berk as soon as the sun had set, as he usually did since his dragon, Toothless, was nocturnal, being the Unholy Offspring of Lightning and Death and everything.

As he headed back to the village, landing in the plaza, he expected that his father was still off at work, being the, well, Chief, so the yound teen got a surprise as he entered the house, seeing his father tending to the fire in the middle of their house.

"Oh hey, Dad, I thought you wouldn't be back until later. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, son, everything is fine, apart from the fact that you went flying on Toothless so soon after your injury. You are meant to be resting!" Stoick shot back playfully, making Hiccup start guiltily.

"Well, Toothless needs to fly! And besides my leg is fine now, you have to stop worrying!" Hiccup recovered, reasoning as he usually did to get out of trouble. It had worked countless of times, and it worked now. Stoick motioned to Hiccup a chair, and the auburn haired boy gratefully took it, half happy because he had been let loose, and the other half because he was a little tired and sore after his flight on Toothless. Said dragon took a posistion next to the young heir, lying down getting ready for a nap.

"I – need to talk to you about something, son. You don't need to answer if you feel uncomfortable," Stoick said slowly, carefully.

"Sure, go ahead,"

"Well, ahh, what do you think yourself as?"

Hiccup visibly tensed, and started to show signs of nervousness, all cause by one question.

"What I think, what I think myself as? Uhh, I don't know, a Dragon Trainer, I guess,"

"I mean, physically, Hiccup," Stoick knew he was pushing, but he needed evidence of what his son actually thought, he couldn't rely on just Gobber.

"We-well," Hiccup could be seen trying to fight a oice inside his head, as if debating if he should or shouldn't tell his father, "well I think, maybe a – umm –wh-what's the word? Umm, something the lines off, maybe a walking, talking -,"

"Fishbone?" Stoick asked quietly, staring into the fire. Hiccup gulped.

"Yeah, basically," Hiccup replied, almost as quiet as his father. The silence made Toothless look up, sensing his rider's discomfort. Hiccup reassuringly patted the dragon's head, waiting for his father's reply. It seemed like hours until he finally did.

"Why do you think that, Hiccup?"

"We-well, manly because – Snotlout, telling me my whole life? And also because that is what I am, right, so, might as well face facts," he laughed a little, trying to make it all seem like a joke, but by Stoick's look, he didn't buy it.

"I don't think you are,"

"You- you don't? Then, what?" Hiccup asked in surprise.

"I think you are strong and brave, a hero in the very least,"

"That's, the complete opposite of what I a-,"

"It is exactly what you are, Hiccup, don't doubt that, and I never wanted another son other than you, don't forget it, alright Hiccup?" The young rider was taken, well, aback by this. He didn't know what had possessed his father to say that, but he just nodded. Then it suddenly came to him, in a flash if you like. Gobber. He must have told his dad of their conversation after the Nightmare incident, although he didn't confront his father about it, just leaned over and hugged him in a warm embrace.

He would deal with Gobber tomorrow, and boy better that blacksmith watch out, for the walking, talkig 'fishbone' was out to get him, and would give the poor man a real talking to.

Hello world of fanfiction! Hoped you liked this one-shot, and in all honesty I don't know what possessed me to write it. Probably because at night I was revising all the lines of HTTYD (don't ask, that's what I do to fall asleep at night so, just deal with it!) and then I recalled that line, and when I finished the movie manuscript I wondered what would happen if Stoick found out about it, so hence this story was born.

Anyway, hoped you liked it, and if you don't know already I have updated How To Save Your King! (YAY GET THE PARTY BALLOONS!) ok don't, because it isn't finished for real, so if you haven't checked it out already, please do.

So once again thank you for bothering with the hybrid possum/dragon, and I shall see YOU in the next story! Until then, Peace Out!