This story came about from a question: What if Hiccup and Astrid were in a relationship BEFORE the events of HTTYD? This is my interpretation.

Backround info: Hiccup has stayed scrawny over the years, prompting most of the villagers to belittle him. The only friend he has right now is Astrid, who he befriended after she lost her mother to the Dragons. Now, with almost the whole village against him, and his father becoming increasingly frustrated with his only son and Heir, Hiccup must somehow prove that he is worthy to be a Viking.

Enjoy!

"This is Berk. It's twelve days north of hopeless and a few degrees south of freezing to death. It's located solidly on the meridian of misery. My village. In a word, sturdy. It's been here for seven generations, but every single building is new. We have fishing, hunting, and a charming view of the sunsets. The only problems are the pests. While some places have mice or mosquitoes, we have..."

"Dragons."

Hiccup Haddock started at the noise. Dragon attacks weren't all that unusual, so he was ready.

He ran outside, almost getting roasted by a Deadly Nadder's fire.

Hiccup glanced around, looking for someone.

"Hiccup?"

Hiccup turned around. "Astrid!"

Astrid stopped beside him. "They came out of nowhere!"

Suddenly, a Gronckle charged them, causing them to run. Astrid looked at Hiccup. "Get to Gobber's shop. Go!"

Hiccup was stopped by Stoick, who grabbed him before he could be burned by Zippleback fire.

"Hiccup! What is he-What are you doing out? Go find Astrid, get inside!"

Hiccup ran into the blacksmith's shop and slammed the door.

Gobbler looked at him. "Nice of you to join the party. I was worried you'd been carried off."

Hiccup grinned. "What? Me? No, I'm way too muscular for their tastes. They wouldn't know what to do with all this."

A voice came from out the window. "Well, they need toothpicks, don't they?"

Hiccup sighed. "Astrid? Not you too!"

The girl grinned and looked at Gobber. "Make sure he doesn't get killed."

As Hiccup was sharpening a sword, Gobber attached an axe to his arm. "Man the fort, Hiccup. They need me out there."

Gobber glanced at him. "Stay. Put. There. You know what I mean."

Hiccup sighed. No one wanted him out to help fight dragons. They would rather have him in one of the buildings, hidden. Out of sight, out of mind.

That was why he was so glad he had Astrid. The girl was one of the only people who didn't make fun of him. In fact, she usually made the others stop.

Then, Hiccup heard it. The terrifying screech of a Night Fury. He grabbed the Mangler, one of his inventions, and raced out to catch it.

He got set up and waited. All was quiet. Then, that sound again. Suddenly, the sky was lit up with blue fire, and Hiccup could clearly make out the outline of a dragon.

He fired, and was thrown back from the force. He heard the screech of the Night Fury and heard it crash.

"I-I hit it? Yes, I hit it! Did anyone see that!" Hiccup turned to stare down the snout of a Monstrous Nightmare. "Except for you."

Stoick grumbled at hearing his son's screams.

He pointed at the sheep. "Do not let them escape!"

He raced to where his son was. Why couldn't Hiccup just stay inside? Outdoors was no place for him. If only Astrid could convince him.

Stoick charged the Nightmare, happy when it ran out of fire. "You're all out."

The Nightmare flew away, leaving Hiccup alone with his dad.

Hiccup sighed. "Sorry, Dad."

As the dragons flew away with their kill, Hiccup looked uneasily at his dad. "Okay, but I hit a Night Fury."

Stoick grabbed his son, pulling him toward Gobber. "STOP! Every time you step outside, disaster strikes!" The Chief sighed. "How did Astrid ever fall for you? Can you not see I have an entire village to feed?"

Stoick pushed him to Gobber. "Take him back to the house. Make SURE he gets there. I have his mess to clean up."

Hiccup and Gobber started to walk away to the jeers of the teens.

"Nice one. You helped!"

"Way to go, Useless."

"Next time, we'll use you to lure the dragons away!"

Hiccup sighed. Would they never accept him?

"I really did hit it."

"Sure."

"He never listens."

"Runs in the family."

Hiccup groaned. "He's never happy anymore. I can remember when he used to look at me and smile, now I get a angry glare, like someone skimped on the meat in his sandwich." He sighed and started to mimic Stoick, his impersonation remarkably close. "Excuse me, barmaid, I'm afraid you brought me the wrong offspring. I ordered an extra-large boy with beefy arms, exra guts and glory on the side. This here, this is a talking fishbone!"

Gobber chuckled lightly. "Now, you're thinking about this all wrong. It's not what you look like so much, it's what's inside that he can't stand."

Hiccup glared at him. "Thank you for summing that up."

Astrid walked up to them. "I can take it from here, Gobber."

Gobber nodded and limped away, leaving the two alone.

Astrid smiled. "So, you hit a dragon?"

Hiccup sighed. "A Night Fury."

Astrid's eyes went wide. "A Night Fury? Seriously?"

"Yeah. It fell just near Raven Point. I'm going to look for it now."

Astrid smiled and took his hand. "We'll both go."

At least he has Astrid? As long as the Shield Maiden stays close, nothing bad will happen, right?

Suggestions are appreciated, feedback even more so.

Updates may become sporadic, so don't think I dropped off the face of the Earth if I haven't updated in a few days, OK?

Thanks for reading!