Trying to get a group of ten year old children together for one dragon training lesson was almost as hard as battling a Thunderdrum without earplugs. Hiccup and Astrid had been offering some private lessons to the kids whose birthdays fell before the twins' but they thought, now that there was a group of six altogether who needed instructions on training their dragons, they figured it was about time they got a class together. Hiccup and Astrid found that teaching six children at once, especially new and overly confident dragon riders, was quite difficult so they kept their class sizes small.

Finn and Adrianna were, of course, the first to arrive at the arena with their dragons. Hiccup and Astrid had been up for hours getting everything ready. There were large barrels of fish but there didn't seem to be anything more so the twins were a bit confused as to why their parents had gotten started so early. The reason, of course was nerves. The parents had taught their children quite a bit about dragons but now it was time to put into practice all those lessons. And considering their track record in dragon training, they began to wonder if there were enough safety measures.

The other children around Finn and Adrianna's age were two boys and two girls who all turned up with their dragons a few minutes after the twins. Cliff was a small, quiet boy whose Gronckle was even quieter. Most residents didn't notice him at all and it came as a surprise to Hiccup and Astrid that he was Finn and Adrianna's age when they were told that he would be getting his own dragon. Thorein was built more like Finn, tall for his age and muscular with thick brown hair and a slight under-bite that made him almost resemble his Monstrous Nightmare in appearance. Taryn was tall for her age and her Changewing was even more so. Morgan was blonde and quite popular with the older girls on Berk, especially when she finally acquired a rather finicky Deadly Nadder. Hiccup and Astrid didn't know the other kids as well but they suspected they'd learn much more than they could ever want to know soon enough.

Once all the kids were gathered and silent, all looking rather excited, Astrid spoke up. "Well, it's been kind of a long time since we've gotten a class of brand new dragon trainers and their dragons, we usually let Fishlegs handle you guys, but we wanted to be there for this."

The four children who weren't in the Haddock clan turned their eyes to the two that were. Finn raised his head slightly, enjoying the sudden attention. Adrianna did the opposite, avoiding the eyes that suddenly fell on her.

Hiccup sauntered over to one of the barrels. "The first lesson we usually teach is-"

"Woah, why are all these people in here?" came a very loud voice from the entrance.

"Maybe they're here to watch you wipe out!" a second chortled before making a pained sort of noise in response to what sounded like a fist in his chest.

"Ruff, Tuff, what are you doing here?" Hiccup asked, raising an eyebrow and looking distinctly annoyed.

"We always come here to play Hide and Go Kill." Ruffnut said as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. "What are you doing here?"

"I'm teaching a lesson! That's what we do at the Academy! How long have you been doing this, exactly." Hiccup gritted his teeth irritably. This was certainly not going according to plan.

"Ooh, even better! Look at all the shrimps, is it their first day?" Ruffnut patted an indignant Finn on the head as she approached the Haddock parents.

"Of course it's their first day, which is why this lesson needs to go smoothly!" Hiccup sighed deeply as he felt the plans he'd meticulously crafted slip through his fingers.

"Hiccup, calm down. Maybe they'll actually be useful today." Astrid said, patting her husband on the shoulder. He gave her an irritated glance. "Okay... yeah we're screwed." she muttered so the kids couldn't hear her.

"So the lesson today," Hiccup said loudly, deciding to act like the older twins weren't present, "is pretty simple. We've got plenty of fish here, just reach in and toss them to your dragons. Dragons are very good at catching them in their mouths but they need to get used to your strength and aim. This is really important just in case you ever need to toss something to your dragon in the future, whether it's for safekeeping or just because it's a fun game." Hiccup gestured to the barrels and the kids crowded around them. "I've got some rocks for your Gronckle over here, Cliff." he added, gesturing to a small pile of rocks.

For a few minutes, it almost seemed like it actually would be a productive lesson. The children obeyed without hesitation and even the older twins were going along with the lesson almost like they themselves were pupils again. Barf and Belch seemed enthusiastic about the impromptu feeding. Hiccup and Astrid strolled through the class, smiling in satisfaction at the enthusiasm the youngest dragon trainers were showing. The dragons themselves were quite pleased to be fed so soon after waking up.

"The best kind of toss," Hiccup said, taking a fish from the barrel and facing Thornado, "is an underhanded one. Pitching it at your dragon isn't going to do anything but slap them in the face unless you give yourself enough distance." he tossed the fish to the Thunderdrum, who caught it without any trouble.

"You all are amateurs! Look, I can toss a fish to both heads at once!" Tuffnut boasted gleefully, taking a fish in each hand and pitching them in opposite directions.

Both heads lunged at the fish but only Belch was able to catch one. The fish headed in Barf's direction was too low and had been thrown too far left. It did, however, hit an entirely different target.

"Hey!" Ruffnut shouted, wiping the oily substance off her face and picking the fish up.

"Well why'd you put your face there?" Tuffnut jeered gleefully.

Ruffnut charged forward and slapped Tuffnut across the face with the fish. "Why did you?"

"Guys!" Hiccup called, his patience wearing thin.

"You, dear sister, will pay for that!" Tuffnut hollered indignantly, lunging for the barrel and withdrawing another fish. Before he could do anything with it, his face received another slippery slap.

"Ruff! Tuff!" Hiccup yelled but it was to no avail as the twins seemed to find this game a lot more fun than their lesson.

The children laughed, their dragons completely forgotten, as they watched the scene unfold. The adult twins were beating each other anywhere they could reach with the aquatic creatures and it was all Hiccup or Astrid could do to get a word in edgewise. It wasn't until Astrid received a stray blow that things began to turn ugly. The deliverer of the blow, an overly enthusiastic Ruffnut, was then tackled to the ground, pinned down by the slightly stronger woman. Hiccup's hesitation to react to this sudden development was poorly timed as Tuffnut apparently decided that this was a fun diversion. As Tuffnut dived for the wrestling women, Hiccup grabbed him around the waist. However, gravity was not on his side as both men fell, limbs flailing, inches from them. Thornado, used to breaking up fights thanks to his experience with Stoick, let out a deafening roar. When he was finished, the arena was ringing with silence.

"Thank you, Thornado." Hiccup said, extricating himself from the human pile. "And you two are leaving." he yanked Tuffnut up by the arm. "Now."

"But-"

"GET OUT!" Astrid hollered, making everyone jump.

The adult twins reluctantly got to their feet and strolled out of the arena, shoving each other every few steps and blaming the other for their banishment from training.

Hiccup put his head in his hands. "Well... that could have gone better."

Xxx

The sun was high in the sky when the Haddock twins and the other kids were finished with their training. Hiccup and Astrid allowed them to fly back to their homes, figuring that they'd certainly learned enough to be able to handle that much.

Finn immediately made a beeline to Thorein and the two began excitedly chatting about meeting up later on to practice some more. Cliff showed little interest in joining them but they allowed him to walk beside them and occasionally speak up.

Morgan and Taryn immediately began walking out of the arena together, dragons at their sides. Adrianna raced up to them as they reached the entrance.

"Hey, that was great. Did you want to, I don't know, go practice somewhere?" she asked, jogging to keep up as they quickened their pace.

Taryn turned to look at her. "Nah, we're good."

Adrianna smiled and tried to squeeze between them and their dragons to continue their conversation. "Oh... well did you want to go swimming? I found this really nice creek yest-"

"Look, Anna, we're just going home." Morgan snapped. "Alone."

Adrianna felt a twinge in her chest that she immediately shoved down. "Well, okay, but if you ever wanted to-"

"I don't think so." Morgan said as she and Taryn jogged forward a few steps so they could close the gap between them and their dragons, effectively shutting the smaller girl out.

Adrianna stood still for a moment, watching the girls walk away, their laughter clearly audible. Lily nudged her on the back after a few seconds.

"Sorry." she said, lifting a hand and stroking her dragons' head. "I was just hoping... it doesn't matter." the girl mounted the Monstrous Nightmare, the twinges she had felt earlier beginning to resurface. "Let's go home."

Had they not been preoccupied with the sheer amount of fish oil they now had to scrub off the ground, Hiccup and Astrid might have noticed this exchange. But at the moment, their attention was entirely focused on cleaning up. After about twenty minutes of silent scrubbing, Fishlegs stepped in, a pile of dragon related flash cards in his hands.

"Well, looks like you've been busy." he said cheerfully, strolling in with Meatlug at his heels.

"Don't even get me started." Hiccup grumbled.

"That bad, huh?" Fishlegs frowned. "I wish I'd been able to help but six kids, you know, and Ruffnut was nowhere to be found until about an hour ago."

"Oh yes, we were made quite aware of her abandonment this morning." Astrid sighed. "She's usually so good about being responsible but every once in a while..." she allowed the sentence to trail off.

"No, I know what you mean. And I don't blame her. Kids are a handful and she needs some time to be... Ruffnut again." he looked around at the fish oil still coating the ground. "She was here, wasn't she?"

"Both she and Tuff decided to crash our first lesson. We're still cleaning up the evidence." Hiccup growled in frustration. "It was fine after she left but gods, can anything just go smoothly for once?"

"Here? On Berk?" Fishlegs laughed, grabbing some cloths and soaking them with soapy water before getting on his knees and helping the Haddock clean. "You should be used to all the disasters by now."

"I try to be optimistic." Hiccup sighed. "It's not usually effective."

"But at least it went okay after the twins, the other ones, left. Focus on that." Astrid said encouragingly. "Next lesson should be better."

"You're probably right." Hiccup gave her a half smile.

"It should because I brought over the flash cards I was making." Fishlegs handed the pile to Astrid. "Might be a bit easier with some visuals."

"Thanks. These'll make lesson planning a lot less complicated." Hiccup's half smile became a full one.

But the Hooligan chief's moment of happiness was short lived as a slightly slicker part of the ground caused his left knee to slide out from under him. He let out a cry of pain as he very nearly fell on his stomach, his arms barely maintaining his weight.

"Are you okay?" Astrid gasped, immediately crawling to him, the oil forgotten.

"I'm fine. Just fine." Hiccup said dismissively. "Stump's a little sensitive. But that's nothing new."

"Let me see." Astrid reached down to pull up his pant leg.

"No, no, we've got a lot more to do." Hiccup backed away from her hand. "I'm fine, Astrid."

Neither Astrid nor Fishlegs was entirely convinced but both decided to let it slide. For now.

Xxx

Erick had a very productive morning thanks to his best friend's dragon training lesson. Not wondering if she would skip by the window at any given moment allowed the boy to concentrate on his tasks. It wasn't until that evening that his mind even strayed to the Haddock family. But stray it did when Fishlegs walked in a few minutes before Erick was finished with the day's activities.

"Ahh, you're just in time." he heard Horst say after the usual greetings. "I finished the repair on your saddle an hour ago and I was hoping you would drop by."

"Oh good." Fishlegs said cheerfully. "Now I don't have to worry about it splitting. Thanks, Horst."

"Anytime." there was a pause. "Something on your mind? You look distracted."

"Hmm? Oh... well, yes. Sort of." Fishlegs sighed. "It's Hiccup."

"What's he done this time?"

Fishlegs chuckled. "More what's been done to him." Erick heard him sit down. "His leg has just been more sensitive since the duel with Dagur. Getting pounded with that hammer did more damage than he'd like people to know, so he puts up with the pain. Doesn't even make a face. Unfortunately for him, we all know when he's at his limit and needs to sit down."

"All except him, I guess." Horst sat down, presumably in the chair facing the one Fishlegs occupied. "I'm sure he's fine. He'll be in his upper 80s and still be sort enough to outrun all of you."

"I wouldn't doubt it. But losing a limb isn't easy, even years later. And he lost his leg at 15. Back then we thought it was some cool badge of honor, which it is in a way. But now that we're older... he's older... I don't know. Just makes us all more wary if how much he does." Erick heard Fishlegs breathe a laugh. "But I'm probably worrying too much. Ruff's always saying it. And I don't want to take up any more of your time."

"Don't worry about it." Horst stood up and walked toward the door, Fishlegs following. "Come back any time. And if something does happen, let me know."

"Will do." Fishlegs said, the door shutting behind him.

Horst sauntered over to the back room. "All right, Erick, come on out." Erick nearly stumbled over his feet as he opened the door, his face reddening. "I'm not upset. It wasn't a private conversation. Though next time, come in and join it. You're not a little kid anymore, you know."

Erick nodded, walking over to the closet to get this things. Horst watched him as he grabbed a satchel and a light coat that he certainly didn't need now that the heat of the day was still upon them. The boy headed to the door but something stopped him. He turned to his mentor.

"Sir?"

"Yes lad?" Horst had been waiting for him to ask something

"Is the chief okay? I mean... he seems okay." Erick's teal eyes lowered so that he was looking at the hand clasping the door's handle.

"Yes, Erick, he is. He just needs to take time out sometimes to relax and take care of his leg. He's going to run himself to his own grave if he doesn't." the boy saw Horst smile out of the corner of his eye. "Your friend's dad is fine."

Erick's cheeks reddened slightly. "I'm not... not that worried. My dad's disabled and he'll outlive us all, more than likely."

Horst laughed. "Yes, Olaf is a fighter, that's for sure. But you mustn't keep him waiting. I'll see you tomorrow."

Xxx

The Hooligan chief and his wife thanked the gods when their children retired early for bed due to all the day's activities, which had begun early in the morning. Hiccup and Astrid sighed, relieved that the day they had looked forward to for years had gone somewhat smoothly and was finally over. They hadn't planned on being so exhausted by the end, but, well, that was parenthood.

The night air warmed the house and a slight breeze rustled the leaves outside. Toothless and Stormfly opted to sleep outside with Lily and Thornado, mostly for the Nightmare's sake. She seemed to be adjusting well to life with the humans, but could be a little restless. The parents wouldn't want their kids, especially Adrianna to be disturbed during the night. Finn was a natural bundle of energy and could run from sunup to sundown with ease, while his sister was quickly tired out. It's not that she wasn't strong; she just didn't have a long-lasting endurance. Thus, with Thawfest approaching, she needed as much rest as she could get.

Not long after the kids had gone to bed, Hiccup and Astrid marched up the stairs to the master bedroom. Hiccup closed the door gently while Astrid rifled through her dresser drawers for something light and comfortable to wear. She frowned at the realization she'd need to do laundry tomorrow. Again. Didn't laundry ever end?

She heard Hiccup sigh heavily and collapse on their bed face first. Eyes darting to his prone form for a moment, she stifled a giggle. His dark bushy hair stuck out like a halo around his head. He'd probably need a cut before Thawfest and with summer quickly approaching anyway, he'd probably appreciate it.

"Tired?" Astrid asked, folding her day clothes and placing them on their shared desk.

A slow, muffled moan was the only response he gave. Astrid smiled as she finished putting her things away. Hiccup rolled onto his back when she sat on the edge of the bed. He blinked blearily for a moment to restore his vision before glancing at her. "What?"

His wife shrugged. "You look exhausted."

His lip curled in a small smile but he covered his eyes with his forearm. "I feel exhausted. Too much work to do before Thawfest on top of..." A yawn interrupted his sentence and he shook his head so he could finish. "...everything else. Sheesh."

Astrid watched the rise of his stomach as he breathed before her eyes landed on his left leg. Remembering something from earlier that day, she slid to the floor and lifted the leg of his pants.

He instantly jerked at the touch but quickly relaxed. "Startled me."

"Right, because that's the only reason," Astrid frowned as she undid the buckles keeping the prosthetic on.

Hiccup mentally counted down in his head until the prosthetic was set on the floor beside the bed. Three, two, one...

"Hiccup!" And there it was. "Your leg is all swollen!"

"Shh, don't wake the kids up-"

"You've been walking on it too much-"

"Addie will come in and start fussing-"

Astrid slapped his right leg and he could almost see her frown through his closed eyes. "Hiccup, this is serious! Sit up and look at it!"

"I don't need to look at it, Astrid. I feel it all day every day. I know how bad it looks."

Astrid's gaze softened even though he didn't see it. "Why don't you take a break now and then to ice it then?"

Hiccup scoffed. "Because I have time to take breaks."

"You have to make time. People wouldn't judge you, and if they do, they will have to go through me." Astrid paused, running her fingers over the heated incisions of her husband's leg, "Given the circumstances of how this happened all those years ago, I don't think many would speak of it in a negative way."

She felt him tense above her the more she held his swollen stump. "I don't care what people think."

"Then you'll take the time to take care of it before something bad happens," Astrid replied coolly. She placed a hand on his right knee to make sure he was listening. "I don't want you to get hurt."

Hiccup sighed heavily and she watched him swallow. "I'm not going to."

Astrid rolled her eyes and shook her head, knowing how careless he was being; but she would give him the benefit of the doubt. She knew how much he worked, how many people he talked to each day, dragons he helped tame, children to keep in line, stocks to count in livestock and agriculture combined, and she could only guess at what else. Just being his wife and thus being the leading female figure of Berk made her life extra busy, on top of having two children and a home to care for. She knew how busy she was day in and day out; she wouldn't yell at him when she knew he was busy beyond belief. Clearly by his body language, or rather the lack thereof, he only wanted to rest. Thor knew what more he had to do tomorrow.

Astrid stood and crawled back to his side on the bed. One green eye poked out from under his eye, giving her a level stare when she began to pull him up by his shirt. She could see his brow furrow when he put his arm down and sat up beside her in confusion. Unbuckling the straps of his leather jacket, she pulled it off his shoulders and began to pull at the hem of his tunic.

"Astrid really, I know what you're thinking, but there is no way I'm doing any of that tonight." Hiccup smirked.

Astrid smiled cheekily and shook her head. "Take your shirt off."

"Astriiiiiiiiid-" Hiccup whined from under his shirt when she pulled it up and over his head.

"Oh stop your whining and lie on your belly."

"What? Whyyyy..."

Astrid smacked his bare chest, making him yelp. "Stop whining. Roll over."

Hiccup grumbled in discontent as he flopped over, half confused and half interested in what she had planned. Not a moment after, he felt her straddle his lower back and press her fingers into his tense back muscles.

"Ohhhhh okay then," He hummed. He jerked at the sharp press on one particular knot and buried his face in the blankets under him.

"Gods you're so tense." Astrid mused, grinding her fingertips into the muscles along his spine. Every so often he jerked or tensed. At the muscles along his waist he began to laugh uproariously and thrashed beneath her. "Hold still!"

"I can't; it tickles! Don't do it there! Do my shoulders or something." Hiccup snickered before raising his arms up to encircle his head.

Astrid slid up his back a little farther to better reach his shoulders. He moaned under her ministrations, her strong fingers pressing deep into his muscles and sending shivers of relief through his system. Her hard work paid off, eliminating the tension that he hadn't even realized existed. When her long digits pressed up the back of his neck and gradually eased into his hair, he hummed at the goose bump inducing shivers that flew through his limbs.

"Mmm you need to do this more often..." Hiccup hummed when her fingers massaged his temples. His lips raised in a small smile when she breathed a laugh next to his ear.

Astrid kissed his cheek and her hushed words nearly made him shiver again. "My turn next time." She slowly sat up, smiling at his sharp intake of breath when she gently drug her fingernails down his neck and spine. At the center of his back he finally shivered.

"Why are you so amazing?" he mumbled, not bothering to even open his eyes.

"Shhh..."

Astrid continued to massage his back, happy to feel the knots gradually ease into firm muscle. She knew tomorrow his back would probably feel sore, but maybe with one more night of this, his muscles would feel somewhat normal. She was positive he wouldn't complain, though she did want her own massage first.

While she continued, Astrid observed her husband's frame beneath her, how his waist was still extraordinarily thin for a Viking, especially for a chief, but his chest and shoulders broadened to compensate with his height. His auburn hair still held the occasional highlights from days of hard work or flying in the sun. The skin of his back held as many freckles as his arms and face did. Her eyes drifted toward his arms, still long and thin by comparison, but lean and strong. While most people probably thought he was still too small or too thin, she didn't have a single complaint. She loved every inch of him, both inside and out.

By the time she massaged his entire back, neck and shoulders another two times, she was sure he was fast asleep. The entire length of his back had adopted a pink tint from all her work, but she was sure he hadn't been this relaxed in years. He hadn't moved in a long time and his breathing was slow and deep. Astrid rested her cheek against the back of his neck and inhaled deeply. Her fingers pushed through his hair and stopped just above his forehead, finally tired of moving. Turning her lips down she placed a few gentle kisses from his neck to his chin before nuzzling her nose in his hair.

Hiccup startled her when he sluggishly murmured, "I love you."

Astrid smiled and kissed the corner of his eye. "I love you more."

"Impossible."

Astrid breathed a laugh and brushed her hand through his hair. "I thought you were sleeping."

Hiccup inhaled deeply and stretched his arms out in front of him. "Almost."

"Well then, my husband, let's get you to bed." Astrid slid off him and crawled to her side of the bed.

Hiccup gradually sat up, sighing loudly at the looseness in his back and shoulders. He sat at the edge of the bed to remove his boot, blew out the candle and joined his wife under the covers. Astrid giggled when he nuzzled his prickly chin on her neck and sighed heavily. "Thanks."

"Mhm. I mean it though. My turn next time."

"Yes ma'am."

With that arrangement, the Haddocks finally succumbed to sleep wrapped in each others' arms. Hiccup didn't realize that this would be the best night's rest he'd had in years all thanks to his amazing wife.