Commission for @ignite-the-stars!
Summary: Nine year old Hiccup comes down with pneumonia, and it leaves everyone questioning his strength.
There was an itch building in Hiccup’s throat. He struggled not to cough, as it was the middle of the night and he didn’t want to wake his father, who was sleeping down below. Stoick was never happy to be woken in the middle of the night.
Hiccup couldn’t hold it in forever though, and ended up coughing anyway, though he muffled it in his small hand. Hopefully it had been quiet. It was hard to tell when everything around him was pitch black and silent. He should have been sleeping, and he felt like he was tired down to the bone, but he couldn’t fall asleep. He kept being wracked by violent chills, and his multitude of blankets didn’t seem to be helping. He was getting sick and he knew it, but he would have to wait till the morning to tell his dad. Hopefully he wouldn’t tell him to just suck it up. Hiccup didn’t think it was fair when he did that. He was only nine! Wasn’t he allowed to rest now and again when he wasn’t feeling well?
Hiccup coughed again, covering his mouth with both hands, determined not to wake Stoick. He closed his eyes and rolled over, hoping that maybe he could just try to sleep, but the chills hit him again, and he couldn’t seem to stop shivering. It was a long while before Hiccup finally fell into sleep, and when he did, his chest was aching, and he didn’t know if he was imagining it or not, but it felt a little harder to breathe.
“Hiccup, breakfast!” Stoick called as he set the table. He waited for a moment or two, expecting to hear his son rising from bed, but nothing of the sort happened.
Maybe he just needs a little more sleep, Stoick considered. Hiccup had been getting more tired out helping Gobber in the forge, as the work was still rather new to him and he wasn’t used to it quite yet. He had had complaints about it at first, but he seemed to enjoy most of his time with Gobber, which was good.
Stoick began to eat, waiting a few more minutes, and then called up to him again. Still no response.
