#claybones

Claybones' wheelchair squeaked softly as he pushed himself into the room, placing himself on the other side of the dining table Hiccup had been working at. The wheelchair was something Hiccup had worked on for dozens of hours back when Clay was 13 and it was becoming clear he wouldn't be able to walk all the time anymore.

When he first saw it the boy had been furious, screaming at him and Astrid, accusing them of not loving him, that they just wanted him gone. He'd screamed they were just putting him in a position where he wouldn't be able to do anything. It had been hard, but a few days later Clay came out of his room and apologized in the same hesitant tone he had now.

"There's… You remember how we went to Meathead Island two months ago? Me and Thora and Grandma Kirsten? When I was there I met this girl, and… I really really like her," Claybones slowly said, voice soft.

"And… you want to court her?" Hiccup was unsure why Clay was asking about this. As far as Hiccup knew he didn't have any experience being in a relationship himself, but the boy was a brilliant observer, learning all about other relationships and their secrets, what made them work and what broke them apart. So he just started saying whatever came to mind to reassure Clay he too could find love.

"Look, Son, it's great that you met someone you like, but remember you shouldn't try to go too fast. What does she even think of you? Hell, I thought I was in love with your mother for years while she barely knew who I was. It was only later, after I met Toothless, and… the accident happened, that we really got to know each other and truly fell in love. So maybe try talking to her first, figure out if she likes you back-"

"She's pregnant."

Hiccup stopped breathing for a second, unsure of what his son was even saying. He was in love with a girl who was already with child and would surely marry the father?

"Son… I know it must be super painful, but it's not good to chase after a woman who is already with someone else. It's unlikely she'd leave the other man for some stranger-"

"What are you talking about?!" Claybones shouted.

"What are you talking…" Hiccup started when it suddenly clicked. "Are you the father?" he asked, confusing clear in his voice.

"Yes, dammit! You don't have to sound so… surprised about the very possibility! I-I-I still have the… the equipment, the capability of being with a woman, you know! Girls can still be attracted to me even though I'm in this fucking chair!" Claybones screamed, slamming his hands down on the arms of the wheelchair. Hiccup was sure he had been close to breaking bones with that move. Hiccup could sense his boy was about to jump up, try to walk, before calming himself.

"Sorry. This isn't easy, okay, and your tone is not helping. You're the one who always said I shouldn't feel limited just because I'm in a wheelchair," he continued, voice softer now.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean it that way. Of course you're not… repulsive or incapable of being with someone! I just… This is big news. You understand that, right? I just wanted to make sure I understood correctly," Hiccup said, still trying to process this news. Oh gods, this was bad. Clay was only 17, and who knew how old this girl was? Thor Almighty, how was he going to tell Astrid that their son would have a child? Wait, this means he is going to be a grandfather! He didn't expect that to happen for a long time yet.

"Yes, she's pregnant with my child. She sent me a terror mail two days ago to tell me." Clay's voice was calm, almost detached. A sharp contrast to his outburst just moments ago.

"And she's sure it's yours? How did you even…" Hiccup started, unable to process.

"Yes, it's mine. There's no other guy or anything! We love each other!" Clay said, fire coming back to his voice.

"Are you sure you do? Because you were on Meathead Island for what? Four days? How long did you even know each other before you jumped into bed together?!" Hiccup said, rubbing his face in a hopeless attempt to stop his budding headache.

"We just clicked! I met her on our first evening there, at the welcoming feast. We talked for hours, and then… things just happened. And then we spent the entire four days and nights together," Clay said. Hiccup didn't know what to say. He just sighed and shook his head.

"Come on, Dad, don't give me the silent treatment. That's what Mom does. This is… This is why I went to you, not her! Because… Because you don't get mad. So please don't be mad," his son said desperately, and Hiccup could hear the fear in the words.

Behind his combative facade, Clay was terrified.

"I'm not mad. Not… Not really. I'm just… deeply disappointed in you. You're smart. Like, genuinely genius-smart. And you know all about relationships and secrets and what people do and feel. I know Kirsten explained everything about intimacy as well. So… you should have known better. Look, I get how exciting it can be to find that connection, but I expected you to be more responsible than this. This will impact your entire life. And hers, too! And the rest of us too. How do you think it reflects on Thora if her brother has a bastard child? Not to mention the child itself! Caring for a baby isn't easy. That's a lifetime commitment," Hiccup slowly said.

"You and Mom were my age when you got married!" Clay said heatedly. For a second Hiccup thought he heard a sniff in there.

"And we had been together for three years. And apart from that… Your mother and I went through hell together, okay. We had seen the absolute best and the absolute worst of each other before we got married or even had physical intimacy. And we still had troubles and fights and hard times. It took two years of trying before we made Thora. And even then we weren't really ready to raise a child. Maybe no one ever is. So forgive me for being a little skeptical about your declaration of love for someone you've known for less than a week," Hiccup said clearly. The words came out harsher than he intended, but Clay didn't respond with anger like he expected.

A loud sniff suddenly broke the tense silence, and it became clear Claybones was crying. Hiccup slowly stood up and walked around the table. When he was next to the wheelchair he kneeled in front of his son, before reaching out his arms. It took a few seconds, but then the boy produced a loud sob while flinging himself into his father's arms.

"I know I messed up. I-I-I know I always complain about what stupid shit other people do in their relationships, and now I went and made the exact same mistakes. I just… I didn't see it coming. She was there and she… she listened to me. She is so beautiful and smart and she understood me, the real me. The other teens here on Berk, they never bother taking me seriously, but she… She didn't care that I can't walk, that I can barely move. She likes my art, and my ideas, and she makes me laugh too. She writes stories. Poetry. Beautiful poetry. She wrote a poem right there about how grumpy I was. And… And I just never felt so close to another person before," Claybones managed to say between sobs, his tears wetting Hiccup's shirt.

"What is her name?" he simply asked, knowing his son needed to let all of this out.

"Lucy. Her name is Lucy Henriksdotter. Her father is a wool merchant. He's quite wealthy. People won't be able to say I'm gonna marry below my station," Clay whispered, shaking in Hiccup's arms.

"So that's what you want to do? Marry her? Is that we she wants as well? Did she say in that letter?" he asked, holding his son a little tighter while being careful not to break any bones.

"She does. She said… We have to do it quickly. Her father will denounce her otherwise. If we marry this month we can still pretend…" the boy's voice trailed off. Hiccup sighed.

"You know people will know, right? They won't say it out loud, but they'll whisper it. They'll know what you and Lucy did, especially when that baby arrives just six months after the wedding," Hiccup said. His son's blonde hair tickled his neck when he nodded.

"Of course I know that. I get how rumors spread, probably better than anyone else on this island," he said heatedly.

"There's a difference between knowing it and experiencing it. Look son, I know you haven't had it easy, with your wheelchair and all, but this won't just be about you. People will whisper about her as well. Will you be prepared to defend your wife? Your bastard child?" Hiccup hated causing the shiver that ran through his son, but he knew the boy needed to understand this as soon as possible.

"I… I'll do my best. I love her. I do," Clay said, another sniff escaping.

"I hope you do, son. I really hope you do," Hiccup whispered, wondering how he was going to tell Astrid.

-------------------

As she looked at the dark clouds overhead, Astrid remembered her own wedding day. It had been storming then as well.

Hopefully the marriage would be brighter.

"Are you ready? It's almost time," Hiccup asked their son, who looked like he was about to throw up.

"I… I think so. I don't like being the center of attention like this," he mumbled, looking at his feet.

"Well, you got lucky there because we had to organize this so quickly. Not many people could show up. Camicazi couldn't make it, for example. Thora is not happy about that," Astrid said, taking one last look at the fast-moving clouds before turning to her child.

"Thora isn't happy about any of this. She hasn't talked to me at all since… Since she heard," Clay said, fidgeting with his fancy shirt. He was wobbly on his feet.

"She'll come around. I think she is just annoyed by your hypocrisy. You did constantly analyze and belittle all her suitors, and then this happens. But I'm sure that in less than a month she'll miss her little brother and your exploration trips, and apologize," Hiccup said.

Clay's dragon, Thinker, gently steadied his human as he found his balance. It had been years since the boy had been on his feet this long. But he had insisted on walking by himself during the ceremony.

"I know. I told her I'm sorry! I just… I hope she and Lucy can get along," he said, sneaking a glance at the other side of the square, where his bride was waiting with her father.

Her very, very, very angry father who only agreed to the marriage after the hefty bride price they offered. Before that he had been ready to denounce his daughter and deny her her inheritance for getting pregnant out of wedlock.

Hiccup would have taken her in, had her marry Clay and made her part of the Haddock family anyway if that had happened, but at least this way the girl would still have contact with her siblings and get her mother's tools and clothes.

"I'm sure they will. Now then, it's time. You have the ring and your sword?" Hiccup asked anxiously. Clay tapped his fingers over the sword on his belt audibly, and his father nodded.

"Well then, no time like the present. You don't want to be caught out in the rain. That happened to us on our wedding day, and it was not pleasant. Your father even broke his prosthetic while taking a mud bath!" Astrid said, brushing Clay's long hair behind his ears, and her eyes teared up a bit.

Her son, so young and so grown up at the same time. Did he really have to get married already?

It was strange. A month ago she hadn't even considered her youngest child being in a relationship, let alone fathering a child. Thora had always been the more obvious candidate, with her outgoing nature and many suitors hoping to wed the future chief of Berk. Clay had always stayed in the shadows, content with observing and capturing other people in his paintings.

She didn't think he'd even had friends before he met Lucy. He had always been so… different from all the other kids, both his brains and his bones. And now he was going to be a father.

"Don't remind me of our wedding day. It was… not as I had hoped it would be," Hiccup said, following Clay as the boy walked on unsteady legs. Thinker was right next to him, providing his human with something to lean on when he stumbled.

Astrid moved to the rows of chairs and sat down next to her daughter, who was sitting next to Kirsten. Kirsten looked like she was about to cry, while Thora refused to look at the proceedings, instead staring at her hands in her lap.

"Oh, I remember when you and he were just babies. You grow up too quickly for an old woman like me!" Kirsten said between sniffs, leaning towards Thora. The girl just ducked her head further.

"Doesn't seem like he grew up much if he let this happen," she muttered, making Astrid sigh.

"You know he's sorry, and that he will do everything he can to make it right. So just… try to support him? He needs his big sister, no matter how much he pretends not to. He has always helped you when you messed up," she said, patting her daughter's shoulder. Thora slowly nodded.

"I'll try," she whispered as Clay started saying his vows. Astrid couldn't help but frown. He was clearly nervous, and the bride's father looked at him with barely hidden disgust. Would this marriage fall apart within a year? Had she and Hiccup gone wrong with how they raised their son?

But then her eyes drifted to Hiccup standing nearby. He looked so proud of his son, so sure that this would all work out. And she felt a smile appear on her own face as well. Of course it would be fine. The young couple would have all the support they could ever need, from her entire family.