This story is dedicated to Daniela123, as she requested a story focusing on Hiccup's phantom pains. So, this is for you, Daniela.

Astrid had warned Hiccup about running himself ragged. She had warned him that his obsession with Viggo was unhealthy.

Unfortunately, Hiccup -from stubbornness or just from his wounded pride- kept on pushing himself. After all, Viggo made him feel something that he had not felt in a very, very long time. Useless. Hiccup remembered all too well how miserable that feeling was. He had it when Toothless was almost taken from him on several occasions from the Berkians or his father. He had it whenever he was bullied by Snotlout or Dagur in the past.

Yes, he was very familiar with feeling useless. But this by far was the worst time. He had been controlled and outwitted by this man. Viggo Grimborn had made him feel like he was an inexperienced, naive little kid, completely helpless, hopeless. It was eating away at him from the inside, and Hiccup wanted to make sure that he never felt that way again. So, appearing weak was the last thing he wanted and thus, he pushed himself to work, maybe a little too hard as he was soon to see.

As Hiccup gradually slipped out of his deep, dreamless sleep, he found that his eyelids were heavier than mountains. He struggled to open them, but he still just felt so tired. It was as if a thousand Meatlugs had run him over. Did he really have to wake up? Maybe he could take a small break, just for a few hours. . .

But Hiccup peeled his heavy eyelids open, determined not to be lazy and weak. He was not going to take a break he did not need. He was completely fine. He was not sick or dying, so there was no reason for him to be lollygagging in bed.

Stretching his arms out, Hiccup let out a small yawn. Man, he thought, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, why am I so tired? I can't be working that hard.

On the side of his bed came a crooning Night Fury who greeted him with a gummy smile and a slobbery lick. Normally, Hiccup would have been disgusted by being soaked with saliva, but honestly, he was too groggy to care.

"G'morning, bud," he smiled, petting Toothless behind his ear. "Yeah, I'm happy to see you, too. You ready to start another-"

Then, he noticed the sun shining through his window.

"Wait, did I. . .I slept in, didn't I?"

Toothless growled lowly.

"Oh, why did I sleep in?" Hiccup groaned, facepalming. "I shouldn't have- why didn't you wake me up? We were supposed to-"

Toothless crooned quietly. Hiccup did not need to know Dragonese to know what that meant.

You needed the extra rest.

"I was supposed to be up to help with planning the Nadder migration route. And now I'm late." Hiccup pulled back the covers, feeling annoyed with himself. "And I didn't need the extra sleep. I mean, it's not like I'm sick or- ngh!"

Hiccup inhaled sharply as he felt a strange aching sensation in his bad leg right where it had been amputated. Clutching at his shin, he grimaced in pain while Toothless warbled in concern.

"Ngh, it's-it's fine," Hiccup managed to say. "It's fine, it's-it's probably just a shin splint. I'll walk it off."

Although this certainly did not feel like a shin splint. No, it seemed more like a phantom pain that Hiccup had gotten once or twice just a few months after he had lost his leg. However, phantom pains had been much, much worse than this. It felt like he was being stabbed again and again repeatedly. This thing now just felt like a pin was being stuck into him, which although not enjoyable was at the very least bearable.

Then, as Hiccup started to sit up, he realized why he had been so tired. He was achy all over from chills running up and down his spine. But Hiccup convinced himself it was just cold out, despite his sporadic shivering and shaking.

Toothless looked at Hiccup, his eyes wide with concern.

"I'm fine, bud, r-really," Hiccup said, ignoring the pain in his leg as he stood up. "Let's get to the clubhouse. The others are probably already there."

As soon as Hiccup started walking, he yearned to be back in bed and back down. He felt so achy and cold. It was about then that Hiccup realized he probably was coming down with something. His eyes went sort of watery and warm. He must have had a bit of a fever. But how on earth did he get one?

Well, maybe, came a voice inside his voice which sounded somewhat like Astrid's, maybe it's because you were working outside in the middle of a rainstorm last night.

Well, that made sense when he thought about it. Well, he could deal with a fever. He could get past it. What he was starting to wonder was if he could get past this pins-and-needle sensation in his left leg. It started out as bearable, but now, it seemed to have gotten worse. The pain was becoming more regular and more concentrated. He had to stop for a minute and sit down. He let out a tiny moan of pain as the small stabbing pain rolled up his calf.

But Hiccup did not want to stop. He just had to make it through this day. It was already eight in the morning he gauged by the position of the sun. Sundown would be at seven or eight at night, perhaps -it was the summer months, after all. So, he just had to suck it up and bear the pain for twelve hours. That was not much. He could do that. He just had to keep going and not think about the pain. Focus on redirecting the Nadder migration. If he could do that, then getting through today would be a piece of cake.

Taking a deep breath, Hiccup got back to his feet and walked to the clubhouse.

"Hey, guys," he greeted his friends, putting on his best smile.

They returned the smiles and greetings readily. They did not seem to even notice that he felt absolutely wretched inside. That was good. Hiccup did not want them worrying about him. They had enough to worry about as it was with redirecting this migration out of Dragon Hunter territory. And if he showed that he was hurting, that was just being weak. And Hiccup wanted -no, he needed- to prove to himself he was not.

"Sorry I slept in," Hiccup began.

But Astrid waved it away with her hand. "Oh, no worries, you probably needed it. You've been working the hardest out of all of us."

"And we just got up ourselves," Fishlegs added with a reassuring smile.

"Yeah, although I'd have preferred to get up at nine," Ruffnut grumbled, rubbing one eye.

Tuffnut eyed her with his hands on his hips. "Don't tell me you're turning into a night owl. You promised you'd be up for our morning show."

Hiccup sniffed a bit, suddenly feeling a little stopped up in his sinuses. "I didn't know you guys had a morning show."

Ruffnut blinked. "Uh, that's 'cause we don't. We haven't found a way of making sure that everyone hears it yet."

"Oh, worry not," Tuffnut chuckled mischievously. "I think I've found a way. It's-"

Then, Hiccup sneezed loudly. Snot trickled out of his nose, so he quickly wiped it with the back of his sleeve.

"That was disgusting," Snotlout griped. "Wait, are you. . .sick?"

Hiccup gritted his teeth as another wave of pain rolled up his left leg. It was getting worse, and the sickness seemed to magnify the pain by a factor of a thousand.

With a sniffle, he replied, "N-no. I-I'm fine."

"Then what in the heck was that?" Snotlout exclaimed. "You could be carrying something deadly. Hookfang, I need a mask for my mouth!"

But his Nightmare simply rolled his eyes and stepped away from his germaphobic rider.

"Snot-Snotlout, I'm fine," Hiccup assured him, although he definitely did not feel fine. "I'm not a little. . .congested, that's all-"

But he was interrupted by another sharp pain. He could not stop himself as he out of instinct clutched at his shin. He thought that the others would see him for sure, but luckily, they were distracted by something Tuffnut was saying.

"Hey, wouldn't it be crazy," he was remarking, "if there was a disease that was disguised as the minor cold, but it could actually kill you? I mean, what do you think would happen to society if there was such a thing?"

Ruffnut shrugged. "I don't know. Personally, I think people would buy everything in bulk and start hoarding."

"You mean they'd do what we do everytime we shop?"

"Exactly, bro!"

Astrid laid a gentle hand on Hiccup's shoulder. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"Y-yeah, I-I'm fine," Hiccup returned, ignoring the stabbing pain. "I'm just a little under the weather, but it's-it's nothing big."

Astrid raised an eyebrow. "You sure? Because if you got sick from overworking yourself-"

"I didn't, really," Hiccup lied. "It'll be gone tomorrow. Okay, so which way are we directing the migration again?"

Fishlegs looked down at his map. "Well, I was thinking we should go west and then turn back south, but then I figured that going southwest was the better solution. Besides, that way, the Nadders come to the Edge for a day or two."

"A perfect stopover before they keep going," Hiccup said with a sniffle.

"Exactly. So, based on my calculations. . ."

Hiccup lost Fishlegs as he felt over sharp pain. He had to use every ounce of his will not to whimper or cry out in pain. He could show them that he was feeling pain. He could not.

". . .wouldn't you agree, Hiccup?" Fishlegs finished at last.

"Y-yeah, let's do that," Hiccup said quickly.

"Okay, you're sure that you're okay with herding them all the way from the Coral Islands?" Fishlegs asked, double-checking.

The Coral Islands? That was miles and miles away! Had Hiccup seriously just agreed to do that? Well, he could not back down now, even though he felt absolutely disgusting. Backing down just because of a cold and pains in his leg was weak.

So, Hiccup nodded. "Yeah, sure. Toothless and I are the fastest, so it makes the most sense he'd wrangle them here. Speaking of which, w-we should-" he stopped abruptly as he stood and more pain came. He did his best to hide it and kept talking. "Yeah, we should, uh, get going, so, uh- y-yeah, see-see you guys!"

As quickly as he could, Hiccup hopped onto Toothless' back, and they soared off to the Coral Islands.

Although Hiccup thought for sure that he could handle this, he was soon to discover that he was wrong.

. . .

The fresh air had done wonders for Hiccup's congested sinuses. All that snot and mucus had gone back to wherever it had come from. But, he still felt achier than ever. And on top of that, the pain was getting so terrible that it was hard to hold back screams.

He was beginning to shout at himself inside his head. Stupid Hiccup, stupid, stupid, stupid. You just had to get sick and get these stupid phantom pains at the worst possible time. For heaven's sake, could this be a less convenient time?

As another stabbing pain shot up his leg, Hiccup sucked in air through his breath, gripping tightly on the handles of Toothless' saddle. He panted, trying to keep it together and not cry out in agony. He was all the way out from Dragon's Edge with only Toothless and a horde of Nadders. He just had to press on, ignore the pain, keep going, not be weak.

Breathing rapidly, Hiccup clenching his fists around the handles. "J-just keep going, Hiccup," he told himself, "Just ho-hold on. Don't think about the pain. Don't. . .ngh. . .think about it. It's not that bad, it's not that bad-"

With a strangled gasp, Hiccup felt as another spasm. He exhaled sharply. He was so lying to himself. It was that bad. And he was wrong. It was a phantom pain after all. And it was worse than he remembered it had been. It was like he was being impaled by a red-hot sword, over and over and over and over continuously. It was beyond agonizing.

Hiccup was no stranger to pain. He had felt many different types of it from illness to lightning strikes. But this was by far worse than anything he had ever experienced. Maybe he had forgotten something worse than this, and he was exaggerating. But he was sure he was not. After all, when had he ever felt such a wrenching, splitting pain like this? It made him want to scream and cry at the same time.

No, he would not do that. He had to suck it up and bear it. It was just pain. He could deal with it. He had to just find some way to bear it, no matter how unbearable it seemed.

Unbearable. That was one word for it. It was more than that. It was more like piercing, agonizing, excruciating. . .

Hiccup winced, doubling over to clutch his shin. Toothless looked up at him with an anxious whine.

"I-I'm okay, it's okay, bud," Hiccup reassured his friend, although it was more directed to himself than Toothless. "I'll be -ah!- be okay. Oh, it. . .it hurts. . ."

The piercing torment was growing by the second. And what was worse, somehow his head was beginning to throb. A headache and a phantom pain? Honestly, Hiccup was starting to wonder which was worse. Of course, another shooting pain in his calf answered that question.

It went on for hours, and now it was just before sunset. Hiccup was just barely holding on. His breathing had turned to sporadic gasps. The pain was beyond anything he had ever imagined. He could not bear it anymore. He just wanted it to stop. He would do anything to have some relief, to just make it stop.

Hot tears spilled from his eyes as he let out another shaky breath. "S-stop, p-please. J-just stop-"

Then, pure agony shot up his leg, and Hiccup let out the scream that he had been holding in all day long. It was too much. The pain was overwhelming his senses. He could no longer see what was in front of him. Then, he felt wind rushing past him. There was a distant screech. Looking up, Hiccup saw what was happening. He was falling, and so was Toothless. He saw Toothless dart towards him and wrap his wings around him. Then, darkness came, and he knew no more.

. . .

In the forest of Dragon's Edge, Hiccup came to as another wave of pain pierced through him. Cradling his left leg, he whimpered as tears came without his permission. Looking up, he saw Toothless whining softly.

What's wrong? Are you okay? What hurts?

"M. . .my-my leg. . ." Hiccup barely gasped out.

Toothless let out a loud roar and a plasma blast. He was calling for help. Hiccup half-wished that Toothless had not sent a distress signal, but at the same time, he felt absolutely wretched. His fever had gotten worse, he ached all other, but the worst by far was the phantom pains. They now were continuous instead of coming in waves and twinges.

Lying on his side, Hiccup pulled his knees up to his chest and let the tears come as he sobbed in pure agony. Toothless did his best to comfort his friend. He nuzzled up against Hiccup, licking away the tears from his face.

"It hurts," Hiccup sobbed softly. "It's too much. . .I can't. . .I'm so weak. . ."

Toothless let out a consoling warble, wrapping his tail around Hiccup in a protective manner. Just then, Hiccup heard the flapping of wings overhead and a familiar squawk.

"Hiccup!" came Astrid's voice.

Toothless stepped back, and then Hiccup found himself staring up at Astrid.

"Are you okay? Did you fall?"

"Y-yes," Hiccup grimaced, then wincing again he clutched around the place where his skin met his prosthetic. "Ahhh. . .just stop. . .please stop. . ."

Astrid's eyes widened with fear. "Is it a phantom pain?"

Grinding his teeth to stifle another scream, Hiccup nodded quickly.

"How long has it been like this?" Astrid asked, gently touching him. "Is that why you crashed? Hiccup, why didn't you tell me you weren't feeling well?"

Hiccup swallowed hard, trying desperately to stop crying. "I didn't. . .I didn't want t-to. . .I didn't want to be weak. . .d-doesn't matter, a-anyway. 'Cause that's j-just what I-I am. . ."

"Hiccup, you're not weak." Astrid pulled Hiccup into an embrace. "Stubborn, yes. But weak? Not by a long shot."

"B-but that's h-how I f-feel. . ." Hiccup sobbed quietly.

"Hiccup, you're stronger than anyone I know," Astrid said, rubbing the back of his tousled hair. "You don't have to overwork yourself to show it. You'll kill yourself." Then, as she put her wrist to his forehead, Astrid whispered, "Hiccup, you're burning up."

"I feel cold, though- ah!" Hiccup winced as the stabbing sensation intensified.

"Let's get you back to the Edge."

Slipping one hand under his knees and another around his shoulders, Astrid picked Hiccup up and carried him over to Toothless. On any other day, Hiccup would have felt incredibly embarrassed at Astrid being able to pick him up so easily, but right now, he was preoccupied with the piercing agony plaguing him. Astrid climbed onto Toothless' back, and she flew off towards the outpost, Hiccup tight in her arms. More tears spilled down his face, and Hiccup wondered how on earth Astrid was okay with him watering her shirt. He would have thought that Astrid would have made some comment about him being a waterspout or would have held him slightly more away from her.

Instead, Astrid held him closer, pressing Hiccup's head to her chest.

"You're gonna be okay, Hiccup, just hold on."

The instant they reached his hut, Astrid carried Hiccup through the door and laid him in his bed.

"You, stay," she commanded firmly but not unkindly.

Hiccup could not have moved even if he wanted to. The fever had severely drained his energy, and he was too busy clinging to his leg. Astrid came back with a wet cloth for his forehead and began dabbing at it.

Out of instinct, Hiccup grasped Astrid's free hand, squeezing it with such force that he was afraid that he might have been cutting off her circulation. But she squeezed his hand back, applying a pressure that somehow felt reassuring and calming.

"Deep breaths, Hiccup, deep breaths," coaxed Astrid.

Squeezing his eyes shut in pain, Hiccup did his best to steady his breathing. Eventually, his breathing evened out, but it was still slightly tremulous.

"It hurts. . ." he whispered, his voice breaking.

"Do you want me to take off your leg?" Astrid asked. "It might help."

Hiccup at this point was desperate for anything that would help. Whimpering softly, he feverishly nodded. That was all he could do, even though he wanted to scream, "Yes, do it! Take it off!"

Astrid gently slipped off the prosthetic and let it drop to the floor with a clunk. "Is it better?"

Hiccup swallowed hard. "I can't. . .I don't know, I can't t-tell."

Astrid looked at him dolefully. "How bad is it?"

Hiccup inhaled sharply. "It's. . .it's like. . .stabbing. . .Astrid, it hurts. . ."

"I'm sorry, Hiccup," Astrid whispered, dabbing at his forehead again.

"It-it n-not your f-fault," Hiccup winced. "It-it's mine. . .I should've been s-smarter. . ."

"That's probably true."

With a soft groan, Hiccup squeezed his warm eyes shut again. He felt like he was going to pass out. He could already sense himself drifting off. The pain just had taken too much out of him.

"Uhh. . .I'm so exhausted. . ." he groaned, his head lolling against the pillow.

"Do you feel like sleeping?" Astrid asked.

"That'd be nice. . ." he breathed.

He felt Astrid tuck the covers around his shoulders. "Hiccup, promise me something. Next time you have a phantom pain, don't hide it. It's not weak to ask for help, y'know."

With a deep sigh, Hiccup whispered, "I promise. Thank you, Astrid. . .for everything."

As he drifted off to sleep, Hiccup realized something. He had endured riding for nearly twelve hours with a fever and a phantom pain. Not many people had successfully done that, at least not that he had heard of. Maybe that meant something. If he could endure phantom pains, maybe he had a chance against Viggo Grimborn. Maybe Hiccup was not weak after all.

THE END.

Hope you enjoyed! ...Even though we should not be enjoying reading about Hiccup being in pain, 'cause that's just wrong and slightly sociopathic, but you know...

Anyway, thank you for reading.