A quick one shot that I wrote. Post httyd 2. Inspired by something I pictured in my head. Since I can't draw it, I wrote something about it.
Special thanks to user elfpen who helped beta it.
Hiccup stretched and let out a long yawn, putting down the pencil he'd been drawing with. He rubbed his eyes and blinked sleepily.
"Wruuoo?" Toothless nudged his arm. He smiled tiredly and rubbed Toothless head.
"Yeah I know bud, I'm going to sleep now," he mumbled. He staggered over to his bed and flopped down on top of it, not bothering to remove his leg. Toothless trotted to his usual place beside Hiccup and curled up, wrapping his tail around his snout. Hiccup patted him goodnight, then closed his eyes and drew his blanket halfway over himself. After a few minutes, he slipped into a deep sleep.
He awoke with a start. Something was off. He glanced immediately to his left, where Toothless usually slept. It was empty.
"Toothless? Where are you bud?" he swung his feet over the edge of the bed and stood up, scanning the room. It was barely light out, and outside the window the first rays of dawn were starting to appear. "Toothless?" he called softly. No reply. He frowned and headed downstairs. The living room was quiet, and there was no sign of his Night Fury. Quietly, he edged the front door open and stepped outside.
"Toothless?" he called, keeping his voice low. A Terrible Terror perched on a nearby roof blinked sleepily at him and warbled before curling back up.
"Too-" He didn't have a chance to finish before a dark blur raced from around the side of his house and tackled him.
He grunted and waved his arms, trying to fend off a barrage of licks. "Ahhh quit it Toothless! You're going to make me smell like fish!" Toothless gave a low rumble as if to say
'But fish smell delicious!'
"Okay, enough." Hiccup said, chuckling. He pushed Toothless snout away and stood up, trying and failing to wipe the slobber off. "Where were you anyway?"
Toothless growled playfully and bounced around him, ignoring his question. He smiled and shook his head. "You just wanna go flying, don't you?"
Toothless headbutted him in approval.
"Alright, fine."
Over the next two days, Hiccup noticed it again. He would wake up to find Toothless absent from his usual spot, only to find him either outside the house or downstairs, waiting. It started to worry him a bit. Toothless seemed more tired than usual, and napped a little longer than usual during the day. However, his responsibilities to the village distracted him from pondering what was wrong with Toothless. It wasn't until later that he realized something was definitely wrong.
After a long day, Hiccup lay in bed, resting. He'd had to deal with a trouble making wild Nadder, and a scuffle between some of the Vikings dragons. On top of that, he had to oversee the rebuilding of many of the systems he'd set up before the attack. Half of Gobber's forge had collapsed, and parts of the dragon hangar had crumbled. He didn't get to bed until the moon was high in the sky.
Awwoororrr
The cry from Toothless drew Hiccup from his sleep. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, looking at Toothless. The dragon lay on the floor beside the bed, squirming in his sleep and pawing at his face.
"You okay bud?" Hiccup asked. He yawned, still half asleep.
The only reply was a distressed growl. Toothless's tail swung out and whacked the wall. He turned away, shaking his head wildly, still trapped in his nightmare. Wide awake, Hiccup slid off the bed and hurried to Toothless side.
"Toothless it's alright! I'm right here." he whispered softly. Toothless groaned, pushing his snout against the floor and shuffling away. He flicked his tail sideways and knocked over a lamp.
"Toothless wake up!" he pleaded softly. "It's a dream bud. You're safe." he crawled closer and stroked Toothless' head. The dragon recoiled sharply at the touch and stumbled backwards, spreading his wings and sending papers flying. He let out a pained roar and spun in a half circle, slamming into the wall.
"Please, Toothless!" Hiccup cried out. The dragon's eyes opened wide. His pupils were narrowed and filled with panic and fear for a brief moment. A look of pure relief quickly replaced it.
He let out a joyous wail and tackled Hiccup, wrapping his paws possessively around the boy, as if he thought he'd never see Hiccup again.
"It's ok. I'm right here. It was just a nightmare." Hiccup whispered softly. "You're safe. Everyone gets nightmares." Inwardly, his heart twisted. Judging by the Night Fury's panic, he could only guess what the nightmare had been about.
Toothless rumbled and gave a distressed whine. Hiccup stroked him, then shifted until he was curled comfortably between the dragon's legs, his head pillowed on Toothless paw. The dragon wrapped his body around Hiccup and folded his wings over him.
"Don't worry, I'm not going anywhere." he murmured.
That night, Hiccup slept on the floor with Toothless.
The next three days, Hiccup tried his best to keep an eye on Toothless at night, but it seemed that soon after he fell asleep, the dragon would disappear. As the days dragged on, he grew more and more concerned.
Usually, Toothless was upbeat and proud. Lately, however, a change had come over him. Around other dragons, he seemed himself, but when he thought no one else was watching, his shoulders would droop and his head would hang low.
Hiccup didn't mention it to his mother or Gobber, or even Astrid. Toothless was his friend, and he wanted to find out what was wrong with him first. Tonight, he vowed to stay awake and find out where Toothless was going.
Despite his best efforts, Hiccup dozed off somewhere after midnight. A short time later, he jolted awake and looked around.
"I can't believe I fell asleep." he muttered. He groaned and got up, walking to the window and glancing at the moon. It couldn't be much more than an hour past midnight. Perhaps there was still a chance to find out what Toothless was up to. He pulled on his wool vest and crept out of the house. As soon as he was outside, he shuddered from the cold and pulled his vest tighter.
He started by checking the some of the feeding stalls, in case Toothless getting a midnight snack. Then he checked the stalls. There was no sign of Toothless there either.
"Where could you be..." Hiccup mused to himself. He checked down by the docks, then the training ring. Both were quiet and empty, with no sign of the Night Fury. Finally, he trekked up towards the mead hall. Right beside the doors of the hall stood his father's statue. The sight of the monument filled him with both pride and grief, although there was more of the latter. His father had been one of the greatest chiefs. Seeing his statue reminded Hiccup of him. It made his heart ache. There, at the base of the statue, he saw Toothless.
The dragon sat at the base of the statue, staring up towards Stoick's face. He cocked his head back and let out a low, keening cry. He reached out and pressed a claw against the base, then let it fall to the ground. Taking a deep breath, he gave a long sigh and rested his head on his paws, his nose touching the statue's base.
Hiccup swallowed. His chest suddenly felt tight, and he felt like he'd been stabbed by an invisible knife. Slowly, he walked over to Toothless and sat beside him. The dragon didn't move, except for his eyes, which turned on Hiccup. They were filled with sorrow and regret.
"So this is where you've been every night huh?" he said. Toothless ducked his head and looked back up at the statue. Hiccup shivered and sat beside Toothless, resting his hand on the dragon's head.
"I guess you miss him too." he murmured. Everything made sense now. Toothless had been coming here every night. He hadn't realized how deeply Stoic's loss had affected Toothless. And Toothless probably blamed himself...
"It's not your fault bud." Hiccup swallowed, struggling to hold back tears. He wanted to be strong for Toothless. He needed to be there for him.
His eyes began to water, and he sniffled and wiped them with his sleeve. A tear slid down his cheek as something inside him crumbled. It was too much. Days were easier. He could keep himself busy, and try not to think about the pain. At night, there were no distractions. Toothless made a low whine and huffed, his breath fogging in the chilly air. Hiccup leaned on Toothless and wrapped his arms around him as more tears came. Toothless let out a soft wail.
Hearing his best friends cry broke his heart. He couldn't do it. He couldn't be strong for his best friend. Not when he was hurting just as much.
"I miss him too, bud." Hiccup choked between sobs. He squeezed his eyes shut and held Toothless close as the dragon wrapped his wings around the two of them. They sat together, sharing their grief as one.
I hope you enjoyed! Please review/comment. Constructive criticism is appreciated as well! I love hearing your guys thoughts.
I had this picture in my head of Toothless mourning at Stoic's statue. So that's why I wrote this.
P.S. To readers of Bridge: I have been a bit busy, but I hope to have the new chapter in a couple weeks? Perhaps less, depending on my schedule.