Couple of notes before I let y'all go. This is my first time actively writing in this fandom even if I have a few stories already set for it.
Secondly, blame Tumblr for the prompt.
Monsters
At the knock on the wooden office door, black scaled covered ear plates perk up. Acid green eyes continue to scan the document held in clawed fingers but a somewhat nasally voice rings out.
"Enter!" Scrabbling comes from the door and the black beast sighs, finally looking up. "Gobber, use your other hand!"
The door swings open, a barrel gut of a man standing in the doorway, the hook attached to the stump of his left arm scratching at the back of his neck. The man grins sheepishly revealing a metal tooth.
"Sorry, 'bout that 'iccup, ye know I'm always forgettin'."
The black-scaled beast known as Hiccup sighs, his earplates falling to the sides of his head. At his back the black cape on his shoulders ruffles, the edges more clearly defining themselves to be bony rib-like structures. "I know, Gobber, that's why I'm not mad. Now, what did you need? I still have papers I have to go through because of the twins' antics."
Gobber limps in, the peg for a right leg tapping against the tile. "Just got the weekly reports in. Thought ye may wanna know Stormfly asked ta be moved ta a different case."
His words catch the hybrid's attention and Hiccup frowns, auburn hair falling into his eyes as he turns his full attention to the blonde man. "That's the fifth one this month, I thought for sure Stormfly would do the job."
The man shakes his head, setting the file down in front of Hiccup. "Ye ain't the only one, I thought she'd be a good fit but," He shakes his head. "Brought ye the file so ye could see who else might work on the lass."
Hiccup scowls, opening the file to look skim over the details. "That's just it, there's no one else who's qualified for it. This one is different then the others we've seen."
"There is someone who'd be able ta do the scarin'." Hiccup arches an eyebrow, reading over the notes left in the file.
"And who would you suggest?"
The amputee is quiet, the silence more than enough to draw the hybrid's attention away from the folder. He looks up, acid green eyes meeting blue before Hiccup sputters, leaning back in his chair.
"Gobber! I am not going into the field. I thought we've been over this?"
Gobber walks forward, setting both hook and meaty hand on the desk. "Look, I know ye don't like going out there 'iccup, but there's no' another who'd be able ta handle this one."
"Who would make sure the twins don't get into trouble?" Hiccup scowls, his ear plates twitching to show his annoyance. "Who's gonna keep Snotlout from burning down the cafeteria? That the doors are kept on time and the conveyors keep running smoothly? Oh and let's not forget the fact we have an entire class of hatchlings coming today that I have to take on a tour of the factory!"
Having already been through these discussions before Gobber merely waits, his hook digging around his fake tooth in the meantime, until the Auburn hybrid runs out of words before he gives him a pointed look.
"Ye done yet, lad?"
Hiccup raises a claw, looking as if he's gonna continue before he deflates, once more leaning back in the chair. "Yeah, I got nothing else." Then he adds quickly, glaring at the blonde haired man. "I'm still not doing it."
Gobber grins. "Right, now it's time for me ta talk and ye ta listen."
The white skin visible around his black scales goes pale, having known the man for enough time to know what he means. His ear plates tuck beside his head and he hisses at Gobber.
"No, don't you dare!"
A screech echoes out of the door into the massive white hall, causing every monster walking to stop and turn, their eyes being drawn to where Gobber is pulling a black tail through the office door.
He grunts, turning and hauling the tail over his shoulder as he continues to pull. "Come on, 'iccup, if ye just stop being so stubborn this would go a lot better." He gives one more hard yank and the hybrid comes through the doorway. Scowling, he lets go of the door frame pieces still in his claws.
The other monsters, most looking similar to Hiccup if not in color or size then in scales and extra limbs return to their business, knowing better then to interrupt a fight between the president and vice-president.
Hiccup growls, propping his head on one clawed hand, the other resting in the crook of his elbow. "Thank you for nothing you useless orc."
Gobber laughs, looking over his shoulder at the hybrid. "Come now, lad, you said it yourself there's no' another monster able to scare the lass, yer the final option."
His face drops to the floor, black scales creating a scratching sound as they scratch up the tile. He really wasn't expecting this when he flew to work today.
The hybrid perks up, remembering the cape on his shoulders and grins, spreading it to reveal two large bat-like wings. He flaps them once, the wave of air enough to stun Gobber long enough for the hybrid to pull his tail from the man's grip and shoot to his feet.
Gobber turns around, waving his hook through the air. He glares at the hybrid. "'iccup, yer going through that door whether ye like it or not. Don't make me tell Gothi."
Both monsters shudder at the name. Gothi being the oldest and strongest witch at the company, she runs things on the floor level ensuring every monster gets to where they're going and doing what they need to do.
Hiccup rolls his eyes, furling his wings back against his shoulders to once more look like a cape. "Fine, Gobber, I'll do it this once. When I figure out what needs to be done I'll fix it and send the right monster to take care of it."
The orc grins, obviously happy to have won this argument and both continue walking down the hall to where two large metal doors are rolled into the ceiling. As they pass the overhang both nod to the old wart faced woman behind the counter. The witch in return glares at them hard enough to make a shiver run down their spines. Then they're stepping into the main factory part of the building.
Monsters run back and forth between a row of doors set into a line against one wall. Some of the monsters enter the doors, others are mounting orange containers to a bracket set in the door frames, and yet other, smaller monsters stand on top of desks set on the opposite wall from the doors.
Each of the miniature hybrids holds a folder in hand, looking it over as the bigger monsters race back and forth.
Hiccup grins, watching the monsters work. "I'll tell you, Gobber. When Dad said that I had to take over the company I didn't think the company would survive."
Gobber chuckles, resting a hand on the hybrid's shoulder. "Aye, yer father was a lot o' things but I don't think he saw this happenin' when he handed ye the reins. Who knew the Berkian Nest would take flight as well as it did?"
"I think Dad did, even if I wasn't so sure of it myself." The orc nods at the hybrid's quiet words, both now noticing where they are.
Hiccup swallows, looking at the blue and yellow door. "Alright, let's see what we're dealing with." He turns, looking at the yellow and green miniature hybrid sitting on the table. "Sharpshot, start it up."
It nods, getting up to start flipping switches on the console and Hiccup watches as the red bulb above the door lights up. After a minute the miniature hybrid nods.
"Door is live, Sir Fury."
He grins, his form beginning to change. "I'll admit, the shift is something I'll always enjoy."
Gobber chuckles, stepping back to stand beside the miniature hybrid. "I'll see ye in a while, Night Fury."
The now completely scaled black reptile rolls his eyes and steps through the door, immediately sinking to the ground as he begins slinking into the darkened room on the other side of the door.
Behind him the door quietly slides closed, preventing any light from waking his target and he blinks to get his night vision to kick in. Lowering himself so that his belly skims the carpet he crawls around the mess of toys, his eyes focused on the bed on the opposite wall.
At the sound of a sniffle his ear plates perk up and he watches the bundle on the bed shudder. He crawls forward, sliding under the bed itself while he plans. Hiccup peeks from under the frame, his acid green eyes now three times their original size and takes in the bright 10:03 on the alarm clock sitting on the nightstand.
He turns, scratching his claws along one post and pays attention to the bundle, seeing it if makes a sound.
That's when he hears it whisper. "I don't who you are but I'm not afraid of you."
Hiccup slinks back under the bed, his mind spinning with so many ideas he nearly misses a door slamming shut elsewhere. That's when the child on the bed does something that surprises him.
She gets out of bed, sliding to get under the bed and glares at him. "Move over, I need room under here too."
Every action this child is doing is new to him. Every child he's scared, every child he's seen, never have they acted like this one blond haired girl has. It doesn't make sense in what he knows about the human world.
He lifts an ear plate when he hears footsteps stomping closer to the room and takes note of the way the girl shrinks in on herself. That's when it occurs to him. She has no right to be afraid of a monster of the dark.
Not when one walks around in the daylight.
The door to her room slams open, the boots of the human taking up most of the light. Hiccup's sensitive nose immediately picks up the smell of alcohol rolling off the human in waves and he unsheathes his teeth, allowing his change to revert to his hybrid form as the human approaches.
When the human reaches under the bed for the girl Hiccup offers his own wrist, allowing them to pull him from the shadows. He's pulled out from under the bed to his full six-foot height and he glares at the man before him.
The man stumbles back, looking at him in fright. "Wha-what are you?"
Hiccup hisses, revealing extremely sharp teeth. "I'll be your worst nightmare for the rest of eternity if you don't leave this girl alone."
The man, the girl's father Hiccup quickly surmises, scowls. "Some freak like you can't scare me!"
Hiccup grins, changing form again and the man only spends a moment to absorb the sight before he runs out of the room. The sharp smell following the man lets the hybrid know he soiled himself.
When the girl's father is gone Hiccup changes once more, turning to kneel beside the bed and softly croons to the girl. "It's alright, Astrid, the mean monster is gone."
Slowly the girl crawls out from under the bed. Once she's sure her father is gone she hugs Hiccup, burrowing her head in his shirt. Hiccup's thrown off by the gesture at first but quickly returns the hug, using the grip to pick her up and set her back in bed.
He chuckles, patting her back. "I promise, he won't do that again."
She steps back, looking at him doubtfully. "How do you know that? Daddy does it every time he goes out with his friends."
He helps her to lay back down. As he pulls the blanket over her he winks. "Because I'll be there to make sure he doesn't. A Night Fury protects his own after all."
It's not exactly what his father used to say, it being a monster protects his own but Hiccup knows the girl needs the reassurance and doesn't regret changing it just the slightest for her.
She giggles, wrapping her arms around him once again. "Thank you, Mr. Night Fury."
The End.
Soooo... What did y'all think? How well did I do for my first try at a HTTYD fanfic?
While the idea behind it is a little confounding I have to admit the story pretty much rolled by itself. Hiccup and Astrid just seemed like the perfect couple for it. Oh! BTW if you can guess the background I used for Hiccup's world ten points to you!
The meantime it's almost 1 am and I'm tired.
Grizzly out for the night.