Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

A/N: The first of these one-shots was inspired by sarahenany's 'Unbreaking', an absolutely gorgeous fix-it fic for 'The Terrible Twos'. The second is a continuation of the first.

The Ones That Matter

He's leaving me.

He's really, seriously leaving me here!

He looks back, once, and then - nothing. Not even a "See you soon, bud." No "It's not for long." He's walking away from me, but why? Why?

He wants to keep me and the demon spawn apart. He thinks I'm jealous, that I want to hurt a hatchling. As if I would! Doesn't he know me better than that? I only tried to warn him! To give the pest back to his real mother, so he'd stop stealing my food and my bed and my-

I snarl in frustrated denial. No, it cannot be! Torch cannot have stolen Hiccup from me too...can he?

She's still out there. She'll kill him. I have to get out of here! I leap at the rocks, digging my claws in and struggling to haul myself out. They are wet and slippery with last night's rain, and I can't get a good grip. My wings flutter; I can't beat them properly, powerfully, without slapping them against the rough stone.

A run up! That will work, surely. I charge at the wall of the cove and in a single bound, make it about halfway. I'm so close, but when I try to stretch a paw up to the edge, the other can't hold my weight. Soil and stone give way as I scrabble helplessly, falling back to the ground.

I scream in anger, long and loud. How dare he?! The arrogant, ignorant little waif! He's nothing but a stupid human hatchling. He has no idea...I can see his reasons, misguided as they are, for wanting to keep Torch and I apart. But if that is so, then why not send the newcomer away? Why am I the one who has to be punished?

In all the time I've known him, everything we've been through together, Hiccup has never treated me like this. Unequal. Unworthy. As if I really am just his pet, and he my master. He is...he was like a brother to me. I had thought - hoped - he saw me in much the same way.

Anger makes my heart fires blaze and I spit fireballs out to quell it. How could he?! How could he?! He used our bond against me, made this special place to us into a prison, and left me here without so much as a goodbye. And for what? To protect a dragon he's only just met?

The human I love has abandoned me here...as if he doesn't trust me anymore. A terrible thought stops my raging in its tracks and freezes my heart fires like ice that kills. Hiccup abandoned me...as if he doesn't love me anymore.

Surely not. Surely I'm mistaken; he'll realise he was wrong and then he'll come back for me. I just have to wait, and pray that the mother Fire-Spinner doesn't find him first. If she scents her hatchling on him - and he's covered in it - she will think he's stolen her baby, and she'll...

The thought of it spurs me on, and I try again to get out of the cove. I cannot. I scream until my throat is raw. Stupid cove! Stupid Torch! Stupid Hiccup! Then I collapse, exhausted, and whimper. Hiccup...he might not care for me anymore - please don't let it be true - but I can't help caring about him.

I shouldn't. I shouldn't have gotten attached. It's dangerous. Humans are dangerous, whether they're hunting you or not. Maybe...maybe this hurts more, like a blade in my chest, because I thought he loved me. I could call for help - I'll just have to ignore my pride and let another dragon haul me out of this trap - but would he let me come back? Or would he just put me back here?


I wake with a start, ear-flaps erect. What was...?

"TOOTHLESS!"

Hiccup! I leap to my feet and try to scramble out of the cove again. He's in danger, he needs me, Torch's mother must have found him! I look up at the cliff edge and roar to let him know I'm here - and then I see him blindly jump off the edge. Stupid human. What if I'd been at the other side of the cove?

I jump to catch him, and somehow he lands in the saddle and my tail-fins unfurl and I'm whole again. "Thanks, bud. I'm so sorry, I should have listened to you."

Damn right you should have.

Torch causes trouble, again, but at last he's back with his mother and siblings. I'm almost grateful that Hiccup only found one of those little pests. We go back home and...


It's times like these that I wish humans could understand us. If I could have just told Hiccup what was really happening...but I suppose I can't blame him too much. He's only a fledgling; worse, he's a human fledging. It's both fascinating and annoying how humans - especially mine - can be so clever and so dumb at the same time.

He's young. He's stupid. He didn't mean to hurt me, he was just doing what he thought was right. If I can forgive him for my tail, I can forgive him this.

"I should have known you were just trying to protect me. That's what you do."

Yes. Yes it is. I still cough up half a fish into his lap; I have to get my revenge somehow.


Toothless had just started to get used to his own body again when he heard a sob. Immediately, he looked over to see Hiccup kneeling nearby, arms wrapped around himself and tears in his eyes. *Hiccup?*

The young man looked up at him, clearly stricken. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry Toothless, I'm sorry, I had no idea you - why didn't you tell me? I'll make it up to you, I promise. Do whatever you want" he announced, sprawling on his back with his stomach and throat exposed, apologising the way a dragon would.

Toothless stared at Hiccup, wondering what had gotten into him. Then he realised. He sighed and leaned down to lick Hiccup's neck - then the rest of his face, just for good measure. Hiccup spluttered. "Toothless?! What're you doing? I deserve way more than that!" he protested, sitting up again.

Toothless swatted him upside the head with his tail. *Don't be so dramatic. You just lived through my memories of when we found Torch, didn't you?*

"Yes, and I am so, so sorry"-

*Then you know I've forgiven you*.

"How?! You said - and I still don't understand how you forgave me for this, either." Hiccup lifted Toothless' tail, cradling it and stroking a hand reverently across the smooth surface. "Why didn't you tell me, when you could?" he implored.

Again, Toothless stared. *Hiccup, you know that I've forgiven you for what happened to my tail. And the whole mess with Torch was years ago. I'm over it; I thought you were too* he explained.

"I didn't realise how much I hurt you! I made you think that I..." He couldn't say it. "I never meant to do that. I just...Torch was so small and I was scared you'd attack him and I couldn't just lock you up and I thought at least you liked the cove - but I should've just let Fishlegs or someone take care of Torch instead. I never would have taken him home if I'd known he was such a little menace!"

If there was one thing neither of them could bear, it was the other being distressed. Toothless nuzzled Hiccup, who was still hugging the dragon's tail-fin to his chest. *I told you, it's okay. Even then I knew that you wouldn't hurt me on purpose; and I've lived through your memories too. I know how much it hurt you to leave me behind, that you really did think it was for the best*.

Hiccup dragged a hand over his face. "I was a moron" he announced despondently. "How did I not realise that if a baby dragon was lost, it's mother was probably looking for it? Next time I say something is for the best, please just slap me."

He looked up at Toothless and held up the tail-fin. "I did this" he declared, "and then I used it against you. I didn't trust you when you needed me to, and I never understood what I'd done until now. I know you forgive me, I just...don't understand how" he admitted.

*Hiccup, you made a mistake. And as for my tail...you know what they say, a downed dragon is a dead dragon. Even if they're not killed, a dragon who can never fly again will, eventually, lose the will to live*. Toothless focused on his phantom fin, and it morphed before their eyes into the original brown prosthetic Hiccup had spent weeks perfecting. *You brought me back to life*.

*But I'm the reason you lost your flight in the first place!" Hiccup protested. "I don't deserve you."

*That's like saying you don't deserve to be loved*.

"I don't deserve your love. I never have" Hiccup sighed. He gazed down at Toothless' tail-fin and it's leather counterpart. All he could think of were his own flaws and failings, and he'd never be able to fathom how he could possibly have earned, much less deserve, his other half's selfless devotion.

His thoughts must have shown on his face because Toothless sighed, exasperated, and insisted *Yes, you do. You did this*, he twitched his tail-fin, *but I did that*, he gestured with a paw at Hiccup's ethereal foot. They were the same, they matched. Two halves.

Hiccup shook his head. "It's not the same. You were trying to save my life...I shot you down just so I could be popular and get a date" he said, voice thick with self-loathing.

*Well, it worked, didn't it? Shooting me down did make you popular and get you a date. Eventually. After three or four years* Toothless teased, purring amusement. Hiccup wasn't really in the mood for jokes, however, and pouted. Toothless had had enough of his human's sulking; it was entirely unnecessary.

*You know, it's strange that you think I'm so forgiving. You're even more forgiving than I am* he remarked. When Hiccup glanced up at him questioningly, Toothless explained, *Every time I've forgiven you - forgiven anyone, really - is when you did something to make up for it. Even if it was just admitting you were wrong. But you...

*Before we met, those five friends of yours used to ignore and bully you constantly. Astrid came to her senses - with help, of course - but the rest of them? They didn't try to change until you almost got killed; as if they needed a battle to see how resilient you were. You didn't even know they'd apologised, but you still forgave them for it all*.

Hiccup blinked up at him, confused. "I...wait, what do you mean, I didn't know they'd apologised?"

The dragon suddenly looked sheepish. *It happened when you were...asleep...after we killed the Red Death. They came in one by one and talked to you. Although I don't see why they couldn't have told you when you were awake*.

"Ah, well, maybe they were embarrassed. We don't mind admitting we're wrong, but we'd prefer not to do it face to face" Hiccup joked. He sobered again and added, "I just...I forgave them because I didn't see the point in holding a grudge. And they've made up for it since then, haven't they? Besides, at the time I figured...even if the novelty of me defeating the Red Death wore off, and things went back to normal, I'd be able to handle it, because I had you" he smiled up at Toothless.

The Night Fury nuzzled his human even as he ached inside. It still hurt, that there was once a time that Hiccup believed his accomplishments would be dismissed, and that him being belittled and put down was 'normal'. True, Hiccup's former bullies had done much to make amends...but still, Toothless wasn't sure they could ever do enough to make up for mistreating his human. That was probably his overprotectiveness talking, though.

*My point is, if you could forgive them so easily, then...*

"I should be able to forgive myself?" Hiccup finished for him. He sighed. "I know, I just feel awful that I didn't realise...are you sure it's okay? That...that we're okay?" he asked hesitantly.

Toothless resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Hiccup was acting like he'd been secretly seething with resentment this entire time; surely he of all people should know that dragons rarely dwelt on the past. *Come here* he said instead, pawing at Hiccup to tug him into an embrace. Hiccup wrapped his arms around the thick black neck and whispered into his other half's ear, "I love you, so much."

*I love you too* Toothless crooned to him. *Silly. Are you going to get this emotional over all of my memories?*

"No" Hiccup shook his head and hugged Toothless even tighter. "Just the ones that matter."