I have no other excuses for this one-shot other than the fact that I am Toothcup/Pregcup trash. So there you have it. Enjoy!

Constructive criticism is highly appreciated.

Winter Night

It was freezing cold this Winter night. Or it was outside in the Northern Barbaric Archipelago.

Inside a large cave, on an island inhabited only by dragons, burned a calm fire in a pit dug into the ground. It brought light and it brought warmth.

Some time ago, with wood from the surrounding forest and rope and tools from nearby Viking villages, it had been made into a comfortable dwelling for a human and his dragon. Though appearing more like a traditional home than the lonely cave it once was, their main living space acted like their bedroom as well.

A nest had been created off to one side, not too close and also not too far away from the fire pit in the center. It was a large stone slab with more than plenty soft furs made by hand or simply bought to lie down on and curl up in.

Toothless, the Night Fury's human given name, was a dragon who's jetblack body felt like a furnace compared to the chill often lingering outside. When he wasn't there to keep his Rider warm, Hiccup at least had the furs to roll himself up in.

But there was no need to hunt as there was enough food stored for at least the next few weeks. Missions they didn't worry about either. They had been put on hold for a while already. Simply put, there was little reason to leave their abode at all.

On nights as cold as these, they stayed inside and simply enjoyed each other's company.

Toothless stirred in his slumber, lying only somewhat curled on the furs with his head resting on his forelegs. Hiccup rested against his side, staring at the slowly dying fire and wearing only a loose tunic and pants crafted specifically for their current situation. His prosthetic had been removed earlier that evening and remained closeby on the ground.

"Hey, Bud." Hiccup smiled at the dragon as he moved ever so slightly, letting his Rider know that he was awake.

Toothless moved his head up to look back at him and crooned a greeting before nuzzling his cheek. A sign of affection Hiccup wasn't at all opposed to. He leaned into it, eyes closing momentarily.

What the Night Fury decided to pay attention to next was the very reason why the two had not been on any missions as of late.

The two of them, they were expecting.

Hiccup, for as scrawny as he was, still sported a round belly where his taut abdomen once was some months ago. Seemed like even he could gain at least some weight, his figure was fuller than the mere skin and bones it used to be.

Though at twenty-three, that short stick of a boy was already a tall tree of a young man instead.

It surprised both of them back when they first realized what the strange new growth on Hiccup's lower belly was. Though they each possessed the right tools for the job, they never would've imagined any of their couplings to end in a pregnancy as they were different species.

Though Fishlegs had once said years ago that humans and dragons are more similar than one would think, a blessing like this always seemed out of their reach. Until they were proven wrong.

Toothless purred as he gently nudged his Rider's belly, earning himself a short chuckle.

"They're asleep." Hiccup told, sighing deeply and resting one hand in his lap underneath his swollen bump while the other went to stroke the top of the dragon's head.

An interspecies pregnancy like this brought with it a lot of questions that no one could answer but time itself.

While humans had live births, Night Furies, all dragons in fact, were hatched from an egg.

Hiccup was fairly certain that the offspring he carried was more draconic than human, "too many limbs" he claimed, but it wasn't an egg, or eggs, that he felt in his womb. What he bore, was alive and moving.

Except that night. After a busy day of moving, growing and keeping one half of their parents on his toes, the unborn babe was asleep.

There were still short flutters here and there, but nothing like the barrel rolls Hiccup felt a short few hours ago.

Toothless moved again, pressing his earfin against his Rider's belly in the hopes of catching even the tiniest sound of their child.

Hiccup let him, leaning back on his hands and watching curiously. He wouldn't be surprised if he heard anything. Night Furies were famous for many things, but often their incredible hearing ability ended up forgotten.

At the moment, Toothless failed at picking up any sound at all, the little dragon inside must be in too deep of a sleep, but he could hear his mate's heartbeat. At the very least, it made for a comforting substitute.

"They're asleep, Bud. And speaking of which, we should get some shut-eye too." Hiccup drew away from him, heaving himself closer to the edge of the stone slab they were resting on to grab his metal leg. The fire was slowly dying and in this Winter cold it was wiser to keep it going.

There was a small stack of firewood in a corner, brought inside from the larger pile lying outside in a thick layer of snow. Hiccup wanted to take some to add to the pit, but Toothless beat him to it, getting up and making his way over there so his tired and very pregnant mate didn't need to.

Hiccup sighed in relief and dropped back down on the furs, grateful that Toothless already did it for him.

The fire did burn to keep him warm, after all. Dragons weren't at as high a risk as humans were for hypothermia and frostbite.

Hiccup decided to lie down, rolling onto his side and bundling up some of the many thick furs to rest his head on.

It was in the middle of the night and he was exhausted, but sleep escaped him.

He didn't know why he was having such trouble, just that he did and it's been happening for the past week now. The wind howling outside as the snowfall threatened to turn into a blizzard certainly didn't help in the least bit.

This restlessness, though they knew nothing about their particular situation, Hiccup wondered if it was a sign that something was coming soon.

Something good, despite what this inability to be at peace seemed to imply.

Hiccup could feel the heat of the fire grow and it washed over him. That was when Toothless joined him again. With his much large body did he curl up around him as he settled down, tail off the slab and huffing into his Rider's auburn hair. It was often redder in the Summer. Similar to how Hiccup's freckles were also more prominent when expose to more sun.

But his hair, it wasn't as messy as it once was. Their amount of flights together were brought down to almost zero with Hiccup the way he was now.

Hiccup was a reckless person, for sure, but he knew to be careful when someone other than the two of them were involved. And this little life was the most fragile passenger they had ever carried before. Toothless relied on the automatic tailfin for the time being.

Toothless gazed down on Hiccup and noticed that sleep was finally catching up to him, after hours of sitting and lying awake.

His eyes were closed and his breathing steadily grew slower, an arm rested on his bump. Toothless didn't dare to wake him up, but he figured he could afford one lazy lick on his human's temple and that's what he gave him. A sleepy hum was the only response he got, which was fine by him.

Toothless lied his head down and closed his eyes as well. He, too, felt like it was almost time. This pregnancy was taking longer than a normal draconic gestation would, but that was probably to be expected when one of the two was a human. Their babe promised to be a live birth. Eggs didn't need as much time as live young did and that also played a part in how long this took.

But it wouldn't take much longer now and they were as ready as they could possibly be.

Food wasn't a problem. Their storage was full. And though this was their very first, there were other hatchlings raised by their hand before, orphaned eggs or lost fledgelings whose parents had been cruelly taken from them by Hunters and Trappers. This was also an island inhabited mostly by dragons who knew them personally and no humans besides one former Berkian.

They were all a part of the same pack with Hiccup and Toothless at the very top. Should there ever be a need to protect the new family, they were more than willing to step up and return the favour.

Most of these dragons were rescues with no other place to call home.

Many times the Night Fury was their protector and the human was the one who nursed them back to health, even using his clever hands to create replacement teeth, fins, horns, whatever. The latter was also adamant in someday figuring out how to return a dragon's ability to fly even when a wing was irreparably damaged or lost. A downed dragon, doomed to never again be in the sky, saddened him too much.

The dragons of this island owed a lot to these two.

So they were as ready as they could ever be, with plenty of food, some experience and an island full of personal guardians. Toothless could hardly wait and he knew this was a sentiment Hiccup also shared

He briefly opened his eyes again and noticed that Hiccup was in a deep sleep. Toothless could return to his own slumber with an eased heart.

Well, he napped.

While Hiccup could not fall asleep without tossing and turning for a few hours first, his own nights were short and light and far in between. There was an instinct inside of him telling him to stay alert.

But both of his loves were safe, healthy and fast asleep. This Night Fury could afford to doze off as well.

It was a cold Winter night out there, but in their nest, they were warm and they were together. And that was all they needed to get through this year's Devastating Winter.