A/N: Hope you all like! There is a bit of Hicstrid sprinkled here and there from here on out for the rest of the story, but for the most part, this is angst and friendship, not fluff.

The next day, I wake up in my bedroom, my notebook lying open on my chest.

With a groan, I pull myself upright and yank on some clean clothes.

I race to the cove, seeing Toothless up and waiting for me.

I grin and come over to him, before remembering the events of last night.

"That's it," I tell him grimly. "Either I'm sleeping in the cove from now on, or Dad's just gonna have to deal."

"ABSOLUTELY NOT!"

"C'mon, Dad, Toothless is in danger! He could die!"

"Then good riddance to the beast!"

I scowl at him. "These dragons could kill him!"

"Then good riddance! I hate that dragon!"

"You don't mean that."

"Yes, I do, Hiccup," Dad snaps. "Leave me alone."

"Dad, please…" I plead.

"The answer is no," Dad insists.

I sigh. "Fine."

"Aw, what's wrong?" Astrid asks me at school the next day.

Then her eyes widen. "Uh-oh. Did something happen with Toothless?"

I sigh. "Astrid, Dad's not letting him stay in the house! If I leave him all alone in the cove, he could DIE."

She nods sadly. "Well, I can—

"So I'm just sleeping in the cove," I say.

She scowls. "You are not. Toothless will stay at my place."

I give her a sideways glance. "Astrid…"

"C'mon, Hiccup, it'll be fine."

"I…"

I hesitate on the verge of saying no.

I mean, I have a really hard time trusting anybody with Toothless. Even Astrid.

It just doesn't work for me.

I sigh. "If anything happens to him, Astrid…"

"Happens to who?" Tuffnut asks, joining us.

Astrid turns to him. "Toothless."

We begin walking to class together.

"Oh, totally," Tuffnut says. "If anything happened to that dragon on your watch, Hiccup would go nuts."

I give a small smile. "Astrid, I would…" I hesitate on the verge of a threat.

Astrid chuckles and punches my shoulder. "Yeah. I know what you would do, Dragon Boy."

That night, I reluctantly fly Toothless to Astrid's house.

I've visited it before, so I know exactly where it is.

"Be safe, bud," I tell him gently.

He stares at me, confused. He presses his nose against my hand. Why am I staying with the aggressive one?

Toothless doesn't exactly know any of my friends' names. So he just calls them by a word that describes them.

Snotlout is the 'self-centered' one, Fishlegs is the 'nerdy' one, and Ruffnut and Tuffnut are the 'stupid ones who fight all the time.'

"Toothless, you're in danger," I tell him quietly. "I don't feel safe leaving you in the cove."

He stares at me for a second, then once again, touches his cool, scaly snout against my hand. "You don't really want to leave me here, either."

I sigh. "Toothless…"

He's good at telling my emotions.

Toothless nudges my hand with his nose again. You haven't lived until you've touched a dragon's snout.

"Hiccup, in case you've forgotten, I'm a Night Fury. I'm a light sleeper and good at taking care of myself. The Venom Winds will send expendable dragons, like Zipplebacks or Gronckles before coming themselves."

I groan. "Toothless, I know you're a Night Fury. And I don't care. I'm not playing around when your life hangs in the balance, okay?"

Toothless lets out a little snort and rubs his head against my hip.

I bend down, reluctant to leave him. I wrap my arms around his neck. "Please just keep yourself safe, Toothless. I don't ever want to lose you."

He's my best friend and I can't imagine life without him.

Suddenly, a voice startles me out of my thoughts. "Alright, Dragon Boy," Astrid says, coming up to us. "I can take it from here."

I stand up and walk away.