AN: Thanks to: rockenweirdo, MusicPeaceAndCheese, Candy-chama, xxHaleinaxx, TeaMongrel, mpkio2, Desiree Nicole, prodigus feldspar (Hope you enjoyed seeing HTTYD for your fourth time! My fourth time was yesterday! XD), blissfulignorance19, Jinmi, Clarrolx, La Belle Demoiselle, canedtweety, FireBreather339, Loti-miko, highschool zombie, Daniel The king of Dragons, mangafairy, Toothless-the-nightfury, Tweekerz, and those who may be following in anon! Thanks everybody! Sorry updates are slow. I'm preparing things for English, Drama, and Econ. XD Good news is that high school will be over soon! Just less than twenty days! Wait... LESS THAN TWENTY DAYS?! -faints-
Also… I think this is the only chapter I've done in my life for any story that had little to no speaking. That's rare for me! Almost everything I do has talking! LOL
DISCLAIMER: -bawls enough to create a lake-
Similar Changes
The days flew into the weeks, and those weeks soon became two months—two long, painful months in this human form. Toothless did not complain out loud however. Hiccup was beginning to renew the tethered lines of their friendship; the bond was broken—it was just unclasped for a while. Toothless knew however that it was all coming back. The boy would approach him now, a little nervous and antsy, withal, similar to how they used to be when he was a dragon.
Toothless was overflowing with joy, deliriously happy that Hiccup was no longer acting like they were strangers. They have been together for almost a year now, paired together by fate and the bond had only been growing stronger, thicker than iron. The bond had been slightly dulled by the event, straining it rather heavily, which had Toothless in a mild panic and worry. Hiccup was a wonderful person to be a companion to and it had been tenuous during the time they spent apart—each lost in their own little worlds.
The dragon didn't want to push it, withal, and gave the Viking a fairly reasonable distance. Despite being in a weaker body, Toothless was ever alert to take evasive action if needed. Hiccup had been taking care of a Deadly Nadder that had been feeling out of sorts for a while; when the dragon snapped, Toothless suddenly emitted a feral noise from deep in his throat, resonating in his chest. The Nadder had looked at him then and the awareness in its eyes was clear: It could defeat him if it so wished to. The Night Fury was dormant; he posed no threat. But something in those teal oculars halted the Nadder from performing the task. They were still stony, cold and dominant. That regality and fire consumed him, warning that he will, by any means necessary, kill that which is his possession.
The Nadder understood and withdrew, portraying a more docile manner to avoid looking into that bleak stare. Hiccup had looked up at the Deadly Nadder in bewilderment—none of the dragons were so cooperative yet. He looked behind his shoulder at Toothless, a question in his eyes.
Toothless merely grinned.
Toothless was quite a character in his opinion. Dragons held no actual tinges of bashfulness and were carefree in the world's wiles; hence, Hiccup surmised, this was why Toothless sometimes behaved like a child with no sense of how cruel or misplaced reality could be. It was often very amusing—and frightening—to see Toothless randomly gallivanting in tall green patches.
The Viking would suddenly have a clear image of a Toothless in true form doing that whenever possible—it was a favorite pastime of his, and, apparently, carried in this body. However, that didn't mean the body was going to behave the same. Toothless, after going through his luxury, was found scratching his bare arms mercilessly. Hiccup went over to him and explained about the differences of skin—while dragons could roll in grass for long periods of time, human flesh was sensitive and if irritated enough, would turn red and itch. He had said to stop for a while.
Toothless hadn't been very pleased with the news, but decided not to go into the field for a while. His will had been put to the test when a little Terror had gone in there to enjoy itself. Toothless fought with himself, suppressing the urge, and Hiccup broke into a fit of laughter at the sight of Toothless face so tight with consternation. The dragon found good humor in it and joined Hiccup, continuing to make weird faces and Hiccup had chuckled all the more, a heap on the ground. Their camaraderie wasn't totally foreign.
Hiccup was most truly becoming used to way things used to be. He would tinker and invent long into the night at times, and Toothless would watch intently. Hiccup did this to concentrate other than the problem at hand. He wanted Toothless to revert back to normal; he felt downright awful that Toothless had given up his self just for Hiccup, and the Viking felt even worse when he remembers how he had been treating him lately. He was going to find a way or die trying to repay him. He was grateful for Toothless standing up for him, protecting him as always. And… in a way, it was amazing that he could finally communicate with his best friend.
Withal, Hiccup was uncomfortable being watched during the evening. Toothless had oft stayed up with him countless times, observing quietly. But this was when Toothless was a fire-breathing, winged reptile. Those days—however long they might last—were gone for now and Hiccup felt uneasy. Toothless was still Toothless, and he remained ever silent in his vigil, yet the fact a pair of human eyes were watching every move, Hiccup felt a sudden wave of nausea. Memories of when he was hounded down and studied made an inner child cry from the pressure. All those times when everyone criticized what he did, what he said, how he said it and how he did it, made his hands shake. Everyone may be different to him now, but it was no use reiterating it—the mind kept uncovering little fears.
Warmth had jarred his mind awake and Hiccup found the serious face of Toothless no more than a few inches from his; Hiccup's hand, enveloped in Toothless' much larger one, looked ever paler against the healthy glow of the dragon's bronze skin. Toothless forgot humans were not used to such nearness, but he cupped the boy's face in his left hand, smiling gently at him. He had seen and felt the boy's sudden distress and quickly reacted on instinct. Hiccup suddenly felt the memories recede from the brightness of that smile, the affection swirling in green eyes made topaz from the candlelight; the small boy within ceased crying, comforted by a loving ray of solace.
The message radiated: I'm here for you.
Hiccup, too, forgot people respected each other's space. He found a sense of wanting to reach tugging at his heart strings, and he ignored the proverbial wall society's rules and properness layered before him. It was not as though men hugging men was taboo—he has seen it often as a cheery way of greeting someone who haven't seen in a long time or putting yourself forth to make the first try of creating a new ally. The act of embracing was just not expressed often. Terms usually were a handshake or a brief hug, followed by a hearty pat on the back. Hiccup knew this from always watching people as a child and the factors stuck like sap on a tree; people's inputs and regulations simply hardened them.
This embrace was atypical. Toothless was usually in dragon form for these, so Hiccup felt flames lick his cheeks as he felt arms twine around him, returning the gesture with hesitance, but fondness. Breath warm on the nape of his neck made the hairs stand on end, the back of his mind wondering where the usual smell went. The scent was humanly musk.
Definitely different… but it was curiously comfortable, which surprised him more than it should; Hiccup wondered if it should have surprised him, or not, at all. This was the creature who knew him best when he stopped to pause and contemplate. Pressed against the solid chest was not painful, considering how powerful it was in physique, firm and built like the stones his home was nestled on. Hiccup stared keenly on the contours of muscle, the steady, strong lines which bespoke of a magical majesty contained. The skin, he admitted, was mesmeric. It glowed brighter from the flickers of the small flame on the table, becoming almost a honeyed hue, shadows dancing gracefully on flesh kissed by the sun.
Hiccup felt his blood heat his face. It wasn't just embarrassment there; there was envy.
He chuckled quietly, finding it ironic somehow that he envied a body that the wearer did not want. The body signified everything a younger, much less wiser, Hiccup would have given anything to have. It was strong and capable without too much bulk and attracted the other gender as bees would to nectar.
The small laugh from Hiccup was so low, Toothless—without the keen hearing—thought it was the beginnings of a cry. The shoulders had begun to quiver. Or perhaps it was now too cold. Either way, Toothless pulled Hiccup closer, languidly stroking the younger man's shoulder blades and back. Hiccup sighed thanks and almost seemed to recline from relaxation.
Contentment filled the two.
Hiccup contemplates why he had avoided his companion for so long; it's still the same. Not the same in body, but similar in all the other ways that made him special to Hiccup. Of a sudden, he felt the heated air wash over his skin, and while that was all well and fine, the contact of lips on the skin of the neck sent an electric signal.
Hiccup had instantly frozen. Toothless copied.
Pulling away, Hiccup excused himself, saying blearily that he would need to get up early.
Toothless gave a nod and replied nothing.
The following dawn, Toothless was up beforehand to watch the sun's light paint the clouds a delicate pink, finally blending from grey and yellow the blue he missed. He turned when he heard a creak on the wooden floor, a metallic spring. Hiccup met his gaze briefly and, while minding his limb, awkwardly went down the steps in one piece.
Whilst no one trained to kill dragons anymore, the ring was still used to practice bonding between rider and dragon, as well as offensive and defensive maneuvers against other neighboring tribes. Hiccup glanced behind him, well aware Toothless was diligently eyeing him like a hawk although he faced a different direction. He swears at times Toothless had perfect peripheral vision. He declined mounting any other beast—due to Toothless being here almost every time, as well because it would not seem right. Riding any other dragon but Toothless painfully resembled a knife plunged into the spine; and then repeated.
The dragon rider would tell the other pupils that he would be able to observe better on the ground anyway, which was not exactly a half-lie. From below, he could point out the mistakes being made by both the creature and its master. Up in the air, he could advise better… the option never made it past the doorframe of the mind—the heart wouldn't hear of it.
Toothless perched himself nearby, scrutinizing the way Hiccup instructed the others to better handle their dragons. The twins, Ruffnut and Tuffnut, were having their usual squabble over who was going to go first to control their Zippleback. Hiccup rolled his eyes and pursed his lips, straining to maintain the order and patience which was required. The Viking must have felt his stare because he turned his head ever so slightly.
Eyes met.
One set was flustered; the other indifferent but blazing. The former pair was not Hiccup's.
Toothless looked away, stunned by the aloof stare. It didn't last too long—he found himself laughing to himself at the way Hiccup's face looked… well, pretty darn adorable with such a stern expression on his face.
Not seemingly enjoying the chuckles, the brunette's head snapped up, narrowing his eyes to slits. It wasn't so much anger at Toothless chortling from nowhere that bothered him; it was the faint stirrings of feelings unrecognizable. The sudden elation from last night had disturbed him greatly, and looking at Toothless today had them bubbling beneath, pockets of delighted air trapped in a sea of confusion.
Astrid entered the ring and he immediately set his focus on her; he needed a distraction, as well as the fact she and him have been busy helping to prepare for winter that neither had actually dredged up a decent conversation unless it involved the villagers' and dragons' well being. So this was why—and maybe for distraction too—he crushed his lips on hers, Astrid's squeak of surprise muffled. Pushing out the hoots and hollers, Hiccup smiled at her. Astrid was stunned yet again by his behavior, however, returned the smile with a satisfied, coquettish fluttering of lashes. Hiccup felt his stomach clench and he was suddenly immensely content that nothing was changing between the two—he still felt lovesick next to her.
Blushing, Hiccup returned his attention on the riders and dragons, scoffing at Snotlout's and Tuffnut's dirty jokes. Astrid pressed her fingers to her lips, a skip in her step as she went over to where Toothless stood.
His face was sourly straight.
Brushing her locks from her face, Astrid said hello to him.
A curt nod was all she received.
Taken aback, Astrid was about to inquire how he felt today. But the look on his face made her hold her tongue. His eyebrows were pulled together so fiercely; the green orbs became a few shades darker, obscuring any trace of their luminance. Swallowing a nervous lump in her throat, the girl thought this was ridiculous. She has not done anything wrong to him, but she supposed it was just a bad morning. Everyone had them now and then.
So when she was about to try again, this time to ask why Hiccup was acting so strangely, Astrid blinked a few times.
Toothless had left.
And no one noticed the allayed yet depressed smirk on Hiccup's face for the rest of day.