Protector

A/N: This is just a bit of Hiccup-Toothless bonding fluff. Because you can never have too much of that. :)

They were falling.

He wasn't accustomed to falling. He was a dragon, and dragons flew. But ever since his tail had been damaged and the boy had started riding him, things had been different. He'd fallen once before now, and that was an experience he hoped to never repeat.

But this time…this time was so much worse. The Dragon Queen was behind them, rapidly gaining as they plummeted toward the ground. His boy was still in the saddle, however, even though he had no steering power anymore, not with the fake tailfin burned to a crisp. Still, his presence was a comfort to the otherwise defenseless dragon.

And besides, his boy had a plan to defeat this monster. He could feel it in every fiber of his being.

Sure enough, the boy yelled, "NOW!" and he knew immediately what he was expected to do. He spun around and shot a fireball into the beast's open maw, igniting the gas building up in her throat. Her end was inevitable: she would burn from the inside out and be utterly destroyed. No dragon would ever have to be her slave ever again.

But there was one little problem. He was still falling. And there wasn't much he could do to stop that.

The boy adjusted his foot in the stirrup and the tattered remnants of the tailfin responded. He and the boy shot upward at the last second as the queen rammed headfirst into the ground and exploded in a giant fiery mass. He knew he had nothing to fear from the flames. He was a dragon, after all. His skin was fireproof.

The boy's, however, was not.

It happened so fast that there was no time to prepare. The monster's gigantic armored tail came swinging from out of nowhere and collided with them, knocking the boy from his back. He screamed in terror as he twisted in midair and saw his one and only friend fall toward a fiery death, his arms reaching up for him, his eyes closed in…what? Unconsciousness, defeat? It was hard to tell.

He plunged downward, flapping his wings furiously in an attempt to reach the boy before he entered the flames. Then they were both engulfed in light and heat, and he lost sight of his friend.

Two seconds later, he hit the ground with a heavy thud.

He must have blacked out for a moment, for when he opened his eyes again the fire had gone out and a heavy gray smoke hung in the air. The boy's father was kneeling in front of him, looking sadder than any creature he'd ever seen. "I'm so…so sorry," he said, and he could tell the man meant it.

He suddenly realized that his wings were folded around his body. He'd done that to protect the boy from the fire as they'd fallen. A surge of relief flowed through him, and he opened his wings to reveal…

…nothing.

The boy was gone.

No!

He roared in horror and scrambled to his feet, looking around for his friend, the scrawny little Viking that had defied all expectations and done what no man had ever done: befriended him, the mighty Night Fury, the most elusive and unreachable of dragons; that skinny little fishbone of a boy that now meant more to him than anything.

He was nowhere to be seen.

The only evidence he'd ever existed was the charred remnants of a leather riding harness. Nothing else remained of him.

No…no no no no NO NO NO…!

Toothless woke with a mighty jerk and jumped to his feet, looking wildly around the dark bedroom. Hiccup was there, asleep in his bed, a peaceful expression on his face, his dreams untroubled.

He was safe!

Toothless bounded over to the bed and warbled in relief. The sound woke Hiccup, who looked blearily up at his dragon. "Toothless?" he mumbled, yawning. "What is it, bud? What're you…whoa!"

Toothless buried his head in Hiccup's torso, crooning and purring happily. You're alive, you're alive! I thought you were dead! I thought I'd lost you! You're alive!

"Toothless, what are you doing?" Hiccup asked, thoroughly bewildered. In answer, the Night Fury merely continued nuzzling him. He looked up into the boy's face, and Hiccup gazed silently for a moment into his large, orb-like green eyes.

Then he reached out and wrapped his arms around the dragon's head. "Bad dream, huh?" he murmured. "I know, bud. I get them too."

Toothless whined deep in his throat, pressing his head into Hiccup's chest.

"It's all right, Toothless," the boy said softly, gently stroking the scales on his forehead. "I'm here, bud. I'm okay. Everything's just fine. We're safe."

Toothless huffed quietly. Then, to Hiccup's surprise, he hoisted himself up onto the bed. The wooden frame creaked in protest but the dragon ignored the sound, curling up in a tight ball atop Hiccup's sleeping furs. Then he reached out with one foot and pulled his boy in so that he was nestled snugly against his warm, scaly body. Hiccup blinked, too stunned to say anything for a moment. Then he grinned and chuckled, reaching out to hug Toothless' head, which had once again buried itself in his chest. "Oh Toothless…" he sighed, leaning into the dragon's protective grasp.

Toothless crooned and closed his eyes, content. His boy was safe now, he'd make sure of it. He'd protect his friend at all cost. Nothing was going to hurt him.

"You really don't have to guard me, Toothless," Hiccup remarked with a grin. "But thank you." He placed his hand on the Night Fury's cheek and added, "I love you, bud."

Toothless purred quietly, and Hiccup leaned back, nestling comfortably into the dragon's body. He was asleep again in moments, his breathing slowing into that smooth, even rhythm of rest. Toothless stayed awake for a few minutes longer, apparently determined to make sure his boy wasn't going to slip out of his protection again. Then, satisfied, he too allowed sleep to scoop him peacefully away. He did not dream again for the rest of the night.