Life As We Know It

Rated; M for Mature
Pairing; Hiccup & Toothless(Tallon)
Disclaimer; I do not own anything HTTYD-related. Everything belongs to its original creator.

Author's Note; This story will end at 74 chapters. Just giving you the heads up that it will be over soon. -Nightstar.

69)

=Normal POV=
(9/8/2019-9:00 pm)
(Archipelago; Isle of Berk)
(Hooligan Village; Great Hall)

Despite it being hours later from the event that revealed Hiccup was actually king of the Archipelago, Hiccup was no closer to a decision. Once again, his mood had taken a serious hit from it all. He hadn't left his spot on the floor, but against the wall. Hiccup's knees were up and his arms draped over his kneecaps; he'd taken the helmet off because he was never one to wear one, despite this one basically being his crown as king. He hadn't really moved, talked, or even eaten since 5 pm when he sat down. Toothless, as Hiccup's mate, which made them technically married, took charge of running things while Hiccup took some time to get his head together. So much had happened since he returned to Berk. Hell, a lot had happened since his father showed up in Norway with the nine others. It seemed like everything was spiraling out of control and coming to light about his own life where he still wasn't getting a say in anything. Drake helped Toothless out, having the leader experience. But Spitelout assisted too, knowing the way typical lock downs went without needed orders from the Chief to do stuff. Dinner had been served at 6 pm, Hiccup tried to eat, but he just couldn't. There was no appetite, he didn't have any energy to do anything, and obviously, his mood had seriously deteriorated from how good it had been before everything happened.

"There has to be something we can do, Toothless…" Alva said softly to her elder brother.

"He wants to be left alone for right now to think. What happened earlier today, accompanied by the last week…It's just a lot to take in." Toothless replied.

"Talk to him, son. He's your mate, surely your bond allows you to feel how much he's hurting." Drake stated.

"Of course I can, Dad. But that doesn't mean I can always fix it. Most of the time it's a hug, or kiss…Maybe some meaningful words. But that doesn't always work when the issues keep piling on…" Toothless sighed, leaning against the wall with his arms over his chest and looking at Hiccup.

"Have you tried singing to him?" Cort wondered as Toothless arched a brow. "His mood seems to change with music and a good time. Maybe he's not in the mind to sing on his own, but what about with you. Song about staying together, always loving one another…That you're there for him?"

Toothless thought about it, there was no telling if it would work, but was willing to try anything just to see Hiccup smile a little bit. The hard part was finding a song that said all that out of the mass collections. "What song would I use?"

"Is there anything for you two specifically? A song you two relate to with your love?" Dag asked.

"Well, there's the one we proposed to one another with, but Hiccup wrote it and I only heard it once." Toothless shrugged.

"Anything will work, Toothless. Just let it be a song that tells him you're always there for him." Alva smiled as Toothless thought about all the songs he knew. There were endless choices, but he needed just the right one. And at the same time, maybe he didn't need to sing. Toothless thought of something he used to do when Hiccup was down after a visit to the Archipelago; he used to put on some music and just pull Hiccup into dancing with him.

"I got it." Toothless snapped his fingers and moved over to Hiccup's laptop, logging into it and then finding the music program.

"Toothless?" Hiccup looked over. "What are you doing?"

"Something to cheer you up." Toothless admitted as he found the song he wanted and started it playing. Toothless turned it up before approaching Hiccup and motioning with his finger for Hiccup to come here, with a smile on his lips. Hiccup arched a brow at him, but then he heard the music starting to play and shifted to get to his feet. Toothless got his hands and pulled him to his feet; he brought Hiccup close against him with a hand around his back and the other hand holding Hiccup's before letting him lean back in a slow sway. Toothless brought Hiccup up and there was a blush, but smile beginning to tug at the corners of the of his mouth.

Toothless turned Hiccup, so his back was against his front, raising one of his arms up and gentle bringing down his finger sensually before Hiccup moved his hand to hold Hiccup's. As soon as the music picked up, the two started dancing in perfect sync to Dirty Dancing's I've Had The Time Of My Life. The modern friends were cheering and starting to clap in rhythm while Hiccup and Toothless danced together. It was new for the Vikings to see; Hiccup typically moved a little during his songs, but this was them seeing Hiccup actually dance and having a blast. It was definitely something between lovers, just how their bodies moved together.

After the first chorus, Toothless snuck a kiss to Hiccup's cheek and let him go, leaving him in place while he headed to the middle of the room. Youngers from the modern group were up and dancing behind Toothless, all the same moves. Hiccup was laughing a little, blushing when Toothless stopped and let the others move ahead of him towards Hiccup. Toothless nodded to Hiccup, who returned the gesture. As the music rose again, Brynjar and Sigvard semi-lifted Hiccup and set him down off of the stage area; Hiccup got a good run going and jumped at Toothless, who caught him by the waist and held him over his head. Hiccup's arms were out like he were flying and laughing too before Toothless brought him down.

Hiccup locked his arms around Toothless's neck and hugged him tightly before they continued dancing lightly. The others kept going too, but roped some of the Vikings into getting up and getting into the swing of things. It was new, but fun. No one treaded on Hiccup and Toothless's dance space as they made their way back to the stage while the song was coming closer to the end. Toothless swayed Hiccup in several dips before starting to sing to him.

"Now, I…Had the time of my life. No I've never felt this way before." Toothless smiled, staring into Hiccup's eyes.

"Never felt this way…" Hiccup repeated gently.

"It's the truth…"Toothless sang as Hiccup played with the back of his hair, looking into his soon to be husband's eyes with nothing but love.

"And I owe it all to you!" Hiccup and Toothless sang together, still dancing and smiling together.

Toothless's arms were locked around his waist and back, Hiccup's arms were up and around his neck while resting on his shoulders. Toothless and Hiccup leaned in close to one another before their eyes closed and their lips met in a kiss. Only it was more than just a quick peck; this was deep and passionate with Toothless using one hand to cup Hiccup's face. The two basically made out for a few minutes as the song eventually ended. No one could deny the love; it was there, and this was first time they were seeing it like this. For Hiccup, he was once again amazed by Toothless's ability to make him feel better, and always being whatever he needed. And he didn't care who saw it anymore.

When the kiss broke, Toothless pressed his forehead to Hiccup's as they were smiling. "I love you, Toothless. Thank you…"

"Any time, babe. And I love you too, Hiccup." Toothless replied. "So…I recalled that we agreed to take off our rings because no one knew…I put mine back on the morning before all this lock down started. You didn't yet, which is fine…I know you said you thought you lost it. You didn't, I stole it from you because I wanted to something to make you smile again. And now…I can do this the way I wanted to a couple months ago," He suddenly added with a chuckle before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a red heart-shaped box before getting to one knee and holding Hiccup's hand.

It made the young king blush, but still smile. "Really…This is what we're doing?"

"It's human custom for you, so yes; we are. Now shut up, your majesty…" Toothless stated, but it was playful. Hiccup didn't argue with him because this was cute. "I'm not giving you a speech, it's not my style. But…As simply as I can put it, Hiccup…I love you with everything I have and all that I am. We started this, us, two and a half years ago. But we've been together for nearly seven as friends. All that in mind; you and I aren't going anywhere in our lives without the other one…So how about we make it our life, and stay together forever? It's you and me, Hiccup. It will always be you and I, taking on the world together and nothing or no one can stop us." Toothless opened the box, revealing the engagement ring from June as Hiccup was trying with all his will power not to cry. "Will you marry me, Hiccup Haddock, and make me the happiest ma-Dragon in the world?"

Yeah, Hiccup wasn't strong enough at the moment to stop the tears the slipped from his eyes as he smiled and nodded. "Yes!" Hiccup said as he launched himself forward at Toothless, knocking him over onto the stone floor. Toothless laughed and braced Hiccup so he wouldn't get hurt on the hard landing. Toothless lifted his head a little as he shifted to slide the ring back on Hiccup's finger and Hiccup smiled as he leaned in and kissed Toothless deeply, which he returned fully to his mate. "I hate crying…" Hiccup muttered afterward, trying to wipe his eyes.

"Are they tears of joy or sadness?" Toothless asked.

"Joy…Complete and absolute happiness." Hiccup replied.

Toothless pecked his lips again, moving some of his auburn hair out of the way. "Then it's totally acceptable to cry." Toothless caressed his cheek lovingly. "I love you, Hiccup."

"I love you too, Toothless." Hiccup said gently; they kissed again before Toothless got them up on their feet, then there was a loving embrace. The room started cheering and clapping; it was nice that even though Hiccup and Toothless were already engaged in June, Toothless did it again in front of everyone. They knew it wasn't for them; it was to make Hiccup smile, and he succeeded for sure. It wasn't hard for anyone to see that their love was real; they'd do anything for one another. Fight, protect, sing, dance; whatever it took for the other to be okay. No one could deny their love, and no one would dare interfere either. Hiccup was happy. Toothless made him happy, giving him all the love, acceptance, and support he could ever need and want. Everyone was fine with this.

"So…Will I be struck if I ask when the wedding is?" Snotlout dared question.

"Yeah, Vikings do wedding within a month of becoming betrothed." Tuffnut stated.

"Well, modern weddings are a bit more…Spread out, boys. Toothless and Hiccup could be engaged now and not marry for another year. This is to allow for the couple to make their own decisions regarding the wedding. There's also no family negotiations, bride prices, or morning gifts." Cuyler informed gently.

"Yes, when a couple marries, whether they be boy/girl, female/female, or male/male; it's entirely up to them who is invited, what is eaten, what they wear, what they do, and what happens when. Such things can take some time to properly plan to have their perfect wedding." Mari smiled.

"Sounds a hell of a lot easier than our traditions." Thuggory remarked as Mogadon glared at him. "What, Dad? It's true."

"He's kind'a right. A year to let the two people who are getting married decide how it goes? Year to prepare for that day. Sounds a lot better, and easier." Gala Vinter, of the Shivering Shores, agreed.

"I suppose it's not all bad when put like that." Magna shrugged.

"And there is that thing about being intimate before marriage?" Ragna arched a brow.

"Mmhm. Some still wait, just because it's belief you're only pure once and when you give that up, you don't get it back if you happen to end up with someone else when the first relationship didn't work out." Hiccup nodded.

"You and Toothless have…You know?" Camicazi asked.

"Many, many times." Toothless replied. "It's also about standard, if the couple decides not to wait until marriage, for them to start touching one another, making out, and having sex around the time of being together for a year. That's what Hiccup and I did."

"Forgive my curiosity here, but…Is it about the same as a male and female doing it?" Alvin asked.

"Okay, we are not having this conversation. Not tonight, tomorrow, or ever." Hiccup said quickly.

"You seem embarrassed by it…" Astrid said lightly, not in a fashion to tease, just point out.

"I'm not embarrassed by Toothless and I having sex. Yes, we have sex. Yes, we've been doing it since the year marker of us being in a relationship. And yes, it feels freaking amazing. No, I can't say if it's the same with a woman because I've never been with one. I've only ever been with Toothless. However, that shouldn't matter to anyone but us. I'm embarrassed that sex always seems to be a discussion in public. What two people do intimately is their business. It's not meant to be talked about. No supposed to be something everyone knows about. It's private and should be kept that way. It's another reason I was heavily against being Chief; I know how it works, and I refuse to take part in it." Hiccup retorted.

"How what works?" Thuggory asked.

"You don't know?" Toothless arched a brow as Thuggory shook his head. So did other Heirs or Heiresses. "When an Heir or Chief marries, part of the legalization of that marriage is that they have sex, publicly, on a bed of furs in front of the village. Say for children under eighteen. Right, babe?" He asked to confirm from when he and Hiccup discussed some of the Viking traditions.

"What?..." The Heirs asked in surprise.

"It's true. Viking tradition for Heirs is to publicly consummate their marriages, to make sure that there is no getting out of it. Something from the past about a couple going through the wedding and after party, but never sleeping together as each person had a side lover they actually wanted to be with. Regardless, it's public sex. Only think to cover you is the blanket you're under." Hiccup informed.

"That's awful!" Camicazi paled.

"Dear Odin, that's ridiculous!" Thuggory agreed.

"Well, gonna say it because it's true…Everyone should get to marry for love. Not power, not alliance…For love, and only love." Hiccup said firmly.

"Makes a lot of sense why you didn't want to be Chief now…" Magnor Eldur, Heir to Visithug, mentioned. "I'm with you on it. I could never marry someone I don't actually care about. If I at least cared about them, there's room to learn to love them too. But I'd never go through the consummation if it has to be public."

"Hiccup is right, that's wrong to do. If a marriage has to be forced or arranged…At least give the couple their freedom to do that in peace." Heather huffed.

"Not even that. Don't force them to have sex just to make the marriage legal." Dagur crossed his arms over his chest. "You gotta be ready for that kind of thing, especially if it's the first time…"

"Dagur is absolutely right. And the to throw on top of that nervousness, making love in public too? I would not. Things on Caldera Cay are vastly different." Mala sided with Dagur.

"There are no men on my island." Atali stated. "And we only marry for love. If one of my maidens falls in love with someone, they are free to leave and be with that person. Man or woman."

"No men on ours either." Bertha folded her arms now. "We allow it for the sake of reproduction, but only the women stay."

"That's also pretty barbaric." Toothless rolled his eyes. "The child isn't born a female, so you send it off?"

"Hiccup is completely right about a lot of things." Ragna informed gently. "I never really cared about the royal lifestyle before. I always wanted basic as well. But hearing some of these things; I'm on Hiccup's side. It's wrong. And you, Hiccup…As King of the Archipelago…Have the power to change it all and no one can do anything about it." She looked at him.

"Hiccup, please? Stay king and get rid of all that." Soren asked.

"Yeah, please? The leaders can't do nothing to stop you. And I know that three of us are fully on board to abolish some of the things done the Viking way." Dagur hoped.

"You need no plead or beg me to do it; I fully anticipated on doing so." Hiccup revealed, making people gasp. Even Toothless.

"Wait…Do-Does that mean you're going to stay King of the Archipelago?" Toothless inquired quickly, looking at his betrothed.

Hiccup nodded to him. "I don't see how I can give up the position when it allows me to do exactly what I wanted to do after we lived in the modern life. Typical me, though, I'm gonna do this my way. I'm going to be king my way. Now that I know destroying that barrier won't affect your transformations, and people will likely love that dragons really do exist. And taking into account that once they see the dragons being docile…I have no reservations about bringing the worlds together. It's time you all lived with the current times. You can still live here, and go about your everyday lives. But it's time to go a bit more modern, to help make it easier. My original goal was to bring the worlds together, find a way to lose some of the old ass Viking shit…I've got that power now. I have the power to change everything. And I'm going to."

No one could believe it, but they were also super happy about it. Hiccup was going to embrace being king, and he was going to change everything for them.