Toothless couldn't wait for the morning. She was ready to surprise Hiccup by jumping up and pouncing on his bed. It must have been hours she spent studying how to properly "attack" him. She had to be twelve feet from his bed, and she had to be angled twelve degrees to the right. When she jumped, she wouldn't use her wings, just her leg strength, which was more than enough. When she was landing, then she'd use her wings to slow herself down. A few items would be knocked over, but nothing important (she made sure). Then, for the final part of her master plan, she'd belly flop into him, giving him a moment to realize what was happening, and then lather his face with her saliva. Yes, it was perfect. It had to be. After that, she'd drag him to the place where they first met, and had their first flight. She had to be sure to yell in triumph after they fly through the scattered rocks. And by yell, she meant launching a fireball in front of them. Those were the memories she'd cherish forever, and she was sure Hiccup would too.
Toothless suddenly stopped herself, thinking how childish this all seemed. They weren't kids anymore, they had both grown far beyond what they thought they would. Hiccup now had eyes for girls, and didn't spend much time with the dragoness as of late. She now wondered if Hiccup wanted to spend time with Astrid tomorrow instead. This thought brought her out of her excitement. No, she refused to believe it. Those two weren't even a thing, officially. Sure, they messed around occasionally, but plenty of people do that.
The door to the house opened. Casting her previous thoughts aside, she went to the frond door to greet her favorite human. She jumped down the stairs and nearly tackled him at the front door. Hiccup was only able to catch her head in his chest as she pushed him back a few steps. She nuzzled into his chest, enjoying the warmth his body produced.
"You scared the hell out of me!" He said, finding his footing. But Toothless didn't care. "I was only gone for an hour." He stated. "What's this all about?" The dragoness only answered by licking the lower part of his face. "Okay, okay. I'm here now." He reached down and scratched the smooth scales on her chin, making her purr from the back of her throat. "Are you happy now?" He asked. Toothless gave him another lick. "Good." He patted the top of her head and stepped around her. "Tomorrow's the big day." He told her. "I'll turn eighteen. I'll be old enough to marry." He said with a bright smile. If he had looked behind him, he would've seen Toothless' face had completely dropped. The doubts from earlier, rushing back. He wanted to get married, tomorrow? But it was just supposed to be the two of them, at least for the morning. Ugh. Don't be so selfish, you big dummy. It's his birthday, everyone will want to see him.
"What's that face for?" Toothless was once again dragged out of her thoughts. She didn't notice that Hiccup was watching her brooding face. Her face straightened back up, but the young man still saw through it. He put his hands on the side of her face and asked, "Is it because of tomorrow?" Instead of nodding, The dragoness sat on her haunches, and pulled him in close with her legs and wings. It calmed her when he returned her embrace with her own. "I'm not leaving you anytime soon, girl." He said, reassuring her. "I just said I was old enough to marry, I didn't mean I was gonna get married."
Gods, Toothless was so happy right now. She had to refrain herself from flapping her wings in excitement. They both nuzzled each other faces, and Toothless gently licked his cheek.
"Hey." Hiccup spoke. "How about tomorrow, before anyone gets up, you and me go celebrate?"
She couldn't control it anymore. Toothless quickly flapped her wings, sending strong gusts of air throughout the house.
"That's my girl." Hiccup placed a kiss on her head before turning away.
If Toothless could blush, she'd put the fire she breathed to shame.
Let's just say Toothless' plan to wake him up worked, a little too well. She scared Her rider half to death when she jumped on him. His heart was pounding hard enough she could feel it in her own chest. He was quick to push her off him (not that it did any good) and panted like he just ran a lap around the island. Toothless quickly jumped off him and hung her head close to the floor. She thought that she was the biggest idiot in the entire world. Once Hiccup calmed down, he let out a small chuckle. "Was that supposed to be a surprise? Because you nailed." He said with a smile. He sat on the side of his bed and lifted his dragon's head up. "It was a good surprise, girl." She still didn't think so, but formed her lips into a smile nonetheless. "I hope you didn't wake mom." Now she felt even more stupid. His mom wasn't home at all yesterday, so she didn't think about it. She was probably planning a surprise for him as well.
After Hiccup put on his prosthetic and clothes, the two set out under the cover of night. Hiccup didn't get a chance to ask Toothless where she wanted to go. As soon as he got on the saddle, she took off. It was hard to keep up with angling her tail, as the only direction he had was her head. It didn't take long for them to reach the pond where they first met. Hiccup was surprised to say the least. But Toothless didn't land normally. She first dove straight into the pond, getting both of them wet. Then she pulled back up, and landed on the shore. Hiccup fell out and the seat and rolled on the ground, breathing heavily. Toothless stood over him, and he couldn't help but laugh at how childish she was being. He reached up and scratched between her eyes.
"Why'd you want to come here?" He asked, and she responded by walking away, ripping a large branch off a nearby tree. Like all those years ago, she drew around him. But Hiccup saw something different. She wasn't moving wildly, she made each step of her hind legs with purpose. The way she swing her body to and fro was hypnotizing. "Beautiful" Was the only word Hiccup could think to describe her. When she was done, she put the branch aside, and let the young man admire her work. It was hard to tell on the ground, but he was sure he could make out a face. He climbed up the cliff, and got a good view. He was looking at… Himself? It was surprisingly detailed, even showing the small scar on the left side of his chin. "Toothless..." he said out loud. The dragoness went to his side, seeing her desired effect had come true. "How long have you practiced that?" Toothless slowly looked away, as if to say, "Too long."
Hiccup thought they'd go home after that. He probably had half the island looking for him by now. But Toothless had other ideas. She pointed for her rider to go north, and he did so. They could almost touch the clouds, until the dragoness suddenly dipped down. Hiccup would've been terrified once again, but he knew where they were, and what his dragon was doing. He could almost see that piece of paper flying out of his hands again. He leaned forward, scanning the tall rocks again. They hadn't done anything like this in quite a while, he was starting to miss the ebb and flow of their minds becoming one as they avoided each obstacle that stood in their way. Both could feel all those emotions once again. Even with their self-taught experience in flying, they still barely scrapped the rocks, but Toothless was too focused to feel any pain. She just couldn't get over the feeling of nostalgia running through her brain. When they finally came out the other side, Hiccup did cheer, as Toothless expected. And she shot out a fireball. It was quiet, but she heard Hiccup say, "Shit."
The sun had already risen by the time they got back. Hiccup's clothes were almost all black, thanks to Toothless' celebratory screech. He wasn't even mad. He considered the time he spent with his companion this morning the best birthday he ever had. "My mom's probably organized a search party for my by now." Hiccup commented. "I know I'm gonna get hell from her and Astrid." Toothless couldn't help let out a low chuckle. But the thought of Astrid once again extinguished the fire that had built up in her chest. I want nothing but for you to be happy. Toothless silently told her rider. And if that future doesn't have me in it, I won't let it affect my feelings of our relationship, I promise. Almost like he knew what she was thinking, Hiccup scratched behind the dragoness' ears.
Hiccup was right about the search party. When the due landed in the village center (they quickly found that to be a big mistake) they swarmed them, each wishing the young man a happy birthday. Toothless did her best to cover Hiccup's behind, so he would at least have some breathing room. They both noticed a certain set of footsteps stomping over to them. They didn't see the source, but they both knew who it was. Pushing her way through the crowd, Valka made her way to her son. "And where have you two been?" She asked in a stern tone.
Hiccup wrapped his arm around Toothless' neck, pulling her close. "My special girl wanted to spend some time with me." He stated with a bright smile. The dragon beside him could feel her cheeks flare up once again. Val looked over at said dragon with squinted eyes, and Toothless slowly averted her gaze.
With a sigh, Val's face softened. "It is your birthday, you can do what you want." She then told every one to make way for the human and dragon. "Your friends are all at the house. They've been waiting for an hour."
It wasn't anything big. It was really a small get-together. The gang hadn't been altogether for about a month. They all greeted Hiccup with a welcoming embrace, especially Astrid. Toothless couldn't help silently snarl at how low Hiccup's hands were to her waist. She had to remind herself of what she said earlier, and to stop being jealous. A few drinks were passed around, a few war stories from the adults (mostly Gobber) and a few appraisers. Nothing too big. They had to save room for the feast tonight. They were all currently all sat around the living room. Seeing no chairs left. Hiccup sat by the fireplace, his back leaning against Toothless, who was taking a rest from all the flying they did. Hiccup gently scratched between her eye, knowing that helped her sleep, and she responded by nuzzling her head against his leg.
"So, what were you two doing up so early?" Gobber asked his old apprentice.
"You know, just flying around." Hiccup answered.
"Flying around?"
"Flying around."
"Foiling my plans?"
"Foiling your plans?"
"Oh, I found my pipes. I was gonna wake you up with my beautiful songs."
"Aw, like a man trying to impress a young maiden." Astrid said mockingly, folding her hands over her heart. Even the dragon laughed at that one.
"But seriously, what did you two do?"
"Toothless here took me to where we first met." He began. "Even went swimming in the pond." He glared at toothless. "After that, we pretty much just flew around. But I had a blast."
This made the dragoness the happiest she's been all day. If they were alone, she'd scoop him up and lather his face with saliva. Instead, she only nuzzled deeper into his leg.
Nothing else eventful happened until the feast. All the villagers gathered in the great hall with all sorts of foods hot and ready to eat. Of course, Hiccup took the spotlight, and the chef's seat. Fitting, as he was made to be chef my the end of this week. Then there came the dance. Val brought many potential wives for her son. He danced with them, but none lasted long. Meanwhile, Toothless was on the other side of the room, enjoying the company of the other dragons. Stormfly motioned over to Hiccup and Astrid, both dancing in the middle of the floor. She didn't mind him dancing with the other girls, knowing he didn't have any interest in them. But Astrid, no. She couldn't have this. Although, she didn't want to cause a scene. After they were done dancing, Toothless walked on over. Hiccup was surprised when someone bumped him from behind, even more so when he saw the dragoness, standing, offering her paws to him. It seemed like everyone was staring at the two, and Hiccup had to admit, he was embarrassed as could be. But Toothless insisted, even giving him the toothless smile that he couldn't resist. With a sigh, he held his dragoness' hands in his own, and both awkwardly danced around the dance floor. Everybody around them clapped and cheered, encouraging them to keep going. Toothless found it awkward to walk on her hind legs without any kind of support. It took an impressive amount of concentration for her to keep her balance, so she wouldn't crush her rider. The young man found himself enjoying dancing with his companion. Just like when flying, the ebb and flow was there, as Hiccup guided Toothless, even correcting her footing. Soon, Toothless found her balance, and was moving smoothly throughout the room. But for one moment, just one, she lost her focus looking at Hiccup. She tripped, and fell forward. Hiccup felt his heart sink as the dragoness fell his way, then his whole body sank into the floor. The next thing they heard was laughter from all around. Toothless shrunk down, ashamed she had embarrassed Hiccup in front of so many people. But from below her, she heard snickering from the human man. He patted her side, telling her to get off. When he got up, he dipped his torso down, doing a messy bow. Toothless quickly followed and did a bow with her head. Cheering erupted from the crowd. Both went over to a corner of the room, laughing to themselves.
"Not bad, girl." Hiccup praised, rubbing the top of her head. "At least we made everyone's night." Toothless' lips curved into a smile, and nuzzled her head into his chest.
"That was some impressive dancing, you two." Toothless' heart dropped when she heard the voice. She peeked around Hiccup, and saw the last person she wanted to see after a moment like that. "You feeling okay?" Astrid asked the pair.
"We're fine." Hiccup answered. "Enjoy the show?"
"Oh, trust me, everyone did." She assured. "If you're up to it, may I have the next dance?"
"Of course, you may." He held out his hand, and Astrid placed hers in his palm.
After a moment together like that, he's just going to walk away from the Night Fury that danced with him? She turned towards the exit, dashing off into the night.
"Toothless?" Hiccup called after her, but she was already gone.
Why does she feel this way about him? It's wrong, she knew, seeing a human like this. But that didn't make it any easier. The way he looked at Astrid, how he holds her, they way he pulls her in close, and kisses her. She wanted that more than anything. She wanted to feel his lips against her own, his body heat heating her cold blood. She didn't notice that she had tears emerging from her eyes.
"Toothless!" Hiccup's voice made her ears perk up. With her paw, she quickly wiped away the tears, and turned to look at him. "What happened, girl?" He looked close at her face, seeing the stains from the tears. "Why are you crying?"
Toothless mentally cursed herself for crying. But, she knew that now was the time more than ever. If she held back her feeling any longer, her heart might explode. She slowly walked towards her human, and nuzzled her face into his chest. This took Hiccup surprised as he gently held her head in place. It wasn't long before he felt his tunic turn moist. She really was crying. He did everything he could to comfort her with rubs on the head, scratching under her ears and chin. Nothing seemed to work. Nothing pained him more than seeing Toothless like this. He gently lifted her head where she looked at him.
"Please, Toothless. Tell me what's wrong."
Their faces were closer than ever, only inches away. Holding her breath, Toothless closed her eyes and gently captured his lips in a loving embrace.
To say the young man was surprised would be an understatement. He was being kissed by a dragon. His dragon, to be exact, the one that had been by his side for five years. His mind was telling him to pull back, to scold her about how he was seeing Astrid. But, he didn't. His body was frozen in place as Toothless continued to kiss him. If he was honest, her kiss felt beyond awkward, and she tasted bitter, but he still didn't pull away. After a minute, Toothless did move back, hoping she had done that right. That's what she saw multiple couples in the village do.
Hiccup blinked a few times, processing what had happened. Toothless took his silence as a rejection. She didn't blame him, knowing this would be the outcome, but at least he knew now. With a heavy heart, she turned away to give him space to think, but stopped when she felt Hiccup tough on her tail. He was pulled forward a few steps before she fully stopped. Once she did, he walked over to her front. "You've felt like this for a while, haven't you?" He asked, looking her in the eyes. Toothless' gaze fell in shame, nodding while doing so. The shame only grew as Hiccup started laughing. She looked back up, almost offended at how he treated her confession. After a minute, he finally stopped and said, "You know, Mom said I was going to be eyed by all the girls in the village today. Never thought you'd be one of them." He said, smiling at her. "But, I don't know what you find in me." Now Toothless' face was etched with surprise. "I'm named Hiccup for a reason. Besides being chef soon, what do you find attractive? I can't fight, I'm skinny, not really that good-looking…" Toothless stopped him with a whip of her tail, hitting him in the head. He yelped, rubbing his hair. He looked back at the dragoness. He knew her well enough to know what her face meant. "But you don't care, do you?" Her faced softened, and she slowly looked away. "Well, would it be wrong to say that I don't care that you're a dragon." Toothless' head shot his direction, feeling her eyes practically pop out of their sockets. "I'll be honest," He said shyly, rubbing the back of his neck. "I've had a feeling for a while, about you. I, um, didn't want to say anything because you would've found it weird." Toothless brought her head up, her heart beating faster than ever. "I guess we're both idiots." He laughed, and Toothless let out a warble. Hiccup suddenly stopped, and spoke in a solemn voice. "Is this really what you want, Toothless? To be with me, of every human and dragon in the world?" She didn't have to do anything. Like the very first time they met, he looked in her eyes, and he knew right there that they were bonded, for now and forever. "Okay." He said, and pulled her into a kiss of his own. Sending a shiver down Toothless' spine.
