AN: This had a single vote, but that was more than any of the other stories, so I'm posting it. It might be fair to say that JustANormalHTTYDFan requested it. It's actually inspired by a story on their profile (When your sick, all you need is comfort(ONESHOT)), but this one is (hopefully) different enough that they will forgive me for posting it without asking them first. ;) If they protest, I will take it down immediately.
"Ah, Berk! My most favorite of all the islands I travel to!" Trader Johan spread his arms out and gestured to the wares piled haphazardly on his deck.
Hiccup started poking around the boat, looking for interesting things to take home, and Toothless sniffed the air for new smells. He catalogued the usual scents; exotic spices, interesting wooden items, and the aroma of warm air that hung around Johan like a cloud, even on days as cold as today. There was an especially strange smell around the boat that day, a scent that reminded him of warm days with Hiccup and good food and flying, and it caught his attention. It didn't smell like anything he'd ever seen before, and he wondered what it was.
"Good afternoon, Trader Johan," Hiccup greeted. "Do you have it?"
"Indeed I do, Master Hiccup," Johan replied. "Brought it straight from the far side of the earth, I did."
He handed him a small chest, wooden and simple. Hiccup opened it and pulled out a small spool of thin thread. "Thanks, Johan."
Toothless rolled his eyes; only Hiccup could get excited about a smaller version of a rope. He sniffed the air again, wondering what the strange smell was. It smelled very different to fish, but still good to eat.
"What is it, bud?" Hiccup's warm hand lazily scratched around his ears and Toothless pushed into it, purring.
"Ah, I believe he smelt the newest batch of koo-keys," Trader Johan offered. "They're the newest thing down south, the best things I've ever tasted."
"What are they like?" Hiccup asked, curiously.
Johan stroked his beard. "Like bread, but softer and very sweet. Once you taste one, you'll never forget it."
"What do you think, bud? Do you think Dad would like to try one? You know he's busy somewhere, and if they're as good as Johan says, they'll be gone before he gets here."
Toothless nodded. Maybe if Hiccup bought some then he could try one. They certainly smelt as good as Johan said.
"Would you accept these dragon figurines for the thread and some koo-keys?"
The trader smiled. "There's a huge demand in the east for your work, Master Hiccup. You've got a gift with metal, you have. Of course I will."
Johan pulled out a large chest and handed it to Hiccup. He struggled to balance both chests, and Toothless reached his head out to support the chests from underneath. "Thanks, bud." Hiccup set the thread down and hoisted the koo-keys more securely. Smacking his lips, Toothless edged towards the chest of koo-keys. The smell was stronger now, very sweet, and saliva built up in his mouth. He wanted to try one.
"Are they good for dragons?" Hiccup asked, and Johan scratched his head.
"There aren't any long-term effects, but they can give certain species of dragons the mother of all stomachaches. Why, I remember when a Skrill almost—"
Hiccup interrupted him, "Thank you, Johan. I think we'd better not risk it, bud."
Toothless' ears drooped. They smelled really good, and he only wanted to taste one…
"Are you sure, Master Hiccup? It's a riveting story."
"Quite sure," Hiccup said firmly, and turned away. "I bet my dad will enjoy these, anyway. I'll see you next time."
"A pleasure, as always, Master Hiccup." Trader Johan waved them off, and Hiccup walked away. Toothless picked up the chest of thread in his mouth, and trotted after him. Up and up and up the stairs, through the village, then up the hill to their home.
"I'll just put these away, bud, then we'll go flying, okay?" Hiccup muttered, and Toothless crooned his approval. Flying was always good, as long as the weather was fine, and today couldn't have been a better day, with small fluffy clouds that promised some good winds. He could almost feel the breeze already!
Hiccup dashed inside and Toothless followed him up more stairs—what was it with Vikings and stairs?—and into his room. "Thanks, bud." Hiccup put the koo-keys on his bed, then spun around to get the thread from Toothless' mouth. Spitting out the wooden box, Toothless curiously sniffed the koo-keys. They smelled so good…
"No." Hiccup gently but firmly pushed his nose away. "You don't want a stomachache, do you?"
Toothless narrowed his eyes. Trader Johan only said 'some species'
"Yeah, but I don't want to risk it," Hiccup retorted, reading his mind. Toothless snorted in indignation. Why should Hiccup dictate his every move? Hiccup turned around to put the thread away, and his elbow knocked the chest of koo-keys onto the floor. The lid burst off and spilt strange round things across the floor.
Toothless was on them within a second. He'd only meant to taste one, but the moment the sweet, sweet taste burst on his tongue, he knew that he couldn't stop. They were so soft, so delicious, so small. His rider had given up on trying to take Toothless away from the koo-keys, and instead scrambled across the floor, trying to rescue as many koo-keys as he could before Toothless got to them. Eventually, all the koo-keys were either in Hiccup's arms or Toothless' stomach, and Hiccup slapped his ears. Toothless blinked in surprise, slightly dazed from the sugary taste.
"Bad dragon!" Toothless could tell that Hiccup wasn't angry, he was just worried and annoyed. "If you get a stomachache, then it's your own fault."
Fine. Now let's go flying! Toothless rolled his eyes and started nudging Hiccup to the window. I'll be fine.
"Okay, okay, useless reptile." Hiccup mounted Toothless and they flew out the window. The air, though freezing, was wonderfully supportive under his wings, and Toothless aimed for the skies immediately, taking off as fast as he could.
"Wooooohoooooooo!" Hiccup screamed in delight, clutching the saddle tightly. Toothless chuckled; flying never got old for either of them. A blue and yellow blur shot past them in a steep dive, accompanied by high pitched whooping. Astrid and Stormfly pulled out of the dive and rose next to them. Catching the glint in Stormfly's eye, Toothless pumped his wings harder, determined to out fly her. Hiccup leant flat along his back, realising what was about to happen. The Nadder did her best, but no dragon could beat a healthy young Night Fury, Toothless thought smugly. Something twinged in his guts, but he ignored it.
Stormfly suddenly flipped around and sped towards the ground again. Pushing his wings back, Toothless followed her, making up her lead quickly. This time, he dictated the next move. A quick barrel roll to the side, followed by a corkscrew ascent. Panting and smiling, Stormfly followed him, just moments behind. A hand on his tail made Toothless jump and Astrid giggled.
"You're it!"
"Come on, bud!" Hiccup cried, just as competitive as Astrid. Stormfly twisted and turned, always speeding downwards, and Toothless followed her every move, delighting in the ow! game. He frowned when his stomach twisted more insistently, but shrugged it off. He'd had way worse, and besides, he was having fun!
"Got you!" Hiccup called and Astrid growled, a noise worthy of a dragon. Flinging his wings out, Toothless came to a dead stop midair, then entered a high speed dive in the opposite direction. Hiccup nudged him to the left and they came into view of the sea stacks, a treacherous maze of rock. Snickering, Toothless whirled into the labyrinth. Without hesitation, Stormfly plunged straight after him, following his moves exactly.
They continued flying in a dangerous dance, hurling themselves around the rocks with reckless abandon. Toothless thought Stoick would've had a heart attack if he'd seen them. Good thing he was out on a fishing trip, on the other side of the island.
Whoosh!
Toothless squealed in surprise when Stormfly suddenly appeared in front of him. Hiccup clicked the tailfin desperately and they spun away, straight towards a sea stack. Toothless flung his wings back, but they still crashed into it, his legs absorbing most, but not all, of the impact. He grunted quietly as the massive jolt made pain in his gut flare up like a bonfire for a moment, before dying down again.
"Got you!" Astrid cackled happily, tagging Hiccup as she swept past.
"You alright?" Hiccup asked, rubbing his head. Toothless nodded, determined to catch Stormfly for that. Let's get them!
A Few Hours Later…
Both dragon's wing beats were slower, getting tired, but the humans were still yelling with excitement. Advantage of being the rider, Toothless mused, before hurriedly twisting out of the way of Stormfly's clumsy grab. He almost shrieked as hot needles poked his stomach with the sudden movement, but swallowed it down.
When he eased into a glide, Hiccup and Stormfly simply assumed he was getting tired. Why had he eaten those koo-keys? Toothless thought miserably, focusing on flying. His stomachache had passed the small-aches-and-twinges stage, gone through the sore-but-manageable phase, and was lodged in the actually-makes-it-hard-to-fly-because-it-hurts-so-bad period. But Hiccup was having fun, and Toothless was too proud to admit he'd done something stupid. He'd just suck it up until Hiccup decided it was time to go home. Hopefully it wouldn't take too long; the sun was already starting to set. On the other hand, he wasn't sure how much more he could take. He couldn't remember ever feeling this bad, and all he wanted to do was curl up in a ball and cry.
The pain suddenly moved to the next level, graduating from needles to razor sharp daggers that seemed to be trying to slit him open from the inside, and he couldn't hold back a whine. Blue oleander poisoning didn't come close.
"Toothless?"
Everything went black for a moment and his wings wouldn't obey him, blowing limply in the wind as they plummeted towards the sea. Hiccup muttered softly in his ear, hugging his neck tightly.
"Stay with me, bud. Just stretch out your wings, we'll land anywhere you like."
Toothless couldn't help whimpering, curling protectively around his throbbing abdomen, and Hiccup's voice shook a little. "Gods, please be okay."
"HICCUP!" Astrid and Stormfly plunged after them, trying to grab them, but they were too far away.
Toothless blinked a few times to clear his head, and stretched his wings out again. They caught the air immediately, and the sudden jolt made him want to throw up. He whined at Hiccup, his pride shattered, desperate for comfort. Soft hands ran along his head, rubbing in all the right places.
"That's it, bud. You've got this. You'll be alright."
Angling his wings, Toothless entered a long dive towards Berk, Stormfly flying behind him. Flapping his wings hard, he landed as softly as he could on the slope outside their house, but the jarring impact still made him feel a hundred times worse. Hiccup quickly dismounted and moved around to his head, his eyes wide with worry and fear.
"What's up, bud?"
Closing his eyes, Toothless whined in pain and started to lie down.
"Whoa, wait, bud. Can't you get inside?"
…Maybe. He'd try, anyway. Placing each paw carefully to keep the motion to a minimum, Toothless slowly made his way inside. Hiccup crooned comfort to him every step of the way, a reassuring presence by his side.
"Is he okay?" Astrid called, worried. Hiccup twisted around, making sure to keep a supportive hand on Toothless' shoulder.
"Does he look okay?"
Astrid didn't answer that.
The stairs were agony: every time Toothless hoisted himself upwards, his vision swam and he moaned quietly, fire racing through his insides. He knew he sounded pathetic, like a newborn hatchling, but he couldn't help it, his stomach hurt so badly. It felt like he'd swallowed one of Meatlug's fireballs, a heavy chunk of boiling rock slowly burning its way through his body and scales.
"Well done," Hiccup praised, his voice soaked with warmth and love as they stepped onto the floor of their room, and Toothless moaned in relief. No more stairs, and only a few steps to his bed. Gods, he felt awful. Hiccup held his head, slowly walking him backwards to the rock slab.
Lowering himself on shaky legs, Toothless curled up tightly on his bed, covering his face with his tail.
"Do you need anything?" Hiccup asked tenderly, sitting down beside him and wrapping an arm around his neck. "Can you tell me what's wrong?"
Toothless suddenly felt unbearably hot, even with the cool breeze blowing through the window, and he found himself longing for the freezing air high in the sky, where it was so thin he could barely breathe. His harness felt restrictive, making him overheat even more. Black spots danced in and out of his vision, and he felt queasy, sick at the back of his throat and in the pit of his stomach. He closed his eyes, trying to ward off the nausea. His mouth was dripping with saliva, but still felt dry.
"Bud?"
He dry-heaved, his stomach contracting so suddenly it surprised him. It felt like he was trying to regurgitate an invisible fish that was too large for him, his throat rippling and stretching unsettlingly. His stomach, in addition to throbbing painfully, felt tight and he whined, twisting onto his side. Hiccup got up and hurried downstairs as Toothless' nausea increased and his stomach convulsed again. He squeezed his eyes shut harder, wishing he could just throw up and get it over with. Soft hands gently lifted his head up, and Toothless felt something slide under his chin, then Hiccup was by his side again, running his fingers along his head, rubbing and scratching the places he liked best, murmuring soft reassurances. Toothless groaned, unable to summon the energy to push into Hiccup's care like he usually did. The sudden and uncontrollable urges to vomit left him tense and braced, and as soon as he relaxed, another one would start. It was exhausting.
After almost-but-not-quite vomiting five terrible times, Toothless miserably felt another heave coming. Hiccup felt the way he tensed, and his face crinkled in sympathy. The rubbing sped up slightly, Hiccup's way of saying I'm here. I'm here and I want to help. You won't be alone. Hiccup was what kept Toothless fighting, stopping him from abandoning himself to the utterly wretched state of his body. Resting his head on a wooden rim, he retched again, harder and faster than before. Warm chunky liquid filled his mouth and he spat it out, the bitter taste and awful smell prompting even more vomit to force its way up his throat.
"That's it, bud," Hiccup murmured, his fingers soft against Toothless' scales, making everything just a little bit easier. "Let it all out."
Toothless finally finished, his nausea fading a little. Hiccup grabbed a cloth and carefully wiped his mouth for him. Part of him resented being treated like a hatchling, but Toothless was extremely thankful his Hiccup was there. He imagined being alone and sick, and shuddered. He was incredibly lucky to have such a devoted rider.
"Can you tell me what's wrong?" Hiccup asked, shifting around so that he was leaning against the wall with his legs stretched out in front of him. Toothless gladly followed the gentle hands and ended up with his head resting on his rider' lap, curled up in a tight ball on his bed. Even if he didn't feel like throwing up any more, his stomachache was still agonising and he didn't want to move at all for the next week or two. His rider repeated his question. "What's wrong?"
Toothless gently rested his tail on his flank, not quite daring to touch his searing belly. "Your side?" Hiccup guessed, and Toothless shook his head. He moved his tail until it was hovering over his abdomen. "Your stomach." There was a harder note in Hiccup's voice; one of dawning understanding, and Toothless closed his eyes. A lecture was the last thing he needed right now, but Hiccup seemed ready to give one, albeit a loving one.
"You stupid dragon!" Hiccup said, half amused and half horrified. He bent forwards, curling around Toothless' head. "I told you not to eat those koo-keys."
Of course Toothless knew that now, but it was too late. His stomach groaned unhappily and he moaned, burying his face in Hiccup's tunic to hide his pain. "Yeah, I think you know that, don't you."
Toothless nodded, muffling a quiet whine. Ow ow ow ow ow!
"That bad, huh. Should I get Gothi?" Hiccup asked, the sternness fading from his voice and being replaced by worry and love, gently caressing Toothless' ears.
"No need for that," Astrid called, and Toothless heard three sets of footsteps climbing up the stairs: two normal and one that alternated between a tap and a thump. He didn't really care at that point to be honest, he just wanted the pain gone.
Hiccup stroked his head again, his fingers gentle and tender as they worked around Toothless' ear flaps. "Thank you, Astrid."
"Yeah, he really doesn't look good," she commented, and Hiccup sighed.
"I know."
Gothi walked over, her staff tip-tapping on the wooden floor boards. She stood in front of Hiccup and gestured towards Toothless.
"Do you know what's wrong with him?" Gobber translated, squinting at the wax tablet she'd just shoved roughly into his hand.
Hiccup tenderly cradled Toothless' head. "Stomachache. He ate some of Trader Johan's koo-keys, and they really don't agree with him."
A particularly hard cramp spasmed through Toothless and he mewled, something he hadn't done since he was a hatchling, trying to curl up even tighter. Hiccup gasped, wrapping himself around Toothless' head, who pushed into him, desperate for his touch. Gothi nodded thoughtfully, and scribbled on a fresh tablet.
"She's got some herbs that will help a little. Other than that, keep him warm and make sure he gets some sleep. If he feels up to it, give him a few fish, but don't force him."
Astrid stepped forwards. "Shouldn't you take his harness off? That can't be too comfortable."
Hiccup grunted in annoyance at himself. "Yes, you're right. I should have thought of that."
Toothless hesitated. He wanted the harness off, but he really didn't want to stand up. Hiccup understood, and started to undo all the buckles he could reach. He managed to completely remove the tailfin, then prompted Toothless to turn over, and pulled off the saddle and all the wires that connected them. Toothless rumbled his thanks; he felt far more comfortable with it off. He could almost sleep like that, especially after the extreme flying he and Stormfly had done for most of the afternoon.
Astrid suddenly pounded up the stairs again, panting lightly. "Are these the right ones?"
When had she left? Toothless blinked to clear his head, forcing himself to stay quiet as another wave of pain washed over him. Yes, he was hurting, but they already knew that and he didn't want them to worry. It wasn't even that bad—another cramp surged into him, and he hastily reconsidered his opinion. Okay, it was excruciating. Just like he'd feared, any movement made the pain build up, and even rolling over had been almost enough to make him cry out. Hiccup noticed instantly, his quick eyes reading the pain from Toothless' eyes and face.
"Please, could you hurry?" he asked urgently but politely; he might be the chief's son, but Gothi was still the Elder.
Working steadily, Gothi pulled the small bag of herbs from Astrid's hands. She signalled something to Gobber, who turned to Hiccup.
"She wants you to build a big fire and heat up some water."
Hiccup sighed, gently lifting Toothless' head off his legs. "I'll be back soon, bud."
Toothless closed his eyes and rested his head on his forepaws, muffling another whine. Hiccup wouldn't be too long… right?
Hiccup stumbled down the stairs as fast as he could, almost tripping in his haste. He still remembered the panic and shock that had swamped him when Toothless suddenly went limp in midair, and it had only slightly eased when they managed to glide to Berk. To see Toothless sick and in pain was the worst thing he could ever imagine, far worse than any physical pain he'd ever experienced, even his half remembered memories of the amputation. He'd willingly give his other leg if Toothless could be free from pain for the rest of his life. Thank Thor, they'd managed to get inside before Toothless lay down—collapsed, more like.
Grabbing a nearby pile of wood, Hiccup built a haphazard pyramid. It fell in on itself and he cursed, sweeping the sticks to one side and starting again.
He should have been more observant! He'd known a stomachache was a possibility since Toothless ate those Thor-cursed koo-keys, but he'd continued their day like nothing was wrong. The way Toothless suddenly buckled like that, he'd probably been in pain for a while, gritting his teeth and enduring it until it became too bad to ignore any more.
Finally, the fire was ready, and Hiccup lit it with a few strikes of the flint stones that were always kept above the fireplace. His chest tightened as he heard Toothless moaning in pain from above. He knew his dragon: Toothless would push himself and keep quiet to the very limits of his endurance. He could take crash landings, dragon fights, and hours of exertion without making a sound. If he was complaining, Hiccup knew it was extremely bad. A strange feeling in his chest intensified, every particle of his body wishing he could take the pain instead of his dragon, who was lying helpless above him.
He dipped a kettle in the large barrel they kept in the kitchen, hanging it on the hook above the fire. If eyes could speed up time, the water would have boiled within a second. Instead, Hiccup had to sit there, waiting. He couldn't help reliving the awful moment when Toothless had shuddered and gagged the first time, before closing his eyes, such an expression of misery on his face that he'd thought his heart would break. The memory made Hiccup's chest ache, a spike of pain twisting in and out of his ribs.
Hisss!
Jolting back to the present, Hiccup saw that the water had boiled over and was threatening to put the fire out. He grabbed the tongs and carefully carried the kettle up the stairs, fighting the almost irresistible urge to sprint to his dragon.
Gothi hobbled over, grabbed a small bowl from Gobber's hand and filled it with hot water. She crushed the herbs between her strong fingers, then let the powder fall into the water. Setting the heavy kettle down, Hiccup let Gothi take care of the medicine and scooted over to Toothless' head.
If Toothless' expression wasn't tight with pain, Hiccup could almost imagine he was asleep, relaxed and at peace. He gently lifted the heavy head onto his lap again, playing with Toothless' ear flaps.
"How are you doing, bud?"
A green eye opened, filled with pain, but also relief at Hiccup's presence. Hiccup's fingers kept rubbing aimlessly, the scales smooth under his hand. He wished he could do more, but the gratitude shining in Toothless' eyes reassured him that this helped in some way.
"She's ready," Gobber announced, and Gothi walked over, the bowl clutched in her free hand. Hiccup slid his right hand under Toothless' neck, gently applying pressure. Toothless obediently raised his head, mouth open. Gothi handed Hiccup the bowl, and he gently poured it into Toothless' mouth. He sputtered and coughed, and Hiccup winced in sympathy. Gothi's remedies never tasted nice, but at least it would help with the pain.
"Wh—what else?" The lump in his throat strangled his words, but Gothi didn't mention it. She signed to Gobber, her hands a blur. He squinted helplessly.
"Uuuhh…"
Rolling her eyes, Gothi pointed to Toothless, then downstairs.
"You want us to move him?" Gobber guessed wildly.
Astrid rolled her eyes. "She told you earlier, remember?"
Gobber scratched his head. "No."
"Keep him warm, let him sleep, and give him some fish if he's up to it."
Gothi nodded, crossing her arms, and Astrid smiled smugly. Something touched his hand and Hiccup jumped, looking down instinctively. Toothless was gazing up at him, the pain easing slightly as he watched.
"The medicine helped, huh?"
A small nod, and Hiccup's heart started to return to normal. He smiled genuinely, bending down and nuzzling Toothless' head with his cheek.
"That's it, bud. You'll be fine by tomorrow."
Gobber cleared his throat. "So, that's all we can do. I'm going back to the forge."
Gothi nodded, hobbling out of the room after Gobber.
"Should I go, too?" Astrid asked, hovering near the staircase. "Or do you want me to help?"
Still focused on Toothless, Hiccup mumbled into the air, "Yeah, thanks. Maybe get a few sleeping furs from downstairs and warm them in front of the fire?" Astrid nodded and left the room.
"How about fish, bud? Only if you want them, of course."
Toothless shook his head, looking meaningfully at the washbasin he'd thrown up in earlier.
"Still nauseous?" Hiccup let his fingers stray along Toothless' thick black neck, tracing the scar and moving in loops and spirals downwards. "How about the pain?"
Closing his eyes, Toothless raised his ear flaps slightly. "A little better." Crooning in agreement, Toothless pushed timidly into his touch, and Hiccup smiled. "That's the Toothless I like to see."
"Are these good?" Astrid asked, climbing up the stairs with two furs on each arm.
"Yeah, that's great," Hiccup nodded. "Let's get them over him." He tried to get up, but Toothless whined and pressed down firmly on his legs. "Hey, let me go, bud."
Toothless whined again, more insistently, laying a front paw across Hiccup's legs and gazing up at him.
Hiccup gulped at the raw emotion in Toothless' eyes. Don't leave me. The wide black pupils were pleading, large and soft.
"O—okay…" Shifting slightly, Hiccup tried to get comfortable. If he was going to be on the cold rock slab for a while, he wanted a better position than sitting upright with his legs straight out in front of him. Toothless watched him for a moment, then risked moving a little, slowly dragging Hiccup between his wings. Hiccup froze, trying not to touch Toothless' sore stomach. It gently rose and fell with every breath Toothless took, lightly brushing against his chest on the inhales.
"Hiccup?" Astrid asked, her lips twitching with amusement.
"Umm, he doesn't want me to leave him," Hiccup said, embarrassed. "Could you…"
"Fine," Astrid said, a smirk in her voice. Toothless lowered his wing, covering Hiccup with it, then something warm settled over both of them. One sleeping fur wasn't big enough to cover all of Toothless, but by overlapping them at the edges, Astrid made sure that there was at least one layer of fur over every part of them. Hiccup could feel Toothless tensing and relaxing in front of him with every wave of pain, and his heart sank.
"It still hurts?" Toothless nodded slightly, lowering his head down to rest it on Hiccup's shoulder. A small whimper escaped his lips and Hiccup felt like crying. No one, especially Toothless, deserved this just for eating something! Reaching up, Hiccup stroked Toothless' head again.
"Just go to sleep, bud. You'll be fine. You'll be fine."
Toothless whimpered again and nuzzled Hiccup, inviting more attention. Hiccup's fingers swirled downwards, scratching and rubbing across Toothless' neck in a familiar routine. Toothless crooned in gratitude and let his eyes drift shut, though he still braced himself against the pain every so often, muscles tense.
"Are you both alright?" Astrid's voice, slightly muffled, drifted through the sleeping furs.
"The medicine helped, but he's still in p—" Hiccup swallowed thickly. "Pain."
"Is there anything else I can do?"
"I don't think so…" He hated being so helpless, especially when it was Toothless who needed help. "We just have to wait."
A surprised warble made him look down, only to pull his hands away in horror. He'd been so absorbed in his conversation with Astrid that he'd followed his usual scratching pattern, and his hands had been rubbing Toothless' aching abdomen. "Oh Thor, I'm so sorry, bud! Are you okay?"
He'd expected a shaky croon, Toothless trying to reassure him that it wasn't his fault, but still hurting badly. Thank Odin, Toothless didn't like to be scratched on his belly where the scales were thinner and more sensitive, just a gentle rubbing. What he wasn't expecting was Toothless to nod towards his hands, then back at his stomach.
"It… helps?" Hiccup asked, incredulous.
Toothless nodded vigorously, arching his back and presenting his belly to Hiccup. "Okay, but tell me if I do something wrong."
Slowly, hesitantly, Hiccup pressed his palms against the black scales, gently rubbing in circles. Toothless' scale-covered skin was soft and warm under his hands, surprisingly smooth. Warbling in relief, Toothless relaxed completely, and Hiccup rubbed his cheek against the velvety wing he was lying on.
"What's going on?" Astrid asked impatiently, and Hiccup smiled.
"We've found something that helps a lot, haven't we, bud?"
No reply.
Hiccup peered up at Toothless' face, only to see that his eyes were closed and his breathing was slow and steady. Hiccup was mostly happy that Toothless was able to sleep, but a part of him couldn't help imagining how exhausted Toothless must have been to fall asleep instantly like that, and it made his throat constrict.
He kept rubbing for a good five minutes, just in case Toothless woke up again, then carefully wriggled out of Toothless' grasp. Astrid was perched on the edge of his bed, watching them both carefully. He smiled at her, then walked over and kissed her on the lips, grabbing her by the waist.
"Mmpff!" Astrid gasped in surprise; normally she was the one who'd initiate contact, but Hiccup was giddy with relief, and more confident than normal. Then she pressed closer against his lips, deepening the kiss.
"So, what was that for?" she gasped when they pulled away for air.
Hiccup blushed, brushing her hair behind her ear. "Thank you, Astrid. For helping with the muttonhead." He gestured towards Toothless.
"You're welcome." She stood up. "I should really be going home now. It's past suppertime."
"Goodbye, then." Hiccup waved as Astrid disappeared down the ladder.
Toothless squinted at the bright light piercing his foggy head. The last thing he remembered was… the medicine? No, Hiccup's gentle human hands smoothing the constant ache out of his poor stomach. He blinked sleepily, and the room solidified around him. Hiccup was curled up under his wing, a warm ball against his side. Toothless gently nuzzled his rider, then more insistently when Hiccup didn't wake up.
"Five more minutes…" Hiccup murmured groggily, waving his hands in the air as though he was wafting a fly away.
Toothless licked him.
"Blegh!" Suddenly awake, Hiccup shot upright. Toothless laughed, expecting Hiccup to throw something sarcastic in his face. Instead, there was a soft hand tracing his underside again. "Glad to see you're feeling better, bud." Hiccup's face was bright and shining with happiness. Toothless dared to hope he'd escaped a lecture…
"Now, what have you learnt from this?"
Scorch it!
The End
AN: So, how did I do? Please tell me, I was so disappointed when no one responded to Nightmares.
An update on the fanfictions I'm willing to post next week:
1) Cold — Six part story, 15k words. Like I said previously, I'm not personally pleased with how I handled this one, the plot seems to suddenly change direction in the middle, but it's still an interesting little adventure Hiccup, Astrid, Snotlout, Fishlegs and Toothless go on. All heirs take a traditional journey from one side of Berk to the other when they turn sixteen—with no supplies except a pair of flintstones and four companions. It's just Hiccup's luck that he was born in the middle of Devastating Winter. As the only one who's accustomed to living in the wild, it settles on Toothless' shoulders to protect and provide for the four teenagers, and it only gets worse when they run into a blizzard.
2) Crash — Oneshot, 2.5k words. Inspired by that scene where Percy holds up the sky in Rick Riodan's 'The Titan's Curse', but guess which dragon gets to hold up part of the Great Hall to save their rider when it collapses in an earthquake? Also a mini-panic attack in the aftermath, where Stoick reveals his hidden wisdom and guides the rider through comforting his dragon.
3) My Real One was Red — Oneshot, 7k words. After witnessing a hard phantom pain, Hiccup goes to Gothi for a potion that will give Toothless another tailfin—a living one. However, the new tailfin comes with a whole host of problems, and Toothless spirals into a depression that only Hiccup can help him out of. Unfortunately, it takes extreme action to break down the barrier between dragon and rider, and when Toothless finds himself in the cove six months after the incident, he takes matters into his own hands—well, teeth.
These two are currently being beta-ed by httydfangirl123, but she says she'll be quite slow since she's in uni. I was thinking, if anyone wanted them, that I could post what I have and replace the chapters as they're beta-ed. Sound good?
4) Victory went to Snotlout's Head — Six parts, 12.5k words, two parts beta-ed. "The winner of the Thawfest game shouldn't have an inferior dragon," Spitelout whispered loudly. "Yeah, but how—ooooh," Snotlout smiled drunkenly. "I just had an idea."
5) Weakest Moment — Six parts, 19k words, zero parts beta-ed. When were Hiccup and Toothless at their weakest? Right after they defeated the Red Death. What if Alvin and his Outcasts saw the Berkians sailing into Helheim's Gate and decided to follow them, then kidnapped Hiccup and Toothless while they were helpless on the ground. WARNING! This is very whump heavy and emotional, I almost cried while writing, editing, and rereading it. It still has a happy ending, but it will be a rocky journey. (Spoiler alert: Torture, suicidal thoughts, infected wounds, starvation, phantom pain.)
The last two I will only start posting if TWO people vote for them, since I don't want to disrespect my beta or give you lower quality writing than I am capable of.
Unfortunately, I am not a mind reader, so if any of these catch your eye then you have to tell me.
~JustAnotherRandomPoster