Yggrasil
the tree has many branches

You have to understand that I love the Dragons just as much as I love their Riders. This chapter is literally my excuse for that.

Warnings: grammatical errors, hilarity, cuteness overload, chubby cheeks, and baby!Riders in general… also human!Toothless has no filter; the rest of the Dragons just follow his example…

Disclaimer: The How to Train Your Dragon franchise is property of Cressida Cowell and DreamWorks Animation.

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world 08

bodyguards!au

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You'd think after all the years of endless hard work and painstaking missions, Toothless would have more respect thrown his way.

Fat chance. He hadn't seen a bonus in over a decade.

Scratch that, you'd think I'd be retired after all these years.

He had entered the Underworld when he was a skinny brat of fifteen. He had worked his ass up the ladder of hierarchy doing every dirty job his boss –the great Red Death, at the time– had deemed fit. Before he was sold as a fulltime employee to the highest bidding mobster there is, he was the most well known and sought out assassin. Keyword; was.

Now he was the most well known and sought out babysitter.

"At least yours is quiet."

"Hasn't threatened to kill anyone."

"He hasn't blown up his room, T. So, you're still good."

He barely managed to stop his twitching eye.

Stormfly flipped her blue-streaked-blond ponytail and raised a delicate brow. "Face it, Tooth. You have it easy."

Easy?! He almost bristled at the word. His charge wasn't easy. He was far from it. Late night searches of super hide-and-seek, of tripping on flat ground, falling off chairs, scratches and bruises from adventure time in the gardens, getting lost inside air vents, papercuts and pommel sized forehead bruises flashed in his mind. And that's just for a day. His eyes ventured to where an auburn mop was squished between two blonds.

Intelligent emerald eyes flashed at him in despair.

Toothless glared right back.

Stormfly just rolled her eyes. "Can't you just behave like you actually like him?"

"I don't..." he growled. Stormfly just sighed.

"Liar. You've been looking after the Hooligan Heir since he was a babe."

"That doesn't mean anything."

"You almost killed that kid that time at the playground."

"The brat pushed him off the fucking slide."

"You completely lost it when he got a brainfreeze last month."

"It was fucking freezing, Storm. What was I suppose to do? Let him have a stroke?"

"And what about last year's Thing, eh? Was that not an overreaction?"

He shot her a scowl. "Those fuckers got what they deserved."

"You had them at gunpoint."

"I don't see a problem there."

"They were 3 years old, Toothless."

If possible his scowl became scowlier. "Well that didn't stop them from pushing him out the window now, did it?" Then he paused and squinted at the children. His fingers twitched at his belt, "Belch, you have exactly five seconds to get the twins off my brat."

Stormfly snickered. "Your brat?"

"He's under my protection; therefore my brat. Belch!"

There was a moan from his left. "Well fuck, T. I am a single man here, I can't do much!"

Hookfang snickered from beside them. "Barf left you hanging again?" His eyes squinted away… then widened. "Oh, shit –Snotlout that ain't mayo!"

"BUT I WANNA!"

"IT'S GLUE, YOU SUCKER!"

"The twins gave him the flu. So I'm alone." Belch sobbed at them with gleaming green eyes. Everything stopped moving for a second. Then Toothless sneered.

"They were sick?!"

Meatlug was fast to fuss over her charge. "Why aren't they quarantined?!" she had taken Fishlegs by the armpits, holding him up and away from the grinning twin devils. The plump four-year-old merely blinked.

"Astrid! Sweetheart, get away from Ruff n' Tuff!"

A glare met Stormfly's amber eyes. "No! First, they gimme." The four-year-old said and pointed at the Hooligan Heir whom the twins had by the arms and tugging.

Stormfly sighed as Toothless bristled. "Hiccup is a person, sweetie, not a toy. He's not yours."

That seemed to aggravate the child further. She scowled at the twins and at Hiccup who was being stretched thin between them. Toothless noticed how he bit his lip forcing himself not to cry out in pain. His eyes were watered and ready to explode in tears. He wouldn't have that; anything from that. Toothless took a step and Stormfly's eyes widened when she saw the gun in his hands.

"Wait, Tooth—"

A war cry erupted from the other side of the room and every adult turned to see four-year-old Astrid Hofferson belly flopping on the twins, pushing elbows, fingers, and knees at every soft spot. There was a shuffle before it settled to bruised twins and a scowling Astrid hugging a sniffling Hiccup. From their left Snotlout was laughing hysterically, while Fishlegs was blowing raspberries at the twins and Meatlug.

"Mine!" Astrid growled and tightened her hold. Hiccup blushed and sniffed back his tears. The twins groaned and snickered. Snotlout crawled up Hookfang's arm and reached for the glue. Fishlegs continued blowing raspberries at Meatlug. Stormfly sighed and Toothless continued his bristling.

"No, he's not, you little–"

The room shook and rattled, and the adults all paused. Two seconds later, the alarm sounded and their earpieces burst to life.

"All ears in. The base is being invaded. This is not a drill. All hands in on Ground Zero."

Toothless didn't miss a beat. "Skullcrusher, what the hell?"

"Outcasts blew up the main gate. Where you at, Tooth?"

"Alpha Hatchery with the rest of the Dragons. How's the situation?"

"Not good. We have casualties. The Chief and Heads are alright."

"That's good." Toothless' eyes fell on his frozen charge. His big eyes were glued on him as he shivered in little Astrid's arms. So far the two were the only ones that remained calm; the rest of the children were in an uproar. Meatlug was trying to coax a crying Fishlegs out from a drawer. Belch wasn't faring well against the twins that kept evading his hands. Hookfang was still trying to keep the glue away from Snotlout. "What are our orders?"

"Evacuate the hatchlings. We'll meet you at Point B."

Toothless gave a nod at Stormfly who was quick to step towards their two charges. "Copy that."

Everyone burst into motion. The Dragons swept up their charges and carefully carried them to the hidden hall right behind the bookshelves. It was tedious work; what with the twins scrambling up and down Belch, Snotlout whining about leaving, and Fishlegs still crying. Astrid was glaring at everything from Stormfly's arms. Hiccup was clinging from his neck, his head shoved down Toothless' throat. He was shaking and the bodyguard felt his skin growing damp.

Toothless gritted his teeth and hurried down the hallway, tightly holding onto Hiccup with one hand. As they rushed down, motion from the left stopped them and Toothless' arm flew to his gun. Vaguely he noted the rest of the Dragons following his lead. A petite, slim man burst through one of the many secret passages in the Hooligan Manor.

"Sharpshot, what are you doing here?"

The man motioned them to follow. "New orders came in. Proceed with Evacuation Plan S. Follow. The car is ready."

"Plan S?" By his right, Stormfly paled. "Why, what happened?"

Sharpshot shot her a look over his shoulder. "Fearless was shot."

Toothless swore and hurried towards the secret parking. By his side, Stormfly was rigidly holding Astrid. Her face was screaming murder. Finn was little Astrid's only living relative. If the situation was reversed, with Stoick being shot, he knew he'd be worse. But he didn't worry. Finn was Stoick's right-hand man; the Chief wouldn't allow him to die.

Flightmare, on the other hand… Stormfly would be on him in a second when she sees him again. Toothless smirked; the bodyguard wouldn't know what hit him.

They burst through the garage and in a flurry they boarded the SUV. Hookfang was sitting shotgun, while Toothless took the wheel. He paused when his eyes met his charge's through the rear-view mirror. Hiccup was buckled up tightly at his seat, Stormfly guard on his left buckling Astrid on his right. The Hooligan Heir didn't seem to register Stormfly's soothing words, his eyes were on Toothless'. He knew that look, curious and scared and worried all at the same. There was only one answer to that look.

Toothless shot Hiccup a mischievous grin and winked. All at once he turned the key and shot off, ignoring the yelps, yells, and curses from the others.

Hiccup's grins and giggles were all Toothless could see and hear as he sped the car into the highway.