Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

A/N: I was asked for HiccTooth fluff, and I had a bunch of random ideas floating around me noggin, so I figured I might as well dump them in this here chapter.

Also, heh…just thought I'd let you know it's my birthday on Wednesday ;).

Time Together

Field of Folly

It was a beautiful summer's day, or at least it was sunny. Toothless-Hiccup had taken advantage of the nice weather to go flying under the pretence of being on patrol. The moment they were out of sight of Berk, they'd picked up the pace.

*Hiccup?* asked Toothless as they soared towards the island, gliding after the thrilling but effortful tricks they'd been pulling off. *Can I pick where we land?*

"Yeah, bud. No problem" Hiccup smiled. He expected Toothless to head for the cove, but instead the dragon took them to a familiar headland. Most of it was taken up by swathes of a particular grass, that smelled like garlic and made a lot of dragons act…odd. "The dragon nip field?" he wondered aloud, dismounting.

Toothless ruffled his wings in a shrug. *I haven't been here since before we heart bound* he explained. *I just thought it would be a nice way to relax…*

Hiccup nodded approvingly. "Let me get this off first" he insisted, unbuckling the saddle. Once it was removed, Toothless shook himself and bounded into the grass. He promptly rolled over in it and wriggled, tongue lolling, purring up a storm. Hiccup chuckled fondly at the sight. Gods, he loved his dragon so much.

Whilst Toothless was enjoying himself, Hiccup figured he could relax as well. He lay down on his back and gazed up at the clouds. The nice big fluffy ones. His mind started to wander…if clouds were solid, they'd be so soft. Soft like sheep's wool. Like dandelion fuzz. Like…Hiccup felt giddy. That's a funny word he thought, a dopey smile curling his lips. Giddy. Giddy-up. Horse. Giddy-up horsey.

Hiccup giggled aloud. Toothless' ears pricked, and he shuffled to face in his other half's general direction. *Funny?* he asked, smiling in the human way.

Still giggling, Hiccup mumbled "Horsey. Giddy-up." He raised a hand to point up at the sky, where a dragon was flying over them. "That horse is in the air" he announced, "come back flying horsey." Hiccup closed his fist as if grabbing the dragon out of the air. He looked at his palm, and his face fell at seeing it empty.

Then his eyes widened. My fingers look like worms he realised, wiggling them with a goofy grin on his face. Hiccup soon tired of holding his arm up and let it flop to the side. His head turned. Toothless cooed at him, pupils wide as could be, and purred loudly. Hiccup gave another happy giggle. "Kitty! Here, kitty."

He waggled his fingers again, trying to beckon Toothless closer. Toothless squirmed and belly-flopped like a seal until he was in reach of Hiccup's hand. His tongue snaked out to lick at it. "Big kitty. Warm kitty" Hiccup slurred, as he pet Toothless' snout. "Silly kitty. You're meant to be furry, not scaly." He rolled over.

With his teeth retracted, Toothless got Hiccup's hand in his mouth and tugged him closer. Then he started grooming the man like a hatchling, or indeed like a kitten. Hiccup didn't complain or squirm in protest; he merely nuzzled the dragon. "Your head is flat" he informed Toothless, completely serious. Kind of.

Gurgling happily, his other half responded with *Your head's round. And fuzzy.* Toothless snuffled at his hair. Hiccup noticed he did have hair, and stroked it.

That was how Astrid found them, curled up together in the field with matching idiotic smiles. She left Stormfly beyond the influence of the grass and waded in. "There you are. I've been looking everywhere for…what's so funny?" Astrid wondered, as Hiccup just sat there giggling to himself. He hadn't looked up yet.

Finally he did. To her alarm, his pupils were much bigger than normal, making his gaze look creepily blank. "I found a kitty" he told her, hugging Toothless' head to his chest. The Fury just leaned into the embrace. "I wanna keep him."

Astrid was both very confused and concerned for her betrothed's sanity. "You…Wait, what? Hiccup, you've known Toothless for years. He's your dragon" she reminded him. "Please tell me you haven't been eating this stuff" she begged. Astrid only made that mistake once, when she was trying to cook a recipe that needed garlic, didn't have any, and used the grass as a substitute.

Hiccup's response was to blink several times, then stare at the dragon nip surrounding them as if he'd never seen it before. He reached out to pluck some and eat it, but Astrid intervened before he could put it in his mouth. "No! Hiccup, don't – it's bad for you. What on Midgard has gotten into you?"

Hiccup looked at her, but his eyes were unfocused. "Heh…you're pretty" he slurred. Astrid blushed in spite of herself. "You're a really pretty Nadder…"

"What?!"

"Nadder. Funny word. Na…na. Nanananana…" he looked at her again. "Nana?"

"I'm not"- Astrid was torn between indignation and amusement. "Hiccup, it's me, Astrid. Your girlfriend." Hadn't his grandparents died before he was born?

Hiccup giggled again. "Astrid. Aaaaaaastrid. Astrrrrrrrid" he mumbled to himself, rocking back and forth. Toothless made a thrumming noise and Hiccup nuzzled him. The Night Fury was practically a puddle, looking utterly content.

Astrid was almost at her wit's end, but seeing those two shamelessly cuddling made her realise - it's the heart bind. Hiccup had explained to her that he could feel Toothless' emotions now, so maybe if the dragon was feeling loopy, he was as well. The good news? It was probably harmless. The bad news? Hiccup was pretty much high on second hand dragon nip, and she still had to get him home.

"No time like the present" she said to herself, before addressing the pair in front of her. "Hiccup? That's a really nice kitty you've found" she cooed to him in a baby talk sort of way. He beamed at her. Astrid smiled back and said, "why don't we go find your dad? Ask if you can have the kitty. Come on" she urged him, holding out a hand. He looked at it, and uncertainly reached out to take it.

Astrid heaved him to his feet and slung one arm over her shoulders to support him. "This way, Hiccup" she prompted, leading him out of the dragon nip field. Toothless whined. Hiccup reached back for him, with a cry of "Kitty come too!"

"Yes, kitty come too. C'mon, kitty" Astrid told Toothless, trying not to laugh. He stumbled after them. Stormfly came over and squawked inquisitively. "I think the nip made them both act silly" she explained. "If I can just get them away from it…" Astrid hoped the effect would wear off, and they'd go back to normal.

At last, Hiccup started taking more of his own weight. Then he stopped, and so did she. "Astrid?" he inquired, sounding more lucid than earlier. "What are you…doing here? What am I doing here?" he asked, looking around at the trees.

At this point, the struggle was lost, and Astrid burst out laughing. She cackled and wheezed, as Hiccup stared at her in complete bewilderment. "What the…? Can someone please explain what's going on?" he begged, "what's so funny?"

Since her rider was unable to talk, Stormfly helpfully told him *We found you in the dragon nip field. She said it made you both act silly. I think it's worn off.*

"It made us silly?" Hiccup said incredulously, looking at his betrothed still lost in a giggling fit. "I don't get it; dragon nip only works on humans if we eat some."

Toothless' eyes widened. *I think…it's because we're heart bound. What the grass makes me feel, you must feel it too. Sorry, Hiccup* he said apologetically.

"Aw, don't be" Hiccup assured him. "It's not your fault, Toothless" he insisted.

"Don't…don't you mean kitty?" Astrid wondered, grinning at them. Toothless-Hiccup looked at her in concern. "No offence, Astrid, but you're acting really silly right now" Hiccup told her, before mounting up. "We'll see you at home." They then left Astrid to gape after them indignantly, trying to catch her breath. She'd have the last laugh though; she was so notgonna let them live this down.

Hands and Hearts

It was a glorious sensation, to soar aloft on his own wings. Powerful muscles in his chest and shoulders beat the flexible membranes, whilst his long tail and broad tail-fins helped to keep him balanced as the wind rushed past and around him. He could climb, dive, roll and yaw with ease. The most incredible part of it all was not the flying itself, but the fact that all of it was merely a lucid dream.

Once he learned to take on the form of a Fury in their dream realm, Hiccup spent more time as a dragon than a human. At least when he was asleep. He loved the freedom of flying with his other half, whether he was riding on the dragons back or gliding alongside Toothless on his own wings. It certainly made their games of tag far more entertaining. More than that, the form felt right.

Hiccup was so comfortable in a dragons body that regaining his human form, or simply waking up, felt disorientating. It wasn't just that he saw Toothless' memories through the Swift-Wings eyes and had grown used to the feeling. His soul…or at least, the part of his mind that he believed was his soul…had the form of a Fury as well. In some ways it felt like this was his true form, true body.

They landed in the cove, the focal point of their dream realm. Toothless drank from the lake, but Hiccup merely stared at his reflection. A dark brown Fury looked back at him. The water rippled, and he saw himself as a human, though his body hadn't changed. Toothless peered over his shoulder. *What's wrong?*

He sighed. *Nothing. I'm just thinking.*

*What about?*

*I…am human, but I like being a dragon* Hiccup admitted. *Sometimes this body*, he flapped his wings for emphasis, *feels like I'm supposed to be in it, but then I change back or wake up and I'm back to being a scrawny human.*

Toothless reassured him, *You're not that scrawny. Maybe when you were a fledgling, but not now. And if you prefer being a dragon, I don't blame you.*

Rolling his eyes, Hiccup retorted *Gee, thanks. I just…I don't know if I'm a dragon stuck in a human body, or a human who just happens to like being in a dragon's body. This is my body, but it's not my real body. Is it meant to be?*

He was clearly distressed, so Toothless nuzzled him, despite not fully getting what the problem was. Did it really matter what Hiccup's body looked like? No. *You're still you* Toothless declared, thinking aloud. *Your body isn't who you are; you could be a human or a dragon, but you'd still be Hiccup. My clever, brave, kind other half, who gets worried too much over silly things* he purred.

Hiccup snuggled close, a purr of his own rumbling in his throat. *You're right. It's the inside that counts; I might have been born human, but I have the soul of a dragon. Either way I'm your soulmate, and you're mine. Thanks, Toothless.*

*You're welcome* he said, giving Hiccup another nuzzle, happy that he was happy. Hiccup pulled away, back in his human body, and gave Toothless a loving smile that made the dragons heart melt. The young man settled down nearby to sketch; another thing he loved about this 'lucid dreaming' thing was that he could draw on anything, even thin air. He began drawing them both as Furies.

Toothless watched, intrigued, as the image took shape. When he tried to draw, it was large and messy; his mouth and paws weren't good for making small, careful movements. Hiccup, on the other hand, could do so easily. If he too were a Swift-Wing, he wouldn't be able to make such clever things. All his drawings, and inventions would never happen, and that seemed a huge shame.

Toothless liked to think, if Hiccup had been a dragon, they would have been brothers for real. Surely they'd be best friends. For the first time he wondered, what if he had been human? If they were soulmates no matter what…Toothless had lived through Hiccup's memories just like Hiccup had lived through his. He wondered if he could turn himself human. It would be such a good surprise.

Try as he might, the dragon could not seem to transform himself. Hiccup sensed his frustration and looked up, brow furrowed in concern. "You okay, bud?"

*Yes. I was…* He pawed at the ground, embarrassed. *Trying to be a human.*

Hiccup's eyes widened. "Really? What…I didn't know you wanted to do that."

*I only just thought of it. I wanted to surprise you, but I can't do it* Toothless sighed. *I can feel my wings and tail, and it reminds me that I'm not human* he explained. Hiccup rubbed his chin thoughtfully. *I know how much you love flying as a dragon* Toothless continued, *I thought I could try doing something as a human. Like drawing. I can't do it properly in this body, not like you can.*

"I like your drawings" Hiccup remarked. Still, if Toothless wanted to be human… "What f I let you live through one of my memories again? To remind you what it's like" he suggested. "Then you can have another go at turning into one."

It made sense, so Toothless agreed. *You pick the memory* he urged, trusting his other half to pick a good one. Hiccup thought, finally choosing what seemed like suitable memories. Resting his forehead against Toothless', he focused…

"It's the wings and the tail you really want" says Gobber, gesticulating with a chicken leg in hand. "If it can't fly, it can't get away. A downed dragon, is a dead dragon" my mentor says seriously. Discomfort and guilt twist in my gut. I didn't kill the Night Fury when I found it, but I might as well have. He can't fly. That's why he's trapped in the cove. I'll have to bring him food…unless, what if…?

I'm already near to the ladder anyway. I edge away from everyone else and climb down to the ground, head towards the forge. Gobber won't be coming back in here tonight. I get out my notebook and look at the sketch of the Night Fury. I rubbed out the other fin on its tail, but now I draw it back in. I'm gonna make a tail-fin for him. Then the Night Fury…no, Toothless…will be able to fly.

I have to design it first. Brushing the rest of the parchment to one side, I grab a pencil and begin sketching. In my mind's eye I picture the living tail-fin, trying to judge how big the new one needs to be. Let's see…five struts, for support. Hinges to let them move back and forth. A leather covering, straps to tie it on with…slowly but surely, the design comes together. Now I just have to forge it.

It's a good thing Gobber always makes me do the finicky stuff. The hard part is pushing down the bellows to stoke up the forge. Hmm…note to self, make a bellows that pumps on its own. No, focus! I find a sword that fell off the pommel…there are loads of them around here, nobody will miss just one. When the iron is red hot and soft, I split it into five pieces and start hammering one.

Eyes darting between the hot metal and my design, little by little I turn the flat piece of former sword into a rounded stick. That's the first strut. I quench it and get to work on the second one. At first I worry that someone will come to see what I'm doing. What will I say? I can't tell anyone the truth, that's for sure.

Soon I'm so focused on the task at hand, I forget to think about Gobber or anyone else finding out. I've been up all day at 'dragon training', I should be tired. Instead I'm wide awake and kind of excited. It feels…really good to be making something that isn't meant to hurt anyone. On purpose. I just hope it fits. And works. I can't wait to see Toothless' face when he sees what I've done.

I don't feel like making every little bit from scratch, so I take the smaller bosses out of a shield that's just lying around. They'll help me make the hinges, and so will these ball bearings. Why did I make these again? Oh well, I need them for this now. It's all coming together. At last, all that's left to do is the covering.

I'm so, so glad I still have some leather left over from…something. Whatever it was, I don't think it worked. Cutting and sewing it into the right shape is hard work, but I persevere until it's done. Then I ease it over the struts, attach some buckles, and compare it to my design. It opens, and it closes. I nod. Perfect.

It must be so late now. I yawn. No point in going home…it's warmer here than in my house. I can just…sleep on the floor…Toothless can wait a little bit longer…

The next morning I wake up early, out of habit I guess. It doesn't feel like I slept at all, but I must have…I think. I hope so, or Gobber is gonna ask what I was doing last night. Then I remember – Toothless! He must be starving. One little fish won't be enough for a big dragon like that. I fill a basket with fish, not really paying attention to what they are. Was that an eel? Oh, never mind. It's fine.

I feel kind of bad for taking the fish from our stores, but where else am I gonna get them? Besides, it's for a good cause. Not that they'd see it that way…oh, we are so dead if anyone finds out. I get the tail-fin out of my workshop, and set about taking it and the basket into the forest and towards the cove. I keep having to stop and rest. Stupid weedy arms. A proper Viking could do all this.

But they wouldn't. At last I get there. "Hey, Toothless" I sing-song. He's used to me by now; he doesn't come up to me, but he doesn't run away either. "I brought breakfast, I hope…I hope you're hungry…" I kick the basket over, letting the fishy contents spill out. "Okay, that's disgusting" I grimace at the sight and smell. Toothless slinks over like a cat, making gurgling noises. It's kind of cute.

"Uh, we got some salmon, some nice Icelandic cod, and a whole smoked eel" I tell him, as he sniffs at the pile of fish. As soon as I say the word 'eel' he starts growling. And pulling back. That's not good. Maybe he doesn't like eel? I bend over and pull the slimy long fish out. Toothless takes one look at it and shrieks, leaning away like he thinks I'm gonna throw it at him. "No, no, no, no, no, no!"

"Okay!" I chuck it aside, into the lake. "Yeah, I don't really like eel much either" I say, as Toothless calms down and snorts at me. They're all slimy and chewy and – bleh. Now that the eel is gone, Toothless starts gulping down the fish. Here's my chance. "That's it" I say gently as I creep towards his tail. "Yeah, don't you mind me, I'll just be back here…minding my own business." Easy does it, now…

This would be a lot easier if he kept his tail still. "It's okay!" Oh, please, stop moving. I need to hold it down. I kneel on it and strap the fin into place. Oh thank Thor, it fits. And it's the right size! How's that for good estimating? Toothless flaps his real fin, but I ignore it. He probably just wants me to get off his tail. I'll get off in a minute. "Huh. Okay. It's not too bad, it works – whoa!"

"Whooooaaa!" Oh no, oh no, what, what is happening? Toothless took off?! With me on his tail, hanging on like my life depends on it. "No, no, no, no, no, aaah!" The fake fin is closed and we're - falling? Oh gods, we're falling! "Aaaah!" Damnit, me, this is no time to panic! The fin! I pull it out fully, and Toothless sweeps upwards in the nick of time. "Oh my – it's working!" I yell.

It works! It actually works! I pull it to the side and Toothless banks right, in a big arc, and dives back down towards the lake. "Yes! Yes, I did it!" I cry in delight. Suddenly Toothless throws me off. Now he notices I'm here? I tumble into the water – ow – and a minute later, Toothless crashes in the lake as well. Oh…of course. I'm so stupid. He can't move the new fin. I had to make it move for him.

Why did I think this would work? As if I could just make a fin that looked like the real thing and he'd…back to square one I guess. So much for letting him fly free.

"Argh!" Hiccup cried out as the link was unexpectedly severed. Rubbing his head, he looked up at Toothless. The dragon was staring at the ground, lost in thought. "Toothless? Buddy, are you okay?" he asked worriedly. No reply.

Toothless had lived through this memory before, but he'd not really considered it afterwards. Hiccup had worked so hard to make that first tail-fin. He had no idea how difficult forging really was; his rider had always made it look easy. Hiccup's mind had been looking ahead the whole time, as he created the small and complicated pieces of the tail-fin with an ease that was almost instinctive.

That was the incredible thing. Humans couldn't fly or breathe fire or spit acid, they couldn't crush boulders or hear the faintest of echoes to navigate in darkness. Compared to dragons, their bodies were weak and frail, and yet they could stand as equals. It was their minds that were strong. They could imagine, they could plan and create new things, and adapt like no other animal could.

Hiccup hadn't been born knowing how to draw so carefully or forge such small things. He had learned to do that stuff, learned it so well it was almost like instinct now. Just like when he moved Toothless' tail-fin. It was only now that Toothless realised… *You were trying to let me go. To set me free* he said.

Hiccup blinked. "Well, yeah. I shot you down, I just…wanted to fix what I broke. Mind you, I was pretty dumb" he admitted, "not thinking about how you'd actually move the fin. Like you'd just fly off as if nothing had happened…err, bud?" He noticed Toothless gazing at him intensely, and felt a surge of longing.

Before he could ask what was wrong, Toothless reared up on his hind legs, staggered forwards and embraced him. Hiccup managed to stay standing – just. *Don't let go* his other half begged, nuzzling him. Hiccup slid his arms around the dragons neck and held on tight. "I won't bud. I promise" he whispered.

He felt Toothless shift against him, and the dragons scales began to feel more like…skin? Confused, Hiccup pulled back just enough to look…and his jaw dropped. Instead of a jet black Night Fury, there was now a confused looking human standing in front of him, who also happened to be completely naked.

*What's wrong?* Toothless asked, seeing Hiccup's shocked expression. He looked down at himself and blinked in confusion. His hind paws were now a pair of long narrow feet, and now that he thought about it, he couldn't feel his wings or tail, as if they'd gone numb. He'd turned human! *Is that my…? Why is it just hanging out?* he wondered, staring uncertainly at his now unfamiliar anatomy.

Oh, gods. Hiccup still had his hands on Toothless' shoulders in case the dragon-turned-human fell over, but his eyes were firmly closed. "Err, Toothless? You might wanna imagine yourself wearing clothes" he suggested awkwardly.

*What for?* Toothless inquired, having no sense of propriety whatsoever.

"Because-! Oh never mind, let me do it" Hiccup said quickly. He imagined Toothless was wearing clothes like – well, his own – but that would actually fit. Even as a human, Toothless had more muscles than him, go figure. He dared to peek when the feeling of bare skin under his hands turned to leather, and to his relief, found his best friend fully clothed. "Okay. Much better" he declared.

Toothless wasn't listening, too busy gazing at his forepaws. Hands, rather. They were a dark brown colour, with even darker spots on the back which sort of resembled his scutes, but smaller. He could understand why Hiccup turned into a brown Fury, the man had brown hair, but he had turned into a brown human?

Now that he could look properly, Hiccup could see how Toothless appeared as a human. His nose was short and broad, like a snout. The scutes on his dragon body were now darker freckles between and around his eyes, which were a piercing shade of light green and stood out. His hair was jet black, and even messier than Hiccup's, with several tufts of it sticking up and out like ear-flaps.

"You look great!" he said. "You still have a tail, though" he added mischievously.

*I can't feel it.* Toothless tried to look down his own back. No tail in sight. He realised Hiccup was joking, and pouted. *That's not funny* he complained.

"Sorry, I couldn't resist. You do look good, though. It suits you" Hiccup smiled. Toothless smiled as well; except the way he would as a dragon, with his lips pulled back instead of up at the corners. Hiccup snickered and moved Toothless' mouth into the right shape with his fingers. "How do you feel?" he inquired.

*Smaller* was Toothless' verdict. He looked down at his hands again, and remembered how Hiccup had used his hands to create the tail-fin that gave him his flight back. That wouldn't be possible if Hiccup were a Night Fury too. *Hiccup, I think you make a good dragon…but you're an amazing human.*

"Thanks, bud" said Hiccup, touched. "Besides, as fun as flying is, I think I'd miss having opposable thumbs" he admitted. The memories had reminded him of that. Slowly, he raised his hand, palm turned towards Toothless. His best friend slowly lifted the same hand, and they carefully pressed their palms together.

Teaching and Transforming

At first, Toothless just needed to familiarise himself with this form, moving his limbs around to see what they could do. Of particular interest were his hands. He curled and uncurled his fingers, marvelling at the newfound dexterity. Normally he'd only have this sort of fine control over his tail-fins. Speaking of which, it felt weird not to have a tail. Or wings. As if something was missing.

He said as much to Hiccup, who assured him "You don't have to do this. If you want to change back, you can." Toothless was touched, but he did want to try.

*Don't worry. I can get used to it* he decided. *What should we do first?*

Hiccup had several ideas, but first he suggested "You could try talking."

*I am talking.*

"Not thought-speak. I mean talking aloud, like this" Hiccup explained, pointing to his mouth. Toothless was hesitant; it was so much easier to think-speak. Then again, the whole point was to see what it was like to be human, so maybe he should at least try? Seeing his uncertain expression, Hiccup encouraged "It's okay, I can show you. Just…just open your mouth and say 'Huh'. Like a huff."

Toothless opened his mouth slightly and forced air out his throat. "Huh."

"That's it. Now try saying 'heh'. You gotta stretch your lips a little bit wider."

"Heh."

"Okay, then you press your tongue against the back of your top teeth, and make an 'ul' sound. Like this" Hiccup explained, opening wide to demonstrate.

Toothless copied him. "Ul."

"And make your lips into a circle and make an 'oh' sound."

"Oh."

"Great. Now you just gotta put those sounds together. Heh – ul – oh. Hel – lo. Hello. See? Go on, you can do it" Hiccup said encouragingly, smiling at him.

Slow and halting, Toothless said aloud, "Heh…ul…oh. Heh…lo. Hello. Hello!"

"Hello to you too" Hiccup beamed at him. "Well done, bud. I'm proud of you" he declared, and Toothless knew it was genuine. "What else do you wanna do?"

*Can you show me how to draw like you do?* Toothless asked eagerly, *and say your name? And my name?* Talking with his mouth felt weird, but it was fun.

"Of course. And I can teach you to walk, and write, and maybe later you can ride me" Hiccup suggested, before realising how that sounded. "On my back! As a dragon. I mean, I'd be the dragon and you'd be the…you know what I mean."

Toothless' head was tilted to the side in puzzlement. "Why are you blushing?"

Oh, thank Odin. At least Toothless didn't know any human euphemisms. "No reason" Hiccup said quickly, clearing his throat. "It's just, you're always carrying me around…I always kind of wished I could return the favour" he admitted.

Toothless had never seen it that way, but if it made Hiccup happy… *I can ride on your back if you want me to* he said, *and then will you teach me to draw?*

"Drawing. Yes. Let's do that" Hiccup declared. He showed Toothless how to hold a pencil in his fingers, and told him to just doodle at first, making random squiggles and simple shapes. Hiccup also taught him to say a few more words aloud, though Toothless had trouble speaking and scribbling at the same time.

He also had a lot of questions. "Hiccup?" he said aloud to practise, then in thought-speak, *How come my human form has brown skin but you don't?*

"I mean, you're a black dragon, so it makes sense you'd be a black human (1)."

*But this is brown* Toothless insisted. *Can humans even have brown skin?*

"They do in the south, where it's hotter" replied Hiccup. "We could explore there one day. Go to Iberia or Andalusia, maybe even Alexandria and Egypt."

Toothless didn't know where these places were, other than 'south', and from Berk pretty much everywhere else was south. Still, if Hiccup wanted to go there, then go there they would. He looked down at his drawing, or rather at the mess of scribbles, which didn't look any different to what he could make in his dragon form. He frowned. *Hiccup, you said you'd teach me how to draw like you do.*

"I will" Hiccup promised, "I just don't want you to get disappointed if you can't do it at first. I had to practice for years and I'm still not that good" he said humbly. When Toothless looked incredulous – he was far more expressive in this form – Hiccup insisted, "I'm not, really. Besides, I'm not an artist, I just learned to draw so I could sketch out my invention plans better" he explained.

One day, Toothless would convince Hiccup that he was every bit as talented and worthy of praise as his other half believed. *You're still better than me* he pointed out. *Can you show me how to draw a Night Fury?* "Puh-luh-ees?"

Hiccup blinked, and smiled. "Of course I can, buddy. Anything for you."

(1) I know this is politically incorrect, and Hiccup isn't racist, but given the time period and all…just wanted to be sure we were on the same page.