Disclaimer: I don't own HTTYD

Courting Season

The year was 1060, and springtime on Berk was as busy as ever. Between all the sowing, shearing, lambing, calving, and chopping timber for trade, the farmers were practically run ragged. The dragons helped where they could, but they were busy with something just as important – courting and choosing mates.

Young drakes sought the approval and attention of their desired females, and the drakainas were looking for suitable males with which to have eggs. Normally it was a perfectly reasonable affair, but this year was different. It would also be a hatching season, so the ones who hadn't mated yet were a little more intense than usual, looking for the ideal match with which to have and raise a clutch.

One day, quite early on in the season, a green and pink Spike-Tail drake sought the Alphas out. "Hi, Tourmaline" Hiccup greeted, recognising Stormfly's mate.

*Hello, alphas* he bowed, *I wanted to ask you something. It's about Stormfly.*

"You can ask us anything. What's wrong?" inquired Hiccup, scratching him under the chin. Tourmaline purred blissfully before remembering himself.

*Where is the island full of wild human prey-birds?* he asked, much to the bewilderment of the human petting him. Toothless was rather confused too.

*You mean chickens?* he asked. Tourmaline clicked a 'yes'. *Have we been to an island full of wild chickens?* Toothless inquired of Hiccup, who snickered.

"They'd be feral chickens, and I think Tor is talking about Dragon's Edge. There were plenty of chickens running – or waddling, I guess – around there. Stormfly knows where it is" he told the Nadder, "you could ask her to lead you there."

*I can't, Alpha-Hiccup* Tourmaline insisted, *I want to give her lots of chickens for a courting gift* he explained, *but I can't take the chickens from humans.*

Toothless explained *You need to fly north and a little bit east. It takes a day to reach, but try to rest on a sea stack. One of the islands on the way is full of Spine-Twisters and the other is covered in blue-death flowers* he warned.

"You'll know it when you see it" Hiccup added, "cos from the air the island looks kind of like a dragon curled up around the mountain. Take someone with you, okay?" he prompted. "Like Pincher, maybe. Just for our peace of mind" he said.

Tourmaline thanked them both and flew off. A couple of days later, he and Stormfly's clutch-brother returned with a feathery courting gift for his mate.m

Toothless spotted one of Berk's farmers waving his arms at them, standing outside of a sheep-fold, and landed nearby. Sven was scowling, and his wife Thistle was cradling a lamb in her arms, looking worried. "Hiccup! You've got to help. They're all gone. Our poor flock, sheep-napped in the night by dragons. Them scaly beasties aren't supposed to do that naemore!" he exclaimed.

"How do you"- before he could even finish, Sven stepped aside and gestured to the door of the sheep-fold. It was hanging off the hinges and heavily scorched, quite damning evidence for dragons breaking in. "Okay, but that doesn't mean dragons took your sheep. They might have just wandered off over the island." Whilst the humans talked, Toothless padded over to sniff around the building.

Thistle protested "Yes, because they were scared out of their wits by the dragon blasting down the door! And aren't you supposed to have them all under your thumb by now?" she demanded. Hiccup suppressed a sigh. He'd long since accepted that being alpha also meant being blamed for what the dragons did.

"I promise we'll figure out who did this and make sure they answer for it" Hiccup assured them, "but don't worry about your sheep. Every dragon here knows they're not to be harmed." He and Toothless had taken pains to teach this to their flock. The chickens, sheep and yaks were not to be hunted, ever.

Sven asked, "what if it weren't a dragon from Berk?" His eyes slid past Hiccup and widened. "Scorchblade!" he exclaimed, hurrying towards his Fire-Scale, who was trying to land and safely put down the sheep in his claws at the same time. "There you are, I was worried sick! Where in Thor's name have you been?"

Scorchblade was about to reply, knowing Alpha-Hiccup would translate for him, until he realised his rider was talking to the sheep. Humans were strange. *Is something wrong?* he asked. *I spotted them on the cliff and picked them up.*

*You did the right thing* Hiccup praised, walking over to give Scorchblade a pat, *A dragon broke into the sheep-fold last night and they got out* he explained.

Toothless joined him and asked *Did you see or hear anything, Scorchblade?*

*I didn't, Alpha-Toothless. Truth is, I didn't sleep in my nest here last night* the drake admitted. *I slept in Firewick's nest instead.* The latter being his mate.

Hiccup nodded. "Hey, Sven?" he called, making the farmer look around. "Isn't there something you want to say to Scorchblade?" Hiccup prompted. A second passed before Sven got the hint and came over to thank his dragon properly.

"Thistle? Scorch and I are gonna look for the rest of our babies. You keep taking care o' their babies" he told his wife. She waved him off, insisting that she had it under control. Sven and Scorchblade took off. Hiccup looked over at Toothless.

*I can smell a Twin-Head drake* his other half announced. *It smells a bit like Barf&Belch, but not quite the same. So it's probably one of their offspring.*

"I guess that narrows it down a bit" Hiccup sighed. There were quite a few living on Berk and all of them would be big enough by now to take at least one sheep. "I just don't get why they'd bother. I know everyone wants courting gifts, but our flock is perfectly well aware that they're not allowed to steal the sheep."

*Wanting to mate does a lot to stop someone thinking clearly* said Toothless.

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. "Speak from experience, do you?" he inquired.

*I'm just assuming from what I've seen of you and Astrid* the Swift-Wing answered coolly. *I could set your bed on fire and you two wouldn't notice.*

"Oh, shut up. Can you track our rogue Twin-Head down or not?"

*It's too faint by now, and I can hear better than I smell. Which is still too much around here* Toothless complained, snorting at the rank odour of manure. Hiccup mounted up, and they went in search of someone who could pick up the trail. Skullcrusher was a good bet, since there weren't any other Chargers around for him to court. Sometimes Hiccup wondered if that bothered him.

At last they found the culprit; it was Leak&Bang, who had taken four of the sheep – including the Svensons prized black ram – for their new mate, Trick&Treat. The ovines seemed no worse for wear, resigned to their fate as the four heads snuggled up to them. In other circumstances it would be cute.

*But Alpha-Hiccup, they're so soft* Treat whined when they confronted the pair – quartet? – of dragons. Trick nuzzled her chin against the black one and said *We were going to put them back, honest. We just wanted to cuddle them.*

"Don't try to use the hatchling eyes on me" Hiccup said firmly. "If we've said it once we've said it a thousand times, you don't. Steal. The sheep. Now, here's what the four of you are going to do. You're going to bring these guys back to the farm where they belong, you're going to apologise to Sven for stealing them, and if you ask nicely, he might let you have some sheared wool."

Despite their reluctance, the Alpha's commands were law, so the Zipplebacks returned the pilfered sheep. Once Hiccup had explained the situation, and they were sure all their flock was accounted for and unharmed, they were gracious enough to forgive Leak&Bang, as well as give Trick&Treat some spare wool.

On another day, Hiccup and Toothless flew out to Dragon Island. It was much more chaotic than on Berk; without any humans to be mindful of, their subjects living here were being much more vocal and enthusiastic about their courtship displays. One Fire-Scale named Scarburn was performing an elaborate sky dance with a drakaina called Phoenix Fire, both of their bodies wreathed in flames.

Toothless-Hiccup soon came across a much more subdued Fire-Scale – whom, much to their alarm, had his head down one of the cracks in the ground. He was still breathing, and his scales weren't dull, but he slumped. Hiccup dismounted and walked over, taking a minute to think of the drake's name. "Err, Charcoal?"

The black and orange drake hastily pulled his head out of the fissure, yelping when his horns clattered on the sides. *Oh, hello Alphas. Don't mind me.*

"Is something stuck down there?" Hiccup asked, trying to look down the crack.

*No, just my hopes and dreams* Charcoal sighed dramatically. *Don't worry about me, Alpha-Hiccup. It's too late for me now* he declared. Hiccup began to get worried, but Toothless knew this particular dragon was a bit of a drama queen. So he asked if Charcoal was sick or injured, then they could help him.

Charcoal replied *I am hurt, Alpha-Toothless. My heart…is broken* he groaned.

Toothless rolled his eyes. Hiccup was a lot more sympathetic. "Well, emotional pain counts too, I guess. What's got you so upset?" he asked, before remembering the time of year. "Oh…bad rejection?" he asked, wincing.

*The worst. Phoenix – my beloved Phoenix – chose Scarburn as her mate instead of me. What does he have that I don't?* the drake demanded, flaming up. Hiccup took a step back from the sudden burst of heat, and Charcoal put himself out, crooning apologetically. *Sorry, alpha. I didn't mean to scare you.*

"Don't worry about it" Hiccup assured him. "I'm sorry about Phoenix. But it's not the end of the world" he said reasonably. Charcoal still looked doubtful.

*Of course not* added Toothless. *There are plenty of Fire-Scale drakainas in our flock, you can always court one of them* he pointed out reasonably.

Hiccup shot him a you're not helping glare. "What Toothless is trying to say is, just because it didn't work out with Phoenix doesn't mean it won't ever. There's still time. You should never give up on love" he said fondly. He never had.

*I give up on life!* Charcoal wailed dramatically, plunging his head down the crevasse again. *Alphas, be merciful. End my suffering* he begged them. Even Hiccup rolled his eyes a bit at that. Being upset was one thing, this was another. As soon as he'd put his head in, Charcoal pulled it out again. *Wait, you're the Alphas! Couldn't you just…tell Scarburn to go away?* he asked hopefully.

"You know we can't do that" Hiccup reminded him.

*I mean, we could* Toothless mused, *but we shouldn't.*

Hiccup sighed. "We can't because it would set too much of a precedent. And besides, whoever Phoenix chooses as her mate has to be her decision. If you really care about her, you'll respect her choices, even if you don't like them."

Charcoal sighed, head drooping. *I just….don't understand why she didn't pick me. Would I not be a good mate?* he wondered, whining miserably. It made Hiccup's heart twist. He reached out to Charcoal and rested a hand on the drake's orange splotched snout. "Of course you would. I don't know why she didn't choose you, but you know what? That's her loss, cos you're amazing."

*…Really?*

"Yep" Hiccup nodded. "You're kind and thoughtful, and one day someone will choose you to be their mate and you'll be very happy together. But you can't find whoever that drakaina is going to be with your head buried in the ground" he pointed out with a smile. Charcoal perked up, jaw gaping slightly in a dragon's grin. He stopped slumping against the ground and sat up properly.

*You know what? You're right! I can't give up on finding a mate. I'm gonna keep trying, and one day I'll find the perfect drakaina, and I'll be the best mate ever!* His passionate declaration was accompanied with him bursting into flames, inadvertently setting a nearby tree on fire. Luckily there were no others nearby for it to spread to. *Thank you so much, Alpha-Hiccup. You're the best!*

"Heh, you're welcome. Good luck!" Hiccup encouraged him as Charcoal took off.

Toothless stretched his wings and remarked *I think that went rather well.*

"Yeah…you weren't much help with that, y'know. Maybe next time one of our subjects is struggling with an emotional crisis, just let me do the talking, okay?"

When the alphas returned from a visit to Outcast Island, they saw Meatlug and Fishlegs hovering near some sea stacks. The pair were clearly waiting for them, and when Toothless changed course towards them she buzzed down to land on top of the rocky spire. He landed soon after and both their riders dismounted.

"Fishlegs?" Hiccup asked, brow furrowed in concern. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes. I mean no. Maybe?" The other man looked as though he'd been fretting.

Meatlug explained *He keeps saying we're doomed, Alpha-Hiccup.*

"What?!"

"What?"

They stared at each other, Hiccup in alarm and Fishlegs in confusion. "Meatlug just said you keep saying we're doomed" the former revealed. "From what?"

"Oh! No, don't worry, Princess" Fishlegs cooed at his dragon, "I wouldn't say doomed, that's err, that's a bit of a strong word…heh…"

"Fishlegs."

"Yes?"

"Look, whatever this is about, I'm sure it's not as bad as you think. Can you please just tell me what's going on?" Hiccup prompted. Surely it couldn't be that urgent, or Fishlegs wouldn't be hesitating and beating around the bush like this.

"Right, sorry. Okay, you know I love hatchlings – but I've counted up as many mated pairs as I can, and how many eggs they'd lay in a clutch. I don't even know what the clutch size is for the new species, could you ask them?" he wondered, before remembering himself. "So then I looked into how much fish we get on average, and how much space we'd need for when they grow up."

"The numbers don't lie, Hiccup!" he exclaimed. "If the flock on Berk keeps increasing at this rate, we're gonna reach a tipping point for how much resources we have." Fishlegs held up two pieces of parchment. "This is how many dragons we'll have, and this is how much space we'll have to put them." One piece said 'TOO MANY' the other piece said 'NOT ENOUGH'. "You see?!"

Hiccup saw, alright. "Fishlegs, relax. You've got nothing to worry about" he said.

"Oh, good. I mean, I'm not worried. What makes you think I'm worried?" Fishleg's poker face was even worse than his, and that was saying something.

Hiccup had to fake a yawn to hide his laughter. "No reason. Berk might not be that large, but there's still plenty of space on Dragon and Outcast Island" he pointed out. "Some of the dragons are partners with students at the Academy from other tribes, they'll go live on those islands. Over the next five years, a lot of the older fledglings and young dragons will leave to form their own flocks."

"Oh…" Fishlegs looked interested, and a bit embarrassed at not having realised this himself. "Now that I think about it, that seems obvious" he rolled his eyes, "I guess I just couldn't see the woods for the trees. Or the sky for the dragons."

Hiccup nodded. "The dragons might not take their own census, but they still know when things are getting too crowded. The flock doesn't want to be low on food and space anymore than we do, not to mention there's more opportunities to find mates the further afield they go" he explained. "Berk is supporting as many dragons as it can, and we'd push it with more – but we don't have to."

"What about hunters? Aren't you worried that if they leave they'll get caught?"

"Of course I worry, but there's only so much I can do. It's not like I can gather up and hide away every dragon in the archipelago" Hiccup shrugged. "That's why the Academy is now training riders from all over the archipelago. With more people on the lookout for them, hunters are going to find it even harder to work around here. And the dragons can always come and ask us for help if needs be."

Fishlegs looked relieved. "Of course. Thanks for clearing things up for me."

"Don't mention it. Anyway, we'd better get going. Alpha stuff to do, y'know."

Hiccup woke up early, as usual. He sighed and began sitting up…then he remembered what day it was, and happily snuggled back down. His eyes were still closed when Astrid and Toothless began to stir. "Hiccup?" she prompted, shaking his shoulder. "It's morning, babe. You planning on getting up at all?"

"Day off" he mumbled.

"It is?" Astrid wondered, puzzled. "For you or both of us?"

"Me and…" Hiccup yawned and rolled over, gesturing vaguely towards Toothless. "I asked Skull and Cloudjumper to keep an eye on things for the day."

Astrid looked over at Toothless. "Did you know about this?" she asked him.

*No* he shook his head, walking closer. *Why are we having a day off?*

Hiccup chuckled and sat up properly. "You forgot about today, didn't you, you silly dragon" he said fondly. "It's alright. We have been pretty busy lately."

"*What day is it?*" both Toothless and Astrid demanded in perfect unison.

With a fond smile, Hiccup stroked Toothless' nose. "Happy heart bind day" he replied. The dragon's eyes widened in shock. Of course, it was the same date this year as the one they'd heart bound on. He couldn't believe he'd forgotten, and nuzzled Hiccup apologetically. Astrid merely sighed in mock exasperation.

"Have fun on your day off, then. I'll just go and do chiefing stuff, shall I?" she asked. Hiccup gave her a sheepish grin. He had forgotten to tell her, after all.

"I'll make it up to you on our anniversary" he promised her. "You don't have to leave right now. It's early. You could have a lie in, cuddle…" he gave her a kiss.

Toothless rolled his eyes hard. Humans. He waited until they were thoroughly distracted before calmly announcing, *I just set your bed on fire.* Sure enough, they didn't respond. Toothless went outside to relieve himself. When he returned, they were still kissing. Didn't they ever stop to breathe? It was supposed to be mating season for dragons, not humans, for Moon's sake.

*The village is on fire* he informed them. Only then did they break apart, turning to stare at him with wide eyes and gaping mouths. Toothless chortled. Hiccup and Astrid realised he was messing with them, and scowled at him.

"Am I not allowed to kiss my wife now?" Hiccup groused. "Someone's jealous."

Toothless stopped laughing and glared at him indignantly. *I am not. If you keep kissing then you'll want to mate, and then I'll have to leave and be bored whilst you two breed like Terrors on our heart bind day* the dragon insisted, sulking. Okay, maybe he was a little bit jealous. If there was any day he should get to have Hiccup all to himself, it was this one. He let them mate every other time!

"Aww, buddy" Hiccup cooed, reaching out to him. The dragon slunk over and pushed his head into Hiccup's arms. "You don't have to be jealous. I'm sorry I got distracted on our special day" he apologised, nuzzling his other half's nose.

Now that Toothless had killed the mood, Astrid decided she might as well get dressed. As tempting as a lie-in seemed, there were things to do. Besides, she needed to use the outhouse. This would normally be an unpleasant experience, but Hiccup had hung a Nightmare-spit lamp from the roof in there, the warmth and smell of which did wonders. Not to mention it was much easier to see.

After she'd left, the heart bound pair just cuddled for a while. It was relaxing, but for Toothless the urge to fly soon grew too strong. He could fly on his own, but he didn't want to. *You wanna go for a ride?* he asked Hiccup, drawing his head out of the man's loose grasp. His only reply was a vaguely mumbled "sure…", but Hiccup seemed to have no intention of actually getting out of bed.

Thus did he take matters into his own fangs, as it were, and pulled away the furs. Hiccup moaned at the sudden chill and curled up into a ball. Toothless licked him. "Agh!" he cried out, flinching in disgust. "Eugh, it's in my ear…so gross…thanks a lot, you useless reptile. For moon's sake, you're a Night Fury…" he grumbled as he tried to wipe the saliva off with his side of the sheets.

"Can we at least stay until my mom gets here?" he asked. She came every morning to look after his and Astrid's daughter whilst they were busy. "It's not like we have anywhere to be" he pointed out. Toothless relented and agreed.

By the time Valka arrived, Hiccup was dressed and Toothless saddled. She was surprised to see them. "I thought you'd be off on patrol by now" she remarked.

"It's the day we heart bound" Hiccup explained, stroking Toothless' head.

"Oh, that's nice. You two have fun" Valka smiled. He kissed her on the cheek and left the house with Toothless. As soon as they were outside, he vaulted into the saddle. His other half took to the air and turned away from Berk, flying out to sea, up towards the clouds that floated like puffy, ethereal islands in a calm ocean. The sky was not so different from the sea, full of currents and eddies.

Currents like the updraft he glided into, letting it lift him in a great surge through and above the clouds. Hiccup wasn't bothered at all; his scale covered flight suit was fireproof, windproof and waterproof. He relaxed back against Toothless' spine, the back of his head and neck resting between the dragons split back fins. With a contented sigh, Hiccup stroked his other half's wings.

Toothless purred with their shared delight, letting the wind carry him, closing his eyes. From the flow of the air across his wings he could tell that this current was running out, and that gave him an idea. He slowly pulled his wings in, angling himself downwards, and he sensed the very moment Hiccup realised.

"Yeeeeeaaaaahhh!" Hiccup yelled at the top of his lungs as Toothless plunged downwards unexpectedly. He grabbed the rear handholds on the saddle and flattened himself; the dragon was going far too fast for him to shift positions. His stomach flipped over as Toothless snapped out his wings, skidding across the air. Hiccup was suddenly glad he hadn't eaten breakfast yet that morning.

Now that Toothless was flying level, he sat up and immediately crouched low again, as if to urge the dragon faster still. Toothless obliged. They climbed back up and looped upside down, twisting in midair at the apex to face the other way, dived again, twisted. Their bodies described a figure of eight in the air, a move they'd been trying to perfect for ages. It was dizzying, but totally worth it.

If there was anything better than flying with his best friend, Hiccup didn't know what it was. The rushing wind, the blurring of sea and sky, the uncatchable horizon. Actually, there was one thing better – flying alongside his best friend. Surreptitiously, he unhooked himself from the saddle, so when Toothless spun…

Hiccup fell, but not for long. He unfurled his own wings, and an unexpected gust sent him higher than Toothless. "Woah!" He found himself gliding above and behind the dragon, in the eddies of Toothless' wings. His other half allowed him to ride on the updraft for a short time, before he sank too low. Then Toothless flew behind him and fired a carefully aimed blast to lift him higher once more.

All the flying worked up a good appetite, so Toothless-Hiccup grabbed some fish and landed on the Isle of Night. Nowadays the name was more fitting, because some of the Night Terrors had been invited to live there. They were nocturnal of course, so the heart bound pair were not disturbed as they ate their breakfast.

Afterwards, Hiccup took off the saddle and began giving Toothless a rub down. At first the dragon just relaxed, purring as his rider scratched and massaged his wing joints. Then he decided that if his other half was grooming him, the least he could do was return the favour. So he twisted round to lick at Hiccup's side.

The man stepped away. Toothless craned his neck. Hiccup climbed over him, insisting. "C'mon bud, hold still." Yet still the Swift-Wing turned round, chasing Hiccup with his tongue sticking out. "I am the dragon master!" Hiccup declared imperiously, wagging his finger scoldingly, at Toothless, who mock-growled at him. "Oh, is that how you wanna go? Bring it on, Night Fury" he challenged.

A lunge, leap back to avoid a swiping paw, feint right then left, dodge a bite. Hiccup knew without a doubt that Toothless would never hurt him; Toothless kept his fangs retracted and claws turned in, so his playful swats and snaps couldn't hurt Hiccup badly even if they did land. Suddenly, Hiccup caught him off guard by throwing himself at Toothless' shoulders instead of dodging away.

Thinking quickly, Toothless started to roll over, only to feel Hiccup clambering over him like he was a log. Hiccup made a desperate lunge for the underside of Toothless' jaw, and scratched the sweet spot. His dragon slumped to the ground with him on top. "HA!" Hiccup panted and stood, placing his foot – gently – on Toothless' flank. "At last, I have brought down this mighty beast!" he crowed.

He put his hands on his hips and puffed his chest out. "Aye, t'was a fierce battle. The dragon was a worthy foe, but in the end its strength and power were no match for my quick think-augh!" Hiccup yelled as a thick black tail knocked him off his feet. Winded, he barely had time to react before Toothless pinned him.

*The mighty and clever Night Fury springs from his ambush and corners his prey, a human who dared think he could get the best of the offspring of lightning and death* Toothless announced grandly. Hiccup was spoiling the effect somewhat by giggling. *And for my revenge…I'll eat you!* he declared gleefully, mock-snapping and licking Hiccup everywhere he could reach.

"Aaaah! Oh gods, help! He's eating me alive! He – he's chewing my arm off! Oh noooooo!" With a lot of exaggerated choking and a final drawn out gasp, Hiccup went limp. Toothless rolled his eyes and stopped gnawing on the man's arm.

*Nice try* he said as he moved away. *I know you're just holding your breath.*

Hiccup breathed in again, and turned his head to watch Toothless burn a patch of grass for a warm spot to lie in. "It's not fair" he complained as he scrambled over to join the dragon, "I thought we agreed, if I make you collapse, I win."

*I don't remember agreeing to that.*

"Well, you did" Hiccup asserted. "And seeing as how I made you collapse before you tried to get revenge, I win by default. So there." He stuck his tongue out.

Toothless side-eyed him, more amused than anything else. *So what now?* he asked, *Are you going to cut out my heart?* The dragon wasn't serious, of course, but Hiccup didn't even want to think about that, let alone joke about it.

"Never" he promised, taking Toothless' head in his hands. "Besides, why would I need to take your heart when you've already given it to me?" he asked. Toothless purred agreeably. Their foreheads rested together. At last, his own words registered. "Wow. That was really corny, wasn't it?" Hiccup commented.

*It's true…and it didn't have anything to do with corn* Toothless pointed out.

"No, it's just a figure of speech. Never mind." Hiccup smiled fondly, before embracing his other half. "I love you, so much" he insisted, pressing his face against warm black scales. Toothless rested his jaw against Hiccup, breathing in his scent, listening to his breathing, feeling his heartbeat. Hiccup did the same.

As much as they loved being the Alphas of Berk, it was pleasant to be alone-together, with nothing to demand from or expect of each other. They knew that in the days to come they would face many challenges, some expected, some they could not even imagine. Today, though – this special day was just for them.