Dragon Friend (sequel to the dragon boy) Chapter 20 - The Almost Favourite
frostcup fanfic

Authors note: posting this quick before I go camping no one to say muh so hope you enjoy please review and see you on monday(sorry about the wait)

Hiccup's eyes widened in shock. He couldn't change back- they were stuck. There were no more dragons on the island. Those who hadn't fled, taking the hatchlings with them, were under the control of the black Bewilderbeast. All except Toothless- he was their only chance- and now he was stuck as a flightless human.
"What do you mean you can't do it?!" He repeated, slight anger building, from the worry and pressure of everything.

It wasn't just Jack's life on his shoulders (he wasn't in any real danger, but spending your life under the control of the tyrant Alpha wasn't a life at all), but if Drago got his way- and with his dragon army there was no way to stop him- he'd take over all the Viking islands, even the Outcasts and Berserks.

Toothless looked, sadly, at his feet, and shuffled them about, nervously.
"Don't know how." He answered, helplessly. Hiccup felt his anger melt away. He couldn't take his stress out on Toothless, it wasn't fair- none of it was his fault.

"How did Funny boy do it?" He asked. Hiccup froze, how had Jack done it? He'd shared minds with the Sky Dragon, how could he not know?
"I don't know, he just sort of... did it." He admitted.

Toothless' face scrunched up again in effort, but still nothing was happening.

Valka came to her son's shoulder, and whispered the one thing he was dreading the most.
"What if he can't change back?" She whispered. Hiccup had been trying not to think of that- they were doomed if it was true. "If Jack wanted to protect him, he... it might be permanent." She finished. Hiccup had the horrible suspicion she might be right, it sounded all too possible. But he couldn't give up. He had to believe it was possible.

He left his mother's side to go and talk to his dragon. He placed a hand on the boy's shoulder.
"Toothless?" He muttered, the green eyes looked up at him. "Maybe you're thinking about it too hard. Try, just, feeling it." He removed his hand. The dragon closed his eyes, and relaxed. When he opened eyes, he looked down.

He was still a kid.

"Have you tried picturing yourself as you were?" Hiccup suggested, beggining to get the feeling something wasn't quite right, but he didn't know what.

The dragon nodded his head, quickly, black hair getting shook everywhere. A piece of it fell in front of his eyes, and he stared at it in wonder, reaching his hands up to examine this latest new discovery about his human self.

Hiccup realised what was bothering him. Toothless wasnt getting stressed, or worried, by his failed attempts- only a little upset at disappointing his master. He might never be a dragon again- he'd never be able to fly again! Why wasn't he panicking?

Hiccup watched as he held bits of his hair in front of his eyes, and grinned at them.

He was enjoying being a human too much, Hiccup realised, that was that the problem.
"Toothless." He started. The dragon looked immediately at him, messy hair springing back into place. "Do you want to be a dragon again?" He asked.

The Night Fury went silent, and only bowed his head, but Hiccup knew his friend well- he didn't need words to understand what he was thinking. He didn't. Not really. Something was holding him back, something that made him want to stay human.

"Why?" He asked, looking at the boy who'd been his friend for all these years. The kid looked up, eyes sad- even a little ashamed. "
Can talk to Hiccup now." He murmured.

So that was the problem. To some people that might not seem like much, but those words told Hiccup more than the fact that Toothless liked to talk.

Ever since they'd met, Toothless had wanted to speak to him. He hated not being able to give him reassuring words when he was upset, make him laugh with a passing comment. There were some things that could be said without words, but at the same time, sometimes they made things so much better- so much easier. Toothless had so much wanted to be a part of Hiccup's world, to be able to talk to him, but he couldn't, and that had always upset him.

Especially when Jack came along.

He liked the dragon, he was a good friend of his. But, although he tried to hide it, he couldn't help but feel a little jealous of the Sky Dragon. He could talk to Hiccup- he could tell him jokes to make him laugh, or use them to stop him from being sad. Toothless couldn't do that, and he'd always felt a little left out because of it. Like he wasn't a part of their little group. He knew that Hiccup and Jack shared something different, but, sometimes he thought it was better than what he and Hiccup had. Sometimes he thought Hiccup prefered the white dragon to him, and didn't like him the same. They could chatter away in their minds, whereas he was stuck giving them looks, or grumbling slightly.

Now he could talk to Hiccup. He felt closer to the young Viking, a bigger part of his life, and he didn't want to leave that behind. He didn't want to go back to living in the fear of being Hiccup's second best dragon. The almost favourite.

Hiccup understood all of this from those simple words, and he was surprised. He reached out and placed an affectionate hand on the boy's shoulder. Toothless' eyes looked at him, lost and seeking guidance.
"Hey, you've always been able to talk to me, bud. I just don't reply as much as I such." He confessed. "But me and you, we share something special. We don't need to be able to talk, we don't need words. We know what each other are thinking, anyway, and we don't even need a trust bond to do it. You're special to me bud. I'm sorry if I ever made you feel different, when I was with Jack, but him and me, that's something else. It's different- we share each other's minds, and stuff, 'course were gonna be close. But whatever happens, whoever comes along, you'll always be my favourite, bud. No one, and nothing will ever change that. Besides, you and your little ear slaps, and blah blah blahs, you never let a little thing like words stop you before. You just keep on talking."

The dragon's eyes were getting really big, and a little damp, now. Oh no, he was gonna go all soppy on him. His face split into a broad grin, and he threw himself at his rider.

Hiccup found himself bowled over by big, overemotional Night Fury. He couldn't stop the idiot grin spreading all over his face as a big pink wet tongue slid repetitively up his leather armour. The pink sponge mercilessly covered his face in slime, and stuck up his hair at funny angles. He was wet and slimy, but he couldn't stop laughing, as the soft, sandpaper tongue covered him in dragon kisses,
"Alright, alright... Toothless." He managed, as he giggled uncontrollably. "Come on, bud, you know it doesn't wash out." He told him, the black dragon pulled away to look at him with adoring eyes, before nuzzling him with his broad, flat head. "Yeah, I know, bud." He muttered, smiling.

Valka came running over.
"You did it!" She exclaimed. Toothless gave her his big dragon grin- it looked so much better on his big, wide mouthed face- and started nodding happily. He turned back into a kid again.
"Uh huh, uh huh, uh huh- look!" He said, before jumping back into a Night Fury again. Valka laughed happily, as she saw it. Toothless turned back into a kid.

Hiccup sighed, that really wasn't necessary. He didn't need to keep changing all the time- then again, if he couldn't stop Jack switching every five seconds after five years, then he didn't stand a chance with Toothless.

"Come on! Come on! Come on, let's go!" He urged.
"Hold on. We don't where we're going, or what were going to do." Valka was saying, Hiccup was only half listening.

He was picking up a small object that had fallen out of his pocket from the dragon kiss attack. He remembered a similar thing happening earlier, and suddenly had a horrible feeling he knew where Drago was headed.

"Yes we do." He muttered, looking at the little, wooden piece. That morning, when he had released Jack from the trappers, his dagger he used for sharpening his pencil had fallen out his pocket... and the way Drago had reacted when he saw Hiccup landing in front of him. He hadn't been surprised at all- he'd been expecting them.

Hiccup turned to his mother, and dragon.
"This morning, when we got away from Drago's trappers, I lost my dagger." He started. "That dagger had the Berk crest on it." He told them. Valka's eyes widened, as she took in his meaning. "...and he knows that there are more dragon riders there, that might try to stop him."

Hiccup looked both of them in their shocked faces.
"Drago's going to destroy Berk." He told them.