How To Train Your Dragon: Possibilities

4. Birthday: It's customary for a chief's birthday to go down as an annual holiday on Berk. Hiccup isn't sure what to expect thanks his history with birthdays, but he knows exactly what to do for someone who shares the occasion.

Hiccup grimaced looking over himself, his shoulders draped in a formal cloak of thick fur. He tugged at the metal plate fastening the cloak around his neck, feeling like the Night Fury emblazoned circle would cut into his skin from the sheer weight of the thing. He knew it had been tradition for chieftains to wear this sort of thing from what he had seen of the portraits in the Great Hall, but how had they managed to do so all the time? In addition to that, a belt similar to his father's own was worn across his waist, though it had had to be modified severely to actually fit him in the first place. His usual flying leathers had been replaced by the more plain red shirt and pants he had used to wear years ago. The reason for all this? Well, you couldn't show up to a formal event looking like you were going to escape it at any time. At least, that's what he'd been warned by his mother. Hiccup grunted as he finally was able to stop the constriction on his airway with another firm tug, clearing his throat. When he had woken up this morning, doing this wasn't what he had had in mind. On Berk, any excuse to have a holiday or day of celebration seemed to be taken all the time. Back in the days before the end of the dragon war, it had been a welcome relief for the people of the village to forget the fighting and troubles of their little world and lose themselves among good company and friends. It's why things like Snoggletog were almost sacred around these parts. Now, even years since that day when the dragons moved in, that tradition hadn't changed and it certainly wouldn't today. The chief's birthday in particular was held in high regard, the celebration focused on how their leader had matured and helped their people survive another year against the harshness of the world. Or so Gobber had explained the Hiccup when warning him about the fuss of today. Hiccup himself hadn't believed him and was now kicking himself over it.

Hiccup's past birthdays hadn't really been anything to write home about. Most of the time during the war, it seemed like they had been treated more as sighs of relief that he hadn't killed himself from his clumsiness rather than as a celebration as they were supposed to. That mentality had caused Hiccup to try and distance himself from the concept and play down the fact that the eve of his birth was something to be recognized. Even after making peace with the dragons, Hiccup had instinctively tried to spend the last few birthdays out of sight or fly away with Toothless for the day as a present for himself. However, now that he had been made the chief, it seemed like he hadn't really been given the chance this time. And that made him nervous. Not because of the fact he would have to face an entourage of people most likely cheering in his face all day. It was more because he wasn't sure what to expect. A proper celebratory birthday wasn't something he was used to, even now at the age of 21. Whether that was just surprising or maybe even a little bit pathetic, he couldn't say.

Hiccup glanced over his room. The morning had been quiet, even Valka and Cloudjumper seemed to have gotten up way before him to help the village prepare for the day. He could only imagine what a Stormcutter his size could be needed for, making his imagination run wild that there would explosions of hatching dragons and giant banners like Astrid's misguided attempts a few years ago. He shook himself back to reality as the cloak caught his neck again, grunting in frustration as having to adjust it once more.
"Stupid thing..." Hiccup muttered under his breath. Valka had insisted this be worn since it would be the first birthday of his she had been there for and it was tradition for the chiefs according to Gobber. Whether or not Gobber was telling the truth, Hiccup would put up with it for his mother, but he hadn't promised not to complain internally. Once again clearing his throat, Hiccup turned his attention to Toothless. His beloved Night Fury was resting in his usual spot above his heated stones, his back rising and falling with every deep breath he took in his slumber. Hiccup couldn't help but smile to see it, a memory of the first time he had tried to get close to Toothless back in the cove crossing his mind. It seemed an age away, especially now that Toothless would never sleep without him nearby these days. That made him pause in thought. Was he really getting old enough to be nostalgic now? Oh boy. Brushing that aside, Hiccup was glad to see that Toothless hadn't woken and he had no intention of waking the sleeping dragon just yet. It would make things easier for his own plans to bear fruition. He took a few steps towards the Night Fury, kneeling down as quietly as he could manage to gently brush his fingertips over the ridges along Toothless' head. They seemed to have grown even bigger than before, the points on the edges nearly becoming sharp at this point. His other arm rubbed under the dragon's lower jaw, taking note of the gentle bumps that hinted new plates were starting to form there. From that alone, Hiccup knew Valka had been right when she had deduced Toothless' age from them, something he had managed to learn the more specific details of when he had asked. Each plate showed growth of just over 1 and a half years when they were fully formed (give or take a month or two) and despite how small they were, they had been able to confirm among themselves that Toothless and his rider were indeed the same age. Which only made today more important. As Toothless hummed at the touches to his head and shifted his wings for a moment to maintain the maximum level of comfort, Hiccup withdrew his hands to let his friend sleep properly. Now he had to pull off his own plans.

The door to the Haddock household opened to the outside world as Hiccup peeked around the corner. He'd half expected this to play out like when he woke up after the Red Death, a dragon would swoop by and catch him off guard. However, there were no jeering crowds, no masses of people waiting for him to venture outside like he had anticipated. To his luck, most of the village seemed to have already headed into the Great Hall, a bustle of activity easily audible from that direction despite being obscured by the houses.
'Perfect' Hiccup thought. With a grin at his idea actually working as he intended, Hiccup slipped past the narrow gap of the door and shut it behind him as quietly as he could for Toothless' sake. He didn't quite sneak his way along, but he did tread lightly on the ground almost automatically, like he was anticipating half of Berk to pop up with a yelled 'surprise' from behind a house at any moment. His prosthetic glimmered in the morning sun as it pressed into the muddy grass, ruining the work he'd done the previous night. Yes, he'd even had to polish that for today at his mother's insistence, something he hoped was at least worth all the hassle of cleaning at least 5 different attachments thoroughly for it. With the coast seeming like it was clear, Hiccup finally broke into a run towards the docks. He had to be quick to grab his prize and reach the party in good time. Oblivious to the festivities nearly ready, he kept his eyes peeled for any form of ship sitting over the cliff edge, hoping for one in particular to have finally shown up as they had agreed to some weeks ago. As he neared the cliff that lead to the dock walkway, he recognized the sail of the only ship sitting there almost instantly. Once again, Hiccup couldn't believe his luck when it turned out the docks themselves were unmanned as well. He might actually be able to set this up properly! The young chief quickly made pace down the winding structure of wood to the docks, coming up to the side of the ship where its sole occupant should've been. Hiccup didn't see him straight away, assuming he had been obscured by crates and barrels.
"Johann?" Hiccup inquired, his voice still hushed thanks to his mental state of not wanting to be noticed. "Johann, are you there?"
"Oh, Master Hiccup!" a loud voice came booming back. "Oh, my favorite Viking of all the Vikings I've met!" Johann himself finally popped his head up, his hat slightly askew from his effort of rearranging his shipment. As he adjusted it back to normal, the trader noticed Hiccup doing gestures to keep quiet and he did so immediately with a nod. The pair of them had discussed this plan weeks ago when Johann had last sailed here, a small exchange of things that Hiccup had wanted to be delivered and stored away before he had chance to be dragged away by the rest of the village for his birthday. Johann gave a friendly smile, his voice noticeably subdued compared to before. "How time flies, eh? 21 years old and a chief to boot! You certainly have been busy, Master Hiccup."
"Well, you know me. The entire world seems to want to keep me busy" Hiccup answered with a shrug of his shoulders, his gaze occasionally being averted to the dock walkways in case he had been followed. He was sure this was making him seem especially suspicious, but he didn't want to be interrupted before he could set up his idea for later. It mattered too much to him. He focused back on Johann just as the cloak once against caught against his neck, making him choke.
"Uh, having trouble there?" Johann quipped.
"Oh, no, I'm great, totally fine...!" Hiccup coughed, finally pulling the metal plate off his neck for the third time that morning. He needed to tweak this thing sooner or later. "That better be the only problem I have today..." he muttered to himself. "Anyway...did you get all that stuff I asked for? I know it was kinda out of the way and all."
"Oh, sure as this ship sails, I did. Come aboard and take a look!" Johann replied, giving a waving motion with his hand to invite the young Viking aboard. Hiccup took the opportunity, jumping up onto the gangplank and into Johann's ship. The trader invited him over to a particular decent-sized bundle near the ship's cabin, tied up with ropes and fabric to keep the contents from view and (hopefully) safe.
"Everything should be in here, sir. As much I would never pry as to what exactly this needed for, you do make it hard not to wonder!" Johann joked. Hiccup smiled coyly, showing that he wouldn't tell before seeming ecstatic at finally having what he needed in front of him.
'This is so great! Now I just need to hide one of them, give the other stuff to Bucket and wait until after the party for...' Hiccup's thoughts were interrupted when Johann suddenly stepped in front of him wearing a smile of his own. A smile they seemed to scream 'payment' thanks to his nature as a businessman first and foremost.
"Now, before I let you have them, you know it's only fair I ask for something to properly trade, Master Hiccup. That particular sea life you were looking at didn't come cheap! And neither did the paint for..."
"Yeah, yeah, of course...uh, well, what do you want for it?" Hiccup asked. "I could give you some of these Zippleback gas canisters for defense or some of the latest tools we've made using dragon hide as an inspiration for toughness and durability. Maybe even some of the old dragon armor we took from Drago's forces?" Johann didn't seem impressed by the suggestions until a rather sly look crossed the chief's face. "Or I could let Snotlout and the twins look after you on a deserted island someplace. You know, for old time's sake." Johann's tune changed when he gave a sheepish smirk and stepped aside, gesturing his arms as if to present his request without any further hassle.
"S-Say no more, Master Hiccup, far be it from me to stand in the way of what a chief needs!" Johann stammered. Hiccup couldn't help but feel a little smug at that. It felt just a little good to make Johann squirm after some of the problems surrounding his presence over the last few years. He leaned down onto his good knee and took away the fabric wrapped around his delivery, the contents itself split into two specific boxes of different sizes. He proceeded the grip them tightly, silently praying to himself that the cloak wouldn't be his downfall as he heaved his body upwards to carry the burden of their weight. Johann had at least outdone himself on getting a good catch on the larger box. He turned towards the gangplank and took steady, careful steps back upwards.
"Pleasure doing business with you, Johann. Have safe travels!"
"Uh, Master Hiccup?" Johann started, raising a hand. "If I may..."
"I'm fine, really!" Hiccup interrupted. "I'll be able to manage just fi-AHH!"

To his misfortune, as Hiccup made his way back onto the dock and touched the wooden surface of the walkway, his prosthetic suddenly got caught in one of the gaps of the wooden planks, sending him flying forward. He cursed to himself as the package seemed destined to take the brunt of his impact against the ground, bracing himself for pain before he suddenly felt himself being supported. Hiccup grunted as the package was instead forced into his chest and had the wind knocked out of him, spluttering as he was shoved back onto his feet again. As he tugged on his caught prosthetic to get it free, his eyes suddenly locked onto what had saved him. Johann lowered his hand at seeing Hiccup had found what he was trying to warn the young Viking about. Hiccup himself instantly threw on a rather guilty looking expression, though trying to pass it off as a smile.
"A-Astrid! Hey, Astrid, Astrid, hey! W-What are you...?" he started, trailing off when he laid eyes upon her properly. Astrid looked like he had never seen her before. Instead of her usual clothing that seemed equally suitable for flying and battle, she was now dressed in a dark red dress-like outfit, a belt of spikes and skulls wrapped around her waist. A furred hood smaller than her usual choice was fastened around her neck with a skull themed plate similar to his own cloak and her ponytail now trailed down her back with extra braids instead of being off to the side. The headband remained, but of a darker shade than usual. She looked frankly stunning, leaving Hiccup a little dry in the mouth at what he was trying to say. Astrid herself didn't seem too thrilled at the prospect she was adorning this garment, huffing and leaning forwards with a threatening expression.
"Don't say a word. I'm only wearing this...thing because of my own parent's insistence for the first birthday of the new chief. So don't even..."
"I think you look beautiful..." Hiccup managed to say, cutting her off. Astrid paused, her face softening as a trace of a smile seemed to cross her features. Hiccup's cheeks were already turning pinker than her own at this rate, prompting the young man to snap back to the topic at hand.
"I-I mean, uh...wha-what are you doing here?"
"Trying to find the one who is currently missing from his own birthday, actually" Astrid replied, snickering to herself at noticing her boyfriend was rather stuck. Hiccup froze for a moment at realizing he had taken longer than intended at getting his items before he eventually cleared his throat, flicking his eyes down towards his stuck appendage in a silent plea for help. Astrid knelt down and tugged at the leg with her greater strength, forcing it free from the gap and causing Hiccup to nearly stumble over himself again. He barely managed to keep his arms around his delivery when she spoke again.
"Shouldn't it be other villagers getting last minute presents instead of you? What are you doing down here with Johann?"
"Me?" Hiccup blurted out, shifting his arms to maintain his grip on his prize. "I was, uh...just wanting to get this stuff out of the way. You know, just some tiny things I wouldn't be able to get if I was thrown into the party so soon." Astrid didn't seem convinced, but simply smiled at Hiccup either way, taking half of the delivery with the larger box. Even in attire like this, she was still considered the more 'Viking' of the two by far, so naturally the heavier weight went to her. With a polite nod to Johann, she turned and invited Hiccup to follow her, the chief finding his footing properly again now he had less to carry.
"This certainly is bulky for 'tiny', Hiccup. You never concoct plans tiny, not after all the time we've known each other." Hiccup didn't give a response straight away, his mind already occupied with what he needed to still do that day. Astrid turned her head over her shoulder, making them both wait until she got an answer. "You know can tell me, right? I know it must be pretty important for you to be missing your own birthday. Unless this isn't just some excuse to not be seen in that thing" she joked, pointing at the bulky cloak and how out of place it seemed to be when worn by him. Hiccup raised a brow at the irony of her statement.
"Haha, yes, of course, you've found me out..." he retorted dryly. His expression turned serious as he got back on topic. "But, if you must know, I suppose it is important. I just...I just wanted to get this stuff and have it ready for later." Hiccup finally explained. "I was worried the big hooha was gonna mean I'd miss Johann's ship and then I'd have to wait who knows how long to get it."
"But what's even in here?" Astrid asked, shifting the box in her arms around as if to get a better idea of what was inside them. It almost sounded like water sloshing. As for what was in the other one, she could only speculate.
"They're gifts. Just not for me." Hiccup answered matter-of-factly, walking past her with an increased pace compared to before. Astrid seemed puzzled by the whole affair. Hiccup had his secretive antics over projects, but being so over 'presents' on a day for when he'd get them instead of give them was just plain odd. As if on cue, her partner seemed to sense her confusion.
"Look, I'll explain it all later Astrid, I just need to get that big box back to my house and then the small one to Bucket and then we can go meet all my 'adoring subjects', OK?" Astrid flashed her teeth in a grin as she got the idea, picking up her own speed to then run by him.
"You owe me for helping with this!" she called back as Hiccup watched her in surprise at just going along with his antics, shouting back at her to slow down as they packed up.

Mere minutes after having successfully hidden one of the packages in his house and delivering the other to Mulch and Bucket, Hiccup was now stood outside the entrance to the Great Hall. Astrid stood by his side, having to nudge his body to check he was still in there. The pair of them hadn't moved since they had first arrived here and Hiccup seemed almost nervous of what would wait inside for him.
"You alright, Hiccup?" Astrid asked him, a tone of concern obvious in her voice.
"Yeah, just...don't know what to expect" Hiccup said. "People aren't going to jump on me or anything are they?"
"I don't think Vikings are known for being really 'ambushy'. We're much too loud for that." With a chuckle, Hiccup shook his head and adjusted his cloak once again, extending out his arm to take Astrid's own.
"Shall we, milady?" he asked with a joking pouting face. Astrid nodded with a similar pouty look of mock royalty before devolving into a giggle and following Hiccup's stride. As the pair approached the gigantic doors of the Hall, Hiccup let out a bit an exhale to steel himself and eventually pushed against their heavy frame. Almost immediately he was greeted with noise.
"The chief is here!" he heard Gobber say from somewhere in the crowd before an enormous cheer rang out into the reverb filled space of the hall from Viking and dragons alike. Already, the sound of traditional music from to the side was playing out into the room as it seemed that the party was in full swing even without the guest of honor present. Typical for a Berk holiday. Hiccup could only really smile with the warm feeling he got at the effort, though the amount of people here specifically for him did make him feel a little singled out. He rubbed the back of his head as he walked further inside with Astrid in tow, occasionally nodding in thanks to people for the greetings of 'Happy Birthday!' and their dragons for their rumblings of similar sentiments put his way. Maybe celebratory birthdays weren't such a bad thing after all. Moving to the centre of the hall where tables full of food and decorations lined the space in front of the fire pit, Hiccup was met with the smiling faces of the other riders, Gobber and also Valka. Cloudjumper watched from behind them with curious eyes at the scene, almost a little bewildered as to why the humans were making such a racket. The Stormcutter's wings moved for a moment, a fact that seemed to surprise Cloudjumper as well, just as a black shape appeared into view and slipped out from under it. Like a case of dejà vu at seeing a dragon run towards him during a holiday, Hiccup was greeted with the sight of a now very awake and very excited Toothless, the Night Fury running in from the under Cloudjumper's wing with a pleased series of growls and grumbles. Astrid chuckled and took a step back to make room for the hyperactive dragon.
"Toothless! Hey bud, I was wondering if you'd managed to make it here!" Hiccup exclaimed, reaching his arms forward to run around Toothless' head when he came close. His dragon cooed pleasantly, pushing his cheeks into his human's hands with a content flutter of his wings. He gave a playful roar and nudged Hiccup in the stomach, his eyes big with a wag of his tail to accompany their look. Before Hiccup had a chance to speak again, the dragon suddenly raised up on his hind legs and then shoved his snout downwards towards Hiccup's head. As a wet noise of drool against human hit the air, the group behind Toothless couldn't help but laugh at the dragon having pulled this trick off twice during a holiday now. As Night Fury slobber dripped from the now damp spikes of his hair and despite being on the cusp of objecting to this not being washable once again, Hiccup felt something bulky resting on his head. He reached his hands upwards and took it down to get a better look, another creeping sense of dejà vu running through his body. It was a brand new helmet this time though. Instead of being the typical dual horned affair, it was more a helmet-like version of his racing mask. The metal structure was ridged with dragon-like spikes along the middle from front to back and finished with the same color as his armor. A much less aggressive looking helmet for an equally less aggressive chief, but one that fit him much better as a Night Fury tamer.
"You can thank me for the handiwork and your mum for gettin' him to do that!" Gobber called from behind the group, obviously with a mouthful of food. Hiccup shook his head with a snicker as Toothless twitched his ear plates, seeming like he was waiting for an answer. Was it OK? Hiccup beamed warmly as his friend, resting his forehead against the dragon's own and nuzzling it softly.
"Thank you, bud" he started, enjoying the pleasant tingle of the Night Fury's rumble running through his skull. His voice turned quieter, as if to make sure only Toothless could hear. "Now, just give me a little time and I'll return the favor." Toothless seemed intrigued by the words. Return the favor? For what?

Gobber suddenly barged his way into the front of the small group with a yell. Or was it just his attempt at a song? Hiccup couldn't tell.
"Aye, lad, Happy Birthday! I swear it wasn't that long ago you were threatening to blow yourself up near the forge fire! Now look at ye! Chief of Berk and with a girl of all things around your arm! Surprised it's not that dragon honestly."
"Heh, uh, thanks, Gobber. Hopefully I won't be doing any near death things today though."
"I should hope not! Unless you plan on stuffing yourself with all this food and drink. It won't eat itself, you know!"
The other riders all rushed forward before Gobber had a chance to continue, shouting out their usual cocky cheers and greetings. Ruffnut and Tuffnut had gone all out on their appearance by giving each other the most outrageous face painting jobs of sickly green and yellow Hiccup had ever seen. Snotlout had given the almost inevitable 'birthday beats' to Hiccup's back, almost knocking the wind out of him like the crates did on the docks. All 21 times. Fishlegs' present had been much less painful, a collected assortment of his dragon card collection focusing on the species Hiccup himself had helped to name and classify. And Gobber, when he had finally gotten the chance to break through the rush of youths, had gifted Hiccup with a new prosthetic attachment, this particular footing having spikes built into the bottom to act as a better grip during icy and snowy weather that wouldn't be too far behind today. It didn't take long before Valka stepped forward as well, reaching out to take her son's hands in her own. She pressed a small object into his palm insistently to make sure he knew it was there.
"Happy Birthday, Hiccup. I hope this'll be the first of many I'll be able to be here for" she said sweetly, leaning towards his cheek to gently kiss it. Hiccup's smile only grew broader as he loosened his grip around the object to examine his gift. As he opened his hand, his eyes grew wide at what he saw. It was another small toy, similar to the one that she had made all those years ago for him as a baby. It was colored jet black, the tiny wings, red tail fin and brilliant green button eyes making the resemblance to Toothless more than obvious.
"My skills might be a bit rusty with things like this, but I hope you like it. Maybe first of a collection, eh?" Valka spoke with a hopeful tone. Hiccup opened his mouth to speak his thanks for the toy, but was unable to for the longest time before he eventually hugged his mother back with a tight grip.
"Thanks, Mom, I...don't have the words" he responded, his teeth showing in a broader grin as she ruffled his hair. Cloudjumper voiced his approval at the scene with a nod of his head and a deep rumble. Valka bowed her head downwards and let her son go, just as a voice from the musicians began to slow their playing.
"Attention everyone! For the first time in years, I think it's time for the chief to lead!" Hiccup seemed utterly puzzled by what that meant even as Berk erupted in noise at the idea. Isn't leading what he did everyday? He couldn't figure it out until he noticed the crowds make a bit of a wider space in front of him to reveal his next 'present'.

Astrid was now standing a few feet away from him, an arm extended out towards Hiccup just as he realized that the music of the room had stopped, the hushed whispers of the other Vikings watching the scene being the only other noise in the Hall. Astrid herself seemed a little impatient for whatever it was that was happening. He suddenly felt very self-conscious at that moment, his initial worry of being made a fuss over rising to the surface again now his initial joy at the gifts had worn off. All these eyes on him was something he should've been used to by now, but he couldn't deny how it made him feel inside. He focused instead on Astrid and took a few steps towards her with curiosity as to what she wanted. Naturally, the way she looked today wasn't making his self-consciousness go away.
"Uh, Astrid...?" Hiccup asked, taking her hand before he was suddenly tugged towards her with a firm pull. He grunted as he nearly slammed into her, the young Viking girl resisting the urge to laugh at his clumsiness before she altered his position to be ready for something. He had a feeling he knew what it was.
"Astrid, w-what are you doing? You know I don't..."
"I'm only going to do this in public once, so make sure it goes right."
"H-How is this 'leading'? Did you plan this?"
"I wasn't even told this had to be a thing until a few days ago! I don't like it anymore than you do, but... a chief has to be able to dance at his own birthday."
"Dance...?! I can't...you're...this can't be a real thing!" Hiccup fumbled. He just knew something would've made him fluster today somehow. How come Dad never had to do this during his birthdays? As the crowd waited in anticipation and reinforced to him that this was a real event, it took Hiccup a few moments to realize why his father had never done this in past years. Because of his mother's absence. Suddenly feeling a tinge of guilt at being so quick to dismiss the idea and seeing how the villagers seemed excited at the prospect of reviving an old Berk tradition, Astrid brushed his cheek to bring him back to reality.
"It's just one song, OK? Now get ready" she ordered, her face showing a mixture of her usual gentle nature around him as well as the serious threatening kind not to mess up for the sake of their dignity. Hiccup simply nodded his head with a sheepish grin when the music began to start up. He didn't realize this was a test he had to pass, apprehension rising in his gut. However, the moment the first chord of the pipes hit his ears, he knew instantly what the song was and what was expected.
"I'll swim and sail on savage seas..." sang the crowd, that first line making Hiccup suddenly feel a well of emotion growing in his chest. It was his parents song. And at hearing it, he seemed to lose all doubts about dancing to it from that fact alone.
'I guess this is for you, Dad' Hiccup thought as he swallowed his nerves and rose to the challenge of what was expected from him. He raised his arm up and crossed against Astrid's own, mirroring his father's actions nearly a year ago when he had met Valka again in the Sanctuary after 20 years apart. They switched arms and began to pace around each other as the song continued, the Hall beginning to clap and sing aloud with a chorus of voices only adding to the moment. They hadn't seen such a thing for so long that it only added to festive spirit. The pair of them were mis-stepping all over the place given how they were more adapted to riding dragons than dancing to a rhythm, even more so as Hiccup struggled to remember what his parents had done when he watched them all that time ago. But from the way that the pair of them were laughing at their mistakes and generally just having fun, Hiccup had to admit that celebratory birthdays were something he had taken too long to get used to. Better late than never, right? As the pair circled each other for the final line and ended in that pose that involved Hiccup picking Astrid up into the air, he somehow managed to make his muscles co-operate and lift her substantially skywards (much to nearly everyone's surprise) before letting her down gently. The roar of applause that followed threatened to shake the Hall down from its volume. Hiccup stared at Astrid, the pair of them panting a little from their little exertion as well as red in the face for actually doing something like this. The moment seized Hiccup's body as he leaned forward and pressed his lips against hers in a move that actually made her be surprised for a change. Astrid eventually surrendered to the gesture, pressing back just as firmly as she held the back of his head for support. As she broke away, she smiled at him.
"Let's never do that again. At least not in public."

The rest of the night carried on much as Hiccup had expected after having grown to like the focus on having a good time. Many a drink was had, many a banquet too, and it had all left him nearly exhausted both physically and mentally from what the night had given him. His face still felt hot from sharing the dance with Astrid, even though it happened hours ago. Though he hadn't gotten up to do it again since, he had sat with Toothless and watched the others try their luck with various traditional music he could remember glimpses of from his childhood. He even saw Gobber try his luck at doing so. Hiccup could only assume that the drink made him brave enough. As the evening ticked on by and the energy began to die down the more the night rolled in, the village began to disperse back home and Hiccup had followed suit after a parting kiss from Astrid. Right now, he was currently walking back to the house with Toothless in tow, a hand resting on the Night Fury's head as they walked. Now it was time for his own gifts. He just hoped that they would go down as much a treat as his dancing apparently did. As the pair of them opened the door to head inside, a fire still lit generously from Valka before she had left this morning, Toothless rumbled and jumped his way up to the top floor using the roof supports as a climbing frame. Hiccup shook his head with a laugh and took the longer and more casual route up the stairs like a normal person, just as Toothless had scrambled over the edge of the floor to sit near Hiccup's bed. Letting out a heavy sigh of relief at giving his neck a rest from the cloak by letting it fall to the floor, the young Viking sat down on his bed and rubbed his hands through his hair.
"Looks like we survived another year, bud" Hiccup summarized, Toothless shuffling his own body forward a little to brush his snout against his human's hands. Hiccup returned the affection with a flurry of scratches over all of his dragon's favorite spots, the Night Fury's tongue lolling form the side of his jaws in approval. As he broke off from the scratching, Hiccup raised a hand to command Toothless to wait and hopped off of his bed. He knelt down and reached his hands under the small wooden frame to pull out his box from Johann earlier whilst also being thankful that the second one he'd delivered to Bucket had been put here as well, Toothless tilting his head and then leaning down to sniff in inquiry as to what they were. Hiccup shoved them to the side in front of Toothless' claws, causing his dragon to give a questioning rumble.
"Toothless, I know today's been all about me. You know, my birthday, being the chief and everything" Hiccup explained, the dragon twitching his ear plates at every word. "But ever since we met Mom back at the Sanctuary, I had no idea we were the same age. And I didn't really want to be the center of attention all day, bud. So I got these." Hiccup started with the bigger box first, prying away the lid with a tug and allowing Toothless to peer inside. The dragon suddenly licked his lips with an excited wiggle at seeing the box's contents. It was a substantial catch of rare Arctic salmon, the fish preserved decently in partially melted ice thanks to some secrets Johann had learned from the fisherman who caught it. Toothless crooned, his claws batting at the ice to break it apart and seemingly thoroughly amused with the shards of frozen water that doused his claws. This was some of the tastiest fish he'd ever eaten before and Hiccup had managed to get a whole box full! Hiccup could only laugh at the scene, gently turning his dragon's attention back to the second box. It was much smaller than the other one, about the size of a small shield, and Toothless couldn't sense there was any food inside it. Hiccup tugged at the lid with a grunt of exertion, throwing it to the side. Toothless was quick to pry his nose in, his eyes crossing inwards a little to have a good snoop inside. The dragon retracted his head, switching his gaze between the box and Hiccup with another croon. He seemed a little touched at what he had seen. Hiccup's smile couldn't be hidden as he carefully removed the box's contents. Inside was a shield itself, the same kind of shape as the ones that made up the portraits in the Great Hall. And a portrait was indeed upon it. Having enlisted the services of Bucket to paint it during the day with some careful instructions from Mulch, the shield had now been decorated with the sight of Hiccup and Toothless stood side by side to one another. With a map in one of Hiccup's hands and his other reached around to rub under a glowing blue Toothless' chin, the portrait seemed like it was fit to hang in the Great Hall itself.
"Bucket spent most of the evening painting it. Said he was happy to do so since loud noises from parties apparently make the bucket itch." Hiccup explained with a shrug. "Anyway, Mulch suggested it be called 'Two Alphas'. A bit grandiose, but I think it works. Don't you, bud?" Toothless nodded his head with an equally toothless smile, nudging his head forward to rub against Hiccup's chest. His human had gone through all of this trouble for him on his own day of celebration? It made the Night Fury feel like he could lick and snuggle the young chief all night in gratitude. Hiccup would have no objections to the fact, but instead focused on calming his dragon down enough to return their attention back to the fish. He broke one of them free from their icy prison and raised it to Toothless' jaws.
"Happy Birthday, Toothless" he said simply, just as Toothless snatched the fish from his fingers and savored the flavor with a satisfied growling. The Night Fury shifted a little onto his hind legs and suddenly scooped Hiccup off the ground as he licked his lips, squeezing the Viking to his scales with an affectionate whining noise. Hiccup spluttered at being grabbed, but managed to reach up and hug around Toothless' neck, closing his eyes to focus on the warmth of his friend's internal fire. As Toothless relaxed, Hiccup suddenly heard the telltale signs of his dragon choosing to share his food, a sudden wet heaving noise piercing the quiet of the moment as half of the eaten salmon flopped to the ground. Toothless nudged the fish towards Hiccup as he was put back down, waiting expectantly. Normally, Hiccup wouldn't usually consider doing it, but you had to make sacrifices for birthdays. He'd learned that today alone. Though he partially grimaced at the prospect, Hiccup picked up the drool covered fish and took a bite, thankful that the powerful taste of the fish was stronger than the feeling of the slimy surface. Toothless, pleased by the action then went back to his normal sitting position, sticking his face into the box of fish to get some more out to eat. Hiccup smirked and continued gently rubbing around his dragon's neck, staring up through the space in their roof at the stars.

This had been one of the best birthdays he could remember. Even more so now he knew he could share it with his best friend.