Alright guys and girls, here is the next chapter! Oh, and happy birthday to my reader Kristy Annabelle Cullens! I hope you like what happens in this chapter! Sorry if it isn't written very well though, it was my first time writing anything like it...you'll see what it is near the end of the chapter XD
As per his usual routine, Hiccup awoke early on Monday morning. It was approximately seven o'clock when he got out of bed and showered. He realized something felt off when he was brushing his teeth, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. When he was getting changed it hit him: he didn't have school anymore. Stoick had said that he was going to stop paying his tuition, and since he delivered on every other threat Hiccup assumed that one would be no different. In fact, Hiccup wouldn't be surprised if Stoick had called the university to specifically withdraw him from his classes to get a partial refund.
Deciding that anything would probably be better than sitting in his room all day, Hiccup grabbed his new phone and went out into the hall. When he looked down the hall, he noticed Toothless' door was open. Remembering what Toothless had said the night before, Hiccup decided to walk over to the door and see if Toothless had already left.
To Hiccup's surprise, he had. Toothless must have left really early. Hiccup supposed he was in a rush too as he had left his bed unmade. Not having anything better to do, Hiccup went into the room to make the bed.
During his tour on the first day, Toothless had never actually shown Hiccup the inside of his room. The door had been closed and Toothless had just pointed to it. It was at least twice the size of Hiccup's, probably about 400 square feet. It was painted a deep shade of purple and had windows on both of the outside walls. It had its own bathroom that looked exactly like Hiccup's but this bathroom was only used by the one bedroom. The sheets on Toothless' bed matched the walls, as did the pillows. Hiccup made the bed and made extra care to make sure it looked perfect. Satisfied with his work, he left and closed the door behind him, heading downstairs.
When Hiccup arrived in the kitchen he opened the fridge to see what the breakfast options for that morning were. It was still pretty full but he noticed a few necessities missing that they really should have. Hiccup noted that he would have to ask Toothless for some money for groceries.
That thought made Hiccup pause. He loved Toothless, but he realized if he just kept getting money from him, he'd have none of his own. What if they broke up? He would be in an even worse situation than when Stoick had thrown him out. He really needed to find a way to get some money, just as a safety net. But how he would do that without Toothless noticing he had a job would be hard.
Deciding to think of a solution later, Hiccup resumed his hunt for breakfast. Spying some Greek yogurt and raspberries he got out a bowl and a spoon. Just before he started he remembered seeing some granola in the pantry and decided to sprinkle a little on top.
Breakfast passed quickly and after he washed his bowl and spoon, he wondered what he would do. He was just about to leave the kitchen when he noticed a piece of paper on the corner of the counter. Picking it up he realized it was a note from Toothless.
Will be back late tonight. I realize the fridge may be missing some foods you may like, so here is my debit card in case you want to pick some stuff up.
Also in the note were the pin number and the directions to the nearest grocery store, which happened to be 24 hour. Deciding he had nothing better to do, Hiccup made a list of things he thought he should get and headed out.
Hiccup took about thirty minutes at the store, picking up everything from basics they were out of like milk to spices and meat. When he got to the front he took the items out of the cart and put them on the conveyor belt.
"That'll be $67.43. How will you be paying?" the middle aged cashier asked.
"Debit please," Hiccup responded, pulling the card out of his pocket.
"Would you like cash back?"
Hiccup paused at this. He realized this may be the answer to his concerns from earlier. He could open a private account at another bank and just take some cash back whenever he could until he had at least a few hundred dollars saved. The thought of doing it made him feel bad, but he really didn't want to be left with nothing in case the worst came to pass. But then again, he would be quite literally be stealing from his boyfriend, who was also in the mob.
The cashier repeating the question snapped Hiccup out of his thoughts, and under pressure he said, "Yes please. Twenty dollars." It wasn't much, but it was an amount Toothless probably wouldn't even notice. Hiccup entered the pin, grabbed his bags and cash, and walked out.
When Hiccup returned to the apartment, he immediately put the groceries away and hid the twenty dollars in his room. He would open a bank account when he had collected a little more. When Hiccup had found a spot he deemed suitable to store the cash, he glanced at the clock and realized it was just barely 10 am. He still had the whole day ahead of him and Toothless wasn't going to be back until later. He started wandering the condo looking for something to do. As he walked he seemed to look at everything a little closer, noticing the dust here and the scuffs on the walls there.
As he wandered the spacious condo aimlessly he eventually ended up outside the upstairs hall closet. Opening it randomly he saw the washer and dryer, as well as a vacuum, a Swiffer broom and dusters with some pads, and some magic erasers. Well, he had nothing better to do.
Hiccup spent the whole day cleaning and even figured out how to get Toothless' massive speaker system playing some of his favourite music. It was great because there were speakers wired throughout the entire house. Fortunately most people would be at work so Hiccup wasn't likely to get a noise complaint. He started by dusting the entire condo, dancing along to the music like a commercial. Hiccup left no nook, no shelf, and no knick-knack undusted. Then he moved on to vacuum the entire place and Swiffer all of the hard surfaces. Finally, Hiccup searched every wall high and low to find all the scuffs to use the magic eraser on. Hiccup had never had a problem with cleaning, but even so it felt like it went by extremely quickly with the music keeping him entertained.
After he was done, Hiccup moved on to the bathrooms. He left no surface un-scrubbed and un-lemon scented. When Hiccup finally sat down in the living room he noticed it was four o'clock. He also noticed he had a text message alert on his phone.
Hey, hope you haven't been bored all day without me. Just letting you know I'll be home around 6:30 in case you want to do something.
Hiccup realized that by the time Toothless would return he would have been out working for at least twelve hours that day. He may have spent a good chunk of the day cleaning, but that didn't stop him from getting a burst of energy from his next idea. He was going to surprise Toothless with dinner for when he got home. Jumping up he ran over to the kitchen to come up with an idea.
When Hiccup started cooking, he decided to flip on the television so that it wouldn't seem so quiet. He flipped on the news right as they were doing the weather. He listened to several news stories with things ranging from protests over the destruction of a park to the latest scandal at the mayor's office. One story that really caught his attention was that of a store owner who had been shot several times in the leg during what was called an attempted robbery. It caught Hiccup's attention mostly because Hiccup knew the store. It was a local convenience store that Hiccup went to a few times before the owner's rude attitude finally made him stop. It was actually just around the corner from the condo. Regardless, Hiccup continued his cooking.
He had it timed perfectly. Now all he needed was Toothless to be right on time. Seeing how he always was Hiccup didn't doubt he would be walking in right at 6:30. Hiccup had set the table and was just taking the food off of the stove. He had made basic spaghetti in a basil tomato sauce. He went with something basic because in reality, he didn't know exactly what Toothless liked to eat yet. While he had been cooking the answer to Hiccup's previous question of why Toothless had such a well-stocked kitchen if he never cooked became obvious: all the food was either stuff that lasted a really long time (like dry pasta and tomato paste) or that could be eaten by itself (like the Greek yogurt or the berries).
It was precisely 6:29 when Hiccup set the food on the table. In retrospect he hoped that Toothless hadn't picked up take-out or that would be awkward. It was precisely 6:36 when Hiccup became concerned. Normally six minutes late was nothing, but at every planned meeting he had ever had with Toothless he was never short of exactly on time, every time. At 6:37 he was fiddling with a fork and about to text Toothless, but just before he took out his phone he heard the sound of keys being inserted into the front door's lock and the door open.
"Hey Toothless," Hiccup called from the dining room, around the corner from the front door. "I hope you didn't buy anything because I made…"
Hiccup saw Toothless and stopped talking. Without even realizing, Hiccup dropped the fork he had been holding and gasped. Toothless was on his knees, clinging to the bench by the front door. He kicked the door shut and screamed in pain when he twisted his side. The turn was enough for Hiccup to see exactly why too. Toothless' side was dripping blood, and Hiccup could see the rip in his suit and the red stains. He had quite obviously been slashed with a knife of some sort.
He didn't even need to think as his instincts kicked in. This was one of those times that Hiccup was grateful for his first aid training. He wasn't a doctor but he could help Toothless until they could get to one. Hiccup immediately went straight for the first aid kit under the sink in the main bathroom. When he got back he helped Toothless get his jacket and shirt off so that Hiccup had better access to the wound. Hiccup had started undoing the buttons but Toothless just pushed his hands away and ripped the shirt off, buttons flying in several directions. Hiccup immediately took out the disinfectant wipes and used them on the wound to help prevent an infection. He then covered the wound in some gauze and tried to hold the sides together while exerting pressure. Toothless screamed in pain once more but Hiccup knew what he was doing was for the best.
"Toothless, is this a stab wound? You need a hospital, like now," Hiccup said, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible.
"No, no hospital. Can't leave evidence," Toothless groaned. Hiccup wasn't sure what that meant but he wasn't going to ask for clarification right now.
"Toothless this is a bad wound. We can't properly treat it here. You NEED a hospital, and stitches."
"No, no hospital. But I do have a doctor that owes me." It wasn't ideal, but it was better than nothing.
"Where's your phone? I'll call them."
"No need. Upstairs. 2402."
After instructing Toothless to keep the pressure on and not to move Hiccup bolted for the stairs. He didn't have time to wait for the elevator. He made it to the unit in less than thirty seconds and was immediately pounding on the door. A few seconds later an older male opened the door with an unimpressed look on his face.
"Who are you and how did you get in here?" he asked. "You're interrupting my dinner."
"Downstairs. He needs a doctor. Needs stitches," Hiccup said between pants.
The colour drained from the doctor's face instantly, which gave Hiccup hope that he understood. Without a word, the doctor turned around, grabbed a case from inside the apartment, and said, "Lead the way."
They flew back down the stairs, but when they re-entered the nineteenth floor unit Toothless was nowhere to be found. Fortunately a trail of tiny blood droplets was. If Hiccup hadn't been so concerned for Toothless he would have been upset since he had just cleaned those floors. They followed the trail upstairs and found Toothless struggling to climb up onto his bed.
"Toothless what the heck is wrong with you?" Hiccup screamed. Toothless just let out a grunt as Hiccup and the doctor helped him onto the bed. As soon as he was lying on the bed with his head propped up an a couple pillows the doctor washed his hands in the bathroom and got prepared.
"OK, what happened and what have you done so far?" the doctor asked. When Toothless said nothing, Hiccup piped up.
"It looks like a knife wound. I used some disinfectant wipes and told him to keep pressure on it."
The doctor nodded and turned back to Toothless. "Alright, I have the materials for stitches but I don't have any anesthetic or numbing agent, so this is going to hurt. A lot."
Hiccup got an idea and ran to the kitchen. He grabbed a wooden cutting board (the one not labelled "raw meat") and brought it upstairs. Just before the doctor got started Hiccup gave Toothless the cutting board and told him to bite down on it. He also offered Toothless his right hand, and while he didn't take it at first, he took it by the second stitch. Hiccup was glad he gave him his right hand because he thought for sure with how hard Toothless was squeezing that he was going to break it. But Hiccup stayed quiet through the pain. Right now he had Toothless to worry about, and he was pretty sure Toothless was in more pain than he was.
It took the doctor twenty minutes to do all of the stitches. Toothless needed fifteen of them in the end. It felt like the longest, most silent twenty minutes of Hiccup's life. The only sounds had been Toothless' occasional pained grunts. When the injury was wrapped more sturdily in bandages, the doctor told Toothless to stay still while he spoke to Hiccup. Fortunately he looked like he was going to listen this time.
As the doctor started making his way out, he explained to Hiccup that the knife didn't hit anything vital and that for the next few days he should change the bandages every night and apply some Polysporin. After that he should be fine, but he should avoid strenuous activity for a while. He also gave Hiccup a pain killer pill he did have. Hiccup thanked the doctor for his time as he shut the door after him.
Hiccup was going to go back upstairs, but as he passed by the dining room he quickly made two plates, grabbed a tray to carry them on as well as some cutlery, and returned to Toothless upstairs.
When Hiccup walked into the room, Toothless was in the same spot as when Hiccup left him. At least he had listened to the doctor. Hiccup thought he really should send the doctor a thank you, even if he did owe Toothless.
"Hey. How's it going?"
Toothless managed to let out a chuckle, and that was music to Hiccup's ears. "I'll live."
"Good, then I can say this," Hiccup started as he set the tray of food down on the nightstand. "If you EVER do that again, I will personally finish you off, got it?" Hiccup asked, trying to muster all the intimidation he could. Unfortunately it wasn't very much since Toothless still managed to chuckle at that.
"Yes, Hiccup," Toothless drawled. "Now that smells really good and I haven't eaten yet."
Hiccup shook his head but grabbed a plate and gave it to Toothless with the cutlery before he grabbed his own. Hiccup sat down on the bed on the other side with his own plate and they started to eat. It was a little awkward for Toothless since he was mostly lying down but Hiccup wouldn't let him move right away. He managed to pull it off in the end.
"So, are you going to tell me what happened?" Hiccup asked.
After he swallowed, Toothless said, "It's probably best you don't know."
Hiccup didn't argue. But Toothless' answer didn't stop him from asking his next question.
"Am I allowed to know why the doctor owed you?"
"Sure. A few years back he owed the gang money. He was on the hit list where if he couldn't pay at the next meeting, he would be killed. Personally, while I don't like anyone to be killed, I especially didn't want a doctor to be killed. So, I gave him the money to pay back his debt. In exchange he was never to borrow from anyone but a bank again, and he helps me out if I ever need it. Like today for example."
"So this wasn't the only time he'll owe you if you need it?"
"No. He's basically on call to me whenever he's not at his office."
"Well that's convenient."
"This is really good by the way," Toothless said, effectively changing the subject. Hiccup decided to let it slide.
They finished eating and Hiccup gave Toothless the pill from the doctor. Afterwards Hiccup got up to take the dishes back downstairs.
"Here, I'll help you," Toothless said, starting to move as if he were getting up.
"Oh no you don't!" Hiccup nearly screamed as he hastily put his plate down in order to jump over to Toothless and put his hand on his chest, keeping him down. "That doctor said no strenuous activity, but I'm telling you until further notice you are not getting off this bed."
"But Hiccuuuuuup," Toothless jokingly complained like an eight year old child being punished.
Hiccup was unmoved, responding with a cool, "No."
"Fine, fine, but I'll be bored in here alone."
Hiccup started collecting the dishes once more as he said, "I'll be back in a few minutes. I'm just going to do the dishes, then I'll come right back, OK?"
"You have sixty seconds before I come down looking for you."
"What?" Hiccup asked, confused. He didn't get much of a response though.
Toothless smiled as he started counting backwards, "fifty-nine, fifty-eight…"
Fearing Toothless was serious Hiccup grabbed all the dishes and sprinted downstairs as fast as he dared. He threw all of the dishes into the dishwasher and whatever he couldn't he put in the sink. He'd wash them tomorrow just in case. He bolted back upstairs and re-entered the room right as Toothless hit the number six.
"I'm back," Hiccup panted, "Gods help you if you move."
Toothless laughed, and Hiccup really was grateful that in his current state he could laugh. He walked over to the bed and laid down beside Toothless again. Hiccup reached for the remote and turned on the TV. They settled for watching the Robert Downey Jr. version of Sherlock Holmes.
Part way through the movie Toothless wrapped his arm under Hiccup's neck and around his shoulders, and Hiccup shuffled a little closer into Toothless.
"Hey Hiccup?"
"Yeah?"
"I just wanted to say thank you."
Hiccup was confused. "For what?"
"Everything, but especially today. If it weren't for you I may not have even gone to that doctor downstairs, and who knows what could have happened." As he said this he turned his neck to face Hiccup directly.
Hiccup turned to Toothless and said, "You don't have to thank me. Of course I would do that for you. I don't like seeing you hurt. Quite frankly I was really scared for a while."
Hiccup didn't expect a response, but he especially didn't expect Toothless to ask, "Why?"
Hiccup though carefully on his next answer. He could be safe and just say, "Because you're my boyfriend," but that didn't seem to cover it. This was the man that (with one obvious and understandable exception) had never been anything but nice to him. This was the man that took the time to get to know Hiccup. This was the man that took an interest in his life. This was the man that gave him a place to live when he was thrown out of his old place. This was the man that truly appreciated Hiccup for everything he was. This was the man that Hiccup felt the most comfortable around. Hiccup knew what his answer was going to be.
"Because, I love you."
Toothless suddenly got the largest smile Hiccup had ever seen on him.
"I love you too Hiccup."
Hiccup wasn't really in control of what happened next. It was almost like his body was on autopilot. He started leaning a little closer to Toothless, and Toothless did the same. Hiccup's breathing picked up a little but it stayed under control. When they were just a couple centimetres apart Hiccup's eyes started to close, and a second later Hiccup could feel Toothless' warm lips on his own. For a split second Hiccup was in bliss.
Then he felt Toothless' tongue on his lips. Hiccup's eyes popped open for a split second in surprise, as did his mouth, which opened with an airless gasp from the unexpected move. That was all the time Toothless needed. He let his tongue enter Hiccup's mouth, brushing along his upper teeth and nudging his tongue. Hiccup feared for a moment that they were going too far too soon, but then he decided he really didn't care. This was amazing, and after a few seconds Hiccup pushed his own tongue into Toothless' mouth.
Toothless was pleasantly surprised and turned his head a little more to deepen the kiss. He used his tongue to explore the inside of Hiccup's mouth as Hiccup did the same. At one point, Hiccup brushed his tongue over Toothless' slowly, eliciting a small moan from the man. They continued to kiss and they both lost track of how long they had been at it before they had to stop for air. When they did they were both mildly panting.
Just then, Hiccup felt a wave of exhaustion come over him and he put his head down on Toothless' bare chest. Toothless chuckled and started running his fingers through Hiccup's hair. After another minute or two Hiccup still hadn't moved, and Toothless realized that sleep sounded quite appealing right now. He grabbed the TV remote by his side, turned off the TV, and turned off the lights. He gave Hiccup a quick kiss to the top of the head, whispered a quiet, "I love you," and went to sleep himself.
What the heck is a kiss? How do you even? I don't even know...I hope it wasn't entirely awful. If it was, well, this was the longest chapter in the story so far so enjoy that XD
Next chapter: On or before December 23
Toothless is strong, but he still needs more painkillers! The more people review, the stronger the painkiller he gets. Please don't let poor Toothless suffer...