A/n: This is based off movielover48's idea, but I've actually already written a Hiccup and Toothless comforting each other after dad-related nightmares chapter (number 14, to be precise), so this is still a nightmare, but a different one with different effects.

Hiccup flinched backwards, watching on in helpless horror as his worst nightmare was carried out. Toothless was being attacked, viciously, by just about everyone Hiccup had ever met. He let out a panicked gasp as Astrid stuck a sword into the defenceless night fury's wing, twisting it with a cruel smile on her face.

"Stop!" he cried again, pushing through the arms of the Viking that had previously been restraining him. "You'll kill him!"

"That's the point." Snotlout shot back, pulling out a mace with a grin similar to Astrid's. Hiccup growled at the response, fighting through the masses of people - and a few dragons - to get to his friend.

"Enough!" Stoick yelled, bringing silence to the mob. "No more fooling around: finish it."

"Gladly," Valka smirked, holding up a fang from her bewilderbeast - the only thing not invited to the let's-kill-Toothless party, on account of it being too dead to accept the offer - and bringing it down directly on Toothless's heart.

"No! Toothless!" Hiccup yelled, leaping forwards to get in the way of the incoming fang, impaling himself on it in the process. A sear of pain flashed through him - originating from his leg rather than his chest, for some reason - and the world flashed to black.

Hiccup woke, drenched in cold sweat and panting. It took him a few pain-hazed seconds to realise that he was in his room. Next, he worked out a more accurate description of his position: lying on the floor, on top of his painfully twisted leg. He winced as he repositioned himself, then remembered what he'd been dreaming about.

"Toothless!" he whispered sharply, staring at the dragon. He was fine, of course - it was just a nightmare - so Hiccup could relax. Instead, he crawled over to Toothless's side and leant against it for the rest of the night.

Toothless was starting to think that something was wrong with his rider. For starters, Hiccup had refused completely to leave his side. While normal that they'd spend most of the day together, Hiccup wasn't one to let his own wants and needs inconvenience others. That said, Toothless was certain that he'd be suspicious even without the other things. As it stood, there were other things, too.

Hiccup had that tired glaze his eyes took when he'd had one too many sleepless nights, yet there wasn't a single sheep torture method in the form of a new invention in sight. He kept glancing around, as though he expected someone to jump them in the middle of the crowded street.

'What's wrong?" Toothless eventually asked.

'What? Uhh... nothing!' Hiccup lied, badly. 'I'm fine...' he chuckled nervously.

'Nightmares?' Toothless guessed. The way his rider looked slightly to the side said it all. 'What happened?' Toothless asked, his previous anger melting away to sympathy.

'People were attacking you.' Hiccup revealed. Well, it explained the over-protectiveness.

Toothless smiled. 'I'm the alpha, the unholy offspring of lightning and death itself, remember? It's you we should be worrying about - the scrawny, one-legged Viking!'

Hiccup returned the smile with a weak one of his own. 'Thanks bud.' he said, eyes still downcast, 'It's just - everyone ganged up on you. They nearly had you killed, and everyone just -'

'It was a dream.' Toothless reminded Hiccup with stern warmth. 'Now get back to work so that Astrid doesn't have a go at me for distracting you.'

Hiccup nodded and turned to the villagers milling about.

'Hey, wait! I'm coming too!' Toothless yelled, bounding after Hiccup.