Toothless focused on Blueheart, anticipating what she'd say next. His instincts were telling him there was no need to worry, but he could also tell something was bothering her. What though?
Myrai. You can tell me. Her blue eyes shifted as she formed her words.
I… A pause. I, I love you, Ryvir!
A hush fell over the air as the dragons stopped. Dainom, Vorri, and Ayry turned to face their respective children. The riders seemed to notice the shift in attention, as well as the shift in the air. What just happened?
Wait… you- you do!? Her tail thumped on the stony ground to confirm, but she was still shy.
Myrai! Her father called.
Did… you just tell him, you love him? Her mother demanded in astonishment. Blueheart grimaced.
Yes… I did. And I do. I have for a while… actually.
So I was right! Ayry cheered from behind Dainom.
Well, I guess you figured I liked him. We're not mates, though.
Not yet, anyway. Toothless smirked. Blueheart grinned back but with an eye-roll.
"Well, I dunno what just happened but it seems Blueheart and Toothless are acting shy, or she is at least."
"Toothless isn't shy when it comes to expressing if he likes a dragon-" Hiccup cut himself off as soon as he said it, slowly turning to Zyrah. And the realization hit them.
"Oh, my gods our dragons love each other!"
"Love in the air, in the wrong place." Tuffnut chimed in.
"Not the time, Tuff!" Astrid scowled.
"Hiccup, listen, this may be beneficial!" Fishlegs began.
"What?" Came both Hiccup and Zyrah.
"Think about it, if your dragons really are attracted to each other, this could be our chance to observe Night Fury mating behaviors! We know the habits of other species, save for Star Chasers…" Ana glared at Fishlegs for that, "But, we're here, surrounded by hundreds of Night Furies! We ought to take advantage of this opportunity!"
"Y'know, he does have a point." Konall agreed, "plus, I mean, Blueheart would be very happy with that, I'm sure."
"Not to mention, it'll be benefitting the species!" Astrid added.
"What's better than that!" Rurik enthused with a wide grin.
Konall placed a hand on Zyrah's shoulder in comfort, sensing her change in demeanor.
"Hey, she's still your Blueheart. Nothing can change that. She trusts you, now it's time for you to trust her. Let her follow her heart and her instincts."
"I'm inclined to agree," Hiccup chimed in, "it's never easy, but, whatever makes them happy… whatever makes Toothless happy, I'm always there to support my best bud. We both want the best."
"I know. And you're both right." Zyrah paused for a moment, allowing the new situation to sink in.
"Plus, hey, you guys know you're welcome to visit Berk whenever you can. And now, so we can let these two see each other." Hiccup added.
"Yeah… Yeah!" She beamed.
With that settled, Hiccup made his way to Toothless, removing the saddle, much to the surprise of the wild Night Furies surrounding them. He then went to reconfigure the gears of the prosthetic, an upgrade Hiccup had added recently, to allow Toothless to fly on his own if absolutely necessary.
"You got this bud, blow her away." That done, the group made their way to their dragons, save for Hiccup and Zyrah, who hoisted themselves onto Stormfly and Lightbolt's saddles behind their partners.
"You guys, take care of them. We'll be waiting near the shore when they're ready." He announced to the Night Furies with a beaming grin.
The dragons took off, circling around and disappearing over the treeline.
As soon as they were gone, tensions lifted, mostly. Now, Toothless had to contend with a Night Fury male nearly twice his size.
Evidently, you won't have to fight for her. But you will have to prove yourself. Dainom informed.
Even as a kid, she always made things difficult for males her age. Blueheart's brother, Covrin, snickered.
Covrin. Dainom growled as a warning, shutting his son up immediately.
I can handle myself, and this is just fine. Blueheart groaned. I'm not a hatchling anymore.
While that's true, there are still traditions that must be upheld. Vorri reminded.
Mom, I've got this. I know what I'm doing.
Somehow, that sounds like a threat. Toothless commented, hoping his nerves weren't obvious.
It's not. Blueheart chuckled, gods he was cute, c'mon. She gestured for him to follow her, hovering above him. He held back, however, nervous about his tail.
Myrai. I don't know about this.
Ryvir, don't let their opinions get to you. You already know you're worthy of me. Just be yourself. I promise. She assured with a warm smile. It's just a formality. You and I can spend some time together in a bit.
He processed her words, gazing up at her in assurance. Ha then spread his wings, and took flight, flying side by side, together.
The dragons flew their riders back to the beach and resettled back into their camp. Astrid first had something to ask Hiccup.
"Hiccup, have you always had that mechanism for him?" He froze, not expecting it to be a big deal.
"I uh-"
"Why the fuss? It's nice that Toothless has some flight freedom, y'know?" Rurik commented.
"No, no. You don't get it. It is a big deal." Ana replied, crossing her arms.
"It's the second time I've let Toothless fly on his own," Hiccup explained, his smile dropping.
"Second time?" Zyrah repeated with a raised eyebrow.
"It was our first Snoggletog after we made peace with the dragons, and my dad had gifted me a helmet. During a flight, it was knocked off by migrating dragons. Long story short, I chose to make Toothless a specialized prosthetic that allowed him to control the fin movements, and he left. I thought he was with the migrating dragons, but after he returned with my helmet, he destroyed the tail; choosing to fly with me, as one."
"Oh… wow…" Zyrah breathed out.
"Just one of many examples of what our dragons are willing to do just to be with us." Fishlegs beamed, giving Meatlug a loving scritch under the chin.