When catching sight of the massive mountain, connected to the greenish lands of the isle, when viewing the brightened with the torches village, when reaching the Berk, the target, only then had Toothless relieved, finally. It wasn't any wonder, actually - he'd been flying through that darkened sky for hours already, bathing inside the moon's glare, his wings expanded widely, and while he'd never experienced the weariness from the flight before, he did now, with the excess ballast.
He'd done everything to talk her out of that, after all, she'd only just eaten, only just recovered her strength, but she'd not allow him to deter herself, and so, she'd flown under her own steam, just beside him, stubbornly. Well, of course, for the record, she'd managed to get through a rather lengthy distance's segment, nonetheless, somewhere through the way, the exhaustion claimed her, and she'd outright passed out in midair, luckily on his back.
Hence, the female Night Fury in between his wings, purring calmly, smuggling into the scales on his neck, and, once by once, he'd been gazing at her, observed the curled dragonness, not only once provoking the accident. Needless to say, he could've not helped himself, must've constantly glanced, must've looked at the gentle face of hers, as if having an angel, treasure that he'd watched over, which was the rather half-truth.
Soon yet, he'd acquired the morbid backache, that's why, even if never keen on the Berk, at its sight, the bliss flooded his body, the pain faded, and his wings thrust him onward, without further fatigue nor difficulty. At that point, he'd allowed the gentle wind to lower him, the pines' needles to tickle, the forest's trail, trodden at the footing underneath, to lead his eyes, until finally reaching the dreamed, the desired - the cove.
No matter how much he'd tried, how much he'd slowed down, how long he'd glided when landing, he'd not avoided Hiccup's waking up, and so, when at the ground, the female squirmed, blinked her eyes, notwithstanding his ask to further sleep. Again, he'd done everything to talk her out, but she'd always been stubborn, unyielding - next thing, she'd been standing beside him, stretched herself whilst taking in the sight of the overshadowed cove, ceasing her eyes at the entrance, eventually.
His eyes were locked on her constantly, so he'd noticed it when she'd tensed suddenly, staring at the exit, her expression screaming anxiety, and thus, he'd approached her, gazed at her whereas she'd not, then spoke.
"Would you like to go home?" he proposed, and she sank in herself at the word home itself. "I can walk you there-,"
"Could I stay here for the night?" she asked quickly, fixing her eyes at him rather beggingly. "I want to stay here, with you."
Consequently, he'd not needed to answer, neither to nod nor anything other, he'd just beamed, nestled his head onto hers, and finally, she'd seemed to soften, nudged her snout into his neck, shakily exhaling, yet smiling.
Sooner than later, having forced Hiccup to rest underneath the orange-red oak, Toothless took the matters onto himself, hence, much aware of the female's constant stare at himself, approached an ailing birch. Afterward, maintaining his front paws at the tree's bark, he'd detached the branch, his fangs clenching the wood which he'd shortly brought to the oak, then inflamed it, assembling the fire, that rather instantly warmed Hiccup up, just as he'd hoped.
Subsequently, having done everything, he'd walked behind her, streamed his snout through the female's core briefly, before laying beside her, wrapping her smaller form with his wing, and relaxing, at last. One would've expected him to fall asleep on the spot, yet he stayed awake, much aware of the female, who didn't sleep, stared at the muddled flames of the fire, as if empty-minded, either rigidly fully-minded.
Under normal circumstances, he'd maybe even ignored it, allowed her to process everything by herself, however, those weren't normal circumstances, she'd been hurting, therefore, he'd suddenly commanded, "Change, please," and upon their short, glance exchange, she did.
Afterward, they'd both been sitting ahead of each other, and Hiccup's very human eyes were gaping at Toothless's, confused, before finally, the man, having a very worried expression, did the move, hugged her, much abruptly and firmly. Before she'd known it, she'd been surrounded by the board arms, pressing her deeper and deeper into the owner, who cradled his face in her hair, and she'd permitted that, curled into him herself, leaned her cheek against his heartbeat.
"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry, for putting you through all this," he whispered, his heart racing when he did. "I should've just said everything, I should've just been honest, I should've just-," he stopped, once exhaling, not very knowing what to say, anymore.
"Toothless, I ain't blame ya, really," she admitted, circling her arms around his stomach, letting her eyes travel to his face. "Ye've done, what should've been done. Ye've shown me the risk-,"
"I should've done it differently," he murmured, clenched his jaw hard, infuriated at himself only.
"Ye've done it just as it should've been done," she pressed, inching away just so as to gaze at him, frowning her brows at his glimmering, lowered eyes. "Seein' somethin' will always be better groundin' than hearin' about."
"You're hurting only because of me," he pointed out, gazing at her, blamefully.
"I'm not hurtin', and even if, not because of what I saw, but what I realized!" she yelled, and as her words hovered over them, as he'd gaped at her baffled, explained, "We'll not get rid of the curse."
"You don't know that."
"We must kill her, in order to prevent the raids, right?" she queried, then, when he'd answered with a nod, looked away. "How we'd even do that?"
"We'll figure something out."
"I'd not be so sure about that. Toothless, I-," she doubted, paused just so as to glance at him, and regretted it, viewing only the concerned face of his. "I barely withstood-, What I'm talkin' about, I didn't even withstand the week on my own, didn't manage to survive one, single week! H-How would I ever-!"
"You would, Hiccup. You would," he pressed, snagging her hands into his, stared at her even if she'd refused to herself. "We'll handle it, you'll handle it! Sunshine, I know you."
"Ya know me," she snorted, not very convinced, doubtful, actually. "For two months, only."
"Yes, for two months, however, throughout knowing you, for those fucking two months, you've been-, you've been my entire world," he confessed, jerking their hands, forcing her to gaze at him, and so, theirs shimmering eyes met. "Hiccup, you're the most annoying, troublesome, cranky person I've ever met, not even mention, how damn stubborn. You'll manage, because I know, how fucking much you'll fight for it."
"Toothless, a-and what if I-," she wept, wanted to turn away, yet he'd not let her, caught her face between his hands, held her stare at himself. "What if ye're overestimatin' me?"
"Me? Sweetheart, I've always only underestimated you! When meeting you, I thought you were the weakest being I've ever met, you've convinced me how peaceable and submissive you are, yet you're the very opposite of that!" he pressed, grimacing as if paining, refraining from sobbing. "Every day, at every opportunity, you've fought and cursed me, you've fought against every obstacle, you'd learned dragons' life in months while it'd taken me years to learn about humans' one! Not once you've gave up, neither on me, nor anything, so I won't believe that you're giving up, now."
"I'm not givin' up, I'm just-," she began, the tears streaming down her cheeks, currently. "I'm scared, okay?"
"I know, I know you're scared, I am scared too, however, there's a thought, so that I'm not, anymore," he acknowledged, brushing his thumbs along her wet skin, dismissing his own being in the identical shape, grinning suddenly. "Whatever we'll have to face, whatever there's to happen, as long as we're together, we'll be okay, we'll manage. It's you and me, against the entire, fucking world, always," he said, pressed his forehead to hers, sniffling whereas she sobbed, both smiling, brightly. "I ain't need peace, ain't need purpose, all I need is you - the only thing, that I've got to lose."
Afterward, they'd stayed still, and, for a while, nothing mattered but themselves against each other, nothing but the warmth of Toothless's hands at her cheeks, nothing but the serenity, that stemmed from Hiccup, nothing mattered but them. When opening their eyes, it'd feel unreal, they'd been so close, inches from one another, Toothless's knuckles had been wiping Hiccup's tears off her cheeks, and she'd only stared, gaped dazed at him, fallen off the edge.
It'd happened fast - she'd captured his jaw in her hands, moved him towards herself, and pressed her lips into his whilst the dumbfounded man froze, leaned slightly away surprised, yet didn't shift anymore, watched her, wide-eyed. Eventually, she'd notice his tense, hence she'd drawn away, gaped at him, the realization, of what she'd done, clouding her face, and soon, the shock, the fright as if took hold of her whereas she panted, soundlessly.
"I-I'm sorry, I-," she stuttered, stabbed her nails into her forearm, the strongest he'd ever seen her. "I've no idea, what's gotten into me, I-,"
"No, do not apologize, no, just," he interrupted and paused, slowly approached her, again being just a heartbeat away from her, and whispered, grasping her hand, "just do it, again."
Hearing that, hearing the plea, hearing the beg, the woman blinked at him, stunned, disbelieving what she'd listened to, finally yet, she moved, brushed her fingers along the man's neck, until reached his jaw, which she'd cupped, just like before. This time, however, she'd not rushed, slowly raised herself so as to level his face, her eyes at his, and vice versa, although, upon their lips' meeting, they'd closed them, stopped seeing, kissed, allowing the feeling to seize them, completely.
It'd not been a second, and their kiss had deepened - Hiccup had wrapped her arms around Toothless's neck, whereas he'd hooked the nape of her neck, drawn her closer and closer toward himself until they'd almost become one. Shortly after, he'd dragged her up his lap, and she'd circled her legs around his waist, not ever allowing for their lips to depart, never stopping tasting each other, yearning for themselves as they'd never expected to.
All of this, the sound of the fire's cracking, the feeling of their heartbeats against each other's, the warmth, the taste, it'd been all unbelievable, as if inside the dream, from which you'd not like to wake up, yet it'd been a reality, and they'd been really together. He'd adored it - the soft, wavy hair around his fingers, the sweet, firm lips against his, the short, heated breaths, swirling with his own - he'd not wanted to destroy it, however, he'd wanted to be honest, he'd needed to be honest, especially now.
"Sunshine, there's something I must say, I-," he started, his voice breathy, stopped as she'd crushed her lips constantly into his, not that he'd minded being interrupted, really. "Did you know, dragons see beauty differently than humans?"
"Yeah?" she inquired, barely inhaling - gods, how she'd needed these soft, salty lips. "How, for instance?"
"Monstrous Nightmares-," he named, kissed her hard, his fingers stabbing her neck, cravingly. "They're not desirous of the strength, the size," he continued, kissed her again, "but the sharp fangs, the potent horns." and again, "Death Nadders-," and again, "They're jealous of the pretty scale's color, adore it," again, "Night Furies-," again, "They mind eyes, only."
"Eyes?" she repeated, as if unsure whether she'd been hearing anymore, melted in his hold, his jaws. "Why?"
"At the background of the dark sky and black scales-," he explained, gnashing his teeth whilst she'd moved her lips to his chin, his jaw, his neck, "the eyes matter the most, and yours, Hiccup," he continued, stopped as he'd tilted his head, enhanced her access. "Godsdammit, you've got the most gorgeous, stunning eyes I've ever seen," he confessed, twisted his face under the sudden, yet pleasuring, very pleasuring pain. "I've been staring into your eyes ever since meeting you, staring into the most beautiful, fucking being, and not once I've been bored with them."
"Toothless, I-I ain't know what to-," she began but was interrupted once he forced her lips back to his; she knotted her hand into the back of his head, then - gods, how she'd needed that messy, tender hair. "Why ye're tellin' me this?"
"Maybe, I'm just trying to initiate-," he started to clarify, yet halted to kiss her, enjoying the moment while it lasted. "Maybe, I'm just avoiding what I've wanted to say from-," he suggested, then stayed still, stared at her whereas she'd done the same, both silent, both speechless, however, when she'd wished to continue, leaned forward, he burst, suddenly, "I love you," and ended everything.
At once, Hiccup had frozen, gazing at him whilst having her eyes wide, hadn't uttered the word as she'd drawn away, her lips departed in the pure shock, the confusion, which he'd expected from her, feared about. Afterward, much slowly, she'd streamed out of Toothless's knees, looked everywhere but at him, yet he'd not wanted the distance, caught her hand, pushed her to gaze at himself, although she'd not listened, her glistening eyes at the tree, currently.
Eventually, the woman had gazed at him, actually, her expression seemed to beg the man's, although he'd stayed at his, stared at her soberly, doubtless, maybe that's why the despair overtook her face then, because he'd been serious, because he'd not joked.
"I-," she murmured at last, hesitated, maybe thought the situation out, spoke finally, "I've got to go home," and destroyed everything.
"Hiccup-," he attempted to stop her, but she'd been leaving, already.
Just as she'd stood up, he'd stood up with her, however, whereas she'd been walking toward the entrance, he'd not taken any step, watched the woman leave, watched his own downfall, at the very bottom of the abyss.
"Hiccup, you must know-!" he shouted after her suddenly, his heart sinking as she stopped, though didn't even gaze at him. "You must know, that even now, that you're leaving, I do not regret my words," he ended, smiling desperately. "I love you, that's the truth I won't change!" he admitted, staring at her back, hopelessly. "Please, sunshine. Stay, please."
He'd hoped so fucking much that she'd turn to him, he'd wished so fucking much that she'd gaze at him, alas, after just tensing her back, she'd walked away, vanished behind the cove's enter, leaven him behind, just like once before, but this time, not allowing him to stare into her eyes, the last time.
The red-colored, bright sun, shone from behind the windows just as Stoic the Vast had leavened his bedroom, extending reluctantly, wiping his face out of the signs of sleep, his head being a rather mess, hence the very first desire of the day. For a long, he'd been aware, that he'd thought properly after breakfast only - after a short while, he'd been sitting by the table already, having yesterday's stew in front of himself, and eaten it, only then really woken up.
As a chief, he couldn't have allowed himself to think otherwise but about the village, that's why his very first thought was Sven's fence, the wooden cones that he'd promised to help with - the neck hurt him at the thought itself. Actually, it'd pained him so much, that he must've stretched it already, his hand holding the back of it down, his mouth allowing the groan to escape, and eventually, his eyes landing on the stairs ahead, at the room upward.
Immediately, he'd glared at it, outright glared, his thoughts taking off the important matters, providing them a touch of guilt, and maybe, therefore, the surprise was larger when suddenly, the household's doors opened. He'd not expected to witness his daughter enter through them, accordingly, he'd narrowed his eyes at her, dumbfounded, and as she'd closed the door as well as found the eyes of her father, she'd looked not less surprised than him.
Afterward, he'd sized her up, gazed at the skinny body, skinnier than ever before, at the blanched face, but especially, at the reddish eyes - before he could've commented either, suddenly, she'd spoken, hugging herself, tight.
"Dad-," she began, yet stopped, being overwhelmed by his scowl, only later finished whilst sinking in herself. "Good mornin'."
"Good mornin'," he replied, then stood up, and approached her as she shrunk in his presence, for any reason. "So, ye've left yer room, at last?"
"M-My room?" she stuttered, stumbled back as if pushed, hurt. "Ye've-, ye've thought I was-,"
"It ain't matter, whether ye've been in yer room, either the forest, I ain't care," he pressed, furrowing his brows, maintaining a serious tone. "What matters is ye've been avoidin', ignorin' me, and I'd want us to talk about it."
Consequently, she'd not uttered any word, gaped at him whereas her head twisted with thoughts - he'd known that, familiar with that expression of hers when she'd press her lips together and reach for her hands, anxiously. Eventually, she'd even looked away from him, something she'd never done before, her hands fisted in outrage of some sort, accordingly he'd decided to end the silence, spoke while she'd been forced to gaze at him, then.
"Look, I've wanted to apologize, for how I've behaved, then. I've never wanted to hurt ya, and I promise that won't happen, again," he said, highlighting the word then - they'd both known when, exactly - at the reminder, she'd clenched her jaw, but nodded. "However, if there's anythin' I agree with my drunk self is that ye've got to get yerself together. As planned, tomorrow ya'll fight the Monstrous Nightmare."
"What, no?! Dad, I-," she shouted, staring at him beggingly, as he'd replied with an indifferent glance. "I, seriously, I can't, I-,"
"I ain't want any excuses" he declared straightened, serious, dead serious. "Either ya'll handle the Nightmare, or ya'll have to get married, that's my last word."
Subsequently, the woman glared at him as if wanting to shout, wanting to yell, wanting to cry, yet she didn't, only knitted her brows at him, grimaced disgusted, before rushing to the stairs, disappearing behind the shut door of her room. Even if so, the man didn't bother much with the reaction, sighed whereas returning to the table, and then, continued eating his breakfast, his face expressing certainty and uncertainty, just at the same time.
In the meantime, when reaching her bedroom, having her back plastered to the door, Hiccup could've only panted, pressed her fists to the wood behind, and observed the furniture with wrath and rage, only. Catching the view of books at the desk, having the irritation flooding out of her, out of a sudden, she'd bolted to them and threw them, one by one, against the floor, wanting to scream, wanting to bellow, but she'd only sobbed, actually.
Ultimately, after losing all her strength, all her anger, she'd smashed her knees into the floor, broke down, her hands hiding her face as she'd cried, wept tuned down by her own skin, unheard by the world as always. As the time went by, eventually, she'd managed to settle down, removed her palms off her face, straightened her back, blinked her wet eyes whilst twisting her hands, and that's when she'd sensed it, the metal around her index finger.
Surprised, she'd instantly gazed down and saw it, the iron ring, shimmering just as if being of pure silver, having the decorative bumps at itself, not loose enough so it'd fall, although enough so she could've swirled it around her finger, easily. Thereafter, she'd not thought for long where she'd got it from, how she'd got it, from whom precisely, everything being rather an obviousness, however, instead of feeling happiness, she'd fallen into total despair, aware of not only the ring at her finger, but also three knives stabbed into her body.
Into her back - stabbed there by her father, who hadn't even realized that she'd been gone for long, suffered much, as he'd cared only about the village, the future.
Into her scull - penetrated by the gods, laughing, taunting her about the fate they'd forced onto her themselves, the unsolvable, vicious fate.
And finally, into her heart - pierced by herself, when she'd pushed away the only person, the only man who had ever loved her.
Let's sum everything up, shall we?
Toothless is depressed.
Hiccup is depressed.
And Stoic doesn't help.
…
Okay, I'm going on vacation! Have fun with cliff hanger, babies!