Chapter Text
Hiccup was having a very bad day today.
Not only was his body aching all over from the dragon training he barely managed to escape from, but he was now looking at a partially charred vest in his hands, courtesy of Toothless, who was resting nearby with a now full belly, looking all so innocent.
“That’s just great.” Hiccup muttered as he slumped down into the dirt, not caring for his clothes anymore.
It was an accident, genuinely. Aggravating his dragon friend too much was not something he thought would happen, but nonetheless, it did and he only had himself to blame. That did not stop him from muttering a couple insults in the reptilian’s direction, however.
“This is the thanks I get for getting you fish every single day…I see how it is. Maybe I should just leave you to yourself, huh?”
Toothless, as if he heard nothing, just grumbled, pretending to be asleep.
Hiccup couldn’t help but smile, resigning to his fate and pulling out his notebook that accompanied him everywhere he went with the piece of coal attached to it. He glanced at the resting dragon and began sketching it, like he did many times before.
He enjoyed these quiet moments. Hidden from the rest of the world, from the expectations and responsibilities that his shoulders weren’t wide enough to hold, and the constant nagging and whispers that he heard on the daily about how he is a disappointment.
He felt like he could just be himself around Toothless and he didn’t have to worry about anything, except maybe making Toothless shoot fireballs at him when he got mad, but even that was all in good fun. Now that he started designing a tail for him, he even got excited when he though about coming here, eager to test out his theories and see Toothless’s reaction.
The last, and first, attempt failed unfortunately but it was only a matter of time before he could and would try again.
He flipped the page to the latest sketches of his plans, humming out loud as he thought about what would work.
“Maybe I should just use a different material altogether? Or change the angle of this piece?”
It became a sort of routine, just talking to himself when he was with Toothless. It helped him think and the dragon didn’t reprimand him for it anyway, only gave him an occasional side glance. It was almost like he was talking to him, but it was comforting.
“If only I could get my hands on a different kind of metal…”
But just before he could have gotten fully absorbed in his plans, Toothless suddenly snapped to attention. He seemed tense, his eyes returning to their original slits instead of the wide and curious eyes Hiccup grew accustomed to. His ears were turning left and right, seemingly trying to gouge where the sound only he could hear was coming from.
For a moment, Hiccup felt like his heart stopped. This was it. They found him. Or they were about to. Now the entire island would know he not only couldn’t kill a dragon but he befriended it.
“Hey buddy what’s wrong?”
Hiccup himself was getting affected by the dragon’s sudden mood, scrambling to his feet to make an attempt at calming Toothless down but before he could even get close, Toothless was already up and running.
He reached the stone walls that were lining their little hidden nook and tried frantically to climb over them, though without his tail it was impossible. Still, he clawed at the stone, as he made noises that almost sounded like he was in pain, shouting for someone that Hiccup couldn’t hear or see. Toothless tried again and again, until there were claw marks all over the walls, but he never managed to get further up and thus closer to what he was seeking.
Hiccup was about to try to calm him down and find out how to help him when a sudden yelp caught his attention.
A girl ran over the edge of the wall.
You must have been panicking, running from something because you didn’t seem to notice that the ground suddenly gave out beneath your feet, and as you tumbled over and hit the rocks beneath with a scram, it seemed like you regretted that now.
You landed on the ground, still conscious but only barely holding on, grunts of pain escaping your lips as you tried to push yourself to at least a sitting position.
Hiccup was speechless.
You looked disheveled, your hair roughly cut and sticking in every direction, mixed with dirt and leaves as if you lived out in the wild for days. Your clothes seemed simple but thorn in places, caked in dirt like your hair, and now soaking up the blood that trickled down your arm from a cut that you most likely got from the fall just now.
But that wasn’t the only thing that caused Hiccup’s loss for words.
Toothless, who was so distrusting with him when they first met, who was scrambling to get out of the meadow just a second ago, now cooed to the girl next to him, offering his head to support you as you sat up, before nuzzling you like a kitten. Hiccup swore he even heard him purr.
You seemed to soften then, your eyes focused on the black dragon, and your expression made Hiccup realize that you two must have known each other, because the adoration in your eyes was too much for something else to be the case.
Though he wasn’t sure if he should interrupt the moment, he wanted to know who this girl was and your wound grew more worrying by the minute, so he stepped forward slightly.
“Uhmm…”
Your head snapped in his direction at the noise instantly, fury reflected in your eyes and with a surprising speed hat Hiccup wasn’t sure you possessed, especially being injured, you pulled out a dagger from your belt that you held in his direction.
You looked even wilder now if that was possible, and Hiccup couldn’t do or say anything but stare at you, rooted in his spot.
It seemed like you were protecting Toothless. An arm extended in front of the dragon’s curious gaze, who was looking from you to Hiccup, while your eyes didn’t leave Hiccup’s form for a second.
“Go, I’ll come find you after! It will be fine!” You spoke through your teeth, aiming it at Toothless, but the dragon didn’t move, instead he just cocked his head to the side.
“Didn’t you hear me? Go!”
But Toothless, instead of running away, simply waltzed over to Hiccup before looking back at your confused form, giving you a smile. He danced around him then returned to your side and repeated it, looking like a happy puppy who just found his favorite toy.
“Whoa there buddy, slow down! I’m getting dizzy just looking at you!”
Hiccup, who found it easier to focus on his friend rather than the terrifying stare of yours, chuckled a little seeing the playfulness in Toothless. It seemed like the dragon knew and trusted you, if that wasn’t obvious before, and that somehow put Hiccup at ease, despite the fact that you were still pointing your knife at him.
The boy put up his hands as slow as he could to not scare you but you still flinched, so Hiccup waited a second before he spoke.
“Um, hey there. Would you please be so kind as to putting that knife down?”
You didn’t move. You didn’t say a word. You held the knife up all the same, so Hiccup decided to try again.
“So, I’m Hiccup. Nice to meet you. And this right here is Toothless, though you seem to be familiar with him already.”
He gestured towards the dragon who was still circling you two like this whole scene was normal.
“How about you tell me your name and what happened and then we can get your arm looked at?”
Once again, no response.
Hiccup sighed, running out of ideas.
“Okay, this is clearly not working.”
Why were humans so hard to deal with? He could talk to Toothless no problem and he was supposed to be the scary one but other human beings? No thank you in his book.
He was about to turn around and at least put some distance between you, maybe that would work or at least get the knife to be put away, but he wasn’t looking and the next thing he knew, Toothless’s remaining tail fin hit him square in the eye.
The boy recoiled back, a hand already on his face.
“Ah, gods, ouch. Toothless what…? What is up with you?”
But the dragon instead of being concerned or showing remorse, which Hiccup wondered if he was actually capable of, considering the amount of times he got messed with, simply jumped on him and started licking his face and any other part he seemed to reach. So not only was Hiccup burnt partially, he was now covered in slobber.
As he pushed the dragon away from him and stood, trying to shake the remainder of wetness from his hands and body, muttering curses under his breath once again, his eyes wandered back to you.
You stood there, knife finally down, eyes wide as you looked at the two of them. Or more like Toothless’s fin. Or at the lack thereof.
“Uh, yeah…” Hiccup let out a nervous chuckle, dreading the upcoming conversation.
“That happened…”
Your eyes flashed at him, the anger palpable in them once again.
“You did this?”
Your voice was rough, raspy, clearly unused for a while now.
Hiccup wanted nothing more than to shrink under that gaze or just run away altogether. It reminded him of his father, the way he would look at him when he was angry, his voice of thunder reprimanding him for whatever he was doing then. He was sure that whatever he was going to say next determined whether he lived or died.
But he also didn’t want to lie. This was his fault.
“Yeah. I did it.”
He looked at the dragon who stared back at him, head once again tilted. He seemed to think this was all just a game and that made Hiccup smile, though it was filled with sadness and regret. That was probably the only reason you didn’t jump on him and finished him then and there.
“But I’m trying to fix it.”
He wasn’t sure why he added that last part, not that you would believe him, but he wanted someone to hear it. Maybe he needed to hear it himself, to know he was trying to right a wrong.
Almost as if Toothless understood what he was talking about he licked him once again, earning a grimace from the boy before the dragon made his way over to you once again.
He carefully sniffed at the gash on your arm, and you looked down at it for the first time as if you were only now realizing the situation you were in.
Hiccup instinctively stepped forward, a hand reaching out as he started again.
“Let me have a…”
“Don’t even think about it.” You cut him off.
But he could see the pain on your face now as it grew and as the adrenaline fell away. There was only one thing to do.
“Wait here!” He instructed.
As he started running, climbing the rocks to get back out into the forest, he hoped that you would listen to him at least now.
***
Finding the medical supplies proved to be less challenging than Hiccup thought it would. As he hurried along the meadow with the basket clutched tightly to his chest he wondered how you were. In pain? Panicking? Not even there anymore?
But as he made it to the edge off the cliff, he couldn’t help but stare again, unmoving.
You were in the water, knees deep, the bloody shirt discarded to the side. Your undershirt was soaked through, along with your hair, that seemed to be more obedient now that it was wet. The gash on your arm didn’t seem as bad now, though still pretty big even from that distance.
But what made Hiccup stop was the interaction he was baring witness to. You were smiling, though you looked like you were crying just a second ago as redness adorned the corners of your eyes, and you watched Toothless play around the edge of the water with fondness, as he was clearly putting on a show for you. He looked happier than Hiccup has seen him in days, more playful, more adorable, more friendly. Toothless started jumping up and down again, and you actually laughed and Hiccup’s eyes went wide at the sound, that seemed so strange coming from the girl now after their previous interaction.
The way he leaned forward to see better must have made a noise however, because suddenly Toothless was facing him, tongue hanging from his mouth as he trotted over to greet him, while you made a quick attempt at gathering your clothes and getting as far from him as possible as he made his way into the valley.
He stopped, unsure of what to do, before looking down at the heap of things gathered in his arms.
“I got these for you. This was all i could find but i think it can work plenty…”
When you made no move to take them, only stood in the same spot glaring at him, he placed them on the ground with a careful bow, not looking away either.
“I’ll just put them here then…you sure you don’t need any help?”
No answer.
Hiccup sighed and shrugged then walked away.
“Okay then.”
As soon as he was a good distance away, you made your way over to the pile and picked out a few things, checking them over, then settling beside them to treat your wound. Hiccup watched you in silence for a couple minutes, noting the expert way you cleaned and dressed your wound, making him wonder just how many times you had to do it already.
“Do you…uhm…do this often? Treat your own wounds, I mean.”
You replied without sparing him a glance.
“What’s it to you?”
Hiccup looked to the sky. This was going to be harder than he thought. He was slightly annoyed, he did help you after all and all that, for you to just brush him off, but his curiosity outweighed it.
“Would you at least tell me how you know Toothless?”
You seemed to weigh this over in your mind and just when Hiccup thought you wouldn’t answer again, you said.
“He’s my companion.”
As if knowing they were talking about him, Toothless joined you, nuzzling into you before walking over to Hiccup and doing the same.
“Your companion?”
Hiccup’s eyes lit up.
“So there are vikings living with dragons? Not fighting all the time?”
He got so excited. What that could mean for the future, for his village. He might be able to bring Toothless into town. Maybe an alliance with another tribe, one that was probably stronger, since the
dragons were their allies. It would be hard to make his father understand but he would respect another chief…but his hopes got crashed all too fast.
“It’s just me.”
You stood, your hand stretched toward Toothless, who was beside you in an instant, almost enveloping you. You looked fierce then, so close with a dragon, like a warrior.
“But how are you…?”
He wasn’t sure how to phrase the question. But it seemed like you understood.
“Dragons are actually pretty peaceful creatures when you give them a chance. Would you be friendly if someone was constantly trying to kill you, threw rocks and nets at you and held a knife to your throat?”
“I was pretty friendly when you did it.” The answer was almost immediate and Hiccup, processing his own words tried to shrink as small as possible, hoping you wouldn’t hand out his punishment that he felt coming.
But you just smiled, the first smile around him.
“Fair enough.”
When no harm was coming his way, Hiccup sat back up.
“But I do get your point. I wish others did too.”
Spending time with Toothless made him realize just how wrong they were about everything. This was a majestic, playful creature that made him feel better about himself than any human being in the village, including his own father.
“Vikings are hard headed creatures. They are tough to convince.”
Hiccup just realized the fact that they were still talking, and that you were actually giving him answers and not just shrugging him off with one words here and there. Granted, you were distracted by Toothless who was currently enjoying scratches under his chin, but still, Hiccup took that as a win.
He shifted in his seat, eager to know more.
“Did you ever try? Convincing them I mean…”
The moment shattered. Your hand stopped. Toothless looked at you expectantly, but you didn’t continue, just frowned. You had a faraway look in your eyes, lost in something only you could see.
“No. I don’t try. It’s not worth it.”
“But maybe if you did…”
You glared at him then, a fury sitting in your eyes that was different to any of the looks you gave him before.
“No. I won’t. Because humans don’t want to understand. They just want power. They just want what is good for them. Just look at your village. They take down dragons, the shoot at them, hunt them. You did too…”
Your gaze traveled to the missing tail fin of Toothless.
But Hiccup was not paying attention to that.
“How do you know what my village has been doing?”
Then suddenly, it all started to connect. The Nightfury has been attacking Berk for a long time now, always unseen, never missing. It appeared suddenly, then remained consistently, and unlike the rest of the dragons, it never stole any food. It only aimed to throw them off their game. Then Hiccup thought about how close the two of you were. How you said he was your companion. And he has never seen you on this island so unless you came here by boat which he doubted with a dragon, the only way you could get on the island was to…
“You flew. On him. You attacked my village!”
Hiccup felt a rage build in him that he could only count as a reflex toward his home, but it was quickly outweighed by his sudden guilt and worry.
“But when I shot him down…you…”
“I wasn’t there. He went by himself that night. I wasn’t always…with him.”
For a moment, it appeared as if you were guilty yourself, but it quickly hardened into something else.
“It was only to stop them from killing the dragons. It wasn’t to hurt anyone. But as i said…stubborn.”
You stepped towards Toothless’s tail and inspected it with great care. The dragon looked back at you, but he didn’t move, unlike anytime Hiccup tried to have a longer look.
“Well, we’ll be out of your hair as soon as you fix this, so don’t worry. Your precious village will be safe once again to fight all they want.”
“You’ll be leaving?” Hiccup felt his throat tighten.
The thought of Toothless leaving was like a punch to the stomach. He was finally feeling like he could be himself. And now that was going to be ripped away.
“It’s for the best. Don’t want to stick around for too long. Getting discovered and stuff. Though that has been done already.”
Hiccup was trying to think of anything to say, anything that could change your mind right now, but he realized there wouldn’t be any, you didn’t trust him. And he couldn’t blame you.
“So how far along are you with the fin?”
He shrugged. He suddenly felt tired and like every breath was heavy.
“Last attempt failed. I still have to figure out what to do instead. I was planning to do that this afternoon but then…”
He gestured towards you, and you once again let a small smile appear on your lips, seemingly finding him funny.
“Well, sorry about that…”
Then turning towards him.
“If you bring whatever you’re doing here, I can give you pointers, that way you’ll finish quicker.”
Hiccup mulled that over. You probably knew more about how he should design the fin than he did, but he also didn’t want his friend to leave quicker than necessary. He opted not to reply and ask something else instead.
“I was actually wondering…”
With an eyebrow raised, you gave him a questioning look.
“Could you teach me more about dragons? Just until the fin is done.”
You stared at him. Nothing more. It seemed like you even forgot to blink for a second from the shock.
“And why would I do that?”
Your tone was frosty, but Hiccup continued.
“I just…I want to learn more about them. So many of the things we learned about dragons is wrong…and I just want to know more.”
He looked at Toothless, who looked back at him.
“He is so much more than I have ever imagined. And not at all what I thought he would be like…I just don’t want to continue on like this.”
You were still eyeing him up and down, but Hiccup couldn’t decide if that look was meant to judge or admire even just a little.
“You’re a weird one, aren’t you?”
He sighed again, scratching the back f his neck.
“Yeah, I get that a lot.”
“I think that’s a good thing.” You said, making Hiccup look back at you.
“At least you have some sense.”