Chapter Text
Over the last week Hiccup and Toothless settled into a rhythm, adjusting to their new responsibilities as Queen. They would always begin their day with an early morning flight, Hiccup finally having the all clear from Gothi to go flying. They still needed to get adjusted to their new pedal system and figure out what changes needed to be made now that Hiccup no longer had an ankle with which to tilt the pedal. His late morning was then spent in the forge, assisting Gobber, and tinkering further with Toothless’ flight gear. His afternoons and evenings were devoted to mediating any conflicts that arose between the dragons and Vikings.
He also made sure to do daily check-ins with the other dragon riders to see how they were settling in with their new partners. Fishlegs and his partner Meatlug got along like a house on fire. Fishlegs doted on Meatlug doing everything he could to ensure she was comfortable and happy, keeping copious amounts of notes on her preferences, and even setting up a little nest of pebbles in his bedroom, which Hiccup eyed speculatively. Meatlug in turn treated Fishlegs as if he were her own hatchling. She would often bathe him with her tongue and even bring him little rocks to eat, which Hiccup had to explain was not something humans could do. She then switched to bringing him raw fish instead, which, was an improvement, that at least was something that could be converted into human friendly food. Hiccup was very happy to see the two bonding so well, it gave him hope for the rest of the village.
Astrid and Stormfly were bonding in a very different but no less heartwarming way. They were a well-matched pair; both fierce, stubborn warriors with a not-so-secret love of showing off their skills. The two of them had thrown themselves into trick flying with a wild passion. Hiccup and Toothless would often come across them during their morning flights, trying out a variety of new tricks from barrel rolls to synchronized throwing of their respective weapons. However, there were times that they were a bit too alike in personality which resulted in a clash. If they disagreed on a direction to take or way to improve their tricks it inevitably turned into a standoff where both insisted they were in the right, and refused to go along with the other’s plan. These standoffs always ended with both storming off to cool down. Hiccup was initially concerned by these disagreements, but Toothless reassured him this was normal behavior amongst flock mates, and that the two always reunited and forgave the other by the end of the day. They simply needed to spend more time with each other; they were two strong independent creatures that simply needed a bit more practice with teamwork. They were more than capable of working out their own differences, and their bond would be all the stronger for it in the end.
Sadly, the three remaining dragon riders seemed to be having more difficulties settling in with their dragon partners. The twins got along a little too well with their zippleback partner, which they had named Barf and Belch, who seemed to be just as chaotic as the two of them. On a good day the pair of them would be flying through the village setting off explosions with reckless abandon. However, on bad days they could not even get up in the air. They would spend the entire day arguing over which head was their partner. One day Ruffnut would declare Barf her best friend for life, and the next day it would be Belch. And of course, Tuffnut would disagree, and claim that head was his best friend instead. This of course ended with the two of them crashing their heads into each other until one, or more often both, of them passed out. Barf and Belch were no less chaotic, mirroring their arguments up to and including the head bashing. At least the four of them seemed well matched, hopefully once they truly bonded with their respective head/twin the arguments would cease, or more realistically turn to a different topic.
The pair that gave Hiccup the most concern were Hookfang and Snotlout. The two seemed to be in a near constant battle of wills, with neither being willing to submit. Hiccup was constantly hearing Snotlout’s outraged screams as he was set on fire, or encased in Hookfang’s jaws, for some act of disrespect. Hiccup honestly had no idea how to handle the friction between the two. Snotlout certainly was not one of his favorite people, and a small part of him relished in seeing the brash braggart taken down a peg by his dragon partner. However, Hiccup definitely had a soft spot for Hookfang, who had been so helpful with establishing him and Toothless as Queen and explaining everything that entailed. He had been one of the pair’s strongest supporters, and Hiccup had started seeing the grumpy dragon as a sort of older brother figure. He was more than a bit concerned that he was unhappy being paired with Snotlout. Toothless, on the other hand, did not seem to share his fondness, and was content to leave them to struggle. Hiccup suspected he was still holding a grudge over what happened during the final exam of dragon training. Toothless advocated for leaving them be, and letting them work their own issues out, arguing that they would never truly bond if Hiccup came in and forced them to get along every time they argued. Hiccup was hesitant, but ultimately decided to leave it be for now.
Unfortunately, several days passed with no visible progress in their bonding, and Hiccup decided they needed to have a talk with them to figure out the source of these increasingly violent arguments. He was still uncertain how to approach Snotlout. It was hard to accept that he now had respect amongst the village, and he still had trouble picturing himself giving orders to his former tormentor. He doubted that Snotlout, proud Jorgensen that he was, would respond well to him telling him what to do. He tried to picture approaching him as, dare he even think it, a friend, just a listening ear so that he could determine the root of his issues with Hookfang. However, he just came up empty.
Hiccup began frantically pacing, trying to find a solution to this conundrum that was human interaction. Toothless watched him go for a moment, before huffing and whapping him on the back of his head lightly with his tailfin. This action knocked Hiccup out of his spiral, and he looked at his other half with one eyebrow raised.
“Do you have a solution to this problem, Oh Wise Dragon?” he quipped sarcastically.
Toothless rolled his eyes and stated “The problem here is that you don’t know what to say to the loud one, yes?” Hiccup nodded.
“Well, yeah, it wasn’t so long ago Snotlout was chasing me through the woods and dumping me in the river. The village may see me in a better light now, thanks to the dragons, but that doesn’t mean I suddenly know how to approach someone who used to enjoy pretending like I didn’t exist.”
Toothless growled a bit at the mention of the past wrongs against his other half. “The solution is simple them, don’t start with the human. Speak to Hookfang first, he can tell you why he’s always setting the idiot on fire, and then you will know what you need to say to the idiot so Hookfang will stop.”
Hiccup paused a moment, considering, and sighed. “You’re right, Bud. Why didn’t I see such an obvious answer? I’m much better at talking to the dragons than the Vikings anyway.”
Toothless hummed, and butted his head against Hiccup’s chest, who acquiesced to the wordless request for pets. Toothless murmured “That’s what you have me for! You come up with the crazy ideas and I bring the common sense.”
“Hey!” Hiccup yelped indignantly. “My ideas aren’t crazy, they’re just innovative!”
Toothless looked at him, deadpan, and stated “Half-of-Me, you decided to fight a mountain sized dragon Queen, with nothing but five dragons and a group of teenagers. Who, it is worth mentioning, had been at war with each other for centuries.”
Hiccup huffed, imperiously, “Well, it worked out didn’t it, we won!
Toothless gave a gummy smile, “We did, but by all rights, it should have been impossible. I did not say it was a bad idea, just crazy. I love your crazy ideas. After all, what other Viking would have thought to make a prosthetic tailfin for a dragon they shot down.”
Hiccup blushed and hugged Toothless “Love you too, Bud. And you are right, we will have that talk with Hookfang in the morning, without Snotlout first. Then once we understand the situation we can bring some solutions to both of them and hopefully help them get along a bit better”
The two of them made their way back to their home for the night. Hiccup settled into bed, and watched as Toothless opened his mouth instinctively while turning in a circle to settle himself in, but stopped himself after staring down at the floorboards.
“Everything okay over there, Bud?” Hiccup asked, confused by the odd behavior.
Toothless looked down, a bit embarrassed, “Yes! It’s fine! I just needed to remember not to warm my sleeping spot. I learned that lesson early on.”
Hiccup tilted his head, confused, “ What do you mean you “learned your lesson”?”
Toothless grumbled “When they first moved you here, I would sleep by your bedside, I refused to let you out of my sight. However, I was used to warming my sleep spot with my fire. I found out quickly that this floor does not hold up well to my fire, your father had to put out the flames and spend a very long time shouting about not setting the place on fire. I know better now.”
Hiccup frowned, brow furrowed, “But aren’t you cold at night?”
Toothless lifted his wings in a shrug “Maybe, a bit, but it’s not so bad. The air in here is warmer than outside.”
Hiccup was still frowning, then his mind wandered back to the little pebble nest Fishlegs had made for Meatlug. “Maybe there’s something we could put on the floor to make you more comfortable, maybe some rocks or one big rock you could use your fire to warm…” he mumbled.
Toothless smiled, touched by his other half’s concern for his comfort. “You can come up with your crazy ideas in the morning, for now you need to rest.” He said firmly.
Hiccup smiled, “Yeah, yeah, I’m going to sleep now, you big mother hen.” He could start making plans for Toothless’ stone bed in the morning. Maybe he could recruit a dragon to help him find the stone and surprise Toothless with it.
Hiccup made an extra effort to wake up before Toothless the next morning. He retrieved some rope, as quietly as possible, and took some measurements of a sleeping Toothless. This would help him find a suitable stone bed. Once he finished marking off his measurements, he gently shook his other half awake.
“ Up and at ‘em, Bud! We’ve got a grumpy nightmare to track down.”
Finding Hookfang proved to be an easier endeavor this time around. They caught him just as he was landing near the forest’s edge at daybreak. The trio then moved their conversation into the forest for some privacy.
“ Okay, Hookfang, what is going on with you and Snotlout? Is he treating you okay?”
Toothless relayed the question, and Hookfang snorted exhaling a long trail of smoke. “That brat needs to learn respect! He thinks he can just order me around like some servant. I am a fire-skin, one of the greatest warriors of any nest! I will not be treated as inferior by some human!” He punctuated this statement by setting himself ablaze.
Toothless conferred this to Hiccup. This was pretty much what he expected the problem would be. But what could he do about it? Whatever he did, he needed to be sure Snotlout took his advice and didn’t just dismiss him out of hand, or worse think he was trying to steal his dragon from him. That situation would only end badly. Hiccup pondered this for a moment and asked “Is there any specific thing that he says or does that you find disrespectful? That way I can tell him to stop or do something differently.”
Toothless sent him a look, then translated the question for Hookfang. Hookfang thinks things over for a bit, before settling on his answer.
“Two things. First, he bestowed on me a name before we rode into battle together against that bitch Queen. This is a very meaningful thing to dragonkin. He claimed this level of intimacy, and yet he never bothers to use that name! It is always “ Dragon”. It is beyond insulting to bestow a name on me and never use it!”
Toothless dutifully translated this for Hiccup, who suddenly felt his heart sink. After all, wasn’t he guilty of this same crime? He had taken to calling Toothless Bud, or even Half-of-Me, more often than the name he had bestowed on him. He turned to Toothless panicked with a slew of apologies at the ready. Toothless, however, seemed flummoxed at his sudden anxiety.
“What has you so frazzled?” He questioned, ear flaps pricked up in an effort to identify what had upset his rider so.
“Bud, I mean Toothless, I do the same thing don’t I? I mean I gave you a name, and I have barely even used it lately! I call you Bud more often than your own name! I am so, so sorry Bud- I mean Toothless-ugh! I didn’t know how important using your name was in dragon culture, I promise to use it more often from now on!” Hiccup apologized frantically, barely able to look Toothless in the eye.
Toothless just stared at Hiccup for a moment, completely dumbfounded by the completely unnecessary apology. It astounded him how easily his other half’s thoughts became twisted in a self-deprecating direction. He then devolved into snickers, only his Half-of-Me could mistake such as fond nickname as an offense.
“There is no need to apologize at all, silly Half-of-Me. Those are not the same at all. The loud one calls his partner, not by a name he bestowed, but a general term for our kind. That is like me calling you human whenever I address you. Bud, is simply another name you have for me, one that I can tell is full of affection, and that I have never heard you use for anyone else. That makes it just as special to me as my name.”
Hiccup looked relieved, glad he had not inadvertently committed a huge dragon faux pas. He threw his arms around his other half, his Bud, and let out a huge, relieved sigh. “Good, it is, a term of affection I mean, humans use those a lot.” He squeezed Toothless tightly and then mumbled to himself “ That’s probably another thing I should brief the dragons about in case they bond with a human. Don’t want any misunderstandings.” He released Toothless and turned to Hookfang, “You’re probably right though, that he is being disrespectful. Calling you “dragon” definitely doesn’t sound like a term of endearment to me. I can tell him to knock that off. What was the second thing?”
Hookfang blew more smoke out his nostrils. “He orders me around like a servant! “Dragon, do this! Dragon fly there! Dragon light the fire!” I am NOT his servant! The only person I would accept orders from is my Queen! And not even the two of you order me around in such a demeaning manner. When we went into battle together, I accepted the loud one as my partner NOT as my master, and if he doesn’t realize that soon I shall end this farce of a partnership!”
Once Toothless relayed that enraged response, Hiccup shook his head. “That is entirely fair, you are right. You are his partner, not his servant, and he absolutely should be treating you as such. I’ll talk to him, and I will make sure he knows what is at stake if he doesn’t change his behavior.” Hoookfang looked pleased at that, dipped his head, and then flew off.
Hiccup flopped down on a nearby log and began talking, half to Toothless, half to himself. “Okay, so we’ve got two concrete things we can tell Snotlout to stop doing if he wants his partner to stop lighting him on fire. Now we just need to figure out the best way to approach this. I already know he doesn’t respond well to orders, so that’s out. Maybe just bring it up casually? Gods, how do you even do something like this casually?!?! Just say “Oh, I know you’re having trouble with your partner. How about you use his actual name, stop calling him “dragon” and ordering him around. Or you know, keep doing what you’re doing and he’ll just find a new partner instead?” Yeah, I’m sure that would go swimmingly.” He muttered sarcastically, then turned to Toothless. “Why do humans have to be so complicated!?! Dragons are so much easier to work with.” Toothless let out his warbling laugh.
“Oh, I don’t know, I think you’re pretty easy to work with, but, I think that may be because I got paired with the best human.” He stated smugly. Hiccup blushed and whacked Toothless on the wing. “Oh, you charmer, you!” Then he slumped. “But we still need to figure this out. Snotlout has never been my biggest fan, and frankly, the feeling is mutual. How am I supposed to talk to him about this without it turning into argument or him just blowing me off?”
Toothless hummed, thoughtful, “I think you have more power here than you think. The village respects you more than you think, even the loud one. I am sure they all recognize now that you know more about how to interact with dragons than them. They will respect your expertise in this. And if they don’t, well, you have nearly 100 dragons who are willing to back you up on it. I think straightforward is best. Just walk up to him, give him your advice, and don’t phrase it as an order. If he doesn’t listen, that’s on him not you.”
Hiccup let those words wash over him, it was still difficult for him to believe that the village actually respected him now, though he guessed killing a mountain sized dragon and ending a war will do that for you. However, it still felt like just yesterday that no one wanted him around and he was always being taunted or belittled. He had to admit though, so far, everyone did seem to defer to his expertise when it came to dragons. He hadn’t even mentioned the whole joint Queen of the flock situation to anyone yet. Honestly, he didn’t think he’d be ready for that conversation for long, loooong time. But, it was still easy to see that the dragons listened to him more than anyone else. Even without Toothless there to translate, he was always able to calm any frightened or unruly dragon.
Hiccup squared his shoulders and took a deep breath, determination in his gaze. “You’re right, Bud. I should just tell it to him straight. He can either listen to me, or we find Hookfang a new partner, one that will treat him with the respect he deserves. And I’ll have you there to back me up if I need it, right Half-of-Me?” Toothless purred, proud to see his other half acting confidently for once. “Always”
Hiccup and Toothless wound their way through Berk, trying to track down Snotlout, who proved more elusive than his dragon was that morning. They finally found him down by the docks, and lo and behold, he was in the middle of what appeared to be an argument with Hookfang.
Hookfang saw the two of them approaching and quickly turned around, grabbed Snotlout in his jaws and threw him into the sea. Snotlout screeched “ What is wrong with you, you crazy dragon?!?!” as he flew through the air and into the water, landing with an impressive splash. Having watched his rider’s landing with satisfaction, Hookfang turned to them, and dipped his head in greeting, “Hello Queens, I hope you have come to talk some sense into that idiot.”
Hiccup didn’t even need Toothless to translate that sentiment. He gave Hookfang a pat on his snout and responded “Yeah, we’re here to deal with him. Did you want to stick around for that or head out?”
Hookfang just sat down on his haunches in answer, content to watch the show. Snotlout finally approached the docks, heaving himself back up out of the water with a grunt. Once he was up on the docks he sat up and glared at Hiccup. “You! I bet you have something to do with this! You’re the reason my dragon is acting so crazy!”
Hiccup just sighed, expecting such a response. “No, Snotlout, I am not doing anything to your partner. Do you think maybe the way you talk to him might be the problem?”
Snotlout just snorted, “The way I talk to him? What are you on about, I talk to him the same way I do everyone else!”
Hiccup had to physically hold himself back from rolling his eyes at this statement, Toothless on the other hand had no such compunction. “Don’t you think that might be the problem? He isn’t everyone else, he’s your partner, you should be treating him as such. So maybe stop ordering him around like you do anyone else, and for gods sake, call him by his name! You gave him a name; you damn well better start using it! If you don’t, he might just decide to find a partner who will!”
Snotlout visibly bristled at Hiccup’s disdainful tone, “Hey! Who do you think you are, trying to tell me how to deal with my dragon! Maybe your weak, little dragon needs to be coddled by my big one doesn’t!”
Toothless took offense to this statement, standing up and growling at this impudent little brat who dared to call him weak. Hookfang, angered on his Queen’s behalf, did the same, snapping his jaws at his so-called partner. Snotlout jumped back in fright, not eager to be snapped up into those jaws again so soon.
Hiccup groaned, frustrated, “I am just trying to tell you to maybe use basic decency when talking to your dragon! Call him by name, ask him to do things instead of barking orders at him. These are the basics of just being polite!”
Both dragons huffed, Hookfang nodding emphatically at what Hiccup was saying. Snotlout threw his hands in the air in frustration, “ We’re Vikings, we don’t do polite! Maybe the dragon should just get with the program and stop getting so offended over every little thing!”
Hookfang growled, angered by the continued refusal to use his name, and proceeded to shoot fire at Snotlout setting his helmet on fire. “Ah, Ah ,AH!” Snotlout shouted, desperately trying to put out the flames, before resignedly throwing the helmet into the sea to avoid his whole head catching fire. He stared forlornly down at the water, knowing he was going have to dive in to retrieve it at some point. He looked at Hiccup resentfully, “FINE! Fine! Maybe you have a point! I could, maybe, probably, be a little nicer when asking him to do stuff.” He grumbled, annoyed at having to admit any fault.
Hiccup let out a breath he didn’t even know he was holding, “Good, that’s good. And you’ll call him by his name, instead of just “dragon”?” Snotlout , looked down at the ground, kicking his foot, seemingly…..embarrassed?
“Well, yeah, here’s the thing. I maybe…. Oh… I don’t know…. Kinda… forgot what I named him?” He mumbled, voice getting progressively more hesitant, and ending in a slight squeak.
“What!?!?!” Hiccup shouted, completely flabbergasted. “How do you forget the name of your own dragon? A name YOU gave him!?!” Toothless seemed similarly stunned and relayed that information to Hookfang. The second Toothless finished translating, Hookfang let out an earth-shaking roar, lit himself on fire, and flew off leaving Snotlout behind soaking wet and ashamed on the docks. He looked utterly despondent at the departure of his partner. He tried to explain “It was a stressful situation, okay! Everything about that day, before we got back to Berk is kind of a blur. And I was kinda too embarrassed to admit that I forgot by the time I realized, so I just went ahead and kept calling him “dragon”. I figured one of you would say it at some point, but you never did!” he ended with a shout, somewhat accusingly, in Hiccup’s direction.
Hiccup hid his face in his hands and groaned, loudly. “Oh my gods, Snotlout! His name is Hookfang! I would have happily told you, at any time, if you had just asked!”
Snotlout calmed a bit at that, “Hookfang,huh, that’s a great name! I am an awesome namer of things!” he boasted.
Hiccup looked about ready to strangle him, slowly. “Yes, yes, it’s a great name. Now, how about you use it, now that you know it. I think now might be a great time to run after your partner, Hookfang, and beg for forgiveness for forgetting his name, that you gave him, I might add.”
Snotlout looked about ready to argue, thought about it a bit longer, than slumped. “Yeah, I guess even you can be right about some things. I probably should go find Hookfang, now.” And he proceeded to run off without another word, chasing after his dragon, hopefully prepared to apologize once he found him.
Hiccup and Toothless watched Snotlout run off with more than a little exasperation. Hiccup turned to Toothless “What do you think the odds are he actually remembers to apologize by the time he finds Hookfang?”
Toothless snorts, “I think probably 50/50. Though as long as he remembers to call Hookfang by his name, he should survive the encounter. Still not sure they’ll make it as partners though.”
Hiccup chuckles, “You’re probably right. Though what happens now is out of our hands, we did what we could, now it’s up to Snotlout. Somehow, I think he might just manage to make it right.”
Hiccup had finally managed to slip away from Toothless that afternoon. He took the opportunity when Toothless had to step away to deal with an argument between a violet Nadder and a monstrous nightmare over a popular resting spot on the cliffs. Hiccup creeped through the village in an effort to locate Fishlegs and Meatlug. He finally found the pair by the Great Hall, having just finished their lunch.
“Fishlegs! Meatlug! Just the pair I was looking for!” He jogged up to them, trying, and failing to act casual.
Fishlegs looked over at Hiccup in surprise, “Oh, Hiccup, I wasn’t expecting to see you so early! You’re usually busy with the other dragons right about now. Did you need something?” he asked, politely.
Hiccup rubbed the back of his head with one head, a bit nervous, “I do actually, need something, that is. Do you think the two of you could help me out with a little surprise for Toothless?”
Fishlegs smiled, “Of course! We would be happy to help!” Meatlug chirped and wagged her tail in agreement. “What can we do for you?”
Hiccup smiled, touched, “I need help tracking down a rock large enough to act as a bed for Toothless. Turns out he likes to heat up his sleeping spot with his fire, and that is, uh, not really possible with wood floors.”
Fishlegs grinned, “Oh, that’s fascinating! I wonder if other dragons prefer the same, maybe some stoker class dragons like monstrous nightmares would do that too? Meatlug, here, prefers small pebbles to sleep on, so it probably varies species by species….” He trailed off, enamored by the idea of researching dragon sleeping habits.
Hiccup snorted, fondly, “ I’m sure it does. But could we circle back to finding a good rock for Toothless?”
Fishlegs, chuckled, “Sorry, I always get distracted by new dragon facts! But, you have come to the right place! Meatlug and I are the experts when it comes to the rocks of Berk! Do you have a specific size in mind, maybe some measurements perhaps.” He added, looking over at Hiccup knowingly. Hiccup held out his marked rope.
“I do indeed have measurements, here you go!”
Fishlegs examined the rope carefully, then showed it to Meatlug, who nodded and made an approving grunt.
“Yep, we know exactly where to go! However, if you plan to carry it back to your house, we are going to need at least one other dragon to help out.”
Hiccup was relieved this mission was proving to be so easy, “That I can do, just let me hit up the plaza and I’m sure I can recruit another dragon to help.” Fishlegs looked at Hiccup a bit oddly, “Or you could just ask Astrid and Stormfly, considering they just landed right behind you.”
Hiccup whirled around surprised, unsure how he did not notice 300 pounds of deadly Nadder landing in the space behind him. Astrid had just dismounted Stormfly, and was making her way towards them. “Astrid! Hiccup and I could use your help!” Fishlegs shouted across the plaza.
Astrid and Stormfly turned to Hiccup, perfectly in sync, “Oh, what can I do for you? Please tell me it involves dunking Snotlout in the sea. He has been insufferable all week.”
Hiccup chuckles, “Sadly, no. Though, hopefully, you will find him a bit more tolerable now that we have worked out one of his issues with Hookfang. I was actually hoping you could help me carry down a large rock for Toothless.” Astrid tilted her head, curious.
“What would Toothless want with a big rock?”
Fishlegs burst in, excited “It turns out that night furies like to use their fire to warm their sleeping areas! That doesn’t really work with wood floors, so Hiccup is going to find him a rock he can sleep on! It’s so thoughtful of him!”
Astrid was a bit taken a aback by the pure enthusiasm Fishlegs had but seemed happy enough to help out. Stormfly cawed her own approval “Sure thing, you want to ride with me or Fishlegs?”
Before Hiccup could even think to answer, Fishlegs once again interjected “ Oh, Meatlug isn’t the best with multiple passengers, he should ride with you and Stormfly.”
And that was that, soon enough he found himself flying with Astrid and Stormfly on their way to the far side of Berk. There was a large amount of slate there, which Fishlegs deemed most suitable for Toothless’ bed. Hiccup was a bit nervous flying with Astrid, unsure of where he should be putting his hands as he held onto her tightly. Before he knew it, they were landing at the rock field. It only took a few minutes before Fishlegs found a rock of suitable quality matching Hiccup’s measurements. “This one here should do it!” Fishlegs proclaimed, gesturing to a nearly oval piece of slate about two hand widths thick. It would be just large enough to fit Toothless when curled up.
“It’s perfect!” Hiccup said, happy to have found the perfect gift for his best friend. He had Meatlug and Stormfly lift the stone up just far enough to secure the ropes he had brought tightly around it. After testing the knots, he attached one rope each to Meatlug and Stormfly and off they went. He had them stop at the edge of the forest. “Okay, do you think you guys can get the stone into my house, and place it next to my bed? I really, really want to surprise Toothless with this, so I was going to go distract him with a flight while you two sneak in.”
Fishlegs and Astrid nodded their assent. “We can be in and out before anyone knows what’s going on!” Fishlegs declared. Hiccup nodded, “Good, wait here for at least half an hour, I’ll find Toothless and take him for a flight over on the far side of the island. We’ll be gone for at least a couple hours. That should give you two plenty of time. Thanks again I owe you guys one for this!”
Astrid smiled “It’s no trouble, now go distract your dragon while we get his surprise ready for him. You can pay me back with a race tomorrow! Stormfly and I have some new tricks up our sleeves to show you!”
Hiccup laughed “You’re on!” then made his way out of the forest and into the village. He found Toothless munching away on some salmon from one of the dragon feeding stations. Toothless looked up from his meal as he felt Hiccup approach.
“Where have you been? I’ve been looking all over for you!”
Toothless questioned, a bit put out. Hiccup just scratched the spot right behind Toothless’ ear flaps where he liked it best. “I was just talking with Astrid, Toothless. She and Stormfly have challenged us to a race tomorrow, we’ll have to defend your title of Berk’s fastest dragon. How about we go get some practice in over by the sea stacks?” Hiccup attempted to subtly suggest.
Toothless’ eyes narrowed. “You are up to something, I can smell it. I don’t need any practice to win a race. What are you up to?” Hiccup laughed nervously, “Nothing! Maybe I’m just trying to avoid dealing with my dad by going on a little flight with my other half.”
Toothless hummed, not entirely buying the excuse, but deeming it a harmless obfuscation. “Very well, you know I am always happy to fly with you. But I will find out what you’re hiding, Half-of-Me.”
Hiccup hopped onto Toothless’ saddle, relieved, “Sure thing, Toothless, now let’s go!” The two took to the skies. Hiccup rested easy in the knowledge he only had to hide this from Toothless for a few hours.
Hiccup and Toothless spent several hours enjoying their flight, only coming back down as the sun began to set. The two made their way back home, Hiccup pausing in front of the entrance. He turned to Toothless, “So I may have a little surprise for you. I really hope you like it, but make sure to let me know if you don’t, okay?”
Toothless chirped, his interest piqued and butted his head against Hiccup several times excited to see this surprise his other half had for him. Hiccup was happy to see his best friend so excited, hopefully his surprise lived up to it. “Okay, Okay, we can go in now, you overeager reptile.” He opened the door and stepped aside.
Toothless rushed in, bouncing, eager to find out what his present was. When he made his way over to their sleeping spot he was surprised to find a large flat rock where he usually curled up next to Hiccup’s bed. He sniffed the stone, and circled around it, inspecting it from all angles.
“It’s a new bed, for you. I know that you get a little cold at night, since you’re used to heating the ground up with your fire. And well, now you can! You just have to make sure to keep it contained to the stone.” Hiccup rambled, afraid Toothless did not like it.
Toothless gawked at Hiccup, surprised and touched by such a thoughtful gift. He quickly abandoned his new bed to pounce on his other half, nuzzling his face enthusiastically.
“It is perfect! Thank you! I could not ask for a more perfect gift!”
Hiccup beamed, pleased to have made his other half so happy. “I’m glad. This is your home too, you should be just as comfortable in it as I am. So you want to give it a try?” he asked gesturing at the stone.
Toothless eagerly jumped up and summoned a plasma blast, being careful to keep its impact to the stone. The stone glowed red as the plasma hit, then dulled, but it seemed to retain the heat well, if Toothless’ satisfied groan was any indication.
“Did it work?” Hiccup asked anyway. Toothless just replied with a wordless croon, soaking up the delightful warmth of his new bed, already drifting off to sleep.
Hiccup smiled softly, “Goodnight, Bud. I’m glad the new bed worked out.” Then he began readying himself for bed.
Toothless purred sleepily, perfectly content.