Hiccup laid asleep, his head on a pillow. A couple of scars littered his face, but showing signs of healing much better than before. Toothless hovered over him, whining and grumbling a little impatiently, but when there was no response, the dragon sat back down sadly, waiting for his mate to wake up.
It had been almost a month and a half since the battle between Berk and the Red Death. The Vikings almost could not believe that the huge monster was defeated by a mere boy and a dragon, but it was there, dead and gone and burnt into a crisp. As the Red Death's head was too big and heavy to be hacked and hauled in as their trophy, the Viking troops decided to take some of its teeth and gouge out all its eyes as proof that they had taken down probably the mightiest of all beasts. After managing to salvage some working ships, everyone made their way back to Berk with the help of Astrid and the gang with their dragons. Using ropes to secure the masts of those ships, the gang's dragons as well as the wild ones dragged the ships across the sea, much to everyone's amazement, and made it safely back to Berk without any hitch.
During the entire journey back to Berk, Toothless never left Hiccup's side. He ignored his own wounds and pain and stood vigil over Hiccup all the way home, only resting when he was too tired to keep awake, wrapping himself protectively around his mate and allowed no one except Stoick and Gobber near him. In fact, Hiccup would unconsciously reach over to grab onto Toothless' tail in his slumber, holding tight and would not let go. Stoick, who witnessed this scene each time he came over to check on his son's condition, was touched by this heartfelt connection and love between them and was finally convinced that the bond between them was real, and that their relationship was serious, and he knew deep down inside, there was nothing he could otherwise to tear them apart.
Hiccup had, due to the hit from the Red Death's tail that caused them to freefall into the inferno, smashed his left leg in many places and, coupled with the fire that charred him just before Toothless managed to grab him, had become broken beyond repair. They had no choice but to amputate that part of the leg before the infection spread to the rest of his body. Toothless did not take to this decision kindly at first. When Stoick took Hiccup from Toothless to the medics to be amputated, Toothless went into a fit, more so when he saw the medic carrying the axe that was meant for surgical amputation. It took almost 5 grown Vikings to hold Toothless back and Gobber to try and convince Toothless that Hiccup needed this surgery to save his life and promised that no harm would come to him, proving it by showing the dragon his own hooked hand and peg leg. The midwife was also brought in to check on Hiccup's child (subsequently revealing Hiccup's family secret that he and his father had guarded their whole life) and said if it weren't for Toothless taking the brunt of the fall during the battle, they would've permanently lost their child. It was a little worse for wear, but it will survive, so long as Hiccup does not do anymore dangerous stunts like that again.
After the surgery, Toothless again would never leave Hiccup out of his sight. Every day, he would pace or sit around Hiccup, giving him dragon kisses and licking his face, sometimes bringing in some of Hiccup's favourite cooked fish for him in hopes that the smell would wake him up. He would purr quietly at his ear and watched cautiously whenever Stoick, Gobber or the midwife came in to nurse his wounds and feed him liquids to keep him hydrated or to clean him. He would make sure Hiccup's visitors did not overstay their welcome and growled protectively at anyone, other than those allowed, who tried to touch him. He would nuzzle at Hiccup's baby bump and purred sweet nothings to it, telling it to stay strong for him and its mother. And every night, he would carefully climb onto Hiccup's bed and curled up around his mate, hoping that his body warmth would help to minimize the damage the cold might do to Hiccup's amputated leg.
Finally, after a month and a half of being comatose and recharging his batteries, Hiccup slowly stirred and opened his eyes, and the first sight to greet him was Toothless' ecstatic face.
"Oh, hey, Toothless," Hiccup said groggily.
Toothless excitedly nuzzled and nudged Hiccup, a wave of happiness and relief washed through the bond, telling Hiccup that he was so glad to see him awake, alive and kicking.
"I'm happy to see you too, bud," Hiccup smiled, reaching up to kiss Toothless muzzle. As he slowly sat up, he looked around to see that he was in his bed, moved beside the fire pit on the main floor of his house. "I'm in my house…" he turned to look at Toothless and realized the significance of his presence. "You're in my house."
Toothless tore around the room excitedly as if telling him 'Yup, that's right. I am in your house', at the same time knocking things over, far too big for the space.
"Uh…does my dad know you're in here?" Hiccup's eyes darted around nervously, afraid that at the next moment the Chief of tribe would suddenly barge in and shout in horror at a dragon in the house.
Toothless paused at the foot of the bed, tongue wagging. He spoke through the bond as he leapt up onto the rafters, telling him that everything was alright and that they didn't have to worry about Stoick anymore.
"Uh…Okay, what exactly does that mean?" Hiccup asked in distress. "Aw, come on…"
Hiccup shifted to get out of bed, then paused, sensing that something was wrong. He peeled back the covers slowly. What he saw startled, horrified, and overwhelmed him all at once. What was supposed to be his leg was replaced with a mechanical prosthetic in its place. It's an ingenious spring-loaded replacement, made of wood and iron, and it stung him a little as he tried to step onto it.
"My…My leg…W-What happened to my leg…?"
Toothless landed by the bed and approached him calmly. He pressed his muzzle against Hiccup's temple and spoke to him through his bond as Hiccup did when he told him about their child, calmly explaining to him that it was for his own good. Slowly he raised his eyes to meet Hiccup's, seemingly aware of what Hiccup is going through, and purred. He then leaned down to nuzzle Hiccup's baby bump, which seemed to have grown a little over the past month, as if saying that at least their child was safe and sound and that was all that mattered. Tears of both relief and sadness trickled down Hiccup's cheeks and Toothless licked them away, all the while giving him encouragement through his purrs and through their bond.
After calming down some and letting the reality sink in, Hiccup braced himself on the bedpost and tried to stand on it. He winced and stifles the pain but stumbled with the first step. Toothless caught Hiccup's fall with his head and slowly lifts him up, stabilizing him.
"Thanks, bud," Hiccup tried to smile as he kissed Toothless' forehead.
Carefully, he leaned on Toothless like a crutch. They took a few steps together, their missing parts form a poetic silhouette as they made their way towards the door. Hiccup pried it open and suddenly saw a Monstrous Nightmare flapping outside the door. He yelped and slammed the door closed, thinking it was another dragon invasion again and that nothing had changed since his battle with the Red Death. He turned to Toothless, alarmed.
"Toothless? Stay here, bud."
Hiccup paused and cracked the door open again. He peeked outside, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw more of what was going on. He swung the door open to get a clearer view, only to see that the Monstrous Nightmare was the one they had in the training ring and was carrying an excited Snotlout on its back, guiding a class of newbie dragon riders as they followed him through frame on a variety of dragons.
As Hiccup came out to see the whole picture, he was met with an astounding sight: Vikings and dragons milled about by the dozen, basking on the rooftops, weaving along the plaza. No one seemed upset; there wasn't a sword in sight. Under the framework of a massive barn, a Nadder blasted fire onto a metal brace. It stepped back to let a Viking hammer it into shape. Nearby, a Gronkle landed, carrying a tree trunk in its mouth. He shows a Viking what he's found, in which the Viking patted its head. Another Viking backed a Zippleback into a stall to check it for size. Hiccup takes a step out to the front steps, finding Stoick waiting for him there.
"I knew it. I'm dead," Hiccup said in disbelief at what he had just witnessed before him.
"No, but you gave it your best shot," Stoick laughed, putting his arm around Hiccup, steadying him. He gestures to the transformed village. "So? What do you think?"
"Wow…" Hiccup breathed, amazed. "What…What happened…? What did you do?"
"Oh, nothing much, really. The whole village was already convinced enough that the dragons were not a threat when they saw them bringing us back to Berk and didn't go fire-happy on us. All I had to do was tell them and the village Elders exactly what happened during the battle, and what you have done to save us all. Your friends helped too by demonstrating to us how it would be better for us to ride them rather than kill them."
"You mean Astrid and the guys?"
"Yup, and the rest just slowly fell into place. The older Vikings were a little apprehensive and a little resistant to change, but the young ones adapted to it like ducks in water," Stoick smiled as the villagers took notice of Hiccup's presence and surrounded him with a hero's welcome. "Turns out all we needed was a little more of…" he gestured non-specifically at Hiccup, "…this."
"You just gestured to all of me," Hiccup said humorously, playing along with him.
"Well. Most of you," Gobber said as he pushed through the crowd, beaming proudly. "That bit's my handiwork. With a little Hiccup flare thrown in. Think it'll do?"
"I might make a few tweaks," Hiccup replied in a bittersweet tone, coming to terms with his condition slowly.
"By the way, our family secret is no longer a family secret," Stoick said as he squeezed Hiccup's shoulder gently. "After what happened to your leg, there was no room for hiding anything anymore. They know about you and the little devil…as well as my upcoming grandchild."
"You…You're…You're OK with it? Everyone's OK with it?"
"Well, let's face it," Gobber said good-naturedly. "It's not like you're gonna get a date with any girl since you're a bit of it yourself, and with that mark the Night Fury gave you, I don't think you'd be having any other suitors anytime soon. Look at the bright side, at least you're gonna give your father strong heirs for grandchildren."
"Thank you for summing that up," Hiccup rolled his eyes as everyone around him laughed humorously at Gobber's wise-cracking. Astrid appeared through the crowd and jabbed Hiccup in the arm. Hiccup recoiled with a grumble.
"That's for scaring me."
"What, is it always going to be this way? Cause I…" Hiccup's protests were cut short when she grabbed him aggressively in her arms and hugged him tight, relieved that he was alright, causing 'Aaw~' to follow. "…I could get used to it."
After a heartfelt hug between the two friends, Gobber presented Hiccup with a rebuilt saddle, rigging, and tail.
"Welcome home," Gobber said, earning a thankful smile from Hiccup.
Toothless soon pounced on the crowd, crushing several unsuspecting Vikings under his weight. He looked warily at Astrid at first, wondering if she was trying to seduce his mate, before he eyed the new tail excitedly, tongue wagging. Amidst the groans and grumbles, Hiccup and Astrid exchange an amused grin.
"Shall we go for a ride?" Hiccup asked.
"Are you sure?" Stoick asked, a little worried. "You just got out of bed, and with your condition right now…"
"Don't worry, Stoick," Gobber eased Stoick's worries. "He had a month and a half of recuperation that could make even that little bairn inside him bored to death. It survived a battle, it can survive this. Besides, he's got Toothless."
"And us," Astrid assured.
"Alright," Stoick sighed, relented. "But if anything happens or if anything feels wrong, you bring him right home, you got it, Devil?"
Toothless nodded, knowing that Stoick called him 'Devil' out of affection, not malice.
Hiccup was soon on Toothless, his prosthetic foot snapping into the modified stirrup. The two pieces clicked together, forming a single shape. Astride Toothless, he was and felt whole again. He rotated the pedal to test it and the new tail opened, revealing it to be bright red with a skull and Viking horns emblazoned on it. Hiccup smiled, approving of the design. As the pair saddled up and ready to fly, Astrid quickly backed her Nadder into position, joined by the rest of the gang who were waiting for them in mid-air.
"You ready?" Hiccup asked.
Toothless snorted an excited 'yes', his ears twitching impatiently.
From his mount, Hiccup looked out over the changed world. Taking a deep breath, he debated a little in his mind as to how long this would last. But for now, as he caressed his baby bump before setting off into the air with Toothless, he knew that no matter what happens, he and Toothless will always be together.
Till the end of time.
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