~LITTLE HICCUP~

A gust of moisture blew on my face, and a familiar grumbling sounded closely from my ear.

"Oh, hey Toothless," I mumbled in my bed, the dragon's large, ebony head hovering over me. He nuzzled me softly yet forcefully, nudging his face by my small chest. "Okay, okay! I'm happy to see you too, bud. Now just—" A spike of pain washed over me as one of Toothless' large claws pressed on my groin. I bolted upright in my bed, clutching at the source of pain. As I looked around I realized where I was.

A fire glowed at the end of the bed of my house, the warmth heating my toes. The Night Fury sat, gazing at me, his tongue wagging. "I'm in my house. You're in my house," I panicked as Toothless moved away, bouncing excitedly from wall to wall and knocking things over. "Uh...does my dad know you're in here?" I attempted to calm him.

"Okay, okay—no Toothless! Aw, come on..." I sighed, sitting up further to get out of bed, then stopped, sensing something wrong. my face fell as I looked underneath the blanket.

Gently, I placed my booted, right foot on the floor. A metal appendage replaced my left foot as I set it down. Toothless descended from the beam he rested on, sniffing my prosthetic leg curiously before raising his great head to meet my gaze. I knew he could sense what I was feeling. He knew how I was feeling.

I exhaled, clutching to the bedpost as I tried to stand. Pain shot up what remained of my leg and I winced, pushing past it. "Okay...okay..." Taking my first step, Toothless caught me with his head as I instantly collapsed. Slowly rising, the dragon stayed by my side, reassuring me that I wouldn't fall again. "Thanks, bud," I said.

I tried again, hobbling toward the door with my Night Fury by my side. Grabbing the handle I pried it open. Outside was a Monstrous Nightmare, its great maw showing deadly fangs. I shouted, slamming the door shut before turning to Toothless. "Toothless? Stay here, bud."

I paused to a moment before creaking the wooden barrier between us and the dragon outside open. "Come on, guys, get ready! Hold on tight! Here we go!" Snotlout shouted from the back of the Nightmare and flapped over the village plaza (followed by Fishlegs and Astrid on their respective dragons), containing dragons of all sizes and shapes and colours. Nadders stood perched along the rooftops while Gronckles buzzed overhead; Vikings milled about the area as Hideous Zipplebacks slid various fish down their elegant throats. A blue dragon spewed its magnesium flames onto a metal brace, stepping back to allow a Viking to hammer away; another Boulder Class dragon plopped down onto the ground with a large tree trunk in its jaws to show a villager of his findings. The woman gave the creature a pat on the head, and the Gronckle wagged its tail in turn.

Dragons and Vikings? Together? "I knew it. I'm dead," I exclaimed, unable to speak another word in response to the sight before my wide eyes.

A deep, jovial chuckle rang out among the commotion of the village. "No," Dad disagreed, sidling up next to me, "but you gave it your best shot." I was grateful for his thick arm wrapping around my shoulders, supporting me as I continued to stand on my peg leg. "So? What do you think?"

I could do nothing except shrug.

Hork, a villager, glanced toward the house, crying out. "Hey look! It's Hiccup!" Other Berkians followed Hork's gaze and rushed over to Dad and I, and suddenly everyone was talking to me at once.

"Hiccup, how you doin' mate?"

"It's great to see you up and about."

The crowd quieted when the chief spoke. "Turns all we needed was a little more of..." Dad gestured non-specifically toward me, "...this."

"You just gestured to all of me," I played along.

Dad grinned down at me.

"Well, most of you," Gobber wormed his way through the crowd, arriving by my side, beaming. "That bit's my handiwork. With a little Hiccup flare thrown in. Think it'll do?" he asked.

I gazed down at my prosthetic foot. I smiled a bit sadly. I pushed the feeling away, "I might make a few tweaks."

The circle of Vikings around me chuckled at my comment.

Oww! A pain shot through my shoulder, and I looked to my left, unsurprised to find Astrid standing beside me. "That's for scaring me," she stated simply.

"What, is it always going to be this way? 'Cause—" I started, before the teenage warrior grabbed me by the collar of my shirt and enveloping me in a kiss.

It was warm and sweet and I lost myself in it momentarily. I might have been surprised that her lips felt this way on mine before, if I hadn't learned her to be more than the icy, fearless warrior that I previously thought her to be. I was vaguely aware of the hollers and hoots sounding from the crowd in response to her forwardness.

Much to my disappointment, Astrid pulled away. Slightly stunned, I could only finish my previous thought and say "I could get used to it." Everyone laughed, diffusing the slight awkwardness of the knowledge that much of the village witnessed Astrid and I kissing.

Glancing over to her, she looked slightly stunned and confused.

"Are you okay?" I asked, wondering if she didn't like the kiss.

"I, uh—Yes, I just—realized something." Her cheeks became a faint pink, as if what she realized was an embarrassing thought.

Gobber must have left without me noticing, because now he held a brand new saddle, rigging, and prosthetic tail. Instead of the dull beige fabric I had used originally, the tail had a Viking skull in front of a stark red background. "Welcome home."

Suddenly a cry came from the one of the villagers. "Night Fury! Get down!"

I turned my head to see Toothless pouncing on a few unfortunate Vikings, clearly excited to try on his new tail, tail wagging. I exchanged a sheepish grin with Astrid, slightly embarrassed by my dragon's over-eagerness.

~ ~ ~

Toothless and I rocketed upward, losing ourselves in the clouds. This is what living was. From up here, all of Berk could be seen as the red sun lowered into the sea.

Gazing down at the forest, I spotted a tall, slender figure accompanied by a dark shape, watching the sun disappear as they sat on the edge of a plummeting cliff.

Swiftly my Night Fury landed and padded down to the edge of the cliff, putting one claw over the other and resting his flat head.

I stood a distance away from the young man. While his own Night Fury mimicked my own dragon's actions, the man stood gazing over the sea. He seemed lost in his own thoughts, so distant that he didn't notice me approach.

"We did it," I stated quietly, coming to stand beside him.

The man jumped slightly, surprised at my presence. "Oh, it's you, Hiccup," he realized, relieved.

After a moment, he responded to my initial words. "Good." He looked over to me. "You were meant for this," was all he said, before returning his gaze to the orange-streaked waters. I watched the horizon, too. In the distance, black clouds were rolling in. A bolt of lightning shot down from the sky before the thunder that followed.

"You're name isn't Tufflout."

"No," the man confirmed, barely speaking above a whisper. "It's not."

"Who are you, then?" I asked.

The brunet man chuckled lightly, his messy hair disrupted by the slight breeze in the air. "You know the answer to that," he turned to me, putting an elegant yet calloused hand on my shoulder.

I met his eyes. They were green, not the exact same as mine, but they rang of peace and understanding and everything else I believed in. He dropped his hand, letting it slide down to my elbow before taking it back and turning away. A scar on his chin glinted in the light as he moved, so much like my own.

Mounting his Night Fury, the rider clicked his prosthetic leg into place. "Where are you going?" I didn't say it as if I wished he could stay; staying wasn't an option. It was a curious question.

"We have a storm to catch," he grinned, and there was a glint in his eyes that I hadn't seen before. It was mischievous and full of excitement. For the first time, he looked at home.

The Night fury spread his wings before plummeting down the side of the cliff. Tucking his wings against him, the two fell until the dragon spread his wings once more and rising up into the air.

I didn't see Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III, Chief of Berk, for five years.

~HICCUP~

The lightning struck. It felt hot and cold all at once, like holding snow in your bare hands. It was the only way I knew we made it successfully. We didn't go through some "other" place; the switch was instant. The sky was the how we had left it, just as murderous as when Toothless and I had first left.

Escaping the lightning, we padded softly home once we reached the village, my hair droopy and wet while Toothless's scales repelled the downpour.

"Hiccup?" A voice called out to me through the heavy droplets. Astrid was standing in front of her house in the rain, peering into the darkness. She stood, arms crossed, a slight frown on her face.

I glanced back to my best friend. "Go," smiled Toothless, "I can wait." His black form disappeared in the darkness.

I rushed up to her, wrapping my arms around her middle and planting a kiss on her lips and closing my eyes. She responded, wrapping her arms around my neck. It was rushed, but long; I felt as if I ever stopped she would be whisked away from me again. She always had tasted sweet, like the sap we collected during the short summer months. Pulling away, slightly, I kept my forehead against hers, smiling, my eyes still closed.

Her voice was a whisper, as if speaking too loud would ruin our moment in the rain. "What was that?" Astrid gave me a hesitant smile, obviously still confused.

I pecked her on the nose, opening my eyes to lock our gazes. "I missed you so much. You wouldn't even realize."

"Why would you miss me?" asked Astrid. "And why are you out in the rain in the middle of the night, for Thor's sake?"

"It's a long story. I'm not sure you'd believe me if I told you," I smiled. "It felt like one big, nostalgic dream."

My future-wife's eyes widened, as blue as ever. We shared a moment of silence. Then—

"I knew who you were," Astrid spoke softly, like a lazy stream flowing into the sea. "The first time we kissed, after the battle with the Red Death."

I drew back slightly from our embrace, eyes wide.

"That was when I realized. I wasn't sure how it was even possible. But I knew."

My look remained unchanged.

Astrid giggled—giggled—gazing back at me with a mischievous grin. "You know, if anyone had seen us, we would have had a lot of explaining to do." Even in the dark I could see a slight colour rise up to her cheeks."

After what seemed like forever in a stunned silence, I chuckled, wrapping my arms around her again to pull her closer and resting my chin on her shoulder. I could feel her skin underneath the drenched tunic and tights she wore, goosebumps rising underneath my fingertips.

"I love you, you know that?" I whispered in her ear, and I felt her shiver slightly at my words so close to her ear.

"I know." She didn't need to say it back.

I was just happy to be wrapped in her arms, and for her to be in mine.

I gave her one final kiss before she returned to the threshold of her house. She flashed a smile— close-lipped but not secretive—before shutting the door behind her.

The walk home was silent, save the patter of the rain and the muddy squelch of my lonely boot.

Toothless sat by the entrance, his green eyes glowing in the dark. I stood to face him.

"We did it," I said, a grin creeping onto my face.

"We did," the Night Fury agreed.

"I wouldn't have killed you," I said softly, "even though we messed up the timeline. I wouldn't."

Toothless padded up to me, and in that moment I could truly see the Alpha that he was. "I wouldn't have, either."

Taking his massive black head in my hands, I pressed my forehead to his. We stayed like that for what seemed like eternity.

You have the heart of a chief and the soul of a dragon, Mom had told me as we watched Dad burn.

I still wasn't completely sure how much truth rang in those words, but I had Toothless. All I would ever need is my best friend.

~ ~ ~

Wow. I can't believe I'm actually done. It doesn't seem real.

When I first found Wattpad, It was 2014 and I had watched How to Train Your Dragon 2 a few months back. I loved it just as much as the first and continued to watch it online. I'm not sure how I knew about fanfiction, but long story short, I came across Wattpad, and found Love in the Time of the Dragon Riders by ToothlessLover777. Since I had (and still do) have high standards, I wasn't able to find enough good fanfics, and I wrote my very own. It was called The Friendship That May Never Happen. After a year and a half, I'm finally done, and I'm pretty proud of it.

Thank you all for supporting me through this. I certainly wouldn't have done it without all of you. You made me realize I can do anything if I set my mind to it. I haven't been the most consistent updater, but you were there with me to the end. You all mean so much to me!

P.S. This seems kind of like a goodbye message, but I assure you, it's not. I'm just getting started :)

- TGD xoxo