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❛ sᴛᴏʀᴍʙᴏʀɴ​​​​​​​​​​. ❜ ° . ༄
- ͙۪۪˚   ▎❛ 𝐁𝐎𝐍𝐔𝐒 ❜   ▎˚ ͙۪۪̥◌
»»————- ꒰ sɴᴏɢɢʟᴇᴛᴏɢ sᴜʀᴘɪsᴇ ꒱


❝ BE BRAVE & SEIZE
THE MOMENT. ❞

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Months after the battle with the Red Death, Berk's already cold climate became even colder. The temperatures dropped to a kind of balmy, fun-in-the-sun environment that would give you frostbite on your spleen. The snowfalls became more frequent and greetings of 'happy Snoggletog' soon rang in the air. On the less brutal days, the villagers were out and about as they decorated for the holiday season.

Daenerys Targaryen was especially looking forward to Snoggletog this year, for it was the first one that she would be spending with friends. Her winter holidays had always been cozy with her parents and dragons, but the prospect of celebrating with people her own age (and one person in particular) made her smile extra wide.

While her parents were still wary about the Vikings' reception of them and had yet to go into town, Dany made the commute almost everyday on her dragon, Drogon. She didn't even mind the arctic wind that whipped her silvery-blonde hair into knots, or how it made her cheeks pink from cold— she just made sure to bundle up even more. She looked forward to landing next to the chief's hut or the forge and warming her hands by the fire as she spent time with her best friend, Hiccup.

She'd only become friends with him earlier that year, but she already cared about him a great deal. At first she'd thought it was because he was the first friend she'd ever made, but after meeting Berk's other teens, she realized that she didn't feel the same way about them as she did about Hiccup. They didn't make her heart flutter in her chest, or make her look forward to each day so she could see them again. They didn't inspire her to collect the best rocks and give them as little gifts in the hopes of seeing the boy she liked smile. Dany had even made a special Snoggletog present for Hiccup (although, to be fair, she'd meant to give it to him ages ago. . . she'd just kept putting it off as it never seemed to be the right time.)

The blonde thought of all the differences between this Snoggletog and the last as she made her daily trip into town to meet up with the gang. She landed Drogon in the town square, which was the only area within the village that he could actually fit. Fishlegs was up on a ladder hanging decorations while Astrid was using Stormfly's spikes to pin shields to the Snoggletog tree.

"Are you ready, girl?" she asked as the Targaryen dismounted her dragon.

In response, her Deadly Nadder prepared her tail. Astrid tossed each shield up with a grunt as Stormfly's spikes nailed each one perfectly. Dany crossed the clearing over to the other girl with a grin. "At this rate, you'll best me in marksmanship in no time. I'm starting to get worried!"

The two girls got along much better after the conversation they'd had a few months ago. Astrid rolled her eyes. "Trust me, you've got nothing to worry about. I'll stick to my axe, thank you very much."

4 Months Ago

After things had settled down in Berk— or at least, as settled as they could be for a village full of stubborn Vikings— the teens had begun to hang out together more often, even including the once-outsiders Hiccup and Dany. For the most part, the blonde began to get used to their eccentricities, although there were some that she liked more than others. For example, she was uncomfortable around Snotlout, nervous around the Twins, but enjoyed Fishlegs' company. The only person whom she truly despised was Astrid, due to her belief that Hiccup still had feelings for the girl. She'd taken to pretending that Astrid didn't exist, often ignoring her comments or pretending like her voice was a fly buzzing in her ear.

With the Hofferson girl's notoriously short fuse, this arrangement didn't last long. It only took a week before Astrid pulled Daenerys aside. She wore an irritated expression on her face as she whirled the girl around, keeping both hands on her shoulders. As usual, the Targaryen looked everywhere but her face, her gaze focusing instead on the ground. She held herself stiffly in the other blonde's grip, clearly uneasy with being touched— but Astrid had had enough. So, she demanded, "what's your problem?"

Dany remained silent as she knotted her fingers together, so the girl continued: "you've ignored me for days. We could be a great team, but we can't work together if you shut me out! I get that we didn't get off to the best start, but I've moved past it, so why haven't you?"

Silence fell after that as Astrid's blue eyes seemed to bore into her soul. It grew to be so awkward that the blonde finally burst out: "because you have feelings for Hiccup!"

There was a pause before the Hofferson burst into laughter. She laughed so hard that she released Dany's shoulders to hold her stomach. Through lingering chuckles, she gasped, "you. . . you really think that I have feelings for. . . Hiccup?"

Daenerys jerked her eyes up to meet Astrid's before she quickly looked away again. She frowned at the other girl's reaction. "What, you think you're too good for him?"

"No, no. . ." the blonde replied, still smiling with amusement. "That's not it at all. I just. . . I don't know where you could have come up with something like that, since I only like him as a friend."

That took Dany by surprise. "Really?"

"Uh, yeah." Astrid studied the Targaryen carefully before realization dawned on her features. In an uncharacteristically soft voice, she asked, "Daenerys, were you. . . jealous?"

She flinched, startled by Astrid's guess. She played with her fingers as she replied hesitatingly, "well. . . I don't think so. Not really. I just. . . Hiccup told me about how you and the other teens threw dirt on him for years. I guess I just thought that you didn't deserve to be admired after you treated him so poorly."

The other girl had the decency to look guilty. "I suppose you're not wrong. It was the popular thing to do at the time and nobody wanted to be nice to Hiccup since that would make you an outcast like him. I know now that it definitely wasn't the right thing to do."

Dany thought for a moment. "Alright. Well, if you apologize to Hiccup, then we can be friends."

"Apologize to Hiccup?" Astrid echoed.

The Targaryen gave a firm nod. "Yeah, for the way you treated him. Since you know it's wrong, now it's time to make things right."

Needless to say, Hiccup was very surprised (and adorably flustered, in Dany's opinion) when Astrid apologized the next day. After that, the two girls got along splendidly.

Back in present day, the square was almost finished being decorated. Stoick stood in front of the tree to address the gathered Vikings. "Well done. Well done, all of you. I never thought I'd live to see this day—peace on the island of Berk." Stormfly nuzzled into Astrid's side, causing her to chuckle. "This will surely be the greatest holiday we've ever seen."

The crowd cheered and turned to their dragons, but the joy didn't last long. Just when it felt like they could start celebrating, a loud set of screeches and roars came from above. Frightened and curious, everyone looked toward the sky, only to find a large flock of dragons passing by overhead, heading for some unknown destination.

"What in the name of Thor. . .?" Gobber gasped.

The surrounding dragons immediately reacted to the ones above them. Their pupils became slits and they pulled away from their friends and family. A Monstrous Nightmare roared on a nearby rooftop as if to call out to his brethren. One by one, Berk's dragons began to take off and join the others. The Vikings' joy quickly turned into horror at the sight of their dragons leaving them.

Just then, Hiccup arrived with Toothless, which normally would've been something that Dany looked forward to, but the Berkians' panic dashed those feelings. He jumped off his dragon and ran towards them. "Dany!"

The girl rushed to meet him, watching him carefully in case he fell— he was still getting used to his metal foot, after all. Astrid followed her close behind, asking, "guys, what's going on? Where are they going?"

Before either of them got the chance to answer, the rest of the village closed in on them, loudly demanding the same answers all at once. Dany held on tightly to the boy's arm as she bowed her head, overwhelmed by the cacophony of noise around her.

"Calm down!" Thankfully, Chief Stoick quelled the crowd for the time being and when he pushed through, the group backed up a bit. "Give them a chance to speak."

Although the noise had died down, Hiccup still didn't know what was going on. He glanced at the blonde next to him, wondering if she knew what was happening, but her lips were pressed tightly together as she glanced nervously at the close-pressed villagers. His father spoke again, asking the question on everyone's mind: "where are all of our dragons going?"

"Dad. . . I don't know," he answered honestly. If Dany knew anything, he'd have to ask her when they were alone.

By this point, only two dragons remained in the village: Toothless, who couldn't fly without a rider, and Drogon, whose family lived on Berk. Stormfly held himself back from joining the others as he flapped above the Night Fury's head, but Toothless could only stretch his neck out. Eventually, the Deadly Nadder gave up and turned to catch up with the rest of the group. Drogon lumbered over to where his friend watched the departing dragons sadly and stood next to him. He held his head high as he sniffed the air, his great nostrils flaring— but otherwise he made no move to leave.

The crowd sighed in disappointment but there was nothing more to say. Despite their expectations, Hiccup did not have every single answer—and he likely never would. Even Daenerys, who knew the most about dragons, didn't know everything.

🏹🏹🏹

The teens left the meeting in the Great Hall early to wander down the empty, snowy streets. Dany walked next to Hiccup and she sent him a small, reassuring smile. He gave her one in return, but she could see the tenseness behind it. Shifting her gaze forward, she slid her hand into her pocket and curled her fingers around the wooden figurine that was buried deep inside. Maybe now was the right time, she couldn't help but wonder.

"That was depressing," Ruffnut sighed.

"I know." Astrid's shoulders drooped. "I was looking forward to spending the holiday with Stormfly."

Everyone's complaints halted when we looked over at Fishlegs, who was practically bouncing as he whistled a similarly happy tune.

"What are you so happy about?" Tuffnut demanded, glaring at the boy next to him. "Don't you miss Meatlug?"

"Me?" Fishlegs stopped dead in his tracks, his eyes going comically wide for a moment before he forced a frown. "Yeah, I miss him so much," he fake sobbed. "Well, goodnight."

He wasted no time in running off, leaving the group staring after him in bewilderment. Then, Astrid gasped with sudden excitement. "I've got an idea," she declared, the grin on her face growing wider. "Let's come up with a bunch of new holiday traditions. You know, to bury the sadness."

The group groaned in unison, although Dany and Hiccup were at least willing to hear her out. The blonde stepped forward, and, while her shoulders where hunched and she kept her arms wrapped around herself due to nerves, she said quietly, "it's not the worst idea. We could at least try."

"Yeah, sure," Tuffnut scoffed. "You're just saying that because you've probably put a Targaryen spell on your dragon to make him stay with you."

She recoiled at his words; ever since she'd proven the Targaryen name during the battle with the Red Death, the insults about her family had all but disappeared. Sure, they still cropped up occasionally, but they were very rarely ever said to her face. Hiccup moved to stand next to her and placed a hand on her shoulder for a second. "Knock it off, Tuff. Nobody thinks that way about Dany anymore."

"And what about you, Hiccup?" he shot back, continuing his rant. "Your dragon can't go anywhere without you."

He gestured to where Toothless sat on the edge of a cliff off in the distance. The moonlight silhouetted his body, which was tiny compared to Drogon's hulking frame, as the other dragon had stood next to him all day.

"Must be nice," Ruffnut grunted.

The others walked away, leaving just the two of them. The boy glanced over at his friend. "Dany. . . do you know where our dragons went?"

Her shoulders slumped as she looked at the ground. "I wish I did," she murmured, "but I only know about dragon habits from those who have sought out my family's help. My parents never let me fly too far from Berk for fear of our dragons being captured. I mean, they'd have to be really good dragon hunters, but it could've still happened. I'm sorry."

"It's okay," Hiccup comforted her. "I didn't expect you to know everything."

She gave him a soft smile as her fingers tightened around the statue in her pocket. Give it to him, her mind whispered to her, just do it. It was a good moment, with the stars shining brightly against the velvet-black sky, the moon and torches providing enough light to illuminate his face. His expression was mostly relaxed, though there was a pinch of worry between his brows as he watched their dragons in the distance. Just as Dany was psyching herself up to broach the subject, Hiccup cleared his throat.

"Well, I think I'm going to call it a night," he announced. "I'll see you tomorrow, yeah?"

The girl closed her mouth and gave him a nod, disappointed in herself that she'd missed another opportunity. They looked at each other awkwardly for a moment— well, Hiccup looked at her while she studied his nose— before he lifted his arms, almost as if to give her a hug. At that same time, Dany held out her hand for a handshake, leaving them at some uncomfortable middle point. They both quickly stepped away from each other with blushing faces until the brunet turned away to call for his dragon.

🏹🏹🏹

When Dany arrived at the Hofferson house the next morning, her first reaction was to wrinkle her nose when she stepped inside. Astrid was standing at the large hearth. A fire was blazing within, which kept the home at a nice, warm temperature. A pot of. . . something bubbled over the fire, its color a rather unappealing shade of gray. Dany suspected that this was the source of the smell— it was putrid, as if it were made from day-old fish left out in the sun. Or maybe the blonde was boiling the twins' clothes to (finally) clean them. . . they were notorious for their smell. But if that were the case, Astrid would be fuming over a lost bet, not smiling happily as she stirred the mixture around.

As she took a seat at the nearby table, the Targaryen made a face and asked, "what is that?"

The other girl's mood was hardly affected by her friend's blunt tone. "Hello to you to. This is a new creation— yaknog! You can have some when it's done."

"No way, I'll pass," Dany replied immediately. "You're. . . you're not planning on serving that to people, are you?"

Astrid shrugged. "Sure. I spent all night thinking about new traditions to celebrate."

"Well, maybe you should have thought some more. That smells awful."

Even the straight truth wasn't enough to abate the blonde's good mood; she merely rolled her eyes and said, "well duh. It's not finished yet."

Dany grimaced. "I hardly think that will help it."

Having been friends for several months now, Astrid remained unperturbed by Dany's comment. As the former began to talk about the other ideas she'd come up with, the other girl's hand drifted to her pocket where the dragon statue remained. Feeling the need to fidget with something during their conversation, she pulled it out and placed it on the table in front of her. Her fingers ran over the smooth surface of the figurine and she traced over the familiar edges of the Night Fury's wings.

The Hofferson noticed her movements and let out an exasperated sigh. "You still haven't given carving to Hiccup yet? You made it months ago."

She stilled and tried to hide the sculpture with her hand even though it was too late. "What carving?"

Astrid stopped stirring her concoction to face her friend, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked at the girl's hands pointedly. "The one you're trying to hide from me. Why do you keep putting it off?"

Her face went a bit pink and she stared down at the table under the girl's firm gaze. "Well. . . I just thought that maybe he didn't like dragon statues. Or maybe he would find it creepy that I stared at him while he was unconscious. . . Or maybe—"

"Dany," the blonde interrupted her, gently but sternly, "if it was Snotlout or the twins, I'd warn you against giving them a gift with sentimental value. But this is Hiccup we're talking about— he'd never laugh at you, even if he didn't like the present— which he will. There's nothing to be afraid of, so I don't know why you keep hesitating."

Daenerys sighed before she admitted quietly, "it just never seems like the right time. There are always people around, or he's about to go off and do something else, or someone interrupts us. . ."

Astrid came over and sat down on the stool across from her. She reached out and made to place her hand on top of the other girl's before she remembered that Dany tended to avoid contact, so she placed her hand on the table instead.

"Dany," she said again, this time more sympathetically. "You're a Viking. Be brave and seize the moment."

"Thanks, Astrid," she replied softly. It would be so much easier if I were you, she couldn't help but think.

🏹🏹🏹

Daenerys wasn't the only one who wasn't a fan of Astrid's new drink and their friends' negative reception led them to look for Hiccup. They found him working in Gobber's smithy when they approached.

"Hiccup?" Astrid called out.

"Yeah!" came his answer. "I'm over here! Come in!"

When they came inside, his expression brightened when he saw Dany trailing behind her. The girl's eyes were focused on the ground as usual, but she glanced up briefly to smile at him in greeting. It was still odd to see her without her usual flower crown, but the cold temperatures and deep snow prevented any plants from growing during the winter season. He was actually looking forward to the warmer months when she could weave flowers and walk barefoot as she preferred.

"Here, happy holidays," she announced brightly, offering him the tray. "From us to you."

At those words, Dany quickly intervened, "from Astrid to you, actually. I had no part in that." She pointed to the chunky liquid that was more soup than drink.

"Thanks," Hiccup said as he took a mug.

As Astrid began to wander around the workshop, the Targaryen moved closer to the boy and subtly began to take the mug from his hands. At his confused look, she shook her head vehemently and kept her grip on the cup.

"So, what are you up to?" the blonde asked as she examined the tools laid out on the counter.

Distracted by the other girl's bewildering actions, Hiccup took a minute to respond as he tried to take his mug back from her. "Uh, okay, well. . . you see. . ." Dany finally won out on their impromptu tug-of-war, so he got back on track. "You're gonna think I'm crazy, but I just couldn't stop thinking about what Tuffnut said last night. Toothless can't come and go like the other dragons, and that's just not fair. I was up all night and I think I found a way to fix that."

As he talked, the girl went over to the edge of the smithy where the snow met the dirt. Glancing over her shoulder to make sure that Astrid was still busy, she dumped out the contents of the mug, which promptly melted the snow when it landed (even though the drink was significantly cooled. . .) When she returned, Astrid was exclaiming, "no way! You built him a new tail? So he's gonna be able to fly without you!"

Dany was disappointed that she'd missed him showing off his invention, but at least she'd saved her best friend from imminent death. Hiccup nodded at her observation. "That's what I was aiming for."

"Wow," the blonde said, "what a great gift." She looked deliberately at the shorter girl, who immediately ducked her head as her hand slid into her pocket. "I wonder if you'll be getting any gifts this year," she added loudly.

"Well-well I hope so," Hiccup replied, missing their interaction entirely as his attention was still on the tail-fin. "What about you, Dany? Doesn't Drogon want to go with the others?"

The girl shook her head. "Oh, no. He's not very social and has only ever really been close to our other dragons. He could leave if he wants to, but why would he when his family is already here? After all, Snoggletog is for spending the day with the people you care about."

She spoke as if she meant the sentiment at face value, but Hiccup felt his face heat up at its implication. He hoped that meant she cared about him. He cleared his throat at the suddenly awkward atmosphere. "I guess that means you won't be in Berk, then? Since you'll be spending it with your mom and dad?"

"Most of the day, I suppose. I do want to join the evening celebration, though. You'll be there, right?"

The brunet's eyes went a little wide at the question, once again wondering if that maybe she meant it as more than just its surface meaning. Her expression gave nothing away, however, and he couldn't help but deflate a little. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, I'll be there."

Dany gave him a beaming smile. "Great! That means that this'll be the best Snoggletog ever, with or without dragons!"

Hiccup felt himself smile in return at her enthusiasm. Even if she didn't mean her words in the way he wanted her to, they would still get to spend time together. As if sensing their awkward conversation, Astrid clapped her hands. "Well, it's pretty cold out here, so I think I'm going to head back. Dany, I'll meet up with you later, yeah?"

The girl turned a bright shade of pink and mumbled something unintelligible before she made to leave. "I-I think I'll get going, too. I, um. . . have to get home before dark," she said hurriedly, coming up with another excuse. (It wasn't even close to sunset.)

Feeling her skin prickle under Astrid's exasperated gaze, she missed the boy's disappointed expression as he watched her beat a hasty retreat. It had been months since they'd spent any time alone together (like how they had in the cove) and he was starting to wonder if Dany was avoiding him.

🏹🏹🏹

After a rather. . . eventful start to the Snoggletog celebrations, everyone gathered in the Great Hall for the feast. Dany had even arrived with Drogon, although he was too large to fit inside even the biggest building on Berk. But, he wasn't alone and he watched over the baby dragons who were too excited to sit still. He remained calm as they climbed on him, occasionally letting out gusts of warm air as entertainment; the babies would flap their tiny wings and use his breath for flying practice.

Inside, the party was in full swing as Vikings talked over each other with loud voices, filling the room with boasts of past battles and hopes for the coming year. Although the village outside was destroyed, their hopes and joy remained intact; even emboldened at the return of their dear friends. In fact, the more well-behaved dragons crowded around the tables and squawked or rumbled to other dragons. Dany sat on the outskirts of the gathering, content to enjoy the festivities without being surrounded by the crushing noise.

Her relaxed expression fell into a frown at the sight of a familiar brown-haired boy who walked between the tables, happy for everyone even though the dragon he cared about was still missing. As usual, her hand slipped into her pocket as Astrid's words echoed in her head: "You're a Viking. Be brave and seize the moment."

Be brave, Dany reminded herself. Standing up, she strained to raise her voice above the din: "Hiccup! Hey, Hiccup!"

She wasn't sure if he'd heard her, but his wandering eyes fell in her direction, so she waved energetically to get his attention. The movement caught his eye and his somber look brightened slightly. Her heart skipped a beat as he made a beeline towards her. He greeted her as he took a seat on the bench next to her. "How are you this evening, milady?"

The blonde felt her face heat up and she ducked her head as her fingers tightened around the statue. Be brave, Dany. "I should be asking you that question," she said sympathetically. "Toothless will come back, you know. But. . . until he does, you can borrow Drogon anytime you want."

"Thanks," he replied, knowing that what she was offering meant a lot to her, but Dany was right; no dragon could ever replace Toothless.

Seeing that her suggestion didn't have the desired effect she was looking for, the Targaryen took a deep breath. "Look, I know it's not the same as actually having him here with you, but. . ."

She trailed off, preferring to reach over and take his wrist in her hand. Hiccup looked over at her sharply, surprised that she would do something so out of character. Dany flipped over his hand so that it was palm-up. Keeping her grip on his wrist, she used her other hand to drop the figurine on his palm. She avoided his gaze as she finished, "this is for you."

The boy looked down at the unexpected gift and his mouth dropped open in amazement. There, in his hand, was a miniature of Toothless— the Night Fury carving that Dany had been working on since he'd met her. The dragon was painted an inky black and was poised in mid-flight, with his wings stretched out to their full expansion. His mouth was open in a silent roar and his ears were perked up, clearly celebrating the joy of flight. His prosthetic tail-fin was even included, colored red and white.

But perhaps the most notable thing of all was the boy who sat on top of him. In the carving, Hiccup's hair was blown back from his head by imaginary wind. His tiny replica was leaning close to the dragon's back as they sped along in the sky. She'd even depicted the delight on his face that was present when he flew with Toothless in real life. Throughout the years, Hiccup knew that he'd been many things: a son, 'the useless,' the outcast, the inventor, an amateur warrior, a Viking. All of the different sides felt as if they'd been shifting around, never quite fitting into place. But here, in his hand, it was as if Dany had captured them all together to fit them under one image: someone who's soul was more dragon than boy. . . a dragon rider.

At first, he didn't say anything. How could he, when this was the most touching gift anyone had ever given him? His silence began to worry Dany as she began to speak quickly, "it's okay if you don't like it. I-I can try again, if you want. I thought I did pretty well with the proportions this time, but maybe it all looks off. Or maybe it doesn't look like you as much as I thought? I mean, it is supposed to be you, if that wasn't obvious—"

"I love it," the brunet cut off her rambling gently. She'd been watching his face for his reaction, so when he looked up, he met her eyes before she could look away. "I'll treasure it forever."

Dany hastily avoided his gaze after that, but the flutter in his stomach returned full-force at the sight of the pink that filled her face. He stared at her for a moment, stunned. He'd made Daenerys Targaryen blush? Hiccup couldn't believe that he had the ability to do that; it had always seemed like something that was out of his ability, but the telltale redness on her cheeks was too obvious to hide.

As the blonde tried to distract herself from her rapidly-beating heart, she looked anywhere but at Hiccup, which lead her gaze to fall on the doors to the Great Hall. Just then, they opened to reveal the diamond-shaped head of a very familiar black dragon. Toothless slipped inside, unnoticed by most of the Vikings, but the girl couldn't help the small smile the formed on her face at the sight of him.

"Hey," she said suddenly. "You wanna know what would make this Snoggletog even better?"

Still half-distracted by the dragon statue, Hiccup absentmindedly asked, "what?"

Dany pointed to where the Night Fury was waiting to be noticed by his best friend. When she didn't respond right away, the boy looked up from his present towards where she was directing his attention. At first he was unbothered by her indication, but he did a double-take when he realized what he'd seen. Then, he wasted no time in standing and racing over to the dragon.

"Toothless! Hey, bud!" he exclaimed, throwing his arms around the Night Fury. He pulled away suddenly to scold him. "Bad dragon! Very bad dragon! You scared me to death. Don't ever stay away that long again. And what is in your mouth?"

Toothless wasted no time in plopping done whatever he was holding on Hiccup's head. Everyone groaned in revulsion at the silva-coated thing, which turned out to be the boy's missing helmet. The dragon gave a gummy grin, pleased with himself and oblivious to the disgust on the crowd's faces.

"Yeah, y-you found my helmet." It took a second for him to realize what he'd said. "Hey! You found my helmet! That's where you've been? Buddy, thank you. You're amazing."

He nuzzled against the brunet's hand in response to the happiness in his voice. "That's where you've been? Buddy, thank you. You're amazing."

He hugged his friend again and Toothless' ears fell back as he let out a rumbling purr. Then, Hiccup remembered the statue that he was still holding in his hand. He pulled back and held it up for the dragon to see. "Hey, look what Dany made! It's us!"

The Night Fury leaned in close to sniff it before he looked up to find the girl standing at the forefront of the crowd. He gave her another gummy grin in thanks. Then, his eyes flicked down to the boy as he looked at him expectantly. Hiccup frowned in confusion. "What?"

Toothless nodded to the girl and looked back at him again, as if the gesture explained everything. The brunet glanced between the figurine and its maker, only to shake his head in response. The dragon seemed to heave a great sigh that sent his nostrils flaring, and all but butted Hiccup in the back with his snout. The force of the push sent the boy stumbling forward, barely catching himself before he crashed into Dany.

He looked down at the girl with uncertainty as he gripped the carving in his hand. The edges of the dragon's wings cut into his palm, reminding him of how touched he'd been to receive it moments before. He wished he could make Dany feel the same way. . . give her a gift of similar value, perhaps, but he had nothing. He kicked himself for not even thinking of making a present for her, but it was too late now.

She looked up at him curiously, probably wondering why he was standing there and staring at her like an idiot. Hiccup made to turn away to save themselves from the building awkwardness, but he met Toothless' eyes and the dragon nodded in the blonde's direction again.

Then, an idea so reckless. . . so unlike him came to his mind as he remembered how pleased he'd been to be the one that made Dany blush. With a surge of confidence, he turned back around and closed the distance between them. The Targaryen's eyes went wide as he leaned forward to place his lips on her cheek. The kiss lasted for no more than a second, but it was enough to leave them both red-faced and flustered.

"Happy Snoggletog, Dany," Hiccup said as he took a leaf of the girl's book and avoided her gaze.

Her eyes were similarly focused on her boots as she murmured, "happy Snoggletog, Hiccup."

In the end, it turned out to be the best Snoggletog they'd ever had.

A/n: okay, now Act I is officially finished! Since I can really only write chronologically, I'm jumping to the next book, Khaleesi, and will come back to this book once the tv series are finished. Khaleesi  is up on my profile now, so please check it out if you want to follow along with me :) (Or, you can wait many, many months until I pick this book back up. 🤣)