How to Train Your Dragon Nightmares of a Night Fury

**WARNING: MAJOR HOW TO TRAIN YOUR DRAGON 2 SPOILERS!**

**You have been warned...**

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Hiccup was no stranger to nightmares.

He had had plenty to fuel them through the years. His numerous phobias and insecurities had tormented him often through the night, conjuring images of abandonment, fear and pain before he would thrash in his bed sheets to be met with a concerned rumble and nudge from an enormous scaly nose. His heart would race as he gripped he bed sheets in terror, a sheen of sweat on his skin and a phantom pain racing horribly through the stump where the remainder of his leg should be.

But then he would see those green eyes glowing in the dark, irises blown large with worry and the air would woosh out of a powerful set of lungs, a warm breath blowing over his face. Hiccup would calm nearly immediately, the offspring of lightning and death itself snuggling desperately in to his bed trying to ease his worries. The warmth from Toothless's skin would reassure him when he lay his own clammy palm against it and they would stay cuddled against each other long in to the night, the dragon's wing spreading over him protectively and shrouding them both from the night.

Yes, nightmares had always been a common occurrence in their house, but he was no longer the only one that suffered from them.

Sure, Toothless would have the occasional one that would cause him to twitch and growl in his sleep, but a word from Hiccup was enough to generally soothe the dragon. For how could a creature so powerful and fearsome ever have anything to fear?

But those days had passed.

Not since Toothless had begun to remember.

At first, the dragon's recollections of the events while under the Alpha's control had been foggy and uncertain, mixtures of confusion and anger muddling together. But slowly, like water trickling over stone, Toothless's memories began to return and he could only feel great shame at what he had allowed himself to do.

And what had almost happened to Hiccup.

All because of his own weakness.

He grew extremely protective over Hiccup, even more so then usual which was truly saying something, but from afar. Not that Hiccup had noticed too much. Toothless certainly knew that the young Viking chief had plenty on his plate. Between cleaning up the aftermath of the Alpha's devastation on Berk, as well as the increased hours spent alone with Astrid and learning from his Mother, he had a lot on his mind. They barely went on flights anymore and when they did, they were seeking out any trace of Drago returning.

It just hadn't been the same and at first, Toothless couldn't quite figure out why. But as he began to remember, he wondered how his boy could stand to be near him at all.

Hiccup did not show fear towards his Night Fury, for which Toothless was grateful for, but the dragon knew just how close he had come to killing his rider and the knowledge of it was nearly unbearable.

The first night it happened they had been back home for a little over a week. Hiccup had been laying there for hours, staring up at the ceiling without seeing, his mind seemingly travelling through time back to that moment.

Remembering the way his Father's arms had wrapped around him, pushing him away, the heat of Toothless's flame that had never truly been directed at Stoic before exploding and engulfing everything in its wake. Hiccup had hardly believed that the flames that had always meant safety and protection were now ripping away one of the people he held most dear in the world.

Then the terrible smell had come, scorched flesh and burning hair.

How still his Father had been.

How even with all that Hiccup had grown these past five years, he had not been able to hardly shift Stoic's enormous bulk.

A man who had been so strong and so brave, gone in an instant.

By _his_ dragon.

It had not been Toothless's fault, his rational mind knew this. But for just an instant, when he was crying over his Father's unmoving body, he had hated the Night Fury. For a moment, he had wish he had never seen him, never found him in those woods.

But then he saw Drago on the back of his best friend, leaving him behind, and he regretted ever thinking it.

He swallowed down tears, desperate to forget. He had cried far too often these past few days and his Father would have been the one to tell him that a Viking did not whimper in to their pillow like a babe. A Viking always carried on.

He would grow. He would prevail. He would conquer this, like his Father would have.

He slowly closed his eyes, trying to will himself in to sleep. The house was empty but for him and Toothless, his Mother out checking on the dragons that had come with her to Berk, and the silence was deafening. No snores from his father rumbled through the night and it gnawed at his belly like a living creature, the grief squeezing around his heart like a vice.

He breathed out heavily and shifted to lie on his side, only to hear something heavy thud on the floor. He paused, wondering if perhaps he had tipped over one of the many prosthetics, legs and tail fins alike, that sat near the end on the bed but could not work up the motivation to check. His limbs were heavy and tired from the day and despite his mind constantly fluttering, his body demanded some rest.

That was, until the sound continued. His eyebrows furrowed, confused at the noise.

Then there was a scratch on the floorboards, long and drawn out as a set of enormous claws raked through the wood of his floor.

Hiccup remained still for a moment, wondering what it was Toothless was getting in to in the dark but being too tired to really care. After all, it was always his Father who yelled at Toothless to st-...

Hiccup froze that thought where it was and buried it down stubbornly.

Rolling over slightly he sighed, "Toothless, what're yo-"

The words died in Hiccups mouth at the sight of the dragon laying on the floor, his muscles tense and his lips lifted and teeth bared in a snarl, a low rumble beginning in his throat. Beneath closed lids his eyes darted wildly, seeking out opponents invisible to Hiccup. His body practically thrummed with nervous energy, everything taut and tight as a drum.

But that wasn't what worried the young Viking chief the most.

Slowly, like a glimmer in the dark, his skin began to glow blue. The light shimmered and danced as fire raged inside of his dragon, fighting to escape its confines and destroy his enemies.

Or quite possibly burn down his house.

Again.

"Toothless..." Hiccup muttered, moving slowly and flinching slightly at the growl that rumbled through the room. "Toothless, bud, you're dreaming. Wake up..."

Toothless's claws dug further in to the flooring, the rumbling growl turning in to a full blown snarl, his hiss filling the room and the heat rolling off of his skin almost overwhelming. His wings began to unfurl and every muscle tensed for a leap. Hiccup watched in growing concern as the dragon's muscles bunched and rolled under his scales, every sign of a dragon ready to pounce and take flight.

"Toothless! Wake up!" Hiccup called, scrambling off the bed. He stumbled, hitting the floor without is prosthetic left but he continued to scramble forward. "Toothless!"

Toothless turned at the sound, his eyes opening to reveal emerald green narrowed in to slits clouded in confusion and the remnants of the dream. His hiss of fury quickly quieted at the sight of Hiccup crawling across the floor towards him, reaching his hand out to lay on the dragon's nose. The blue glow died down as quickly as it had come and a low whine escaped the dragons throat when he realized what had occurred.

Hiccup watched in confusion as the black reptile slowly backed away, retreating from his touch, folding his wings to his body and making himself as small as possible. He regarded Hiccup warily, his eyes large and looking every bit like a frightened puppy.

Hiccup grunted, pushing himself up in to a sitting position before slowly reaching out, only to watch Toothless flinch away, scurrying across to the other side of the room.

"Toothless?" Hiccup asked, feeling a bit hurt by the dragon's evasive manoeuvres. "It was just a dream buddy. Whatever happened, I'm not going to hurt you. You know that, right?"

Toothless didn't make a move, just continued to stay practically glued to the wall, refusing to budge from his spot. Hiccup scooted farther forward, his mind reeling at the Night Fury's actions.

It just didn't fit. Toothless was acting afraid, yes, but since when did his dragon cower like this? Any time before, whenever Toothless felt uneasy or afraid, he had always hissed and threatened, ready to fight off whatever he deemed a thread. To see him looking like this, so submissive and unsure, was unnerving and set Hiccup on edge.

Tootless was afraid, certainly. But of what?

He thought back to the previous days, mulling it over before he realized that he really hadn't seen much of his dragon. He had still been a constant companion, his shadow, but it had been different. A little more aloof, as if unsure of how to act.

The answer hit him like a lightning strike.

"Toothless..." He said slowly, suddenly certain that he was right. "I'm not afraid of you."

The dragon blinked, not moving but he had his attention. Which meant he was on the right track.

"You never meant to hurt me." Hiccup continued, keeping his tone light and unaccusing. "You never meant to hurt..." Hiccup paused for a moment, the lump in his throat cutting off his speech. "Never meant to hurt Dad either. It's not your fault."

Slowly, his hand touched the end of Toothless's nose. "I'm not afraid of you. You won't hurt me."

The green eyes remained pinned on him, unconvinced. Hiccup kept his breathing in check, his hands steady so not to give the dragon anything to confuse with fear. As he stroked slowly down his face, rubbing soothing circles across the scales and moving down that dragon's cheek. Hiccup was pleased to note that while it may not have been intentional, Toothless was definitely leaning in to his touch. So he continued to stroke and scratch in the places he knew Toothless liked best. Around his cheek, along his jaw, up under his ear and Toothless remained still, watching.

Slowly, so not to startle, he raised both hands and placed them on either side of the dragon's head before leaning forward, touching his forehead against Toothless's nose.

"It's not your fault." He said firmly, and got a response in a whine. Finally, Toothless moved, curling his tail around Hiccup and leaning his body against him. Hiccup leaned in, leaving himself completely open, something he had done hundreds of times before. He trusted this creature with his life and Toothless needed to know that.

"It's not your fault." He repeated, laying back against the dragon's side and feeling completely at ease when an enormous wing moved to cover him. He could tell that Toothless did not believe it, that sort of guilt did not leave in an instant, but it comforted his friend and that was good enough for now.

"I love you buddy." He mumbled, the thud of a powerful heart against his back. "Don't forget that."

An affectionate croon resonated against him, almost like a purr, and Hiccup smiled.

With the warmth of his dragon at his side, he quickly fell asleep. Even when he woke hours later, tears racing down his cheeks and his Father's name on his lips Toothless was there to nuzzle him and comfort him, letting him know that he wasn't alone.

Neither of them ever would be as long as they had the other.


End file.
