A Stressful Night

Chapter One

Hiccup opened the door to his hut and stormed in, looking as though he were barely holding it together. He flopped onto his bed and sighed, burying his face into the pillow.

The human's sudden entrance had woken Toothless, who had been resting on his area of the hut. He rumbled in a questioning tone, tilting his head and staring at his friend curiously.

"Leave me be, bud," Hiccup said quietly, sounding slightly aggravated. "I need to get ready for the ceremony tomorrow, and everyone is counting on me to lead them. I can't fail them. I just can't."

Ignoring his rider's request for privacy, Toothless grabbed his leg and dragged him out of bed. Amidst Hiccup's protests, which Toothless again ignored, he was dragged over to the Night Fury's part of the hut and deposited hm neatly on the stone slab that served as the dragon's bed.

"Toothless, what are you doing?" Hiccup asked calmly, yet slightly nervous, though he had no reason to be. He trusted the dragon with his very life, and he knew that his friend felt the same towards him as well.

Toothless lay down next to him and gently pulled him close, held protectively in his arms while his wings followed suit, effectively keeping Hiccup in a warm cocoon of love.

The wings wrapped around Hiccup's body, keeping the heat trapped with him. He felt his chest, softly rising and falling with each breath. The dragon's heartbeat was loud in his ears, slow and calm.

Suddenly overcome by the sheer responsibilities of his impending status as chief of the village, the young Viking felt himself holding back tears, the stress building within his body. His chest ached, and he felt frightened, truly frightened, for the first time ever since he had tamed Toothless.

He looked up into the dragon's eyes, his own reflection staring back at him. He looked a mess. He looked like he hadn't slept in days, which, if he was being honest with himself, wasn't far from the truth. All of the tasks that would soon be solely on his shoulders, taking care of Berk, making sure that all the dragons were safe and well fed and happy, keeping the peace in the village, it all fell on him at first light tomorrow.

He didn't think he could do it, he knew that he would just break under the pressure.

As if sensing his fears, Toothless purred and held him tighter, his presence one of great reassurance to the future chief. After his father had died, Hiccup was in a state of longing and worry, losing hope in the village and himself.

But now, he told himself that as long as he had Toothless with him, everything would be fine. Nothing is ever as bad as it seems to be, and Hiccup knew that he would have others to help him out if he needed it. He wasn't alone. He had Astrid and Gobber, and all the rest of his friends. He would be okay.

A long tongue lapped at his face, licking the tears away. Hiccup felt his grief and sorrow slowly subside for a temporary moment as Toothless held him close to his chest, his breath warm and calming.

The young Viking slowed his breathing and closed his eyes, feeling relaxed now as a sense of comfort and peace washed over him.

A stray tear fell, and his dragon reached up and swiped it away, curling into a ball and conserving more body heat. Hiccup felt soothed by the love he was being shown, and Hiccup had never really cuddled with the Night Fury before, but it felt very nice. He wondered if anyone else had done this with their dragons before.

"Maybe I can do this," he muttered. "Maybe I'm overthinking it, maybe it won't be so bad. I mean, I don't really have a choice anyway, right?"

Toothless warbled his agreement, nuzzling the human. He would support his rider, with any decision he thought was best.

Hiccup sighed, letting himself relax, allowing all of his fears and worries to slip away for the moment. He would worry about them in the morning. "Thank you, bud. For everything."

Toothless cooed affectionately, closing his eyes to rest, with his best friend cradled safely and lovingly in his arms.

A/N: Is Toothcup still a thing? Because I ship these two pretty hard, and I think this ship needs more love. I have not seen any recent works of this pairing. Its all Hiccstrid now, a pairing which I am not that fond of, tbh. Toothless and Hiccup belong together, and I will ship them until the day I die.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this little one-shot I wrote, and feel free to let me know what you think of it.