wandering hearts | hiccup haddock iii

v

The Cove had become their new, secret hideaway and she loved it almost as much as she loved the thrilling excitement of training a living, breathing dragon. Albeit she wasn't the one earning its trust, she found every step Hiccup took to learn about the Night Fury completely and utterly mesmerizing. For once, he looked like he was in his true element, finding passion in something besides his personalized weapons.

For once, he seemed happy and carefree, just like a child his age should've been.

"He isn't like the others," he told her, sitting atop a boulder as they watched the dark reptile gobble down another basket of freshly caught fish. "He didn't go for the kill like Gobber said and it's almost like..."

"Almost like?" she echoed, hanging onto his every word with her chin in her hands, eyes raised to watch his expression gleefully. She felt her toes wriggle restlessly beneath her criss crossed legs, covered by sweat-stained boots.

"It's almost like he knows what we're trying to do," he babbled, pulling his gaze away from the tranquil creature to look at her. "He's letting us study him."

"I think 'befriend' is a better word," she offered, giggling as she caught the sight of the dragon's tongue. It slid over his scaled lips, obviously finding the fish delectable. That implied she'd done an adequate job of catching all the appetizing fish. "And don't say 'we,' Hic. This is all you and you deserve to take credit for it."

"What? The discovery of the offspring of lightning and death itself?"

Rolling her eyes, she pushed him lightly at his sarcasm, huffing happily as he grinned at her out of the corner of his eye. "You know what I'm talking about. Training a dragon isn't easy. At least, it doesn't look like it."

"You could pitch in every once in a while, you know."

" Excuse me? Who's catching his fish, huh?"

"Point taken." Hiccup nodded, waving towards their newest addition. "But why don't you try to pet him? I think he'd let you."

She shook her head, blowing a breath out between her lips. "Funny. We both know I'm an acquired taste that only a privileged few can appreciate."

"Eh, yea. Very few," he agreed, lips upturned in playful judgement.

"Haddock, so help me or I will stick a fish in your pillowcase in the middle of the night!"

Their laughter resonated throughout the rocky enclosure as the Night Fury watched the young pair from afar.

Grumbling to himself, he hunkered down for the night, clamping his paws over his ears at the girl's shriek at her small tumble.

She'd slipped off the boulder due to failing to deliver a particularly rough hit to her companion. And he only laughed in response.

"It's small. Kind of easy to miss," [Name] described, leaning around Hiccup to get a better look at the docks. The wind rustled her already tangled hair as she searched, pointing in the general direction of her vessel before placing her hand back onto his shoulder. She took in the leather pad of his light armor there, and the burgundy-colored shirt beneath it. The signature green she'd always remembered him in was nowhere to be found. If she was being honest, she missed it, but she'd never admit it aloud.

"You've really upgraded since I left. Toothless' tail is fantastic." She tried to make small talk and ignore the quick glances from the Viking as they flew down, pushing her stomach higher with vertigo. Flying had always been an adrenaline rush and even now she still wasn't used to it.