#and since toothless was partially shielding him

[saturnniidae]

I'm my mind Hiccup has more of a limp than in canon because while he does still have a working left knee, realistically the type of burn scars he'd have from the Red Death would probably make the joint movement stiff

[crazy4dragons]

Learning to Fly

As his kids turn thirteen, Hiccup takes them on a special trip to the Hidden World to pick out a dragon. However, Nuffink wishes they would’ve stayed home. Rating: G. Father/son/dragon bonding!

Written for March of Dragons ’21. Prompt: Flying Free.

Nuffink peered cautiously over the side of the boat as his father stopped the oars. There really was a waterfall at the end of the world. And according to his parents’ story, the dragons were all safely dwelling inside.

Yes, he’d been there before, but back then he was only three years old and had clung to Astrid’s skirt until Hiccup lifted him onto Toothless. He’d been too afraid to do much exploration, and if he was being honest, his heart still pounded at the thought of encountering a dragon.

“You ready to find your new best friend?” grinned Hiccup.

“Do you really think I can do this?” Nuffink shied away from his father’s gaze. He’d agreed to go on the trip because he knew it was important to Hiccup for he and Zephyr to keep dragons in their lives. Hiccup had taken Zephyr to the Hidden World when she turned thirteen, and now, just a few short years later, it was his turn.

“Of course you can. You’re the son of the great Dragon Master, grandson of the archipelago’s Dragon Whisperer, and...” Hiccup trailed off.

“And what, Dad?”

“I’ll think of something else while we catch some fish.” He tossed Nuffink a net. “Feeding time is bonding time, so we need all the food we can get.”

Nuffink’s hands trembled as he lowered the net into the water.

“What sort of dragon are you thinking? A Nadder, a Thunderdrum, a Night Light? Have I ever told you that Grandpa Stoick’s first dragon was a Thunderdrum?”

The boy nodded.

“I can’t wait to see what you pick,” continued Hiccup.

Nuffink timidly drew up his net and tossed the fish into the back of the boat before going in for another batch. Once the pile was nearly his height, he turned to his father, heart pounding. “I think…I think we have enough,” he choked out.

Hiccup eyed the stack. “We sure do. Now let me just call Toothless and —”

Before the chief could finish his sentence, Nuffink was down below deck, cowering behind a water barrel. He wasn’t strong like his father, brave like his mother, and fearless like his sister. He still jumped at the sound of thunder, he didn’t go to bed without a goodnight cuddle from Astrid, and every day he thanked the gods that Zephyr was New Berk’s heir, not him.

A loud thump told the boy that Toothless had entered the boat. Peeking up towards the deck, he could see his father on the ground, playfully wrestling with the Night Fury.

“Hey bud,” Hiccup said eventually. “You remember my hatchling, right?”

Nuffink held his breath as Toothless’ green eyes locked with his.

“Come here,” Hiccup urged, nodding towards Toothless. “He won’t bite.”

Nuffink dragged his feet forward. Sure, he added to himself. He might not bite, but he could kill me in a flash just like he killed Grandpa Stoick. It wasn’t Hiccup who told him that story; it was Astrid. Hiccup had tried to hide the truth from the kids as long as possible; for the longest time, he insisted it was Drago that slaughtered Stoick. Astrid had gone along with the myth until one day, she accidentally let it slip that Toothless was responsive for the former chief’s death. Since then, Nuffink had slowly grown to be afraid of dragons, although he’d never tell his father.

“Are you alright, son?” Hiccup asked. He raised an eyebrow as Nuffink froze, the blood draining from his face.

The boy ran back below deck, tears filling his eyes. He couldn’t do it. He just couldn’t do it. He kicked an empty potato sack aside before collapsing against the wall and hiding his face in his hands. He should’ve told Astrid he didn’t want to go, just like he planned. He was going to, before his mother announced she was pregnant and began resting more than usual. He’d hoped the unborn baby would prompt his father to cancel the trip, but as the little one wasn’t due to arrive for another four and a half moons, Astrid had urged them to go.

The boy’s cheeks burned with embarrassment at the alternating sounds of his father’s boot and metal leg coming towards him.

“Mind if I join you?” Hiccup asked.

“If you really want to hang out with the biggest failure New Berk has ever seen,” mumbled Nuffink.

Hiccup sank down beside him. “I’m sorry, Finn. I shouldn’t have made you come here. I thought it would be the perfect way to spend time with my best friend and my favorite son, but you made me realize that I have a lot more of my father in me than I thought.”

Nuffink lifted his head. “What do you mean, Dad?”

“When I was a boy, Grandpa Stoick insisted I’d grow up to kill dragons. He bought me a sword and shield, sent me to Uncle Gobber’s dragon training class, and almost disowned me when I refused to kill a dragon in front of the whole village. For years, he tried to make me into someone I wasn’t, and I don’t want to do that to you. You’re not me, you’re not Grandma. You’re Nuffink. And if being Nuffink means you don’t want to train a dragon today, then you don’t have to train a dragon today.”

Before Nuffink could respond, a white Night Light with black ears ventured down below deck, prompting him to dive behind the water barrel and cover his face with his arms.

“Toothless! Come get your hatchling!” Hiccup called.

“Thor help me,” Nuffink gasped, bracing himself for the worst. But to his surprise, the curious dragon tiptoed over to him and gently nudged his shoulder. When he cautiously looked up, the Night Light began licking away his tears and pressing his scaly nose against his forehead.

“Toothless!” Hiccup called again. “Come on, bud! Just because you moved out doesn’t mean you can sit up there and ignore me like this.”

“It’s okay, Dad,” Nuffink said with a small smile. “I think he’s trying to make me feel better.” He cautiously touched a hand to the dragon’s nose, earning a gummy grin.

“Are you sure? I —” Hiccup stopped as he saw Nuffink bonding with the Night Light.

Nuffink scratched the creature behind the ears. “Do you wanna be my dragon? Do you?” he asked.

The Night Light let out a purr.

“Dad, come here,” Nuffink said, still caressing the Night Light. “Look at him.”

Hiccup knelt beside his son. “He’s definitely a handsome one. What are you going to name him?”

With a mischievous smile, the dragon playfully pounced onto Nuffink and licked his face.

“Pouncer!” the boy exclaimed, laughing as he pulled himself back up.

“Pouncer?” Hiccup asked.

“Pouncer,” nodded Nuffink, hugging the dragon’s neck. “It fits him, don’t you think?”

“It’s perfect.” The chief rested a hand on Nuffink’s shoulder. “Now, what do you say I grab Toothless and we go for a little flight?”

Taking a deep breath, Nuffink backed away from his dragon and bit his lip.

“You don’t have to,” Hiccup said quickly.

The Night Light nudged Nuffink’s arm and offered a soothing purr.

“I think Pouncer would like that,” the boy said with a small smile. Standing up, he guided his dragon back up to deck and listened as his father explained how to ride.

“And remember,” Hiccup finished. “When you’re in the air, you always have to trust your dragon.”

With shaking hands, Nuffink climbed onto Pouncer’s back, closed his eyes, and braced himself for the ascent. As the Night Light’s wings began to flap, he felt the air growing colder and heard the sound of the rushing waterfall growing farther away.

“We made it!”

Hearing his father’s exclamation, Nuffink slowly cracked his eyes open. Before him was the most breathtaking sight he’d seen. The clouds floated beneath him, partially concealing the ocean. In the far distance, he could make out mountains from one island and a sandy beach from another.

“See, son? There’s nothing like being up in the air on the back of a dragon,” Hiccup said.

Nuffink grinned. His father was right. Flying was pretty cool—especially with his new best friend.