Author's Note:

Based on a prompt by kuno-chan on Tumblr, specifically an AU where the dragons never left, and Toothless is super helpful during Astrid's pregnancy with Zephyr. Written in Toothless' POV, so everyone goes by their dragon names!

Fishbone is scared. Very, very scared. And Halftail can smell it.

It's an ugly acrid mixture of scared-anxious-terrified, rolling off his human in waves. Fishbone's second-hide clings to him with dampness, and everywhere Halftail can catch whiffs of that stinging odor, like tiny claws poking at the soft tender linings of his nostrils. He doesn't recall smelling this much of fear on the boy, at least not recently, not in the past thousand sunrises. Even when they were fighting the human with corpse-colored head-fur, his boy didn't smell this... small. Fragile.

And it's not just the smell, either. Fishbone is pacing, as he often does, but his normally flailing forelegs are huddled close to his torso, and those small delicate man-claws, which made so many clever things, like Halftail's half tail, aren't moving and forming shapes like they usually do. Instead, they are bunched into a ball, tight and pale and unmoving by his side. Even his voice, warbling unintelligible human-speak, seems higher pitched and close to breaking, trembling like a hatchling in the cold.

In the human-cave just a thin wall away, Sunsting screams.

Halftail feels Fishbone cling tight to his neck, man-claws digging into his scales. He hears Thornsting in the other human-cave, crooning worriedly, as other human voices uttered commands and endless streams of encouragements. Sunsting barks out something, harsh and hoarse, before she screams again, and Fishbone lets out a choked gasp.

Halftail feels helpless. He can only croon desperately to Fishbone, nudging with his snout, saying Don't-afraid, Sunsting-strong, Hatchling-strong, will-be-good, will-be-fine. But still the boy babbles, and taps his feet, and stutters, smelling of fear.

Seeing his human so vulnerable brings unpleasant pictures surging up from the back of Halftail's head — pictures of Fishbone lying on his wood-nest, screaming unconsciously as the other humans sawed off his charred hindleg. Pictures of Fishbone huddled by his Sire, the big human with red head-fur, low and unmoving and broken. Pictures of Fishbone... waving his forelegs, shouting as he chased Halftail away.

With a shuddery sniff, Halftail buries those pictures back to where they belong, and nuzzles the side of Fishbone's head for comfort. The boy murmurs something in human-speak, appreciative, and Halftail purrs deep in his throat.

They are here, now, together. And that's what matters.

So for the next half-day, they sit in that little human-cave, listening to Sunsting's screams. Every time she does, Fishbone winces, or tenses, or lets out a little cry of his own, and Halftail croons at him, and wrap him in his forelegs, placing generous licks on his face and shoulders. And every time, Fishbone manages to calm down, if only a little, and Halftail's slobber temporarily diffuses away that acrid, bitter stench...

And for a few breaths, his boy smells a little less terrified, and a little more sane.

ooo

There are a great many number of people outside of the man-shelter. Some of them are occasionally allowed inside, and Halftail hears their footsteps outside their human-cave, echoing slightly off the wooden ground. None of them bother to poke their head in to check on Fishbone, opting to go straight over to Sunsting, bringing all manners of things before being sent out by the horde of she-humans to fetch some more.

But most of them simply wait outside. It's snowing, Halftail knows, and soon the sky turns dark. Still the humans wait outside, mostly quiet. Some clever human started a fire a small distance from the man-shelter, and soon it seems the entire human hive is there, outside of their man-shelter, offering support and awaiting news.

Fishbone pays them no heed, but Halftail knows he appreciates them being there. He is their Alpha, after all.

Idly, Halftail muses on how strange it is, that humans have such a hard time bringing forth their eggs. Not very practical, he thinks, to have to carry eggs inside their bellies, and hatch them as they come out. He shudders and flattens his ruff as he imagines the discomfort. No wonder Sunsting is screaming so much.

It's almost uneventful when it happens. They both grew used to Sunsting's screams and curses, so they don't notice what's different about this one. It doesn't seem particularly loud, and gut-wrenching, or even painful. It just seems... relieved, and almost elated, though both boy and dragon were too tired to take heed. But a few breaths later, it's joined by another sound, a different sound.

A cry.

There is a brief silence, before the neighboring human-cave erupts into a cacophony of cheers and shouts.

Fishbone, who was nestled snug and safe in the nook of Halftail's forelegs, snaps his head up. He looks around, eyes wild, and his gaze meets Halftail's.

He whispers something. His voice breaks. It's unmistakable now, the cheer having spread, and still in that din the little cry, small in volume but making Halftail's ears perk up. Somehow the people waiting outside in the snow gets the news, and before they know it, a dozen, two dozen humans barges into their human-cave, screaming just as loud as Sunsting had been.

Fishbone ignores them all. Halftail sees the glitter in his boy's eyes, and knows them for what they are. He nudges Fishbone, softly, and licks him, and the boy cries, babbling as he does.

Halftail doesn't understand what he says, but he recognizes the syllable that is name, and all the love that pours through, and the elation and relief. The bitter smell of fear finally washes away from those thin limbs, and his dragon-heart surges, impossibly proud and warm.

And Fishbone repeats the sentence, clear water still streaming down his cheeks, his voice hoarse and happy, and Halftail hears his name again, and understands the invitation.

"Let's go meet her, bud."

ooo

The hatchling is crying with a force that can shatter the sky. Everyone in the room seems to be talking, warbling at each other excitedly in human-speak, but still the hatchling's screams pierces their chatter.

It is good, Halftail thinks, nudging Fishbone and giving the boy a reassuring lick. It is very healthy.

The humans fall silent for a moment as the two Alphas enter, then respectfully part ways to clear a path. In the center of the human-cave, straight ahead, Sunsting lies exhausted and weak and beaming at them both. In her forelegs, there is a small bundle.

Fishbone says something, or maybe it's just an involuntary exclamation. He tries to take a step forward, but almost falls from how wobby his legs are, so Halftail lets him hold on to his ruff. Fishbone scratches a scale on his side and mutters his thanks, before together they make their way forward.

The boy smells scared again, Halftail notices, but it isn't the scared-anxious-terrified of earlier, and holds none of that acrid quality. This kind of scared is a new and more subtle smell, of scared-disbelief. Or scared-pride...

Scared-pride-disbelief-happiness. Like Halftail's dragon-heart.

When they finally get to the wood-nest, Sunsting has managed to sit up. The hatchling has calmed, and is now staring wide-eyed at Thornsting, who has turned her head sideways to better appraise her rider's get.

Frighten-hatchling-stop, Halftail growls at his friend. The blue dragon ignores his admonishment, and instead preens.

Hatchling-beautiful, she croons back, ridiculously smug. Hatchling-not-frightened. Hatchling-likes-Thornsting.

Halftail huffs, indignant, and is about to retort when abruptly, Fishbone lets go of him, and rushes up to his mate. He touches lips with her, deep and apologetic and thankful, and she mews in surprise and joy. Then they break away, and Fishbone looks down.

Halftail cranes his neck to get a better peek. The hatchling hasn't cried, and is looking up at its Sire. Sunsting stays something, teasingly, but Fishbone isn't paying attention. Slowly, gently, he reaches down to pick up the bundle.

It has red head-fur, Halftail notices, still sparse, but the hue of Fishbone's Sire. Briefly Halftail wonders if the hatchling might be that large and courageous man, coming back somehow into this world.

Beside him, Thornsting is babbling about how much she helped with the hatching process, and how she never left Sunsting's side, and didn't hurt any of the humans, even though her rider's screams made her want to shoot off the barbs on her tail.

Halftail ignores her, watching as Fishbone touches his lips to the hatchling's head, brushing against that red fluff. Then, with a quick beckon and a bright-eyed smile, he calls for Halftail's name.

The dragon is almost hesitant. It is such a small thing, no bigger than one of his claws. What if he broke it? Humans don't have scales, after all, and are so prone to breaking.

But Fishbone is insistent, calling him again, and he shuffled forward, wings folded. Thornsting is fuming with envy behind him, but right now Halftail's only focus is the hatchling.

Fishbone rubs his chin with his free paw. Calls his name, reassures him. Then he adjusts his posture, careful to support the bundle still, but half holding it out.

Halftail spares one last look at his boy. Fishbone nods, adamant, and beside him, Sunsting nods too, smiling.

Slowly, cautiously, Halftail put his snout forward... and nuzzles the soft skin of the hatchling. Her head-fur makes his nose itchy, but she is small and warm, and spirited like thunder.

Then her tiny forelegs come up, and, perhaps accidentally, brush against his snout.

Halftail feels that surge in his dragon-heart again, the thumping beat, the coursing liquid fire that is joy and affection and... love.

This is his Fishbone's egg. His Fishbone's hatchling.

When he pulls his head back, and blinks to adjust his vision, the first thing he sees is her head-fur. She is small and wrinkly and wriggling her forelegs, but her head-fur is every bit as fiery as her Grand-Sire.

Firemane, he was called. It is a good name, Halftail thinks. A strong name.

He looks down in time to see the hatchling look up.

She will be Firemane, too, he decides.

Thanks for reading! If you want more Haddock family, I have a whole ongoing fic that doesn't look like it'll end anytime soon! Check out Once There Were Dragons, under my profile :)