"Modern myth".

How to train your dragon, Toothcup.

By: Sinattea.

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Disclaimer: Cressida Cowell owns the book series, Dreamworks owns the movie. I own nothing but this AU.

Warning: Before you start reading I'll let you know that I'm mexican and a spanish native speaker, therefore I'm using the spanish writing format for every story of mine, no matter the language; that means I use -hyphen- for dialogues, "quotation marks" for thoughts or references, and italics for emphasis. Please be patient and try to cope, I deal with the strange (for me) overuse of quotation marks when I read in english, and it's hard for me, and I tried once writing with such a format and it was even harder, so let's be all open-minded and tolerate this slight cultural differences, ok? ^^

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Note: This AU is essentially based on an original story. Three years ago, before I even became aware of HTTYD's existence, I had this awesomtastic dream of a dragon and a girl who helped him. That dream is turning into a 129 pages length story (and more to go), but the idea just seems to fit HTTYD so well. So, since that original story does belong to me, I decided I could borrow its ideas and adapt them to this great movie.

And for some reason the song "A modern myth" by 30 Seconds to Mars makes me think of that original story, which sort of explains the title of this fic.

I present to you a slash-love mythical story: Toothcup rules!

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Chapter 1: Nicknames.

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Shelves filled with fantasy books and movies, posters of dragons and wizards, a very special deck of "Magic: the gathering" cards, a whole collection of "Dungeons and dragons" stuff, not to mention the giant mirror with a dragon curled around it. That is the common thing you expect to find at a geek's bedroom, right? Well, that is how Jay Haddock's bedroom looked like.

Jay, better known as Hiccup by his family and classmates due to his weird habit of getting hiccups every time he gets nervous, was a senior high school student in Berk, a small town lost in the indomitable woods of northern Europe. He also was the son of Gerard "Stoick" Haddock, a worldwide famous champion of box, who owned the largest and best gym in the whole town. Hiccup couldn't be any more different from his father even if he tried, for he was skinny, short-heighted and definitely sucked at every kind of sport that implied direct physical contact or balls. But Hiccup was smart, the best in all of his classes, so as long as he kept getting excellent grades his father would just ignore the fact that this boy's dream-job was dragon-riding and his idea of beauty matched the definition of an elf (including the pointy ears).

Therefore we can infer that things in the Haddock family were the regular dysfunctional father-and-teenager-son relationship.

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That day, like every morning, Hiccup and his father had breakfast together, which was like the only time in the day they shared.

- …Morning – muttered Hiccup, still sleepy.

- Whut's tha' thing in ya' shirt? – asked Stoick instead of saying "hi". He had this heavy strange accent mainly because of his fighter life, because everyone knows in box the first thing that gets hit is your face. Sometimes Hiccup was surprised his father didn't have a twisted mouth in a very Rocky Balboa style.

Hiccup looked down at the picture on his t-shirt.

- It's a Nazgûl, flying on its fell beast in "The Lord of the rings"!

- Oh… – sighed Stoick, hardly hiding his I-couldn't-care-less look. Why his son wasn't a normal teenager? - So, wan' breakfast?

- Yes, please, as long as the eggs are cooked.

- Ya keep cookin' tha food like tha' an' ya'll never grow muscle…

- I've got a big muscle right here, dad – said Hiccup, pointing his head -, isn't that enough?

Stoick didn't add anything, but Hiccup knew that it wasn't, indeed, enough. He wished he was the sportive guy his father always wanted, he wished he could somehow make him feel proud in something he actually cared about, but he just couldn't. So that day Hiccup went to school feeling potentially depressed. As if going back to school after summer wasn't depressing enough.

The bad thing here is: school didn't make things better. This far I think is clear enough to everyone that Hiccup is a geek, a nerd, however you want to call it. Well, in Berk's High School there's another name for this kind of people: fresh meat. Bullying population in BHS was as large as in other schools, and Hiccup's day by day included a nice amount of mocking and beating. And of course, as in many other schools, teachers would just pretend nothing happens, because "paying attention to fights only impulses the fighters to keep fighting" as the school's principal would always say.

So, in other words, this day promised to be just as bad as others.

At least Hiccup wasn't alone. As soon as he entered the school he reunited with his best friend: Christopher "Fishlegs" Ingerman. Everybody at Berk had nicknames they hadn't chosen but were completely used to because the town was so small that there was only one kinder-garden, one elementary school, one high school and one college. That means someone calls you something on your first day of school when you're five years old and you'll get called that way the rest of your life in Berk. Fishlegs earned his nickname the day a bully pushed him into a fountain.

- Hey, Hiccup! Over here – saluted Fishlegs, his chubby shape easily recognizable in the hallway - Guess what? Guess what? I finally bought the Skyrim outfit I wanted. I'll cosplay this halloween!

- Good for you, dovahkiin – smiled Hiccup -. We'll match. I'll be a viking this halloween.

- You mean… a Viking? – said Fishlegs with some repulsion in his face. BHS' athletes were called "The Vikings" and if you wanted to be popular and therefore earn the right to become an official bully, you had to be a Viking.

- No! – moaned Hiccup - Of course not. I'll be a real viking: I'll get an axe, a wood shield, a helmet and I'll kill some dragons.

- You mean you'll ride some dragons.

- No, Fishlegs, no. Vikings killed dragons, they didn't ride them. Besides, the beautiful thing about halloween is that I can be… well, someone different from me. I can change all… this.

- Did you just gesture at all of you? – said Fishlegs, trying to decide whether to laugh or feel a little bad for his friend - Ok, either Gobber dropped in for dinner this weekend, or you've spent too much time in Mr. Gobber's classroom.

- Is not funny, Fishlegs. And speaking about classrooms… we better run or we're gonna be late.

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First class was math with this mean teacher Ms. Adams, an old woman who thought that by calling herself a Miss she would look younger, even when everybody knew she was as old as Berk itself, and above all, she was a widow.

- Hey! Hi, Hiccup – called Astrid in the second he arrived -. Did you do your homework? Of course you did, top of the class, that's who I'm talking to. Could you please borrow it to me? I just want to compare some results; you know calculus isn't exactly my stuff.

- Yeah, yes. Take it Astrid – Hiccup gave in immediately.

- You still have feelings for her – whispered Fishlegs in his friend's ear.

- No, I don't. We're just friends. Sort of.

- I'll pretend I believe you only for this class.

America "Astrid" Hofferson was this blonde, blue-eyed girl who pretty much fitted Hiccup's description of an elf. She was the leader of the basketball team and a very popular person. Many wanted to see her as a cheerleader, but Astrid was too tough to waste her time like that. She was actually cool, because she didn't bully or supported bullying, even when she couldn't help but keep a certain behavior according to her high social status. That's why she only spoke to Hiccup when there was no one around, they even dated in secret for a couple months, but of course things didn't work.

Two seconds before the bell rang the bully gang showed up. Immediately Hiccup and Fishlegs looked down, trying not to catch attention.

Fortunately, there was somebody else that would catch everybody's attention.

- Alright, little spawns – said Ms. Adams. Yes, now you have an idea of how mean and sour this woman is -, today we have a new student with us. Mister, walk in.

A tall, black-haired guy walked in as requested. His clothes were black as well, very gothic styled. He wore heavy military boots and a leather jacket, and a silver dragon necklace. His skin was tanned, and his eyes bright green, with a fierce and wary look.

- So your name is…?

- Dean Night – the boy answered, his voice quite a surprise because it sounded actually musical and tenor-like, when everybody expected something more grave, cavernous and frightening.

- So, Mr. Night, where you come from? – asked Ms. Adams.

- You can read my files to get that information, can't you Mrs.?

The whole classroom laughed with such an answer. Ms. Adams' face turned bright red.

- If you want a ticket to detention this is the fastest way to it Mr. Night! Go take a seat! And it's Ms. Adams!

Plainly bored, the new guy just walked across the classroom and sat on the only available chair: the one next to Hiccup.

Hiccup stared at his new "neighbor" a little bit scared by his dark appearance, but changed his mind in the very second he noticed the necklace. If this guy had a silver dragon hanging by his neck he couldn't be that bad, could he?

- What are you staring at? – Mr. Night said. Hiccup quickly turned his head.

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- Scary, isn't he? – mentioned Fishlegs at the cafeteria, where he and Hiccup shared table with the other nerds.

- Who?

- The new guy: Mr. Night. What a proper surname – Fishlegs had some chills -. The only reason why Ms. Adams didn't scare him out is because he frightens more than she does. I never thought that'd be possible.

- Well, he won't last long – said Hiccup -. Did you already notice where he's seating?

- That's the Vikings' table! – exclaimed Fishlegs, terrified - They're so going to kill him! And here they come!

Indeed, Dean Night was sitting at the main table at the cafeteria, the one that only the school's celebrities had the right to sit on. And he was now surrounded by a group of bad-tempered athletes who didn't like at all what he was doing.

- What's he doing in our table? – asked Kristen "Ruffnut" Thorston, the female tennis star, alongside her twin brother TJ "Tuffnut" - Who is he in the first place?

- He's the new guy – answered Astrid -. Gosh, what's he doing here indeed? He's getting killed.

- I'll kill him if you want me to, baby – said Jonah "Snotlout" Jorgenson, football player and Astrid's number one fan.

- No, no, just don't.

- If we don't, they will – added Tuffnut, pointing at the Viking bullies, lead by "Green Death" Sanders: a wall of muscle and bad temper, with a shaved head.

- Get off our table, moron – said Green Death, his whole gang behind him.

- I don't see your name written on it – replied Dean.

At that very second the whole school went silent, and everybody's scandalized sighs could be heard clearly. Green Death smiled cruelly before the daring of this guy.

- You're new, and you got your guts in the wrong place, so I'll give you the chance of the year: I'll warn you. Get off our table, moron, or I'll knock every tooth out of your fuckin' mouth, one by one.

- Yeah, you're getting toothless! – exclaimed in excitement one of the bullies.

- Toothless! That's it: a pathetic nickname for a pathetic idiot! – replied another one.

After that the whole gang started shouting all at once: "Toothless! Toothless!".

"Already baptized, this guy started with the wrong foot" thought Hiccup.

With a cold glare Toothless stood up and grabbed his food, unharmed. But right before he left, he turned around and sarcastically smiled at Green Death and his gang.

- I defy you to try and knock a single tooth out of my mouth. You're not the first one to call me "Toothless", and I can bet you won't be the first one to achieve such an exploit either.

- Is he trying to get killed? – muttered Hiccup from his safe place far away in the corner of the cafeteria.

- Looks like it – agreed Fishlegs.

Green Death walked towards Toothless and stared down at him with real rage in his eyes. Toothless held the look, unafraid, defying still, amazing everyone around.

- Listen, Green Death – interfered Astrid, collecting all the courage she had -, you play football today… you don't need your fists pouring blood, that's bad luck to grab the ball. And Vikings have to win… G-go Vikings!

Green Death moved his eyes from Toothless to Astrid, not bothering to change the murderous look on them.

- If you weren't so hot, I'd get him first and then you, but you are hot. Lucky you.

Astrid faked a smile and went back to her friends, who were staring her in awe. She was the only popular who dared to try and stop Green Death when he had already targeted someone. And fortunately was also the only one he didn't feel like targeting.

Thanks to Astrid the bullies let Toothless go, and this time the new guy did turn around and left.

- Odin, that was way too close – whispered Hiccup.

Now that the fear was vanishing from him, he sort of admired this new guy. No one had ever stood up before Green Death, because the football quarterback was a beast, literally. And this guy came all confident and defiant, as if he were the chosen one himself from every epic story. If BHS were the Middle Earth, Green Death was Sauron and Toothless a combination of Aragorn, Legolas and Gandalf; if BHS were Lorwyn, Green Death was Nath and Toothless was Rhys combined with Colfenor; if BHS were Alagäesa, Green Death was Galbatorix and Toothless was Eragon and Murtagh combined with their dragons; if BHS were…

- Odin, this guy is awesome – mumbled Hiccup.

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Another note: Gosh, this pairing deserves so much more love... I'm crazy about them and I feel I'm all alone.

I decided to publish this mainly because I've felt Toothcup-love-sick for the last couple days (-weeks more likely-) and I'm so sad that the fics I was reading about them have not been updated. I bet there are many others reading them that feel the same way, so I hope my little story keeps all of us busy and happy till those other writers update. ^^

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