Hello fellow HTTYD fans~! I'm pleased to present to you my first HTTYD fanfic.
I fell in love with this movie when I first saw it, but it took me forever to
finally get around to writing a fanfiction. I've also read the first three books.

As far as this story goes, yes, it is a Toothcup piece, and I'm 100% sure there
will be no Anthro-Toothless. I'm not sure about how I'm going to handle the
intimacy between them, because I've never written anything between a human
and a creature that is so unlike a human. But I'll tackle that when I get there.

So, for now, this story will be rated T for a few chapters, but in the M
category for future chapters. I know it's a bit slow now but it'll get
much more intense in the next chapter!

So, enjoy! Reviews would be lovely~!

Right Here All Along

Chapter One

Written by Illuminate the Shadows

"Hiccup!"

Crystal blue eyes were approaching rapidly. Blonde hair flew in the air. He braced himself for the impact that never came.

Opening his eyes hesitantly, he found he stood face to face with pale emerald orbs instead. He understood why some mistook him for a devil. With pupils like slits contrasting against jet black scales, the beast was sleek and lethal. But as he reached out a steady hand, those pupils widened to a friendly roundness and the dragon butted Hiccup's palm with his warm forehead.

Reality came rushing back as green eyes opened to take in the wooden dresser beside his bed. Unsure of what to make of such an ominous dream, the boy sat up and ran a hand through his already ruffled hair. It was still dark outside, with dawn or sleep nowhere in sight. Exhaling heavily, Hiccup got out of bed and snatched his coat from his desk before stumbling out into the cold winter night.

Toothless wasn't out back like he usually was. Figuring the dragon must have gone hunting, Hiccup retreated into the forest alone; perhaps not the smartest thing to do, but, then again, Hiccup had never been one to think rationally when he was upset. Fallen branches cracked under his boots. Although the threat of dragons was presumably gone, other predators still lurked in the forest, and Hiccup had only his trusty knife to defend himself. The first snow of the season was yet to come. Hiccup felt as if he was already treading on thin ice.

He could remember how he idolized Astrid in his younger days. Such an admiration probably hadn't been the best way to begin a relationship, but, nonetheless, his affection for her had changed over time. He went from holding her on a pedestal to developing a crush on her. And soon, he had found himself in love with her. Somewhere deep down, he had known she loved him too. She was stubborn. And maybe that game of hard-to-get was exactly what had kept him going.

Now that he finally had her – that he had pursued her for years and it had finally paid off – he felt his affection dwindling. He knew it was expected of them to marry and have children. He knew many would attend the wedding of the Viking chief-to-be of Berk; perhaps even some from other tribes. He knew many would kill to stand in his place; to hold the heart of the feisty Astrid and the title of "Clan Hero." But, honestly, he wanted none of it. He didn't want the attention or sense of pride. He didn't want the gifts. And he certainly didn't want Astrid as his wife.

His dream had been an accurate interpretation of his feelings recently. A wince at the sound of Astrid's voice. The sweet melody had once erupted butterflies within his stomach. But instead of the girl who loved him, a dragon had taken her place.

He found that while he didn't want anything to do with Berk, the skies and forest were another story. As each day wore on he looked forward to seeing Toothless more and more. The NightFury's presence was comforting, and he understood more than any Viking could without uttering a single word. Hiccup lived for the few hours before bed when he could finally get away from the chores and people and soar through the clouds with his best friend.

A soft crooning broke the young Viking's concentration. Spinning around, he laid eyes upon a large-pupiled Toothless. The tail of a fish was hanging from his mouth carelessly, and his head was tilted slightly to the side. Hiccup grinned and leapt down from the rock he'd been seated upon.

"Toothless, bud!" Said reptile slurped the fish down his throat before the boy's small arms came around his sleek neck. The gesture, Toothless had decided, was one of affection. He had observed it amongst the Vikings, and Hiccup had embraced him like this once before when Toothless had returned from retrieving the boy's helmet from the sea. It was an act of appreciation that Toothless couldn't quite reciprocate properly. So he stood motionlessly, enjoying the proximity of the boy, until Hiccup moved back. Large green eyes settled on his face, and then the dragon's ears flattened upon his head. Puzzled, Hiccup watched those eyes come closer and closer until a wide, semi-smooth tongue darted out to lick his cheek.

"Ugh, Toothless!" Smirking, Hiccup wiped the dragon slobber from his right cheek while simultaneously wiping his left with his other hand. He blinked as fingertips touched his jaw where a tear had traced. He hadn't even known he'd been crying. Emitting a small whine, Toothless nudged his hand.

"It's alright bud," Hiccup murmured, wiping his cheeks on his sleeve. "I'm alright." The dragon didn't look convinced. Hiccup sighed and took a step back. His prosthetic leg caught on a branch and he stumbled, ending up sitting down on the ground. He wiped his cheek again. Toothless circled and curled himself around the teen. The scaly body was warm, and the long tail draped itself over his lap like a blanket. Hiccup ran his fingers over the single ribbed fin upon the tail, recalling the day he shot Toothless out of the sky with the Bolas-Shooting Ballista and caused the injury. He gazed down at his own prosthetic leg. Had he not been so keen to please his father that night, neither accidents would have happened.

"But then I never would have met you..." he mumbled. Toothless gazed down at him with narrowed eyes, seemingly not at all confused by the unexplained sentence. Hiccup knew he understood. Somehow.

"Everything's just so hard now, bud. The village expects so much of me. I'm expected to marry Astrid." Toothless let out a small huff. "You're telling me." Hiccup rested the back of his head on the dragon's shoulder. "I mean, I still care about her. But things just haven't been the same." Hiccup felt, rather than heard, the dull rumble within the dragon's chest. "I'm afraid she'll be so controlling. She's already jealous of you now. She hates how I spend more time with you than her. I mean, if we're married, she won't want me to spend any time with you!"

Hiccup was startled by the snarl that ripped from Toothless' throat. Reaching out, he touched his snout, calming him down.

"Don't worry Toothless. I would never let that happen. You know how much you mean to me." Letting out a little purr, the NightFury nuzzled the boy's palm, coiling his tail tighter around their bodies.

"Do you mind if I stay here tonight? I'll head back in the morning before anyone misses me."

Delighted at the prospect of spending more time with his keeper, Toothless wriggled and burrowed his snout into the teen's hair. Hiccup chuckled. "Good to know I'm welcome." After scratching the dragon's shoulder for a moment – which caused Toothless' hind leg to twitch – Hiccup hunkered down for the remainder of the night.

"Night bud."

Toothless rumbled a goodnight of his own before Hiccup began to drift off to sleep, warm and secure in the cocoon created by the NightFury.

Somewhere deep inside the small body beside him, Toothless could feel the life beating steadily. Such a sound comforted the dragon. He would sacrifice anything to ensure that the boy's heart kept beating. He sighed through his nostrils. Although, humans did not live long. The NightFury didn't fully understand humans' concept of time, but he knew that he had seen many, many winters and still felt quite youthful. The elder dragons told stories of a time when there were no humans, which seemed to be very long ago. They also told him that the NightFury was something of a deity; the most skilled of the dragons, and nearly immortal. That was something Toothless wish he could offer the oh-so frail body curled up next to him. He longed to wrap part of his heart up in those wooden boxes that the Vikings called 'presents' and give it to Hiccup so he, too, could live for a very long time.

The NightFury was anything but oblivious. The dragons understood more about the humans than the humans understood about them. It had always been that way. Even with the recent breakthrough Hiccup had initiated, Toothless still felt as if the Vikings had much to learn. No, Toothless understood what was happening. He knew that his rider was to be mated with Astrid. He knew Hiccup did not want to disappoint anyone. Yet he also caught on to Hiccup's true feelings. The boy did not want to become her lifemate. He did not share her eagerness and affection.

Hiccup had mentioned a word many times – mostly when he was explaining that he didn't reciprocate Astrid's feelings. Love. Toothless could compare the word to the feelings dragons were supposed to share with their lifemate. The bond that kept them together for winters and winters repeated. The unspoken attachment that dragons felt for their mates was similar to the humans' marriage.

The NightFury gazed down at his keeper. Had Hiccup loved Astrid and wanted to be bonded with her for the rest of his life then Toothless felt as if he would have to let him go. He cared about the boy too much to obstruct his happiness. But that was not the case. The dragon could see that Hiccup would not be happy with Astrid. And yes, he could afford to let him make such a mistake. He could afford it, because humans did not view the bond like the dragons did. Hiccup had explained "divorce" once to him. Toothless could relate it to death. If a dragon did such a thing, they would die. Because once a dragon was set on his lifemate and it was done, there was no going back. No "divorce." Toothless would have enjoying telling Hiccup this, but the boy could not comprehend his language, and he did not possess the ability to speak within like dragons did.

So much musing over mates made the NightFury feel uneasy. He was not sure why, but he disliked the feeling. He ducked his head and buried his nose in the boy's shoulder, inhaling his scent. The prickling of his scale ceased. Hiccup made a soft noise and shivered in his sleep. Whatever was coming, he could handle it. He would protect his keeper with his own life. It was as close to giving the boy his heart as he was going to get.