Stryke Out (HTTYD x Reader)

Chapter 4

Sighing heavily, you push yourself to your feet. You walk slowly over to Hiccup, trying to come up with the right thing to say to lift both your spirits. Yeah, right. No hope of that happening. Just say something! You gently lay your hand on his shoulder.

"So I guess your dragon is going to kill mine? It'll be nice to know that we went down fighting with such an amazing creature." You quip lightly, almost covering your anxiety.

Hiccup's gaze raises to meet yours, his emerald eyes blazing. With one eyebrow cocked, you study each other. It's almost like looking in a mirror, except your hair is a little longer and falls in ringlets around your shoulders. You smile sadly then stick out your other hand.

"I'm y/n." Sweeping your hand away from his shoulder, you gesture to your friend, who is curled up against the far wall of the cell. She is watching you like a hawk, not so quick to trust this strange boy, and refusing to get the rest you know she desperately needs. "That's Zyphur. She doesn't like new people."

Hiccup smiles back. Sliding his hand into yours, he says, "I'm Hiccup. This is Toothless. And I'm pretty sure he won't be killing your friend tomorrow."

You shake hands. "Well I'm glad that's settled. Now if only we could get out of here." You state, pointedly looking at the chains around both your legs. "Got any plans?"

"Not yet. I'm pretty sure my friends are on the way. I sent Snotlout to get help."

"Oh, you mean that muttonhead that got us stuck in that gas chamber in the first place."

Hiccup's mouth falls open in shock. "You were there?"

"Yes, my dragon was the one that was screaming. She's hurt and I don't have my bag to be able to fix it properly." You explain giving a worried glance to Z, who still hasn't taken her eyes off Hiccup.

"But how did they catch her in the first place? How did we end up here?"

"Easy!" You reply, happy to get your mind off of things that you couldn't control and on to sharing some of your well-earned knowledge. "They did the same thing they always do. Lured the dragons into that cave with sea slugs. Very pungent, not so easy to miss that smell. Then they trapped them while they ate."

You hear Zyphur give a small cry as she settles herself back down. You hurry back to her and show Hiccup the quick patch job.

"Then those muttonheads did this!"

Hiccup slowly reaches out to examine the injury. Zyphur growls softly at him, which makes Toothless growl back. You position yourself between the two holding a hand out to each. Zyphur reluctantly calms down and extends her wing gingerly, revealing more cuts and scarring than you had known were there.

God's, it's been a long couple of weeks. Why didn't I check this earlier? You scold yourself.

Feeling ashamed of not being able to save your friend from so much pain, you retreat into yourself and back away, allowing Hiccup to step closer.

"Easy, girl. Easy! I just want to look." Hiccup says soothingly as he examines all the wounds with careful scrutiny.

Thor, this guy is great and I'm useless. Why didn't Valka want him to join us? He would've been a much better student than me. You think, still not sure if you should spill your secrets just yet.

While you were lost in thought, Toothless had curiously approached your still outstretched hand. You spread your fingers wide in front of his muzzle. With a quick swirling flick of your wrist, Toothless rolls over on to his back. You playfully rub his belly until you hear an exasperated huff followed closely by a couple of quiet, even snores. You lift your head, peering toward the sound with a loving smile.

"Good night, Z. Sweet dreams!" I promise I'll get you out of here, girl. No matter what! You whisper into the momentary stillness before letting your hands go back to rubbing Toothless' belly.

Hiccup stares at you with his mouth a gape. You tilt you head questioningly. He shakes his head as he comes over. "Toothless has never warmed up to a person this quickly before. He even tried to scare Astrid when they first met." He explains as he slides down to sit beside you.

"Really? I guess I just have that affect on dragons." You say shrugging, then you nudge him with your shoulder. "What about you, Mr. 'Friend of Dragons'? Toothless didn't like you at first?"

"Well no... I kinda shot him out of the sky."

"Wow! Do you shoot down all of your friends?" You ask teasingly.

"No, just the ones that can escape." He says sarcastically, pulling on the chain attached to your ankle.

"Oh! OH! Them be fighting words, sir." You punch him in the shoulder. You both laugh warmly, then the reality of your situation sinks in again.

"Well I'm not sleeping tonight. Not with..." You gesture to Toothless and Zyphur and shiver nervously as a tear slides down your cheek.

"Hey, we'll think of something. If not, I trust Toothless will find a way to keep your friend safe." Hiccup states reassuringly. "How about we find something to get our minds off it for now?"

"Anything is better than just sitting around waiting to die. Got any secrets you want to share? Any stories to tell?"

"I'll tell you mine if you tell me yours." Hiccup says as he gestures from his dragon to yours, both of whom have fallen asleep.

You smile and nod, excited to hear the full story. Hiccup smiles back, his green eyes lightening with fond memories of his adventures. He proceeds to tell you a shortened version of how he met Toothless, beginning with finding him in the forest and ending with finding the Dragon Eye. You listen intensely to his tale, noting how he talks about each of his friends, his strained relationship with the people of Berk, and how finding Toothless changed everything for the better.

When Hiccup finally finishes, several hours later, he looks at you. "Ok, that's my story. Your turn?"

You sit quietly for a couple of moments, wondering where to start and which secrets to spill.

It's not my place to tell him about his mom. I wouldn't break that promise, I can't. But he has a right to know. If we get out of this, I'm going to find her and convince her to tell him.

You turn inward, sorting through your memories until you find the one you are looking for: the day you found Z.