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Toothless was grumpy for some reason and decidedly having a bad day. Maybe his stone bed wasn’t hot enough, or his prosthetic tale was causing him itching, or the tuna he had for breakfast wasn’t tasty enough. It was one of those day where every single thing irritated him.
So before he could set fire to someone or something unexpectedly, he sulks away to the Cove.
Hiccup had noticed and of course he followed him; at some distance, giving him space. Toothless doesn’t know how he could help his sour mood, but he secretly hopes that Hiccup could help him.
Toothless reaches the Cove. The birds chirping and leaves rustling somehow irritated him more. Groaning, he flies up and perches upside down on his favourite tree’s branches in the Cove. He settles and covers himself with his wings to get some peace.
A while later, he hears Hiccup clamber upto the branch. (How did he even get on? Last Toothless checked, he didn’t have wings of his own)
Hiccup manages to walk to the branch end, delicately balancing himself and willing not to fall below. He manages to sit down somehow and he observes his friend.
Toothless is tense and his wings are wrapped around himself, shutting out the world. Hiccup starts talking about his day. Hoping that some mindless chatter will draw him out of his foul mood.
Instead Toothless growls and shifts away from him. The branch shakes from the movement and Hiccup is unbalanced.
“Woah hey!” He koala-clings to it now, hanging for his life. He sneaks a glance at the ground below: which looked far off enough to hurt if he fell. (Given that he didn’t have his flight suit on him at the moment.)
Unbeknownst to him Toothless had peeked out his wing cocoon and was watching him cling on in slight amusement. Then the dragon got an idea.
He grunted and shifted again, sending the branch bouncing like crazy.
“Bud, what—” Hiccup was sent bouncing as well. His grip slipped and he yelped. He was just hanging by his arms now. Eventually as the bouncing branch ceased he was literally hanging for his dear life.
Hiccup stared at his dragon. The dragon didn’t stare back, as his face was still hidden behind his wings.
But the tension in Toothless’ shoulders were less. The wings more open and forthcoming.
Hiccup smiled. Mood improving, then.
But then he looked at himself and the predicament he was in. His arms were starting to ache. He tried to pull himself up multiple times, but he failed.
He was huffing with the effort. His grip was slipping, the pull of gravity too much.
“I’m going to fall, Toothl—” and he did.
He crumples unceremoniously onto the ground with an “ooof!”
Toothless chuckled then, watching Hiccup get up and try to get his limbs in order. Hiccup was sprawled on the ground breathing hard and looking up at him. He was grinning too.
He punches the air In a victorious whoop, “Hah my master plan worked, you big baby! Ow—” he couldn’t complete the punch since his freshly fallen body protested the movement.
The sight was stupidly amusing.
Fine, Toothless thought in fondness, I’ll go help him. Soft human, he scoffs. Fondly, of course.
His earlier bad mood had quickly dissipated, he didn’t even remember why he was grumpy in the first place. He flew down and—gently—attacked Hiccup with soppy licks.
Hiccup desperately wished to run away from this saliva monster, but he pinned in place by the night fury. “Ewwww! Oh Thor, Toothless! Stop, Bad dragon!”
But his scolding turned half hearted by the end on recognising how much fun Toothless was having.
By the time Toothless was finished, Hiccup was covered in it, and his hair was sticking out at even wilder angles. He grinned. He sat on his haunches and admired his handiwork. He was so close to full out laughing.
Hiccup slowly sat up, cringing at himself, trying to wipe it off and glaring at Toothless alternatingly.
This sight of his disgruntled mess of a human made him lose it and he collapsed into a laughing fit.
“Yeah, why not? Make your best friend miserable and have fun at his expense, sure,” Hiccup stood up, the slime dripping off his arms. He kept swiping it away. “Come here, you, I can’t wipe it off on my own!”
Toothless had no plans to get his scales dirty, so he inched away from the rapidly approaching Hiccup.
“Oh, no you don’t get to run away!”
This devolved into a chase around the Cove.
Toothless’ laughter and Hiccup’s shrieks echoed off the walls of the Cove. Eventually, the four legged and two winged dragon won over the one(real)-legged human.
Toothless disappeared into the forest, leaving Hiccup to return home alone, bound to get even messy on the trip back. Toothless chuckled to himself again.
“I’ll have my revenge, dragon!” Hiccup himself collapsed into laughter at the ridiculousness of it all. Thor, I love that dragon.
Somewhere in the forest, Hiccup heard Toothless laugh again.