This is my version of the 'Hiccup runs away' scenario. Please keep in mind that English is not my primary language when you will be judging me for my grammar or something like this XD. And I'd appreciate it if you were so kind as to leave a review.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Prologue

There was only one word that could possibly describe Astrid's emotions right then: shock. She was staring at Hiccup as if he had grown out a second head. She was waiting for him to take back what he said but he just kept standing there; a determination that she never suspected she would see on his face was gracing his features. Yes, this one simple word echoed in her mind. It didn't require an eloquent speaker to say it but the way Hiccup did… it made her realize that she was indeed facing Stoick's son. He was always slouching if she recalled correctly and almost every time he had the face of a terrified pup. But not at that moment.

But its magic was gone as soon as Hiccup turned around to face Toothless. Or the ground. Or anything that wasn't Astrid. She couldn't help but notice the way his shoulders shrank back to their regular form. Even though he wasn't facing her, Astrid could see that he was looking down at the dirt. After a split second, Hiccup was himself again.

"Okay," Astrid said before an uncomfortable silence managed to fall between them. "Then what do we do?" she asked. Hiccup sighed heavily, resting his weight against Toothless.

"I… I don't know" he muttered, not daring to look at her. Astrid guessed that Hiccup wasn't even aware that he was slowly petting the Night Fury with his palm. There was no trace of his previous determination in his voice. "Whatever I can think of is just… I can't think of any way to pull this off so everyone can be happy in the end" he admitted, lowering his voice in shame.

"You can't please everyone around you, Hiccup" Astrid replied seriously. "You have to do what's right."

"Right for who?" he snapped suddenly at her. "For the village? For… for… for my father? For Toothless?" he asked, not hoping to receive a serious answer. However, Astrid wasn't a person that could have been talked down to.

"What's right for you" she replied. Hiccup only snorted at that and turned around to face her again. She saw it in his eyes that he was on the verge of laughing.

"Well, that's a perfect plan, Astrid, why didn't I think of it earlier?" Hiccup countered with his usual dose of sarcasm. "I should have gone to my father the moment Toothless allowed me to touch him. I'm sure he would be on cloud nine if I told him about it. Dad, guess what, I have wonderful news, we don't have to kill dragons! They can be very nice if given the chance. Son, why didn't any of us think of it earlier?" Hiccup mocked Stoick's voice. "This will end the war we've been waging on ever since our ancestors arrived here. Well done, son" Hiccup said, pacing back and forth in front of Astrid. The shieldmaiden rolled her eyes and grasped Hiccup by his shirt. Without saying anything, she hit him hard in the shoulder. The boy yelped.

"Mock me again and I assure you that you won't be able to move your arm for at least a month" she warned him with a serious tone. Hiccup knew better than to put to the test Astrid's threats. "I'm trying to think of something, okay?" she asked, angry at Hiccup's mockery. "Besides I didn't say that you should tell your father about… Toothless" she added, looking at the Night Fury with reluctance in her eyes. The black dragon raised its head upon hearing its name. "But you should tell him about the nest, Hiccup," she said seriously. The small boy looked at her, still massaging a sore spot on his shoulder.

"He won't believe me, Astrid" Hiccup said quietly. "He didn't believe when I claimed that I shot down the Night Fury, remember?" Astrid nodded her head in confirmation. "He won't believe me unless I have proof. And the only good proof would be him" he said, gesturing at Toothless who was sitting patiently behind him. The black dragon was occupied with cleaning itself while the teens talked. "And I cannot risk Toothless being found" he admitted, returning to petting the Night Fury. He was rewarded with a low purr.

"Why not?" Astrid asked, refusing to believe that Hiccup could have any doubts about revealing what they had found. "We have a chance to end the war, Hiccup. End the war!" she repeated, making sure that the boy in front of her heard what she was saying. "Think about it, Hiccup. Your mother was taken away during a dragon raid and you have a chance to make sure something like this never happens again to anyone. You have a chance to stop those bloody raids once and for all – something we've been trying to achieve for over three hundred years!" she exclaimed, not believing that she had to explain it to him. "Then why not?" she repeated her question, demanding an answer.

"Because" he replied calmly, not looking at her. "Astrid I know you won't understand it cause you're a warrior, but to me, Toothless isn't some mindless creature. He's my best friend" he admitted, gathering the courage to look at her. Just as before, Astrid just stared at him with wide eyes. "I knew you wouldn't get it.

"So… if you're not going to tell your dad… then what are you going to do?" Astrid asked, breaking the silence after a few moments.

Figure out which side you're on, Astrid's words resonated in Hiccup's mind. "I… I don't know yet" he replied. "Just… give me until tomorrow" he added quickly when he noticed Astrid was going to speak. "I'll figure something out."

"Okay," she agreed. A moment later she punched Hiccup again at the same spot. The boy yelped again. "That's for kidnapping me" she explained.

"Well, I'm sure I won't be able to use this arm for a month now, thanks" he commented sarcastically, massaging the sore spot. He tried to pull back when he noticed Astrid moving in his direction again. Although his efforts came to naught, considering that she was much more agile than he. She grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him closer towards her. But instead of another wave of pain he expected, Hiccup felt her lips on his cheek, even if only for a split second.

"That's for… everything else," Astrid said, not looking him in the eye. Before Hiccup could formulate a response, the young shieldmaiden was already running towards the exit of the cove, leaving confused Hiccup behind. He could only watch her retreating form, though as soon as Astrid reached her destination, his senses returned to him.

"Astrid!" he called out, causing her to stop. She turned around slowly. "They can't know about Toothless" he pleaded her. He noticed Astrid struggling internally for a moment before he received a reply.

"They won't," she promised and left the cove. Hiccup sighed heavily. He sat down on the ground, right next to the small lake. Toothless was a few meters away from him, drinking from the pond. The scrawny boy found himself touching the spot where Astrid's lips came in contact with his skin. His lips curled up in a small smile.

"What am I supposed to do, bud?" he asked his dragon, not hoping to receive any answer. Toothless growled lowly, though Hiccup could only guess what it was supposed to mean. "I can't tell my dad about you, he's… he wouldn't be too happy" he shared his thoughts with the only other living being in the cove. "But on the other hand, can I allow him to continue his searching for the nest?" he asked, once again not hoping to receive an answer. "He's still my dad, you know, and if he finds what we have found… Thor's beard, he can't go in there. That thing will kill him!" he exclaimed, even though there was no one around. "But he won't stop until he finds the nest or dies doing so" he added quickly. "And my dad is a Viking, you know, the most stubborn one you could imagine, actually. He would never listen if I tried to tell him what I learned about the dragons" Hiccup said, massaging his temples. He groaned heavily, frustrated at the situation he found himself in. "I mean, really, there's nothing I can do now," he said, admitting defeat.

He began pacing back and forth across the cove again, trying to think of something that wouldn't result in risking Toothless's life. He would have continued on his pointless wandering if he didn't stumble upon something which resulted in him almost falling to the ground. He groaned out of annoyance and looked down to see what it was that he stumbled upon.

"Or… can I?" he asked himself, kneeling next to the small object. It was his basket that he dragged along from the village when he decided it was best to leave. "Perhaps all I need to do is… figure out which side I'm on" he muttered to himself, recalling Astrid's words from a few days prior. He felt Toothless nudge him in the side. "What do you say, bud?" he asked the Night Fury. The dragon growled slightly, trying to reply to Hiccup. "Maybe we should just… do what's right for us?" he wondered. "It will be better this way" he added, rising up. "So… what do you say, bud?" he asked again, looking at Toothless. "You wouldn't want to spend the rest of your life in this cove, would you?" he added rhetorically, lifting up the basket and attaching it to the saddle. Toothless let out a roar that could only be interpreted as the roar of agreement. "I thought so" Hiccup muttered to himself, pulling out a hooded vest from the basket. It was getting colder and colder. It wouldn't be long before the first snowfalls. He put on the additional clothing

The scrawny boy double-checked the straps that were holding the saddle in one spot and made sure if the basket would stay in place. "You're ready, bud?" he asked his four-legged companion. The dragon roared in reply. "Pity I can't understand what you're saying" Hiccup commented with a soft sigh. He mounted the Night Fury and once again double-checked everything. Toothless roared again, this time in something that sounded like an annoyance. "Yeah, sorry, bud" Hiccup chuckled. "Let's go" he commanded and the black dragon took off, leaving the cove behind them.

Hiccup congratulated himself mentally for putting on another layer of clothing, cause high in the skies it was even colder. He put on the hood and wrapped himself tightly with the vest. He cast one last glance at the island behind him that was getting smaller and smaller. Toothless's growl brought him out from his thoughts before he could even sink in them fully.

"Wherever you want, bud" Hiccup replied, patting the Night Fury on its head. "Wherever you want."