A/N: This is just a short little something I wrote for my own amusement, so I apologize if it sucks. At the moment, the plan is to make this a two-shot, but I'm not quite sure when I'll upload the second half *shrug*. ANYWAY...thank you to everyone who reads and reviews, I really appreciate you taking the time to do that...And now, enjoy!

o0o_o0o_o0o

It was strange, the feeling that had formed inside of him. He couldn't recall having ever experienced anything quite like it before...He could only describe it as an amalgamation of profound relief, sorrow, joy, and - if he was being perfectly honest with himself - fear.

Alas, none of that really mattered now, he'd accomplished what he'd wanted: Toothless was safe. Of course, that had always been the most important thing for him...Which was why mere seconds ago, as he'd watched his beloved dragon falling unconscious toward the sea, he'd made the decision to let go of the Light Fury - effectively trading his own life for Toothless'...It had been the only way she could have made it to the night fury in time. Thankfully, though, the dazzling white dragon had made the sacrifice worthwhile. For as Hiccup fell, he'd seen her make the last-second catch that saved his best friend's life.

You're safe now, Bud. He thought to himself as his expression relaxed into one of calm acceptance. Knowing that Toothless had made it, alongside his mate, brought Hiccup a measure of solace that quickly smothered all the bad feelings which had been squeezing his heart like icy tentacles.

He was just glad Toothless had a new friend to share his life with, the dragon deserved to be wild and free - it was time to let him fly on his own...

And so that was how he found himself in his current predicament - plummeting to his death with a furious dragon killer at his side.

Lost in bittersweet thoughts, Hiccup barely even registered the way Grimmel clawed at him in rage, ripping what was left of his armor with sharp, cruel fingers...his gaze remained locked onto the sea stack far above them.

Toothless was up there. Astrid was up there. His mother was up there. His friends were up there. The dragons were up there. New Berk was up there...

But he was down here.

The unforgiving surface of the ocean was rapidly getting closer...30 meters - 20 meters - 10 meters...

Here at the end, he had no regrets...Like his father before him, he was a chief - and he had protected his own.

o0o_o0o_o0o

Stoick was standing on the beach as usual, admiring the perpetual sunrise that painted this world in varying hues of cheerful pinks and warm oranges, when he felt a small shift in the wind.

He had grown accustomed to the gentle whoosh that signified a new soul had entered the afterlife. However, this one felt...different.

In that second, his heart both leapt with joy and shattered - for he sensed a member of his family had come to join him. And, while he missed his wife and his son dearly, he knew both were far too young to be here yet. They still belonged in the world of the living.

Casting his gaze around almost frantically, he tried to locate whoever it was, all while his mind repeated the same thought over and over:

Please don't be Hiccup, please don't be Hiccup, please don't be Hiccup...

Unfortunately, though, it was.

A familiar shock of messy auburn hair had just emerged from the water in front of him, followed by a face, a torso, and two whole legs...The sight - sad as it was due to the untimely nature of Hiccup's death - still managed to bring a warm smile to the father's face.

As Hiccup stumbled toward him, seemingly blind to his presence, Stoick could see the confusion on the young man's face. It wasn't until Hiccup had trudged out of the water in his characteristically clumsy way that Stoick spoke.

"Hiccup?"

In a fraction of a second, the young man's head snapped up to face the voice, and eyes that were previously disoriented suddenly lit up with excitement. It was obvious he'd recognized it right away.

"...Dad?" His tone contained a combination of disbelief and hope. "Is it really you?"

"Aye, son. It is..."

There was a beat, then the older man was suddenly knocked off of his feet and into the sand when Hiccup rushed forward to hug him.

Hiccup was stronger than he remembered.

"I've missed you, dad." He mumbled into his father's beard, and Stoick - being the same as ever - didn't know what to say. In the end, he decided not to speak, and instead just nodded and squeezed his son tighter to his chest. But then, as the initial exuberance of their reunion slowly began to subside, Stoick's expression shifted to a more serious one. As he stood up, hauling Hiccup to his feet with one hand, he had to ask the big question...

"Hiccup...son...Why are you here?"

The young man looked up into his father's eyes with a gaze that said it all.

He'd died saving someone he loved.

Hiccup looked ready to defend that choice from disapproval if his father tried to lecture him. But as Stoick appraised the man before him, he could see bravery, selflessness, conviction, and courage written on every feature of Hiccup's face...And he felt a deep pride for his son, who was standing there with him in the land of the Honored Dead.

He had become a true chief.

"Who were you saving?" Stoick prompted suddenly, his voice taking on the all-too familiar tone of mixed amusement and exasperation. Although, there was a hint of approval there as well.

Now a crooked smile graced Hiccup's features. "Toothless...and his mate."

Stoick's eyebrows rose at that. Of course, he wasn't surprised that Hiccup had sacrificed himself for his dragon - that was almost predictable. He was just surprised to learn the night fury had found a mate!

However, now hardly seemed like the best time to get into a conversation about a dragon's love life...

Feeling a bit flustered, Stoick said the first thing that came to mind...Unfortunately, though, death had not given him the gift of eloquence, poetic speech, or the ability to know what to say, so the older man just puffed out his cheeks and let loose a gusty breath of air before saying, "So...the same dragon got us both to Valhalla, eh?"

Hiccup looked slightly offended for a second, but a lifetime of dealing with his father's blunt - albeit rude - sense of humor had him shrugging it off with a bemused grin.

"I suppose so. Technically...but -" and just as he started to explain himself, Stoick chuckled and waved his hands.

"Son, it was a joke! I didn't mean it like that, I know that dragon would never harm anyone of his own free will. Whatever happened, we are here as a result of the choices we made..."

And suddenly Hiccup's eyes filled with tears. He had never gotten the chance to apologize for his father's death...

"Dad...I...I'm so, so sorry..." he stammered.

"Ah, hush now, lad. I'd do it over again if I had to, a thousand times over, I would..." Then he paused and took a shaky breath before continuing. "I know...Well, I know I wasn't the best father to you. I have more to say sorry for than you..."

Hiccup felt the sincerity of his father's voice, but just smiled. He had forgiven the man long ago.

Seeming to know what Hiccup was thinking, Stoick smiled warmly at him.

"I've missed you, son..."

"Love you, dad."

There was a peace in the air around them that resonated deep within their souls. All was well between them. At long last.

o0o_o0o_o0o

It felt like he was coming up from the depths of the sea as consciousness came back to him.

Ugh...Everything felt heavy and sluggish. His eyes didn't want to open and his legs refused to cooperate. For a moment he imagined his best friend touching his nose in that oh-so familiar way.

...Hiccup...

As his large green eyes opened, he was surprised at what he saw.

Or, to be exact, what he didn't see.

Hiccup wasn't there.

How odd...He was sure the boy had just been with him - he was positive he'd heard his voice, and his nose still felt warm from the touch...

But, even as he glanced around him, Hiccup was nowhere to be seen. There was only Windwalker, his mate, who had been sitting a short way away, watching him with worried eyes.

The Light Fury quickly slunk to his side and licked his nose when she saw that he was awake, but at that moment, he had more pressing things on his mind. His ailments forgotten, the night fury stood up on shaky legs and warbled to the white dragon. He wanted her to tell him where his best friend was...

And that was when she closed her eyes and hung her head in what could only be described as a look of shame.

Concerned by this, he asked again, and so she walked to the edge of the cliff and plopped down with a low, melancholy moan. Toothless didn't understand...Where was Hiccup? What was going on...

As he reached her side, he arched his neck to look down at the sea far, far below.

Then his memories kicked into overdrive.

He recalled The Hunter riding a sedated and mind-controlled Windwalker...He and Hiccup had killed the deathgrippers...Hiccup had jumped off of his back, then he'd been shot by a dart and then he fell...and then...

It didn't take him long to piece the rest together.

The light fury curled into a ball, realizing all too late that by failing to save the small human who often sat on her mate's back, she had failed her mate.

But Toothless couldn't - wouldn't - believe it. Hiccup hadn't fallen...and even if he had, he had wings! He could fly! Hiccup would never leave him...

And then an overwhelming sense of guilt slammed into him. How could he be mad at Hiccup for leaving him, when he was the one who left first...? He had flown to the Hidden World with Windwalker, taken his place as Alpha amongst all the dragons there - and he knew in his heart-of-hearts that he had not planned on returning to Hiccup...In selfishness, he had never expected Hiccup to go somewhere that he couldn't visit...

All he knew was that he'd never forgive himself if his best friend had died.

With no warning to Windwalker, Toothless leapt from the ledge and tucked his wings tight to his sides. He had to search the waters below...had to find his friend.

...

Once he had reached the ocean and began skimming over its surface, it didn't take long to locate evidence of Hiccup's fate. Torn shreds of leather wings floated aimlessly on the waves...A stray gas cartridge from Inferno bobbed along as well...A lonely black helmet with night fury scales drifted away on the tide...

No No No No No No No! His head swiveled frantically now, searching.

...And then he saw what he feared he'd see.

On a small rocky beach at the base of the island, he could make out a pair of still forms about 30 meters apart from each other, both halfway submerged in the water.

One had white hair, and the other's was a beautiful shade of auburn...

The screech of pure sorrow that tore itself from his throat brought distant echoed cries from every dragon who could hear him. For this wasn't just his loss, Hiccup had been a friend to them all.

His wings beat hard and his breathing was sporadic as he angled himself toward the bodies. Reflexively, his eyes glanced up to the top of the monstrous island. They had been flying far above it when Toothless had been incapacitated, and if Hiccup had fallen all that way...

There was no hope.

A few seconds later, he was landing beside his best friend.

At first, Hiccup looked alive. The calm ebb and flow of the waves that were splashing against his limp form gave an almost breath-like motion to his body. His eyes were closed, and there was a pinkish hue to the tiny streams of water that had trickled around his mouth and nose. The armor was much more battered and torn than he'd remembered it being - chunks of leather were gone and claw marks decorated most of the materials. And yet, aside from the blemishes of war, Hiccup looked...content.

Although, his peace did little to soothe Toothless.

Hiccup had gone somewhere his dragon couldn't follow. He'd flown far away and left Toothless behind, alone and scared.

If the sun was shining, Toothless couldn't tell. The world seemed dark and colorless to him now...

Pressing his nose into Hiccup's hand, he silently sang his lamentation. It was a song meant for a single person, and it was one only the dead could hear.

o0o_o0o_o0o

Astrid had been flying Stormfly back to New Berk from the armada battle when the Nadder had suddenly screeched in distress. Alarmed herself, the young woman quickly leaned down to place a hand on her dragon's shoulder.

"What's wrong, girl?"

The dragon let out a sad sort of wail and made an abrupt change in direction that jostled Astrid in her saddle. It was uncharacteristic of Stormfly to behave that way - which was why Astrid made no move to correct her. If Stormfly sensed trouble, then that's where they needed to be. She'd learned from Hiccup long ago to always trust your dragon.

However, even though she trusted Stormfly, it confused her that they were now descending toward the sea instead of heading for the top of the island where everyone would be waiting. What was going on?

And then she heard it - the sound that must have set Stormfly on edge: Toothless' cry. But not just any sort of cry, it was a cry of absolute devastation...

In an instant, her heart faltered, then it began to hammer wildly in her chest. What had caused Toothless to make that sound...

A part of her that she was ashamed of hoped that his reaction was in response to something that had happened to the light fury, and not Hiccup.

But another part of her knew that wasn't the case.

It didn't take long for Stormfly to locate the Alpha, and in a matter of seconds, Astrid's worst fear was realized.

Hiccup was dead.

As she stared at the scene before her, no wail nor heartrending sob escaped her lips. She was silent. Numb.

Even from this distance, she could see it. Hiccup was lying prone in the water, with Grimmel not far away.

As they got closer and finally touched down on the pebble beach, Astrid could see that Toothless was staring up at her from his place at Hiccup's side. His bright green eyes conveyed a depth of emotion that would drown most souls, but she understood everything those orbs said - she could feel the same feelings echoed within herself.

Her body felt overwhelmingly heavy, and it took her a moment to realize that she'd been trying - rather unsuccessfully - to dismount her dragon and make her way to Hiccup.

On some level, she didn't want to see him - the lifelessness of his face. She didn't want to touch him - didn't want to feel the coldness of his flesh...Because once she did, there would be no going back. At this moment, the last time she had touched him, he had been warm and full of life.

But now...

Now he was gone. All that remained was a broken and empty shell.

Toothless' whimpers were growing increasingly more desperate, it truly was a pitiful sound. One that finally brought the tears that had been welling up in Astrid's eyes cascading down her pale cheeks.

She knew she couldn't stand there forever, and she owed it to Hiccup to be there for him - even when he was no longer here. And so, with the greatest of efforts, she slid down from her dragon and trudged forward on autopilot before sinking down next to the body of the man who would never be her husband. He felt impossibly heavy as she pulled him up into her arms.

"...Hiccup?" She whispered, her voice containing a note of hope. But his eyes remained closed.

Water slowly seeped into her armor as she sat there, but she didn't care. Quietly, she rocked back and forth with Hiccup, thinking over all the things she wish she had done differently.

She wished she had married him. Wished she hadn't avoided his promptings for them to bond themselves together forever...

Who could have ever guessed that their endless days had been so cruelly numbered?

Absentmindedly, she reached into her shirt and pulled out the betrothal necklace Hiccup had given her years ago...Looking at it brought back so many memories: Like the fight they'd had when she'd thrown it back to him...How he later returned it to her and apologized for taking her for granted...

Her hand clasped so hard around the small pendant that it dug painfully into her skin.

Wasn't it just like life to circle back around on you in the worst of ways? Because now and forevermore, she would be the one who took the other for granted and never got the chance to make it right.

"Oh, Hiccup..." She mumbled, tears dripping into his hair and onto his face. She wanted to see his eyes twinkling up at her and see that goofy-yet-handsome smile. Her hand had drifted up to his face, and in that moment - lost and not yet fully processing how much she had lost - she leaned downed and kissed him.

With her lips pressed against his, she felt as the last bit of warmth in his body was sapped away.

It was the last thing he would ever give her.