(no subject)
Several months and another lifetime ago, Hiccup had needed a basket of fish and a lot of tricks to get the new tail on Toothless. Now, the dragon sat still for him as he was buckled into the leather saddle and metal spines that connected the tail fin to Hiccup’s left foot pedal. Checking as he went along, Hiccup lingered on the left stirrup. Where the right side was just a little platform, the left had a curve over it, made at just the right angle to hook up to and move with his metal leg. Staring at it, Hiccup was surprised to see his own fingers shaking, Toothless leaning down to press his nose into his hands.
“Sorry bud, I’m going, I’m going,” Hiccup promised, moving around the side to check the girths and buckles. “Stop sucking in air so that it’s more comfortable. I’ll fall down and you’ll crash,” he teased.
When the dragon snorted and tossed his head, it became a thousand times easier to forget the metal leg again. It was getting easier and easier to forget all the time. There were fewer and fewer mornings where he sat up, looked down, and the world settled back in with a cold thud when he remembered that one of his legs was gone now, disappeared into the belly of a dragon or a cloud of smoke or a hundred other fates that he just could not remember. His leg tried to tell him sometimes that it was still there, raw and hurting, but Hiccup had to bite down and ignore the ghost hurts the way that Gobber or Stoick would have. His leg was gone and there was no point in mourning. All he could do now was find a way around it.
When he was flying, it wouldn’t matter.
“Ready, Toothless?” Hiccup asked, rubbing the dragon’s shoulder, just above the wing joint. Toothless lowered his head to look Hiccup in the eyes and Hiccup could almost hear the disdain. “Right, dragon. Of course you’re ready.”
The second he was on the saddle, his foot locked in to the stirrup, and the whole world settled again into a familiar place. On Toothless’ back, the world was theirs, bent under their whims. Hiccup leaned forward on Toothless’ back as the dragon spread his wings, pressing down slightly with his left foot. “All right, Toothless. Let’s do this.”
And with a powerful flap of his wings and a bit of pressure from his foot, they were up in the air. Hiccup’s chest felt tight as his heart surged. He and Toothless were flying again with just as little difficulty as they’d had before. Like one creature, they climbed into the air before negotiating a sharp curve down and then skimming low over the beach, kicking up surf. Hiccup raised one of his arms and shouted his triumph, waving ecstatically at everyone he passed by.
((timed to early afternoon. Boy and dragon are finally flying. All types of tags welcome for all of forever. Oh and listen to the soundtrack, it makes everything more awesome.))
“Sorry bud, I’m going, I’m going,” Hiccup promised, moving around the side to check the girths and buckles. “Stop sucking in air so that it’s more comfortable. I’ll fall down and you’ll crash,” he teased.
When the dragon snorted and tossed his head, it became a thousand times easier to forget the metal leg again. It was getting easier and easier to forget all the time. There were fewer and fewer mornings where he sat up, looked down, and the world settled back in with a cold thud when he remembered that one of his legs was gone now, disappeared into the belly of a dragon or a cloud of smoke or a hundred other fates that he just could not remember. His leg tried to tell him sometimes that it was still there, raw and hurting, but Hiccup had to bite down and ignore the ghost hurts the way that Gobber or Stoick would have. His leg was gone and there was no point in mourning. All he could do now was find a way around it.
When he was flying, it wouldn’t matter.
“Ready, Toothless?” Hiccup asked, rubbing the dragon’s shoulder, just above the wing joint. Toothless lowered his head to look Hiccup in the eyes and Hiccup could almost hear the disdain. “Right, dragon. Of course you’re ready.”
The second he was on the saddle, his foot locked in to the stirrup, and the whole world settled again into a familiar place. On Toothless’ back, the world was theirs, bent under their whims. Hiccup leaned forward on Toothless’ back as the dragon spread his wings, pressing down slightly with his left foot. “All right, Toothless. Let’s do this.”
And with a powerful flap of his wings and a bit of pressure from his foot, they were up in the air. Hiccup’s chest felt tight as his heart surged. He and Toothless were flying again with just as little difficulty as they’d had before. Like one creature, they climbed into the air before negotiating a sharp curve down and then skimming low over the beach, kicking up surf. Hiccup raised one of his arms and shouted his triumph, waving ecstatically at everyone he passed by.
((timed to early afternoon. Boy and dragon are finally flying. All types of tags welcome for all of forever. Oh and listen to the soundtrack, it makes everything more awesome.))