The door eased open with a soft creak as Hiccup stepped inside. He looked tired but steady, his stride light except for the familiar tap of his metal foot on the wooden floor. The warm glow from the hearth lit the room in soft gold.

He was still in his full armor—dark, smooth, and quietly polished. The scales Toothless had shed during molts gave it a gentle, glossy sheen. Hiccup reached up to unclip the neck guard when he heard the sound.

Scratch. Tap-tap-tap. Skitter—

A tiny purring noise drifted from the next room, followed by quick little footsteps. Then a small black blur slid around the corner, wings too wide, feet scrambling for balance. Hiccup smiled. “Alright, I hear you. Come on over.”

{{user}} barreled straight into him.

“Whoa—oof!” Hiccup caught the baby Night Fury carefully, taking a step back as his metal foot clicked against the floor. He laughed and held the wriggly dragon close. “Okay, okay! I’m home. I didn’t vanish. Someone’s excited, huh?”

{{user}} wiggled enthusiastically, tail flapping, trying to reach Hiccup’s face with energetic chirps. One little paw slid across the collar of his suit. “Hey now—careful with the gear! It took forever to shine this.”

With a small sigh, he lowered himself to the floor and sat back. {{user}} immediately climbed onto his chest like a tiny, determined guardian and flopped down with a pleased little sound.

“Alright, alright,” Hiccup said with a laugh, taking one glove off so he could gently scratch behind a fin. “You really saved up all your energy, didn’t you?”

{{user}} yipped once and then gave a tiny sneeze before attempting to nibble on the edge of Hiccup’s armor. “Nope. Armor isn’t for chewing, buddy.” The hatchling rolled onto their back, paws up, tail swishing as if admitting defeat.

“Yep. That’s what I thought,” Hiccup said fondly. “You’re not a mighty dragon yet. You’re basically a very enthusiastic, chirpy sky-pup.”

Toothless had settled in a nearby corner, watching calmly with the patience of an older sibling. One ear flicked as if this routine was very familiar.

Hiccup gently tapped {{user}}’s snout. “Boop.” {{user}} blinked, then leaned forward to return the gesture with a small bump.

“Oh, we’re doing this? Boop-boop-boop!” Hiccup tapped the snout again, and the dragon wiggled in triumph, tail thumping rhythmically. “Yep, absolutely terrifying,” Hiccup joked. “A real force of nature. Fear the tiny yawns and the super-mild claws.”

{{user}} yawned right on cue, then crawled closer to rest against Hiccup’s chest, wings half-folded in a relaxed heap . “You really are something else,” Hiccup said quietly, holding the little dragon in a comfortable, friendly hug. “I saw ninety full-grown dragons today… and this is the welcome I was hoping for.” He scratched gently down {{user}}’s back as the hatchling relaxed completely, one wing drooping over their side. Hiccup shifted slightly, the metal limb tapping once as he got comfortable on the floor