Sorry this is so late, but at least it's still Christmas. Hope you all had a happy holiday, and I hope you all enjoy this side story! I'm unsure whether this'll be canon in the main story or not, but I wanted to do something cute, so this happened. Anyhow, enjoy!

It was times like this that Astrid couldn't help but let a small smile form on her face.

Berk had been covered in snow for more than a few days by this point, but it still wasn't any less of a magical sight to behold, especially as the sun began to set. Adding to the imagery was the assortment of decorations for Snoggletog, topped with a massive tree made from assorted pieces of wood and decorated with vibrantly colored shields. The only thing that seemed to be missing from the picture was the village inhabitants. Outside of a few stray Vikings, the village seemed deserted, and there was barely a trace of the dragons that were here only a few days ago. Of course, the young woman knew exactly where to find both, though it was probably for the best that she didn't follow after the dragons at the moment.

With that in mind, she started to make her way to the Great Hall with a brisk walk. While Astrid could easily get there far more swiftly by either taking flight or running, she wanted to take in the scenery as much as she could before joining in on the festivities. It helped that one of the only reasons she'd want to rush inside, the blistering cold, was warded off by her relatively new clothes.

Certainly warmer than my old clothes ever were…

Even at the pace she was going, it didn't take too long for Astrid to get to the Great Hall. Even at the bottom of the stairs to the hall, she could hear the Vikings inside celebrate, and it only got louder with each step. Once at the doors, she took a moment to stretch her wings and brace herself before heading inside.

There's no going back. Besides, this is my first Snoggletog, I don't want to miss out.

Almost immediately, Astrid was overwhelmed by the all the activity inside. Everywhere she looked, there were Vikings either drinking, singing, fighting, or some combination of the three, all of them far too focused on their activities to notice she ever entered. After taking it all in, she started to navigate through the crowds, looking for the one person she most wanted to spend the holiday with.

As the storm of buzzed merriment whirled on all around him, Hiccup wondered how he was ever going to survive the evening. In the years prior, he was able to skirt along the relatively calm of the edge of the halls, but that was something he couldn't do this time. This year he was near the center of festivities, surrounded by his friends and fellow dragon riders. What made things worse was that the twins managed to get their hands on some of the ale in the chaos. At the moment, Fishlegs was weeping over Meatlug's departure with Tuffnut, Frieda was giving him weird looks that he wasn't sure were supposed to be intimidating or not, and Hiccup himself was trying to keep a very handsy Ruffnut off of him. The only other person who didn't have much of the ale was Snotlout, who looked very uncomfortable as Fishlegs cried on his shoulder. Hiccup looked for any reason to get out of this mess, and upon seeing a familiar pair of black wings, he made a move. Pushing away from Ruff, he stumbled on over in Astrid's direction and was just barely able to keep himself from crashing into her.

"H-hey Astrid, great to see you here! Mind if we go talk outside?"

The dragon girl's face scrunched up in confusion, but before she could say anything, Hiccup took a hold of her hand and made for the door. It took longer than he would have liked to get outside, but the doors to the Hall was behind him soon enough, allowing him a moment to breath.

"Why are we out here?" Astrid's brow remained cocked, the look on her face making it perfectly clear she was looking for answers. "I thought we were going to spend Snoggletog together?" She placed a hand on her hip, her claws on display against her studded skirt. It was at this point that the young heir took the moment to look her over, noting how breathtaking she was in her pale blue top. Hiccup also clearly saw her tail raised and slowly shifting from side to side, a clear indication that he better start talking.

"Sorry. I just had to get away from the crowds… It's… odd, having them actually wanting me to be there. It's not exactly unwelcome, but it was a bit overwhelming, ya know?"

Astrid's face relaxed, her bright blue eyes softening with more than a bit of sympathy. "Yeah… I wasn't exactly sure about staying for everything either. It's all too…"

"Crazy, chaotic?"

"Yeah, those." She chuckled a bit, the edges of her lips pulling into a smile. "Honestly, I just wanted to spend Snoggletog with you, Hiccup."

"Well…" Hiccup could feel his cheeks flare up against the cold, and if he looked hard enough, he could see her face redden a bit along the black scales on her cheek. "I'm happy to hear that, Astrid."

For a moment, the two of them stood out in the snow, the warmth brought on by the hall being nipped away by the cool air. Then, something popped up in Hiccup's mind, causing his eyes to widen a bit before he turned back to her. "Actually, if you don't mind, maybe we should start heading back home. I got something for you."

"Oh? What is it?" Her eyes widened, her tail once more raising a bit in excitement.

"It's a surprise. You'll have to come with me to find out."

"Alright, race ya!"

Before Hiccup could respond, Astrid unfurled her wings and took off for his home, leaving him square in the dust. Not deterred, he started running the path towards his home, keeping an eye out for any slippery surfaces. Though Astrid was sure to win, he was determined to get home as soon as he could. Sure enough, when he made the turn down the pathway towards his home, Astrid was there with a smug look on her face.

"Well Astrid. On behalf of Berk, I congratulate you on your victory here today." He made a theatric bow, kneeling on his knee in front of her. Already, he could hear her giggle again.

"Hehe, thanks Hiccup. Shall we head in?"

"You first, milady…"

Astrid couldn't help but blush a bit as she crossed the threshold inside, the chill of the cold air outside replaced with the warmth of the embers on the fire pit. She turned to Hiccup struggling with the door, a giggle bubbling up from within her once he turned to face her and she saw that goofy grin she loved so much.

"Sorry about that, we really need to get that door fixed."

"I guess… you wanted to show me show me something, Hiccup?"

"Yeah-yeah… Let me, um, go get it."

With that, he headed up the stairs and into his room, leaving the dragon girl on her lonesome. Rather than stay down below, though, she jumped upstairs with a wing flap before entering Hiccup's room. While the boy searched his table, Astrid took a seat atop his bed, her tail wrapping around her feet.

"Where is it, where is- ah ha, there it is!"

Hiccup spun on his prosthetic, his brows furrowed as held what looked to be a small dagger in his hands.

"I was thinking, if you're going to be a part of the tribe, I think you're going to need something to help protect yourself." Before she could protest, he wrapped her hand around the grip of the blade. "I know you can just blast away with your fire, but… just consider it as extra protection." He gave a meek smile, and she could take in how bright his eyes are, making for a lovely shade of green. Looking back at the dagger, she noted it was bit more ornamental than it was on first glance, the grip looking as though it were covered in scales, with some Nordic runes along the metal at the base of the handle. Almost immediately, her face snapped back up to see his.

"Did… did you make this, Hiccup?"

"What? Did you think I'd just give you some random dagger?" His smile became wider, clearly happy that she noticed it was his handiwork.

"Hiccup… thank you… I'll be sure to keep it on me."

"Hey, don't worry about it. I'm just looking after you and all that…"

She hummed, taking a moment to look over the small blade in her hands, stopping when she heard Hiccup yawn.

"Tired?"

"Just a bit. Snoggletog can really take it out of you, especially this year… I think I may head off to bed here soon, actually. See you in the morning?"

"Oh, yeah, sure…" Astrid got to her feet, slowly making her way for the door. However, she stopped just before she was out of the room, turning just a bit so she could look over at him. "Actually…"

This time, it was Hiccup's turn to look confused, his attention making a small blush reappear on her face.

"My room has been a little cold lately, and…" Her eyes pulled away for a moment as she wondered whether to continue this course of action. After a moment, her gaze returned to him, her eyes glowing with determination. "Would you mind if I stay with you tonight?"

It was clear as day that Hiccup was more than surprised by the question, his eyes wide and his mouth gaping open and shut in silence. He soon started to stammer, which was something the young woman couldn't help but find adorable.

"W-well, yeah, I-I mean no, I wouldn't mind. I mean, I don't want you freeze or anything, so…"

"Thank you." She smiled, slowly making way to his bed. Before she knew it, the two of them were in a bed that was far too small, her arms holding around him to make sure they could both fit. Despite this, she couldn't help but enjoy the warmth and odd comfort being this close to Hiccup brought. Telling by how red his face was, it seemed as though he was enjoying being this close as well. Her eyes started to droop as she gave a loud yawn.

"And I thought I was tired…"

"I wasn't… I'm just comfortable here… with you, Hiccup."

"W-well… Um…"

Astrid waited for what he had to say, only for her eyes to turn wide when he gave her a sudden kiss on her nose.

"Uh, sorry, I just…"

She returned the favor, her lips gracing his cheek before she pulled back, absolutely beaming.

"It's alright, Hiccup. I don't mind it at all…"

"Oh, well then…"

She giggled a bit before she couldn't hold back another yawn. "Good night, Hiccup… Happy Snoggletog."

"Thanks… Good night, Astrid."

With that, the young couple surrendered to the pull of sleep, their lips both forming small, peaceful smiles as they drifted off to unconsciousness.

Oh, and before I forget, the image was made by my friend and editor, Dalek-Kenn of Deviantart!