Hi all! If you have not read my short aftermath story, "What Friends are For," please do so! You don't need to have read it to read this, but they kind of go together so you can just read both! This is just sort of an extension of the Hiccstrid stuff I was playing with in that fanfic. I've never really written Hiccstrid before, so please go easy on me.

Disclaimer: I don't own How to Train Your Dragon.

In the first week after he – they – left, Hiccup was experiencing so many negative emotions – grief, helplessness, guilt, loss, abandonment, regret, misery, fear, frustration, anger, pain, and just plain sadness. All of these feelings built up inside him and threatened to overwhelm him all at once. It sat so heavily on his heart that, after the first day, he looked to the best coping mechanism available.

Work.

Work work work work work. It was the only thing saving him from thinking about recent events, and preventing the horrible emotions from overpowering him. He never thought he would see the day that he felt grateful to be Chief, but thank Thor he was Chief! All day, every day, there were problems that needed to be addressed and people asking questions and construction being done for the new village. It gave him hardly any time for his mind to wander, which is exactly what he needed. It was like a blessing.

Night was the worst. People would go to sleep at night time, and there came a point after dinner that he would have a moment with nothing to do. Those devastating emotions would creep up and attempt to suffocate him as his thoughts strayed – dread was the best way to describe it. Hiccup would never even try to sleep. Instead, he would work in the new blacksmith shop on something – anything – that could keep his mind focused and not thinking.

People sometimes tried to surface his emotions – namely Astrid. He tended to avoid her in that first week. 'Do you want to talk about it' was a phrase he did not want to hear. A part of him felt bad about it. He had never avoided an Astrid pep talk before, ever. Subconsciously he knew that probably it would help – Astrid's pep talks always helped – but he was just not ready to face any of the horrible feelings building up inside of him.

His mother had tried to pry a little, but more often she would just send him concerned, sympathetic looks. She was still mourning in her own way, as was everyone, really. Gobber did not push him to talk, but seemed to be spending a lot more time accompanying him places. Hiccup wondered if the old blacksmith was worried about leaving him alone for too long. Whatever the reason, the Chief was glad to have the distraction of another person around as he got work done. He also just liked having someone confirming and backing his decisions.

Tuffnut was an irritant. Hiccup's "best friend" didn't tip toe at all. One time the Thorston twin yanked the Chief away from the Great Hall construction and placed him directly in front of a mirror.

"You look like a dead man, Chief," Tuff told him. "I mean, look at you! Your face looks like the ghost of my Great Uncle Magmar – actually you look more like the corpse of my Great Uncle Magmar – "

Hiccup had to admit he appeared rather gaunt. He looked like he wasn't eating enough and like he hadn't slept in days (both of which were completely true statements). As he stared at himself in the mirror, he felt a moment of amazement.

He looked like his father.

Serious, intense, sad, burdened. Regal. Intimidating. Like a Viking.

Hiccup stared some more. He looked at his eyes, which had enormous black rings underneath them, weighing onto his cheeks. He stared and stared until suddenly the bright green orbs gazing back at him no longer looked like his own, and his heart pained sharply inside his chest.

Hiccup turned abruptly and walked determinedly away from the mirror, his fists clenched tightly at his sides. He chopped wood and sanded planks for the rest of the day.

On the fifth day of the week, Heather and Dagur appeared on the shores of New Berk. Seeing their old friends again had been like a breath of fresh air for the whole village. Heather and Dagur brought their Berserker energy to Berk that was duly needed. Somehow, their presence had broken through Hiccup's emotional guard, and he remembered that just because the dragons were gone, it did not mean he had lost everything. He still had the people. He still had his friends. He still had Astrid.

So he finally gave in and had a desperately needed talk with his betrothed. They both cried and held each other, and Hiccup released some of those horrible feelings inside of him. He realized that he was not completely alone, and he found comfort in his friends and family for the first time that week. For the first time since the dragons had left, Hiccup laughed.

Now, it was a week later, and Dagur and Heather had left Berk in a much better state than how the village was when they arrived. Hiccup still hurt, every single day. It was a pain that never really went away and probably never would. But he always managed to find something that would make him smile. His wife-to-be was a major reason for that. There was still a lot of work to do, and Hiccup had put together some plans for the new Chief's house – a house that Astrid would eventually be sharing.

So that's where Hiccup stood now for the first time, inside the new wood-plank structure, and looking around the partially-furnished rooms. There were several candles and torches lighting the house as day turned to dusk outside. It was not a lot to look at yet, but it was something. The beginnings of a new home.

"It's a nice place you have here," Astrid grinned, walking through the front door. She was carrying a box of his weapons and added it to the pile of his belongings that he was in the process of moving into the house. "Home sweet home."

"Thanks," Hiccup replied. It did not feel like home to him. Home was the house he grew up in with his father, with the large Chief's chair where only his father could sit. Home was where his room was, with two beds so he could share it with –

That place did not exist anymore. His childhood did not exist anymore. It was gone and would not return.

Hiccup's emotions must have shown on his face, because Astrid wrapped her hand around his wrist. He turned to face her.

"It will get there," she assured him gently. "A fresh start, right?"

Hiccup nodded. "Right," he agreed. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder and kissed the top of her head. "Its nothing like your place, though," he said.

Astrid and her parents had been among the first in the village to fully move in to their new house. It was a bit smaller than this house but was the homiest place on New Berk thus far. People in the village liked to spend time there when they weren't in the Great Hall or working on construction. Her parents often invited Hiccup and the rest of the gang to have dinner with them. It was a great excuse to spend time together.

"When you're fully moved in its going to be ten times better than my place," Astrid said, punching him playfully on the arm. "You're the Chief!"

She smiled brightly and reached into the box she had just carried in, pulling out the large axe that had always hung behind Stoick's chair. She walked over to the back wall and placed it on a nail so that it was presented the same way it had been in his old house. She turned around to look at him and put her hands on her hips.

"There," she announced, satisfied.

Hiccup smiled and walked over to where she stood in the center of the empty room. He wrapped his arms around her waist, gratefully pressing his forehead against hers. She smiled as well and rested her hands against his chest.

He closed his eyes and breathed in deeply.

Gods he loved her. Hiccup's heart quickened as he took in her scent and her touch. Why did he feel like he was only just noticing now? Its not like he hadn't loved her before. But something had changed over the past couple of weeks, something greater than losing the dragons. It was like everything that he hadn't lost had reached out and latched itself to her. It seemed like she was the only thing keeping him going now, after he felt like he had died. She gave him strength. She gave him something to live for. Something to fight for.

Hiccup opened his eyes, and for a moment he was surprised to see her radiant blue eyes staring back at him instead of a large pair of green ones. But for the first time in a while he didn't feel upset about that. He sighed quietly in relief before gently pressing his lips against hers.

The kiss was soft and sweet. Astrid pulled away sooner than Hiccup would have liked and took a step back. She gave him an odd look that he couldn't decipher.

"Come on," she said, her voice a little too high-pitched. "Let's finish moving you in."

Astrid began to walk away, but Hiccup quickly reached for her again, and pulled her so that her back was pressed against his chest. He wasn't done holding her yet. He wrapped his arms around her waist and she giggled in surprise, before she leaned into his embrace with a smile. He placed a soft kiss on her shoulder and then rested his chin against the top of her head. He closed his eyes again, breathing out a contented sigh, and she laced her fingers through his.

"I want to get married," he said softly, but decisively.

Astrid laughed lightly. "Hiccup, we're already betrothed. You don't have to propose again," she spun herself around his arm to face him. "And I've already said yes. What – "

When she saw his face, she stopped abruptly, and her smile shifted into an expression of surprise. Her eyes flickered nervously and she looked like she was frantically trying to come up with a reply.

Hiccup watched her with a deep, intense look. "What are we waiting for?" he asked slowly. His eyes searched hers for answers.

Astrid swallowed, but her face softened. "We… we weren't ready," she whispered, her voice shaking.

Hiccup nodded slowly. "What about now?" he murmured. "Are you ready now?"

Astrid's cheeks glowed in the candlelight and she looked back at him with equal intensity. "Are you?"

He carefully placed his hand against her face and his thumb lightly brushed against her soft skin. A small smile hinted at the corner of his lips, and he began nodding, growing more confident each time. "Yeah," he replied breathlessly.

Her eyes widened. She lifted her own hand and placed it against his, which still rested on her cheek. A smile gradually grew over her face until she was grinning from ear to ear. "If you're ready then I'm ready," she said.

Her reply sent a jolt of excitement through his body and into his heart. Hiccup suddenly let out a loud whoop and then lifted her off her feet, and Astrid gave a surprised yelped in response. Her arms gripped him around the neck as he swung her around and she laughed joyfully.

When he lowered her to the ground he was beaming. "Tomorrow," he told her. "I want to get married tomorrow."

Astrid laughed in amusement, but nodded. "Okay," she said. "I don't think the rest of the village is ready to have a wedding tomorrow, but you are the Chief," she gave him a look.

"Fine," Hiccup said. "Day after tomorrow. But no more waiting," he insisted. "I'm done waiting."

Astrid put both hands on his cheeks and kissed him. "Okay," she agreed quietly after she pulled away from the kiss. "Perhaps I should start moving my things in here too, then," she smirked.

Hiccup pulled her into another embrace and kissed her temple. "Please do," he murmured against her skin.

Yes? No? Maybe? Good? Let me know in the reviews! Thanks for reading! And if you want to read more Hidden World related stuff, come check me out I have stuff!