Disclaimer: I own no part of the How To Train Your Dragon franchise.
Chapter 1: Some Days
It hadn't even been a year since the Red Death incident, and already he'd changed so much. She didn't think he'd even noticed.
Astrid leaned over Stormfly's neck and watched as Hiccup directed the villagers in installing the fire suppression system. The group of seasoned Vikings listened to him intently; no one questioned the fact that they were taking orders from a slight sixteen-year old. They just nodded and jumped to follow his directions, and in no time, the Gunnarson home was a little bit safer.
He didn't hesitate, moving along to the next house and motioning for Astrid and Stormfly to drop down the next load of gutters. Before long, the last neighborhood was finally fire-proofed. A series of test runs revealed that everything was in perfect working order, and the Vikings released a loud cheer, hoisting Hiccup on their shoulders. Astrid spotted the chief nearby, looking on with a wide grin.
Stoick had always been a figure of fear and respect, stomping angrily through the village and barking out orders that were immediately obeyed. The end of the Dragon War had changed that dramatically. Now, he strutted around in perpetual good humor, his chest puffed out in pride. The elders were muttering about announcing an heir to the chiefdom, about making it official. No one doubted that Hiccup would take up his father's mantle, and if Spitelout was a bit bitter that his son didn't stand a chance, he kept it too himself. Anti-Hiccup sentiments were frowned upon these days.
Hiccup was the only one that didn't see it. When Astrid hung out with him in his workshop, all he could talk about was improving the village infrastructure, making it more dragon-friendly. He had been hesitant to make suggestions to his dad and the elders at first, but after they had adopted his ideas about using dragons to improve ease of labor and formed the Dragon Academy, he had gotten more bold. In a few days, construction would begin on his newest project, the underground stables that would help house the growing number of dragons. If all went according to Hiccup's carefully drawn plan, the stables would be ready for inhabitation three weeks before Snoggletog.
With each new success, Hiccup stood a little taller, walked a little more confidently. He'd never be as vast and imposing as his father, but he made up for his small stature by exuding a quiet air of authority. It also helped that he seemed to be growing into his gangly frame, slowly building lean muscle in his chest, back, and shoulders. Astrid was glad that she had managed to bully him into two hours of weapons training with her every morning. With the right teacher, he was no longer quite as incompetent as they'd all believed. Instead of training him to fight with brute strength, she was coaching him in her fighting style, which relied heavily on speed and agility.
He was constantly getting distracted, so his progress was a little slow. But they'd made some headway with sword practice, especially after Hiccup had decided to design his own weapon, muttering stuff about a collapsible blade, a dual purpose handle, and fire. It sounded impossible to Astrid, but then Hiccup was a master of the impossible.
There was one other problem that was slowing down their weapons training. But Hiccup would never talk about it, never even mention it in passing, so Astrid had learned to watch for warning signs. A slight furrow between his brows, a tightness at the corners of his mouth, a hesitancy in his gait...
All the signs were apparent as the villagers set him down and started trickling towards the Mead Hall for a well-deserved supper. Astrid glanced around and met the chief's gaze. He too had noticed the signs, and gave her a slight nod before following the others up the hill. Hiccup was gingerly gathering up his detailed drawings and plans, and Astrid guided Stormfly to his side, landing softly.
He looked up, sparing her a small, strained smile. "Hey Astrid. Thanks again for your help today. Couldn't have done it without you."
Astrid rolled her eyes. "Oh please. You could have asked any of the dragon riders for help and you would have been fine."
She poked him hard in the side, causing him to stumble back and lean his weight on Toothless. The dragon had sauntered up behind him, sensing that something wasn't quite right with his rider. He hooked a wing around Hiccup's shoulders, so that the boy had no choice but to lean against him.
With the Night Fury supporting most of his weight, the tension eased from Hiccup's face. "Yeah, well, you and I both know that asking the twins to help would have been a disaster, and Snotlout doesn't exactly excel at taking directions."
Astrid shrugged. Perhaps he had a point. But she didn't think she was quite as irreplaceable as he liked to pretend. She stooped to gather his papers and turned toward the chief's house. "Whatever. Come on, let's go put these in the archives."
The archives was the nickname Astrid had given the three wooden trunks in Hiccup's room. They were all stuffed with the boy's past projects. When Hiccup had still been weak and recovering from the battle with the Red Death, she had dumped them out on the floor of his room and helped him sort through the mess. She had recognized some of the inventions from various disasters over the years, but some were completely foreign, having obviously never gotten past the planning stages.
Now, every new project he completed was ceremoniously filed there, a growing stack of proof that Hiccup was changing their lives for the better.
They trudged up to the house in companionable silence. Though it was a relatively short walk, the tension had returned to Hiccup's frame by the time they arrived. Stormfly flew up to the roof and nestled there while the others ventured in.
The stairs to the second floor proved slow and torturous, and Astrid pretended not to notice Hiccup's sigh of relief when he finally plopped down on his bed. Toothless, satisfied that his human was safely ensconced, blew a small fire into the hearth before settling down on his slab of stone.
Astrid arranged the papers into the nearest chest, then wandered over to Hiccup's desk. The work table had once been housed in a small room behind the forge, but everything had been moved to his bedroom when that space had been expanded and remodeled into the Dragon Armory. As usual, the surface was strewn with sketches and charcoal pencils. One drawing in particular caught her attention, and she dug it out of the mess and held it up to the light. "Is this...?"
Hiccup glanced up from where he was rubbing his leg. "Oh yeah, that. Well, did you really think I was joking about the fire sword? Come on, Astrid, you know me better than that."
"This is insane! Only you would ever think this was a good idea." She kicked off her boots and stretched out at the end of his bed, still examining the design. "Monstrous Nightmare saliva... interesting."
"Yeah, and I'm experimenting with capsules of Zippleback gas that would spray from the handle. It wouldn't be very much, only enough to create a small explosion, but it could come in handy during a fight."
Astrid frowned. "The blade looks a little... flimsy, don't you think? These gaps that you put in to help the flames, and the hinges where the blade collapses, both of them make the blade weaker. A few hard strikes against an axe, or even another sword, would break it in half."
Hiccup took the paper from her, tilting his head and considering her comments. "You're right. I'll need to forge it from good iron, and reinforce the weaker spots. Maybe Gronckle iron will do the trick..." He peered at her over the top of the page. "You know, this sort of insight would have been helpful a few years ago, when I was making a fool of myself by inventing faulty weaponry."
"Yeah? Well, you never asked, so how was I supposed to know you needed my help?" She grinned at him. "You were too busy blushing and stammering anytime we got within five feet of each other."
A flush worked its way up his cheeks, bolstering her words. "I didn't, I-I mean, that's not—"
Stoick chose that moment to burst into the room. Oblivious to Hiccup's embarrassment and Astrid's laughter, he strode over to the bed, handing them each a bowl of mutton stew with a hunk of bread.
"I knew I'd find you two rascals up here." He spotted the sheet of paper on the bed between them. "Making plans, eh? Nothing too crazy, I hope? We've already got quite a lot on our plate with the stables, son, we haven't got time for any other big projects before the ice sets in."
"No, dad, nothing like that—"
"Good, good." He ran his gaze surreptitiously over Hiccup's outstretched legs before turning back towards the door. "Well, eat up. The next race is in two days, and Spitelout won't let me live it down if Snotlout beats out either one of you again. I'll be in the Mead Hall if you need me." And with that, he was gone, the bang of the front door echoing up to them seconds later.
Astrid and Hiccup ate in peaceful silence, Toothless lifting his head to sniff in their direction before going back to sleep. Hiccup finished first and set his bowl aside, regarding Astrid as she tore into her chunk of bread.
"You know... I've noticed the system you two have. You aren't as sneaky as you think."
Astrid froze. "I-I don't what you're talking about."
"No?" Hiccup crossed his arms and leaned back against the headboard. "So it's just pure coincidence that we ended up here, instead of going to the Mead Hall for dinner with everyone else? And my dad just happened to walk in, bringing food for the both of us? It was masterfully orchestrated, but you must have known that I would catch on eventually."
Well, of course. This was Hiccup, after all. In fact, Astrid was surprised that she'd gotten away with the ruse for this long. She put aside her bowl and lifted an eyebrow. He didn't seem all that upset, but then again, you couldn't always tell with Hiccup.
"Do tell, oh great Dragon Master. What exactly have I been doing?"
Hiccup sighed dejectedly, and Astrid resisted the urge to lean forward and hug him tight. "You and my dad, you've noticed that some days are... painful. And on those days, you always manage to steer me home early. One of you brings food, and neither of you lets me get up for the rest of the evening." He stared glumly down at his wooden prosthetic.
It was Astrid's turn to sigh. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, you're not exactly the easiest person to read. It took me a while to realize that something was off, and I was very tempted to punch you when I finally understood what was happening." She glared at him. "You should have told me, Hiccup. I want to help."
"Why, Astrid?" He looked away sullenly. "Why are you here? You could be out there, having fun with people who have two legs, who don't have to worry about pain... people who aren't broken."
Oh no. Lightning-fast, Astrid reached over and punched Hiccup in the shoulder. Hard.
"Ow!"
"That's for being a self-pitying moron." She leaned over him and snagged the tin of salve off his bedside table. "You're not broken, muttonhead, you're still healing. And I stay because you're somewhat amusing, despite the fact that you're missing an appendage."
Astrid ignored his scowl and looked down at the tin in her hand. Did she dare...?
Taking a deep breath, she set her hand on his knee. Hiccup inhaled sharply, but made no move to stop her as she trailed her hand down to the rope that held his prosthetic in place. With cautious fingers, she untied the knots and set the wooden contraption on the floor.
The stump underneath was covered in cloth. She hesitated, glancing up at him. His face was guarded, as if he expected her to run screaming for the hills at any second. Her dragon boy was smart, but he could be so blind.
The dressing came undone easily. The scars underneath shone in the firelight, a stark white against the angry red skin around them. The tissue was pulled tight, unable to keep up with his growth spurt. No wonder he was in such pain.
She uncapped the small jar, scooping out a dollop of salve with two fingers. Carefully, she smoothed the ointment over his skin and massaged it gently into the muscle.
The relief was immediate. Hiccup sighed and slumped back against his pillow. Astrid watched as his eyes drifted shut and his jaw softened. She continued applying the lotion until the scar tissue lost some of its tightness, then closed the tin and put it back on his nightstand.
Sitting back on her heels, she regarded him thoughtfully. She hated the shadows under his eyes. Her dragon boy was becoming a man, and he wasn't going about it the easy way. But oh, what a man he would be. He would lead, and others would follow. It had already begun.
And already she missed the boy that had shown her the world above the clouds. The wild, reckless boy that knew nothing of pain and responsibility, the boy that tamed dragons without a second thought. She needed to make sure that boy never disappeared, no matter what.
She crept forward, crawling up Hiccup's supine form. He sensed her approach, and his lips twitched up at the corners when her braid swung down to tickle his nose.
"What are you smiling at, yak brain?"
"Well, you see..." His grin widened, but his eyes remained closed. "There's this beautiful Valkyrie, and I think she really likes me, even though I keep making an ass of myself."
"Is that so?" She leaned down and ran her lips softly over his. "Well, aren't you lucky..."
His fingers threaded deftly through her hair. "Yes, I am."
And he brought her mouth crashing down to his.
His lips were hot, and she instantly caught fire. Their tongues tangled, wet and warm, and her fingers curled into his tunic, tugging him closer. She tried to breathe in all his wildness, wanting to hold it next to her heart.
Hours, days seemed to pass before she broke away, gasping for air. He was panting too, regarding her through half-lidded eyes. She willed away the blush that burned her cheeks and rolled off the bed.
"Well, this has been fun." She tugged on her boots and rose, straightening her clothing. "But I've got things to do, people to see. I should warn you, some of those people have two legs, but don't get jealous. You're still my favorite."
"Ha ha." Hiccup rolled his eyes, then shot her a sly glance and patted the space next to him. "Are you sure I can't entice you to stay, milady? Those others can wait."
"Hmm..." Astrid sauntered back over to him, running her eyes down his body. Tempting, but if she stayed, they would do things that neither of them was ready for.
"Not tonight, dragon boy." She sidestepped as he made a grab for her, then planted a kiss on his cheek and scampered back out of reach. "After all, you have weapons training bright and early tomorrow morning, so you should get some rest. I hear your teacher doesn't take it easy on anyone, especially not one-legged Vikings."
His groan of disappointment followed her down the stairs and out into the night.
Author's Note: While I was writing this piece, I came across a beautiful drawing titled Recovery by toerning. I think it encapsulates the mood of the story really well. You can find it on DeviantArt.