Hiccup has taken the day off of the chiefing duties he had now been overwhelmed with since the battle. Having to rebuild the village, asking Toothless day in and day out to melt some of the ice with the other dragons. The upside to the ice was having fresh water a while, but other than that, it had been a bit more cold than usual with it around the village.
No, he had decided that today, he would take the day of and continue to work on the map. He enjoyed being on the back of Toothless once again like he used to 'back in the days', as he called it when he talked to the others. It had been almost a year since it happened. Since his dad died, since he was announced as the new chief of Berk and not long since he and Astrid had gotten married.
He still missed his father a lot. It was not unusual for him to wake up drenched in cold sweat with heavy breathing and shoot up from bed, sometimes forgetting he didn't have his metal leg on and rumbling down on the floor with a bang and waking poor Astrid. Those nights, he just kissed her and said he was alright, only to curl up on the floor or go downstairs to watch the glow of the fire in the fireplace. But not today, today he just wanted it to be him and Toothless, for a short period of time forget everything bad that had happened and re-live his old life, if only for one day.
They landed outside a small cave opening, Toothless shot a bolt into the opening just to make sure there wasn't anything bad in there while Hiccup slumped down on the edge and just took in the view. Taking some deep breath and enjoying the fresh air filling his lungs. He smiled as the wind blew through his now longer hair. Two more braids on his left side decorating it.
"How about it, bud? Think we should mark this down too?", he asked the black dragon who just made a deep throat growling sound. Hiccup just smiled at him as he scratched his stubble covered chin, he just fell back on the stone, resting his back on it and splayed his arms out on it. Minutes passed and his thoughts were interrupted by a familiar voice shouting his name in the distant. He sat up and saw a large body of a dragon he knew. Hookfang. Meaning Snotlout wanted him something.
"Hiccup!", his voice was full of stress and seriousness. "Hiccup, you have to get back to Berk with me. Now!", Hiccup just watch as the silhouette came closer.
"What's wrong now, Snotlout?", he just wasn't in the mood for his pranks right now.
"I'm serious!", Hiccup saw his eyebrows frowning a bit over his eyes and stood up, walking over to Toothless and jumping on top of him. "I swear on Thor's name, Snotlout if this is one of you and the twin's childish things I will drop you of in the middle of the ocean."
Snotlout just snorted at him and told him to shut up and follow him to Berk.

The silence was broken up by Hiccup shouting.
"What exactly is so urgent, Lout? Why can't you just tell me?", he looked over at the furcovered rider on the red dragon. Snotlout just shot him a look. "It's Astrid.". Hiccup's eyes shot wide open when he heard Snotlout's seriousness and hard voice and told Toothless to hurry up and get home. Resulting in a explosion of air shooting from them, leaving Snotlout alone to get home on his own.
Back at Berk Toothless landed in a running motion outside the Haddock household, Hiccup almost stumbling on his metal leg as he turned the mechanic around, ran towards the door where Tuffnut was leaning against the wooden frame of the door just nodding to Hiccup as he pointed in in a questionable act of asking if Astrid was in there.

He pushed the wooden door open to a full and stopped at the foot of the stairs just looking up at the loft. All he saw was the back of Valka and Ruffnut. Clumps forming in his throat. He held his breath as he took a step.

Ruffnut heard a sound from downstairs and she turned around to see Hiccup standing on the first step, almost too afraid to continue to walk up the stairs. He watched as she smiled at him and nodded slowly.
"It's alright.", she said. He slowly started to climb the stairs, not really sure until he saw Valka walking towards the stairs and smile at him.
"It's okay, Hiccup. Come on up.", it was so quiet in the tree house. Only sounds emitting from it was his metal leg clanking against the wood and – or as the thought – the sound of his heartbeat.
He came up on the loft, being transformed from the bedroom he had as a kid, now being the master bedroom, and his heart dropped. He must have forgotten to breathe because he took one of the deepest breath he could remember he had ever taken.
In the bed he saw Astrid, his beautiful Astrid, her eyes still as blue as ever with hair looking like she had been in the rain, clinging itself to her face. The tiredness being evident. He just eyed her for a few minutes before sitting down beside her on the bed, stroking a few strands away from her face.
"Hi, Astrid.", his voice was low, loving. She smiled at him and took his hand and pressed it close to her cheek. She turned her head to look at Ruffnut and Valka, holding two furcovered bundles in their arms. Astrid didn't say anything, she just layed there. In their bed, he could see tears forming in her eyes and wiped them away with this thumb as they formed before turning to look at them.
His green eyes shot wide as he saw what he hadn't expected – well… one of the things he didn't expect.

He stood up and slowly walked over to them. Standing before his mother and one friend, each holding one of his newly born children. He was speechless. Valka just looked at her son and all she could say was.
"Your father would have been every bit of proud as I am", Hiccup smiled at her as he put one of his fingers down in the bundle, only to be greeted with one of the tiniest hands he had ever seen.