It was one of those rare occasions where there was no rush, no over whelming requests from the people, and no need to come home early. For the day the village would run itself, and the chief was already gone by the first ray of dawn. He and his wife had a full day to sleep in after a night of… well, anything but. Hiccup kept Toothless and Stormfly busy throwing a rather large log for the pair to chase after. His flight suit had been shed a few hours ago to be replaced by a cloak, now snuggly wrapped around Astrid. Astrid was seated on a rock, elevated 2 or 3 feet off the ground, a chief's cloak wrapped around her with fur to spare. The cloak gave way for a sketch book to sit on her crossed legs so that she could lean over it. Her eyes flicked from the man and the page, making sure to note all of the fine details as best she could. Her hand and eyes moved in sync to keep the image as consistent as possible. The early morning sun shone through his auburn hair sitting almost on his shoulders, two small braids woven amongst the mass of waves and a counterpart on the opposite side where evidence he already belonged to someone. His chin and jaw was covered in stubble from negligent shaving, which she thought brought out the intense color of his eyes even more. Without his suit he looked different, bigger even. The muscles in his arms flexed under his sleeves, pushed up to his elbows to expose his forearms. Astrid studied his body, how languidly he moved as he picked up the rather heavy log above his head, throwing his weight into it before heaving it some 20 feet with ease. Just as Astrid's eyes were going to glimpse at the paper she heard Hiccup let out a deep grunt. Stormyfly brought it back in record time and he threw it again, this time with more gusto, letting out something resembling a growl. Astrid's hand paused with the charcoal hovering over the paper./p
p style="margin: 1em 0px 0px; color: #444444; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 24px;" He wiped his hands off on his pants and turned around to face her, her eyes burned through him even if she didn't notice at the moment. His eyes however, were innocent, curious to see how she was feeling after a particularly cold morning. His eyebrows raised as his lips pulled into a crooked smile, his head even bend to the side. "Astrid?" his voice beckoned her attention. Her heart fluttered unusually off a beat, and an inner warmth shot into her stomach. Hiccup stepped towards Astrid noticing the sketch book in her lap. Astrid's brilliant blue eyes followed his gaze onto the paper surface, she covered her sketch with the fur cloak. A glint of mischievousness sparked behind his eyes. He wet his lips with his tongue, still stepping towards her. Her cheeks turned red at the look in eyes something in them held a suddenly not-so-innocent intent. "What's that?"
Astrid shook her head as Hiccup reached for the cloak wrapped around her. She held it closed, she has seen him draw, watched him draw her. Hers was nothing in comparison. "Why not?" he tried again softly, His fingers gently tugging at the clasp of the cloak. "No, Hiccup" She said sternly. Abruptly, as she knew he would, Hiccup lifted his hands from her with a slight twinge of worry.
"Astrid?" there was a silent plea in his voice, she met his eyes and broke a strong young man was replaced by a concerned young boy. It hurt him at the thought that something may be wrong with Astrid. She poked her hand out with the notebook, avoiding full eye contact even with the boy who grew up to be her best friend. Hiccups hand moved the sketchbook to see it clearer. Her detail was amazing, the texture of his hair, his stance, and did he actually look like that or did she make him look better?
"I tried." She straightened up, saying proudly.
"That's amazing" She shrugged, wrapping the cloak around herself again. He mused at his lover's so far hidden talent. "You should draw me more, you're generous with proportions." He wiggled an eyebrow, after all, the sketch was a side view, facing slightly to the front. Hiccup opened the front of his cloak with his left hand, still looking at the drawing. Astrid had no protest allowing him entrance.
"So you like it?" She asked, already knowing his answer.
"Mmm" His hand ghosted her lower waist, eyes meeting hers. He placed the book down on her opposite side and leaned into her frame, looking for something more. 'Good think we have all day' she thought, closing the tight space./p