"Like when I close my eyes and don't even care if anyone sees me dancing

Like I can fly, and don't even think of touching the ground

Like a heartbeat skip, like an open page

Like a one way trip on an aeroplane

It's the way that I feel when I'm with you, brand new"

"Hiccup you can't sit down in the corner all night," Astrid laughed at him as she made her way over.

"I can and I will," he replied, "Plus you know I'm not much of a dancer." He gestured down to his left leg, or lack of one. He had lost his leg just below the knee halfway through High School in a car accident and his already poor co-ordination had suffered even more as a result. It had been a painful topic for a while but with the help of his best friend of almost 17 years, Astrid, he had managed to get through that stage to the point where he could semi-comfortably joke about his loss of limb.

"Hiccup, it is a party. Our graduation party. Come and have some fun," Astrid grumbled to him.

"I'd rather not make a total ass of myself," he replied with a grin, "besides don't you have a boyfriend to get back to." He gestured to the tall black-haired boy, James, who was stood in the middle of the dancefloor glaring at Hiccup; he was obviously annoyed that his date had ditched him to go and talk to the other boy.

"Not when my best friend is being a killjoy," she replied, "How can you expect me to have fun whilst you are sat over here looking like a wet mop. Now come on." She grabbed hold of his hand and yanked him up and over to the dance floor before she called out to another girl,

"Heather get your butt over here." The raven-haired girl turned to her friend from where she had previously been talking to Fishlegs (Hiccup's second best friend) and laughed before she politely excused herself and made her way over to the grinning Blonde and the hapless Auburn.

"Really. You're gonna make me dance with my cousin?" He grumbled with a hint of playfulness.

"Better than you sat on the side all night," Astrid replied, "Hopefully she can teach you to dance better. Now go have fun and don't get up to anything naughty." She winked at Hiccup and he grimaced back at her.

"That's just weird, Astrid." She laughed in response and made her way back over to her boyfriend.

"If you like her why don't you just tell her Hicc." Hiccup's attention was brought back to the present by his cousins words and he realised that he had been staring at Astrid and James as they danced.

"She's just my friend," Hiccup replied back very unconvincingly.

"Hiccup, no matter how many times you say that you know none of us believe you. Heck, I know you don't believe yourself. So why haven't you told her." Hiccup looked flustered for a moment before he responded,

"She's in a relationship, Heather. And she's happy. And I don't know if she even likes me. I… I don't want to ruin our friendship. And I can't ruin her relationship otherwise what kind of a person would I be."

"Hiccup you know that James is an ass. None of us like him and he looks at you like you are some massive nuisance. I'm pretty sure Astrid is the only reason he hasn't tried to hurt you yet. We would all be happy if you got with Astrid instead of that jerk."

"But he makes her happy. And it would be selfish of me to try and harm that because of the way I feel. Heather looked at him for a second before she responded calmly,

"If he makes her so happy, how come you have to go over to see her almost every week when he has upset her and then is too busy with practice to make time to help her. Sure, I guess he makes her happy sometimes. But you do that all the time. No matter what mood she is in, no matter what mood you are in. You always make time for her. You have been selfless your whole life Hiccup, always done things for others and never expected anything back. Maybe it is time you did something selfish to get what you want for once."

"But… What if she doesn't like me that way?" he asked almost inaudibly, "It would ruin our friendship. I can't lose that Heather. I can't lose her." Heather sighed audibly,

"She made me promise not to tell you Hiccup but you need to know. She has liked you ever since High School but she didn't say anything to you for the same reason you refuse to say anything to her."

"What if she doesn't anymore?"

"She does, Hiccup. Trust me."

"I don't know, Heather."

"Look, I'm going back to talk to Fish now. To get what I want. Just think about it Hiccup. You could have everything we all know you want. You just have to make the first move." And with that, she left him stewing and headed back over to the broad blond boy.

Hiccup stood frozen in thought for a moment before his head got the best of him. He needed some fresh air, so he picked his way through the throngs of people and made his way out of the hall into the cool breeze of the summer night. He walked a short distance from the building and sat down on the soft, slightly damp grass of the lawn. The stars were always so beautiful at this time of night but even as he looked up at them he could only think of another beauty, one that (in his opinion) was more beautiful than all the stars and galaxies in the sky; Astrid. He was acutely aware of someone sitting down next to him and the soft feeling of someone's head resting on his shoulder.

"What are you doing out here?" A familiar voice asked from next to him.

"I could ask you the same," he replied with a slight smirk.

"That jerk ditched me. I am so done with him."

"It's about time," Hiccup replied not realising what he had just said.

"What did you say?" Astrid asked as she lifted her head off of his shoulder and turned to look at him, raising her eyebrow with a smirk plastered on her face.

"I… Uhh."

"Say it, Haddock."

"I said it's about time." She laughed in response to that comment.

"And why is that."

"You umm... I mean… Well, i've always thought… uhh."

"Spit it out, Haddock."

"You deserve better," he said, his voice clearer and more matter of fact now.

"Do I now," she asked with a smile, "and what would better be?"

"I don't know," he replied but didn't stop, "Someone who doesn't upset you then go off with his friends leaving you unhappy; someone who never ditches you because you mean everything to them and they would do anything for you; someone who always makes time for you; someone who can love you the way you deserve to be loved, constantly and unconditionally." He blushed now, feeling embarrassed that he had basically poured out everything he felt about her indirectly. But most of all he felt scared, what if he had just ruined things between the two of them.

"And where do you propose I find a guy like that Hiccup?" She asked with a smirk, "A perfect, cute, romantic, handsome, loving guy who always makes time for me; knows me inside and out; always finds a way to cheer me up even when he wasn't the one to upset me; and above all cares about me, sometimes more than he does about himself." She leaned in closer to him till she was close enough that he could feel the breath from her lips on his. "Where would I find a guy like that?" she whispered, the warmth of her breath causing his lips to tingle.

He leaned forward, closing the distance between them, and pressed his lips to hers, kissing her softly. After a moment she kissed him back and his heart skipped a beat. Her lips were velvety and warm and they fit so perfectly with his. After a few moments, they pulled back to catch their breath although their faces were still just inches apart. Both of their faces were plastered with massive grins. Hiccup was the first to speak,

"Well, that was…" he said with a laugh.

"Unexpected," Astrid replied.

"But nice?" He carried on.

"More than just nice," she replied with a grin. He smiled back at her with possibly the widest grin she had ever seen.

"Umm… Astrid. I need to tell you something," Hiccup said tentatively

"What?" she asked with a slight smirk, "Don't tell me you are dating someone or something. Cus there is no way I am giving you up now."

"No… No… It's just… I really like you, Astrid, like a fucking lot."

"I kind of guessed that doofus. And I like you too. I have done since High School." Hiccup smirked at her and raised his hand up behind his neck in an awkward pose.

"Yeah I sort of knew," he said, "Heather may or may not have told me."

"Oh I'm going to kill that girl," Astrid said with a laugh.

"Hey, you have her to thank. I would never have kissed you if she hadn't said something to me."

"Oh, so I should be blessed that I got a kiss from the marvellous Hiccup Haddock III," she mocked.

"Are you not?" he asked with a mocking tone of his own, "and where the the third come from." She laughed at him,

" am ecstatic," Astrid replied truthfully, "and I don't know it just sort of fitted." They both smiled at each other and began to laugh softly.

"Hey do you want to go back inside," he asked after a few moments, "I'm sure there will still be some time to dance if we do."

"I thought you hated dancing?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I don't particularly like it," he said, "but I could start enjoying it if it was with you."

"Oh you're so cringy," she joked back at him.

"Is that a yes or a no to dancing," Hiccup asked with a smirk.

"Yes," Astrid said happily with a grin on her face.

The two of them were happily slow dancing with Astrid's arms wrapped around Hiccup's neck and his around her waist, when the music abruptly stopped and the DJ's voice blasted through the speaker.

"I'm gonna play one last upbeat song to end of the night so I wanna see you all up and dancing," he shouted as the music began to play through the speakers. Astrid began to giggle at the abruptness of the change from slow dancing music to this upbeat tune it was a song that they both knew very well and had listened to a lot so they were perfectly equipped to start dancing like love-drunk idiots too. Hiccup smiled at his new girlfriend (the girl he had loved for many years now) as the chorus kicked in. She was dancing about like a maniac as was he and they were both grinning wildly and just enjoying the night together.

As the song began to wrap up he leaned forward to Astrid and whispered quietly to the space between them.

"Astrid. When I'm with you. I feel brand new." She leaned in and kissed him gently on the lips.

"As do I."