A/N: I know it's been awhile since Riders of Berk, but I was rewatching a few episodes. So I don't know about you, but it really bugged me that they never showed any apology or reconciliation between Astrid and Hiccup after everything went down with Heather. It just sort of happened. And in my mind, Hiccup got off way too easy. So here's my version of how he apologized.
The gang landed below the Great Hall. Hiccup dismounted, glancing over his shoulder at a still frowning Astrid. Snotlout kept a tight hand on Heather's arm, looking to be enjoying the matter.
"We should probably tell the chief what happened and let him handle Heather," Hiccup said, rubbing the back of his neck. He looked over at Heather, but she refused to make eye contact.
"He'll be in the Great Hall, it's complaint day," Fishlegs told him softly. Hiccup nodded.
"Come on, gang," Hiccup sighed. Snotlout began to pull Heather towards the stairs when she slipped from his grasp.
"Hey!" Snotlout cried indignantly as she knocked him back. She began to run when something tackled her from behind.
"I've been waiting to do this ever since that night at my house," Astrid whispered in her ear. "You try anything like that again, and I will make sure you can't move for a week."
"Well, isn't someone jealous," Heather sneered. "Afraid I caught the eye of your dragon master boyfriend while I was staying at his house, sleeping in his bedroom…" Astrid ground her knee harder into Heather's back.
"Shut it," she hissed. She yanked Heather to her feet and shoved her towards the Great Hall. The gang forced their way through the crowds in the Great Hall to Stoick.
"So you caught our little Outcast ally, eh?" Stoick glared down at the girl. Heather cowed slightly under the gaze of the chief.
"Did you recover the book of dragons, son?" Stoick turned to Hiccup.
"Uh...no, not exactly. It fell into the enemy's hands during the fight," Hiccup looked up sheepishly. Stoick sighed and nodded.
"I'll trust you to take care of that, while I take care of Miss Heather here. Sven,Gobber, take her to the gaol, and lock her up. Keep a close eye on her, she's a wily lass." Heather was silent as Sven and Gobber led her away.
"Come on gang, let's head to the academy and start figuring out a way to get that book back," Hiccup threw Heather one last sorrowful look before leading the way out of the Great Hall. Astrid's frown deepened as she noticed.
"I think we should storm the island, go in with a show of strength," Snotlout said loudly.
"You want to storm Outcast Island after what just happened?" Fishlegs rolled his eyes. "We'd be toast! We'd never get past the outer defences!"
"What's the matter, Fishlegs, you scared? Lost your nerve?" Snotlout mocked.
"There's no shame or fear in realizing that storming Outcast Island is a suicide mission," Fishlegs retorted.
"Well do you have a better idea?" Snotlout demanded.
"Guys, come on, we're supposed to be discussing ideas calmly and logically," Hiccup sighed wearily. It had been a long day, and coming to terms with Heather's betrayal hadn't been easy.
"Astrid, any ideas?" Hiccup turned to the blonde shieldmaiden.
"Oh you want to listen to me now? Me and my ideas that are only right when they coincide with yours?" Astrid shot back. Hiccup winced.
"Awkward," Tuffnut jeered. Hiccup rolled his eyes, holding back a groan.
"Don't worry babe, I'll always respect your ideas," Snotlout winked at Astrid, but she ignored him.
"You know...we're all tired, and we need...time to calm down and get our heads about us...it's been a long day, what with betrayals and all...why don't we just get some rest and meet back tomorrow?" Fishlegs suggested. Hiccup had never been more thankful for Fishlegs than at that moment.
"Why? I want to see Astrid deck Hiccup," Ruffnut grinned.
"Guys, she's not…" Hiccup trailed off, turning towards Astrid. "You're not gonna…" She smirked at him.
"Why don't we leave you two alone, come on guys," Fishlegs herded the twins and Snotlout out.
"Aww, it was just about to get interesting," Tuffnut whined. Hiccup twiddled his thumbs nervously.
"So...you're not going to deck me, right?" he asked anxiously.
"I considered it," she replied, glaring at him. Hiccup gulped.
"Astrid, I'm really sorry I didn't believe you, I just...I thought...I thought you were letting your emotions cloud your judgement," Hiccup admitted.
"My emotions?" Astrid arched an eyebrow, a dangerous edge to her voice. "And what emotions would those be, Hiccup?"
"I...I might have thought you were jealous," Hiccup murmured.
"You thought I was jealous of you and Heather? So jealous that I would lie about her working with the Outcasts?" Astrid demanded, her voice low.
"Maybe," Hiccup hesitated.
"I can't believe you thought I was that shallow," Astrid growled.
"I'm sorry, Astrid, it's just…" Hiccup tried.
"No, Hiccup, no 'justs'!" Astrid shouted. "First you ignore me when I tell you I don't trust her. Next, you completely blow off the fact that she's sneaking around in our stuff, then you don't believe me when I tell you what I saw, THEN you tell me that you thought I was lying to your face! And on top of all that, you thought I was jealous of you and that skinny little traitor!" Hiccup glanced down, refusing to meet Astrid's furious gaze.
"We're a team, Hiccup, and teammates are supposed to support and listen to each other. I thought we were friends. I thought you knew me better than that. I thought you respected and trusted me. I thought...but it doesn't matter now, because I was wrong." Astrid turned to leave.
"Astrid, wait, please, I'm sorry," Hiccup grabbed her arm. Astrid jerked away, whirling on him threateningly.
"Please, I...I'm sorry. You're right, I should have listened to you and believed you. We're a team, and I should have trusted you. Heather had me fooled. I thought that it wasn't such a big deal if we taught her about dragon training because we would be spreading it to another island that could in turn start training dragons and spread the peace. I didn't think that that knowledge could be used against us, especially not by a shipwrecked girl. I should have trusted your instincts instead of being so confident in my own. But I thought you were jealous and not thinking straight. And...to be honest...I enjoyed the thought that you might be jealous. Then you came to me about the Outcasts, and it seemed so...utterly ridiculous that someone so sweet and nice and innocent would be working with the Outcasts. I thought you had gone too far with the jealousy thing, while at the same time doubting my instincts. So I got mad. I'm sorry. I was really, really wrong and really, really stupid. And because of it Stormfly was stolen and we've lost the book of dragons. I'm sorry Astrid. You are absolutely right to be mad at me and deck me if you want to." Astrid stared at him for a minute. Hiccup pursed his lips and stared down at the ground again. Astrid sighed.
"Hiccup, you know what hurt the most? The fact that you believed her over me. That you chose the first innocent, pretty face that came along over me. After everything we've done together, you still chose her." Hiccup looked up at her, surprised to see the hurt on the usually stoic girl's face. A tear shimmered in her eye, and Hiccup suddenly felt very small. His heart sank in his chest as he realized how much he had hurt her. He had made her cry. He had never seen Astrid cry before, and the first time he did was because he had made her.
"I'm so, so very sorry, Astrid. I didn't mean to hurt you," he murmured. "I would never hurt you for anything.
"Except her," Astrid replied a little more sharply than she had meant. Hiccup winced.
"Look, don't worry about it. We all make mistakes, just forget it," Astrid said brusquely. She mounted Stormfly and flew off. Hiccup wanted to stop her, but knew there was nothing more he could say. He had hurt the first girl he had ever...the first girl who had ever been his friend. She was his teammate, his right hand, and his best friend other than Toothless.
"What am I going to do, bud?" he asked the night fury. Toothless hummed sympathetically. The next few days were spent training for the attack on the Outcasts. Hiccup knew that a straight attack would fail, but at the moment it was the best plan they had. Astrid still remained coldly distant from him, only talking to him when necessary and training obsessively. Heather attempted breaking out three times, each time to be caught and usually by Astrid. Four days after losing the book of dragons, Astrid still had not spoken to him. Hiccup was getting desperate. After everyone had left the academy for the day, Hiccup found her throwing her axe in the arena. He stood watching her from above, hoping she wouldn't notice him.
"Astrid still mad at you son?" Stoick asked. Hiccup glanced up at his father; he hadn't heard him walk up.
"Whatever gave you that idea?" Hiccup answered sarcastically as Astrid buried her axe into a target that looked suspiciously like a stick figure with a peg leg, green tunic, and fur vest. Stoick chuckled.
"She's a fiery one," Stoick said fondly. Hiccup smiled.
"She is," he agreed.
"She won't let you get away with much, that one. But she'll always stand beside you," Stoick laid a hand on his son's shoulder. "Show her how much she means to you. She feels threatened, like you've found someone to replace her. Show her she has nothing to worry about."
"How am I supposed to do that?" Hiccup frowned.
"You'll think of something," Stoick assured him. "If anyone knows Astrid, it's you." Stoick squeezed his shoulder and left him watching the girl. Hiccup sighed and squared his shoulders before walking down into the arena.
"Burning the midnight oil?" Hiccup asked cautiously.
"It's barely sunset, nowhere near midnight, Hiccup," Astrid retorted.
"It's just an expression," Hiccup replied. Astrid's axe embedded itself in the target with a resounding thunk.
"So...Astrid, can we talk for a minute?"
"What do you want to talk about?" Astrid pulled her axe out of the target.
"About...us. I know you're still upset, and I want to make it up to you, but I don't know how."
"I already told you, Hiccup, forget about it."
"I can't forget about it!" Hiccup almost shouted. "Astrid, you refuse to talk to me except about training, you're destroying targets with me on them, and you won't even look me in the eye!"
"What do you want me to say, Hiccup?" Astrid yelled back.
"I want you to tell me what I can do to make this up to you. I want us to be friends again," Hiccup replied, letting his desperation color his voice.
"You want to make this up to me, then just leave me alone, Hiccup!" Astrid shouted.
"Fine!" Hiccup mounted Toothless and flew off. Astrid glanced back over her shoulder at the retreating figure of the night fury. Hiccup flew to the cove, trying to ignore the hurt feeling that was settling over his heart. At the cove, Hiccup sat by the lake while Toothless tried to catch a fish. Hiccup smiled to himself as he remembered the time he had come to the cove to find Astrid waiting for him. She had been the first person to ever discover Toothless. His hand strayed to his cheek as he remembered the first time she had ever kissed him. That's for everything else. His eyes widened suddenly. That was his answer.
"Come on bud, we have to find Astrid!" he called. He flew Toothless back to Berk and spotted Astrid in the center of town.
"There she is bud. Alright, let's see if this works. Fetch!" Hiccup urged Toothless to swoop down towards Astrid. Toothless grabbed her, sweeping her off her feet. Hiccup fought the urge to laugh at her startled scream.
"Hiccup, what are you doing? Put me down, now!" Hiccup ignored her as he flew towards the cove. After the short flight, he flew her to the tallest pine tree he could find and had Toothless drop her. She gripped the pine branch with a shriek. Toothless landed on the tree, making it bend and sway with his weight.
"Hiccup, get me down from here!" Astrid shouted angrily.
"You have to give me a chance to explain," Hiccup told her, trying not to grin. Astrid looked up at him in surprise, then her glare darkened as she realized what he was doing.
"Hiccup this isn't funny! Get me down from here right now, I don't want to talk about it!"
"Then I won't speak. Just let me show you," he replied. Astrid rolled her eyes and pulled herself up.
"Mount in front," Hiccup told her. Astrid looked at him in surprise, but mounted in front of him.
"Now get me down," she demanded.
"Toothless, down. Gently." Hiccup smirked.
"Hiccup Horrendous Haddock, don't you dare…" Astrid screamed as Toothless took off, launching straight up into the clouds. She felt Hiccup's arms wrap around her, holding her close. Toothless spun in a series of dizzying twirls, whirling upside down and falling back down to earth.
"Thank you for nothing, you useless reptile!" Astrid shouted. She tried not to smirk at the words, despite her fury. Toothless plunged into the ocean, just enough for his riders to feel the spray, then soared back into the air.
"Fine, I'm sorry, I'll listen, just make him stop!" Astrid shrieked. Toothless immediately extended his wings, letting the currents lift him gently into the clouds.
"That was for ignoring me, milady," Hiccup teased from behind her. Astrid turned around to glare at him. Hiccup immediately reached forward, grabbing her chin and capturing her lips with his own.
"And that's for everything else," he whispered as he pulled back.
"You used my own thing against me?" Astrid demanded, but there was very little venom behind her words.
"Well, I figured you thought it was a good plan, since you used it on me so often, and your plans usually work, so I thought I'd use it on you," Hiccup shrugged. Astrid fought back a smile.
"I'm so, so very sorry, Astrid. I never meant to hurt you. I'll admit, I enjoyed thinking that maybe you liked me so much that you would be jealous of me. But I would never hurt you for anything in the world. I know I can never make it up to you, but I was hoping maybe you'd at least give me a chance to try?" Hiccup looked up at her hopefully, his face turning red. Astrid turned around and leaned against him, pulling his arms tighter around her waist. Her head rested against his shoulder, her hair tickling his neck. She put her hands over his, rubbing her thumbs over the backs of his hands.
"I know you didn't mean to hurt me," she replied softly, "and I forgive you. I'll admit, I was a little jealous. I thought maybe if a pretty face could make you forget me so quickly, then maybe I wasn't as important to you as I thought. Maybe I had been forcing myself on you, and you didn't feel the same way about me." Hiccup's eyebrows shot up. He leaned forward and planted a kiss on Astrid's cheek.
"I could never forget you, Astrid. You are one of the most important people in the world to me. And I've had a crush on you ever since I can remember," Hiccup told her. He couldn't see Astrid's face, but her hands tightened over his.
"I'm glad," Astrid smiled.
"So...are we good?" Hiccup asked cautiously.
"We're good," Astrid assured him, "but if you ever do anything like that again, I will make your life miserable and I will deck you."
"You already did," Hiccup murmured.
"What?" Astrid frowned, glancing back at him over her shoulder.
"You already made my life miserable. I couldn't stand having you mad at me. I thought I had messed up so badly that you might never be my friend again. I don't know what I would do if that happened," Hiccup replied softly. Astrid turned her head, gently kissing his jawline.
"I will always be your friend Hiccup. Nothing you could ever do would make me stop caring about you or worrying about you," Astrid assured him.
"What did I ever do to deserve you?" Hiccup wondered, turning his head to bury his nose in her hair.
"You were yourself, no matter what the consequence," she replied. Hiccup smiled and tenderly kissed her temple.
"Come on bud, let's head home," Hiccup patted his dragon. Toothless turned towards Berk, landing just beyond Astrid's home. Stormfly greeted them a little indignantly from where she was waiting for her supper as they dismounted. Astrid smiled at her, then turned towards Hiccup. She punched him hard in the arm, causing him to cry out.
"What did I do now? I thought we were good!" Hiccup rubbed his arm ruefully.
"That's for kidnapping me," she told him mock-sternly. Hiccup waited, while Astrid stared at him for a minute.
"What?" she asked, smirking.
"Come on, what about the last part?" Hiccup replied, smiling.
"Maybe I think you just deserve the first part," Astrid shrugged.
"Oh, is that how it is, milady?" Hiccup smirked. His arm snaked out to grab Astrid's waist and pull her close. Astrid's eyes widened in surprise, but she smiled as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her long and lovingly. He felt a hand curl around his neck and fingers begin threading through his hair. Eventually Astrid pulled back for breath, staying in his arms.
"Good night, babe," she whispered. Hiccup's eyes widened and she laughed softly at him. Hiccup smiled contentedly as she slipped inside her house.
"I take it everything's alright with Astrid, then?" a voice said from behind him. Hiccup turned to see his father smirking at him.
"Couldn't be better," he stammered, blushing. Stoick laughed and threw an arm around his boy's shoulders.
"I'm glad to hear that," he said as he led his son towards home. "I was hoping for grandchildren in the next few years."
"Dad!" Hiccup exclaimed, causing Stoick to laugh again. Inside her house, Astrid smiled as she heard Stoick's remark and loud laughter.
"Astrid Haddock," she murmured to herself. "I like the sound of that."