FYI: Sadly, I don't own neither Hiccup nor Astrid, I just really fancy them.

"Such is my love, to thee I so belong,
That for thy right myself will bear all wrong."
/W.S./

Berk was one tough place to live; year after year it snowed for the first 9 months then hailed for the other three. Normally, the only real heat its inhabitants got was from the dragons, who once had been their worst enemies but were their greatest allies now.

A lot has changed since an unlikely hero emerged from these rigid lands and brought peace between two species, but the weather hasn't. However, from time to time the Gods showed some unexpected leniency and warmed the frozen island up. Don't expect anything big, though, the temperature never reached 90 degrees, but the cold bearing and fur wearing Vikings felt dizzy when it was close to 70 and hid in the shade of their cool basements when it was over 80.

But there was this one young Viking, the first among equals, who unlikely his fellow tribe members, was quite fond of the rare summer days that indulged his inhospitable home isle.

He took advantage of the relative calmness and romped through the island with his dragon companion, who was more of a trustworthy friend than a simple pet.

When the Sun was up high, he often took the liberty to have a good swim in his favorite emerald-colored lake, a real hidden gem at the very heart of their bleak island; it even had an islet in the middle, making it more unique.

The lake with the little piece of land in the heart of it were very dear to him. One summer, when his peers were even crueler to him than usual, he got tired of being ridiculed and used as a punch bag on a daily basis, so he decided to move to the little haven among the cool waves.

After the exhausting job of dragging a canoe all the way up there from the village and then rowing to the shore, he built a hut for himself. From an early age he had an uncanny ability to figure out and create things and although the little shelter was nothing fancy, it didn't collapse and it protected him against the bitter hails.

But his pleasant solitude ended when his father discovered his secret hideout and ordered him to return home to stay among the people, who disdained him, no matter how desperately he objected.

6 years had passed since that terrible summer and even though no one actually laughed at him or mocked him anymore, the silhouette of the shabby shelter made his heart warm and full of memories - it was the living memento of his once very lonely and miserable life.

But he didn't mind having a private little spot to remember where he had come from and where he was headed. Who'd have thought that the once disastrous and repelling child of the mighty chieftain becomes the dexterous and attractive aspiring leader of the Hairy Hooligan Tribe? He for one didn't.

Even though it was clearly thank to the mutual effort, he humbly believed that it all came down to the mere existence of one lovable creature who was now hiding under the shadow of a large hazelnut bush not far from him, panting with his long tongue out like a dog after chasing squirrels.

He looked at his reptile mate, who was clearly suffering from the unusual heat, with proud, tender eyes, but the dragon's overacting draw a huge smirk on his face. Toothless, you pouting, big baby boo…

He decided to unfold his rough cotton blanket on the sandy shore to spend the next hour or so with lazy sun bathing. After all, they spent all morning in the air, practicing the craziest skills a dragon and his rider can achieve, so the little midday break was nothing but well-deserved.

Not fifteen minutes later, when he was just about to drift away to the distant infinity of untamed dreams, a shadow towered over him, blocking the gentle caress of the Sun.

He lifted a hand to his brow to shade his eyes. His sight was a bit blurry for a second or two but he immediately recognized the slender and apparently a bit annoyed, yet stunningly beautiful blonde, who was standing right in front of him. She crossed her arms at her chest, giving a little lift to some forbidden parts that instantly magnetized the boy's groggy eyes.

Oh, Astrid Hofferson, the biggest, the wildest and most exquisite enigma of his life. He could easily understand any dragon, he could predict their moves and tame even the fiercest ones, but Astrid Hofferson was no piece of cake.

First of all, she wasn't sweet at all, but her very unladylike rough ways just made her even more desirable for the young Viking men, and Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III was no exception. Second of all, she had the brains, which made her a rare treasure among the undisciplined muttonheads also known as the average Berkian teenagers.

And thirdly... well, she was looking damn good. As long as he could remember, Hiccup always fancied her, but again, what's not to like in a girl who had an ocean of honey-colored hair and eyes that made the clearest, bluest sky hide away in shame?

However, it happened only very recently that he noticed how her once slim, girlish features started to turn into something more exciting, mature and womanly. Her long and lean body developed curves at all the right places, which not only changed her appearance but her movements too. Intoxicating parts of her were now swinging and swaying all the time, making it a bit difficult to concentrate on whatever she was saying.

Shame or no shame, occasionally, mostly when he was just about to fall asleep, the image of her flawless figure crept into Hiccup's mind, making him feel terrific for the night and a little bit terrified when he next bumped into her. Luckily, there were no telltale marks on him and his sub rosa admiration remained his well-kept secret.

But their relationship was changing, all the time.

When they were kids, she never really paid attention to him, which was actually a great thing, because those who did, did it on the hard way - he was the flimsy victim of cruel pranks and beat-ups and constant mockery. But she was too good to be bad to the weaker and without saying a word, she despised those who weren't.

Still, he was invisible to her and sometimes it hurt more than a good old punch to the stomach.

Then she was forced to notice him when he joined dragon training much against his will - and everybody else's for that matter. But as it turned out and unlikely as it may have sounded, he was actually really good at it, or so it seemed, when he showed a curious talent at disciplining and controlling the rabid reptiles.

Astrid couldn't believe her own eyes and ears and later his lips, when he tried to cover his dark and scaly secret with the clumsiest little fibs. She was flabbergasted when she learned what he was hiding and she was astonished when she figured out what he had in him.

And then everything happened so fast. The known world turned upside down and the little weakling finally lived up to his middle name and defeated the most gigantic foe they had ever laid eyes on, never thinking twice about risking his life for a father who denied him and for the people who were nothing but unkind to him.

She will never forget standing there, completely broken, looking at his fragile, scorched body wishing for the tiniest sign of life in him.

Not long before his almost fatal heroic deed, she started to show affection towards him, which in her case meant the well-balanced mixture of violence and kindness. It was a dream come true for Hiccup, but he never had the guts to take action, he couldn't stop thinking that she was way out of his league. Plus their peers started to make fun of their alleged relationship, the result of which was Astrid basically shying away from him.

There were no more pecks, just punches, but their friendship remained as strong as a Gronkle's jaw.

And here she was now, standing right in front of him, in all her beauty, with her feet tapping in the sand, looking agitated, which often happened these days he just didn't have the courage to ask her why...

She was wearing a pair of loose canvas shorts and breast bindings, which indicated that she, too, came down for the cool waves.

"Having the time of your life?" She inquired, not even trying to hide her disappointment upon finding the beach occupied when she desperately needed some alone time.

"Hi... Astrid," he said to her sheepishly while standing up and what was meant to be a decent greeting came out of his mouth as an awkward mumble. Her recent mood swings made him feel a bit insecure and although he was 99 percent sure that he wasn't causing them, he wasn't brave enough to ask for the reason behind all that crankiness.

"Happy to see you - as always," he added with a casual grin when he was up; being now a head taller than she was the best confidence booster ever. Also, he could swear that for a fraction of a second she glanced at his abs, which were exposed due to the fact that he wasn't wearing anything but a pair of tight leather trunks designed for swimming. Her supposed interest in his body him blush, but yeah, he probably had developed some nice muscles in the past couple of years, and oh, it really wasn't a big deal...

"What are you up to?" She tried to sound neutral, not admitting to herself that his half-naked presence certainly had an effect on her.

"I just came here for a swim. You know, the weather and all..."

"Swimming?" She asked, quirking an eyebrow, and her glance fell to his prosthetic.

"Oh, you mean this?" He raised his metal foot a bit. "Nah, I'm still a pretty good swimmer."

She chuckled, seriously doubting that he was any competition to her. Normally, she never would have mocked him about his disability, but the self-assured, cocky tone in his voice was offending. As if...

"You don't believe me?" He asked back, deliberately trying to tease her. He found it just a teensy-weensy bit amusing when she was annoyed, even though he knew he was risking getting some serious punches, but this time she surprisingly didn't feel the urge to punish him or answer his question.

"Okay, how about we race to the island?" Hiccup suggested when the silence between them started to grow awkward, pointing to the piece of land in the middle of the water.

"How about that," she agreed quickly and started to remove the boots she was still wearing.

"Whoever gets out of the water first, wins," he stated the simple rule while observing her naked feet for a while, finding her never-before-seen longish toes quite attractive.

Not noticing the secretive admiration, Astrid put on a serious face and headed for the rocks from which they'd be able to dive into the water. She waited until he caught up with her and then took a good look at him before they both jumped into the cool lake.

Since her two feet were stronger than his one plus the prosthetic, she came to the surface first, starting to do front crawls with all her strength. It was a nice effort, but since Hiccup compensated for many things with his arms, they were pretty sinewy and after a couple of well-executed butterfly strokes, he managed to leave her behind. When he reached the shore, he rushed out of the waves and sat down in the sand, putting his proud face on.

It was quite an achievement for him to beat Astrid in anything that required any type of fast movement, strength or dexterity.

He put his elbows down and leaned on them, amusedly watching her getting out of the water just a couple of seconds after him. She seemed pissed and coughed a few times, the bitter water she had gulped down was scratching her throat. She started to unbraid her hair, tearing down the seaweeds that somehow got tangled in it, mumbling a few carefully chosen curse words.

She looked like a very angry sea goddess with her wet body glistening in the orange rays of the Sun. He watched her in awe, it was hard not to.

"It wasn't fair. You're much taller than me," she complained while sitting down next to him. Her damp hair was brushing his shoulder, giving Hiccup a ticklish sensation, which he didn't mind at all. With his newly found confidence, he could not resist teasing her a bit more.

"And stronger," he said with the hugest smirk, but upon seeing her face turning green with fury, he immediately knew it wasn't his best idea.

"I'm stronger, that's not even a question," she hissed, looking at him with eyes the color of the raging ocean.

She was obviously in denial, stubbornly refusing the fact that he had developed impressive thews and grown many inches in the past couple of years.

"Is that so, m'lady?" He continued the taunting, even though he knew he was walking on the thinnest ice. But it was entertaining. He enjoyed how her gathering anger painted her face even more beautiful.

Her answer was a determined nod, with lips tightly pressed together in an effort to prevent herself from saying anything rude.

"How about we make a bet?" He suggested, liking a little bit too much that he had the means to piss her off.

"I'm listening..."

"Okay, how about that: the one who can pin the other to the ground for 5 seconds, wins."

She raised a brow and thought about it for a second. Timidly looking at his half naked body, she felt a bit unsure about the whole ' her being stronger ' thing. He was certainly a lot bulkier than she remembered (and it was much to her liking, even if she would never admit it to herself), but she never backed out of anything.

She exercised on a daily basis. She was fast. And cunning. She took a last, lingering look at him and decided that she still had a very good chance...

"Deal," she said firmly "and if I win, you have to make breakfast for me every day. For a week."

"Astrid, you know I hate everything that people do in the kitchen."

"I believe, I do," she said with a little giggle when she saw the unpleasant expression on his face, feeling glad about finding his weak spot. "But if you're so sure of yourself, oh, mighty Hiccup, then why do you even care?" The ball was definitely on her court this time.

"I don't. I can make you breakfast, I guess... Or I could, but I won't since I'll be winning, big time." He couldn't resist the temptation and pushed her shoulder with a palm. For a moment, she debated breaking his wrist.

"Don't sass me," she advised, raising her clenched fist from the ground. "And what do you want if I happen to lose you, beastly champion of wrestling?"

"I'm not sure..." he said, trying to think over the possibilities, "I'm perfectly capable of making my own breakfast, so it's out of the question."

"Choose wisely, dork."

He shook his head. She was such a baby sometimes, it was just a stupid swimming contest between friends... Maybe he should choose a very easy task for her or even better, he should let her win at wrestling... But his hesitation made her irritated.

"Come on, klutz," she urged him while starting to poke his bare chest with a finger.

"Easy, easy," he said and grabbed her annoying index finger. He looked at her face. Angry but equally beautiful. Her onyx eyes, her rosy cheeks, her crimson lips... A thought came to his mind...

"Would you let go of my finger?!"

"Sure. Just stop poking me," he said, releasing her finger from his tight grip, still looking at her face. "Okay, I got it." He was hesitating for another second. "If I win... you have to kiss me every day for a week."

He couldn't believe he dared to say these words to her, but there was no turning back now, so he just enjoyed how her cheeks turned deep red upon comprehending what he had said.

"I like eggs for breakfast," she said finally in a chilly tone, giving him a murderous look, but never making any remarks about his insulting idea.

"It's on, then. 5 seconds."

In a blink of an eye, she jumped on his lap and with a strong and unexpected push to his chest, he was down on the ground.

He had to admit, that he didn't mind this position at all with her being top of him, but when she tried to grab his wrists, he pushed himself back on his elbows and raised his hips causing her to lose balance and falling right next to him in the sand with a loud thud.

He immediately went for her wrists, grasping them tight and pinning them down to the ground at each side of her head. She struggled heroically, trying to free her hands while he climbed over her painfully slowly, enjoying to the full that the lady of his life was twisting and wiggling under him.

"Five, four, three, two and one. I won!" With a triumphant smile he quickly got off her sitting down in the sand.

She was up on her feet sweeping the sand off from her body in no minute. The grains on her skin made her glitter and the soft breeze in the air was playing with her long golden curls. She was a majestic sight apart from the fact that she could kill him with her eyes.

"When do you want to start?" He asked, childishly mocking her with rounding his lips.

After hesitating for a second, she dropped on her knees and leaned very close to his cheeky lips.

"When I'll be wrinkly, toothless and disgusting," she hissed while her eyes were throwing daggers at him. "We didn't set the start date."

With that said, she was quickly back on her feet again and headed for the water to swim away from the terrible man who was gloating over her failure.

The 'terrible man' was following her with his eyes as she swam to the shore where she whistled to her Nadder who was patiently waiting for her rider to come back.

He felt disappointed.

He didn't know whether it was because of his completely out of character disrespectful behavior, or because of not getting what he wanted...

§§§

At first Hiccup was a bit angry when Astrid walked out on him. 'What a cheater,' he thought, but on his way home, he reminded himself that his idea was utterly rude - at least compared to some innocent breakfast making.

Honestly, she had every right to act as she did and it wouldn't be nice to force her to do something that she didn't want to do, anyway. For the love of Freya, he wasn't sure about himself wanting to do it either...

Why on Earth did he come up with such an idiotic idea? This simple yet plainly stupid utterance now turned into some sort of a 'problem' and now he was overthinking as he always did with every problem he encountered in his life. He could literally hear the cogwheels clicking in his brain, making his head hurt and Gods, he really should be sleeping right now, but the unstoppable thoughts kept him awake.

The strangest part of this whole mess was that up until this point he had never even thought about actually kissing her. Like on the lips. With tongues involved. The grown-up way. Or whatever this thing was called. And he only had some vague ideas about how it should be properly done... Oh, every time it came into his mind now, he felt that his cheeks (and some less innocent parts of him) started to warm up and basically turn into flames.

Stupid, stupid teenage years...

He shouldn't be thinking about these things at all because Astrid was his friend. Like Fishlegs. Would he make the same bet with Fishlegs? Hel, no! He shivered at the thought of kissing... well basically anyone, but Astrid. Why was she any different then? Shouldn't she be on the same level as the rest of their friends?

Okay, she was a girl. Well, rather a young woman now, but Ruff belonged to the very same species, yet the thought of kissing her seemed almost as outrageous as putting his lips on Fishlegs'.

Shame on the blonde for confusing him and distracting his thoughts from more important things. Like dragons. Or work. Or sleeping... because he really should have been sleeping now, he has to wake up early tomorrow and… and... Grrr... He didn't want to have these feelings. At least not right now, at the tender age of 17. He didn't have time for this, he had so many things on his plate right now.

Anyway, it seemed that these feelings weren't mutual at all. She refused him right on the spot. Of course from time to time she gave him a peck on his cheeks or lips, but that wasn't the real thing... Besides she hasn't done it in the past couple of months... What's more, thinking back it seemed that these were just mere friendly gestures. Like 'Let's give some charity kisses to this pathetic excuse for a Viking'. She most probably saw him as a timid and vulnerable creature who was in desperate need of reinforcement and she was noble enough to offer it to him.

Oh, Thor, for some painful minutes he felt that he desperately needed that kiss, which was strange because up until that point he never even realized that he was missing it from his life. It was a bit like his lost limb. It was missing from his life in every second, that was a fact, yet after years of living without it, it hardly ever came to his mind that he was actually missing a foot...

Maybe it was only because she denied the kisses. She refused him. That must be it.

He felt that one kiss would be more than enough. Like a proper one. He was not a greedy person at all, so one little kiss should do the trick. He didn't need seven. And perhaps kissing is not even a good thing at all. To tell the truth the whole concept of it seemed a bit disgusting. Not that he was disgusted by Astrid, quite the contrary, he really fancied a lot of things about her. Like the way she looked at him, the way she talked, the way she smelled, the way she looked...

But still. Tongues are revolting, big slimy snails in the mouth. They might taste good, though… and it seemed many people were into kissing (especially after a couple pints of mead). Hiccup wondered how Astrid might taste... From the smell of her it should be a combination of honey, winter lilies and sunshine... Oh, Gods, when did he become so cheesy?

Okay, he was just curious. It was only natural. He liked unknown territories, it was his nature. That's why he didn't need more than one kiss. It was like a bucket list, dragon riding - checked, killing a giant dragon – checked, kissing Astrid – checked. It wasn't like he wanted to kill six more giant dragons, not to mention he only had three limbs left.

Some things should only be tried once. Or not at all. Yeah, Astrid must be right, they shouldn't do this. Probably he repelled her. That must have been it. She basically ran off.

'Well, thank you very much, Astrid, for not liking me at all, probably I don't like you either,' came the angry and rather exhausted thought after thinking about it for a couple of hours. 'Yep, everything is cool, I don't even care now, I'm gonna sleep like a baby.' He tried to do it. It wasn't his fault that he didn't feel a happy baby at all, but more like an empty, broken nutshell...

When he woke up in the morning he felt so lucky that he had promised Gobber to be at the forge early and he hoped that if he worked hard enough he would be distracted from whatever happened last night, because honestly, his stupid afterthoughts were more than annoying now.

He was sure that by the end of the day he would not think about that blond vixen who bewitched him.

One hour into work and his wish was granted, although not in the most pleasant way, to say the least. He was standing in the forge, at the wall, in a petrified state. His mind was pretty much blank, apart from the only thought that kept running through his brain. It echoed three sentences one after the other in an endless loop. 'Don't move. Don't even blink. Stop your heart, if you can.'

These were the only thoughts he had when the sharp blade was cutting into his skin...