Astrid was a true Viking. Everyone agreed, and Odin help you if you said otherwise within earshot.
She had been the best at axe-throwing, dragon training, you name it: she'd kick your ass at it. And Vikings were tough. They didn't worry about one another, they didn't protect, like or love, look after or care about one another.
But somehow, Astrid had fallen into that particular trap.
Hiccup had wormed his way into her heart with his smiles, his jokes, his modesty and his dragon. When he looked at her, he didn't try to protect her like the other boys. Well to be frank, he couldn't anyway. But he had never really tried to either; he hadn't shown off, he'd never fought to sit next to her or inflict her with his constant presence. He had known he'd fail anyway, so he hadn't lingered. He'd stuck to the shadows really, mostly for his own protection from the guys but still.
When he had started doing well in dragon training, she had been surprised to say the least. Then she had been suspicious. Jealous even. So she had followed him, ready to make him confess, until Toothless turned up. Of all the things she had thought of, Toothless had not been one of them. Her reaction had been perfectly understandable. Until he had taken her for a ride. And at some point during that, she had realised he didn't look at her and think she was helpless. Or weak, or neededprotection, or constant charming and complements because she was a girl. Heck, he barely spoke a coherent word to her, and anything he said was generally repeated several times.
"Oh, hi Astrid! Astrid hi. Er... Hi Astrid... hi Astrid." Seriously, that had been his idea of subtle? Thor almighty, sometimes she felt like beating him over the head with a stick, for all the worry he put her through every day.
But he saw past that. Past the mask of anger and talent, past the fact she was female, past her needing to be the greatest Viking just to make a point, past everything. Gradually peeling off every layer of toughness that made her persona, his green gaze washing away the war-paint, the buckles , the bruises and the dirt. Until the last thing he saw, the onlything he saw, was Astrid. Just pure and simple Astrid. Flaws and all, and accepted her anyway.
And thatwas the scariest thing she had ever faced.
Fighting the Queen dragon had been easier, so much easier, than the first time she had stood there and he had looked at her. His calm green eyes searching for something, she didn't know what he was looking for, but please dear Thor could he just have found it already! She didn't know what was so important that he needed to keep looking, until apparently he had found it. He had smiled a smile that seemed to shine because he had something that no one else could have. And he had kissed her, quite surprisingly, randomly and above all sweetly.
She had pulled back after a minute and asked "What was that for?" and he had laughed before leaping on Toothless and flying away. She hadn't seen him for the rest of the day until he had surprised her with his hands over her eyes. And murmured deeply "Guess who?" she had turned "Hiccu-!" he had kept her eyes covered and kissed her just so, she'd had to close her eyes anyway. He had looked at her again and whispered:
"Found you."
And Astrid would challenge anyone not to stand there and have him look, and she meant really look, and not find it quietly terrifying.
Because you had to wonder, what did he see under it all?
