Hiccup woke up. There was something heavy on his chest. As he opened his eyes he looked right into the green reptile pupils of a certain black dragon, who had one paw on top of his body.
"You useless reptile it's still dawn outs..."
For a second time this morning a wet tongue made it way over his face.
" eennngh... ok, ok you've won. I'll get up…"
He tried to move. "... Would you kindly move your paw? ... Thanks"
Hiccup sat on his bed's side, reached down for his... leg {how many months has it been? And it still hurts } and put it on. The dragon looked up, worried over his friends' attitude.
"It's alright Bud, alright"
He padded his nose.
"Now, why did you wake me up at this unholy time?"
Toothless jumped to the door whirled around, sat down next to it and showed Hiccup his most pleading eyes. He knew if he looked adorable his human would do what he want.
"... *sigh* at least let me put something on"
Hiccup grabbed his trousers and his shirt, pulled his fur over and opened his door to let Toothless down.
He followed slowly, still not used to climb stairs with his new leg. The Night fury helped him at the last steps and run to the door leading outside. Hiccup went to the door, opened it ... and regretted it the next second. Toothless jumped over him, knocking him down - right into a huge snow pile.
Getting up he saw his dragon enjoining the snow by jumping, rolling, crawling,...
"Thank you, you useless reptile"
Toothless looked up not knowing what he has done wrong. He simply wanted to show him that it has snowed and now he was angry ...{ maybe he don't like snow } . After all : it's the first snow since he met him.
"It's freezing out here! You! Don't move. I'll get something warm for me. "
"HICCUP! What's it this early in the morning? Could ya at least let me sleep till the Sun's out? "
Hiccups father Stoick came out of his room. With his morning hair he looked like a lion or a red haired bear. Or maybe a mix of both.
"And why did ya let this cold wind in. "
"It's snowing outside father"
"Curse ya Hel. Now I have to get people together to free the main streets and houses from tha snow, some t'gather supplies for the winter ... ah it's not an easy job for tha chieftain"
"You COULD use the dragons" Hiccup took a thicker fur and put some wool in his shoes
"Aye ... that would be a good idee ... " He looked down at his son. More and more he acted like a soon to be chief. There was only one thing missing " Ya need t'look out for a wife Hiccs"
"Yeaah well I'm off taking Toothless for a ride he's excited over the amount of snow out there...so Bye!"
With that he slipped out of the door and whistled.
His dragon came running towards him but stopped just an arm length before him.
"Good boy, now let me hitch up"
Toothless helped his friend get up his back and waited for him to get ready. As he gave the signal, Toothless jumped and flew over the village. From above it looked like it was covered with sugar for it was fully covered in a white blanked.
Hiccup relaxed, the fresh cool air filled his lungs and they were flying... And flying was his second best feeling.
They flew to a small rock far up on the mountain. Toothless melted the snow in a little spot and heated it the same time for Hiccup to sit down.
The view was fantastic: the trees, the rocks even the sea... everything was covered in snow.
In times when he was bullied in the village this was his favorite place to relax... now that everyone wanted a word with him about dragons, even more so.
He took out his sketchbook and his coal to draw. Soon the pages were filled with pictures of the scenery and a black spot curling in a white landscape. He sat there for hours, just himself, Toothless and silence.
He was nearly at the end of a sketch when something cold hit him on the back of his head. And for the second time this day his face had the pleasure to meet a pile of snow.
Hiccup could hear the snicker but as he was spinning around to see who had thrown a snowball at him, he got a second one in the face.
"Sorry (giggling) I didn't want to hit you in the face but... (barely controlling her laughter)you had to see yourself ...landing in the snow !"
at this moment she couldn't hold back anymore and throw herself down ... laughing out loud.
"Thank you Astrid... because of you my book is wet and most of my sketches will be ruined. "
"Yeah I said I was sorry (whipping a laugh-tear away) but you just sitting there is no fun" she said grumbling.
"That was my intention. "
He stood up, hands behind his back "I just wanted to have a little moment of peace out here. "
"This little moment was 3 hours long! "
"How do you know? "
"Well ... I went to your home and ... asked your dad. "
"Why would you do this? "
"You see ... me and the others wanted to do a snowball fight and we split up to search for you ... in the forge, the dragons stall, the great hall ... And I went to your home."
Suddenly he had his infamous grin, the grin that would turn her knees into pudding... IF she was standing... And if she would let someone know … Ruffnut knew it but she was her best friend and it was just between the two girls. Astrid is strong and anybody who would even THINK about her being weak for a grin will meet her axe
"So ... you want a snowball fight ?"
And just in this moment he revealed his hands, holding a snowball ...that was now flying ... and hit her straight in the face. Someone who might have seen this would ask him/herself how the great Astrid could be hit by a snowball thrown by Hiccup... not knowing that she was still under the spell of his grin.
BUT the cold snow brought her back to earth immediately and whipping the snow out of her face she yelled " HICCUP HORRENDOUS HADDOCK THE III! YOU ARE DEAD MEAT! "
Toothless sat watching the two teenagers. His friend running and laughing and his female yelling and running after him.
... He would never understand the human behavior ...
Why is Hiccup angry at him when he playfully throw him in the snow but is laughing when the female is doing it with the intention of killing him?
... Ok, they can play in the snow longer. Toothless would go inside. As beautiful and fun the snow is, it is cold as Hel.
Hiccup found himself trapped between the cold snow and the fury heated Astrid. Ok she is trying to kill him ... but ... he wouldn't trade this moment with anything else on this planet - including flying with Toothless.
"HEY LOVERBIRDS! How long do you two want us to wait for you? I thought we want to fight with snow and not in the snow ... or is it fighting in the snow what we want to do... AHH you're hurting my brain!"
Tuffnut got a knock on the head from his sister
„ You have no brain idiot! And if you could have waited just a little moment longer it would have become interesting between those two. And i wanted to see this! "
"ehhh guys I don't think it was a good idea to interrupt Astrid in what she was doing because now she will turn on us "
"That is the difference between you and myself, Fishlegs because you're not as brave a ..."
Snotlout was interrupted by a dagger that is now stuck in a tree only a hair width away from his ear.
"Or maybe it is better to run ... n'not because of fear or that I have a sudden warm feeling in my panties, I... I just want to live tomorrow! "
Astrid stood up with her hands on her hips and looked after the retreating teenagers.
"Meet me here tomorrow morning ...I'm going hunting for winter"
Hiccup felt sorry for his friends... well no. Not sorry. They deserve being slaughtered by Astrid. But he wasn't sure if she would stop after just hurting them. He doesn't want to see his friends dead.
After a stroll through the village and telling some of his friends better hiding spots, he went to the forge. As he let a screaming Tuffnut trough he saw Gobber with a snow shovel on his arm.
"Oi Hiccs! Yahhave the forge for yarself todaiy, your father said I have to help the others with snow shipping. Enjoy yarself lad!"
That was just right for him. As he walked into the forge and lit the fire he was thankful that he was by himself. He had something to do and he didn't want to have Gobber around for this.
When he woke up the next morning he saw that his dragon was still sleeping. His revenge in mind he grinned to himself. Reaching down next to his bed for a barrel full of ice cold water he throws it at the Night Fury only to hear a hissing.
He noticed that the water was vaporized midair by a precise plasma shot. Toothless let out his laugh.
"Yeah I should have known better… come on bud I have an appointment."
He put a little bit to eat, a flask of meat ( that was kept warm in the coals of the oven) and the present in his bag and rode Toothless to the rock he sat on yesterday. Only to find out that there was no Astrid.
He sat down and stopped. Leaning slightly to the left side he led a snowball pass his head.
"Come on! You think you could fool me a second time?"
"No ... but it was worth a try " she smiled at him "Sooo… You decided to show up at last"
"We were here nearly at the same time."
"No... I was waiting here long enough to throw a snowball at you!"
"Astrid … we saw you leaving Berk on Stormfly just seconds before we left. And even considering that we took the long way you landed here just 3 to 5 minutes earlier than us"
"Don't be smart on me Hiccup." She sat down next to him "Leaving a girl outside in this cold weather even for 3 or 5 minutes is considered as too long."
"I never trough you were this kind of girl. AUGH!" he was rubbing his shoulder "what was that for?"
"If you hadn't noticed I AM a girl, thank you very much."
"yeah I'm sorry, I'm sorry *sigh* … you want something to eat?"
"YES! I'm starving. Yesterday was too tiring."
He took out the bread and the meat and handed it to her.
"You got them?"
"Well …Everyone expect of Fishlegs. He didn't want to come and interrupt … us. He was driven by Ruffnut so I had no reason to hurt him."
"And they're still alive?"
"ohh I bet they wanted to die." she said with a smirk.
"sooo what is the reason you called me out here?"
"Well … now that it is cold outside and with all the snow… yeah … well … I _might_ have something for you …."
"Well what is it " again with the grin ... it was driving her crazy.
"AU!"
"That's for the grin"
She handed him a … bundle ... of wool.
"And that's for being you"
"No kiss? AUGH!" this hit nearly throw him of the rock.
"If you stop grinning I _might_ think about it"
"So what is this"
He enfolds the bundle ... again ... and again till he had a nearly ten feet long scarf. It looked like she had used every ball of wool she could find in her house, no matter the color or the texture.
"I know it's too long but it's my first try knitting and I didn't want to stop till it was perfect, so it ended up too long and…"
He saw where she had begun with loose strains and little holes and where she became better ….
"It IS perfect"
He took the scarf and winded it around them. Touching her forehead with his he looked deep into her eyes. He saw her timid look and the blush that found its way to her cheeks … something he had just for himself. He grinned... again. He just couldn't stop himself.
"I have something for you too"
Hiccup opened the little package and inside she saw a little ornament.
It was formed like a small Nadder and the metal was shimmering bluish.
He carefully held her strains of hair that would fall down her face and fixed them with the clip.
She blushed madly... This wasn't like her at all. Her mind stopped working….
This hit threw him of the rock.
But with her clouded mind she overlooked the fact that her scarf was still wrapped around them – sending her flying with him.
…
Both of them had no idea how long they were lying in the snow, her on top of him and lips locked.
…
"Yeah Girl! That's the way it should be! Suck his soul out!"
"Now who is interrupting, Sis?"
"ehm Tuffnut, Ruffs you two should be quit or they might hear us and remember what happened to you guys yesterday?"
"Too late for that! SHE'S LOOKING! RUN FOR YOUR LIVES"
Hiccup look after his retreating friends and the fury Astrid with his grin plastered on his face. Even if his friends were dead tomorrow he couldn't care less. Today he was the luckiest guy on Berk.
