Party games weren't exactly Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III's forte. Especially stupid ones fuelled by stolen mead which may or may not involve doing stuff in a closet with a girl. In fact, when presented with the idea for Seven Minutes in Valhalla, the young Hiccup almost made a run for the door.
"Come on, Hiccup," drawled Snotlout, taking a long gulp of his mead. "It is my birthday party, after all."
Hiccup was joined by a gaggle of tipsy youths, including Snotlout, an overly-nervous Fishlegs (his moral compass kicked in the moment the group stole the mead), the giggling twins Ruffnut and Tuffnut (who suggested the game in the first place), two positively ferocious young girls named Luna and Rosa, and Astrid, who couldn't care less if she tried.
Hiccup crossed his arms and pressed them to his chest. He had tried complaining about the lack of girls (their usual group consisting of only Ruffnut and Astrid), but Snotlout had fixed that problem by charming Luna and Rosa over. Hiccup soon found out that their pretty names bore no relation to their inner selves. They were big, well-built Viking lasses with thick accents, thick hair and weapons in hand. Hiccup feared for his life more than ever.
"I... I... look, should we do this? I mean, there are other party games we can play!" Hiccup protested weakly. "Like, uh... pin the scales on the dragon! Or, uh... hide and seek? Pass the parcel?"
The teens exchanged glances.
"Boring," Snotlout loudly replied. "You don't have to do anything. You just gotta be in there for seven minutes. What's the matter, Hiccup? Coward?"
Hiccup felt himself bristle. He was friends with Snotlout - as loosely as such a term could be applied - but sometimes the arrogant Hooligan's jibes drove him up the wall.
Hiccup looked around for support from someone, anyone. "Fishlegs?" he suggested, since the large, bookish boy was known for his common sense.
Unfortunately, in this particular moment Fishlegs' common sense had evaded him completely. He was far too busy staring at Luna, and when Hiccup called his name he blushed and simply said, "Huh?"
"Looks like it's seven against one," Snotlout concluded. "We're playing."
Hiccup gulped. He pressed his palms together, which were fast becoming clammy with nerves. The object of Seven Minutes in Valhalla was simple; a boy and a girl would be picked out to remain in a closet together for seven minutes. Of course, Hiccup's world was quite devoid of clocks - so the seven minutes would be calculated by the shadows thrown by the sundial outside. It was dark, but the moon was bright enough - the conditions were perfect.
The couple didn't have to do anything in the closet at all, but the game's title and objective very much suggested the opposite. Viking teens had let off steam in all sorts of ways during this game, as Ruffnut had delightedly explained a few moments earlier. Such tales of 'playfulness' had caused the group to laugh uproariously and whoop with amusement.
"Okay, everyone," Snotlout announced, "Write your name on these scraps of parchment and put them in these helmets. Girls in this one, guys in that one."
Hiccup took a piece of parchment and a writing stick and shakily wrote his name. He silently decided that this game was horrible, Snotlout was horrible and that using parchment like this was a horrible waste. Trader Johann's parchment prices were not cheap, not that anyone else cared.
Hiccup evaluated his chances. Luna and Rosa both carried weapons, so he silently prayed to not be given either of them for the sake of his one remaining leg. Then there was Ruffnut, who would probably beat him up anyway, or... Astrid. Oh, Astrid. It had been precisely three months after their first on-the-lips kiss, but Hiccup had still not mustered the courage to ask her to be his girlfriend proper. She had been weirdly distant, even when they trained at the Academy together. Girls were unfathomable to poor Hiccup.
"Okay, I'll go first," smirked Snotlout, before dipping his hand into the helmet of girls' names. Hiccup quietly sighed in relief.
"I have... Ruffnut!" Snotlout said, looking a little too pleased with himself. Ruffnut groaned and rolled her eyes, but got up nonetheless and stomped unceremoniously into the closet. The closet which, might I add, was Hiccup's. This entire game was taking place in Hiccup's bedroom, of all places.
Hiccup had complained about that, too, to no avail. The others' reasoning was that he would be the last of the teens suspected of stealing alcohol, so the adults were unlikely to search there.
Hiccup had taken precisely three sips of his mead. He didn't much like the thick, sickly taste of the drink, and he certainly didn't like the idea of getting drunk.
"I'll go watch the sundial," said Luna, once Snotlout and Ruffnut were shut inside the closet. Fishlegs mumbled an excuse to join her, and followed her out.
Seven minutes passed painfully slowly for Hiccup. The rest of the gang huddled outside the closet door, listening intently. No noises could be heard, except for some unintelligible murmuring and shuffling of feet. When Luna and Fishlegs returned, the others looked positively disappointed.
Ruffnut was the first to emerge, slightly red-faced and just as grumpy as when she had gone in. She stormed back to her place and sat down, rolling her eyes. Snotlout followed after, looking slightly embarrassed.
"So?" said Astrid, waggling her eyebrows.
"So nothing," Snotlout replied, folding his arms. "Rules say we don't have to tell."
"Nothing happened," Ruffnut interrupted. "He tried to kiss me. I slapped him."
The teens erupted in laughter. Even Hiccup felt a smirk play at his lips.
"Shut up!" exclaimed Snotlout indignantly. "Who's next?"
"I'll go," said Rosa, and pulled out Fishlegs' name. Fishlegs looked nearly devastated.
Those seven minutes went slightly faster. It seemed from the outside of the closet that Rosa was trying all sorts with poor old Fishlegs, and the various squeals and yelps which emanated from the inside suggested he wasn't best pleased. The group snorted, covering their mouths with their hands to keep their laughter undetected. When the pair emerged, Rosa wore a pleased smile and Fishlegs wore prints of her bright red lipstick all over his face.
Two couples were left to be picked. Tuffnut dipped his hand into the girls' helmet and swirled it around for effect, which drove Hiccup mad.
Please don't be Astrid, he silently prayed. Thor, Odin, Freja, Balder and the rest of you, please. Please make sure it's not Astrid.
Tuffnut pulled out a piece of parchment and unwrapped it.
It wasn't Astrid.
The next seven minutes were the slowest yet. Hiccup knew what was coming. Soon enough, he'd be in that closet, alone, with Astrid. Oh, the things he could do! Of course, he wasn't planning on being outrageous, but... he was sixteen, after all. He knew of sixteen year olds who had done things he had no idea how to do. Probably during this same game.
Astrid didn't meet his gaze when he looked over at her. Perhaps she was nervous, he thought, but the more likely truth was that she simply didn't care. He wasn't even sure if she liked him. Their last kiss may well have just been a dare. A publicity stunt. A whimsical act of victory.
Hiccup almost drowned in his thoughts before he heard his name being called.
"Thorsdammit, Hiccup, get in here!"
Astrid stood in the closet, while the other teens smirked and motioned for him to join her. She looked about as happy as a Monstrous Nightmare who needed to be fed. Spitting fire.
Hiccup gawkily made his way over to the closet and shut the door behind him. It was pitch black apart from one candle, but he could just make out the bright blue of Astrid's eyes. He nearly melted on the spot. He was so close to her.
"So..." Hiccup said, drumming his hands against the wall.
In the dim light, he spotted Astrid gently swipe her bangs out of her eyes with her left hand. She did that often when she was around him, for some reason.
"Nice, uh... closet." Hiccup continued, voice shaky with nerves.
"It's your closet," Astrid mumbled.
Hiccup felt like slapping himself. "Right. Yeah. I know, I was just..."
"Look, Hiccup," Astrid interjected, eyes glittering with candlelight. "Everyone's expecting us to do something crazy. I bet they're all right up against the door now, listening."
Shuffling was heard. Hiccup could just see Astrid roll her eyes, and he chuckled quietly.
"I just... guess I don't really know how to feel about you," Astrid continued, despite the possibility of eavesdroppers. "I mean, you're amazing, Hiccup, but... man. I was a jerk to you for so long. One kiss wasn't gonna make up for all of that. But what else was I gonna do?"
Hiccup had a few ideas. He clenched his teeth, trying to bury the more inappropriate thoughts which sprung to mind. Instead, he worked from his heart. "You don't need to do anything, Astrid. One kiss was perfect."
Astrid blushed. "It was?"
Hiccup nodded. "I know I'm not the tough, muscly Viking you deserve, Astrid, but you were the first person I showed Toothless to when I found him because I knew you'd be loyal to me, I knew you could keep him a secret. I trusted you, Astrid, even when you beat me up."
Astrid smiled sheepishly. "I'm sorry about that. Not much, but I am."
"Reassuring," mumbled Hiccup, but he grinned nonetheless.
"So..." said Astrid, edging closer. Hiccup could feel her breath on his cheek, and it shot a shiver up his spine.
"S... so?"
"Wanna be my boyfriend, Hiccup?" Astrid whispered, lips dangerously close to touching his.
Hiccup could do nothing but nod, but Astrid needed no more. She caught his lips with hers, and pulled him into a long, passionate kiss, like nothing Hiccup had ever done or felt before. Astrid made him feel so many things he'd never felt before.
His hands snaked around her waist and rested on her lower back. She returned the favour, her arms sliding around his neck. Instinct lead the teens to gently open their mouths - Odin knows why - but that made the kiss even better. Hiccup heard a strange noise come from him - did that come from him? - and it was followed by a similar noise from Astrid. It was the kind of noise a completely parched person made upon receiving a cool, refreshing glass of water. Hiccup decided it was surprisingly accurate.
The pair kissed for a long while, taking breaks every so often to giggle and press their noses together. After one pause they heard voices from outside ("Hey, uh, time's up, you know!") before confused murmuring turned into idle chatter. The group knew the rules. A couple didn't have to come out until they were ready.
Astrid pecked Hiccup's lips. "We should get out," she giggled.
Hiccup shook his head. "I'm in Valhalla. And Valhalla is where I'm going to stay."