How dare you asume I would include adult content so early in my beloved Hiccstrid Fic!
The bright mid morning sun did nothing to subdue the cold that had settled into the room overnight. It cast a harsh white light through the shutters that drew the resting Vikings from their peaceful sleep just as much as the morning chill. Astrid missed the summer mornings then, when a softer light would cascade over her skin and warm her much like the licks of the flames in fire.
Forcing her eyes open she winced at first then slowly tried a second time to take in her surroundings. Hiccup was still asleep, now rolled over onto his stomach clutching a pillow close. She laid curled into his side, her head resting on his bicep as he slept peacefully, his natural warmth spreading into the areas where their skin touched.
Astrid grinned to herself at the sight of his mused auburn hair and the tiny bit of drool clinging to the corner of his mouth. His peaceful state of being was something that relieved her to no end as of late. He worked too hard most days and took his job as Chief too seriously in her opinion. She figured she could let him sleep awhile longer and realized then that she would be content to watch his sleeping face for hours.
But as luck would have it her stomach rumbled it's demand for food and she was forced to rise from the comfort of Hiccup's presence. She dressed and put on her furs leisurely, embracing the stillness of morning. As Astrid turned to leave she leaned down against her partners ear to whisper softly.
"I'm going to breakfast." And placed a kiss to said ear.
Hiccup grumbled in response but didn't make to move any further as Astrid closed the door behind herself.
As she walked out the front door and past the stable she found it empty and by the sights from the village below, they had found similar results upon waking this morning. The dragons were gone, and she felt a pang of bittersweet sadness in the back of her mind.
At the Great Hall a few had already gathered for first breakfast. Gobber, Spitelout and Gustav, Ertet son of Eret, and of course Fishlegs all sat together at a table nearest the back of the room closest to the Chiefs table. She got herself a steaming plate of porridge from the large cooking pot in the center of the room and made to sit with her companions.
"Astrid!" Gobber greeted firstly. "Good mornin' to ya lass."
"Morning too you too Gobber." She replied taking a slice from the loaf of bread Eret was cutting up.
The men of the table talked quite a bit of nonsense before the rest of the group showed up. To much of which Astrid could only shake her head or roll her eyes in utter amusement. Though Gobber did talk a lot about the continued renovations from the previous year, slowing down with the first snow predicted by Bucket to be arriving in less than a fortnight. It was best to fix what they already had now before they went and build new building to ration supplies.
Yes this meant Berk would be all but shutting down for the first rough leg of the winter season when weather was at its thickest and it was a blessing to even make it out most mornings. Though Astrid couldn't be entirely disappointed. With Stormfly gone it meant that she would have a bit of time to just herself and of course Hiccup, if he would have her. Most of her winters were spent that way anyways.
"Why good morning my fellow compadres." Tuff Nut eloquently greeted as he took a seat aside Fishlegs and his twin beside Astrid.
Much to prior belief Ruff had turned out to be the more matured one of the set, still devoted to the god Loki first and formost, but less than her brother and more bearable to be around. It had lead to a surprisingly great friendship between the two female riders.
"How goes it my good friend Astrid." Ruff smirked taking her own slice of bread as it was passed around, she bit into the fresh slice and chewed it obnoxiously and open mouthed.
"Nothing to complain about. Had a great nights rest and wasn't woken by any rowdy terrible terrors, so there's that." She supplied with her own smile.
"Sleeping well... could it be because of a certain Chief?" Ruff waggled her eyebrows accusingly to which Astrid rolled hers.
"I don't know what you're talking about." She spoke slyly.
"Of course you do, Tuff saw you walking up to Hiccups late last night, duh Astrid." Ruff explained her suspicions dumbly.
"Oh really?"
"You know you don't have to act so secretive around us my dear Astrid." Eret cut in and when Astrid turned to face him he was leaning on his elbow clearly having been listening in on their every word. "As the future Chieftess you're bound to wind up in your beloved's bed every one in a while. Thor only knows how difficult it is to stay true to traditions when you've been together as long as you and Chief have."
"Whoa slow down there, Hiccup and I- we haven't- I don't-" she stumbled embarrassed over her words. "We just sleep together!"
The hall went still and she cursed herself to a slow and painful death.
"What I mean is..." she cleared her throat, fighting back the blush that warmed her face. "We sleep in the same bed, but it's just that, sleeping." She gave Eret a look to which he smirked. "Now drop it before I club you."
When Eret finally dropped it and moved back to his conversation with an extremely uncomfortable Gobber and Spitelout, did Astrid let out a long breath.
Future Cheiftess...
"Oh, and speaking of Snoggletog, Astrid can I get your help with the decorations again this year?" Gobber thankfully pulled her out of her own mind before her thoughts could get away from her.
"Of course, I'd be glad to." She nodded and occupied herself to the task of finishing her now lukewarm porridge.
Hiccup was still fast asleep back at his house, not stirring a bit as Astrid reentered the room more than an hour later. She set her axe to the wall before taking a seat on the edge of the bed Hiccup was facing.
He flinched at the shift in position and his eyebrows furrowed, the frown he was sleeping with deepening. At first Astrid thought he was just upset at having been disturbed. But as he continued to shift restlessly and the creases in his face deepened in his distress she realized he was caught in another nightmare.
"Hiccup. It's time to wake up." Astrid rubbed his shoulder softly trying to ease him from the dream slowly and partially on his own accord.
"Don't..." he mumbled softly, helplessly, under the quickening of his breath.
"Hic, it's me... Astrid. Wake up." She felt terrible that he had to go through this, ever since Stoic...
He struggled some more and she went to place another steadying touch to his trembling shoulder. In an instant he snapped up and with a force she was unaware that he was capable of and took a bruising hold on her wrist. The fear and trauma in his vivid green eyes was enough to chill her.
She didn't know this Hiccup, the one who fought himself mentally and held guilt and resent close to his heart. It frightened her, more than she would ever dare to admit. With her pulse thundering in her ears she managed to choke past the lump in her throat.
"B-babe?"
His eyes softened and glazed over with hot tears. He trembled harder and his grip became slack enough for her to move away if she wished. She didn't move an inch.
"Astrid-" He sobbed and her heart wrenched painfully in her chest.
"It's ok." She coaxed shakily finding his face and holding him up to look at her.
Tears flowed endlessly down his freckled cheeks and he struggled for breath in his panic. Knowing there wasn't much she could do but let him ride this out she pulled him close, resting her head a top his and physically moving them so he was practically on her lap as she sat up against the headboard.
"I'm so sorry!" He cried, muffled by her shirt that had become damp under his torrents.
She hushed him and kissed the top of his head, continuously running her fingers through his hair and rubbing at the bare skin of his shoulders that shook with every harsh breath. She could only hope that as he laid there upon her chest he wouldn't hear her still thundering heart, because she knew he would blame himself for scaring her and not because she was a coward.
After hours of just sitting there, calming him, easing him back into what was sure to be a most restless sleep, Astrid took her leave. Hoisting up her axe she ventured far out into the wooded area surrounding Berk, somewhere she knew no sounds would carry back to home.
She let out a battle cry, flying forwards with her axe poised, the sharp blade cutting deeply into the trunk of one of the nearest thick trees. She tugged, but it was lodged deep and didn't give despite all her pulling.
She found her fingers trembling once more as she took a better hold on the handle and yanked it free. She adjusted her grip before charging once more. She sliced and hacked into the poor tree endlessly, her attacks sloppy and uncoordinated. Extremely un-Astrid-like.
And she thought, if only there was some way to take this pain away from him and manifest it as her own. If he could settle and be the Chief he wanted himself to be, the Chief he saw in his father. If only... if only he had been able to kill a dragon.
Shaking herself from that mindless thought she wanted to slap herself. It wasn't right to say that. Toothless meant everything to Hiccup, had changed him- no, all of Berk for the better. There was no way she could-would ever imagine a world where they had remained in that pointless state of kill or be killed.
But Hiccups pain... she wanted it gone. Wanted to personify it and kill it where it stood with its fierce hold on her- on Hiccup.
With this swing she splintered the handle of her favorite axe.
"Shit." She cursed, biting her lips as her first instinct was to go to Hiccup.
He had done this to her. Made her so upside down about herself and her feelings.
She screamed once more.