Hello!
A/N: Welcome to another addition of GOTN: Astrid Style. If you did not mean to click on this story, I'm glad you continued reading because you wouldn't be reading this message if you didn't like my story.
For those of you who have waited for me to update… I'M SOO SORRY! It took me so long cause I've been super swamped with school and work… but Finally! SCHOOL'S OUT, BITCHES!
I have to thank everyone who: reviewed, favorited, and enjoyed my last update, and please stay with me for more updates, cause there will be more. I promise!
Movie to see: PARENTAL GUIDANCE (wicked funny and super cute).
Song to listen to: SHE'S NOT AFRAID (1D) and, KOKOMO (Beach Boys).
GOTN: Astrid Style
Chapter 2: Snoggletog Traditions: Attempt # 1
Ever so slowly I emerged from the sanctum of sleep, feeling the heat of the covers wrapped tightly around my body and grudgingly sighing because I knew it was morning. I opened one of my eyes and winced at the morning light streaming in. I groaned.
My eyes flew open instantly when I realized that it was later than what I had first presumed.
"What the Hel!" I shouted, flinging the covers from my and rolling out of my bed. "We are soooo late," I called to my empty room, the haze of slumber effecting my thinking. "And mother's going to have a yak!" I grabbed a clean pair of leggings and wiggled into them while trying to pull on my blue shirt at the same time. "We are so dead! Stormfly, why didn't you-"
I froze, one boot on and the other still in my hand. I whipped around only to come up short when I finally realized that I was the only one in the room. My face fell and I slumped against the wall, the only sound I could make was a soft, "Oh."
It felt like getting smacked in the face by reality all over again. And it stung as such. I stared at the ground where I could still make out the claw marks from all the earlier visits from my favorite blue head. I bent over and grabbed on of her blue scales that had been shed just yesterday morning, yet it felt more like a life time ago.
Sudden rage at her disappearance caught me by surprise because the next thing I knew the scale was out of my hand and hitting the wall by my throwing knives. I wanted to scream, hit something, cry, anything that would make me feel the slightest bit more satisfied. Seeing the knives jammed into my wall I pulled on my other boot and grabbed the knives, racing down the stairs and sprinting out the door.
It was still rather early as the sun hadn't even reached the tree tops, but the majority of Berk was out and about as usual. I received few glances as I sprinted and slid on the ice through the village, golden braided-hair flying behind me and my heart beating quickly as it desperately tried to keep up with my uncontrolled pace.
After a few minutes of racing I slowed in my race to a fast jog and actually took in my surroundings. I had blindly ran all the way to the sheep pastures and I was thankful enough to find myself alone.
I gripped one of the knives in my right hand and threw it to the side without looking, hearing the thwack as it hit a nearby tree. I switched hands and threw another knife without looking but knowing it found a target by its audible impact.
As each thunk met my ears my anger rose higher and higher until the point in which I gripped the rest of my knives in one hand and let them fly with a scream. With that I collapsed to the frosted dirt ground, leaning against the trunk of one of my targets for support, and stared up at the brightening sky; exhaustion over taking me even though I hadn't pushed myself as hard as I could have. I closed my eyes and let the fresh wintry air tangle my messy locks, breathing in the cool air that seemed to numb my senses.
'Stormfly…' I pushed my palms against my eyelids, enjoying the pressure that soothed both my aching head and my heart. 'Why in Magni's name did you leave?'
That stupid lump which had followed me around, more recently than it had ever done in the past, started closing my throat and filling it with something much more uncomfortable. I breathed in the smell of the fields and the animals to calm my senses…
"Ugh!" My nose crinkled as the musty odor of yak greeted me with the most unpleasant of smells and it made my stomach curdle. Said yak smell was emanating off the animal I hadn't noticed before as it stood a few yards from where I sat, grinding its teeth and snacking on the leftover hay from last night's feed. The oversized yak glanced up for a moment and stared at me before it returned to its own business.
I shook my head and turned the other way, trying to keep last night's dinner where it should stay. I grumbled to myself and glanced over at the yak grudgingly. "Too bad you can't solve all my problems," I muttered. The yak just continued its slow chewing, watching me with a bored expression. I thought for a moment.
The yak nearly tipped when I jumped in the air and shouted. An idea had just formulated in my head, and I was going to put it into action. With a confident stride I marched toward the yak that now watched me with confusion.
"Maybe you can help me."
"YAKNOG! GET YOUR YAKNOG!"
Lads and Shield Maidens, I present to you attempt number one: Yaknog!
"COME ON! GET A DELICIOUS FROTHY CUP O'CHEER!"
After my run in with the yak, my idea was to create a new beverage that people could enjoy to help reduce the grief over losing our dragons. Thus, Yaknog was born. I had been walking around the market for a while now, offering my drink to anyone who looked like they needed cheering up. I'd say it was going quite well actually.
I smiled when I spotted the gang loitering around one of the stalls and I quickly rushed over. "Hey guys!" I called out. Ruffnut glanced up and attempted a smile.
"Hey Astrid," she mumbled. Tuffnut and Snotlout continued to kick the dirt. They turned when I approached.
"Alright: New Snoggletog Traditions Attempt Number One. Try this tasty new beverage I made for the holiday," I declared proudly. If they weren't going to help me come up with ideas, then they would help me test them.
The reaction they gave was less than enthusiastic. All three of them stared at me before their faces scrunched up.
"Ugh! What's that smell!" Tuffnut grunted, wafting a hand in front of his face to rid the area of the scent. He turned toward his sister and smirked wickedly. "Is that you?" he asked before he pushed her sideways. Ruffnut slipped and fell on the ground, squeaking when she landed.
I rolled my eyes and grabbed the mug that was sitting on my shield. "Its Yaknog," I explained as I poured a mug. Tuffnut watched me pour my new drink with distaste.
"Ugh. If I drink that, I'm going to Yak-nog all over the place!" I glared.
"Maybe you'd rather taste a punch in the face?" I asked him grudgingly, raising my fist to prove my point. 'I'm Astrid. No one ever crosses Astrid Hofferson.' Tuffnut held up both hands in defense, a silent apology, but I was still angered by his comment. Even more so when Ruffnut, after she had picked herself off the ground, gagged when I offered her some. 'Ugh!'
"Astrid." I turned when I saw Snotlout walk up to me and grab one of my mugs. "It sounds delightful. I'd love a mug," he told me and brought the drink to his mouth. I grinned widely and glanced over at the twins. With one hand on my hip, I gave the two idiots one of my best 'Oh so better than thou' look and a brilliant smirk.
Snotlout finished the drink in a gulp then he set the mug back on my shield. He coughed lightly then said, "You can really taste the yak." I smiled at him and his courteous gesture, to which he smiled lightly at me.
"YUM!" I turned around quickly to see Fishlegs storm into our little circle, knocking Tuffnut to the side. "What is that!" he asked enthusiastically.
"You wanna try some? Its my new traditional drink!" Fishlegs looked at me eagerly, but then his face fell.
"Oh- you know… I-uh, have suddenly and-um… inexplicably changed-er my mind!" He stuttered. I frowned.
"Well," I said with a growl. "You don't know what you're missing." I turned away from my group to look for more depressed Vikings, when I spotted smoke in the distance. I smiled. "I bet Hiccup will love this," I said as I marched off.
I reached the forge without any other takers of my beverage but it didn't really matter; I was sure Hiccup would appreciate what I was trying to do. I was about to enter the forge when I came up short. I hadn't seen Hiccup all day and now seeing the forge made me remember the last time that I had seen him. Last night, on my front step. Where we made out like crazy. I bit my tongue as a small blush started to warm my chilled cheeks. 'Oh, Freya…' I hesitated for a moment, slightly embarrassed, before I mentally slapped myself. 'Oh come on, Astrid! It's just Hiccup! Quit being so stupid.' With that I entered the forge.
"Hiccup?" My voice caught and I cleared it. 'Stupid.'
"Yeah, I'm over here Astrid; I'm coming," he called out. I glanced around the forge until I spotted Hiccup exiting from his work space. He gave me a goofy grin and I exhaled a breath I hadn't known I was holding. It truly was just Hiccup. The guy was too sweet. He waved me in further while he started meddling with something on his bench.
"Here," I said and he turned to face me, still smiling. I smiled at him and handed him a mug of Yaknog. "Happy Holidays. From me to you."
He took the mug and nodded to me. "Thank-you malady," he said and leaned over to kiss me on the cheek. The blush crept up on me again and I looked away to keep it at bay. That's when I noticed Hiccup's bench.
"What are you up to?" I asked him, staring at his newest contraption. It looked like a new tail for Toothless but it had all sorts of new mechanisms and attachments.
Hiccup set down his mug before his expression turned serious. I couldn't help but smile at his look, a look he always got when he explained his inventions and gadgets to me. It was kind of cute, in this really nerdy way. "Okay. You're gonna think I'm crazy, but-"
"I already do," I added in. He smirked at me and my grin widened.
"Well, anyways. I just couldn't stop thinking about what Tuffnut said last night. Toothless can't come and go like the other dragons and that's just not fair." I set down my shield; my attention fully on Hiccup. "I was up all night and I think I found a way to fix that," he told me as he moved some of the attachments for demonstration.
I stared down at the new tail and pieced it together. "You built him a new tail? So he could fly without you?" Hiccup hummed in response as I continued to observe the new tail. I was thrilled by his new invention, but I couldn't help but feel disappointed with the fact that getting him new straps for his riding gear was now out of the question. "What a great gift." Hiccup hummed again. A new question jumped into my head and I asked, "What if he never comes back?" before I mentally slapped myself.
'Nice one Hofferson.' Hiccup remained silent and I felt the awkwardness of the situation pressing in. "What am I saying? Of course he will," I stuttered quickly. I picked my shield back up and turned to leave, and to go come up with a new gift for Hiccup. "Well I'm going to go spread some holiday cheer," I told him. Hiccup nodded to me and I stifled a smile when I saw his cheeks puffed out like he was trying to hold his breath. He knew how to make me laugh, that was for sure.
I giggled and leaned over to kiss his nose. I walked out of the forge, shouting over my shoulder, "You're amazing!"
Instead of spreading more 'holiday cheer' I decided to go home to somehow come up with a new gift idea. I closed front door behind me then leaned against it, sighing with newfound exhaustion.
"Astrid?" My mother asked from the table where she and my father sat. "What are you doin home so early? I figured you'd be out with yar friends still. Dinners not ready if yar hungry, but we do have some bread left ovar."
I dropped my shield on the table and grabbed the remaining chair to join my family at our table. "No thanks, I'm not hungry."
My father picked up one of my mugs. "Whacha got 'ere?" he asked me.
I rested my elbows on the table then used them to prop up my head. "My new Snoggletog beverage," I explained. "I was trying to make people forget about their missing dragons, but I think its kind of a bust."
He sniffed the rim tentatively, before sipping it. His eyes widened and he spit the drink back into the cup. "Argh!"
"Cnut!" My mother shouted, though I could see she was trying not to laugh.
My father looked at me, then at the mug, then back at me. "Well no wondar it's a bust… its awful!"
I slumped in my chair and let go of my head and let it bang against the table. "Ugh." Their laughter was enough to lift my head and make me roll my eyes. "Whatever you two," I said before getting up. My mother rose with me and reached out to hold my shoulders.
"Astrid. If you wanted to make a drink that people would actually like to drink, then you should test it before trying to give it away," she explained to me.
I rolled my eyes again. "No shit," I muttered, to which received a small smack on my back from my father. I smiled deviously to him while he tried to stay stern, pointing a finger as if to say, "Watch it, Hofferson." I laughed as did my mother. My father smiled, then reached across the table for some ale before he dumped the whole thing into my Yaknog mug. He took a sip before nodding.
"Bettar." We all laughed.
A sudden screech outside brought us all to a stop and we shared a look. I raced over to our door and threw it open, racing outside just in time to see Toothless soar through the air until he hit the clouds and then vanish. Hiccup wasn't with him.
I turned back to my doorstep where my parents were standing. My father nodded his head in the direction of the Great Hall and I took off immediately, heading for Hiccup's. When I got there, and slipping only once surprisingly, Hiccup was outside and staring up at the sky.
"Hiccup?"
Said yak-boy turned suddenly to face me, only to slip on his prosthetic foot and fall to the ground. I rushed over to help him up and it took both our joint efforts not to slip on the iced surface.
"He-hey Astrid," he mumbled, not looking at me though I could tell that he was upset; jaw set, eyes locked on the ground, and his fist were clenched. I watched him for a second longer before I reached over and grabbed him and brought him into a hug. He sighed into my neck and then wrapped his arms tightly around me. It could work both ways, you know. Hiccup could be there for me, and I could be there for him too.
We stood like that, holding onto each other and comforting one another, until I opened my eyes and noticed that it was nightfall. I laughed quietly and Hiccup must have noticed the new change in our surroundings because he started chuckling as well. He pulled his head back from my neck and rested it against mine, our foreheads and noses touching. I stared up into his lovely, deep green eyes and he stared down into mine; both of us smiling.
I guess I never really got that part. The part when people said that when you're with someone, time just sort of slips away. I never really got that until now.
I gasped and pulled away from him, punching Hiccup in the shoulder as I did so. He grunted then looked at me in surprise. "What?" he asked genuinely confused.
I twisted my mouth into a frown, but his reaction made me want to laugh. "That was for not telling me my Yaknog sucked," I told him sternly. His eyes widened, then he shrugged a little.
"I'm sorry. It was just too cute." I smirked then reached for the laces in his tunic before pulling him in closer. He grinned and I touched our noses, still trying to glare at him but my eyes were crossed so I ended up just looking ridiculous.
"Well next ti- mmm." I was interrupted by Hiccup because he had closed the distance between our lips and now he was kissing me. I smiled against his lips and deepened the kiss. Hiccup shifted on his prosthetic, which was a bad idea because the next thing we knew, we were on the ground. I burst into laughter as Hiccup started to curse.
"Stupid prosthetic! Fucking fake leg! Odin's beard, I should just burn this godfucking, piece of shit!" he shouted, pulling on his yak hair in frustration.
"Hiccup!" I squealed. I had never heard him swear so much! "Easy with the language, will yah? There are little kids sleeping of dragons and faeries and- ah!" Hiccup lunged at me and we ended up rolling over and over in the snow until I had him pinned in the snow.
"Astrid! It's cold!" he squeaked as he started to shiver. I could see our breaths come out in puffs of smoke, but I wasn't letting go.
I brushed away some of my wet hair with my shoulder and kept Hiccup pinned in the snow, my face inches from his. Even if he wanted to get up, he wouldn't be able to. I had my arms latched on his wrists and my legs pressed against his sides, making mobility impossible.
"Well maybe you should watch what you say!" He chuckled then screwed his face up into a goofy grin. I laughed and finally let go of his wrists. I sat back while he propped himself up on his elbows. We sat there for another second, catching our chilled breaths, until I noticed our position. Hiccup watched me, clearly wondering what it was I was going to do for I had the upper hand. I sat there, thinking about everything that had happened today, and realized… that a little distraction wouldn't be so bad.
I leaned down and gave Hiccup a long, warm kiss; something we both deserved. He sat up more and shifted us so that he could sit up fully, with me still situated on his lap; our kiss not breaking. He folded his arms around my waist and I rested mine on his shoulders. It was slow, our kissing, nice and heart-felt. But it didn't stay that way.
Neither of us realized what we were doing until I had my tongue pushed fully into Hiccup's mouth. I opened my eyes and pulled back in embarrassment. I watched him, heat radiating in my cheeks, for signs that he wanted me gone. That what I had just done was a violation of our relationship or something so completely stupid that he would rather just break up with me right then and there. I was completely wrong.
Hiccup brought one of his hands up to the back of my neck and, quite forcefully if you can imagine it, brought my mouth to his. Then he pushed his tongue into my mouth. I gasped in shock, but instantly recovered. 'Holy Magni!'
I wrapped my arms around his neck and brought my chest flush to his. He groaned at the contact and caressed his tongue over mine. We pulled back for a quick breath, and in the time span of a millisecond, Hiccup had his other hand that wasn't on my neck underneath the spikes on my skirt and gripping my ass. I gasped and his lips were on mine before I could even utter a moan that was strangled in my throat.
How could it be that, even though I was sitting on him, Hiccup had the upper hand? Not acceptable. I flicked my tongue across his wet muscle and pushed back into his mouth. Hiccup grunted and squeezed my ass harder. Now I moaned. He still had the upper hand, and now the heat that I had felt last time started to stir all over again. I shifted my weight for more comfort and in doing so I scraped my hips against Hiccup's ever so lightly… to which he groaned loudly.
We both pulled back and stared at each other, embarrassment mixed with surprise. We looked pretty stirred; our faces red, lips swollen, panting like animals. I looked into his brilliant green eyes that seemed to be glowing in the moonlight and he smiled deeply at me. I smiled and we both whispered, "Whoa."
"Hiccup!" We both jumped at Stoick's call and flung ourselves away from each other; picking ourselves off the ground and straightening our clothes. Stoick opened the door and looked around, wondering where his son was probably. "Hic- Oh." He stopped when he saw the two of us, and I thanked the gods that he hadn't seen us. "Astrid? Shouldn't you be home?" I opened my mouth to answer him, but another voice cut in.
"Astrid!" It was my father's voice but it was distant. He was probably home, wondering where I was. I pointed my thumb in the direction and smiled awkwardly.
"I should… um, get going?" I mentally smacked myself. 'Make it anymore obvious Hofferson?' Stoick watched me questioningly and I swear it was like he could see right through me. 'Oh Freya…' But I had one savior still on Berk and he spoke up.
"Yeah, sure Astrid," Hiccup said and pulled me towards the walkway. He slipped a little on his prosthetic but I kept him balanced. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" I turned back around to face him, noticing Stoick watching us. I nodded, not trusting my voice if I said something idiotic. Hiccup nodded. "Good. Goodnight Astrid," he said then leaned in quickly and kissed my cheek.
He hesitated a second after his lips left my cheek and whispered to me, "Don't worry about my dad. I can deal with him." He pulled back and we smiled.
"Astrid!"
I rolled my eyes at my father's call. "Goodnight Hiccup." He turned and started walking towards his door, Stoick being satisfied enough had already turned and walked back inside. I stood there and watched Hiccup as he slowly picked his way to the door, slipping twice before he made it to the step. He looked back at me and waved. I waved to him and waited until he disappeared inside.
'His leg gives him so much trouble. It'd be cool if I could make him a new one.' Like I had the skills to do that…
I gasped as a sudden idea popped into my head. I knew exactly what I was going to give Hiccup for Snoggletog!
What's Astrid going to get Hiccup for Snoggletog? What does Stoick assume? And what about the dragons? Tune in next time to find out. And I promise it will be soon! Thanks!
