Dear Readers,
Okay, so I put this fic on a little hiatus, due to semi-writer's block and real life (which unfortunately right now involves me taking a stupid introductory English class that I am overqualified for and wouldn't have to be taking if my university had actually made the score on my Advanced Placement English exam in high school count for something). To make up for the lack of updates, here is a somewhat longer, EXTREMELY FLUFFY oneshot for you all to enjoy. Once again, I am completely blown away by the number of wonderful reviews I've gotten so far, and I am SO grateful to everyone who's read and commented. I love you all! Hopefully I won't take as long updating next time; it's a long weekend for me, so maybe I'll get another one up before Tuesday. Again, thanks so much, and I hope you continue to enjoy the fics!
Best regards from a dragon-loving bookworm,
Miss Pookamonga ;p
PS: Reply to just me's review of "Busy": I don't know why Astrid's last name is "Hofferson" instead of "Hoffersdóttir." The people at DreamWorks came up with last names for everybody, and that's the one they gave Astrid. I guess they wanted to anglicize everything to make it "easier" for non-Scandinavian people to relate to. lol
IV. Trapped
It was a normal rainy day on the Isle of Berk, and the muddy streets were vacant due to the fact that all the village's inhabitants—human and dragon—were cooped up indoors, hiding from the frigid downpour.
Well, all except one.
To be fair, though, Astrid Hofferson was in fact heading for shelter as she splashed through the ice-cold puddles accumulating on the ground. It hadn't been raining when she had left her house earlier for her routine visit to the forge, but unfortunately, Gobber's shop happened to be on the opposite side of the village from her home. And when she had been about halfway along in her hike, the clouds had rolled in from nowhere, dumping freezing water all over her unsuspecting figure and causing her to unleash a loud string of nasty curses at the sky. Now, as she finally jogged the final stretch to her destination, the Viking girl was completely soaked, half-covered in mud, and shivering down to her bones.
It felt like Valhalla to finally meet the sudden rush of warm air as she flung open the door of the shop. Heaving an exhausted sigh in relief, she collapsed onto a nearby bench, reveling in the dry heat of the forge for a few glorious moments before lifting her eyes to scan the area for her intended target.
A blush that had nothing to do with the temperature suddenly rose in Astrid's cheeks as she caught sight of Hiccup working by the fire. His back was to her and he was leaning over to plunge a finished sword into the cooling bucket beside him. Astrid giggled to herself at the fact that he was so engrossed in his work that he was still entirely oblivious to her presence. She wondered how long it would take for him to finally realize that she was there. Sometimes when she would visit, she would sneak in so quietly that he wouldn't suspect anything until she'd decide to blurt out something rather loudly, and he'd jump so wildly in shock that he'd send every weapon in the vicinity clattering to the floor.
Astrid's eyes followed Hiccup's movements carefully as she waited for the boy to take notice of her. She loved watching the way the fingers of his hand moved delicately over the blade of the sword, each one gently outlining the intricate design etched into the weapon's glinting surface. A delightful shiver ran up and down the length of Astrid's spine as she imagined those fingers brushing against her in that way, tracing invisible swirls across her skin.
Satisfied with his work, Hiccup finally left the fireside to place the newly finished sword on a rack on the wall, before heading to one of the worktables. Astrid kept her eyes focused on him the whole time, admiring how regally he carried himself now. The former noodle of a boy no longer slumped pathetically like a rejected outcast but instead stood erect with his head held high and his shoulders back like a true, proud Viking. Another shiver trickled down Astrid's spine, and she couldn't help but allow a tiny grin to twitch at the edge of her lips when Hiccup's deft fingers began fiddling with the knot at the back of his leather apron. After having undone the knot, he lifted the apron over his head and set it on the table, his newly gained posture never once buckling.
It was then that he did something unexpected.
Instead of turning around immediately to return to his spot by the fire, Hiccup's hands suddenly moved to his belt. Astrid froze as she watched him unwind the leather strap from around his waist and place it atop the apron. Then, his fingers grasped the edge of his tunic, and in one swift, fluid motion, he lifted the sweat-soaked piece of clothing over his head and let it drop to the surface of the table.
Astrid's heart stopped.
Berk was infamous for its cold, disagreeable weather, so there were very few occasions which warranted the removal of essential clothing items. Most of the time, the Viking villagers had all the more reason to don several additional layers of wool and furs to keep the chilly air at bay. But Astrid had completely forgotten about the forge, the exception to the rule. The air inside sometimes grew so sweltering hot that even a simple tunic could feel as smothering as a fur cloak—something which had obviously just occurred with regards to a certain blacksmith-turned-dragon-trainer…
Astrid's jaw dropped and she could do nothing but stare.
She had known for some time, of course, that Hiccup was no longer as scrawny as before since she had taken it upon herself to help train him in some proper battle arts. But what Astrid hadn't known was just exactly how much good her training had done him. The flaming light of the fire illuminated the contours of his lean muscles perfectly, and Astrid felt an intense burning sensation flooding through her own body at the sight. Her head began to pound as she found herself becoming entranced by the rippling of said muscles and by the slow movement of Hiccup's shoulder blades beneath his skin, which was glistening with sweat. He rolled his shoulders forward and back a few times, stretching himself out, while Astrid desperately tried to ignore the violent shuddering in her knees.
She was so caught up in her awed trance that she didn't notice Hiccup turning around until he let out a yelp of surprise at the sight of her.
"HOLY CR—Astrid!" Hiccup yelled, jumping back and knocking into the table.
"Aaah!" Astrid shrieked, startled by his sudden outburst.
"Whoa…I didn't hear you come in…why don't you ever announce yourself?" Hiccup huffed shakily, recovering from his shock. His lips spread into that characteristic lopsided grin of his as he shoved one hand into his hair and ambled towards Astrid.
Astrid, however, had become utterly distracted again and was now ogling the front view of Hiccup's bare torso. For the love of Thor, the boy had definitely gained a lot of muscle for one so skinny. His abdomen no longer lay flat but was now more sharply toned, as was his chest, which, in addition, had broadened in a way that made the poor Viking girl nearly faint on the spot.
"Hellooo, earth to Astrid!" Hiccup interrupted, waving a hand in front of Astrid's face. She blinked and shook her head, trying in vain to regain her composure.
"I—uh—hi," she uttered sheepishly, her eyes flickering upward to meet Hiccup's.
"You okay?" he chuckled, completely oblivious to the situation. "You look like you've seen a ghost."
Astrid nodded dumbly, keeping her eyes locked on Hiccup's face and intently trying to avoid glancing down again. "Yeah, uh…I'm…fine…" She trailed off as she lost control and her gaze darted back to his chest. The steady rhythm of his breathing was almost hypnotic, and her eyelids drooped lazily as she watched his chest move up and down, more beads of sweat trickling down his skin with every breath he took…
"Aaastrid…are you sure you're ok—oh! You're all wet!"
Astrid's brain snapped into focus and she looked down at herself. She had completely forgotten about that…
Hiccup was already on the move. "Oh, gods, I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry," he repeated over and over, coming behind her and pushing her towards the fire. "Here, warm up—lemme see if I have anything dry you can change into—oh gods, you're soaked—"
Astrid took full advantage of Hiccup's worried frenzy, taking the opportunity to stare openly at his upper body without him noticing. Her heartbeat hammered against her ribcage when she noticed that not only had his back, stomach, and chest gained some muscle, but his arms had as well. Her eyes traced the curves of his biceps hungrily as the muscles flexed and stretched with every frantic movement of his body.
"Ah, here we go!"
Hiccup spun around and quickly headed back towards Astrid, holding a wrinkled grey tunic in his hand. Astrid gulped at the sight of the muscles tensing in his forearm as he held the piece of clothing out to her. "Here, you can wear this. It's Gobber's—don't worry, it's clean—but he never wears it. You can change in the back room," Hiccup tilted his head in the intended direction.
Once again, Astrid nodded dumbly, desperately fighting to keep a hold on her sanity. "Right. Thanks," she half-choked, before grabbing the tunic out of Hiccup's hand and sprinting into the back room.
When she was in the privacy of her own space, Astrid plopped down on Hiccup's stool and exhaled loudly, finally glad to be rid of the tension in her chest. Dear gods in Asgard, she needed to get a grip on herself. All it took was for Hiccup to appear half-naked, and she was suddenly completely immobilized. Why in the name of Odin was this so incredibly distracting? Damn Hiccup and his perfect, delicious, gorgeous—
"Hey, Astrid, you okay back there?"
Astrid groaned through gritted teeth at the way her heart automatically fluttered at the sound of Hiccup's voice. "Yeah, fine," she called. She took her sweet time removing her drenched clothing, loosening her hair, and slipping into the tunic. It was so large that one side of the neckline sagged below her shoulder, and the bottom hem fell down to her knees. Astrid sighed as she rolled up the ridiculously long, baggy sleeves. At least it was warm and dry.
Reluctantly, she finished gathering her wet clothes and boots and padded back into the main room in her bare feet. Quickly, she averted her gaze from the overly concerned boy making his way to her and instead stared intently at the cracks in the floor. "I'll lay 'em out to dry for you," he offered, and Astrid risked looking up at him. It was a horrible idea, because the minute she did so, she lost all powers of speech again.
Fortunately, Hiccup didn't seem to notice her daze this time and merely took the bundle from Astrid's arms, heading to the work table to lay her clothes out next to the ones he had discarded.
But unfortunately, the moment didn't last very long. Hiccup was finished in an instant, and the minute he turned back around, his eyebrows creased in concern and he asked yet again, "Are you sure you're okay?"
Astrid nodded wildly, letting her eyes dart everywhere except to him. "Yep. I told you. Fine. Just…cold."
Hiccup wasn't convinced. He took a step towards her. "You look kind of sick—how long were you outside in the rain?"
Astrid shook her head. "I'm not sick. I feel fine. Really." The floor had suddenly become quite interesting again.
She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt Hiccup's warm hand brush softly against her cheek. Without thinking, she allowed her eyes to flicker upward, and she almost had a heart attack. Odin help her, he was right there, and she was close enough to touch him—
"I should go." The words flew out of her mouth before she could make sense of them in her mind.
Her eyes lifted to find Hiccup with a slightly confused look on his face. He raised an eyebrow. "You can't go out dressed like this. Besides, you just got here."
Astrid shook her head again, squeezing her eyes shut so she wouldn't have to be distracted by…that. "No, no, I'll just change back into my clothes—I really should go."
He laid a hand on her covered shoulder. "Astrid, what's wrong?"
"Nothing!" she blurted out much too loudly, pulling herself away from him and nearly dashing to the other end of the room to grab her still soaked clothes.
"Astrid…"
"It's…you're right. I do feel kind of sick. I should go home—"
"Astrid!"
She whirled around to face him.
An awkward silence fell over the pair as they just stared at each other. Astrid shook as she locked eyes with Hiccup's. This was so incredibly stupid; she was being so incredibly stupid…
And then something happened.
First, Hiccup furrowed his eyebrows as he examined Astrid's bewildering condition. His gaze ran up and down the length of her body—causing a tidal wave of shivers to sweep through her. Then, his eyes found Astrid's face again. He roamed over it thoughtfully before suddenly looking down at himself. And then it hit him.
An expression she had never seen before suddenly crossed Hiccup's features, causing every vital organ in Astrid's body to cease functioning. His eyes narrowed mischievously, shining brilliantly in the light of the fire. And then…then, as Astrid swore she couldn't take any more of this, his mouth twitched upward into a grin that could only be read as being undeniably, unmistakably…
…seductive.
Oh, in the dear name of holy Freyja herself. This. Was. So. Bad.
"Astrid," Hiccup repeated, but this time his voice was low and breathy and utterly mesmerizing. He took a slow step in her direction.
A sound somewhat resembling a squeak issued from her throat. Oh gods. She was trapped.
Hiccup's grin only widened at Astrid's reaction. With a newfound confidence, he took another slow step towards her. Astrid gripped the bundle of clothes tightly and backed up against the edge of the table.
"Y'know, you could've just said something," Hiccup continued in that voice, taking yet another step towards the frozen girl.
Oh gods, oh gods. He was getting closer. Astrid hastily dropped her clothes on the floor and scooted sideways. Hiccup merely followed her movement.
"Come on, you're not going to run away from me, are you?" His voice dropped to a whisper and his face suddenly grew serious. Astrid shuddered.
Why in the Hel couldn't she fight back? He had complete control of her and she wasn't doing anything about it!
"Astrid."
Her back thudded against the wall. Oh no…
But it was too late. Hiccup placed a hand on the wall on either side of her, boxing her in, and the seductive smirk returned to his face as he peered down at her in victory.
She had also conveniently forgotten the fact that Hiccup had gained a few inches on her and was now the taller one.
"Don't you have some work to do?" Astrid whined pathetically.
Hiccup's smirk broadened as he leaned his head down to brush his lips against her ear. "Oh, I have plenty of work to do," he murmured huskily.
Astrid's eyes widened.
But before she could contemplate the full extent of his words, Hiccup tilted his head and pressed a soft kiss just below her ear, incapacitating her completely.
She finally gave in to the chaotic swirl of sensations stirring inside of her as Hiccup slid his hands down the curves of her body to rest firmly on her hips. Astrid let out a series of tiny gasps as he tilted his head further and trailed soft, slow kisses underneath her ear, across her jaw line, and down her neck. Her own hands finally came to rest against his bare skin, her fingers slipping gently over the sweaty outlines of his newly acquired muscles as he continued kissing downward. His lips followed the curve of her neck to her one uncovered shoulder, where he allowed his tongue to dart out and join the caress of her skin as she shuddered again and gasped slightly louder.
"Hiccup…" Astrid whispered shakily, letting her eyelids flutter closed.
"Shh," Hiccup breathed against her skin as he retraced his kisses upward, moving to the opposite side of her neck. She bit her lip and arched her neck to the side automatically, allowing him access. He pressed his weight against her as he repeated the process, and Astrid's fingers clenched against his chest. The scraping of her fingernails over his skin elicited a soft moan from his own throat, and Astrid smirked a little at the sound.
Her small victory was short-lived, however, because Hiccup suddenly drew his lips away from Astrid's neck and lifted a hand to thread his fingers through her damp, loose hair. Before she could take a proper breath, Hiccup gripped the back of her head firmly and pressed his lips to hers. She whimpered pitifully as he moved his mouth torturously slowly against hers, his tongue darting out teasingly. Moaning in ecstasy, Astrid relented and allowed Hiccup's lips to gently part her own. She trembled and ran her fingers all over his chest and stomach and shoulders and across his back as their tongues comingled, each one eagerly savoring the taste of the other.
Hiccup pushed Astrid's body against the wall as he deepened the kiss, trapping her in further. She moaned blissfully again into his mouth, her hands clutching desperately at his neck. She could feel him smile into the kiss as he nipped her lip playfully and slid one hand from her waist down to her thigh, slipping his warm fingers beneath the hem of her tunic and lifting her leg so it could wrap around his. Astrid sighed loudly and tightened her leg's grip around the back of Hiccup's knee, drawing him impossibly closer.
It felt like hours—possibly even days—before Hiccup finally pulled away, partially releasing Astrid from her entrapment. By that time she was panting heavily from lack of air, and there were intense tingles wildly creeping throughout every part of her body. Her wide eyes locked with Hiccup's as he leaned his forehead against hers, a tiny grin forming on his swollen lips. It was gentler than before, but even so, it still held a trace of the seductiveness it had had earlier.
"Well," Hiccup said breathlessly, his chest heaving against Astrid's. "That was interesting."
Astrid could only stare wordlessly at him, her senses and her mind still in a daze from their passionate embrace.
"What? You're not going to yell at me? Not even a punch in the arm?" he laughed amusedly, his entire face lighting up.
"I…I don't think…I don't think I have…enough energy left," she finally managed to stutter, her face flushing furiously.
Hiccup laughed again and placed a tiny kiss on the tip of her nose. "I guess you owe me next time," he joked, bringing his hand to rest against her cheek.
Astrid mustered enough strength to narrow her eyes and smirk at him. "Oh, definitely," she whispered dangerously, earning a blush from Hiccup. "You had better be ready."
