Hiccup hesitated when he stood in front of Astrid's front door. She had said yes. She had accepted. As far as he could understand they were boyfriend and girlfriend (though honestly he couldn't possibly understand why she chose him).
But it still didn't feel right or proper to be knocking on her door so they could go the the Thrimilci festival together. This wasn't just them hanging out together, working in the forge or training dragons. This was a date. Thrimilci was the feast of fertility and growth, celebrated when winter turned to spring and everything in nature sprang anew in the warm sun. It was a feast of celebrating the seeds they'd plant, the newborn calves and chicks they'd raise. And above all, it was a feast of love and fertility. It was no surprise most births on Berk happened around 9 months later.
A boy and a girl going to Thrimilci together meant something. It was basically the way of saying you were together, dating, possibly even planning to marry. Hiccup was nowhere near ready to marry yet, but the other stuff was amazing.
Still, going public about it like this was a big step.
Toothless swatted his arm with his tail, clearly annoyed at his indecisiveness, and he was torn from his thoughts. Taking a deep breath, he knocked on the door twice before digging into his pocket for the little brooch he had made earlier.
"Hello, Hiccup," Tolfdir said as he opened the door, and Hiccup wasn't sure what the man thought of him. Surely Astrid told him they were going together. Toothless ran out back, eager to greet Stormfly.
"Hello Mr. Hofferson, how are you doing? Lovely day, isn't it? Good fertile season ahead! Great for planting!" Hiccup blurted out, already regretting everything in his life that had let up to this moment.
"Right… I'm sure it will be," Astrid's father said, but he didn't seem to move out of the way.
"Oh Tolf, let the boy in already. Stop doing your stoic father routine, it's cruel," Kirsten said, apparently pushing her husband aside and grabbing Hiccup's arm, pulling him into the house. He barely avoided tripping over the threshold.
"Astrid, there's a handsome boy here to see you!" she called out, and Hiccup tried to smile, though he mostly wanted to sink through the floor. His stomach was twisting and turning, sure that Astrid would take one look at his ridiculous fancy clothes and laugh.
"Coming!" Astrid called back from above, her shout soon followed by rapid footsteps on the stairs. Hiccup tried to stand up a little taller, and hoped he didn't look as sick as he felt. Suddenly she was there, in front of him. He gulped.
"Hey," he said, immediately wanting to facepalm. That was all he could say? But what else could he say? It's not like he could compliment her clothes, he couldn't see them!
"Hello there. Mother wasn't kidding, you do look very nice," Astrid said with a tingle in her voice, before grabbing his hands. Suddenly everything was okay. His stomach calmed, and Hiccup couldn't help but smile. Of course she wouldn't laugh. Why would he even think that?
"Okay then, you two have fun now! We'll be along later, just gotta finish these pies!" Kirsten said as she all but pushed them out of the house.
"Not too much fun!" Tolfdir called after them, and Hiccup was sure he turned bright red. Hopefully Astrid wouldn't see it in the light of the setting sun.
"Sorry for my parents. They can be so embarrassing," Astrid said, her voice suddenly softer, more… fragile. Hiccup nearly dropped her hand in confusion. Toothless and Stormfly ran around the house, eventually following Hiccup and Astrid.
"What? Your parents are great. I mean, I was way more embarrassed by myself, I mean, I'm like… I can't see you, and I didn't know what to say though I'm sure you look amazing and-" Astrid pulled him towards her, planting a kiss on his lips to stop his wild rambling.
"Hiccup. Relax. I chose to go out with you, didn't I? I knew what that will entail. Your blindness is part of that. I accept that. You should too," she said after she released his lips. Honestly his mind was too busy flying high on the kiss to focus too much on her words, but he knew she was right.
"I know. It's just… some days it's hard. Especially around other people," he said softly as they started walking again. In the distance they could hear the sounds of the festival. Music, talking, laughing.
"I'm with you, okay? Us against the world," Astrid said, and he tried to smile despite the sounds from the party getting louder and louder. Toothless warbled, confused by the strange lights and bright banners that had overtaken the plaza.
"So… what do you want to do first?" he asked awkwardly, not sure what the options were exactly.
"Let's eat a bit first, then we can dance!" Astrid said, already dragging him along to a fragrant corner of the plaza. It was filled with treats, the last of the winter stocks. She didn't let him ask for things herself, instead just filling his hands with pastries before leading him to a bench.
"That was fast," he said before trying one of the little pastries. A bit stale, but still really good.
"I didn't want them to start bothering you about your blindfold. I know you hate it when people draw attention to it. Besides, I know you like the berry pies. And here, Toothless, I got you one with fish!" she said as she tossed it at the dragon next to him, and Hiccup nodded. "But of course I didn't forget about you, Stormfly! Here, have a chicken tart!"
They sat for a bit, Astrid sometimes telling him about what was happening. Ruffnut and Snotlout were apparently arguing again, and Fishlegs was trying to dance on his own.
"D-Do you want to dance?" Hiccup hesitantly asked when they were both done eating. Honestly he wasn't looking forward to dancing. It had only been a month since he had woken up without his leg, and he was nowhere near used to the prosthetic yet. He could walk with it, but not much more than that.
"Can you handle it? With the… you know?" she softly asked, leaning closer to him.
"I think so. I want to… to share this with you," he said, stomach churning again. Maybe he shouldn't have eaten those pastries. But he had to do this. He wanted to do this. It was part of going on a date to Thrimilci.
"Okay then. Just tell me if you get tired, okay?" she said, standing up and taking his hand again. A moment later they were on the dance floor, swaying to a cheerful song. Hiccup felt awkward, his hands on her shoulders, but Astrid's happy laughter was so contagious he couldn't help but smile with her as the song sped up a little.
Around them other couples danced, and he could overhear snippets of their conversations. Astrid and him seemed to be a popular topic. He supposed that was to be expected, but he didn't like the disapproving tone many had.
"-That blindness, though! She can do so much better-" an older woman said as she flew right by him, and the words made him jolt. His prosthetic slipped on the smooth tile, and then he was falling. HIs hands fell off Astrid's shoulders, instinctively trying to break his fall.
He never hit the ground, though.
Astrid pulled him back to his feet with massive strength, though Hiccup knew part of it was because he was so light. Didn't make it any less embarrassing, though, and all the joy of dancing had left him. His hands clenched into fists. That woman was right, Astrid shouldn't have to-
"Hiccup. Don't listen to those idiots. You and me, okay?" she pulled his face towards her, whispering loudly. "Screw those munge-buckets. We're together and there's not a damn thing they can do about it."
She didn't waste any time, folding his fists open again and putting them back on her shoulders, before guiding him back into the dance. He could sense her head moving around quickly, presumably glaring at anyone who might dare to mock him.
"Thanks," he whispered. "I'm just sorry you have to go through all this extra trouble because of me. This should be a day of fun and joy."
Astrid skipped a step to slap him lightly on the arm.
"Don't you get it already? I am having fun. I like being with you, Hiccup. Get it through that thick skull of yours already. I thought you were clever," she said with a teasing tone, and he resisted the instinctive urge to shake his head.
"Look, I get it, okay? It's our first date. People are gonna gossip about it. I'm nervous about that too. But it's still Thrimilci, a day of careless abandon. Now stop worrying and have some damn fun too!" she exclaimed, doing a rapid dance move around him, leading him through some strange and confusing steps. For a second Hiccup thought it was a miracle he didn't fall, but then he realized Astrid wouldn't let him fall. And he couldn't let her down either. So he smiled and joined her as a new song started playing. All the people around them seemed to disappear, until they were alone in the dark room.
Maybe going public with their relationship wasn't so bad after all.
