If you read a lot of my work, you'll be familiar with two aspects of this authors note.

Secret bonus chapter! And that it's being written because I can't sleep!

Future-chap. Featuring lyrics I credit to Billy Joel, but if I'm wrong someone can correct me on that.

(and to the reviewer who thinks all teenagers who got tattoos and piercings end up on drugs or drink... fuck you. Meet less boring people and stop tarring everyone who doesn't fall into the standard walk of life with the same brush. As a tattooed, pierced person who is teetotal and never touched drugs, and who knows lots of other people who fall into the same categories, I can tell you you need to broaden your horizons.)

-HTTYD-

Constantly topless - not that Astrid minded terribly - Hiccup was airing out his back tattoo, recently touched up to cover fading patches that were common as the inkwork aged. He danced around the kitchen, making her laugh with his daft faces as he twirled a wooden spoon in his hands and mimed singing in to it along with the radio.

"You are completely ridiculous."

"And you wouldn't have me any other way."

He winked, scratching the side of his jaw where stubble didn't quite mask the tattoo beneath, a unicorn of all things. Astrid smiled when she saw it - it was a testament to a date they'd had early on in their relationship, one they repeated whenever the same fair came around even now.

Hiccup had never outgrown the desire to alter his body, and there was a lot less blank skin left on him than back when Astrid first met him. Not that he'd had tons of blank skin back then either, already covered by the massive back piece and more. Since then, he had about a dozen more tattoos, and several more piercings. Both his nipples bore metal bars, though he wore rings in them sometimes. The one ring in his lip had a matching twin on the opposite side, which Astrid was reliably informed were called 'snake bites', though she had no clue why. He also had a second stud to join the one already in his tongue, following the vertical line in the middle.

A couple of piercings had come and gone, depending on how Hiccup tolerated them during work or whether he didn't like how they looked. He'd had his septum pierced, but it caught when he wore a mask for spray painting, and so that one had gone. There had been one at the top of his cheek bone that Hiccup called an anti eyebrow piercing, but it got in the way when he wore goggles, and he'd had his actual eyebrow pierced but didn't like the way it looked after a couple of months.

Astrid's personal favourite of his new piercings surprised even her - he got his belly button pierced, and she loved it. In the back of her mind, she'd always associated it with being a very... female thing, but as soon as Hiccup mentioned he was getting it, she realised that was nonsense. And now she loved that little sparkle on his stomach. Near that piercing, one of Hiccup's most meaningful tattoos had come to rest - a reindeer, in honour of Eret and his Sami family for taking him in when Hiccup ran out on his father, on that pre-arranged life that he had never wanted.

The other side of his stomach was a dedication to Astrid - a slightly cartoonish diploma. That was an homage to everything he had done for her, back when she first took Hiccup home to meet her parents.

Angry wasn't the word. Incensed. Apoplectic. Devastated. It was like Astrid had literally brought home a serial killer and told her parents she was offering them to him.

They'd given her an ultimatum there and then. If she didn't drop Hiccup, they would throw her out and cut her off financially. Hiccup didn't even get mad; in front of her parents, he gave her the choice. She could leave him, go live her life, and he wouldn't take it personally. Or she could go with him, and he'd support her financially while Astrid went to law school. By then, his business was doing well and Hiccup could afford such an offer.

Within half an hour, Eret had driven over - Astrid couldn't pack up her things and get them back on Hiccup's motorcycle - and said she was always welcome in the men's home. Her parents had clearly never expected her to go through with it, and her mother pulled Astrid aside before she actually walked out, said if she ever realised what a mistake she was making by going with Hiccup, that she could come home. Astrid pulled away, walked out to where Hiccup waited.

"Ready to go home milady?"

Astrid nodded. Smiled. Clambered up on the back of the bike so they could follow Eret back to her new home. Since they refused to let her pay rent, Astrid helped by doing the books for the garage and Hiccup's custom shop, since she was better at maths than most of them and already had an understanding of law. She spent her weekends surrounded by cars, or getting merrily tipsy around camp fires of a night with a group of people she would probably never have even met if not for the stubborn biker who stopped to help her by the roadside. She loved it.

True to his word, Hiccup worked like an absolute demon to keep his business going, growing, and Astrid left law school with zero in student debt because of him. His presence at her graduation was hilarious, he and the Hunter family a very distinctive little pocket of people with ink on their faces, all jumping and cheering with much more vigour when Astrid crossed the stage.

"I'm so proud of you."

"I couldn't have done it without you. Thank you Hiccup."

He waved her off, kissed her, told her he loved her. Then stole her mortarboard and started strutting around like a complete idiot. Gods, did she love that idiot. The rest of her by-choice-family rushed to congratulate her too, Astrid in her gown looking small and formal compared to broad tattooed bikers who barely took off their leathers to turn up.

Hiccup was even happy for Astrid when her parents reached out, wanting to reconnect when they saw that Hiccup had made good on his promise, that he was more than the rough mechanic look suggested. As an apology and repayment? Her father even put money into Hiccup's custom shop and Eret's garage, enabling both to expand and upgrade here and there.

"We misjudged you, and I'm sorry Hiccup. I can see you're very good for my daughter."

Smiling, Hiccup shook Mr Hofferson's smooth, unworked hand with his inked, calloused one.

"She's very good for me. And don't worry, I'm used to the way people react to me. But I know Astrid will be happy to have you back in her life."

Even now, Hiccup hadn't reconnected with his father. He left it to his dad to reach out - it wasn't exactly a secret where Hiccup lived and worked - and Stoick didn't. Hiccup didn't let it bring him down, but Astrid knew part of him missed his dad. His family mattered enough to put on his face, for Thor's sake. And Astrid knew her lover kept tabs on his dad, being a public figure meaning it was easy to look him up online for regular updates on his life.

Once Astrid began working, the couple began putting money into something else, though they had a lot of help which meant their costs stayed pretty low - the empty land half a mile from Hiccup's shop was gifted to them by Eret's father, to build their very own home. Half of Eret's family - their family - were some kind of builder, plumber, bricklayer and so on. They were a family who liked to get busy with their hands. Eret's mom taught Astrid how to chop wood with an axe. It was awesome.

Their own personal home was nearing completion - a couple of upstairs rooms were still bare brick, but the house was livable. And it felt more like theirs every single day - Hiccup already looked completely at home in the kitchen, larking about as he was prone to. His sense of fun never faded.

"Oh hey, its our song!"

Rolling her eyes, Astrid let Hiccup pull her away from her law book to muck about for five minutes. He kept her from stagnating, reminded her how much more fun life could be if she took a breather.

Uptown girl
She's been living in her uptown world
I bet she's never had a backstreet guy
I bet her mama never told her why

Hiccup thought he was terribly funny applying that song to her, a throwback to how they'd come from different worlds. Although at the same time, they'd had startlingly similar beginnings. But Hiccup had chosen to walk out on it, then been there to catch Astrid when her parents couldn't accept her quirky rebel boyfriend.

I'm gonna try for an uptown girl

She's been living in her white bread world
As long as anyone with hot blood can
And now she's looking for a downtown man
That's what I am

She'd certainly never been looking for someone like him before, but now Astrid could not imagine coming home to a guy who wore a suit all day like she did, who had stories like 'the printer at work broke' rather than 'someone with a ferret on a leash came in today to have me add a basket to their bike for it'. And as for hot blood... Astrid definitely loved that Hiccup had been her perfect match in bed too.

And when she knows
What she wants from her time
And when she wakes up
And makes up her mind

She'll see I'm not so tough
Just because
I'm in love with an uptown girl

Hiccup saw her. Not the Astrid that had been how she presented to everybody else, but the Astrid who both wanted to succeed in life and also not become a boring, stale old woman who regretted never having an adventure in her life. He knew what it was to feel stifled, suppressed, alienated. Hiccup had strived to never let Astrid feel the same thing.

And in turn, she saw him. Past the intimidating figure he'd cut in the dark that night, to the sweet and tender human beneath. Who made her feel so loved, cherished. She was so lucky he'd stopped that night, else when would they ever have met?

You know I've seen her in her uptown world
She's getting tired of her high class toys
And all her presents from her uptown boys
She's got a choice

Letting him dance her around the kitchen, Astrid was in fits of laughter before the song was even over, turning when they saw Eret coming through the open kitchen door, waving to the two of them.

"Afternoon slacker."

"It's my day off!"

"I know, but we just got three cars in the space of half an hour."

Laughing to himself, Hiccup gestured to the oven.

"Let me finish lunch and then I'll be over."

"You're a lifesaver H. Looking good Astrid."

Eret winked, roguish grin on his face. He'd always been a flirt - he even flirted with Hiccup. It was how he was, and he'd never crossed a line, made a move on Astrid.

"You look terrible."

"Oh, you wound me!"

"I will if you don't go away."

Chuckling, Eret turned to head back to work. Hiccup leant down and kissed Astrid's smiling lips, then sighed reluctantly before he resumed making them lunch. He'd never say no when the Hunter garage needed help; he wouldn't be where he was without them. Eret had taught him to be a mechanic, after all.

"Don't worry about it babe. I have to study this case law for next week anyway."

"Yeah, I know. I just like the cute faces you pull when you study."

After a quick lunch, Hiccup kissed her again, left her dizzy with the faint ghost of cool metal on her lips as he grabbed his overalls from by the door and jogged off toward the garage. Sitting back at the table with a dopey smile that would not go away, Astrid tried to focus back on her work. Her boss wouldn't be happy if she was unprepared for court because of her boyfriend being too cute.

"You know you don't have to do this for me."

"I know. I want to."

Hiccup hadn't worn a suit since he left that function his dad was throwing, over ten years ago now. If he was doing this, he was going to do it right. He'd gone and got professionally fitted, had his colours picked to match Astrid's outfit. Though, Hiccup did have a short sleeve shirt beneath the jacket and waistcoat, so if he took off his top layer then his ink-filled arms would be completely visible.

Astrid was looking at him with avid interest as Hiccup fixed his collar, clearly a fan of how he 'cleaned up'. Hiccup couldn't deny eyeing her with similar interest - she looked sensational in her dress, blue eyes sparkling as she beamed when he turned and presented himself to her in a 'how do I look?' gesture.

"Ready to go?"

Unlike all the times before when he'd donned a suit, Hiccup had no makeup other than his habitual eyeliner on. His piercings were all still in. The tattoos on his hands and face and neck were all uncovered. He'd shaved, but only so the little unicorn tattoo on his jaw was visible. And his hair was as hopeless as ever. They walked out so Hiccup could put his boots on, and then they were ready to get going.

"You off then guys?"

Eret and his girlfriend were out on the field between their place and Hiccup and Astrid's, so they saw the two leaving and came over to say goodbye.

"Yep. Wish me luck."

Not touching him in case he dirtied the suit, Eret gave him a reassuring smile.

"You'll be fine. Everyone will be so distracted by how hot your girl looks they won't even notice you."

His girlfriend rolled his eyes. Hiccup was amazed the first time he met the new lady in his friends life about four years back - mostly because Astrid knew her. She and Heather had been at college together, but lost touch when Astrid and her family fell out.

"It's a good job I know that's just how you talk or I'd be tempted to kick your ass."

"If you want, you can do it anyway."

Eret waggled his eyebrows, grinning cheekily. Heather rolled her eyes again, then gave Astrid the up-and-down look.

"You do look great. We'll catch you guys later."

"Yeah."

They slid into Astrid's car - they could hardly take Hiccup's bike. Well, they could, but they'd turn up to the thing looking like they'd just tumbled out of a bush after a public indiscretion. Not that Hiccup considered that a bad thing, but he was already about to make a statement and a half by showing up at all.

"You don't have to cover up your tattoos for this you know. Well... except that one on your butt. That one does things to my self control."

Hiccup chuckled as Astrid's mouth twisted into a thoughtful pout, remembering the first time she saw the dragon bite on his ass. She'd bit him herself, and when Hiccup turned to look at her in question, she giggled and gave him her most innocent face.

"It's not like I'm the first!"

They headed off, the journey sickeningly familiar despite all the time that had passed. It looked the same as it had when he left. Driveway full of expensive, flashy cars, the garden dead save for a couple of flowers maintained by the home help. His mother had been the one who kept the garden healthy, green, full of life.

The bulk of the man squeezed into a suit that probably fit him twenty pounds ago was equally familiar, beard longer and greying from the middle outward. His recognition of Hiccup was instant, but clearly and equally stunned.

"What're you doing here?"

"Nice to see you too dad. And I believe you told my fiancee she could bring a plus one."

Hiccup circled the car, opened Astrid's door and helped her out. She smiled up at him, then turned to face Stoick.

Astrid was the youngest person ever to be raised to Senior Crown Advocate, gaining a fierce reputation for working tricky, sensitive and complex cases in court. So she was invited along to this function that was celebrating the legal system or something. She'd been prepared to turn it down, but Hiccup had been the one to insist - it was good for her career to go to these things. He knew some things in life were as much who you knew as what you knew.

She'd asked if he wanted to come. Hiccup had initially been horrified, then realised he could be something else entirely; touched, honoured that Astrid was proud enough to display him at her side. Even in front of his father - she knew everything that had happened, but even after she rebuilt bridges with her own parents, Astrid never tried to push him to do the same with his dad.

"You are her fiance?"

"Yeah. We've been dating for... what, nine years now?"

"Ten next month, I think."

Marriage hadn't really been discussed, and Hiccup had realised Astrid was respecting how utterly un-traditional he was and not pushing it. So he proposed on their seventh anniversary out of the blue. Astrid accepted happily, but there was no rush to get down the aisle. Or however else they ended up actually tying the knot.

Stunned into near-silence, Stoick bristled, then turned and gruffly indicated they should go in. Astrid slid her hand through Hiccup's, squeezed gently and offered him a bolstering smile.

"You sure about this?"

"Only if you are. It's not my professional reputation on the line here."

Astrid frowned, shaking her head.

"I'd like to see anyone take a shot at my reputation, I'm a damn good prosecutor and advocate and that is all they are allowed to care about. Come on handsome. Let's go rock some worlds."

An eerie silence swept through when they walked in. Hiccup wondered how many of these people even knew he was Stoick's son.

"Take a picture, it'll last longer."

That was Astrid, snarking slightly on his behalf as everyone muttered amongst themselves.

"Who is he?"

One person finally felt brave enough to address them directly.

"He's my fiance. Is that a problem?"

Hiccup kept his cool; Astrid didn't need him defending her, she was capable of snapping back quick and hard all by herself, but after so long being able to live a life separate from stuffy, judgmental people, it was tough to not just walk out and say 'fuck it' to those clinging to societies rules. Still, not everybody there avoided him like getting too close would cause him to start speaking in tongues. Astrid seemed to recognise the lady who was brave enough to approach.

"I'm Atali."

"Hi. I'm Hiccup."

That got everyones attention. He might have faded from view years ago, but most people knew his dad had a son with the inherited name of his great-grandfather. People turned to search for Stoick, who was still eyeing Hiccup like he might explode.

"Is that your son?"

After a minute, Stoick nodded. There was actually a dramatic gasp. Hiccup felt like he was in a soap opera.

"How does a delinquent like you end up with the youngest senior advocate in Britain?"

"I'm not a delinquent. I run my own business, for one."

"Which let him put me through law school to begin with."

Hiccup was used to stares, but he didn't like the way everyone was looking so disbelieving. He didn't see why it was a big deal he paid for Astrid's degree - it was his fault her parents decided not to, after all.

"You did?"

His dad looked more surprised than anyone. Hiccup nodded.

"Yep. Is everyone going to stare the whole time?"

Mollified, people began to look away at last, starting conversations with each other. Astrid and Atali struck up a conversation, but Hiccup was keenly aware the entire time that his father was watching him. A couple of other people edged closer, one even asking him about motorcycles. He didn't quite relax, but the thickest of tensions seemed to have passed at last.

Astrid started having fun, and they caused something of a scene when they proved they could dance well together. Hiccup loved the way Astrid's cheeks flushed with the exertion, how she smiled up at him so prettily. Everyone else ceased to matter with the girl he loved in his arms, twirling and stepping and all that essential eye contact. After the dancing though, Hiccup turned to his fiancee.

"I need some air."

"You ok babe?"

"Yeah. Just too used to open plan buildings now. Stay, mingle. I'll only be outside."

Nodding, Astrid stretched up and kissed him, squeezed him reassuringly. Hiccup headed outside, gravel of the drive crunching under his boots as he paced a little, breathing in fresh air and feeling a breeze sweep over his skin. That was much better.

"Hiccup."

Jumping slightly - he hadn't heard anything opening or closing, didn't realise he had company - Hiccup turned and saw his dad standing there.

"Dad."

Hiccup wasn't ignorant of the traits he'd inherited from his father - stubbornness being one. They'd ignored each other completely for over ten years now. They were father and son, but they barely knew each other.

"Why did you have to put Astrid through school? I know her family. They have money."

"They kicked her out for dating me. I got paid back when they realised I wasn't going to ruin her life, and they patched things up."

He didn't add the 'unlike us' that lingered on his tongue, instead resuming his staring out at what had once been a gorgeous, floral paradise. Now it was just a manicured lawn, barely any life to it.

"I ne'er did have yer mothers knack for plants."

"Well, you've never been delicate."

They stood there in silence for what felt like hours, but Hiccup knew was likely just a couple of minutes.

"How did you two meet?"

"You mean me and Astrid?" Stoick nodded "I'd just finished building my bike. Took it out on a long ride, and on the way back I saw someone who's car had broken down. I had to bribe her with chocolate to not think I was a murderer. She wouldn't let me fix her car, but that turned out to be a good thing."

"How?"

"We spent two hours talking while she waited for the roadside assistance. When we were setting off, she gave me her number. The rest, as they say, is history."

If there was one thing Hiccup would tell to anybody who listened, it was definitely how he met the girl of his dreams. Astrid was incredible, and he knew every single day how gods-damned lucky he was to have her in his life.

"Can we talk? Properly?"

The words left his father in a rush, probably because otherwise he wouldn't have been able to bring himself to say it. Hiccup frowned, thinking. He'd built a new life, a new family, his business and his relationships - all alone. He didn't need his dad in his life. They were almost strangers.

"Yeah. Ok."

Maybe he didn't need his dad in his life anymore.

But he wanted him there.

-HTTYD-

Ok. Now we're done! Hope you enjoyed the bonus chapter :)