By the time people had started to show up, the clouds had cleared and the sun blared bright in the sky. A gentle breeze blew through the garden, the trees swaying ever so slightly.

"Of course," Hiccup had said, when Astrid pointed out how quickly the weather had changed. "I'm pretty sure my parents could control the sun if they wanted to."

He and Astrid were holding hands. It still felt unfamiliar to him, odd that they should be having so much constant contact. His hand felt like it was tingling, and every time Astrid's fingers brushed across his, he felt something like sparks shooting up his arm.

It's just because you've never done this before, Hiccup thought to himself. That's why it doesn't feel quite right.

But there was a nagging sensation in the back of his brain, one that said that it didn't feel wrong, the opposite in fact, that it felt very, very right.

The Haddocks were a boisterous lot. It seemed that the garden went from quiet tranquillity to a buzz of noise - loud laughter and chatter. They were all so talkative, too. Each and every one of them had something to say about something – even the people that Hiccup was sure he'd only ever said one word to in his life.

You two are so sweet," said one person whom Hiccup didn't recognise at all but was pretty sure he was related to.

Astrid and Hiccup had been leaning against the food table for most of the afternoon – "Party survival 101 – stick by the food," Astrid had said – but people were still gravitating around them.

The woman in front of them was still talking, but Hiccup wasn't listening. He was just trying to rack his brains to remember her name.

"I'm so glad you've found someone," she said, tilting her head to the side with a smile. "We never thought you'd bring anyone home."

Was it Emily? Amelia?

Astrid held onto Hiccup's arm and rested her head on his shoulder. "I thought he'd never bring me home."

…Elizabeth? No, it was something that began with a B…

"Well, I'm glad he did. It's been lovely to meet you Astrid," the woman said, reaching forward to shake Astrid's hand.

...Bethany? Belinda? Astrid smiled and shook the woman's hand politely. "Lovely to meet you too."

It hit Hiccup all at once – a flash of recognition. "Beatrice!" he said, a little too loudly, clicking his fingers and slapping his hand into his palm.

Beatrice blinked, taking a step back. "Sorry, did I say something wrong?"

"Oh, no!" Hiccup stammered, his face flushing bright red. "You didn't- I just- Oh, Astrid, I think that's my mother calling, we better go…"

He took Astrid's hand in his and led her across the garden, leaving Beatrice hovering by the snack table, quite bewildered.

"Wow," Astrid said, her voice dry as she let herself be dragged away by Hiccup. "That was spectacular."

"I couldn't remember her name, okay?" Hiccup muttered, still bright red. He carded a hand through his hair and refused to look at her.

Astrid raised her eyebrows. "And I think she realised that by the way you yelled it in her face."

Hiccup groaned. "Alright, we'll file this away as one of my particularly dumb moments and then we can just go ahead and never mention it again…"

He turned around and joined the party again, weaving his way through the crowd of people. Astrid watched him go, a grin on her face.

"If you think I'm not going to bring this up all the time, you're wrong!" she called, her voice full of glee.

That wasn't their only encounter. As the afternoon dragged on, they were bombarded by person after person, all of them far too interested in Hiccup's love life for people he only saw once or twice a year.

"So, how did you two meet?"

It was the question that they had been getting all fronts, from every friend and family member. It felt like there was a spotlight over the two of them - and it didn't surprise Hiccup in the least. He had never admitted to his crushes to any of his family members. They were all go hard or go home kind of people, and he really didn't need anyone meddling with his business in the name of helping. So it must have been exciting for them, something new. Or just something new to tease him about.

Astrid was perfect at this - she could smile and answer questions like nothing else.

"We were on the same course in university," she would say, smiling up at Hiccup. "We took a lot of the same classes, but we didn't quite manage to keep in touch. We ran into each other a few months ago, and well, we just took it from there."

That was his cue to tack something on at the end, something cutesy like, "And I'm so glad we did," while staring into her eyes.

He wasn't able to do that for very long. There was something thoroughly disarming about Astrid's big blue eyes, something he had never noticed before. He would always find himself swallowing and breaking their gaze, staring down at his feet, mouth suddenly dry.

This whole thing with Astrid was really getting into his head. He could feel himself getting far too caught up in the act – he kept having uncomfortable moments, realising that for the past few minutes, he hadn't been faking at all. It was getting a little silly. Astrid was his friend, nothing more, and this facade was messing things up, making him act in certain ways. Like how every touch from her was making him nervous in a way it never had before. Touch between them had an implication now, and it had a way of making Hiccup's brain fuzzy.

And it wasn't helping that everyone was lapping it all up.

One particularly nosy relation began grilling them for all the personal details.

"So, when was the first kiss?" she said, leering at the couple, a little too close for Hiccup or Astrid's liking.

The two of them stopped still at the question, glancing at each other in panic for a moment. It hadn't been something that had come up between the pair of them in their preparation, and now they just stammered, a little lost for words.

"Now, now, Gretchen, don't make them uncomfortable," someone said from behind them, in loud, braying Scottish accent.

For the first time in this whole debacle, Hiccup broke out into a grin and whipped around, letting go of Astrid's hand to hug the man. "Gobber!" he said, for once his voice full of genuine mirth.

"Good to see you, boy," Gobber said, scuffling Hiccup's hair. "Now what's this I hear about you bringing a date?"

Hiccup grinned, and turned around to hold Astrid's hand again and bring her over. "Gobber, this is Astrid. My girlfriend."

The word burned on his tongue, and he realised all at once that he hadn't referred to her as that to anyone. It felt odd in his mouth. Strange, like it wasn't quite right.

"Lovely to meet you, lass," Gobber said, shaking her hand. "I hope you've been taking good care of my nephew."

"I've been trying," Astrid said, looking up at Hiccup and softly elbowing him in the side. "He doesn't make it easy."

Gobber laughed. "I would expect nothing less. I remember having to babysit him. You wouldn't believe some of the stories I could tell you."

Astrid's eyes twinkled. "I'd love to hear some of them."

"Okay!" Hiccup said loudly, putting his hands on Astrid's shoulders and steering her away from the man. "It's time to go, now."

"Just you wait, Hiccup!" Gobber called after him, cheerfully. "You can't keep her away forever."

They wandered down to the edge of the garden, out of earshot of the gathering, and Astrid looked up at Hiccup, a grin tugging at her lips.

"Gobber?" she asked.

Hiccup smiled. "One of my uncles. It's a nickname."

"I'm starting to think that your family has a very cruel sense of humour regarding names."

"Something like that."

Astrid opened her mouth to say something more, but was interrupted when music began to fill the air, Val having fiddled with the sound system. Everyone cheered, and slowly but surely, people headed towards the middle of the lawn, breaking off into couples and starting to dance.

Hiccup smiled and was about to offer his hand out towards her, when a voice from behind him sneered, "Well, well, well, if it isn't Mr. Haddock the younger."

Hiccup froze, muttering the words "Oh, no," before plastering the fakest smile Astrid had ever seen him make across his face, and turning around.

It was a tall, lean man, with a face that made Astrid want to take a step away. His eyes were sunken, dark circles surrounding them, his nose crooked and his mouth twisted into an unkind smirk. He had a hat jammed onto his hairless head, and as he held up his hand to shake, his sleeve slipped back to reveal a shiny metal hook.

Hiccup kept his hands firmly at his sides. "Alvin," he said, his voice much higher in pitch than before. "It's so good that you could come."

"Isn't it?" Alvin said, still smiling like he belonged in Stepford. He turned his leer on Astrid, and she felt her skin crawl a little. "This must be the lady friend I've heard so much about."

Hiccup instinctively put an arm around Astrid's waist. "Yes. This is Astrid Hofferson."

"Pleasure to meet you," she said, but made no attempt to offer her hand. Her eyes kept flickering down at the hook, gleaming in the sun.

"Pleasure's all mine," Alvin said. "It's quite a convincing little facade the two of you have going on here. I do hope it works out for you."

The pair of them tensed. Hiccup's fingers froze on Astrid's waist.

"I don't know what you mean," Hiccup said, his voice sharp.

Alvin laughed. "Of course you don't. Enjoy the reunion, you two."

He turned on his heel, ready to disappear into the crowd of people dancing but then he stopped, and looked over his shoulder at them. "You haven't seen Snotlout, have you?"

Hiccup shook his head.

"Pity," Alvin said. He hadn't stopped smiling the whole time, and there was an unkind glint in his eye. "Well, I'm sure he'll be along soon."

Then he was gone, lost in the swathes of people.

Hiccup took a breath out, and it took him a few moments to realise that his arm was still around Astrid's waist. He stepped away from her and ran his fingers through his hair.

"What just happened?" Astrid said, looking from Hiccup to the crowd of people, and back to Hiccup again.

Hiccup sighed. "Alvin just happened. Alvin the Treacherous."

"Another one of your family nicknames?"

"Yes, and this one fits perfectly," Hiccup muttered, his features twisting into a scowl, his arms folding. "That man's nothing but trouble."

Astrid frowned. "What happened to his hand?"

"No one knows," Hiccup said, his voice low. "He changes his story every time someone asks. Why he has a hook instead of a prosthetic is beyond me. Dramatic flair, probably."

His fingers curled around his arms, a dark look on his face. Astrid chewed on her lower lip.

"You don't think he's going to be a problem do you?" she said, kicking her foot back and forth in a nervous twitch. "I mean, if he knows about us-"

"No," Hiccup said quickly. His expression changed, his dark look gone as he looked down at Astrid and smiled. "He's just trying to stir the pot. No one will believe him. We have more to worry about from Snotlout, honestly."

She glanced back up towards the middle of the garden, but Alvin was nowhere to be found. He'd completely disappeared. "You sure?" she asked.

Hiccup matched her gaze across the garden. "We'll keep an eye on him."

"Oi, Hiccup!" someone yelled, gesturing over to where the pair of them stood. "Bring your girl over for a dance!"

After that, everyone started cheering again, only this time they were cheering Hiccup's name and waving him and Astrid over.

Hiccup rolled his eyes, and offered his hand out to Astrid. She took it with a smile, and let herself be led into the middle of the garden, their makeshift 'dance floor'. He twirled her around in what he hoped was a graceful movement, but in reality probably looked very awkward, and rested his hands on her waist, while she looped her arms around his neck. Someone wolf-whistled. At first, the pair couldn't help but feel self-conscious, with the weight of Alvin's words on their shoulders and the realization that someone knew they were faking, the two suddenly felt that their every move was being scrutinised.

At first, they swayed in concentric circles, their hands frozen is space, too worried about the people watching them to let go but also too worried about crossing a line to get closer, but after a while, Hiccup took Astrid's hands in his. Their fingers linked together, Astrid grinned up at him, and somehow the audience melted into the background, and in that moment it was just him and his best friend, dancing to music.

"Hiccup, I hate to break this to you," Astrid said, after he'd stepped on her toe for the third time. "But you are a terrible dancer."

Hiccup grinned. She was smiling up at him, eyes shining under the sunlight, hair in her face. "Did you expect anything else?"

"You know, surprisingly enough, I didn't."

"You think you're any better?"

Astrid gasped, mock offended. "I'll have you know, Haddock, that I took dance classes in school."

Hiccup raised an eyebrow. He hadn't known that. "Were you any good?"

"Top of the class."

The song ended, and Astrid let go of Hiccup's hands, a smile still tugging at her lips. "I'm gonna go get a drink," she said. "Be right back."

Hiccup watched her go, somehow unable to stop from smiling at her retreating figure.

"That was very cute."

Hiccup blinked, surprised by the sudden noise, and turned to see one of the younger family members standing behind him. She'd been part of the group of people a little too eager for details, hanging on to the couple's every word and keeping one eye on them at all times.

"Your flirting is very sweet," she said, squeezing Hiccup's arm. "It's nice to see that from you."

Then she turned and left.

Flirting?

He hadn't been flirting. Nothing he'd said to Astrid while they were dancing had been for show. It had just been typical Astrid-and-Hiccup banter, the normal kind of ribbing and teasing that their relationship had always been. It hadn't been flirting, not at all, not in a million years.

Hadn't it?

"Earth to Hiccup?"

Astrid was back, and holding a plastic cup out towards him. He took it without saying anything, still kind of dazed by what the other girl had said.

"You okay?" Astrid said.

"Hm? Oh, yeah. Just distracted."

She narrowed her eyes at him but said nothing else, turning around and joining the party once more.

Up on the patio, Hiccup's father was sitting on a lawn chair, looking down at the party. He sprung out of his seat when his brother-in-law approached.

"Stoick! It's been too long," Gobber said, grasping Stoick by the shoulders and pulling him into a hug.

They had been friends ever since they were boys. The two of them had been as thick as thieves, as inseparable as the sun from the moon, and they had only got closer when Stoick started to date Gobber's sister, and he became part of the family. Though Stoick and Val had never officially married, Stoick considered Gobber his brother anyway.

Gobber had been a constant in Hiccup's life growing up. He was the weird uncle Hiccup went to when he was feeling overwhelmed and couldn't talk to his father, and he'd always given the boy good at vice. He'd also been the one who taught Hiccup the important things, like how trolls would steal your socks. Only the left ones, though.

"You better make sure to pair them all up, Hiccup, and never leave them on your floor, or that troll will get them!" he would say.

Val told him off, afraid that it would scare the little boy, but five year old Hiccup had no such qualms. Instead, the toddler went hunting for trolls, determined to find one and prove his uncle right.

Then, Hiccup had left for university and Stoick and Val had moved away from their hometown, which meant Gobber was no longer always around, a loss that every member of the Haddock family felt deeply. Gobber was one of them, plain and simple, last name or not.

"Too right," Stoick said gruffly, sitting back down. "You should come and visit more often."

Gobber shrugged, and joined Stoick, sinking down into the chair next to him. "If money wasn't an issue, I'd be here all the time. You should come back and visit Berk more often, your summer home is getting dusty."

Stoick and Val still owned their house on the Isle of Berk, the place where Hiccup had grown up. They called it a summer house, a place for them to go when they needed a holiday, but they'd found it so difficult to find the time off work to go there often. Sometimes they let it out as a holiday home, for the few tourists that knew about the little old island that was Berk. Gobber had the keys and was looking after it for them in the meantime.

"We just might be doing that very soon," a voice from behind them said.

Val appeared by their sides, holding a tray of drinks for the three of them. Gobber grinned at his sister and took a glass off the tray, taking a sip. Val pulled up another chair, settling herself down on the other side of Stoick.

"Ah, so you're making the announcement today," he said.

Val broke out into the smile. "Yes, we are."

"Does Hiccup know about it?"

Stoick and Val smiled at each other and linked their hands together. "We haven't told him yet. It's going to be a surprise."

Gobber grinned, and for a moment there was silence as the three of them sipped their drinks and looked out into the party, in particular, at where Hiccup was dancing with Astrid.

"The boy's grown up, hasn't he?" Gobber said, gesturing over towards him. "Never thought I'd see the day that he'd snatch up a young lady for himself."

"It was a big surprise for us," Val said. "He hadn't made any hints or signs at all, if Scott hadn't told us, we'd never have known."

"Snotlout told you before Hiccup?" Gobber said, blinking in surprise.

Val scowled and threw her arms in the air. "Scott, Gobber, his name is Scott," she said, furrowing her brow. "Honestly, my family is so rude."

Stoick and Gobber shared a look, and he cocked an eyebrow. "You realise you nicknamed me Gobber, right?"

Val smacked him on the arm, which did nothing but prove his point.

A few moments passed, the three of them enjoying each other's company – a peaceful moment in the sun.

Stoick was the one to break the silence, a little twinkle in his eye as he grinned over at Gobber. "So when are you going to bring a date to one of these things, Gobber?"

"Stoick, if I ever date anyone, I'm going to pull a Hiccup and not tell you," Gobber said, a grin tugging at his lips. "And I won't make the mistake of letting a tattle-tale family member in on the secret."

"Why would you deny us another Mr. Gobber?" Stoick said, laughing.

"Please, Stoick, one is enough," Val said in a dry voice, taking a sip from her drink.

The three laughed, and the conversation lulled again, the three of them focusing on their drinks.

"I wonder why he didn't tell you about her before," Gobber said, more to himself than anyone else.

"Oh, he's a very private person. Probably didn't want to subject the poor girl to all this Haddock nonsense," Val said. "Especially as he seems to really love her."

Stoick raised an eyebrow. "You think he loves her? Already?"

Val laughed, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Have you seen the way he looks at her?" she said. "If that's not love, I don't know what is."

She points over to where Hiccup and Astrid are still dancing, in the middle of the garden, the two holding each other's hands and laughing, like they were the only two people on that lawn and no one else was watching.

"See?" she said. "He looks at her like she's the only reason that the world keeps spinning."