Hope you like it. I wanted it short but sweet. :3
Summary: it's those small moments of happiness you want to hold on to... Cue gratuitous Hiccstrid fluff for no apparent reason.
Warning: character death... Nah, I'm kidding! Warning is for excessive fluff and some sexual references. Rating now bumped to T.
Bump
Hiccup ran his fingers over her exposed belly for what seemed like the hundredth time that evening. He pressed his head upon it, listening intently as he absent-mindedly caressed the sweat-glistened skin.
The look on his face was one of sheer bliss and pure adoration. As they lay silently in bed, catching their breath under the fur blankets, the pitter-patter of the rain on their rooftop created the perfect background sound for the unperturbed atmosphere.
It was a good thing Hiccup had created a glassed hatchway for their ceiling when he built their marital home – it the very first ever on any Viking dwelling. In fact, theirs was the very first house to have actual windows in Berk, an idea he'd picked up abroad. The glass was thick and robust but still allowed Astrid to lose her gaze in the stars above as they seemed to melt away, an illusion caused by the rain that trickled down on the glass.
"Everything's okay, you know. I feel fine," Astrid said, smiling at her husband. "Reeeally fine…" she murmured, her voice dripping with that typical afterglow.
His light beard tickled her skin softly; his lips melted against her navel like warm butter.
"I just want to make sure, that's all."
Hiccup had been extremely wary during the initial phase of Astrid's gestation. It seemed comical to everyone else; Hiccup always referred to it as "their" pregnancy, like he himself was also with child.
Everyone saw Hiccup's thoughtfulness as sweet and endearing – Vikings were tough, but even they had a soft spot for babies –, yet it had been Hel of a process for Astrid. Convincing her spouse that lovemaking would NOT harm the baby proved a godlike task, especially since Astrid's hormones had thought it a good idea to couple an increased libido with extreme mood swings.
A deadly combination if there ever was one.
Sprinkle in the constant queasiness in her stomach (whoever decided to call those things "morning sickness" deserved a kick in the head; they should be called "all day long never catch a break go vomit on your dragon's saddle while flying" kind of sickness), and you have a winning formula for disaster walking around Berk with an axe in hand and a Nadder at her command.
The fact that Hiccup initially wouldn't dare touch Astrid with a ten-foot pole only made it worse. It was only after she had the craziest meltdown – blame it on those hormones – that Hiccup finally snapped out of it. Well, that and having a healer assure him that it was both fine and even recommendable that they not cease their amorous undertakings.
On the other hand, there had also been this extremely awkward phase that lasted for nearly three weeks. Hiccup became whiny; he was moody; he rejected his food and gagged frequently. Gothi gave her peculiar diagnosis – sympathetic pregnancy, something basically unheard of in the Viking age.
Astrid had laughed heartily despite herself; she had married the single most compassionate man in all the Barbaric Archipelago. Maybe even all of Midgard.
After that, things finally returned to relative normality… Sort of. Hiccup had always had a thing for cuddling after their activities, and early into their wedding the way he would just gaze upon her nearly freaked Astrid out. But she got used to it, and began to relish those moments of tenderness.
However, after her stomach started growing out it was like Hiccup couldn't stop looking at it. He seemed truly flabbergasted each time he looked at her rising belly, as if it had just popped up in the middle of his wife's body absent warning and he had to gawk at it out of sheer surprise.
His enthusiasm always made her smile madly; there was such a change in his persona inside the bedchamber, like he had a split personality.
He would invariably lose himself during their lovemaking, transforming from – well, Hiccup – into a sensual young man with an unbelievable pelvic thrust, sweltering lips and curious hands that never stood still.
Years of dragon riding had given him mastery over the sway of his hips, which Astrid thanked the Gods for each night, her prayers filling the air in wordless cries and muffled gasps.
After each time he would dedicate a moment to pull her closer and bask in their intimacy, invariably kissing her shoulders sheepishly and avoiding eye contact for a few moments. He always did that; always.
He still did that tonight, as in all previous nights, but recently he had taken into sinking lower in bed to attend to her stomach. The day when he first felt the baby kick he almost hadn't been able to stop laughing in disbelief and overjoy.
"Rest assured. Everything's okay," she told him again, although she knew her words made no difference. He'd become less and less worried, and more and more caring. He wasn't just checking if everything was alright; he was giving the unborn baby his attention.
Hiccup was the kind of man who never stopped seeing the magic in the world with child-like wonder. There was this underlying innocence, despite all he'd been through and the world he lived in, that never truly left him.
Astrid would have melted right there on the spot, had that been possible. The way Hiccup had just started to coo at her belly was simply too adorable to stand…
It was also kinda hot, too.
Astrid bit her lower lip thoughtfully. She dragged her fingers through his sweat-dampened hair and urged him back up to her lips for a tantric kiss. Eventually, she felt him grow against her thigh and she sighed in expectation, resonating in the same frequency of yearning that he emitted.
"Hey babe… wanna go again?" He asked goofily in that oh-so-very-Hiccup fashion, shaking his head suggestively like an untamed dog. Astrid laughed at his silliness and nodded, welcoming him back inside of her.
END
You guys ever heard of the Couvade syndrome? Hehe. I picture Hiccup would be so involved and excited about the pregnancy he started breaking down with symptoms as well! Lol.
/stupid headcanons are stupid but I'm a sucker for fluff, what can I say? Maybe I'll write about that specifically. If anyone would like to read about a giddy Hiccup, that is. LOL.