Chapter 10: In which Astrid deals with two very different boys

He was awake at his desk again. Astrid had pieced together the daily events that seemed to drive Hiccup to restlessness during the night. They'd gravitate too near to some form of physically closeness during the day. Like, the day Astrid allowed Hiccup to see her state of undress. His pencil had scratched furiously that evening, grating on her nerves and she'd yelled at him to stop. Hiccup was abashed the next morning and kept apologizing until Astrid pushed him out the door for work.

She'd kissed him earlier today – her simple proof that she was on his side. A gesture that spoke more than any words could. Astrid knew that was the exact reason he was playing insomniac once more.

Astrid threw the furs off, swinging her legs around. If they both were to get any sleep, she'd give something Hiccup had secretly been longing for. He didn't know that she knew. The warmth of his hand had hover over her side for several nights in the weeks following their wedding, but Hiccup never dared to touch her. His respect to wait upon her permission was enduring. It was also frustrating as all get out.

"Hiccup," her drowsy, slightly gravelly, voice drifted over his shoulder.

Hiccup's hand froze. His shoulders tensed knowing his sketching had woken her once more. Astrid slid the pencil from his grip and set it on the freshly sketched parchment.

"Astrid-" he mumbled as she pulled him by the elbow, but Astrid shook her head, dreading the apologizes that were about to tip off his tongue.

She led him to the bed, crawling onto her side. Hiccup got the hint, not protesting or laying on the remorse as he climbed under the furs along with her. Astrid filled her lungs, building up the courage to step across this new boundary. Once she gave him this, there was no turning back.

Before Hiccup could settle in on his designated side of the bed, Astrid found his left hand – the hand that reached out to her but languished in attempt. Her heart thudded as loud as Hiccup's shuddered breathing. She rolled onto her left side, placing his hand onto the dip of her waist.

His fingers were rigid on the fabric of her nightgown. It seemed like an eternity before his digits relaxed and the palm of his hand met the curve of her waist.

Astrid wasn't used to being touched – not like this. She was never one to daydream about a boy taking her into his arms and kissing her softly in the moonlight. She didn't have time for that nonsense with the hardships of Viking life and training for war. But the weight of Hiccup's hand upon her waist was nice. It was also nice to be wanted for more than being another warrior on the battlefield.

As her body became heavy and sleep washed over her, Astrid reasoned in her drowsy state of mind that she could get used to this.

The muttonhead was staring at her.

Astrid's grip on the ax handle tightened, whitening her knuckles. How could Snotlout have the gall to gawk disgustingly at her after he roughed-up her husband the day before? On top of that, they were in the middle of training to fight a Deadly Nadder! Indignation roiled in her veins. The more he stared, the hotter her blood climbed.

She wasn't sure what Snotlout thought he'd accomplish by planting the doubt in Hiccup's mind. Did he think Hiccup would demand an immediate annulment and Astrid would come running to him? The very thought was absurd, but Snotlout's thought process was somewhere between his eyes and his nose.

The staring just wouldn't let up.

"Shouldn't you be paying attention to the Deadly Nadder that's trying to kill us?"

"How can I when I'm blinded by your hotness, Astrid? Get it? The sun is hot and it blinds you." Snotlout snickered at his own stupid comparison.

If it weren't for the life or death situation they were in, Astrid would have yakked directly on Snotlout's boots. The sound of the Nadder's footsteps were still a way's off. Globber's yelling echoed through the walls of the training maze for them to get moving, but Astrid ignored the order.

"Stop oogling, Snotlout."

"Aw, c'mon, babe."

Astrid clinched her jaw and her body stiffened. She stood from her crouched position by the temporary wooden wall and stalked up to Snotlout with fire in her eyes. She snatched the front of his shirt, and Snotlout yelped at the tug of his chest hair in her grip.

"Number one: staring at anyone like you're doing is rude and disgusting! Number two: I'm married to Hiccup and that makes me automatically off limits!" She leaned in closer, making Snotlout whimper as she yanked at his chest hairs in the mercy of her hold.

"I know what you did to Hiccup," she hissed. "If you ever lay a finger on him again, you'll have to answer to me." She raised her axe dangerously close to his face. Snotlout's eyes darted alarmingly from her burning gaze to the glint of the blade. "Do I make myself clear, Jorgensen?"

Snotlout nodded plenty as another tiny, frightened yelp escaped him.

The booming of massive feet and scraping of claws on rock drew closer. Astrid pushed Snotlout against the wooden wall, and stalked away with renewed vigor to fight the dragon searching for them.

It was a silly thing, really. To daydream of soft caresses and lips colliding, but that's where Astrid's thoughts had been for three whole days.

She doesn't recollect much from the kiss she'd laid on her husband. She reacted before she's given herself a chance to realize what she was doing. It was all a blur save for the warmth of his lips on hers that she compared to a toasty drink in the middle of winter.

She may not have recalled much from the kiss they shared, but the weight of Hiccup's hand was scorched onto the skin of her waist. She'd laid there for several minutes as his stiff digits relaxed into a comfortable hold. It was nice – a little too nice – and the sensation had stayed there ever since.

The warrior part of her scoffed at such trivial notions. She was a shieldmaiden of Midgard and had vowed to protect her homeland from vile, destructive beasts. She should crave the hardness of the ax handle more than the softness of a touch.

As the days ticked by, Astrid couldn't shake the need. And as blunt as she could be at times, she now felt a sense of embarrassment to seek out such needs. It was easier to use Hiccup's doubts and pining for an excuse to bestow physical affection. Her own needs and longings were creeping up on her and she didn't know how to express them.

Would she be thought of as a weaker version of herself if she wished for a peck on the cheek or a warm hand to take hers? Her parents weren't exactly the best example of a romantic relationship. But every now and then, out of the corner of her eye, she'd spy her father's hand grace her mother's lower back, or her mother steal a kiss when her father set off in search of the dragon's nest.

Astrid could live with the small gestures of affection. After three days of convincing herself that it was okay, she took action.

Hiccup had resigned to his designated side of the bed. He hadn't dared to reach out for her, even with hesitant fingers. He was, at least, in bed instead of scratching away at his desk.

It didn't seem like he was going to make a move anytime soon. With her back to him, Astrid scooted over just a tad. Maybe getting closer would give Hiccup a hint that he still had her permission. Barely a few seconds passed when she felt the bed stuffings shift. She waited with a held breath, but no hand cupped her side.

Astrid chanced a glance over her shoulder to find Hiccup had moved away from her instead of closer. Her jaw clinched. Maybe that hint wasn't clear enough. She had only scooted over a fraction.

Astrid pushed herself over with her feet, a little too quickly into the space Hiccup had warmed already. The curve of her backend bumped Hiccup's knee. Before Astrid could knew it, there was a loud thud and the weight of Hiccup had disappeared on the bed.

She froze, her cheeks instantly warming. It took her a moment to push away the embarrassment and she sat up to look over the edge of the bed. In the dark, she could see the outline of him rubbing his backside.

"You know, if you wanted some more space on the bed, you could have just asked," Hiccup remarked.

"I was trying to-" give you a hint, Astrid finished in her head. Her whole face was engulfed in flames and she was thankful for the darkness in the room.

"Trying to what?" Hiccup inquired as he got to his feet.

She wanted to scream it out to him, but voicing her wants was too much for her. She could battle dragons all day long with the courage of ten Vikings, but telling her own husband she wanted to cuddle threw that courage out the window. She started moving back to her side of the bed. "Never mind. Are you okay?"

Hiccup crawled under the furs again. "I'm fine."

They settled back down for a normal night of occupying the edges of the bed. Astrid squeezed her eyes tight as she blew out a frustrated sigh through her nose, berating herself for being that silly lovestruck girl she was not.