NOTE: This is a relatively explicit chapter! Heavy references to sexual activity. If this was standalone I'd rate this M, or at least a very heavy T. If you're not interested in that please don't continue.
This takes place when they're 17, several months before the wedding.
"Oh, and then we add the chute below that to dump the chaff into the separate bin! Very efficient, and won't take much space!" Hiccup said as he jumped from the bed, nearly falling when he remembered he didn't have his leg on. Toothless quickly ran over to catch him. The sight made Astrid smile.
Hiccup had a lot of different cute moods. He was an incredibly emotive boy, and she loved how she could see so clearly what was going through his mind. From anger and annoyance to happiness or relief or love. Or even inspiration, like now.
Just half an hour ago he had been the exact opposite of this, trapped in a nightmare and subsequent dark day. Toothless had recognized it was bad, and fetched her. Hiccup always said she didn't have to do come out of bed for him, that he wasn't a baby, but he couldn't fool her. She wasn't deterred so easily, not when he needed her. She had tried to tell him several times he wasn't a baby, that these depressive episodes were the furthest thing from childish, but she didn't think that lesson really sunk in.
Still, he was always grateful when she came over, and with her and Toothless's help he usually cheered up quickly. Her efforts to distract him by talking about other things often led to actual inspiration. Like tonight, she had talked about how her father had spent the entire day helping to fix the mill. It had been jammed with chaff from the wheat it grinded, and Hiccup wasted no time in thinking of improvements.
He sat down at the desk and immediately began drawing, and Astrid knew better than to interrupt him. He had his best ideas when in such moods. For a while the only sound was the scratching of Hiccup's knife on the copper, his voice muttering to himself, and Stoick's snores piercing the floorboards.
At least the chief hadn't woken up. Hiccup had told her he was aware of her nighttime visits, and though the chief apparently approved, it made it no less embarrassing. She supposed she was lucky, most people would interpret her lying in her boyfriend's bed in the middle of the night way differently than it actually was. But still, these were private moments between her and Hiccup alone, even if they weren't making passionate love.
The thought of that made something stir in her, and she wrapped his thick blankets tighter around herself. It was cold without Hiccup's lanky frame beside her. Kirsten had given her another 'lesson for a happy marriage' today, while Astrid was learning to sew and couldn't leave.
She had talked at length about ways they could please each other with their mouths, and although Astrid had been embarrassed beyond belief at the time, now it left her a bit heated. Hiccup was right there, in the darkness, being so goshdarn cute and attractive. It made it hard to remember it was still quite a while until they were married and would actually be allowed to do that stuff.
Okay, technically she was allowed to do plenty as long as her 'honor' remained intact, but she knew that if she crossed that line, went beneath their clothes, she wouldn't be able to stop.
The thought still created uncomfortable heat between her legs, and she stood up. Damn Hiccup was right there and he had no freaking clue what he was doing to her.
Astrid was sure he knew way less about these matters than she did. One time, on a night much like this, she had asked if he knew what sex entailed, and he had said something vague about 'swords' and 'sheaths'. It had worried her, made her feel a little dirty for knowing so much more. She had even asked her mother about it in a roundabout way, asking what the point of all the lessons was if Hiccup didn't learn any of it. Kirsten had laughed, saying that in that case she'd just have to teach him.
"Are you done drawing?" she asked softly, walking over to Hiccup's desk with his blanket wrapped around her and dirty thoughts swirling in her mind.
"Yeah, pretty much. I have to refine it a bit, but I can do that tomorrow. The most important parts are written down," he said happily, putting his knife down.
"Good. Then get back to bed, it's cold and you need to sleep," Astrid said, not really allowing him any choice when she pulled him up by the neck of his shirt.
Thankfully Hiccup didn't resist. He could get difficult sometimes, insisting on working on while she just wanted him. She'd never force him, of course, but sometimes she just had to remind that distracted head of his that she was right there in his *damn bed*. Gods, from what her mother told her boys should be fighting to take her clothes off at this point. Of course Hiccup wasn't like that, he was almost painfully hesitant in such matters, but that didn't mean it didn't sting sometimes.
Toothless rolled his eyes when she basically threw Hiccup onto the bed. The dragon clearly understood where this was going, and was thoroughly bored by this weird human bonding. Astrid briefly noticed him slinking off to his stone slab to sleep, but all thoughts of the dragon quickly fled her mind when she pulled Hiccup's lips to her.
"Do you think you can come over tomorrow so we can copy the design for that mill?" he asked right before her lips met his. She froze for a second, before sighing.
"Hiccup? Please shut up now," Astrid said before diving in.
He was lying on his back, and she straddled his stomach, letting the blanket cover them both. His hands moved to her waist as their kiss deepened.
"What about sleeping?" he whispered when she drew back for air.
"Later. Right now I want you," Astrid said, feeling a rush when Hiccup's hips jerked involuntarily at her words. Oh, so he was just as affected as she was, eh?
Good. He deserved it for making her feel all these things.
Still, despite his hunger his hands remained safely on her hips, not venturing up where she wanted them. Even when her tongue intertwined with his and their clothed chests rubbed together he didn't dare.
It was a little annoying honestly. Hiccup had a tendency to get a little stuck in indecision, and she had to move him along. She never asked him why he was so hesitant, but maybe he was just as worried as she was about going too far. It made sense that he was more scared given that he knew so little.
Still, it meant she had to grab his hand and place it firmly on her breast herself. His breath choked for a second like it always did when they crossed this line, but then he squeezed gently. At least he wasn't asking anymore. It had taken weeks but she finally got it through his thick skull that if she moved his hand there she wanted him to touch.
It wasn't enough. She could barely feel anything through her thick shirt and leather bindings. She wanted to tear them off, but she couldn't. That was the line. The rule they agreed on. Clothes stay on, and no humping either. Still, she moaned softly when her hips fell onto his and she felt him. He groaned, other hand flying to her hip. It seemed unsure for a second whether it wanted to pull her down to him or push her away. Astrid was unsure too. But their rational sides won out and she sat up a little straighter.
They were both breathing hard, and even without his blindfold, with his horrible scars on display, he looked so delectable. Gods, what did she look like? Was she as much of a mess as he was? What would he do if he could see her like this, hand on her breast, sweat soaking her clothes? Would he break? She wanted him to break, but they couldn't Goddamn rules.
It was torture, but damn it if it wasn't the best torture Astrid could imagine. Despite how hard and frustrating it was she wouldn't trade these sessions for the world. She never felt so alive and loved as right now, when she saw Hiccup's labored breathing, barely able to hold on. Still, she could only keep this up for so long at a time, and she was rapidly reaching her breaking point.
"It's… It's probably best if we stop now," she said, moving off him. He squeezed her breast one last time, but didn't protest… much. He whimpered involuntarily, and she couldn't help but notice the bulge in his pants. She shouldn't look at it, that was for their wedding night in a couple months.
No use. The image was burned into her brain, and as she kissed him goodnight and climbed out the window to run back home, she knew she wouldn't go to sleep any time soon. She had to deal with the burning between her legs first, and that image would play a big part in it.
But despite her frustration as she ran home through the dark streets she felt love and warmth too. That soft face of his, innocent and hesitant. That's why she was willing to wait, so they could do this right. And it was only a few months away now. She could hold on. They both could. And then they'd have the rest of their lives to make up for lost time.
