Hiccup lays on the cold ground of Toothless' Cove with Astrid streched out atop of him, his arms wrapped tightly about her. The girl smiles happily as she feels him lazily rub her back, her body still tingling from the wonderful orgasm he had given her. Her lips then curl into a smirk as his hand yet again wanders down to her bare ass, which he caresses and gives a good squeeze. The girl has lost track of how many times her boyfriend has done that to her since he pulled her into his arms after pleasuring her.
She has to admit to herself that each time he's grabbed her bottom, she's loved it.
Sighing happily, she whispers, "I love you, Hiccup…"
With a playful tone, he answers, "oh, sure, you say that now…"
"Hiccup…" she says in an irritated voice, rolling her eyes while she lifts her head to look at him. Her irritation grows as she sees the smug grin upon his face. He smiles more widely at the sight of her frustration and he hugs her tightly, lifting his head to kiss her tenderly.
"I love you too, Astrid," he breathes against her lips.
The girl moans happily into the kiss, his words as ever are music to her ears. She kisses back lazily, reaching up with one hand to stroke his cheek, shifting so they can enjoy each other more comfortably, allowing him to lower his head back to the ground. They linger, happily brushing their lips together as Hiccup endlessly rubs her back and bottom.
Astrid sighs, whispering between kisses, "I wish we could start every morning like this…" She pauses, then adds with a grin as she shivers from the cold, "but in a warm bed together, under lots of blankets…"
Smiling from ear to ear, Hiccup chuckles and hugs her tightly in his arms. "Someday we will," he promises, kissing her all the more deeply, his tongue slipping between her willing lips. His girlfriend moans softly as she greets him with soft and tender touches of her own, enjoying every blessed moment of their intimate embrace.
Finally she breaks the kiss and looks at him. "You seem rather sure of that," she says curiously, hoping for some good news about the negotiations.
Smiling, Hiccup looks into her eyes. "Astrid, I told you in the cave - I'm willing to run away with you if it comes to that." She smiles slightly at the reminder, not having expected that to be his answer. With all that had happened in the past week and a half, that option had slipped from her mind.
He goes on to say, "I hope our parents can figure this out, but if not, then we take Toothless and Stormfly and just leave."
She nods, though the option fills her with dread. Wordlessly, she puts her head on his chest again, closing her eyes happily as she just enjoys the feeling of his hands roaming freely over her back.
"You, uh…" Hiccup starts to say, his voice laced with anxiety, "you would run away with me, i-if we had to…wouldn't you, Astrid…?"
She lifts her head at such a foolish question, looking at him incredulously.
"Of course I would, babe," she whispers, smiling at him as she caresses his cheek. "We talked about that, remember?" He smiles in relief as she leans in and brushes her lips against his again, then rests her head back down on his chest.
After the few moments it takes to build up the courage, she asks, "So, uhm…did you…did you ask your Dad what he thought about…the negotiations…?"
Sighing, Hiccup reluctantly answers, "I tried a few times, but he's been too busy lately." Astrid frowns, nestling into his arms more snuggly as he hugs her. "I'll ask tonight," he tells her. "Hopefully today isn't as much of a disaster as yesterday was," he laments.
"Yeah, I couldn't believe that fire broke out last night," the girl answers as memories of the smoke and heat from the conflagration fill her mind.
"It wasn't just that," Hiccup replies, causing her to lift her head and look at him with a curious gaze. Her bangs fall over her one eye as she does, and he can't help but brush them away as he elaborates, "a boat sank in the harbor, Dad had to deal with a couple of kids that almost got into a knife fight because one of them thought the other stole something, and the feud between the Holgersons and the Bodilsens nearly got bloody again."
Blinking in surprise, Astrid can only say, "Wow…"
Chuckling, Hiccup answers, "yeah, and that was all before a Zippleback and Monstrous Nightmare almost got into a fight that would have probably leveled the marketplace."
His girlfriend looks at him with concern, asking, "What happened to stop it?"
Shrugging, Hiccup answers casually, "Oh, Dad and I were able to settle them down…"
"What?!" she asks, her voice cold and angry.
Hiccup winces as he watches his girlfriend's expression harden. He suddenly cringes, realizing at once his mistake.
Narrowing her gaze at him, she asks, "you didn't get in the middle of that while you were still on your crutch, did you?"
Hesitating at the tone in her voice, the boy slowly answers, "Uhm…m-maybe? Just a little…?"
Frowning, she asks, "how little?"
Blushing as he feels like he was just caught with his hand in the cookie jar, he answers, "Uhm…I, uh…I might have…helped my father to stop the fight and calm both dragons down…just a little…"
Scowling all the more, Astrid sits up to kneel astrid of him, which makes him feel pinned, in spite of the fact that she's still naked from the waist down.
"Hiccup, I can't believe you'd do that when you were still on your crutch! You could have been hurt! Or killed!" Her boyfriend frowns slightly as he remembers the last time they were in the Cove together, when she scolded him for hurting himself badly enough that he couldn't use his false leg in the first place.
Propping himself up on his elbows as he lays pinned beneath her, Hiccup answers indignantly, "Astrid, I couldn't NOT help! I'm the Dragon Trainer around here. You know that nobody else could have gotten two angry dragons to calm down and avoid a fight!"
Crossing her arms, his girlfriend gives him an indignant, petulant look. Her silence at least gives him the comfort that she can't argue with his point.
Moving beneath her so he can sit up fully as she continues to straddle him, he adds, "Besides, it worked out okay. I'm fine, the dragons didn't fight, and now I can even go without my crutch again."
Astrid hesitates as she considers his words. Clearly she wants to argue more with him about it, but he figures she either can't think of a reason to give him a hard time, or she doesn't want to waste their time together by fighting.
Daringly, he reaches up to touch her cheek. She flinches and almost pulls away, but lets him touch her in the end.
"I was extra careful," he tells her with a gentle voice, adding, "Dad and Gobber were both there." Her expression softens at his words. He smiles and points out, "they wouldn't have let me get hurt."
Astrid sighs and hesitates, considering his words as she looks at him with an irritated, yet caring gaze. The boy smiles tenderly at her, looking back into her eyes deeply.
Finally, she leans into his hand, closing her eyes. "Just…please, be careful when you're doing stuff like that, Hiccup," she pleads in a weary voice. "I don't want to lose you…"
Hiccup leans in at her words and kisses her lightly upon the lips. "You won't lose me. I promise," he whispers in hushed tones against her lips, which prompts Astrid to grip his shirt tightly, lean in, and kiss him more thoroughly.
She sighs and pulls away, looking at him with a mixture of concern and frustration. He's worried she'll say something else on the matter, but instead the girl starts to smooth the front of his shirt as she comments, "well I guess everything that happened yesterday explains why Stoic never came to see my Dad with the latest contract."
Hiccup nods as a feeling of relief washes over him at her changing the subject. "Yeah, I haven't seen him that busy since the dragon raids."
Frowning, Astrid observes, "it's kinda odd, though, isn't it? So much going wrong in one day like that?"
Shrugging, Hiccup, answers indifferently, "Eh, it's all just part of being chief. I've seen my father go through days just as bad as that, and worse, over the years."
The girl nods as she realizes that someday, Hiccup will have to deal with days like that. "It must be pretty hard for Stoic, since it's just him," she comments hesitantly.
Looking at her in confusion, Hiccup asks, "What'dya mean?"
Shrugging, Astrid observes, "Well…he lost his wife when you were just a baby, so he doesn't have anyone to support him when he's going through a rough time like that." Hiccup furrows his brow as he considers her words. Pausing for a moment, she adds, "I mean, I have to imagine having a wife to be there for you would make days like that easier…"
Her meaning suddenly dawns on him. "Astrid," he asks with a grin, "are you saying that when I'm chief, it'll be easier for me because you'll be there for me?"
Blushing slightly, Astrid looks down bashfully. "Maybe…" she mutters.
Hiccup smiles all the more, cupping her chin and lifting her gaze back to his. "You know," he says, "I've never really wanted to be chief." Astrid's brow furrows as he continues, "my father is such a great man, I'm afraid I couldn't measure up to handle it."
His girlfriend frowns and opens her mouth to argue, but he continues, "but knowing that you'll be there for me as my wife, whenever I need you?" The girl in his lap hesitates as she watches him pause, lifting an eyebrow slightly.
Hiccup smiles from ear to ear, "Well that makes me feel like I could take on the world."
Astrid smiles from ear to ear at his words. Wrapping her arms about his neck, she leans in to kiss him passionately. Hiccup holds her about her waist, his tongue dancing with hers, the two losing themselves in each other.
Thorsten awakes late that morning, frowning as his head immediately starts pounding. After the fire last night, he had gone to the Great Hall to have a few drinks in celebration of his plan starting to succeed. Not only was his rival too busy to pursue the contract any further right now, but his daughter was also starting to doubt that Stoic intended to ever let it happen.
In spite of the dull ache and nausea he feels now, the man is fairly happy about how things are going. Still, his throbbing head causes him to groan pitifully.
A clanging of pots makes him rethink his opinion of the matter, though, and he winces. Looking over to the fire pit in the center of his house, he sees his wife busily puttering about, working on preparing their food.
"Odin's beard, woman," he complains, "keep the noise down, will you?"
With her face averted from his sight when he talks, Freja smirks at her husband's complaining. She's glad for the grief her noisy preparations had cause him, but quickly decides that she doesn't want to push things too far.
At least, not yet.
"My apologies, good husband," Freja answers passively, turning around to look at the man with a kind smile. "I hadn't realized you were awake."
Scowling at her, Thorsten snarls, "well if I wasn't before, that infernal clatter would have woken me!"
Freja says nothing, but goes back to her preparations, humming happily. Thorsten considers trying to bait her again, but his head hurts more when he talks.
The man ponders how he got to this state. He had only gone to have a few drinks with Halvar, but clearly he had more than just a few. He doesn't exactly remember stumbling home last night, but as he lays here in his own bed this morning, it's clear that he had.
Either way, he's hungover now. Fortunately, he has a remedy that will help him get on his feet sooner than later.
"Astrid," he calls out, "go fetch me a skin of water and a plate of pickled herring!" He rubs his face as he tries to muster the strength to actually sit up.
"She's not here," Freja answers him. Thorsten furrows his brow and suddenly sits up, though he immediately regrets doing so as his head feels like it's being hammered upon as the room wobbles around him.
"What?" he asks in a tight voice through the pain. "Where is she?"
"I have no idea," Freja answers with mild irritation, "but she took Stormfly, so the girl could be anywhere by now."
Thorsten forces himself out of bed but stands still as his nausea rushing over him again. After he collects himself for a moment, he then walks with some effort towards the front door to their house.
"Thorsten," Freja calls, "I've almost finished fixing your breakfast, won't you stay and eat before you go out?"
Glancing back at her, he hesitates and then shakes his head. "No," he answers. "No, I…need to see to something."
The woman frowns as she watches her husband open the front door and stumble into the daylight. As he closes the door behind him, she furrows her brow in thought as a bad feeling starts to well up in the pit of her stomach.
Eventually Astrid pulls away from Hiccup, though it takes several attempts for her to finally end the kiss. It's not that she wants to stop kissing her lover, it's just that with her pants mostly off, she's freezing in the cold morning air of the cove.
She watches Hiccup and waits for him to open his eyes while she strokes his cheek lovingly. When he finally looks back at her with a dreamy gaze, he sighs happily.
"I never imagined I could be this happy," he tells her, squeezing his arms about her waist more tightly.
Astrid smiles sweetly at his words, leaning in to kiss him once more, albeit briefly. She then leans in to whisper into his ear, "just wait until we're married, babe…"
Hiccup shivers at her words upon his ear, grinning as she kisses him there. When she stands up and starts to pull on her pants, he can't help but watch with an intensely interested gaze, his eyes lingering upon her exposed sex, which is about eye level for him now.
As she fusses with her leggings and skirt, which are now thoroughly out of sorts, she looks at him with irritation. "You know, you could help me out here," she complains.
"I could," her boyfriend admits with a shrug and without taking his gaze off of her crotch, "but I'd rather just enjoy the view…"
Glaring at him, Astrid can't help but blush at his words, even though they make a warm shiver run up her spine at the same time.
"Yeah, well," she says as she finally gets her one leg back in the empty half of her leggings, "if you want another view anytime soon, you'll go get my boot from wherever you tossed it…"
Hiccup meets her gaze with a smirk, then after one last longing look at her privates before they disappear as she pulls up her leggings, he stands up with some effort and hobbles over to where her boot sits, a few feet away. He's not sure how it ended up all the way over here, but decides not to dwell on it.
"Here you go, m'lady," he tells her with a smile as he offers the footwear back to her. Astrid hesitates at his words and looks at him, furrowing her brow in thought.
"M'lady?" she asks, lifting an eyebrow.
"Uh…" Hiccup hesitates as he tries to remember what he just said. Did he really just call her, 'm'lady?'. The boy blushes as she watches him with an increasingly amused smirk. "uhm…s-sorry…?" he asks, not sure what to make of her reaction.
Astrid thinks for a moment more. With the way her father always drove her in her training, she's always been the consummate tomboy. She's rugged, tough, and can whup any boy on the island, Snoutlout included. Everyone knows it, and she's proud of it. If it hadn't been for Hiccup, she would have been top of her class in Dragon Training. She also endlessly annoys her mother with her inattentiveness to learning more womanly skills like sewing and cooking.
The girl is happy and proud with who she is, but…sometimes…just sometimes, she wishes she was a traditional woman in skirts like her mother.
Sometimes, she just wants to feel more feminine.
Now suddenly Hiccup addresses her like some noble lady?
She smiles at her boyfriend from ear to ear. "Don't be sorry," she tells him. Taking the boot and putting it on, she promptly wraps her arms about his neck. Leaning in, she kisses him sweetly and deeply, lingering as his arms encircle her waist and he moans softly against her touch.
"I like it," she whispers against his lips before kissing him once more, then pulling away to look into his eyes.
Hiccup beams at her, happy beyond words.
Astrid smiles widely at the look on his face, caressing his cheek gently as she stares back at him.
After a few moments, she comments, "So you must be pretty excited to have your leg back."
"Yeah," he grins wryly at her as he looks down at his fake leg, lifting and turning his leg slightly to look at it. Astrid glances down to do the same as he replies, "The last week and a half really made me appreciate having it. I hope I never see that crutch again," he sighs.
"You know you'll probably have to deal with that again someday, Hiccup," his girlfriend warns him in a caring, yet firm voice.
He sighs heavily as he glances back at her. "Yeah, I know," he tells her reluctantly.
Smiling warmly at him to try and lift his spirits again, she asks pleasantly, "So what're you going to do, now that you've got your freedom again?"
He smiles from ear to ear at her, answering, "Well, go flying, obviously,"
"Obviously," she answers with a wry smirk as their eyes meet again.
"After that," he goes on to say, "I had all these grand plans for today of going to the forge and working on the anvil again, meeting up with our friends to go dragon racing, and just walking wherever I wanted to go without having to deal with that Gods-be-damned stick."
His girlfriend smiles sublimely at his answer, but then he smirks and adds, "but it seems that you had other plans for me…"
Astrid tsks at his words, lifting an eyebrow at him while pulling out his arms as she looks at him mischeviously. "Hiccup, I'll remind you that this little tryst was your idea…" Hiccup's eyes flash in excitement at her jest. She starts to walk away, adding with a playful tone, "But, if I'm standing between you and your plans, I'll just be on my way, then…"
Hiccup's jaw drops for a moment, his hesitation allowing her to put a little distance between them as she walks slowly towards where their dragons sit together. After regaining his wits, the boy then hobbles hurriedly after her. She keeps walking away from him, glancing back over her shoulder at the sound of his appraoch. He can't help but smirk as he meets her gaze, just before she turns back and looks forward again. In a half a dozen steps he catches her, wrapping his arms about her waist from behind.
"Don't go," he whispers in her ear. The feeling of his hot breath upon her skin makes the girl shiver in his warm embrace.
She smiles devilishly, answering, "I don't want to be a nuisance, Hiccup…" In spite of her words, she puts her hands upon his arms and squeezes.
"Astrid, there is nowhere I'd rather be than here with you," he whispers again, kissing her cheek lovingly and causing her to smile from ear to ear.
Sighing happily, the girl presses her cheek against his lips as he kisses her, leaning back against his body as she had when they first arrived.
"Good," she whispers throatily, reaching back with one hand to grip the back of his head as he starts to kiss her neck tenderly.
Neither of them feel the need to move anytime soon, Astrid simply loving what he's doing to her neck, while Hiccup starts to lose himself as he breathes in her scent deeply while nuzzling and sweetly kissing her.
Thorsten bangs on the door to Halvar's home again, this time louder than the first.
His friend and follower finally opens the door, snarling, "What?!" He blinks in surprise at the sight of his leader, suddenly looking very sheepish.
"Thorsen! I..I didn't know it was you…!" he starts to sputter, but then the other cuts him off.
"Never mind that," he snarls. "Astrid's gone and so's her dragon," he says.
"Is she with the boy?" Halvar asks, looking very concerned now.
"I don't know," the larger man answers. "Maybe." He pauses, then adds, "I looked down at the forge, but didn't see any sign of him.
Nodding, Halvar pauses, furrowing his brow in thought. He then says, "if your girl took her dragon, they could be anywhere." Astrid's father nods as his friend adds, "They might not even be on Berk…"
"Aye," Thorsten answers. "As much as I hate the beasts, it's hard to argue with the advantages of having one fer a pet…" He grimaces, thinking of his options. They wouldn't likely be in the village, else why would they need the dragon?
"The Training Ring," he suddenly says. "Maybe they're in there…"
Nodding, Halvar answers, "Indeed, t'is worth a look…" He steps out his door, intending to head down that way, when his friend puts a firm hand on his shoulder.
"No," he answers thoughtfully. "I'll go. You look around the village, just in case. If you find them, come and get me right away."
"Of course," the smaller man answers, then walks off to start checking the usual places where the village teens liked to waste their time.
Thorsten watches his friend for a moment as he ponders matters, then he makes his way towards the Training Ring.
Hiccup continues kissing Astrid's neck, his warm lips and moist tongue turning the girl into jelly in his arms. She leans against him happily, her one hand hand firmly gripping one of his arms that wraps tightly about her waist, while her other hand grips the back of his head, her fingers playing idly in his hair. Now and again, she moans, which naturally only serves to encourage the boy even more.
She sucks in her breath in surprise as she feels him start to react to her nearness. She didn't think men could recover this quickly, but the evidence was incontrovertibly poking her in the butt. She starts to smile, unable to resist rubbing her behind against his crotch.
Hiccup moans against her neck as he continues to lavish her with kisses, taking her pressing against his stiffness as a cue to move things along. Without hesitation, he reaches up and grasps her breasts in his hands again, causing his girlfriend to shiver against him as she gasps loudly.
He smiles against her skin as he continues to caress her neck with warm, wet touches, his hands fondling her fleshy orbs for a few moments before he starts to rub her nipples again.
Astrid's head is swimming at his attention, she can't believe she's already getting wet again, or that he's gotten hard so quickly again. Coherent thoughts are hard to come by, however, as she simply loses herself to his affections.
The next thing she knows, his hands are moving down and starting to tug at her shirt, seeking to slip beneath.
With a heavy sigh, she decides enough is enough.
Grasping his wrists firmly, she pulls his hands away. Turning around in his embrace, she reaches up to cup his face in her hands, kissing him passionately.
Hiccup smiles against her lips, greeting her eagerly as their tongues start to entwine. His hands again slip beneath her top, this time touching her bare back.
Once more, however, she grabs his wrists and stops him, groaning pitifully against his lips as she reluctantly ends the kiss.
"We really shouldn't," she mutters, feeling very frustrated at her own decision.
"Why not?" he asks, genuinely confused. "Nobody knows we're here…we don't know when we'll get another chance…"
She smiles at his persistence, humming softly as she presses her forehead against his. "I know," she says wearily, still holding onto his wrists, lest he get any ideas. "Believe me, there's nothing I want more than to do that again…"
"So why not?" he challenges her, brushing his lips against hers once more. She sighs, kissing back intimately, her self control starting to crumble.
Hiccup tries to move his hands back under her shirt again, but Astrid holds his wrists firm.
"Because," she finally whispers against his lips, "we can't stay here too much longer. People will notice both of us are missing, and we don't want your father to find out we did this…"
Groaning at her reminder of the reality that awaits them after they leave their secret, special place, Hiccup rests his forehead against hers. "I know…I know…"
He sighs, then laments, "You can't really blame me, though," he tells her. She opens her eyes to look at him curiously. He grins at her, "I'm just following through on what I told you I'd do in my letter…"
She smirks at his words, then reminds him, "you already did that today, Hiccup…quite well, I might add…" Her boyfriend lifts an eyebrow at her words, and she adds, "and before you ask, yes my toes did curl…"
He smiles widely and chuckles, asking, "well who said I was done pleasing you yet?"
The girl giggles at his words, smiling sweetly. "That's very sweet and wonderful of you babe, but I think we need to stop with that…at least, until next time…"
Hiccup nods reluctantly and sighs as Astrid steps out of his embrace, though she still holds onto his wrists. Slipping her hands into his, she smirks at him and watches the disappointment on his face.
"Come on," she tells him, squeezing his hands. "Come sit with me by the water. I want to spend our last bit of time together just cuddling and talking."
Hiccup smiles at her and nods as she starts to gently pull him to the bank of the small pond.
When Thorsten reaches the arena, he looks in from the entrance ramp to see several dragons and teens, but no sign of Hiccup or Astrid. He pauses as he considers the matter, his eyes wandering over the twins, Fishlegs, and Snoutlout, then glances at their dragons.
A smile starts to curl upon his lips as an idea forms, he then strides into the ring.
"Good morning!" he calls to them, lifting his hand in greeting as the teens turn their attention to him.
"I was wondering if you could help me find my daughter this morning…"
Astrid leads Hiccup to a large rock by the water, sitting down on the ground with her back to it. She looks up with a smile and gives his hand a gentle tug, though he hardly needs the encouragement. Sitting next to her, he wraps his arm about her. She nestles in against him as he hugs her close, both of them sighing happily together.
Neither say anything for a while, both content to simply enjoy each other's nearness. Astrid's one hand starts to rub Hiccup's thigh, though she's careful not to roam too close to his crotch, lest he get any ideas.
For his part, Hiccup rubs her arm, happy beyond words that this wonderful girl is in love with him.
"So do you think your Dad's actually changed his mind about us?" Hiccup finally asks, ending the effort both of them had been making to avoid the topic. Neither of them wanted to talk about it, but both desperately wanted to know the answer.
Astrid sighs, resting her head against Hiccups shoulder. "I don't know," she admits, looking out at the water as her hand continues to idly wander over his leg. "I want to believe he has, but…" She sighs again, closing her eyes in frustration. "I mean, he's saying all the right things and he's actually working with Stoic on the contract, but still…
"Yeah, I know," he says, pressing his lips against the top of her head. The two are silent for a while.
"Hiccup, do you think your father is against us being married?" she asks, still worried in spite of what her boyfriend said earlier.
"I can't believe that," he tells her. "He's always told me he likes the idea of us together. I mean, that night after the first meeting with your father, he told me how well it's going. I know what your father told you, but that just doesn't seem right." Astrid nods against his shoulder. A moment's pause and Hiccup reminds her, "I'll ask him tonight."
His girlfriend smiles slightly at this, leaning her body more firmly against his. He squeezes her tightly with his one arm about her, smiling slightly as she nestles up to him all the more.
As the silence again settles upon them and countless moments slip by, he starts to feel compelled to ask her the question that's been on his mind since their last visit alone together, a week and a half ago.
He hesitates, though, his nerves starting to fail him. But if he doesn't do it now, he doesn't know when he'll get another opportunity.
He has to know.
Drawing a deep breath, he forces himself to do it.
"Astrid…?" he asks, his voice hesitant.
"Hmm?" she asks, her eyes still closed as she rests her head upon his shoulder, having been just listening to him breathe with a contented smile.
"Has your…" he hesitates, then forces himself to say it, his voice cracking as he does, "has your father been…hitting you lately?"
He feels Astrid tense at his question, her body going rigid as her hand that caressed his leg halts. She says nothing.
The boy swallows anxiously as he suddenly fears that he's crossed a line he shouldn't have gone near. His gut starts to twist itself into worried knots as her silence stretches on and on.
Finally he clears his throat and blurts out, "Astrid, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have…"
She moves quickly, sitting up and pressing her lips against his to silence him. Hiccup gasps in relief as he wraps his arms more tightly about her, pressing her body against his. Their tongues entwine together as they kiss fervently, the girl reaching up to caress his cheek lovingly, her other hand pressed to his chest.
"Don't apologize," she whispers hoarsely against his lips before kissing him again. He squeezes her in his arms, then furrows his brow as the kiss starts to taste salty.
Pushing Astrid back just enough to look at her, he sees tears streaming down her face. The girl swallows bitterly as she forces herself to look at him with an intense gaze, though all she wants to do is close her eyes and curl up in his arms.
"Astrid…" he whispers, his own eyes starting to sting as he wipes her cheeks to dry them. She closes her eyes and leans into his touch, kissing the palm of his hand. She then leans in to press her head against his chest, hugging him tightly.
Hiccup wraps her up in his arms, squeezing her for all he's worth, feeling like a fool for bringing it up.
"I'm sorry," he whispers again, causing her to sit up and look at him with a furious gaze.
"Dammit, Hiccup, I told you not to apologize," she says earnestly with a ragged voice, staring into his eyes.
Looking back at her incredulously, he points out, "Astrid, I just made you cry…" She closes her eyes and shakes her head.
"It doesn't matter," she says hoarsely, then looks at him again. "You're my boyfriend and my future husband." She pauses, the corner of her lips turning up slightle at the words. Hiccup too can't help but smile just a little. The girl says further, "I should be able to talk with you about this…"
Hiccup frowns and says, "Astrid, if you're not comfortable with…"
"I need to be able to talk with you about it," she interrupts him with a faltering voice as she closes her eyes. Taking a deep breath to calm herself, she looks at him with a sharp, yet heartfelt glare.
Sighing when he furrows his brow at her words, she takes a deep breath and says resolutely, "No, he hasn't been hitting me since the last time…" Hiccup smiles slightly, glad for the news, but feeling terrible now at what he just put her through. He puts his hand behind her neck and tries to gently pull her to him again. She resists at first, but then relents and leans against him, resting her head against his chest once more as he wraps his arms about her.
"I'm glad for that," her boyfriend says into her hair. "I've been so worried for you," he tells her.
In spite of the turbulent feelings his question caused to erupt inside of her, Astrid smiles sweetly at his words, nestling into his embrace happily. She says nothing more, hoping desperately that Hiccup will leave well enough alone now. She does want to be able to talk with him about this most horrible part of her life, but she doesn't think she can handle much more sharing today.
Thankfully, the boy says nothing, but merely holds her tightly, his hands wandering over her back.
"I love you, Hiccup," she whispers weakly against his chest, deeply breathing in his scent as she listens to his heart beating.
"I love you too, Astrid," he tells her in a voice heavy with emotion, pressing his lips to the top of her head.
The two sit together in silence for a while afterwards, just holding each other.
The four teens look at each other in surprise as Astrid's father strides towards them. Ruffnutt had earlier shared the news that Thorsten was now allowing Hiccup and Astrid to see each other and was working on a contract with Stoic to see the two wed. The other three were surprised by his change, but glad for their friends' good fortune.
As Thorsten approaches, Ruffnutt asks, "Why do you need our help?"
Smiling at the girl, he answers, "because she's flown off somewhere on Stormfly but I need her to do a few things for me." He pauses, then asks, "I don't suppose any of you know where she is right now, do you?"
The four look at each other, shaking their heads and shrugging. Astrid's father nods.
"I thought as much, but I figured it was worth asking," he says with a shrug.
"Well, if you would be so kind as to go and find her, I'd appreciate it," he tells them pleasantly with a wide smile.
Furrowing her brow as she thinks about his request, Ruffnutt asks, "What do you want us to do if we find her?"
Shrugging, he answers, "Just ask her to please come back here. I'll be waiting while you searching for her."
Ruffnutt looks at the man thoughtfully. He had never asked them for this kind of help before, so his seeking it now seemed strange, particularly given his distaste for dragons.
Still, if he needed Astrid and she had flown off somewhere, he wasn't going to easily find her on foot.
"She might not even be on Berk," Ruffnutt points out, adding, "Sometimes we fly to other islands, you know."
He smiles widely, shrugging. "That's fine," he answers. "If you don't find her, just come back and let me know." He pauses, then adds, "I'll give each of you a silver penny for your troubles. Another penny to the one who brings Astrid back to me."
The three boys look at each other with smiles, while Ruffnutt watches the man with a thoughtful brow.
"Doesn't that seem fair?" he asks with a smile.
Hesitating, Ruffnutt glances back at the rest who all smile and nod at her.
Glancing back at Thorsten, the girl hesitates for a moment. Though something doesn't sit right with her about this, she reminds herself that Astrid's father is now doing the right thing for the young couple. She doesn't want to risk ruining that for her friend by not cooperating with him and getting him upset in some way.
Besides, a silver penny each was a fair offer for flying around for a while, whether or not she and the others find Astrid.
"Yeah, sure," she finally says. "We'll find her for you."
