Time for some cute Hiccstrid! Enjoy :3

Entry 104

Remember what Astrid mentioned in that note she wrote on my birthday? About wanting to repay me for that flight on Toothless? Well, this evening, she made good on that word.

It was a couple hours past sundown, and I was working in my sketchbook when Astrid showed up, asking if we could go flying.

"Yeah, just one minute. I have to get Toothless' ready," I said, getting up to find his saddle.

"No need for that today."

"But-"

"I just want, well, YOU to come flying. With me. On Stormfly." She tapped her fingers against her skirt in a way that led me to believe she was nervous. I'd never seen Astrid nervous about anything before, and it kind of unsettled me.

"Oh. Okay," I replied, hoping my voice sounded alright. "Be good, Toothless. I'll be back soon."

Stormfly was waiting outside. Astrid hopped up on her saddle, but Stormfly is a whole lot taller than Toothless and I wasn't the best at climbing even with two legs. Astrid must have realized this because she held out a hand to me. The second I took it, I could tell we both tensed awkwardly for a moment, but still, she pulled me up onto the saddle. I felt my face heat up, embarrassed she could lift me so easily, but she didn't seem to notice. I think she was too caught up in her own unease…

"Um, so this is Stormfly. You already knew that, but last time you rode on her, she didn't have a name yet, so… Yeah, let's just get flying." She tapped Stormfly's neck, and the Nadder took off, quickly coming to a steady glide out toward sea. It was quiet for several minutes, and even with the breeze and occasional wing flapping, I swear I could hear both our hearts beating.

"So…" Astrid finally said once the tension had become unbearable. "How've things been?"

"How-how've things been? Uh, well, you know, they've been- they've been… things." I immediately mentally slapped myself, and tried to fix it. "Not just things, I mean, yes, they are things of course but not things in the simple sense of the word, I mean, they're actual events, feelings, actions- normal stuff like that, and I-" I forced my mouth shut, knowing this was not going to get any better. After a moment of breath, I managed to get out a pitiful "it's good."

Astrid stared at me a moment longer before averting her gaze back to the sky. And in that moment, falling to my death was looking pretty nice. Even being actual FRIENDS with the girl has done nothing to help with my inability to speak coherently around her. So, I just sat there in silence, hoping this flight would be over soon so I wouldn't have to jump off, when she started… laughing. I can't remember ever hearing Astrid laugh before, and I didn't know what to do.

After a moment, she said, "For Thor's sake, Hiccup, I'm not gonna kill you."

"You… what?"

"You're acting like if you say one stupid thing, I'm going to drop you off the dragon."

My voice seemed to fix itself, speaking three steps ahead of my mind. "Oh, it's not one stupid thing, it's the hundreds of stupid things I've said over the years…"

She laughed again. "You know, you're actually pretty funny."

"Thanks, I'm not trying to be."

"This is exactly why I wanted to take you flying. To get to know you more."

"Sorry to disappoint, but I am an entirely uninteresting person."

"So how does an entirely uninteresting person somehow change a whole village?"

"Luck," I replied. "And also apparently losing a limb does some good for getting that emotional impact. But I wouldn't recommend trying it."

She looked surprised by my joke, but eventually let herself laugh. "I really wish I knew you earlier."

"Believe me, you don't."

"But I do. I'm… well, I'm sorry for how I treated you. How we all treated you. I guess I see now that strength isn't just about body… because you're one of the strongest people I've ever met."

I didn't say anything to that, just let the words echo in my mind. Not even a snarky comeback could form in response.

Astrid looked away, the sheer personal nature of what she'd just said seeming not to sit well. Without warning, she threw her fist into my arm. "So thanks, I guess. For doing all that." With that, she guided Stormfly down, and in a few minutes, we landed back at my house. Astrid hopped off first, holding out a hand to help me down, and once we were both on the ground, we just kind of stood there awkwardly for a moment.

"So, goodnight, then…" I said, getting a mumbled 'goodnight' in response. I went to open the door, but before I could, Astrid grabbed my arm and pulled me back. For just a moment, she pressed her lips to my own, before practically leaping onto Stormfly and flying off.

Will there ever come a time when I understand that girl? Probably not. But do I really mind?

...Not exactly.

Until next time…

-H

no, Hiccup, Astrid will never make sense. But that's one of the reasons she's so good for you :3