Author's Note: Hey, guys! Welcome back to "Sticks and Stones!" =D I don't really have much to say this time around, so I hope you enjoy this Hiccstrid one-shot. =D

Summary: Hiccup is having a hard time getting over the loss of the Dragon Eye. Astrid takes him from his hut outside in the rain and helps him out. (RTTE)

Dancing in the Rain

He felt like a fool. He felt like the very thing that he wanted Viggo to know that he wasn't: an inexperienced kid who couldn't handle himself and would fall for any trap or trick.

Hiccup had never felt so devastated when he lost the Dragon Eye to Viggo. He felt so…so stupid. So moronic. He couldn't believe that he had led his friends to Viggo's base and fell for the leader of the Dragon Hunter's trap. Now the Dragon Eye was gone, Heather was gone, and Hiccup…Hiccup had never found himself feeling so devoid of ideas. He didn't know what to do next. He didn't even know if he wanted to do something. The Dragon Eye was in Viggo's hands, and even though he didn't have a Snow Wraith tooth to unlock it, the young viking knew that it wouldn't be long until he found a way to open it.

Instead of moping about the loss of the Dragon Eye, Hiccup decided that there wasn't any more room for just thinking. He and the Riders needed to go and do. They wouldn't attack Viggo right away, but they—he—would make sure that he didn't attack them. And that meant extra nights spent in his room, plotting and planning new ideas and defenses for the Edge. Extra training exercises and practice with the Dragon Riders early in the morning. More inventions and creations built in the forge not for fun but for the Edge's safety. Weapons, defense mechanisms, walls built from Gronckle Iron to surround the base and protect it from projectiles. Anything and everything that would keep the Edge safe. Anything and everything that would keep Hiccup's friends safe. There wasn't any time for fun anymore. It was just work, work for everyone. But out of all of the Dragon Riders, Hiccup was working the hardest. And it was clear that he needed a break.

There is a difference between commitment and an obsession. In Hiccup's case, he was currently going through an obsession. At first, when the Haddock proposed that new defenses should be built around Dragon's Edge, the other Dragon Riders agreed. They spent hours building walls, setting up traps and watchtowers to make sure that Viggo and his men wouldn't step foot on Dragon's Edge without the Riders being alerted. When Hiccup started to round the others up early in the morning for training, they didn't argue. But the routine of working and training became repetitious, they knew that Hiccup was completely and utterly obsessed with stopping Viggo. His obsession with protecting the Edge was affecting not only him, but the other Riders, who were beginning to grow tired of waking up early and working for the entire day without being able to do what they wanted. Hiccup's obsession with stopping Viggo had turned him into a tyrant as Tuffnut had put it, and if his obsessive behavior continued, the other Dragon Riders feared that Hiccup would eventually end up hurting himself.

And this is why Astrid was standing in front of Hiccup's hut door. It was raining lightly, but it wasn't an unpleasant rain. It was a soft, almost peaceful rainfall that Astrid knew would help Hiccup. He hadn't been out of his hut for days except for when he patrolled the island on Toothless. The Hofferson hadn't seen them go out on a flight just for fun in a while.

Raindrops lightly touched Astrid as she knocked on Hiccup's door. Shuffling came from the inside along with the familiar sound of a metal prosthetic clicking on the hard, wooden floor. Astrid waited patiently and she was more than relieved when she saw Hiccup open the door, but she felt her shoulders slump when she got a good look at him.

Astrid could only sum up Hiccup's current condition in one word: exhaustion. Hiccup looked exhausted. His green eyes were duller than stones, and his auburn-hair was messier than usual. Hiccup's posture was tired and slumped, and he had to lean against the door to keep himself up. The dark circles that ringed under his eyes seemed deeper than a hole, and Astrid couldn't help but feel even more concerned for her closest friend.

"Hey, Astrid," Hiccup greeted, although it wasn't filled with any vigor like his greetings usually were. Astrid knew that Hiccup wasn't purposefully trying to sound cheerless; he was tired, and he needed to take a break.

"Hey," said Astrid. She glanced behind Hiccup to see Toothless standing a few feet behind him, giving her a look that begged for help. The Night Fury was equally concerned about his friend, and Astrid could tell that he was hoping that she would bring an end to Hiccup's late-night work and restore his old self.

"So…I stopped by to see how you were doing," Astrid continued. "Do you need any help?"

Hiccup shook his head. "No, I'm fine."

"You don't look fine," stated Astrid.

"But I am," Hiccup said. He began to step back inside his hut. "Sorry, but I have work to do and I—"

Astrid grabbed Hiccup's hand and the Haddock turned back to face her. The look in Hiccup's eyes tore at Astrid's heart. He was so tired and so exhausted. Astrid didn't like this Hiccup. The Hiccup that worked non-stop without any breaks and had no time to spend with his friends. This Hiccup cooped himself inside of his hut for days on end without taking a breath of fresh air or stepping out into the sun. Astrid wanted her Hiccup back. The Hiccup that loved to talk about dragons. The Hiccup that loved to take flights and ride fast just for the thrill of it. The Hiccup that spent as much time with his friends as he could…

The Hiccup that she loved.

Astrid gently pulled Hiccup out into the rain; the young viking didn't make any effort to resist. Astrid placed her other hand on Hiccup's shoulder.

"You need a break," she said softly. "Come on. I know what will help you loosen up."

Astrid led Hiccup to the forge. The place was cleaner than she thought it would have been. Hiccup must have finally tidied it up. Astrid and Hiccup stood in the middle of the clean area. Rain dripped and pattered against them.

Before Hiccup could ask what Astrid was doing, she once again took Hiccup's hand and placed her other hand on his shoulder. Then, she began to sway. She started dancing.

Hiccup spontaneously placed his hand on Astrid's shoulder and his other hand behind her waist. He hadn't danced with anyone before, and he certainly didn't expect to dance with Astrid Hofferson herself. She didn't seem like the type that would like to dance, and she did dance, it was usually for a short period of time, like when she and the other Dragon Riders celebrated that they all owned Dragon's Edge.

But as Astrid gently swayed and led Hiccup in a small circle, he found that she wasn't bad at dancing at all. In fact, she was amazing at it. Her steps were lighter than air, and her movements were elegant. She led the auburn-haired viking in the dance, and Hiccup spun Astrid whenever he got the chance. Raindrops slipped and dropped on both of them, but the sudden coolness of the water droplets was comforting to both Haddock and Hofferson. The rain added on to the calm, peaceful mood. There was no music, no band or anything, and the only sounds that Astrid and Hiccup danced to were the light tapping of the raindrops against the wood, and the cool, gentle breeze of the wind.

As the two stepped and swayed, Hiccup felt something on his face that felt familiar yet unfamiliar at the same time. It was then that he realized he was smiling. How long had it been since he last smiled? Hiccup didn't know. It must have been a long time, because Astrid's grin was brighter than a thousand suns when she saw Hiccup's smile.

"You haven't smiled like this in a long time," she remarked.

"Yeah…" said Hiccup. He spun Astrid around. "I guess I've been a little too caught up in stopping Viggo, huh?"

"Yup," said Astrid. She stopped dancing and she faced Hiccup. Her expression turned into one of concern. "You've been in your hut for a long time, and you haven't had any breaks, Hiccup. I know you want to stop Viggo—we all do—but this…this isn't the way to stop him."

Hiccup rubbed the back of his neck and looked down. His other hand was still clutching Astrid's. "I…You're right…I guess I have been a little obsessive lately."

Astrid nodded and she reassuringly squeezed Hiccup's hand. "We'll stop Viggo together, I promise. But for now, why don't you slow down?"

Hiccup's green eyes geared up toward Astrid, and the Hofferson was pleased to see that they had begun to return to their original, bright green. Hiccup's eyes glittered and he gave Astrid a small smile.

"Okay," he said at last. One simple word, but Astrid could tell that there was a lot going into it. She smiled and squeezed Hiccup's hand again, and the Haddock squeezed back. The rain stopped, leaving only a soft, quiet breeze blowing between the two. Astrid brushed a strand of hair behind her ear and let her hand slip from Hiccup's.

"I have to go and take Stormfly out, but I promise I'll come back and help you clean up," Astrid said.

"Clean up?" repeated Hiccup. "How did you…"

"I could see the mess from outside," Astrid stated before Hiccup could even finish his question. Hiccup blinked.

"Oh," he said simply. Astrid laughed.

"Anyway, I'll drop by soon," she said. Astrid began to walk away. "I'll see you later?"

Hiccup nodded. "I think I'll start cleaning up while I wait for you to come back."

Astrid nodded as well and was about to exit the forge when Hiccup called her name.

"Astrid?"

The blonde turned around. "Yes?"

"Thanks," Hiccup said. Pure gratitude flickered in his green eyes, and Astrid felt her heart soar.

"You're welcome, Hiccup," said Astrid with a grin. Then, she left.