Valka has access to Eret cuddles, and I for one am terribly envious. Eret definitely gives great cuddles.

-HTTYD-

In those moments she'd feared they wouldn't find Eret in time, Valka found herself making a deal; with herself or the gods, she wasn't sure, but Valka swore that if they found Eret and rescued him, she'd tell him how she felt.

They found him, and Valka couldn't find the words to do more than ask him to stay with her. Eret didn't need more though, and he simply nodded. He was barely awake by the time Valka joined him in her bed, too tired for awkward conversations or anything else, but he wrapped his arm around her and curled around her back before falling asleep within a minute. Cloudjumper gave them a somewhat perplexed look, but Tripfire nudged him and they settled up on the ceiling to sleep themselves soon after.

Valka drifted quicker than she expected, drawn to slumber by the warmth and comfort brought by Eret's presence and hold. She woke still there, Eret still out cold behind her but his arm was a cosy weight upon her, his breathing a relaxing lull. Leaving was not something she particularly wanted to do, but her full bladder urged her out of bed anyway. When she returned, Eret was awake but hadn't moved, was looking at the space she'd vacated with a little confusion.

"This isn't my room."

Valka would have been lying if she had said she wasn't nervous as he looked up at her, rubbing his face. He sat up, scratched idly at his face before looking at her again.

"Did I dream it, or did you ask me to stay?"

"If I didn't, do you think you would be in my bed?"

His brows furrowed in thought.

"Good point."

Eret climbed up out of the bed and stretched, then rubbed his messy hair back and frowned before turning back, searching the bed for what turned out to be his hair tie.

"Well, I'm gonna go get dressed and stuff. Are we talking about... this or not?"

He wasn't letting her off easy, it seemed. Or perhaps he was, if she said no.

"I... don't know."

Eret let that sit, then nodded before stepping into his nest-boots and heading off to his own room with Tripfire following him. She sank down to sit on the edge of her bed with a sigh, placing her head in her hands.

What was she doing, really? It felt as though there was little doubt any longer that there was something going on, something mutual and tangible between she and Eret. But she'd been keen to keep some measure of healthy seperation from him, when they already lived so close and were effectively each others only human relationship. And perhaps that might have worked at one point, but Eret seemed to have a knack for slipping through her defences and taking root under her skin. Valka had been truly terrified she'd never find him again when he vanished, and been so relieved to find him alive and unharmed.

Because she did have feelings for him, much as she'd tried to deny it. Valka had known it before he kissed her in that tavern, but she'd thought she had vows to honour and a living husband. Now she knew she didn't, and Valka knew in her heart she hadn't really loved Stoick in a long time... but it didn't seem right to go from his gravesite to bedding Eret.

Eret came back dressed and fending off an affectionate Stormcutter, who huffed before turning and disappearing. He watched her, rolling his eyes with a fond smile.

"Guarantee she's gone to get her saddle, I have a lot of missed flying to make up for apparently."

Valka nodded, unsure what to say to him. Eret frowned, approached her warily and she eyed him with equal wariness.

"You don't have to be afraid of me, you know."

"I know."

He wasn't much taller than her, really, but when she shied away he seemed to tower over her. Eret stilled when she stepped back, looking a little... hurt. She had been the one to ask him to stay, so it probably wasn't fair of her to be so peculiar now. He sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Look, you're not the only one who's a little terrified here. I mean, every relationship I ever had with a woman only lasted for the time my ship was in port. I'm not going to suggest we rush into anything, but can we just... let whatever is going on happen, with no pressure?"

"No pressure?"

Eret nodded.

"If I make you feel pressured, tell me. But I don't want to go back to when you could barely look at me, so just... tell me what you want from me, and I'll go with it."

Feeling rather on the spot - Eret had pushed many of Valka's very rusty people skills into action - she could only shrug for a moment, not entirely sure what she wanted from him until her brain kicked back in a little.

"I... come back. Here. At night?"

"Can I bring my reindeer blanket?"

When she nodded, Eret smiled.

"Cool. Breakfast?"

As though that was that, Eret headed over to get the fire going. She'd not noticed it was out that morning, because Eret had been so warm when he held her through the night Valka hadn't felt a chill. He was bent down on one knee by the firepit, waiting for the flames Tripfire kindly donated to take more fully. On something of a whim, Valka moved and knelt next to him, barely waiting for Eret to turn toward her before she kissed him.

He froze in surprise for a few seconds, almost long enough for her to doubt whether she'd done the right thing before he responded, broad hand cradling her cheek as he kissed her softly, sweetly. It was a world away from the frantic, clumsy clash in the tavern, left a warmth in her chest and a gentle flutter in her belly. Disgruntled dragon grumbling in their direction seperated them, a very impatient looking Cloudjumper nudging his food bowl before being scolded by Tripfire for interrupting them.

Eret laughed, then looked back at Valka with his amber eyes full of happiness.

"It's good to be home."

He half expected it to be awkward, at least to begin with. They were both clueless, really - Valka had been married before she had seen seventeen winters, and Eret hadn't ever actually courted anyone. He was a taste of adventure that would vanish in the morning, never struggling to find someone to spend a night with in a tavern when he travelled by ship. But now he had somewhere to put down roots again in a way, had somewhere to call home again that didn't have sails ever since he left his true homeland.

"What was it like?"

"What was what like?"

Valka had her legs pulled up to her chest, head resting on her knees as she watched Eret. She did that a lot, but it seemed to make her happy and Eret liked it when she smiled at him, so he left her to her watching.

"Where you lived. Before..."

"Before Drago?"

"Yes."

Eret looked out over the ocean, the two sat up on the alcove he'd found Valka crying over her son in a month or so ago now. Between the gravesite and the being captured, that had been a rough week for both of them, but it had led to now, and now had Valka holding his hand and sleeping in his arms, had lazy cuddles by the fire and sweet kisses that left them both smiling. Tripfire and Cloudjumper were up in the sky, enjoying a flight together.

"It was... cold. Very cold. Mainly lived on reindeer because they were tough enough to take the cold, and they could travel so we could move around with a food source as needed. My grandfather was an... elder, I suppose, and my father was due to take his place when he died. My days were things like hunting or harvesting from reindeer or building fishing boats, and rope and sometimes taking care of the youngest. My mother was a fierce woman and there wasn't a man in the group who'd dare cross her, including me and my dad. Her mother was one of our healers, taught me everything I know. We settled by the coast for a few years, which meant more fishing and a little farming, but also where we set up some really good forges."

"Your father made your swords there?"

He blinked, surprised.

"You remembered?"

"Of course. You were very distressed at the thought of losing them."

"Yeah. We had some good years there. I was a pretty good hunter, and I could even catch fish with my hands. When the water wasn't frozen, that was."

Valka giggled lightly. He liked the sound, liked the way it made her eyes light up. It made him want to continue with small, happy tales, not tell her where their lives at the coast had led.

"What else?"

"I got my marking" he indicated the ink on his chin "at thirteen, like all the other boys. And because I had steady hands, they taught me how to do them for the next generation, which was a big deal to be chosen for. Luckily, I wasn't the only one to be taught, since, well, I'm not there anymore."

Her fingers slid around his hand, squeezing gently.

"Are they... are your people still there?"

"As far as I know. I haven't been back in a couple of years, but Drago was only interested in the males and so women and children stayed behind. There was an initial resistance when he turned up, because the dragons weren't really much of an issue back then for us. Not many species live that high up. We were happy by ourselves."

"Why did he choose your tribe?"

"I guess he thought we were an easy target. And in a way, we were. My people are loyal, connected, and we protect each other above everything else. So..." Eret drew in a deep breath "when Drago killed my father in front of me... I went so he wouldn't hurt anyone else."

Valka's audible gasp of horror didn't surprise him; he'd never spoken about before he was a trapper, not really.

"My mother begged me not to go, but I'd have died myself before I let Drago hurt her. I was... bitter, angry, and while I never accepted Drago hurting my family, I guess I channeled that anger at dragons, and convinced myself there was a worthy end game. If there was peace, then nobody else would have to lose their father, right?"

"No wonder you thought my cause such madness."

Eret turned to look at her, saw the tears threatening to spill over her cheeks.

"I don't regret joining your cause, but yeah, it wasn't easy. I had to turn my back on the choice I made to protect my tribe, and it's why I haven't gone to my cousins on my old ship. Sure, I could probably convince them to change their minds, but we both know Drago would happily massacre what's left of my people in revenge. So long as he's only mad at me, he isn't going to waste time on a bunch of fishermen. He's got a dozen ships of my family and friends out there. I know we need to stop Drago, but..."

He cast his eyes up at Tripfire as she twirled in the sky, wondering what she'd make of everything that happened before they found each other.

"but you've stayed away to keep them safe. I can understand that."

"Yeah, I guess you can."

Valka shuffled a little closer to him, resting her head against his chest as they sat, embraced and quiet for the moment.

"What about your mother?"

"She's gone too, but I did get to see her again. While Drago was down south to demand more money off someone, we sailed back a few years ago. Mom was sick, but she swore she knew I'd come back before she gave in. So I was there when she..." Eret swallowed thickly, fighting his own tears by then "passed. And I saw her in the sky before we left."

"What do you mean?"

Eret felt gentle fingers on his face, Valka wiping his tears as she listened.

"What did you say you call the lights? Aurvandil's Fire?" Valka nodded "Well, my people see those lights as the souls of the dead, come back to let us know they're with us. My mother was a brilliant blue, and she danced across the sky that night like..."

"Like a dragon."

He hadn't thought of it that way until Valka said it, but she was right.

"Yeah. Exactly like a dragon."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ask about such sad things."

Eret shook his head, tightened his arm around Valka.

"No, it's fine. I just haven't spoke about them in a while, it wasn't what we liked to talk about on the ship."

Valka nodded in turn.

"You are always welcome to talk about your homelands with me. I'll listen."

"Thanks. We should head in, those storm clouds are heading closer and we are not actually dragons."

She began to giggle again, confusing Eret slightly.

"What?"

"Just... you. We've come a long way from you calling me the mad dragon lady."

"You are still very much mad dragon lady. I just joined you in the madness. Come on, those two can come in when they want to."

They clambered back down beneath the icy exterior, mindful not to slip on the way down as they made it to rock. Valka took his hand as they walked through the nest, lighting a fire in her room to warm themselves by for a little while.

"Eret?"

"Yeah?"

Valka wasn't quite meeting his eye, and he wasn't sure if she was simply overly warm from the fire or if something else was bringing a rosy flush to her cheeks.

"I... never mind."

"No, what is it?"

She turned away for a second, visibly shy as she drew in a breath before answering.

"Would you help me wash my hair again?"

Eret blinked in surprise, feeling a little warm at the memory of the last time he'd done that. Valka had mentioned in passing that washing all of her hair was something of a hassle before in passing, because then she had to braid it up. But that definitely meant...

"Oh. Uh. Sure, yes!"

It generally took a lot to fluster Eret. Valka was far too good at it. She stood and began searching for her towel and clean clothes, so Eret did the same and followed her down to where they bathed. He turned away, whistling so Valka could undress in peace, unsure what had prompted her to ask but not about to complain. He heard her slip into the heated water, glanced around to see she had her back to him now. Eret undressed quickly and slid down next to her, waiting for Valka to turn around now it was safe.

Her hand moved beneath the water, fingers splaying across the scar on his chest as their eyes met. Eret had been in many precarious situations, but Valka made him feel vulnerable in a way he wasn't really prepared for. She stroked over the raised lines of the brand in silence before leaning forward and pressing her lips to his skin in what felt like a show of acceptance for his past.

Valka turned away and sank down under the water, soaking her hair through before Eret reached for the soap. It felt almost too intimate - before, it had been a matter of necessity, though Valka trusting him while injured had felt rather close too. He didn't have to be wary of an injury that time, and Valka all but sank into him as he worked the cleanser into her hair, letting out those maddening little sounds in the process that had all sorts of wayward effects on Eret. He worked his way through until reluctantly he admitted he was done, backing up to let Valka dunk down and rinse away the residue.

She had him turn away from her so she could return the favour, and Eret couldn't help but notice how easily he turned his back to her, knowing he could trust her. Gentle fingers worked the soap solid through his hair, scalp tingling under her touch and Valka's breath tickling the back of his neck when she seemed to gravitate a little closer to him. At least while she was behind him, Valka couldn't notice he was... affected quite so strongly by her.

Eret rinsed himself off under the water level, pushing wet hair from his face before he turned back toward Valka.

"Promise I didn't peek."

Valka laughed lightly, shaking her head. Perhaps it was slightly strange that they'd bathed together twice now and only known glimpses of the others bare body, but then Valka was definitely his longest ever relationship with a woman ever, and they'd not been physical beyond kisses, cuddles and hand holding since that night in the tavern. He was attracted to her, undoubtedly, with her lovely smiles and bright eyes and talent for overpowering dragon hunters. But Eret wasn't want to rush anything with her, and Valka seemed to appreciate that.

They finished washing off seperately, but neither seemed intent on leaving the warm water yet. After a little hesitation, Valka reached for him and drew Eret close. She couldn't possibly fail to notice he was still hard, but it didn't deter the arms that slid around his neck or her mouth pressing to his. Kissing had often felt like a prelude, a starting point. With Valka it felt like more, like tenderness and closeness. He could feel how she started off a little shy, but confidence grew the longer they held each other close.

Letting Valka choose to move any further, Eret felt her hands move down, fluttering against his skin like butterflies as she stroked the scars on his back, from trapping and sailing and just general physical life stuff. Her fingers slid down to touch his brand again, and Eret felt a strong urge to hide it, to cover the proof of who he'd been before but Valka knew, she knew and she'd taken him in and taught him better anyway. She pulled away from his mouth, breathing quick and skin flushed by the heat rising from their bath. Eret let his own hand slide down, following the shape of her spine and feeling the little bumps of bone, ridges of faded scars and the tickle of her hair beneath the water.

The water gave everything a weightless feel as Valka pulled him close again, Eret groaning as he felt his erection press against the soft of her stomach, felt swollen nipples against his chest despite the heat of the water. Her hands slid into his hair, reminding him of the way she'd been all hands and hunger back on Yule, but that had been alcohol and denial at work. Now they'd admitted there were feelings there, everything since completely sober and intentional. Valka mewled softly against his mouth when Eret pulled her closer to him, clutched him tighter in response.

A surprisingly sure hand reached for his, guiding Eret's touch until the press of his fingers made Valka gasp, her body jumping as though shocked as her eyes closed and she buried her face against his neck. Not about to turn down the invitation, he moved his fingers in slow circles and short strokes, seeking to find what made her moan, what drew those lovely little whines from the back of her throat.

Valka seemed a little more forward when they couldn't really see anything, the water hiding where they touched from view allevating some of her shyness. Eret wasn't really shy, at all, nor did he think Valka had anything to be shy over, but if it helped? He wasn't complaining.

The sound of dragons nearby didn't really register at first - they were all over the nest, he tuned it out to an extent - until an unhappy grumble was followed by a scolding, Eret and Valka pulling apart enough to look over to the entrance where Cloudjumper had spotted them, and Tripfire was chasing him off. Valka looked back at Eret, both falling into fits of giggles.

"I don't think Cloudjumper approves."

"Oh, I think he's just used to being the only man in my life."

"At least Tripfire's on my side."

Still giggling, Valka pressed her face back into his neck.

"We should get out anyway, the waters getting cold."

He'd not noticed, if he was honest, distracted by the aroused naked woman he was touching, but Eret agreed when he felt the temperature dipping toward lukewarm.

"Go ahead, I won't look."

He missed the feel of her body on his as he turned so Valka could get out unwitnessed, admittedly a little ticked by Cloudjumper interrupting but it wasn't the end of the world. Bobbing up and down as he waited, Eret made sure to quip that Valka shouldn't make judgement when he got out as cold made things smaller. She looked away, but he caught her smile. His hair was shorter and finer than hers, only really needed wringing out and tying back up before he pulled on fresh bottoms and stepped into his boots, both throwing their other clothes into the basket for washing later.

Valka asked him to braid her hair for her like last time, and Eret was more than happy to oblige. It was even nicer that time, as he wasn't fearful of hurting her or her dizzily tipping over from her seat by the fire as he brushed and twisted and tied, taking his time because he could, because he wasn't worried Valka might question ulterior motives anymore now she knew he... liked her. He frowned to himself for a moment at where that thought had been going, shook it away and smiled when Tripfire nudged at Cloudjumper, who was not impressed with the idea of leaving the two humans alone.

By the time Tripfire had successfully removed a petulant Stormcutter from the room, the other dragons in there seemed to have other places to be too, although up until she took his hand and led him to the bed they'd shared for the last few weeks Eret hadn't thought Valka planned on... continuing anything. Valka's clean shift might as well have not gone on, Eret mused to himself as she let him take it off, her hands purposefully pushing at his waist until Eret removed his own clothes before she slid her body along the length of his as they laid down.

She was nervous, Eret could tell, but that wasn't slowing her down as she ran her hand down his side, smirking against his mouth when Eret squirmed at the slightly ticklish touch. Her fingers trailed across his stomach, kiss faltering as Eret groaned at the feel of her hand closing around his cock. Valka watched him closely, observing like he was a new species of dragon to see how he responded to her touch, her proximity.

It had been a while for Eret, not surrprising considering he'd spent over a year with Valka by that point. Still, he knew in his heart it had never mattered so much, because he'd never had the time to really connect with somebody the way he had with Valka. Her hand moved slowly at first, Eret wanting to urge her on but Valka got there on her own, the eye contact alone oh so very intimate.

When he got hands on her in turn, Eret raised himself enough to look at her properly, saw Valka initially try to shy away and cover herself. He gently pushed her hands away, leaning down to kiss her until she relaxed again. Her skin was littered in scars, burns and scrapes from dragons and several he knew likely came from human weapons wielded against her. Valka had put her life on the line countless times for near twenty years now for dragons; Eret could scarcely believe he'd ever doubted her.

Valka tightened her arms around his neck as his hand grazed her thigh, following a faded scar there before she gasped into his mouth at the pressure of his fingers, hips arching into his touch as she moaned softly. Eret was utterly captivated by the way her face shifted, the flush that spread across her cheeks. Her fingers dug into the back of his neck, letting out sinful, sweet little sounds.

She bucked when Eret slid a finger into her, cock twitching at the way she gripped at him, inwardly smug at how wet he found her to be. His skin tingled with anticipation, desire, dizzy with want for her as Valka clutched him, out of practice but eager all the same as she tried to move with his hand, chasing the sensation of his touch. Eret felt her relax a little more, slipped a second finger in and crooked them up, searching...

"E-Eret!"

He couldn't keep a grin from his face when Valka shuddered, eyes wide as he stroked that sensitive little spot inside her and thrilled in the way her legs twitched. Nails short from dragon-scale-scratching dragged over his damp back, left fiery lines in their wake. She reached to grab his wrist, tugging until he moved his hand before her legs wound around his hips, urging him closer.

"I can wait-"

Valka cut him off with a deep kiss, breathy words whispering across his lips.

"I want you."

She held his gaze the whole time as Eret pressed steadily inward, biting her lip with a low whine when his hips settled between quivering thighs. He ran his hand over her leg, soothing, knowing it was likely a little overwhelming for Valka when she hadn't been intimate with anyone in many years.

"Alright? We can stop if you need to."

Eret didn't want to, mind half-blank with the feel of soft and wet clenching tight at his cock, but he'd happily stop rather than willingly hurt Valka. She shook her head, breathing slowly for a few seconds before he felt her start to relax around him a bit.

"I'm ok. Move."

As if to punctuate her request, her hips gave a little push against his, the hands on his shoulders pulling him down to kiss her again. Eret obliged happily, moved slowly and hoped he wouldn't just come there and then. He shifted on his knees, making small, shallow thrusts to help Valka relax further until the tight, short sighs became soft, needy mewls and moans.

A lot about Valka and the way she expressed herself was very physical, placing her hand on his cheek and just watching him for a minute, such a searching gaze that it left Eret feeling laid bare in a way that had nothing to do with his nudity. She scarcely needed to speak with emotions displayed across her face so openly, letting her body say things her voice could not. Her teeth dragged over his bottom lip, pulling a pitifully needy sound from Eret and a playful smile to Valka's face.

Her eyes were the most expressive feature of her face though, with their strange green-blue mix of colour that caught the light off the ice around the nest and glittered. If her helmet hadn't hidden them, he'd probably have gotten distracted in fights with her before. He missed them when Valka's eyes fell closed, but was easily distracted by the way her tongue slid out to wet dry lips, by the way her hands clutched his skin before seeking purchase in the furs on their bed and bunching them in her fists. Gods, she was beautiful always, but losing herself to pleasure made Valka exquisite, indescribable.

His name spilled from her tongue, never sounding sweeter than it did in the cadence of Valka's moans. The grace of the dragon woman was still evident even when they were horizontal and so closely entwined, lithe body stretching and arching and twisting in ecstacy. Every buck and tremor added to the growing heat, every thrust like fire in his blood.

Thoughts he'd shaken off earlier tried to take hold again and Eret shoved them away anew, letting himself be lost in Valka instead, in the way she clawed at his back and bit at his skin, increasingly feral the higher Eret pushed her. He lost himself in the taste of her mouth, the feel of her moving with him as instinct overrode inexperience.

Lost as he was, a shred of logic and practicality made itself known before Eret's mind abandoned him entirely, reminding him to pull out in time to spill over Valka's stomach, hearing her let out a sound of frustration at the interruption. Hands clumsy with the rush his brain soaked in, Eret curved his fingers back up against the spot that made her shake, stroking inside and out until she spasmed and bit him harder, nails rough enough against his skin to be dragon claws but it was worth it to watch the way bliss overtook her, having to lean back slightly as Valka curled up into him.

Slowly, she relaxed under him, breath ragged and mixed with those "oh"-sighs, one hand letting go of Eret to push the hair that rested over her face up, damp with sweat and sticking to her cheeks and temples. Eret wiped his mess from her stomach with one of their bed furs, tossed it to the floor to deal with later before he crawled back up to lie next to Valka, felt her hand searching for his until their fingers laced together.

They just watched each other until the thumping of racing hearts began to slow, breath coming in less sharp drags, her exhales cool on his sweaty skin. They traded soft kisses, stroking bare skin until words could be chosen.

"We should get up, else I'll stay here the rest of the day."

"I would say that's not an issue, but Tripfire would disagree and I imagine Cloudjumper is somewhere nearby waiting to check i didn't hurt you."

Valka laughed, nuzzling against his chest for a moment before they pulled apart.

"I imagine so."

Eret got up and pulled his bottoms on before retrieving water for Valka to wipe herself down with, though they didn't stay apart long and were soon sat next to each other near the fire, her hand wrapped around his.

"Are we good? I mean, you don't regret anything, right?"

He wasn't sure why he was nervous, but Eret couldn't help asking. Valka smiled warmly at him.

"Not a thing."

Relieved, Eret watched her tuck an errant hair behind her ear as she let go of his hand to mix some herbs for tea.

Try as he might to ignore it, to push it away because he was so tired of losing people, Eret couldn't deny it any longer when Valka smiled over at him again.

He loved her.

-HTTYD-

FINALLY

amirite?