Chapter 11 – A Part of the Family
Oh my gosh…I cannot believe this took me so long to write. Wow…I am beyond sorry. Life got crazy.
But, I made this one pretty long for y'all to hopefully make up for my absence. HAHA!
Many were worried that it was ending with the last chapter because it seemed to "wrap up" but that's not happening! Christine and I have so much more planned - family and palace drama (with some Prince Henry moments included) are coming! Of course…there will be a lot of hiccstrid too cause I mean…who do you think I am? ;) They don't call me Chiefhiccstrid for nothing!
Thanks to my co-author, Christine, who puts up with all my shit and who I love dearly. You awesome.
Hope y'all enjoy!
Astrid woke up not only to the sound of plastic bottles crashing against the tile in their bathroom but also to a few curse words leaving her husbands mouth.
Her husband who should still be in bed.
They'd been home for only one day and he was already choosing to act like all was well and that one wrong move couldn't send them right back to the cold and depressing hospital.
Astrid slid out of bed and trudged to their bathroom, pushing open the slightly cracked door.
Hiccup was leaning against the counter, using it as support while trying to balance on his one good leg as he pressed tissues to the bleeding cut on his forehead.
She ignored the mess of bottles that were usually sitting around the sink - that were now scattered all across the floor. She was more concerned by the small trail of blood making its way down the side of his face, "Hiccup, what did you do?" Astrid asked, making her presence known.
Hiccup looked over at her from her still sleepy reflection in the mirror, "I'm okay. I must've scratched at it while I was asleep because I woke up and there was blood all over my pillow."
She walked up to him, "Let me do that, you need to sit down."
"I'm fine, Astrid." He tried pulling apart the bandage packaging with the hand that wasn't gripping onto the edge of the counter.
"I'm standing right next to you and I can see that's not true."
"But I've almost -"
"It wasn't a suggestion, Hiccup."
The way she narrowed her eyes told him that he should stop while he's ahead.
Astrid grabbed the bandage from him, the tube of ointment, and the damp rag before grabbing his arm and slinging it over her shoulders. She led him back towards their dark bedroom, "Why didn't you wake me?"
He slowly sat down on the edge of their bed and watched her turn on the bedside lamp, "Because you need your rest too."
Astrid just rolled her eyes as she stood in the spot between his legs and began wiping the red away from his forehead with the rag, "I'm alright, babe."
Hiccup glanced up at her face, watching the way she'd bite her bottom lip as she concentrated - something he noticed that she always did when she was focused. "How are you feeling today?"
Two days ago she'd woke up with a headache that was so bad it made her even sicker than she usually was throughout the day. And the stress from the number of times she found herself running to the bathroom probably took about three years off her worrywart of a husband's life. "I still have a bit of a headache."
"But it's not as bad?"
"No." She lied because it was still pounding pretty hard and if there was one thing she was sick of more than anything else, it was lying down and taking it easy. Astrid finished by placing the bandage over the cut above his left eye, "There you go."
Hiccup reached up and touched the fresh bandage, "What would I do without you?" He asked, looking up at her with a playful smirk.
Astrid snorted, "Probably find a way to get into even more trouble."
Hiccup pursed his lips and nodded, agreeing with that statement.
Astrid began to turn out of the spot between his legs to get rid of the blood-stained rag and all the other stuff she brought with her, but he trapped her before she could go anywhere. "Hiccup, what're you-"
"Happy Anniversary, milady."
And she blamed the eventual morning and her headache on the fact that she hadn't even thought about what day it was until just now. She set the items in her hands back down on the bed beside Hiccup before wrapping her arms around his neck and playing with some of the hair on the back of his head, "I can't believe it's already been a year."
"It's been a good one," Hiccup wrapped his arms around her hips, pulling her in closer and resting his head against her stomach, "and I know this next one is going to be even better." He smiled, pressing his lips against the spot where their child was currently growing.
Astrid smiled down at the sweet gesture that made her chest flutter and her cheeks warm.
Hiccup's last few days of nothing but resting and lying down gave him a lot of time to think about this life-changing moment and the child that was going to make him a father.
He wasn't sure he knew how to be a father and that was the scariest part.
He never thought he could already love someone so much. Someone that he'd only known about for a few days. Someone who he hadn't even had the pleasure of meeting yet.
All of that made him feel this mix of both excited and terrified that mashed together into one big ball of nerves in the pit of his stomach.
And him and his wife, well...they were one big ball of nerves together.
"So, what're we doing today?" Astrid spoke lightly. Hiccup lifted his head to gaze back into her wide and amused looking eyes, "I was thinking we could lay here all day and rest and sleep and do a whole lot of nothing?"
Hiccup snorted, "Sure, because we don't do that enough already." It was a joke and he knew that, but he still couldn't help but feel guilty for their first anniversary being ruined because of him and his accident-prone self. "I'm sorry."
"What for?" Astrid asked him as she tilted her head, waiting for him to continue.
Hiccup looked away from her face and down at his hand messing with the strings that hung from his sweatpants, "I wanted to do something special. Nothing huge and extravagant, but it's my fault we're stuck in here on today of all days."
Astrid sighed, placed her hand underneath his chin, and tilted it up slightly so he'd have no choice but to look her in the eyes. "We'll be spending it together and that's all that really matters."
"I know, but -"
"Hiccup," she interrupted, "I don't care if we spend it here lying in bed or in the cove or whatever other creative places you'd come up with. I just want to spend it with you."
"You're right," a corner of his mouth tugged upwards into a small smile, "but I'm still going to plan something for when I'm able to become a member of the living again."
Astrid just shook her head and dropped her hand from his chin. She was already expecting him to say that because when Hiccup put his mind to something there was absolutely no changing it no matter how persuasive you were. "Of course you are."
"You're excited about it, I can tell." He smirked.
She placed a hand on her hip, "You sound pretty certain."
"Oh, I am." He tried puffing out his small chest. "I take pride in how good I am at the element of surprise."
Astrid just stood there and laughed at how silly he looked with his chin raised in the air and his chest out, trying his best to make himself look as boastful as possible. "You're such a dork."
Hiccup didn't miss a beat, "But I'm your dork." He winked.
"I guess I can't argue with that one, can I?"
"Yes!" Hiccup pumped a fist in the air, "I won!"
And Hiccup should've known better because Astrid always won, so it shouldn't have been a surprise when she bent down to press her lips right on top of his while pulling at the hair on the back of his head in the exact way that made a quiet moan release from their slightly parted lips.
"Dammit," Hiccup muttered when she pulled away, gathered the things off the bed, and dramatically swung her hips as she walked back towards the bathroom while being proud she left him there in such a flustered state.
And the two never got to continue on with their day of doing a whole lot of nothing because then there was a knock on the door that revealed the King when he stepped into their bedroom.
Father and son made small talk about the weather and how he was feeling and something the twins did this morning that made him regret ever hiring them in the first place while waiting for Astrid to make her way out of the bathroom so he could share whatever news he was excited about.
And when Astrid came out of the door with a paler face than she'd had when she went in and a cup of water in her hand is when he knew what had taken her so long to come out.
She greeted Stoick a good morning as she sauntered over and sat down next to her husband on the edge of their still unmade and slept in bed. Hiccup leaned over and pressed his lips to the side of her head while rubbing his hand gently up and down her back in a soothing motion that truly did help take away the lingering nauseous feeling.
The two of them were such a mess they looked like they'd just come from some kind of battle - Hiccup with his cuts and bruises and Astrid still pale and sweaty with flushed cheeks - but Stoick paid no attention to that. He was too excited about finally getting to share the news he's held from them for a couple of weeks, "We're having a party!" The King spoke, quickly rubbing his large hands together.
And the young couple didn't feel well enough to completely fake pure excitement at the prospects at attending a party in their current states.
"Seriously, a party? Why?" Hiccup asked his father who was still eagerly awaiting the excited smiles from his son and daughter-in-law.
Stoick sighed, slowly shaking his head in disappointment, "Oh, Henry, please tell me you didn't forget your first wedding anniversary."
"I didn't." Hiccup spoke, his lips turning downwards - annoyed his father would think he was really that irresponsible.
Stoick nodded one firm nod, affirming he was glad his sometimes scatterbrained son didn't forget what today was, "So, that's why we're having a party, son. That and you - thankfully - making it back home still in one piece." When the King didn't get the reaction he'd expected, he commented on their still emotionless faces, "You're not excited?"
"No, that's not it exactly." Astrid spoke and glanced over at Hiccup, "We both just wanted it to be a little more…"
"Low-key." Hiccup finished for her.
And Stoick completely missed the point they were trying to make, "Oh good, so you didn't make any other plans."
"Well, no-" Hiccup started.
"You didn't think I wouldn't plan something for your anniversary, did ya?"
And this took the both of them by complete surprise and stopped them from arguing any further because this had been all the King's idea - the man that Hiccup thought still disapproved of the two even being married in the first place.
"You planned this?" Hiccup asked as he felt his eyes grow wider the longer the information began to sink in.
"Of course I did," Stoick replied like it should've been more than obvious.
"Why?"
Astrid was sure she'd never seen the King look more like her sometimes shy and timid husband than he did in this very moment as he looked away from the two and over their heads at something on the wall behind them. He looked...embarrassed...and maybe even a little bashful at the words he spoke next, "Because you two not only gained one another that day, but because I also gained a family again."
Hiccup's hand stopped the soothing motion against his wife's back and it flopped back down on the wrinkled duvet because that was the first time he'd ever heard him call them all a family before.
Astrid didn't know what else to say to show how much those exact words meant to her so that's why all she said was, "We'll be there."
The party was filled with tons of congratulations and well wishes while Hiccup and Astrid tried to act like they really did remember the person's name as they spoke to them.
It was also filled with a lot of sitting down and not much partying because Hiccup couldn't stand for long without the old prosthetic pinching him or his ribs screaming in protest.
And it was also filled with surprise - surprise that started out joyful but then ended up in disappointment with even a tad bit of anger thrown in.
Stoick also wasn't kidding when he said party. The ballroom where the two had met in the first place was not only dressed up with tables covered in white cloth and food being brought out on platters, but also with a lot more than just a few people, which is what the King had originally told them.
"You know this time last year, it was you and I who almost got married." A familiar voice that came with straight black hair, bright green eyes, and a long grey dress spoke to the young couple sitting at the table at the head of the room.
Astrid stood up to greet Heather, pulling her in for a quick hug. The many meetings and social events the two found themselves at together during the process of the treaty coming to an almost fulfilling close meant they had become a little fond of one another.
Heather was strong-headed and Astrid liked that in her. The two never spent much time outside of their engagements and work, but it was always nice to have someone to chat with during the dullest of parties and social gatherings.
"Oh, I remember the day well." Hiccup chuckled, holding out his hand, "How are you, Heather?"
Heather laughed and eyed him up and down after the two shook hands, "Definitely a lot better than you are. I heard you almost got yourself killed and they weren't kidding."
"He really did try his best to make me a widow," Astrid told her lightheartedly because this whole accident was a lot easier to talk and joke about now that she knew he was going to be just fine.
"Just call me a walking disaster." Hiccup spoke in a way that made it sound like he was proud of that.
Astrid rested her hand atop his shoulder, "That's not something you should brag about."
"Yeah...you're probably right."
Heather was enjoying the light banter between her two friends, but she had come up to them for more than just a hug and small talk. She turned back towards Astrid who was still standing in the spot next to her, "Is your father coming tonight? My dad wanted me to ask him something about one of the farms in Baldr, but I hadn't seen him around anywhere yet."
Her father had once again been invited to a function at the palace, and like he almost always had since this same day last year, he decided not to show up and grace the party with his "cheerful" presence.
When Stoick had told her that he'd invited Ragnar, she already knew she wouldn't see her father tonight. It wasn't a shock that it was already over halfway through the party and he was still nowhere to be seen.
"He couldn't make it." Astrid lied because she knew he could. She knew he was probably sitting in his large house all alone with some strong drink sitting next to him in a glass while he scrolled through the news and pretended to be paying attention.
Hiccup watched the way her mouth turned into one hard single line and he felt the way her hand - still upon his shoulder - tensed up into a fist like she was trying to control her frustration.
Ragnar was always a topic that he tried to never bring up on his own. It was always a conversation that only happened if Astrid started it first because no matter how hard she tried to ignore the fact that his uncaring attitude didn't affect her anymore, Hiccup could still see that it did.
And Hiccup sometimes wanted nothing more than to go right up to the man and give him a piece of his mind for the way he treated his daughter. She didn't deserve it. But this was always something she told him that she wanted to take care of herself.
He respected that, of course. And, plus, the look that Astrid gave him when he interfered with something she wanted to take care of was also frightening and he never really enjoyed it.
"Oh, that's too bad," Heather replied.
Hiccup and Astrid were both grateful for the King quieting everyone down to make some kind of speech - the one part of the job he really enjoyed doing for some reason that Hiccup still didn't understand.
"Henry, Astrid..." Stoick spoke to them as the ballroom quieted down, "come up here."
Hiccup groaned as quietly as possible, but Astrid still helped him to his feet and led him up to stand by the King who was all dressed up in a suit with a tie while holding a glass with some dark and expensive looking liquid in his hand.
"First, I want to thank you all for coming out to not only celebrate my son and his wife for making it through one full year of marriage, but also for Henry making it back home with injuries that will heal right on up with time." Stoick started and waited until the light clapping that echoed throughout the room died down. "Now, most of you here - just like myself - were and still are completely shocked by the events that happened here in Berk exactly one year ago..."
The room rang out with a few chuckles and amused whispers. Hiccup's thumb rubbed gently up and down her waist - against the white lace material of her dress - as both stood there remembering the day well. The day they both realized that marrying one another was probably crazy and a tad bit reckless, but that it also turned out to be one of the greatest things either has ever done so far.
Stoick continued, "But these two have not only done really wonderful things for Berk this last year, but also for this family - a family I'm really glad Astrid is now apart of." Stoick smiled over at her with a sincere look gleaming in his green eyes. A look that said he meant every word he just spoke. A look that spoke of nothing but respect.
Astrid definitely blamed her wacky hormones on her eyes prickling and her throat tightening, but those words meant a lot to her. They meant a lot because for half her life family hadn't meant anything other than a shared last name. And even if Hiccup had told her a thousand times they were all a family, it never actually felt real until just now.
Not until she grew closer with Valka.
Not until she heard King Stoick Haddock call her family.
"I do believe that love can be one of the greatest gifts of all..." Stoick raised his glass in the air and tried his best not to glance over at the one woman he used to love more than anything that was standing a few feet away from him, "so, here's to my son and daughter-in-law, their love, and their future."
The guests all took a sip of the drinks in their hands - toasting the young couple who were both still too taken back by the words that left his mouth.
Stoick turned towards the two as the clapping got quieter and the chatter grew louder.
"That was a really great speech." Hiccup told his father sincerely because it was. Hiccup wasn't sure if his father was ever going to fully accept Astrid as a part of their family just because of how he felt about the Hofferson's in the past. And ever since the wedding, he'd been kind but there was always that tension and that silence, and these were words he never thought he'd hear from Stoick.
Astrid felt the exact same way. So far the wedding hadn't changed the relationship between her and the King. It was always respectful and always formal. That was until Hiccup's accident and until the two shared a moment of worry and emotions that Astrid never wanted to feel again. It was that day when she felt like she wasn't sitting in the car with a King but a father. "It really was, thank you."
And she thought she was surprised by the words that just left his mouth, but that was until the large tall man who could make three of her pulled her in for a hug.
Stoick pulled her in for a tight embrace because over the last week she'd been nothing but supportive towards his son. She never left his side. He had witnessed everything she vowed to do. And there had always been a twinge of doubt for just how much love was really there, but all that went away the second he saw just how committed she was to Henry.
And this hug was the only way he knew how to truly thank her.
"I'd hug you too, son," Stoick chuckled that booming laugh that shook the chandeliers after he'd let the girl go back to the place by her husband, "but I don't want to hurt you any more than you already are."
"How considerate." Hiccup chuckled along with his father even though he knew he wasn't joking because his hugs had always been known to actually be crushing.
Astrid missed the comical moment, however, because she was suddenly too focused by what she saw standing in the doorway of the ballroom.
It was the identical blonde hair and blue eyes of her father.
But the second she saw him was also the very moment he turned right around and headed back down the long hallway.
Astrid was way too curious about why he'd show up only to leave a few seconds later. She was even curious as to why he showed up at all.
That's why she followed him out.
"Excuse me...I'll be right back." Astrid spoke up, taking the two men standing next to her by complete surprise.
Hiccup didn't even have time to ask where she was going because by the time his mouth was open she was already out of earshot.
Astrid cursed the white heels attached to her feet for making her pace slower than it would've been, but she finally caught up to him at the end of the long - and thankfully empty - hallway.
"Oh, so you're leaving already?" She asked him, irritated.
She watched him stop, hang his head, and turn to face her, "Astrid…" He sighed.
"Why would you even show up if you only planned to stay five seconds?"
Ragnar sighed again, not wanting to explain his reasoning for leaving because even though a lot of it had to do with how he still felt about the events of this time last year, he saw the moment shared between the King and his daughter and he realized he probably wasn't wanted there anyway. "I just-"
She cut him off, not even caring about the excuse he'd probably just make up. "Why are you being like this?" Astrid finally asked him because she was real tired of his attitude and there was really no point in beating around the bush.
"What do you mean?" Ragnar's forehead creased and looked at her like she suddenly grew three heads.
Astrid sighed, "Listen, I understand why you didn't want me to be with Hicc...Henry at first, but dad, it's been a year and we've all moved on..." She spoke because they had. Stoick's speech was proof of that tonight. "Well, all but you, apparently." She added, gesturing towards him with her right hand.
"Just because it's been a year doesn't mean I have to like it." He told her matter-of-fact and crossed his arms like that would help show just how serious he was.
"Why can't you just accept it?" When he didn't answer she continued, "Shouldn't you just be glad that I'm happy? Shouldn't that be what you really want for me in the end? Seriously, dad, we're starting a family and you're still hung up on the past like-"
Those words got his attention more than any of the others she'd spoke to him beforehand, "Starting a...family?" He repeated.
Astrid stalled, her mouth hung slightly open as she recalled what she'd just said.
His daughter usually never stalled on her words unless she spoke ahead of herself and said something she didn't mean to, which is why he prodded further. "What do you mean you're starting a family...are you…" he glanced down at her still flat stomach that she suddenly covered with one of her hands.
He didn't even have to say the words for her to know exactly what he was talking about - their body language was enough.
"Yeah, I am." She admitted because telling her father now would show just how much he was going to miss if he kept acting the way he chose to.
And that news hit Mr. Hofferson like a ton of bricks because while he was still fuming over the idea of her being married to the Prince of Berk, she was now about to be a mother. "How long have you known?"
"A couple weeks."
"I didn't...I didn't know." He stuttered, the shock from what he'd just learned still present in his shaky tone.
"Why would you? You haven't been around." Astrid stated matter-of-fact, completely missing his wide-eyed look and the slight paleness in his face because her mind was clouded with her own annoyance.
And so Ragnar did what he did best when his feelings and his emotions were about to get the best of him, he got snappy.
"It wasn't planned, was it?" Ragnar asked.
Astrid scoffed, "What kind of question is that?"
He narrowed his eyes at her like he was trying to see past whatever façade he thought she was trying to pull, "It's just all happening a little quick, isn't it?"
"Seriously? That's your response to this?" She asked him, placing a hand on her hip.
He didn't answer because he really didn't know how to respond. He should be happy for her and somewhere deep down, he knew that he was. Just like deep down he knew he was happy for everything that's happened in her life this last year. Everything else just took over first - the shock and the anger that never truly went away.
"Dad, if you keep acting like this...you're going to miss a lot of stuff…" she took a deep breath, steadying herself and preparing for the next words that she knew would cut him deep, "stuff that mom wouldn't want you to miss out on. Stuff that she would want you to experience for not only you but for her too because she isn't here to enjoy it with us."
Bringing up her mother was always a subject that tugged on Ragnar's heartstrings in a way that made him angry. It was the same feeling he's felt since that day she slipped away from them both. It's the same feeling he gets when he wakes up and sees a photo of the three of them - happy - staring back at him on the wall across from his bed.
"Astrid, please don't bring your mother into this." He spoke quieter than she's heard him be in a while.
She knew how much he hated it. She knew that a conversation like this made him upset. She didn't care. "She would be so disappointed because this is not what she wanted when she told us to take care of each other."
He remembered that day well. It was a day he wanted to forget, but it was always the one memory that never left. The one that was burned in his memory forever. The way she squeezed his hand and told him to not only take care of their daughter but to take care of one another.
But the anger of it being her who was taken away took over...the anger ruined the rest of the years and that made it even worse.
It was the only reason Astrid was trying so hard to get him to come to terms with it all because she still remembered him before everything was taken away from them.
"I'm trying, Astrid," Ragnar spoke truthfully because to him it sometimes really felt like he was.
To Astrid, however, it didn't. "Right." She snapped. "But just know that I'm giving you a chance to be a part of this family and now it's all up to you if you want to try to be or not."
She'd said what she wanted to say, which is why she turned around and walked back down the hallway - leaving him there alone with those words.
Astrid's mind was so far away from her surroundings as she walked back down the long hallway that she didn't even notice her husband limping and trying his best to catch up to her until he called out her name.
"Astrid! Wait! You're too fast…" He called out, panting.
She turned around and saw him leaning against one of the tall pillars trying to catch his breath, "Hiccup, why aren't you at the party?"
"I was worried about you…" He told her sheepishly, tucking his hands in the pockets of his slacks, "Are you okay?"
Astrid didn't even have to ask. The innocent look on Hiccup's face and the way he kept looking down at the floor all guilty told her that he'd overheard the previous conversation. "I'm fine."
Hiccup nodded once, deciding that he wasn't pushing it any further. Her scrunched up nose and pursed lips were a sign that pushing her buttons too far wouldn't be a very smart decision right now. She's talk when she was ready. She always did. "Do you want to head back to the party?"
Astrid looked back to the direction of the loud ballroom. She didn't feel like putting on a fake smile. Her good mood was long gone, her headache was pounding now, and she was tired that faking joy sounded way too exhausting, "I think I'm just going to go to bed."
Hiccup sighed in relief because bed sounded so good. His leg and his back and everything else would also agree if they were able to speak. "Mind if I join you?"
Astrid tugged a corner of her lip upwards as she strolled to her bent over husband and threw his arm over her shoulders. "Nothing would make me happier, babe...well, actually, one of those blueberry muffins from Dragon's Edge Cafe. Now, that would make me happier."
Hiccup chuckled as they made their way to the staircase, "Second to a blueberry muffin...typical."
Astrid breathed a laugh, "Better get used to it." She reached over to pat his hand gripping onto her shoulder.
Hiccup stopped walking, suddenly more serious than he was only half a second ago. "Hey…" he started, "no matter what happens, you're always gonna have me."
"As long as you don't fall through any more floors." Astrid quipped. But that statement that she knew was the most serious made her feel like she flying above the clouds - the way Hiccup's cheesy and kind words always made her feel. A feeling she never wanted to grow used to.
Hiccup smirked, playing along, "Hey, I'm tougher than I look." He tried to stand up tall to prove his point.
Astrid just shook her head. "Come on tough guy, let's go to bed." And she was just about to take a step up the grand staircase in front of them, but instead turned her head and rested her forehead against her husband's chest for a moment. "Thank you, babe."
She felt him gently press his lips on the top of her head before she lifted back up and turned around to glance in the direction that her father was once standing. "I just can't give up on him...yet."
"I know." Hiccup spoke gently. "And I love you for it."
She looked back into the soft eyes - and the even softer smile - of her husband whose sweet and warming features made every tense and rigid muscle in her relax.
Hiccup leaned forward, resting his forehead against his wife's. Astrid felt him bring his hand to the back of her head, pressing them even closer - so close she could feel his warm breath hit the tip of her nose.
The two stayed that way for a long moment while Astrid thought about how much she loved him for always understanding and for giving her the space and time needed to deal with her father in her own time.
That constant support was part of the reason she thanked him. That and being the person that taught her how to love like she never thought she could.
We had fluff…we had drama…that'll be a look into what's in store for the rest of it.
Hope you enjoyed!