Author's Note: You will notice more mature themes in some chapters. I will post an Author's Note with a Mature Rating on a chapter should it evolve into that. If I say nothing, it may get intense but won't actually cross a line. That is all, I hope you enjoy as the story continues. I will not do Author's Notes often.
A part of me always knew of that artistic side of her, though its not something many others would notice or even care to see. This woman who is admirable for her physical prowess and tactical mind also has an artistic side, a soft side. She can speak with words just as well as she can speak with an ax and it really shows in recent days.
I had no idea she could write, too. No inkling that she could form poetry out of nothing, though it could be that I am bias towards anything she does. It could also be that I've barely scratched the surface of her, and I look forward to exploring in the coming days.
Feeling her sit on my lap and write in a notebook with my arms around her as we bounce ideas off one another. Try for different tones and verses, different words and choruses. I'm glad to have her in my arms as we write this together.
"Sing it again, babe?" She says softly and I smile. Reciting the song I heard my parents sing again as I nuzzle into her neck. I can't see her face but I can feel her smile. We've been working at it for a couple hours, I'd missed my sunset flight with Toothless but the Night Fury was well aware as to why and didn't seem to complain.
"I think this follows that tune." She says softly as I finish the last cord. We've been trying to make it match with my parents' tune.
"What about your parents' song. Do you want to ask them if they have one, or if we want to incorporate it?" I ask, gently kissing her neck, causing her to giggle as she shakes her head.
"It'd mean starting over and honestly, I think I like this one." She replies, leaning back into my chest and holding up the notebook. "Want to give it a try?" She asks, turning her head to look at me and I nod. Puckering my lips, I start with the whistle my dad had done, for it felt right.
"I'll fly and ride all day and night, without a need for stopping." I begin, closing my eyes and bobbing my head to the whistle. "And gladly soar along in life, if you will soar besides me."
"No gusting wind, nor freezing cold, will stop me on my longest flight. If you will promise me your heart and love me for eternity." I whisper in her ear and I feel her coo.
"My dearest one, my darling dear, your offer sounds so tempting. For I would only soar all night, if you were soaring with me. Up upon the clouds so high, I feel your arms around me" Astrid's voice carries as I squeeze her gently.
"Oh, I will show you a world in flight, and love you for eternity. I will catch you if you fall, and wrap my arms around thee." I answer with a smile.
"That is all I wish from thee" She begins as we both continue together.
"To love, to kiss, to sweetly hold. Through the Soaring and the Mysteries. To feel yours arms around me so amid the sorrows and the blessings. I will travel through the stars all night to keep you besides me."
"Through all of life's mysteries, there's only one thing that I know, and it's that I'll love you for eternity." We finish together, her still leaning back on my chest as she turns her head and lowers the notebook, now looking into my eyes.
"I love it." She says softly and presses her lips to mine again.
Breaking our lips apart gently and resting my forehead to hers, I smile. "Me too. It was mostly you."
"No, it was us." She restates, placing her hand on my cheek.
"Now we just need to work on our dance." I jokingly whisper, our lips closing together as I see her eyes half shut.
"Yes, we do. For now," she pauses and presses our lips together again briefly before pulling back. "Let's just enjoy this." She says, barely above a whisper as the fire from the fireplace cracks again.
"There's nowhere I'd rather be" I whisper into her ear, my arms wrapping around her hips and resting on her stomach as she places her hands on mine.
"Nowhere?" She asks softly and I laugh lightly and nod.
"Nowhere. Not the Hall, the Forge, not the Edge. I wouldn't even give this moment up right now to go flying. Not unless you were with me. And even then, I'd rather just hold you in my arms in front of a fire." I confirm softly and feel her tighten her grip.
"I'd gladly fly all day and night just to keep your arms around me" she says with a soft smile, her eyes still lightly closed, her voice following that same tune.
"To love, and kiss, and sweetly hold through the soaring and the mysteries" I answer, kissing her neck. I can see the smile on her face as she laughs.
"Should we write new verses for each other?" She says softly and I shake my head
"I see no reason why any verse has to be mine or yours, they can all just be ours." I answer and I hear her playfully groan.
"Must you always come back at me with a perfect, albeit cheesy, response?"
"Yup" I answer softly and kiss her neck again.
"Mmm, fine." She utters softly before shifting slightly on my lap. "Hiccup?"
"Yeah?"
"I want to go for another flight at midnight, but until then, can we…" she pauses and looks up at me. "Move?" She finishes meekly and I nod, letting down my feet, I wrap her in my arms and start moving towards the stairs. "Hey, I can walk, ya know?" She playfully teases and I shrug.
"But then I'd need to let you go and, I know it has to happen eventually but not yet." I whisper and see her blush and groan at the same time, which makes me laugh.
Setting her down on my bed, she sits up starts undressing as I do, and we climb into the bed in naught but our undergarments. Facing each other, I brush her hair out of her face as she gazes into my eyes and presses her lips to mine again.
This kiss, like the last, is anything but innocent as our tongues find each other much more swiftly and she rolls on top of me. My arms snaking around her waist, keeping her close as our mostly bare bodies touch. Our lips barely parting as our tongues dance and our faces shift, drinking in each other's presence.
I could tell one thing, our relationship was evolving and growing; and we certainly were not the kids we were when it started. We may barely be adults, and still learning about each other, but something else had changed too, we were explorers and adventures. Challenging tradition and the norm were somethings we both excelled at; and this would be no different.
Yet another dream come true, and many more to follow. I remember when I was giving him a hard time when Dagur and Mala were so affectionate, and he wasn't. Maybe that sparked his more affectionate side, because if there was yet another thing Hiccup was amazing at, it was that. He did not care about himself, or what others thought about him. He cared about others, and about me; about what I think of him.
I can't really tell when we actually broke our lips apart, it happened a couple times for mere seconds so we could catch our breath but didn't last long. That was the most intense it had been between us before; my heart is still racing, and I feel a flustered heat about me. I feel like I could have kept going, I wish we never fell asleep.
We are playing a new and dangerous game, challenging traditions like this. It was a different thing, though. Hiccup was Chief, and it is not like this is the first time we've gone against the norm; nor is it honestly, considering everything that's happened, really a big deal. Sleeping under the same roof together before being married was taboo enough, sleeping in the same bed with naught but our undergarments was another line. How much longer before we crossed that final line and just gave in to each other?
Honestly, I would cross that line right now if Hiccup asked me too. But he won't, he's Chief, he's shy, he's thoughtful and caring, never advantageous or even remotely ruthless; he's Hiccup. If I really wanted that, and I knew he did, I would have to make that move; but I'm not sure I can.
I feel his breaths as my head rests on his bare chest; he is certainly not the scrawny kid he was before, nor a meathead Viking like half the village. He has the hands and arms of a blacksmith and the body of a rider; leaned from the adventures and training we have been on... On top of it all, he has grown.
I have watched him change through the years, watched him turn from shy and awkward boy to confident and sensitive man.
Smiling as I feel his breathe raise his chest, his hand moves and finds my hip and I scrunch closer, still mostly on top of him. Closing my eyes and a slight bite of my lower lip, I kiss his chest softly as I hear him start to hum the tune we made. Maybe I woke him, maybe he was already awake. I didn't care as I placed a hand on his chest and felt him tighten his grip around my waist.
"It's nearly midnight" I hear his voice say softly and I glance towards the Toothless sized hole in his ceiling. I can see the moon nearing its crest and I nod.
"I'm honestly having doubts now" I begin, purposefully teasing him with my words but I don't let his mind wander too far as I add. "I could stay like this all night and skip the flight." I finish, my finger slowly tracing his chest. I hear him mumble an acknowledgement and I smile.
"Hiccup?" I ask softly.
"Astrid?" He answers.
"I feel like there's something else we need to talk about" I say, looking up at him as he gazes down at me. His beautiful green eyes seemingly glowing from the moonlight.
"Hmm?" He softly encourages me to continue.
"Are we—well, do you think we'll be able to… wait?" I ask softly, not sure how else to word it and suddenly feeling an asinine number of butterflies in my stomach.
"Wait?" He questions and I groan. He's going to make me say it.
"For marriage." I finish and look back at him. A moment of silence later I shake my head. "You know, for this." I add, my finger tracing his chest again.
"It's tradition." He answers unconvincingly, and I roll entirely on top of him and look him square in the eyes.
"And since when have we followed anything based on tradition." I question, looking down at him. I don't know what I'm looking for from him. Whether I want him to give in and take me or stay true to tradition and deny me. I don't know which would make me happier, though a thought in the back of my mind suggests the former versus the latter.
"What do you want, Astrid?" He asks softly, pulling my head down and letting our foreheads reach. He never breaks eye contact as he looks into my eyes.
"I, I don't know." I admit. "I mean, I think I know but" I begin to add before I'm cut off by him rolling us over and him suddenly resting on top of me, his lips gently touching mine.
"I, uh. I'm not sure about a lot of things, Astrid. Not what tomorrow will hold, not the future." He begins, his voice shakily speaking against my lips. "I know, I don't want to bring a child into the world while there are still Dragon Trappers out there." He says slowly and I feel my heart deflate a little bit. He was right, of course he was right. I suddenly felt the full pressure of his lips briefly as he looks down at me and adds. "I also know that I would break this tradition if you wanted me too. And that I'm sure we could avoid bringing a child into the world until we were ready."
"Hiccup." I say softly, pressing my hand to his cheek. He has a look in his eyes I only see at times like these. When our lips are locked, and our tongues are engaged. He's always been so careful about not letting his hands drift. Maybe we could break this tradition…
"Astrid?" He questions softly. "If I've said to much or gone to far…" He says shakily and I just pull him down on me and kiss him again.
Breaking the kiss, I nod. "Hiccup, it doesn't need to be now. It can wait for the right time, but it does not need to wait for the traditional time. I" I pause, looking away and biting my lip. Squinting my eyes, I let loose a sigh and look back to him. "I do want you, Hiccup. In that way." I admit quietly and see him smile. He rolls onto his side and prompts me to do the same so we can look at each other.
"I'm glad. When the time is right, then. Maybe" He pauses and rolls his head cornily. "Maybe… soon." He finishes softly with a smile, and I smiled too and nodded. "For now, how about a dance in the sky?" He suggests and I nod.
"Perfect." I say softly and kiss him again. We both rise and get suited up for a midnight dance in the sky with our dragons.