There was something to be said for falling in love with someone you are used to going into battle with. People grow closer when constantly going through harm's way together and coming out on top of it together. With everything we have been through in the past few years, from the Red Death, Dagur and Alvin, Viggo and Ryker, and Krogan and Johann. It's hard to believe how much time as passed and how much closer we've grown because of it.
Our dragons are no different, where once they struggled to maintain a formation, they could not dance in the sky like a unified flock of varying dragons. Stormfly and Toothless were no exceptions, if anything, they were the examples. The amount of time Hiccup and I have spent on missions together, relying on each other. Where one might not always be able to rely on the twins or Snotlout, Hiccup and I could always trust each other.
The wind is cold as it rushes by my face, Stormfly climbing the night sky with Toothless and Hiccup next to us. We did not wear our full rider's suit, and it was intentional. As I glance over to Toothless and Hiccup, I notice him turn and look at me. We wanted to be able to see each other. He smiles and tugs on Toothless who does a slow spiral; bringing him overtop of Stormfly from her right to her left. For the briefest of moments in the sky, as I look up, are faces are inches apart as the distance quickly grows when the spiral finishes.
Grinning, I pat Stormfly on her neck and she kicks it into gear, speeding up and closing her wings on the descent. Hiccup and Toothless were right there with us and the familiar sound of the Night Fury's wings cutting through the air as the collapsed. Both are dragons spiraling down towards the ocean at a matched speed. I look up and see Hiccup just a few feet from me amid our descent and reach up to him, he follows suit and our hands interlock as our dragons spiral down. Dangerous, yes; one wrong move from our dragons could rip us of our dragons. This was a level of trust we shared not only with each other, but with out dragons.
We must've been flying up there for an hour or more with the cold because when we finally landed, I could hardly feel my face. Over the years, Hiccup and I had found places on the island that only we knew about. Places that we could disappear to before he became Chief and just enjoy the day together. I've missed it more than I care to admit out loud. He needed my support, and I needed his.
So, we couldn't spend aimless hours together just enjoying the days passing, we always found time for each other. Even when he said he wanted to be alone or needed to think. That was more for the others, not for me. We do not need to speak; we don't need to fill the silence with small talk to feel each other's presence. Even now, sitting back against Toothless's tail as he coos and Stormfly nestles, us both just sitting in each other's arms staring at the starlight.
Glancing over to him, I see the most peaceful smile on his face as he gazes upwards. Resting my head on his shoulder, I feel his rest on mine as our arms cross each other's backs, and our free hands interlocking. It was a different feeling than it had been in the past; now our time, while selective, was unlimited.
"Astrid?" I heard his voice softly speak as he gazes up at the sky. I softly tighten my grip on his hand and hear him sigh.
"Hiccup?" I answer and he brings our hands up to his lips and kisses the back of my hand.
"I just want you to know, I don't regret a thing. Having you here with me, its more than I dared hope when I was younger. I know I'm not exactly the easiest to deal with sometimes. Especially after…" his voice trails off, but I know what he's talking about, and he doesn't need to say it.
"Hiccup." I begin, and rotate, tossing a leg over his so I'm sitting on his lap, looking at him. "No one, not even me, can begin to imagine what you've been through. But none of it, and I mean none of it, reflects anything you could have done differently." I place a hand on his chest and smile. "The good and the bad, right now, you and I, we're right were we should be." I finish, resting my head on his chest as I feel his arms wrap around my waist and hold me closer.
"Where do you come up with this stuff?" I hear him whisper softly with a light chuckle and I just shrug softly.
"It's a gift."
"Just one of the many that you have." He answers softly, kissing me on the cheek as I blush and smile.
"Don't start with that; this isn't about me." I whisper, feigning annoyance and not lifting my head from his chest.
"No; it's about us." He answers, brushing the hair from my face and gently caressing my cheek. I hated it when it did that, not like, truly hated it. Hated that it would instantly diffuse me, even if I were only being playful. Hiccup had been paying more attention than he admits; and he knew how to make me melt. "It's about the things you do, say, and feel; and what they do to me." He continues and even as I try to groan at his corniness, I can't fight the smile.
"It's about how you, Astrid Hofferson, someday to be Haddock, drives me to be who I am." He adds and my heart skips. Astrid Hofferson Haddock had a nice ring to it, to be honest. And that was one tradition I didn't mind following. Sitting back up, still straddling him, I smiled and pressed my lips to his. He always finds ways to give me butterflies.
Breaking the kiss briefly, resting my forehead against his with our noses barely touching I shake my head softly and bite my lip. "You seriously need to stop doing that." I teasingly whisper.
"Stop doing what?" He questions with a smile as he brushes our noses together.
"Saying things like that." I answer, looking in his eyes with a smile.
"Like what, specifically?" He teases. "How just being near you can make me forget all the troubles of the world? Or how your beautiful sapphire eyes seem to glisten in the moonlight?" He adds, he's doing it on purpose as I groan. "How you make me a better person?" He continues and I shake my head, rolling my eyes before pressing my lips to his again.
This time it's his tongue tracing my lips and as they part, our tongues meet again, and I press my body closer to his. After nearly a minute, we finally release, both nearly out of breath and our breathing is heavy as I smile and nod.
"I said, stop it." I tease and he only shakes his head.
"If saying it more makes that happen more, then that'll be the only way to shut me up." He answers playfully and I smile.
"I can live with that." I whisper, our lips brushing together before meeting once more.
Things were certainly changing, progressing, growing. On Berk, around the world, between us. Where once the slightest thought of holding hands or a peck on the lips was uncharted territory, we've grown bolder. Physical exploration of your betrothed was something usually saved until your wedding night, where you and your betrothed would find a secluded area on the island and finally give in to each other entirely. Away from the ears or eyes of your neighbors.
Not our wedding night yet, and we certainly weren't crossing any big lines just yet, but we might be walking them. I say we might be, no we certainly are. I've grown quite familiar with the feeling of her body pressed up to mine, the smell of her hair and the taste of her tongue. The hue in her eyes when we need to break for a breath as we gaze at each other. The soft sound of her breathing as she regains her breathe before pressing her lips to mine again.
If there was one custom that I would not dare cross, it was the way we Berkian's treated consent and boundaries. I remember the time Throk came to the Edge as though he was going to carry Ruffnut away against her will. It came from an innocent, albeit naïve, standpoint on his part. One he was quick to change when he learned of our ways. In some ways, he became more of a gentleman than someone like Snotlout could ever hope to be.
If it were within my power, I'd never let us part on this cloudless, star-filled night. Feeling her body pressed to mine as our lips lock and our tongues dance. Her hands cup my face as mine rest on her hips, her still straddling me from before. It was odd at first, but over the course of a few minutes its like our bodies knew what they wanted before our brains did. I felt her slowly rock her hips with each passing touch of our tongues, my own hands felt like they were being guided by her body as they moved with her hips.
I felt a pressure that was newer to me, well, at least in this way. Sure, I've felt this pressure before, when waking up or going to sleep, randomly in the day but luckily most of those times I was wearing my riding suit and it kept any visible sight at bay. But this was different, this didn't just happen, it happened because of her. This was another line we were walking, and while we were still clothed on this plateau, we were one step shy of completely breaking tradition.
"Hiccup." I hear her whisper against my lips as she continues to rock, she must've felt something too because she didn't stop. As I look into her eyes, there is a longing that I've not seen from her before. The moonlight glistened of the hue of her eyes that made it seem like we were staring into each other's souls. This is a secluded place, dragons aside; but was it the right time? Our bodies seemed to think so.
Pressing my lips to hers again, I slow her rock and can feel her legs shake softly. "Astrid." I answer in a soft whisper. "Is this the right time?" I ask softly, my hands gliding up from her hips to her ribs and then back down, passing her hips to her thighs, then back up, resting back on her hips. I see the softest of smiles curl on her lips.
"Close." She answers softly. Resting her head on my chest she lets out a sigh. "I don't suppose you could take the day. Probably selfish of me to ask." She whispers and I laugh lightly.
"You're one of the most selfless people I know. You've not complained about my focuses being on being Chief or to the Riders, even though I know you've had your frustrations." I whisper, stroking her hair.
"I'm sure, between my mother and Gobber, I can find a way to spare a day just for us." I finish and she lets out another breath.
"You don't need to do that." She mutters and I stop her, lifting her chin up and looking at her.
"I want too." I whisper and kiss her lightly on the lips. "Come on." I add, tugging at her to get up.
As she stands, I take her hand and start walking in a circle, orbiting our hands as I start to whistle. I can see her begin to blush and look away as I stop. With my free hand, gesturing towards the sky while looking in her eyes. "I'll fly and ride, all day and night, without a need for stopping." I pull her closer and spin her so her back is against my chest as our arms are locked. "And gladly soar along in life, if you will soar besides me." Gripping just one of her hands, she spins out of my embrace and looks back to me. "No gusting wind, nor freezing cold will stop me on my longest flight." Bringing her closer to me so our noses touch. "If you will promise me your heart and love me for eternity."
Twirling in my arms, her voice carries in the wind. "My dearest one, my darling dear, your offer sounds so tempting." She says, prompting us to circle again, our one pair of hands never breaking. "For I would only soar all night if you were soaring with me." I tug her in as she lets her body move and find its way back into my embrace. "Up upon the clouds so high, I feel your arms around me."
"Oh, I will show you a world in flight, and love you for eternity." I whisper on her neck before twirling her out and tapping my feet. "I will catch you if you fall and wrap my arms around thee." I answer with a smile as she taps her own feet with mine.
"That is all I wish from thee" She smiles as we both sing with our feet tapping. "To love, to kiss to sweetly hold. Through the soaring and the mysteries." Tugging her in, our chests pressing together. "To feel your arms around me, amid the sorrows and the blessings, I will travel through the stars all night to keep you safe besides me." We say together, backing out of each other's arms as we circle one last time. "Through all of life's mysteries, there's only one thing that I know," we say together as our hands clasp and we move closer. "and it's that I'll love you for eternity." We finish, wrapping our arms around each other and pressing our bodies together.
We stand like that for a moment, breathing softly, each with our own smile. The song may need some work here or there, but it was ours. It was one we can do from the backs of our dragons, or the heels of our feet. And while we never really practiced a dance, that felt natural. To move with her like that.
"We changed a couple words that time." She whispered and I smiled. "But it worked." She finished.
"Yeah it did." I whisper and feel her shiver. "Come on, there's a nice fur-lined bed with our name on it." I add and she just smiles.
"You read my mind." She answers softly.
Luckily, it was a short but cold flight back on our dragons. Landing at my hut, we go back inside. As she heads upstairs to the bed, I relight the glowing embers of the firepit for some added warmth and make my way up with her. She's already shedding her clothing and climbing in the bed, and it's probably the first time I've watched her from this angel. She is gorgeous, beautiful hair and amazing body. It was a wonder I was lucky enough to call her mine. Her laugh brought me out of my train of thought.
"Well, going to stare or join me?"
"Just… savoring the sight. You are beautiful, Astrid." I say as I shed my own clothing and climb in with her. She places a finger on my lips.
"What did I say about saying things like that?" She teases
"Hmm, can't remember. What did I say about making me stop?" I playfully answer and I see her scrunch her brow and smile before pressing her lips to mine again.
"That this is the only way to make you stop." She whispers against my lips.
"Mm, but does this really stop me or encourage me?" I tease and she shrugs.
"Either way, it gets us" she pauses, pressing our foreheads together "to this…" she adds softly, our lips brushing together, "point." She finishes, finally closing the gap between our lips, letting us get lost in each other's presence until sleep overtook us.