=Hiccup's POV=
[Sunday, 8/28/2022-7:15 am]
[Isle of Berk; Hofferson Residence]

Upon waking up at 7:00 am this morning; it honestly took me a bit to remember that I slept over Astrid's place. I'd never been allowed before, so it was definitely new for me to wake up in her bed with her in my arms. Oddly enough; I really enjoyed spending the night because I didn't have any nightmares. I got them now and then, nothing major, but enough I'd need to take a few minutes and splash my face to calm down and catch my breath. After awakening more, I noticed Astrid was still asleep and I knew shifting would wake her up; I didn't want to do that, so I stayed put in bed to just take in the fact she was mine again. Eight long years, but I had the love of my life back and nothing had ever felt more right to me. I guess I always knew deep down that the reason I couldn't move on is that Astrid is the one for me. No other dates or relationships gave me the feeling I get when I'm with Astrid. And from what I understand over the talks; Astrid had the same problem. A lot of times over the last eight years; I'd just get upset and start hating myself for not chasing Astrid.

I was just as wrong as Astrid was for leaving that night. I got upset that Astrid said no and ran off, but I didn't do any better by leaving the house and then deciding to join the army and get off of Berk to avoid her. No, I should have stayed and talked to Astrid about everything. And then what I know now about it being a mistake for her to say no; I would have known then and we'd probably already be married with kids by this point. I suppose there was no force on Earth that could turn back the hands of time now, but I would absolutely not let Astrid go again. I didn't care what happened; I'd fight for her as I always should have. That night; I vowed that there would always be a Hiccup and Astrid, that she had me no matter what, that I was with her. As long as I live; I'll never break that that again because honestly, I can't imagine a world without her in it. I can't live a life that she's not part of. How I survived the past eight years is a mystery to me, but I believe whole-heartedly that it was our love that got me through. The fact we're meant to be together, and living would bring us back into each other's lives.

I guess I was right because here we are. One day; I'd probably propose again and say all this stuff to her. A much more detailed and romantic proposal speech than the first; I wouldn't rush it, and I'd say absolutely everything I love about this girl in front of all our closest family and friends. I'd probably still spring it on her, but I know she won't run this time. We both know what this is; it's fate, destiny…Astrid Hofferson is the love of my life, and mark my words; she'll end up being my wife. I'd thought about it for a while, proposing again. I saw no reason not to, even if we just got together almost three months ago in June after eight years apart from when our three-year relationship ended because we both did something stupid. Astrid said no and ran away; and I join the army and basically ran away. Not a day went by that I didn't think about her, often regretting my choice. But I believe that what is meant to be will work out perfectly, and she's back in my life now; I won't lose her again.

It didn't matter how long we'd been back together; I knew who I wanted to spend the rest of my life with and it was her. As soon as I got all this house stuff settled and a few other minor details; I was going to do it. I was going to ask her to marry me again. It's another reason I wanted the house when the offer was suggested to me, Astrid would move in, we'd get married, and could start our family and not have go through the steps of moving into an apartment, then needing a house. No; I cut a lot of steps out by just going for the house. I suppose you could say it was all part of the plan. Since the moment Astrid said yes to being my girlfriend again; I've been working on making sure that we had each other for the rest of our lives. Of course, she has no idea, so it's gonna be one hell of a shock when she finds out. And the best part is; I know she'll be surprised, but happy about it.

At the moment; it was about 7:15 am and I felt Astrid start to shift in my arms. I smiled as she opened her eyes and looked up at me; she smiled softly and obviously, still tired. "Good morning, Milady,"

"Morning," Astrid said as I leaned in and kissed her lightly. "How long have you been up?"

"About ten to fifteen minutes; you looked comfortable, so I didn't want to move you," I said.

"I've missed this so much," Astrid closed her eyes again, snuggling up.

"Me too," I replied, resting my head against hers. "We should probably get up and start the day,"

"Do we have too?" Astrid mumbled.

"Yes, love, we do," I laughed a bit. "We gotta shower, get dressed, have breakfast, and then go see my hopefully, possibly, new house," I reminded.

"Totally forgot about that," Astrid admitted. "Alright, alright," she yawned and finally sat up. I did the same as she rubbed her eyes. We both got out of bed and shared a light kiss.

"You go first," I offered.

"Okay, be right out," Astrid smiled as she left the room to get the bathroom.

I smiled and sat on the bed to wake up more; I actually still felt a bit tired despite sleeping ten hours. I really hoped I wasn't coming down with something; I knew when I was about to get sick because I'd be out of it and wicked tired. That's how I felt last night, and now it's spilling over into today. I suppose the ultimate test would be after the shower and when we had breakfast. I felt kind'a bad about getting snappy with my friends last night; I knew they were concerned for me. My PTSD wasn't a secret; I was honest about having a mild case. But I can't be mad at them for worrying; we saw some real shit overseas that will stay with us for years to come. As team leader; I've seen and done a lot. I only shut them up forcefully last night because I didn't want Astrid or my family and other friends to know about all that war stuff. We were out of all that; there was no need to bring up the pain, no reason to bring war home with us.

At least, that's how I felt about it. One day I might tell Astrid some stuff about what I'd been through, but for right now; we only just got back together and I didn't want to throw all that sadness on her. I mean, if she asked; I would tell her. I know I didn't last night, but it was getting late and I didn't want to revisit all that stuff after just coming out of a flashback. I didn't need everyone to know. If I was going to tell Astrid, I wanted it to be a us thing. Maybe a quiet night in private. It wouldn't be easy for me to tell her, but Astrid and I didn't keep secrets from one another. I'd probably explain that to her later today; that I have seen a lot of stuff and me not telling isn't me keeping secrets, but I just didn't feel that in front of everyone was an appropriate time. I knew she'd understand; that's one of the things I loved about Astrid so much.

Twenty minutes went by as I ended up using the half-bathroom that was between the kitchen and the living room; I got back to Astrid's room right as she came in with her towel on. "Oh, sorry. I thought you were getting dressed in there," I quickly turned my head.

"Hiccup, come on…It's nothing you haven't seen before," Astrid blushed a bit, enjoying how embarrassed I got.

"Babe, I haven't seen anything in eight years… And girl, let me tell you that you look different than you did. Not in a bad way, just…You filled out a lot. I always used to say you couldn't get more beautiful…I was wrong," I stated.

"Aw, babe…" Astrid blushed more. "Well, shower is open if you'd like to go. Mom and dad are already up and sitting at the table with breakfast ready," she smiled. I got up and moved into the bathroom. I loved that's been so long and I still remember the layout of Astrid's house. Getting through the front door; you were in the living room and directly off of that straight across was the kitchen and dining room with a half bathroom between the kitchen and living room. To the left of the entry hall; there was both bedrooms and then the one full bathroom in the middle of them. Astrid's room was at the front of the house, and her parents in the master bedroom were in the back. There was also a door in the dining room that led out to the backyard.

I made my way into the bathroom after waving to her parents who were sitting at the dining room table; then closed the door.

. . .

[7:45 am]

I felt a bit better after the shower. I did all my usual stuff and shaved; it had become habit for me to always have at least one set of clothes and my shower bag handy in my car. After all, you never know when you'd need it. Of course; I realized I left my clothes on Astrid's bed, so I had to go out in the towel to get to her room for them. I exited the bathroom and moved into Astrid's room while she was just brushing through her hair and pulling it back into the braid she loved to wear as her style; it always sat on her left shoulder.

"Left your clothes?" Astrid giggled a bit.

"Yeah…" I nodded, moving over to them.

"I won't look," Astrid smiled.

"Doesn't matter, I can get dressed without taking off the towel," I informed as I reached for my boxers and slipped them on with the towel in place; I repeated this with my pants. Once they were buttoned and zipped up; I took the towel off.

"Guess the military taught you a thing or two?" Astrid inquired.

"Not really; we don't care if we see one another. All the same parts as far as we're concerned, which isn't all that much. Granted; we've caught a glimpse or two when we're entirely nude. It's hard to avoid when you share a barrack with forty or so males, but most of the time; we don't care if we get spotted walking in a towel, or just our underwear," I shrugged. I turned to pull on my shirt when I felt Astrid was closer behind me.

"I didn't know you had a tattoo," Astrid pointed out.

"I have a couple actually. One on my back, the left wrist and right shoulder," I informed. Astrid moved to get a better look at the designs.

"What do they all represent?" Astrid wondered.

"Well, the one on my shoulder here is the tattoo version of the necklace my mom gave me before my first tour of duty; the symbol for the Night Fury. I was worried about losing the necklace, so I left it hanging in my barrack. On my leave after seven months; I decided to get the design tattooed. Mom asked me to keep the necklace with me because I'd had it since I was a baby when they didn't think I'd survive after being born two months early. Mom and Dad commissioned Gobber to make it, to show that I was strong like this dragon, and I'd survive no matter what. Seems to be the case," I laughed a little.

What's this piece on your wrist?" Astrid questioned, looking at it more.

"In Viking Times; this was known as the symbol for when the Heir became the Chief, like an initiation into the position. A Chief is supposed to be a leader, so when I became leader my unit; they said I should get something to represent the fact I have the heart of a chief and the soul of a dragon," I explained.

"That's…Pretty cool, Hiccup. And…The piece on your back says Alpha Stryker in a pair of dragon wings. Is that for your platoon?" Astrid looked at him.

"No, that's the name of the team that Dagur, Eret, Thuggory, and me make up. We've had that team name since the field training exercise in Basic Training. We decided to all get that tattoo done after getting stationed on Berserker Island. I think we had it done right before Snoggletog in December 2014," I chuckled a little. I felt Astrid running her hands on my back, then my arms. "Having a good time?"

"You're still leaner than most, babe…But damn with the muscles…" Astrid shivered a bit. I blushed a little and shrugged.

"Sorry? I think," I said.

"No…No, it's fine," Astrid cleared her throat a bit as I threw on my red shirt. "A lot of working out?"

"Here and there," I nodded. "Come on, let's go eat," I smiled, offering my hand to her. Astrid nodded as she took my hand and we left her room to join her parents for breakfast.

. . .

=Normal POV=
[11:00 am]
[Isle of Berk; 1 Drage Drive]

The morning was easy going through breakfast and then just sitting around until 10:45 pm when Hiccup and Astrid headed for the address he was given for the home he may take. From Astrid's house; it was fifteen minutes away, but from his parents and other friends; it was about twenty or twenty-five. However, Hiccup already figured out he was about eight minutes from the Berk Base, which made the most sense as to why it was military housing; it was close to work. Reaching the property; Hiccup parked along the sidewalk as he and Astrid got out and looked at things from the outside.

"Well, it's cute," Astrid smiled.

"Cozy," Hiccup nodded. Another car pulled into the driveway as Hiccup saw Drago step out. "Captain?" he asked.

"Oh, hello, Hiccup. Nice to see you again; it wasn't supposed to be me doing this, but last minute changes. I'm sure you're used to that in the military by now," Drago laughed a bit.

"Probably more than I should be," Hiccup agreed.

"And who is this lovely young land beside you?" Drago wondered.

"This is my girlfriend, Astrid. She's uh, the one I was with before joining. I'm sure you remember the story; I told it on the first tour in Syria," Hiccup hinted.

"Ah, yes, yes," Drago nodded with a smile.

Hiccup cleared his throat a bit. "Babe, this is my commanding officer; Captain Drago Bludvist,"

"Pleasure to meet you, sir," Astrid shook Drago's hand gently.

"You as well. I'm glad to see Hiccup so happy, was beginning to think he had a resting bitch face…" Drago commented.

"Sir!?" Hiccup paled. Astrid tried not to laugh.

"What, Hiccup? I'm sorry, but you always looked miserable and your head always in the clouds. Good Odin above, so serious…" Drago shrugged. Hiccup sighed heavily. "Lad, you are an exceptional soldier, but you never relaxed and let yourself have fun. I'm happy to see this lass is able to bring that forward in you, and I'm sure the entire company is going to be thrilled to find out you got back the lass you never stopped talking about," he laughed a bit.

"Captain!" Hiccup said quickly.

"We're all glad to see you happy, son; that's all that matters," Drago put a hand on his shoulder. "Now, shall we take a look inside?"

"Please," Hiccup asked, wanting anything to pull away from the awkwardness that just took place. Gods, all he didn't need was for Astrid to know she was always in his heart, on his mind, and in his conversations over the last eight years. Astrid giggled a bit. "You hush up,"

"Oh, come on…I wanna know about all this," Astrid hoped as Drago was leading them toward the house.

"We'll talk about it later," Hiccup assured. Astrid nodded as she held Hiccup's hand as Drago guided them into the house.

. . .

[11:30 pm]

"Well, we've seen everything," Drago stated as he looked at Hiccup. "What do you think?"

Hiccup took in everything he saw about this house. It was close to work, always a plus for him if there were long days and there always were in his line of work. There was a two-car garage, washer/dryer, big backyard, two bathrooms, and three bedrooms. All of it was incredible, and everything on his list of wants. Well, he didn't need the three bedrooms…But they could be guest spaces, maybe one office, and later down the line…Rooms for his and Astrid's kids. Having all this right now wasn't exactly a bad thing.

"What was the price on it again?" Hiccup inquired.

"Well, as it's rent to own…Everything is included, the rent would be $2,200.00. But with military discount, it's only $1,600" Drago informed.

"Not bad," Astrid chimed in.

"No, not bad at all. And I rent at that price until it's paid off?" Hiccup asked.

"Correct, Lieutenant Haddock. Original price of the house is $269,000," Drago mentioned.

"So, Original price is $269,000. Monthly payment $2,200, but discounted is $1,600. If I'm not wrong…" Hiccup lifted his head a moment, thinking. "It's basically a fourteen-year mortgage, right?" Hiccup asked.

"I…Think so?" Drago arched a brow.

"Still good at math I see," Astrid giggled a bit.

"Not hard. Twelve months to a year, twelve multiplied by fourteen is one hundred and sixty-eight. If you take $1,600 and multiply that by one-sixty-eight; it's $268,800. Which means my final payment in fourteen years would be…$1,800; two hundred more than the normal to make $269,000," Hiccup informed calmly.

"So…You gonna take it?" Astrid wondered. "I think it's beautiful and perfect," she smiled. Hiccup loved seeing the light in her eyes about this place; he could tell she had fallen in love with it. Hiccup guessed that was a good thing because soon; she'd be moving in with him and they'd be married, then likely having children. It had been eight years apart for them; there's no reason to wait on everything that could have been so long ago. "But, your house, babe," Astrid giggled.

Hiccup looked at Drago. "I'll take it," he nodded.

"I'll get the final stuff taken care of in the next couple of days to do signing on the first, and then it's all yours once you get the keys," Drago said.

"Thanks, Cap," Hiccup smiled, shaking his hand. "Now…How about we grab some lunch," he turned his attention to his girlfriend.

"I think that sounds great because I'm starving," Astrid replied.

"Oh, before I forget, lad…No drill this weekend. We decided to give you guys another month off from it…But you're still expected to show up for work Monday at 0600," Drago mentioned.

"Got it. I'll tell Dragon," Hiccup nodded.

"See you tomorrow, Lieutenant," Drago waved, getting in his car and leaving.

"Off to lunch we go," Hiccup led Astrid back to his car as they got in, buckled up, and headed off to Berkbees because it was closer to their location. Today had been a very good day, and Hiccup couldn't wait to move into his new house. Everything was going exactly according to plan.