Author's Note: Ahhh, it's been wayyyyy too long since I've written an HTTYD one-shot. *Punches wall* *Cries* This was a little idea that I actually forgot was sitting in my notebook, and it's inspired by (you guessed it!) Jonsi's wonderful song "Sticks and Stones" =) I was actually listening to it on loop while writing this one-shot, and I snuck in a few of the lyrics in here too, hehe. ^u^
I hope you guys enjoy this Hiccstrid one-shot! =D (Man, I missed writing these guys so much =')).
Bursting Through the Seams
Sometimes he wished that he wasn't the expert of dragons.
Today was one of those particular days as Hiccup walked through the village of Berk, yawns slipping past his mouth almost incessantly. Toothless trotted loyally at his side, finding amusement in how often his rider yawned. Hiccup had spent the entire day running through the village, helping vikings who had lost control over their dragons, solving issues involving dragons, tending to dragons, and…well, you get the idea.
Hiccup wasn't necessarily annoyed that everyone who owned a dragon on Berk came to him whenever a dragon related issue arose; he was rather pleased that he was finally getting the attention that he had longed for, even though he was still adjusting to it. While he did enjoy helping his people with their dragons, Hiccup couldn't help but feel exhausted after being bombarded by Berkians, asking for his assistance with every tiny problem that their dragons had. Hiccup could see why one would panic at a dragon suddenly burning down a building or refusing to eat but going into a frenzy just because a dragon wouldn't move from its spot or wouldn't stop following its owner was rather unnecessary.
Hiccup sighed, laying a hand on Toothless' scaly forehead. "Well, Bud. I guess we should probably start on that flight of ours before night rolls around."
"You and Toothless are going flying?"
Hiccup turned around, spotting Astrid Hofferson walking up to him. Stormfly, her Deadly Nadder, chirped upon seeing Toothless. The Night Fury grinned and warbled a greeting; they had quite the bond the two dragons. One that Hiccup found really sweet.
Regearing his thoughts back to Astrid, Hiccup replied, "Yeah…Toothless and I spent the entire day running around the village. Even though it's been three months since dragons started living amongst us, people are still struggling to live with them."
"Well it is all rather new," said Astrid, folding her arms. "I mean, we've spent our whole lives fighting these guys. And now we're living with them as if the past 300-year war never happened."
"At least things are peaceful now," said Hiccup, his emerald-green gaze looking around the village. Since the dragons had been welcomed to Berk, the young viking had noticed that everyone had become more at ease. There was always the looming worry of an impending dragon raid, but now there was no need for fear since the dragons weren't fighting them anymore. Vikings flew on the backs of their dragons, children giggled at the sight of Terrible Terrors singing on the rooftops. The nights were peaceful, and instead of explosions and battle cries ringing through the air at midnight, the content snores of both dragons and people echoed through the empty, quiet streets.
"Yup," agreed Astrid, bringing a hand to rest on her hip. "This has to be the longest time Berk's gone without any fighting."
Hiccup nodded. "So, what brings you here? I thought you were in the woods with Stormfly."
"I was," said Astrid. She began to walk forward, and Hiccup followed after her. He couldn't help but fawn over the way her features seemed to glow in the beautiful evening sun. "But the twins thought it'd be funny to snatch my axe while I was feeding Stormfly. I still haven't found it, but when I do, I'm definitely using it on Ruff and Tuff."
Hiccup was glad that he wasn't the one receiving the wrath of Astrid Hofferson. He hoped that the twins would come out somewhat alright after the shieldmaiden was done with them.
"Anyway, I came here so I could pick up an extra axe at the forge, but then I overheard you saying that you and Toothless were going on a flight." Astrid stopped walking and turned to Hiccup, suddenly looking a little bashful. "I thought it would be fun if Stormfly and I came with you."
At the thought of Astrid joining them on their evening flight, Hiccup's heart fluttered as if it had sprouted wings. The young viking could never refuse such an offer! Especially if it was coming from his crush—er, friend.
"Of course you can come!" Hiccup said a little too quickly. The young viking caught himself and coughed to cover up his embarrassment. Astrid smiled wryly. "I-I mean, um, s-sure. Sure you can come. I'd love it—I-I mean Toothless and I would love it if you joined us."
Toothless looked up and tilted his head, a teasing smirk on his face. Hiccup shot the dragon a look. Don't even start.
"Okay, great!" Astrid said cheerfully. "I'll just go and pick up an axe, and I'll meet with you on the cliffs. Sound good?"
"Sounds great to me," said Hiccup with a smile. "We'll see you there!"
Astrid smiled and waved. Hiccup nearly melted at the sight of it. To see Astrid smile that wide was a rare occurrence, and HIccup was one of the very few people who got to see it. The young viking watched as Astrid ran off, Stormfly following her in the direction of the forge. Hiccup was still waving long after they had disappeared, a goofy grin on his face. Toothless walked up behind him and snorted. Hiccup snapped out of his love-struck daze and turned to his dragon.
"Wh-what? It's not like this is a date or anything," said Hiccup.
Toothless huffed. And what made you think that this is a date?
Hiccup's eyes widened and he blushed. Toothless chortled in amusement.
"Shut up, Bud," muttered Hiccup, turning away from his laughing dragon. "Or else I'm cutting off your fish supply."
…
Like she had promised, Astrid arrived at the cliff that Hiccup and Toothless were waiting on. The Night Fury and his rider had been admiring the sunset while waiting for the Hofferson to arrive, and Hiccup even pulled out his sketchbook to try and get it down. He hadn't done any drawing in a while since he had been busy helping everybody else on Berk with their dragon-related issues, so the young viking felt quite satisfied to be getting back into drawing again.
Astrid and Stormfly landed beside them, and Astrid's borrowed axe was sheathed to her back. A bright grin decorated her face as she looked at Hiccup's open sketchbook. "Whatcha drawing?"
"Eh, just the sunset," Hiccup replied.
"You know…if you add a bit of shading around the sun, it'll give off the illusion that it's glowing," Astrid suggested.
Hiccup looked at the blonde-haired girl and back at his drawing. With a few quick strokes from his stick of charcoal, Hiccup successfully received the look that Astrid had talked about.
"Wow…it looks almost real," the young viking remarked. He looked up at Astrid. "How did you know?"
Astrid shrugged. "I've watched you draw enough to pick up a thing or two."
Hiccup smiled and he closed the sketchbook, slipping it under his vest. He mounted Toothless and adjusted the saddle straps before turning back to Astrid again. "So, are you ready for this?"
"You're acting like this is a survival mission," said Astrid, smirking playfully.
"Well it kind of is considering that we're racing," said Hiccup, leaning into the saddle.
Astrid scoffed, leaning into her own saddle as well. "We're racing now? I thought this was just a simple flight!"
"Is anything just a simple flight when we go flying, Astrid?" asked Hiccup.
The shieldmaiden smiled, remembering the flight that she and the other teens of Berk took after Hiccup had woken up from his coma. "You do have a valid point there."
Hiccup smiled, and he turned toward the painted horizon. "A lap around Raven Point and back."
A competitive glint shined in Astrid's eyes."Loser has to clean the winner's dragon stall for a month."
"Oh then I certainly hope you're not the loser," Hiccup said dramatically. "Toothless is a messy dragon."
The Night Fury grunted as if he didn't care that he was so untidy.
"Stormfly's pretty sloppy too," Astrid said, patting her Nadder's head. "Especially after she's had her lunch."
"Ew, Astrid!" Hiccup exclaimed. "I did not need that to be put into my head!"
"You asked for it!" Astrid said, turning back toward the colorful skies. "I'll do the countdown."
Hiccup leaned into the saddle once again. The light, evening wind rustled through his hair. Toothless grumbled like an engine, stretching out his wings, ready to take flight. Hiccup gripped the saddle horn.
"One…" Astrid said, gripping Stormfly's saddle horn tightly. Exhilaration pumped through her veins, even though she and Hiccup hadn't taken flight yet. The sky was boundless and inviting. The warm rays of the sun illuminated her features. Her blue eyes flashed with anticipation. Stormfly shifted on her feet and squawked.
"Two…" the shieldmaiden continued. Excitement burned within Hiccup's chest, his bright green eyes shimmering with mirth and light.
"THREE!" Astrid shouted. The adrenaline, energy, and epinephrine that the four had been building up within them burst like a balloon, and with elated roars, the dragons shot off the cliff, their riders clinging to the saddles as the wind whipped past their faces. Astid laughed with glee and did a barrel roll in the air. She was ahead of Hiccup, and with every beat of Stormfly's wings she felt pure jollity rattle and shake her bones. She leaned into the saddle, taking Stormfly into a dive toward the water. Hiccup followed after her. Stormfly squawked and dipped the tips of her wings into the blue, vast ocean. Water droplets burst from the water, looking like tiny gemstones in the evening light. Astrid suddenly got an idea, and she smirked as she turned Stormfly closer to the water, silently telling her to slap her wing against it. The Deadly Nadder did so, and the blue liquid burst from the sea and sprayed onto Hiccup and Toothless, who were flying right beside them.
"Hey!" Hiccup exclaimed, his hair sticking to his forehead and clothes sopping wet. Toothless only crooned with delight. "That's cheating!"
"You never gave out any rules!" Astrid cried. She laughed once again and she and Stormfly barreled toward the fluffy clouds above. Hiccup grinned, and he nudged Toothless' urging him to go after them.
If one were to say that Hiccup was going easy on Astrid Hofferson, then they would certainly be right. The young viking proposed the race for fun, yes, but what he really wanted was to see the shieldmaiden's smile and her ringing laughter during it. Astrid wasn't much of a smiler, and it was even rarer to hear her laugh. But whenever she was in the air with Stormfly, the two happened so often, that it was hard to believe that Astrid hardly ever smiled or whooped with cheer.
"C'mon…let's show her what we got, Bud," Hiccup whispered to his dragon. Tooth roared and he beat his wings against the air, gaining speed and catching up to Astrid and Stormfly. Hiccup breathed in the cool, comforting wind. It brushed past his cheeks, ticking them like feathers, and pure joy and elation bubbled within Hiccup's chst as Tooth flew on, speeding through the clouds like a bullet. His vest fluttered behind him, his bright green eyes were wide, blinded by the sun. The evening sky was painted with beautiful shades and hues of orange, red, yellow, and pink. Fresh air rushed up and down Hiccup's arms as he and Toothless sped on through the air.
Astrid turned around, the look in her eyes making Hiccup's heart melt at the sight of her. The young viking quickly drew himself out of his lovestruck gaze before Astrid noticed him staring. Toothless flew beside her, and Astrid grinned, turning to the wonderful sunset laying before them. The dragons slowed so their riders could admire the setting sun.
"It's beautiful," Astrid said, her blonde braid flowing in the wind behind her. She closed her eyes and breathed in. "I can't believe we went 300 years without any of…this."
The shieldmaiden petted Stormfly, who chirped in delight.
Hiccup nodded. "Yeah…" He often wondered how things would've been for Berk if they had never made peace with dragons. An utter catastrophe, he deemed. Life would've been harsh and violent, and Hiccup never would've been accepted by the other vikings. Before, his only desire had been to kill a dragon, one that caused him to spend unhealthy hours in the forge late at night, scribbling down and creating prototypes and contraptions just to complete the task. They were dangerous, and frequently failed. Hiccup remembered more than once getting injured by one of his own inventions.
But now, Hiccup only wanted to learn as much as he could about dragons. To become the best dragon trainer he possibly could and show everyone in the Barbaric Archipelago the wonderful creatures that dragons were. He wanted to protect them. Defend them. Make sure that they were safe. And in return, Hiccup knew that the dragons would slowly learn that some humans were safe as well.
Hiccup turned to Astrid, who was still admiring the dusk. His heartbeat quickened and he found it difficult to turn away from her. There was one other thing that he longed for…but he was still too afraid to do anything to get it. The young viking hoped that one day, he'd gain the courage to finally ask her.
Astrid turned her gaze away from the breathtaking view and looked down below. "Hey, it looks like we've reached Raven Point!" she said happily. Astrud turned to Hiccup and smirked. "Let's see who's the fastest rider."
"You're on," Hiccup said with a competitive smile. The two dived down toward the wooded area of Raven Point, breaking through the leafy canopy and flying through forest. A light bubbled past Hiccup's lips as he and Toothless weaved in and out of the trees. The Night Fury roared happily and rolled through the leaves. Twigs tore and scratched at Hiccups' skin, but he didn't care. He was having fun. Adrenaline pumped through his veins. Exhilaration filled his chest. The young viking gripped the saddle horn and Toothless rolled next to Astrid, who had twigs and leaves stuck in her hair. The forest blurred by the four like it was on fast-forward. Hiccup laughed and pointed at Astrid's hair.
"You got a little something up there!" he teased lightly.
Astrid pointed back to Hiccup. "And you got quite the somethings going on in your hair!"
Hiccup lifted a hand to his head, feeling the various sticks and leaves that had wedged themselves into his messy auburn hair. Hiccup smirked.
"I was actually going for this look!" he said. Astrid shook her head, laughter dancing in her sapphire blue eyes.
The two and their dragons sped through Raven Point, completing the lap that they had challenged themselves to. Hiccup was the first to burst out of the trees, leaves bursting from their branches as he steered Toothless toward Berk. He waited until Astrid caught up with him before speeding up a little. Astrid narrowed her eyes determinedly and urged Stormfly to fly after him. She and Hiccup were neck and neck as they flew toward the cliff that they had started their little race on. A smile broke on Hiccup's face. Astrid's eyes widened with joy.
It was a close race, but they ended the competition with a tie. Toothless and Stormfly both landed at the same time. The four were breathing heavily, and Hiccup and Astrid both still had sticks and leaves in their hair. The two teens looked at each other and laughed.
"I guess we're both the fastest riders," said Hiccup. Toothless huffed and Stormfly chirped sharply. "Oh, and dragons."
The Night Fury and Deadly Nadder made sounds of satisfaction.
Astrid slipped off Stormfly's back as Hiccup got out of Toothless' saddle. "Man, that was…amazing! I can't remember the last time I felt so alive while riding Stormfly. I almost forgot that we were even racing."
"Me too," said Hiccup, looking up into the sky. The sun was almost fully dipped in the horizon, and stars were beginning to speck the sky. "We should probably head back before our parents start wondering where the heck we are."
Astrid nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we should."
The two mounted their dragons and circled the village. They stopped at Astrid's house first, since it was closer than Hiccup's. They landed, and Astrid led Stormfly to her pen. She gave the bird-like dragon a basket of fish before stepping out to speak with Hiccup.
"Hey…thanks for letting me fly with you," the shieldmaiden said. She appeared to be sheepish, but Hiccup didn't understand why. "It was really fun. We should do it again sometime."
"That would be great!" said Hiccup. He paused before adding, "Maybe next time we can invite the others."
"Actually—" Astrid cut herself off, then shook her head. "Yeah, yeah…It would be cool if the others joined us too."
Hiccup did notice the peculiar pause before Astrid spoke again. He didn't think much of it, and he assumed that the Hofferson was just tired.
Astrid turned toward her house. "Thanks again for the flight, Hiccup. See you tomorrow?"
"You bet," Hiccup said with a smile. He was about to mount Toothless to fly back to his home when Astrid called his name again.
Hiccup turned around. "Is something wrong?"
"I just forgot something," said Astrid. She walked up to Hiccup and placed a quick, but gentle kiss on his lips. The young viking's eyes widened and his face burned with a blush. Astrid pulled back, her cheeks pink, but not as flushed as Hiccup's.
She laughed lightly. "You know…you look kind of cute when you're blushing."
"I-I, uh, I…I-I do?" Hiccup stuttered.
Astrid only smiled and walked back to her hut. "See you 'round, Hiccup."
The door opened and then closed when Astrid walked inside. Hiccup stood in front of the house, face still burning, but eyes bright with mirth. He turned to Toothless, a dorky grin on his face.
"Did you hear that, Bud? She thinks I'm cute!" Hiccup said happily. Toothless only rolled his eyes. Hiccup laughed, and he looked at Astrid's house again, his expression becoming pensive.
"Maybe there's a possibility for us after all," he murmured.
…
Inside, Astrid was upstairs in her bedroom, her borrowed axe leaning against the footboard of her bed as she stared at the ceiling, her arms behind her head. That flight with Hiccup had been amazing, and she hoped that they could go on another one together too…
And as enjoyable it probably would be if the other teens came along, she'd rather fly with just Hiccup. She did have a bit of a crush on him after all, but if she admitted so, she had no idea what Hiccup would think of her.
Astrid sighed and blew out the candle on the side of her bed, deciding to get some sleep and shove her personal feelings aside.
If only she were able to open her eyes and see that the young viking had feelings for her too.
Open your eyes...you'll see-eee-eee-eee~
Ah, Astrid. Ah, Hiccup. Two oblivious young souls. =') Thankfully they finally got together in RTTE; I think we all knew that they were destined to be a couple ever since Astrid kissed Hiccup in the Cove. I know I did when I first watched HTTYD. XD
Anyway, I hope you guys enjoyed this one-shot as much as I did writing it! =D
Until the next story!
~BeyondTheMoon1203
