A/N: Thank you so much for 300 followers!

Chapter 17: Inferno

Rousing from a deep and pleasant sleep, Astrid inhaled deeply, and Hiccup's scent filled her lungs. Opening her eyes, she realised she had her face buried in his neck and her arm across his chest, her leg slung over his.

That all was surprisingly new, but what really made her insides flutter was the fact that Hiccup had his arm firmly around her waist, his long fingers resting on her stomach. Her simple nightdress didn't do much to hinder the pleasant warmth of him she found her self wrapped around, and she suddenly found herself regretting waiting so long to do this.

Last night was the best sleep she'd gotten in years.

She recalled how he'd nervously looked at her last night before blowing out the candle, probably wondering if she'd follow through on her promise from earlier.

She'd purposely acted nonchalantly to keep him guessing, and then as soon as it was pitch black, she'd crossed the border and more or less leapt into his arms, making him laugh in delight at her eagerness. They'd exchanged sweet kisses in the darkness for a short while before succumbing to sleep, and the last thing she'd heard before passing out had been a softly uttered "I love you".

Waking up like this now, she was astonished at how a seemingly insignificant thing like cuddling with her husband in sleep made her feel so fulfilled, made her feel like all was right with the world. She wanted to stay like this forever.

"Astrid?"

At the sound of his voice, she lifted her head from his chest to look into his sleepy yet vibrant green eyes, at his messy bed hair that made her want to run her fingers through it.

"Good morning" she said, her voice playful.

Hiccup purposely looked down at her hand splayed across his chest, her legs tangled with his own, and replied, "It sure is"

"Hiccup!" she squealed all red faced, before moving completely on top of him, not an inch of space between them.

"Someone help, I'm being crushed!" He cried.

"Oh stop it you big baby, I'm not that heavy" she mumbled into his jaw before pressing a kiss there.

"But I am pretty fragile. Well, I guess this isn't the worst way to go out. Smothered to death by my hot wife"

Astrid giggled, "hot?"

Hiccup smiled sideways, even though she couldn't see it. "Am I allowed to say that now?"

"Hmm, I'll think about it" she replied, clearly sounding pleased.

Hiccup just laughed and held her even tighter.

"How about that one?" Astrid asked, speaking close to Hiccup's ear to be heard over the wind.

This was the furthest she'd been from Berk so far, around an hour of flying to get to this small network of islets that Hiccup had told her about.

As they flew high overhead on toothless, the small islands looked like mossy pebbles scattered haphazardly on the surface of a pond.

"I don't see why not", Hiccup replied and guided Toothless to a gentle touchdown on a grassy slope. It never failed to amaze her how proficient he was at flying, at controlling the gearshift mechanism that still made no sense to her as to its finer workings.

Astrid hopped off first, using his shoulders as a handhold. She also retrieved a basket tied to the back of the saddle. Hiccup was next, but his right foot caught in a stirrup making him stumble ungracefully to the ground. Astrid laughed brightly, as there was something about his clumsiness that made him that much more endearing.

"Not. One. Word" Hiccup deadpanned as he pushed himself off the grass, making Astrid stifle her giggles.

As soon as both riders were off, Toothless leapt away, enjoying running around the open space, much bigger than the cove back on Berk.

Breathing in the cool ocean air, Astrid fell back on the ground and laid there, eyes closed. She felt Hiccup do the same, right next to her.

It just felt so good to get away from it all, just her and her husband, all alone. After the eventful last week, she'd felt that both of them deserved a break, and had suggested they have a calm day of doing nothing, other than a small picnic.

That was when Hiccup had suggested that instead of Berk, they could fly to one of the dozens of uninhabited islands he knew about. Such an aerial escape was unheard-of to her or anyone else on Berk, but she figured it was just another one of the unexpected perks of having befriended a dragon.

After lying there together in relaxing silence for a long while, they decided to open the basket and laid out the food she'd prepared earlier that morning.

Hiccup kept sending teasing glances her way as they ate, she didn't even know what he was teasing her about, but it made her blush red all the same. Being alone with him so far from any other soul made her chest flutter in a strange way that she couldn't quite place but it still thrilled her to no end.

Ever since confessing his love for her, he'd gotten more affectionate with her, if that was even possible.

Their cuddling at night experiment had wordlessly gone from a one time thing to their new normal way to sleep, and any sort of contact made them unable keep their hands off each other.

Due to this, even their training was beginning to suffer. They still sparred in the forest together like always, but these days, it was quickly becoming more of a battle of self control than actual strength or skill. Usually, it would only take one of them to pin down the other, or maybe their faces lingering too close for too long, before one of them lost their restraint and went in for the first kiss, at which point they'd almost always collapse to the floor in a tangle of limbs, lips, and teeth.

Having gotten a lot of practice lately, they had both gotten much better at kissing, having figured out the other's preferences, and having learned to decipher the little signals, how to move in tandem with their partner.

It wasn't an exaggeration to say that sometimes kissing took up more of their time than actual training, and as straight laced as Astrid was, she couldn't bring herself to be the one to discipline them in this regard, when this was something she enjoyed doing so much.

Besides, it's not like they were doing anything wrong. Married couples kiss. Well, they do a lot more than that, but it's a start, right?

She'd put it off to them being hormonal teenagers who were attracted to each other a great deal, but she still knew that her longing for her husband was at a much deeper emotional level.

Sitting on this grassy bank made her remember the first time she'd helped Hiccup train after running into him in the woods. Afterwards, they'd sat together by the cliffside and watched the setting sun light the world golden.

It was amusing now to think how much she'd resented her parents during those days, how dead set she was on avoiding marriage that even though the boy had been right beside her the whole time, she hadn't seen him for what he was.

Now that she thought about it, she realised that she'd ran into him while he was coming from the direction of raven's point, meaning he had been meeting toothless that very day. It would have been unfathomable for that Astrid to believe that Hiccup, the scrawny boy who stayed in the shadows in between causing trouble, was brave enough to be riding a night fury in the sky behind the whole village's back.

By some miracle of chance, she'd had the idea to devise the sort of trial that Hiccup could pass, and with his unwavering determination to win her over, he'd done exactly that. And slowly but steadily, from the day of their wedding until now, he'd won her over in every way that mattered.

He was still the same as before, maybe a bit taller, more confident, but still undeniably that same Hiccup that had given her flowers on her birthday right before besting her in the duel.

His earnest and sincere demeanor, his helpfulness and loyalty towards her, had been unchanged even when she'd acted coarsely with him after the trials and in the days leading up to the wedding.

She hadn't been nice to him at all, yet he didn't even seem to remember it or expect any apologies from her. He accepted her for what she was completely and wholeheartedly.

Hiccup had remained the same, and she was the one who had changed. She had grown more as a person in these last few months than she had in years. And the mere thought of that made her thank the gods for steering her fate this way, towards him.

Full from the meal, she felt content and drowsy as she snuggled into her husband's side. They napped against the warm scales of toothless who was curled around them.

They'd been up kissing for nearly an hour last night before finally falling asleep, and the lack of sleep was making her feel all smiley and lazy, unwilling to extract herself from Hiccup's arms. Luckily she didn't have to, not anytime soon.

As the sun drifted towards the ocean to close out the evening, Astrid lifted her head from Hiccup's shoulder and said, "I wanted to talk about the last raid"

Hiccup opened his eyes, instantly alert.

"People were talking how, during the raid, there were unexpectedly fewer large dragons that made their way to the village center, and many seemed to leave empty handed for seemingly no reason" she eyed him carefully- "Was that... you?

Hiccup nodded slowly. "I went around the perimeter of the village and turned away as many as I could before I ran into that Nadder"

Astrid shut her eyes and sighed deeply, as if preparing to say something she was hesitant about.

"Hiccup, you know I just wanted you to stay inside during the raid for your own safety"

"I know dear"

"But you went ahead and snuck out anyway"

Hiccup gave her a guilty smile. "I did"

"I realise now that I was wrong to tell you that, tell you to stay put just to sate my own worries. You have this incredible power to make a real difference, much more than the rest of us have ever made by fighting"

Hiccup's eyes widened, the scolding he'd been expecting was turning out to be something else entirely.

"As much as I dread each moment you are even in the slightest danger, I won't make your choices for you anymore. You were the one who found the truth about dragons, and you've been right about everything else too. If you truly want to help... then I'm with you Hiccup"

Hiccup stared in awe at his wife's understanding and supportive response, and he couldn't resist giving her a kiss to thank her for that.

She flushed adorably in surprise, but after composing herself again, she continued, "But I also don't want you to risk what happened last time by putting you in the path of unpredictable dragons"

"Hmm? But then how would I..."

"Who says you have to be on the ground at all?"

Astrid watched as Hiccup's confusion turned into understanding and he raised his eyebrows at her, looking impressed.

"Wow milady, I thought I was the only one capable of coming up with these insane and irresistible ideas"

Astrid scoffed and batted his shoulder with hers playfully. "So do you think it will work?"

Hiccup rubbed his chin in thought. "I don't see why it shouldn't, might even be easier to interact with the dragons from the air. But what if someone sees me on toothless?"

"Night furies are nearly impossible to see anyway right? They blend against the dark sky, and looking up from the ground, any rider will be imperceptible. As long as you don't get too low and close to people, and wear something black matching toothless"

"Good point" Hiccup said before turning to toothless who had been listening to the young couple's discussion intently. "What do you think bud? Up for some nighttime heroic shenanigans?"

Toothless let out an enthusiastic "Rawwwr" making them both burst into laughter.

"We'll take that as a yes"

Astrid mentally chided herself for thinking that all those sewing lessons her mother had her take had been useless, for now those skills were coming in quite handy.

With the help of an assortment of materials including fabric, metal, and fireproof dragon scales helpfully shed by toothless, Hiccup had designed a "flight suit", as he was calling it, to wear on stealth missions during raids.

She helped sew the insides of the suit to make the structure while Hiccup helped with the plating and the utility attachments.

He put the finishing touches on the helmet, and the first time he put on the whole thing, she had stared in astonishment. He totally looked like a dragon, or at least some kind of Dragon-Human hybrid.

In the dark of night, she figured it would be perfect for stealth.

Hiccup pulled up the face plate to reveal a toothy grin. "How do I look?" he asked so excitedly, she punched him playfully.

"Like a total dork" she laughed.

"Hey! don't lie to me woman, I think you might've swooned"

"In your dreams" she said, rolling her eyes. He did look extremely good in it, but no way she was gonna actually tell him that. "Isn't the whole point of this to guard your identity? Why did you design the face plate to lift up?"

The mischievous grin came back in a flash, and he said, "So I can do this" before pinching her chin between his fingers and giving her a big kiss, making her sigh contentedly against his lips.

Pulling away from her to eye her blushing face, he said, "thank you for helping me, and for... for believing in me"

Astrid averted her gaze, unsure how to respond to such sincere gratitude. "It... it was nothing..."

Hiccup shook his head. "Not nothing, It meant everything to me... You are the best wife in the whole world. I love you so much"

Hearing those words, she felt tears beginning to bloom in her eyes and buried her face in his shoulder before he could notice.

The rhythmic thudding of his heart matched her own, and she felt her chest bloom with that overwhelming feeling that seemed to only appear whenever her husband was around.

Whenever he kissed her, held her, it appeared every single time without fail. And now, as she felt a drop leave her eye and wet his tunic, as he put his arms around her and held her like he always did, she finally found the strength to admit to herself the name for that feeling.

Love.

A few days later, Astrid was having lunch at the great hall with the other teens. Ruffnut was shamelessly sitting in Fishlegs's lap, much to the disgust of her brother. Astrid just found the sight hilarious, but it did make her wonder there Hiccup was. He'd promised to have lunch with her earlier, but once again, he was a no show.

She'd caught herself doing this often lately. In seemingly normal situations, her eyes searched around for him on their own accord, as if not having him around was causing a strange feeling of incompleteness within her.

She was Astrid Haddock for crying out loud!

She knew she had been smitten with him for a long time by now, but in quiet moments like these, she had no qualms in admitting the actual truth.

I miss him whenever he's not around me. I miss him so much it hurts. And the reason I miss him so much is that... I've fallen in love with him.

Saying that, even in her thoughts, made her cheeks turn beet red. Thankfully, The twins were too busy cheering on an arm wrestling match between Fishlegs and Snotlout to notice.

Taking advantage of their distraction, she discreetly put away her plates and slipped away, but not before packing some lunch for the hopeless boy.

She knew that he probably lost track of time working in the forge again, and went out the door to start making her way there.

Winter was well on its way now, and she felt extra glad she had decided to 'steal' Hiccup's dark green cloak this morning. Not that he minded of course.

It smelled so much like him that she felt irrationally annoyed at the fact that all of her clothes didn't emit that comforting fragrance. Clutching it tighter around her, she arrived at the forge and entered the warm and cozy main room.

Hiccup was completely focused on whatever he was tinkering with and didn't even notice her arrival. She put the parcel on a table and turned back to face him.

Smirking slightly, she stood still and sneakily enjoyed the sight in front of her, the way he hammered with arms that were more muscled than they appeared, his long and nimble fingers expertly working in tandem with his tools, and the way his tunic stuck to his skin with sweat.

She had been silently judging Ruffnut earlier, but now she was the one ogling her husband with less than innocent thoughts.

He looked up from his work with a cursory glance before his eyes landed on hers and he asked in surprise, "Astrid?"

She crossed her arms and huffed, "Someone didn't show up for lunch like they promised"

"Lunch?" Hiccup glanced out at the bright sun and realised it was already past noon. "Oh shoot! I'm so sorry, I totally lost track of time there"

Astrid knew that once Hiccup got an idea for something, he lost all sense of time and space until he'd turned into a reality. Even so, she wasn't going to let him off that easy. His wife needed his attention too.

"Hmm" she said, keeping her face neutral and resisting the urge to walk closer to him.

Hiccup smiled sheepishly back and put away his apron before walking over to her. "Hey sweetheart"

It took all her willpower not to crack a smile at that term of endearment, probably her favorite one out of the dozen names he had for her.

Faced with the still impassive face of his wife, Hiccup did the only thing he could think of, he wrapped his arms around her and hugged her flush to himself.

"Hicccupp!" She squealed, trying to wriggle out from his grasp. "You're all sweaty and greasy!"

She very deliberately neglected to mention that the overpowering feeling of his scent was doing all sorts of strange things to her stomach, and she found herself regretting they were here in the forge instead of the privacy of their home.

"I'm sorry darling" he said again, even more sincerely this time. "I wanted to have lunch with you, I really did. I had this amazing new breakthrough and it totally slipped my mind"

"It-It's okay" she mumbled against his collar bone. "Ruff and Fishlegs were being way too obnoxious anyway"

"Oh really?" Hiccup said, mischief in his tone. "Then I really should have come, we could have been obnoxious right back at them"

"Please no" she said, laughing. "Fighting fire with fire will end up burning everyone. Or in this case, Snot and Tuffnut"

Pulling away finally, she took out the lunch she'd brought. They sat on the table side by side and Hiccup was about to dig in before realising his hands were covered in grease.

Before he had time to hop off and go wash them, she started feeding him by her hand. One bite after another, he dutifully ate what she offered, and the whole experience felt so intimate that she felt strangely anxious of someone walking in on them. Hiccup didn't seem to mind though, judging from his wide grin.

Afterwards, he excitedly pulled her along by the hand out to the back of the forge to show her what he'd been working on.

Holding a strange looking metal cylinder in one hand, he pressed a button that made a strange looking sword extend from its handle.

He looked at her expectantly, and Astrid couldn't figure out what was so special about it. It didn't even look sharp enough to cut wood.

"Not impressive enough for milady? Just you wait" he said with a grin, before looking around to confirm no one else was nearby and Gobber was still away.

If he is keeping it a secret, Astrid thought, then it must be related to the...

There was a spark and a flash of light, and Astrid blinked disbelievingly at the sight before her. The sword seemed to have burst into flames.

The sword was on fire.

Hiccup waved the sword around in a figure 8, way too unbothered about the possibility of setting the forge on fire while Astrid just stood there dazed.

He must've pressed another button, cause suddenly the sword retracted back into the handle, the flames vanished, and the only evidence of what had just transpired seemed to be the wisps of smoke gathering on the ceiling and the distinct whiff of nightmare fire in the air.

"So... did you like it?" He asked, his tone eager and casual enough as if he hadn't just shown her yet another unbelievable sight.

"You're amazing, you know that right?" she blurted, after a long moment.

Hiccup's eyes widened before a pleased smile came to his face and he leaned forward, kissing both her cheeks. "For you Milady, I try"

The siren rang an hour before dawn.

It wriggled its way into Astrid's dream and tugged at her consciousness, making her try to snuggle deeper into Hiccup in an attempt to drown it out, but her hand just hit empty space.

Sitting up and rubbing her eyes, she saw Hiccup was already up and frantically putting on his flight suit in the dim light of a lantern. Jolted into awareness, she quickly got up, and helped him put it on, tying down the straps around his arms and legs before handing him the helmet.

He patted himself down, checked his sword was attached to his belt, and he had extra canisters filled with flammable nightmare saliva ready to go.

They went downstairs, Hiccup leading the way with lantern in hand. Astrid picked up the spare saddle and followed him out the back door, into the freezing morning. She shivered in her thin nightgown, as she hadn't even remembered to wrap a cloak around her in the midst of all the hurry.

Distant roars of dragons were audible, inter dispersed with flashes of light, and it made them realise that time was very much of the essence.

Hiccup let out a sharp whistle towards the direction of the forest, and not one minute later, toothless came bounding out with long strides, coming to a stop in front of them.

It had been an exhilarating experience to abruptly wake up from a peaceful sleep with no warning and help him get ready to go, but thanks to the fact that they'd practiced this drill already, it had gone without much trouble.

Working together as they did so well now, they got the saddle on in quick time and before he could turn to get on, Astrid said, "Hiccup"

Her voice was hoarse with sleep and her face red from the cold, but she still hoped he understood the meaning, the yearning in her voice. "Be careful, okay?"

She was letting him do this as she knew he couldn't not help, and she couldn't let him put himself in any more danger than the bare minimum. This was the middle ground they had agreed upon, and she dearly wished this to work out.

Hiccup stepped closer and planted a chaste kiss on her lips before saying, "I will Astrid. I love you."

Before she even knew it, He had mounted the dragon, turned down his faceplate, and with a sharp gust of wind that blew her open hair back, her husband, and his dragon, had disappeared into the sky.

And she was left standing there, staring up into the darkness, her lips still tingling from the kiss as she whispered her next words into the unrelenting, frigid wind.

"I love you too"

A/N: Hope you guys enjoyed the chapter! Astrid being such a supportive wife totally melts my heart, and I love writing that :p

Thanks for reading and the wonderful reviews for the last chapter! :)