Huge apologies to everyone who has been waiting so long for an update. I started taking classes and was kind of overwhelmed :') I'm already working on the next chapter and have some time off to write now. Thank you for your patience

Although Hiccup had become a close friend to Astrid in little to no time at all, it was quite strange for her to think about the odd fact that she had actually known him for most of her life, since they were very young.

She wouldn't exactly call this a realization, because she had always been aware of their relation, before, or lack of. However, the subtle, almost nonexistent history between them seemed to become something much more real, now, something she thought about very often, at this point. He had been here this whole time, living in the background, like a single, thin black thread, of her big, moving, colorful world. She had never looked twice in his direction until now.

Their lack of affiliation was on herself to blame, she could even recall on several occasions over the years, when Hiccup would try to talk to her, here and there, but unfortunately, she always kept any interaction between the two of them dull, short, and uninteresting. Her developing mind had been distracted with other affairs, like combat training, hunting, and popularity. And since Hiccup had nothing to offer in any of those fields, she had no reason to bother with him.

However, now, it was a completely different story. She wasn't seeking what he had to offer, other than his company. She found him attractive. He was attractive to look at, but especially to be around. It was his personality that she fancied the most.

Her head was clouded with thoughts, nowadays, that consisted of things far from combat or popularity and the idea of Hiccup Haddock was under a completely different light.

In such a short amount of time, they had become quite close. She would even go as far as to call him her best friend. Being near him and talking to him felt so refreshing, it seemed impossible that another person could evoke such feelings.

Though they were already romantically involved, she desperately wanted nothing more than to be his lover, his girlfriend and she was still getting used to the idea of herself desiring this once, unlikely relation.

Throughout this past week of hanging around with Hiccup, it seemed her hormones had somehow gotten the best of her. This attraction towards him she was harboring was growing too hot and heavy and she didn't know if she really liked it being at this degree, because, at times, the appeal almost had her hypnotized, behaving in ways she never would have before. She had never felt this way about anyone and she certainly never had little control over her own demeanor and such.

That odd feeling seemed to warm her most when they were up against each other, kissing, touching, breathing one another in. Sometimes, when she kissed him, he would really start kissing her back, he would move into her more, his breathing would pick up, his hands would find innocent parts of her to hold, yet her mind would always take it somewhere else.

He had gotten somewhat comfortable with her. Before, he would always try to hold back, she supposed it was because he was polite and shy and unsure, but now, she could detect how his mouth moved against hers with desire and hunger and want. She realized he hadn't given her this energy until recently, until now really.

Whenever she felt this energy shift from him, that once, innocent attraction for him would ascend into lust quickly—the thirst to sleep with him, to pleasure him, would become a mission.

This explicit fantasy was very much obtainable. In fact, it was right at her finger tips. All she needed was just a little more time with him and it was perfectly inevitable.

However, some part of her was reluctant to have sex with him and she tried to find reasons behind this knotted feeling in her stomach.

First off, with heavy guilt, she felt as if she was pushing his boundaries, forcing him out of his comfort zone. She wouldn't want to do that to him or anyone, for that matter. Secondly, which she wasn't so willful to admit to herself, she wasn't so sure how the aftermath would play out socially and she was rather uneasy thinking of the results.

What if the other girls made fun of her, said mean things when she trained with them or even walked by. Or what if Hiccup became some target of attraction for these other girls because 'if virgin Astrid Hoffman had sex with him, he must be good in bed, right?' And then they would pursue him to see what all the fuss was about. It was alarming, but highly unlikely.

What if Cato and his friends found out and began beating up on him? Like really beating up on him. She wouldn't put it past Cato to do something like that.

Astrid wouldn't want to just be a snitch and involve an adult or something stupid like that, she would want to fight fire with fire. She would have to beat the daylights out of Cato. That would be fun. She was confident in her combat skills and knew plenty about fighting people who were bigger than her. She was probably most advanced in self defense versus other branches of combat.

Perhaps, for her stress levels sake, would it would be best if they kept their thing a secret? She worried that Hiccup might take offense to her suggesting their relationship remain in secrecy. She doubted he would understand all of the conflict it could cause, but the thought of having to explain all of her foolish worry to him, mortified her. She did not want to be a person who got worried, or least appeared worried.

Perhaps…perhaps, she was being stupid. She could simply let go of this feeling and not care about anything. Just let herself be happy and be with him, act like his girl, kiss him publicly, hold his hand, sit in his lap, and not give a fuck about what anyone else thought. There's a bright idea.

It wasn't like the personal details of her life would be broadcasted to the public. No one would truly know what has or hasn't gone down between the two of them, anyway. How would they know? It would be intimate details between just her and Hiccup. They would never know.

Oh, they'll know, alright. Just wait til they pay attention to the way you act around him. Then they'll talk and it will be everywhere and it will be social hell.

What would actually end up happening within the next week, would surprise the both of them.

The parts of her that weren't worrying about the outcome, were wanting nothing more but to pleasure him endlessly.

She could feel the tickling attraction in her tummy that made her feel so weird, in such a good way. It felt similar to gliding playfully on a rope swing over the water and jumping off at the highest point, that delightful spring that arrived in the stomach for just a moment. She was dying for another taste of this feeling she could harvest off him.

She had gotten a little of what she wanted today.

The expression on his face when she had shed most of her clothing, was unbelievably priceless. The sight of his reaction had instilled itself into her mind, at that moment, and she knew she would never forget it. The heavy tension in the room had created a bubble consisting of only them two; it was so overwhelming, she had trouble finding her own breath and keeping her own thoughts in order. She prickled with excitement unable to shake the arousing memory of earlier.

Teasing Hiccup, kissing him—that feeling when she brought herself flush against him. She had excited him—that stiff, weird feeling was because of her!

Sex was such an odd thing she knew little about, but she understood exactly what she had done to him and she loved it. She was quite proud of herself to say the least.

She had heard what the other girls described a guy's 'erection' would feel like but she still wasn't expecting it to be that hard. It was as solid as a blade of steel! It had thrown her off guard at the time, but she refused to allow herself to show it.

Although the provocative moment had happened quite some time ago, she still could feel herself heated, her head swimming in thoughts of sex.

Being in his presence, now, was erotic. He, with his young eyes, had seen her body, almost nude.

Between their juvenile minds, it had been the most peculiar moment of their lives.

She couldn't help the guilt that hooked her. Was she acting like a slut? Was she a bad influence on him? Was she taking advantage of him?

She was shocked with herself, with how much of a storm she had orchestrated up in her head. What had gotten into her? She had never had a problem with worrying and worrying before.

Being at such a hormonal age, exposed to one another's half decent bodies had to be chemically fucking with their heads.

He sat across from her now, scribbling away in his book, still shirtless, glancing up at her to study her face every couple of seconds. Sometimes he leaned in really close to the paper, like hardly an inch away, and then he would lean back and examine his work from a small distance.

"Hiccup, why don't we take a break for a few minutes?" She suddenly broke the silence. "You've been at this forever."

His pond-green eyes drifted past the paper before him to meet hers.

"Hey, you can't rush perfection," he said, "It's almost done, anyway."

"Let's go make some hot chocolate, real quick," she insisted. "Come on. I can't sit still right now."

"Alright," he smiled at this.

They proceeded to the kitchen, which was very tidy. Her mother treated it as if it were her own child.

Clean dishes were stacked neatly on shelves, a bowl of vibrant, colorful fruit glittered in a patch of sunlight near the dripping window. Freshly cut blue hydrangeas were arranged patiently in a glass vase on the table.

Astrid would make sure not to leave any sort of mess for her mother to complain about…and certainly no evidence of having a boy at the house. Both her mother and father would definitely have a stern word with her and put all kinds of unreasonable restrictions on her.

"It's nice in here. We don't have flowers at my house," Hiccup said.

"My mom has this big garden out back, she puts different flowers inside all the time," Astrid explained. "I'll show you if you want."

"Sure, sounds cool," he gave her this little smile and for some reason, she felt it through her whole body.

It was an innocent smile. Like when you walk into the tavern and the bartender gives you a welcome or the morning neighbors glance over fields of carrots and wheat to give you a wave.

However, it kindled an uproar of desire and uncensored thoughts.

"Try these cherries," she offered him the bowl of fruit from the counter, her mind rushing to the next project for comfort. "They're fresh. I picked them this morning."

It had been a heatless, summer morning, hints of crisp, autumn air had arrived this year and under the pale sun, while she plucked dozens of ripe, plump cherries from their green stems, nearly filling her wicker basket to the brim.

She managed to get in and out of the garden, getting scratched only two separate times by the overgrown tangle of scarlet rose bushes.

Hiccup tried one of these little ruby-colored berries. "Mm, thanks," he said delightfully, then had a couple more.

The fire in the pit had reduced to glowing coals, so Astrid had to relight it. She talked about the different flowers and berries that would grow in their garden depending on which season it was, while she filled a rusted kettle up with the well water her mother had collected this morning and left in the basin by the foggy window. She hung it on a hook over her new, crackling fire, so in a short time it would start to boil.

Somewhere along the way, she had drifted toward Hiccup and before she knew it, she found herself kissing him again.

She hooked her arms around his neck to pull him in close, easily consumed by his cherry taste and the intoxicating sensation of his mouth moving with hers. He was getting better at controlling his tongue and she wondered how he would grade her on such skill.

Astrid slightly moved back, blindly feeling for the wooden end table that anchored against her backside and she instinctively sat down on this, being mindful not to knock over the ceramic vase adorning it.

Now, that she was seated in front of him, she could hug her legs around his waist as she kissed him and suddenly it felt really mature; she was straddling him, moving against him, grinding against him. It was all happening so quickly. The feeling was so hypnotizing, she couldn't help but push into him, the relief in her core was remarkable.

"Oh my god, Astrid," the mumble came out as a breath, between kisses. His soft words prickled her stomach.

It felt like they were doing something really bad; suddenly, she was worried about someone walking in. Was that fear, she recognized? Gods, what was she becoming?

Hiccup's hands on either side of her thighs brought her out of her head. The shorts she was wearing revealed much of her leg, including the few inches above her knee. No one else had ever touched her bare legs before, so the contact was quite magnified.

Astrid leaned into him further, closing the remaining space between them.

She wanted so badly for his hands to rise up her legs, moving to the inner parts rather than the outer. She would not lie to herself, she wanted him to fuck her. She wanted so badly for him to initiate it, because the truth was, she was scared.

She broke their kiss to meet his eyes, feeling so grown up. He seemed mellow, not nervous, and she was about to say something when, unfortunately, she caught a glimpse of the window past his head.

"Shit!" The realization hit her with a flash of disappointment, "How long has it stopped raining for?"

The maroon curtain was slightly open, allowing a stretch of light to decorate the kitchen and a view of the fog that had settled over the land, creating a hazy, gray overlay outside.

"Umm, I dunno. Why?" His unbothered response furthered her alarm.

"Because my parents are probably on the way back now! Quick we gotta get you dressed."

A look of panic crossed his face, however, his voice remained even, "Well, shit. Where is my shirt?"

"It's okay," she reassured him but more so herself. "I think it's in my room."

Suddenly they were scrambling around the house trying to get all of his stuff together. She wasn't exactly sure what would happen if her parents came home and caught her alone with a boy. This had never happened before. It wouldn't be good. She would be in a lot of trouble and it was certain they would tell the chief, as well, to make sure Hiccup would receive his consequences just the same.

When they got to the front patio area, they could now see that the sun was setting, coloring the sky peach.

"It was so much fun hanging out with you, short stuff," Astrid could not help but bite her lip to try to stop smiling so hard.

"Yeah. I had a great time," he couldn't help wincing at her pet name, "I guess I'll have to finish that drawing some other time."

"Just finish it tonight," she said. "You know what I look like, just draw me up from memory."

Before he could answer her she pulled him into a kiss. It was long but not explicit.

"I really like you Hiccup," the butterflies stormed and whirled through her.

"I really like you too," he pecked her on the cheek, then left.

It was shameful to admit it to herself, but at lunch, that next day, when Fishlegs sat down on the bench seat right beside her and Hiccup took the spot across from her, she was internally troubled, overthinking the casual exchange like any other young lady would.

Does he not want to sit next to me? The thought gripped her focus and she inadvertently drowned out Fishleg's, now, meaningless talk of the primary diet of yetis and snow trolls.

Sure enough, Fishlegs had brought a heavy stack of books he had referenced plenty yesterday, consisting of thousands of pages on any monster anyone could think of and other folklore and spooky stories. He fanned through the leather bounds, stopping every couple of moments to admire various horrific illustrations of monsters, pointing out sets of horns and fangs to them.

Hiccup doesn't want to sit with me because I was too forward with him yesterday. She hastily decided on a conclusion. It was her worst fear. I pushed and pushed him too far and now he thinks I'm a slut, was the final decision of what Hiccup's opinion could be. She was starting to run far with this consensus. She felt herself straying further and further from reality and how he had truly felt.

Her mother always told her that boys are supposed to make the first move and that any girl who goes chasing after a boy was just looking for trouble.

Now, you've done it! You've made a fool of yourself! She could almost hear the bitter echo of her own mother's voice scolding her.

Her eyes trained on Hiccup, who was mildly interested in whatever Fishlegs was saying, while he himself flipped through one of these enormous books. Astrid watched how would glance up at the rambling, excited boy often, but this time, his gaze landed directly on her, instead causing her stomach to toss and flip.

How was he so collected? His green eyes were cool and calm. He just seemed so cool today. She wished she felt as cool as Hiccup looked. She only felt hot and dizzy.

He thinks I'm annoying. She worried hopelessly. He's already exhausted by my constant need for attention. The pessimistic thoughts had surfaced and began to bully her. No. Calm down. She told herself quickly. He didn't sit beside me because Fishlegs already took that spot. But there's another perfectly good spot on my right side he could have taken! But wouldn't it be weird to have three people seated at just one side of the table? She was having a debate in her own head, at this point, far away from whatever the boys were speaking of.

Astrid hadn't imagined the next time they see each other to consist of so many ill feelings. And it didn't, as far as Hiccup knew. However, she was having such a fit, all to herself, over ultimately nothing.

All night, she hadn't been able to stop thinking, dreaming of the exchange they shared; his hot mouth on hers, the perfect taste of him, their heavy breath mingling, that funny hardness pressing against her—how could the gods blame her, when she succumbed to touching herself last night? She needed some kind of relief, however, she was bored of her own fingers—she wanted him.

The whole morning, while getting dressed, brushing her hair, her mind could only go to the excitement of getting to see him again and be close to him again. She couldn't wait to join him at lunch and finally feel that comforting warmth of the side of his thigh pressed against hers. Oh, how her heart desperately ached for this!

Now, she was far, far away, stuck across the table, forever just out of reach. In a moment of frustration, longing so badly to just touch Hiccup's leg with her own and feel that perfect warmth, she selfishly cursed herself for even inviting Fishlegs in the first place. Speak of the devil, he was looking directly at her.

"So, uh, if you don't mind me asking…what's going on with you two, anyway?" Fishlegs was suddenly talking directly to her and she felt a hot chill roll down her spine.

"What," Hiccup's dry response came first.

"Nothing! Nothing is going on!" Astrid blurted impulsively then felt guilty for her instinctive response. "Well…not nothing, I mean—we're friends!"

She caught Hiccup's eye and to her relief, he didn't appear offended by this statement. In fact, he kind of looked amused. What was so funny? Suddenly he broke into this big white, dimpled smile. Stupid.

"Well, I think Astrid has a little crush on me," He teased.

Her jaw dropped. You've got to be joking.

"I do not!" She defended herself, instinctively again, blatantly denying the truth and this time kicking his leg with exaggerated force under the table. There was a small thud, rattling the silverware, yet no one acknowledged it.

"Oh, yeah?" Hiccup challenged, unfazed, raising his eyebrows, and that stupid smirk remained plastered on his face.

"Hiccup! Shut up!" She glared at his big smile and without realizing it she slammed her palm across the table onto his.

She was confident he wouldn't spill any intimate details, but she didn't want to risk it. The last thing she needed was Fishlegs to run his mouth to the other boys. But then asked herself, was she actually afraid of their opinions?

"Okay, I'll stop" he shook his head, smiling, then looked to Fishlegs and said in the most nonchalant way, "she's so cute, isn't she?"

Fishlegs had been beaming back and forth between the both of them this whole time, in pure amusement. He giggled like this was the most entertaining thing.

Astrid could only huff in response, shooting them both a glare.

"Look, I don't care who's been fooling around with who," Fishlegs said innocently. "Cato's the one who's obsessed with you, Astrid! I fully support this!"

"This?" Hiccup echoed.

"Nobody has been fooling around with anyone!" Astrid insisted, revisiting the first part and attempting to clear the air.

"Well, perhaps not yet, but from what I can infer, it's likely to happen at any given point," Fishlegs said in an innocent yet smarty pants manner and Hiccup thought it was funny and started kind of laughing.

She had always had the upper hand, always been the one who got to tease him, now that the roles were reversed it really made her feel a little embarrassed but for some odd reason she liked it and could feel herself smiling.

Remarkably, his irritating behavior only made her fill with more of these delightful butterflies that she wasn't used to. She began to realize she liked it when he teased her. She would never admit it, but it only made her want to have sex with him more. And how did that make any sense? She didn't care.

"You two are so annoying," she rolled her eyes, but could not break her smile.