By now, nobody reacted surprised when Astrid sat with Hiccup again during lunchtime, as she had been doing so almost all week long.
Ruffnut might have glanced at her a couple of times, but they were funny, little smiles as if to encourage any intimate interactions between the two of them.
Not that Astrid cared even the slightest bit, she still found it odd enough to see an absent seat where Cato usually resided, glaring daggers across the room at the two of them, or pouting over his food like a spoiled child.
He could have slept in, or perhaps, he couldn't possibly stand the sight of Astrid with anyone but himself anymore and finally decided he had enough.
Astrid sat beside Hiccup today, not across from him, so that their legs could be up against one another, their elbows could touch, so she could just be close to him.
Sometimes, if she was lucky, when he turned his head and talked to her she could feel a slight ghost of his warm breath on her cheek, or her neck, or the ivory strands of hair that tickled her ear.
Hiccup didn't seem nearly as nervous as she had anticipated he would be during lunchtime, right before training with her at Berk's public combat arena. She suspected his lack of anxiety was due to Cato's current absence and hoped this blessing would apply to the following event.
She leaned her head close to Hiccup's, dying to just rest it on his shoulder.
"This dragon is probably my favorite," Astrid pointed at the Deadly Nadder illustration above its fierce description. "It would definitely put up a difficult fight."
"I feel like it would be a lot more fun to try to ride the dragon, don't you think?" Hiccup suggested avidly, a bit of charm in his eyes, "Like imagine what it would be like to fly."
"I didn't even think about that," Astrid pondered the concept. "How would you even tame a dragon up to a point for it to actually allow you onto its back?"
She always had imagined these creatures as being quite viscous and merciless, never giving any thought to other possibilities until now.
"Beats me," Hiccup shrugged his tiny shoulders, "just sounds pretty cool. Like, this one specifically is so fast. Theoretically."
"I believe in them," Astrid said heartily. "I believe they exist or existed."
She truly should, she told herself. She wasn't just saying that because it would gain Hiccup's approval, right? Anything was possible, she decided on.
"I just know they still exist," his green eyes flickered off the page to hers, "I mean there's been tons of sightings."
"Yeah, there's no way these things aren't flying around somewhere," she agreed, unable to rip her eyes away from his, her stomach feeling the full fluttering effect under his pleasant gaze,
"Just think about all the uninhabited islands I pass by while sailing to visit my distant relatives."
"Yeah," Hiccup paused dreamily for a moment, blinking his bright eyes with wonder, "they've gotta be out there. It's a big world."
His words had a sentimental touch to them for some odd reason and the warmth of his leg against hers was so comforting.
"So, what's your favorite dragon?" Astrid questioned further, just wanting to hear him talk some more.
She enjoyed learning things about him, but if she were to be honest with herself, it truly did not matter what he spoke of, as long as she could hear the mellow sound of his voice.
"I would probably have to say the Night Fury," he answered without having to think about it.
"That one isn't in this book," she flipped through the pages of the alphabetically-organized dragons. "Oh wait, here it is."
A subtle smile played on his freckled face, creating the faintest of dimples at the corner of his mouth.
"It's only a vague description, no picture or anything," Astrid stared down at the page, perplexed.
"I know," his smile deepened.
"I don't get it. What's so great about it?"
"It's one of the rarest dragons there is, again, only in theory. It's also the only dragon that doesn't have a drawing to go with it," he explained.
How could something in a questionably existent collection be rare or not? Clearly, he had done his homework.
"There's only a small bit of information on it. Well, in this book, at least," Hiccup explained, speaking quickly with enthusiasm, "There are tons of other books I found in the library about the legends and folklore of the Night Fury but there has said to only be a few sightings of it from far away distances. I guess no one has been able to get close enough to get a good look at it without getting eaten."
"Oh, I like this dragon, it sounds frightening. What does it look like according to the distant sightings anyway?"
"It's described as dark and kinda lanky and it darts around so quickly and gracefully through the sky you would miss it if you blinked."
"Not faster than the Nadder though, right?"
"Definitely faster," he disagreed to her surprise.
"Wow, that's incredible," after a thoughtful pause she beamed at him admiringly, "I didn't think there was anyone who knew so much about dragons."
A hint of smugness bled through him for one of the few, rare times she had detected, when he smirked at her in a bit of a haughty manner, "Well, I did spend about half my life teaching myself everything there is to know about them."
She threw him a brilliant smile and then to give him more than what he wanted, she said, "Wow, that is some impressive dedication, Hiccup," she fawned over him, "I love how scholarly you are."
It was amusing to see all the coolness drain from him, replaced by a hot, uneasy blush. She wondered at what point her sweetness would fuel his smug rather than fluster him.
"Well, thank you. I-I actually have a sketch of one…if you want to see," he shifted against her leg, heavy reluctance suggesting his tone.
"Yes, I would love to," she said, more than delighted to see one of his drawings. She hoped she wasn't forcing him out of his boundaries. He had been the one to suggest showing off his private, little drawings first, after all.
Hiccup pulled a leather-bound sketchbook out of his bag and held it very close to him, without opening it all the way so she could not see its contents unless he wanted her to. He was very careful while turning through each page, yet skipping a couple at a time, and it raised a spark of curiosity within her. It seemed as if he had something to hide in that book.
He stopped on a page and held it open to show her, a few charcoal sketches smudged over the yellowing parchment. It was an ominous drawing of a slender, feline-like dragon; there were serval different angles and some depictions of its sharp wings stretched out. She was blown away by the skill in his art. She had no idea he possessed such a talent.
"Woah," Astrid breathed, "that's some beautiful work, Hiccup, you truly have a gift."
"It took a long time to get decent," he said simply.
"Decent? This is a masterpiece!" She insisted, "You'll have to show me more sometime."
A bashful smile captured his face. It was obvious he wasn't used to the overload of compliments.
"Yeah, of course."
As lunch drew to an end, she picked up on his subtle uneasiness, but he was doing his best to hide it and so she did him the favor of not addressing it.
The sky held a bit of an overcast this afternoon, gray clouds mudding up the pale, lukewarm sun to a tin ambiance.
She prayed the gods would be kind and that the dreary weather was not foreshadowing the luck for today.
While they walked the trail to the arena, Astrid advised more detailed tips on offensive and defensive stances. She could tell Hiccup's head was somewhere else, because while he was usually curious and full of questions, most of his responses were "uh-huh," and "okay."
When they entered the arena Hiccup drifted behind her quietly, perhaps hoping to remain undetected by the other kids their age, however, Astrid was a flashy sight wherever she went and this would not work in his skittish favor. She noticed a few heads turn their way, but there was no more drama than that.
Without much effort, Astrid sought out Fishleg's hefty figure practicing by himself, off in the far west corner of the moderately occupied stadium, with a flail, which is basically just a mace and chain. He was swinging it with weak, hesitant force against a wooden and straw target, missing almost every other turn.
Like Hiccup, Fishlegs was one of the few boys Astrid felt she could talk to without feeling like some object of attraction. She felt as if he treated her as an equal, like two Vikings having a conversation, rather than her having to stomach whatever flirtatious or sexual remarks she endured from the other boys. She never sensed that constant predatory undertone within him that a lot of the others seemed to radiate.
Astrid approached Fishlegs with Hiccup following close behind, like a silent pup, while she navigated them across the watchful arena.
When they reached his proximity, he was still turned away swinging his flail, which she could now truly see, appeared much too small for his massive size.
There was no doubt in her mind this wouldn't go smoothly. Fishlegs had one of the biggest hearts she knew of. She once saw him shed tears over a deceased butterfly after he accidentally landed on it and crushed it.
"Hey, Fishlegs," she greeted the back of his blonde head.
The bigger boy turned around and a friendly smile crossed his face when he looked down at his much smaller addresser.
"Good afternoon, Astrid," he chimed politely, then trained his harmless eyes on the other boy, his smile remaining bright, "and Hiccup."
She was relieved to hear Fishlegs greet him by name.
"Hello," Hiccup answered gently, still partially tucked behind her.
"How have you been?" Fishlegs asked fixing back on Astrid.
"Never been better," she replied honestly. The recent, uphill days had been so refreshing. "And you?"
"That's great to hear, Astrid," he said as he swung the chain of his weapon around in a mediocre circle, then launched it at the target, missing again. He sighed before answering her small talk, "and I'm doing just fine. You know, same old, same old."
"We haven't caught up in ages," she fussed, "and you're such an old friend, let's please all train together."
"Of course," he agreed to her relief, tossing the flail off to the ground carelessly, "I could always use the company. And definitely a change of weapon choice."
"Lovely! This will be so much fun!" Astrid could hardly contain her excitement as she looped her arm through quiet Hiccup's, to yank him to the front, beside her.
"The past couple of days, I've been training with Hiccup all the melee basics," she filled him in while his friendly gaze floated down to the smaller boy.
"Oh, that is my absolute worst branch of combat," Fishlegs groaned in lighthearted complaint.
"That makes two of us," Hiccup contributed minimal words, yet a witty remark still managed to fall out of his mouth, causing Fishlegs to snort in amusement.
"What is with all that swinging and stabbing nonsense anyway?" The larger boy bantered with him, "I would much rather tactically aim my crossbow between my enemies' eyes from a safe distance."
"I would definitely rather do it that way too, it's much more strategic," Hiccup was quick to agree.
He started talking finally and Astrid resisted the urge to congratulate him.
There was a pause of silence.
"Hiccup likes to read," Astrid blurted out, feeling as if it were her responsibility to pull the two together.
Fishlegs lit up at this gift of information.
"I love to read," He exclaimed, looking to Hiccup, "I respect someone who can appreciate literature. What are you reading, right now?"
Hiccup hesitated. "Um, well, I've already read it before, I'm just reading it again."
"It's good enough to read it twice? Now I'm intrigued, I've got to check it out, what is it?"
"It's not really a novel or anything," said Hiccup timidly, "it's uh, The Book of Dragons."
Fishlegs jaw dropped open and his eyes widened in the most amusing, dramatic manner.
"The Book of Dragons?" He echoed in a girlish gasp, "I've never read that one before, but I've always wanted to get my hands on a copy! I absolutely love dragons! They're my all-time favorite mystery, right next to the sea monsters, of course."
Perfect. Astrid was more than satisfied with the nerd party she had started. They would get along just fine now, without much further effort. Though clearly her work here was done, a little more influence couldn't hurt.
"What's your favorite dragon, Fishlegs? Mine is the Deady Nadder," she specified. Her ego couldn't help but ensure that he was aware she harbored knowledge for dragons as well as the two of them.
"That makes perfect sense!" He concluded, continuing to explode into detail, "It shares some of your characteristics—it's incredibly swift and agile and has the deadliest aim," he observed keenly, using plenty of his hands.
How had someone pieced this bit together before she could?
"And as for my favorite dragon? Well, I'm not so sure. I like the Hideous Zipplebacks, however, the Gronckles might be my favorite overall."
Astrid never thought she would discover someone who was just as infatuated with dragons as Hiccup was.
"Wow, you sure know a lot about dragons," Hiccup stated her thoughts exactly.
"Well, recently I've been reading more so for retaining information and deepening my knowledge bank, not so much entertainment purposes, though who doesn't love a good romance novel once and while?" He suddenly appeared as if he said a smidge too much, flushing like a beet.
Hiccup laughed, though, not admitting to such things, then suggested, "We could all go to the library tomorrow if you both want to."
Astrid had set foot in Berk's library very few times in her life, strictly for any instructional guides to refine her fighting skills and almost always under the order of a professor. She never once had considered actually going in there during her free time for enjoyment.
However, given the circumstances, it seemed like it could be some fun—Hiccup would be there.
He was fishing a side out of her she had no idea she even reserved.
Fishlegs looked emotionally softened, as he was deeply moved by being invited to the library.
His reaction suggested that this could be a rare occasion, or might have never happened before at all.
"I would be delighted to go with you guys!" His voice jumped with glee as he could hardly contain his excitement.
"Great," said Hiccup, "we can all go tomorrow in the afternoon."
"Sounds good!" Fishlegs beamed appreciatively.
It seemed as though he had been in need of a friend more so than Hiccup. Astrid couldn't help but feel pleased with herself and the way she had brought two loners together.
Although, she wouldn't exactly specify Fishlegs as a loner, because he was easily able to fit in with the other kids, though it was obvious he wasn't actually pursuing his true interests.
Nonetheless, in the overall picture, neither of these boys really had friends. Now that she was about to inspect each vein of the social system, she was the odd one out in this particular trio of Vikings, her nervous thoughts whispered to her, promised her.
She worried for an unrealistic moment if the two would form a union against her because of her social status and the assholes she used to hang out with.
She would make a point to rebrand herself.
"Do you want to sit with Hiccup and I at lunch tomorrow?" Astrid blurted out, absolutely loving the way 'Hiccup and I' sounded coming out of her mouth.
"Sure," Fishlegs agreed without hesitation.
Out of the corner of her eye, she caught how Hiccup glanced to her, giving her some kind of look, though she couldn't exactly pinpoint his thoughts. Maybe she should have run the blatant invitation through him first.
"I'll bring my books of mythical beasts and folklore," suggested Fishlegs.
"Oh, yeah, I kinda wanna look through that," Hiccup said.
"Just wait till you see all the monsters inside," Fishlegs continued to fuel this, now, one-sided bonfire of excitement.
"Monsters?" Hiccup echoed, appearing slightly alarmed.
"Don't worry, I know it sounds scary," Fishlegs gave the other boy unnecessary reassurance,
"I'm terrified of pretty much everything, so trust me, when I tell you they're more fascinating than frightening!"
"Let's get to fighting already," Astrid broke in with a groan, although she sounded impatient, it wasn't sincere.
She was ecstatic the two of them had hit it off but she could see this conversation lasting for hours.
They trained for a while until the overcast grew heavy and dark. When they finally departed the arena for the day, the wind had picked up immensely, blowing feverish gusts through the rattling branches, promising a storm was up ahead.
The three of them walked the trail together hastily, in order to beat the weather and when they reached a fork in the way, Fishlegs had to split off and take a separate road in order to get home.
At the dawn of his absence, Astrid was not proud to admit to herself how relieved she felt to be alone with Hiccup again.
"You'll walk me home?" She beckoned.
"Yes, of course," he was quick to answer, eager to please.
"See I told you, the two of you would get along just fine," Astrid gave him an insightful side-smile as they began to walk.
"Yeah, I didn't realize that we share some of the same interests," admitted Hiccup, glancing to her.
She met his refreshing eyes for a thoughtful moment.
"You don't mind that I invited him to sit with us tomorrow, do you?" Astrid worried.
"No, of course not," Hiccup discouraged this assumption quickly, "he's a nice guy. It could be fun, the three of us."
The three of us. His words had an offbeat ring. She knew he wouldn't disclose his true feelings to her, right now, at least. Good thing he didn't have to—she was already remarkable at reading him all on her own.
"Don't get me wrong, Hiccup," her tone jumped teasingly as they walked, "I prefer when it's just the two of us, as well."
"You do?" He considered thickly, flustered by her subtle allegation.
She felt mildly rewarded by the production of blush over his freckled cheeks and then this curious desire to kiss him hotly pricked her like a sewing needle, however she made no such move to do so yet.
"Well, of course. I always prefer when I'm only with you," Astrid insisted clinically.
It surprised her when she heard herself and how sweet it sounded coming out of her mouth—she would have cringed if this decree was directed towards anyone else. He had dug out a raw spot in her heart she wasn't keen on admitting was there.
"I feel the same way," his voice was soft.
Hiccup looked over to smile at her when she felt the dancing electric of his hand nudge hers by accident. Or perhaps it wasn't a mistake? She wondered if maybe he wanted to hold her hand, but was still too shy to do so, even after being kissed by her twice.
Fastening onto this idea, she dauntlessly snared his small hand in her own, knitting their fingers together.
His reaction was subtle, but she adored how his eyes jumped down to their intertwined hands, then fixed back to her own eyes, twinkling in marvel, even under the ever-darkening cloud masses moving in over Berk.
She had been wanting to get a hold on him, another chance to touch him, since earlier when she was blessed by the warm physical contact of his leg against hers when they sat next to one another at lunch.
They walked hand in hand around the overgrown bend that followed her yard. Once they reached the old, brawny juniper tree, she stopped him beneath the shade of its gnarled branches and kissed him.
With good grace, he kissed her back. His lips moved against hers softly and she sensed less hesitation in him this time.
Her ready fingers trailed up, to coax the soft flips of copper hair falling at the back of his neck when she suddenly felt the gentle touch of his docile hands on her waist and it put her under some kind of spell.
She pleaded his mouth open, so her lovesick tongue could play in the hot rapture, and out of nowhere, he gently pulled her in closer against him, fueled by this random miracle of desire.
Up until this very second, he had alwaysbeen so submissive to her, especially during the more intimate moments they had shared. And though she completely preferred it that way, to be in charge, she couldn't help but feel impressed by his tiny speck of wayward behavior, to say the least.
But as quickly as his tiny dominance had surfaced, it sank, when his grip loosened, and the feeling of his nervous, racing heart against her chest was a dream come true once more.
As her tongue moved over his in a playful, little spar, she felt the first cold drop of rain land on her head.
She ignored it, not wanting this dream to end, kissing him deeper in hopes he would ignore it too. To her delight, he paid no mind to it, even when the second and third and dozen droplets of rain followed that initial one, soaking her hair and drenching her clothes when she finally retired from his mouth and began to laugh in the pouring rainfall.
"I want you to come inside the house, just til it stops raining," she met his glowing eyes, his lashes dappled with droplets and his gleaming face slick with sky water.
The invitation felt fast, as her mother would say, but it would certainly be rude to have him walk home in such horrible weather.
Right on time, a growl of thunder rumbled through the glooming sky.
"Well, only if y-you insist," Hiccup retorted politely, though quite timidly.
She knew neither of her parents would be there to reprimand her for bringing a boy home, but she was confident that even her stern mother would see that Hiccup was hardly a threat.
While familiar adults in the village hardly treated her as a child, her parents were strict with their rules and kept her sheltered for most of her life.
They prescribed her a perfect schedule and stern force to train hard without faults to become the most flawless warrior anyone could possibly raise.
Her father was a retired war veteran who worked on his own farm nowadays and she knew that's where he would be now.
Whenever it rained, he had no choice but to move the cattle inside from the storming pasture as well as the metal farm equipment that was promised to rust.
The quaint, cobblestone shop outside the farm, antique and overgrown with ivy, was run by her mother who sold freshly baked bread, cow and goat milk, raw hen eggs, and various fruits and vegetables.
Earlier this morning, when Astrid first woke up, her mother was just leaving to open the shop and she was willing to bet that's where she would still be, especially at this time of the day, or due to the weather she would certainly helping her father with the farm.
For a guilty second, Astrid wondered if maybe she should be helping her tired, old parents with the physical chores, instead of impishly sneaking a boy into her house.
No, it wasn't like that! It was innocent, she promised herself. They would just wait out the weather over a board game or something.
As they drew up to her front door, she felt unrelenting waves of fear, for she was about to be inside this quiet, vacant place, sealed off from the rest of the world, with no one else but Hiccup.
If her parents were to come home they would be trapped, she worried with dread. Or even worse, what if they didn't come home—the panic gripped her—all the lewd, endless possibilities crept up into her mind, making her stomach turn with apprehension.
Suddenly she felt entirely young as she grabbed Hiccup's hand and pulled him inside the warm dry shelter with her. It felt as if, for a wavering moment, her true, child soul finally caught up with her mature façade.
She laughed at herself, laughed at that silly half-second of actually feeling intimidated by being alone with Hiccup.
He was as harmless and innocent as a lamb. She knew damn well that if there was any hot kissing or heavy petting, it would only be because she started it.
But it wouldn't get to that point, she mentally planned. Although there was no doubt that she wanted to take things a step further with Hiccup, further than first-base for sure, she would not deny to anyone, even herself, that he was not ready for that. At least, from what she could gather, judging by most of his reactions to her spirited affection.
She did not want to force him out of his comfort zone. Some folk don't take into consideration the underlying trauma that even subtle sexual advancements could cause on the developing mind, and she would not contribute to that destruction. She would only be just as bad as Cato if she succumbed to such.
They would play board games and drink hot cocoa and read books and if Hiccup wanted to do any more than that, she decided she would just let him take the lead and make the first move if he could handle that.
More like if she could handle that, she worried realistically. She had a hard time stopping herself from kissing him abruptly whenever she felt that unwavering ache to do so.
As Astrid heard the door close behind them, isolating them from the rest of the world, she felt her heart skip a beat. Remember, she told herself, board games and hot cocoa.
