=Astrid's POV=
{Saturday, May 7, 2022- 7:30 am}
(Berk; Haddock Manor)
The rest of Friday night was uneventful. Hiccup returned to hang out at dinner time, and by this hour; Runa had been brought home from being with the Holgerson Family. After supper; we all set up for another exciting Friday Night Sleepover. Hiccup's mood seemed to improve, so it was a fun night of games, snacks, and talking. Hiccup slept in his spare room downstairs off the Gamer's Paradise space with Runa in there too; she stayed in her bassinet. I got permission to use Hiccup's recliner, which was interesting because no one else was allowed to be in it but him. No idea why; it was firmly labeled as his by Hiccup's closest friends. Today, Hiccup was up first at 6:30 am with Runa; then the rest of us shortly thereafter by 7:15 am. Once everyone had used the bathroom and changed into their fresh clothes; our group of friends made their way upstairs for breakfast. Stoick, Gobber, and Valka were already seated doing their morning things.
Stoick had a cup of coffee while enjoying some toast, eggs, home fries, and bacon while reading the paper. Gobber was reading the sports section of the newspaper with coffee and a half-eaten plate of eggs; it seemed that he'd finished everything else. Vaka was reading a book with a glass of orange juice and plate toast and some sausage with home fries on the side.
"Good morning, kids," Stoick greeted.
"Morning, Mr. and Mrs. Haddock. Morning, Mr. Forger," we replied back. Hiccup went over to hug his parents, then his uncle. Valka snagged Runa from Hiccup after placing her book down to play with the almost eleven-month-old. I couldn't believe Runa would be turning a year old on June 11th; it was so close. And at the same time; I knew it was going to be a hard day for Hiccup to get through. I hoped Hiccup would shut everyone out; it was supposed to be a good day when Runa turned one.
"Grab some grub," Gobber invited. "And call me Gobber," he added with a laugh. Soon, we all had a plate of food and were sitting down in the formal dining room to eat.
. . .
{8:45 am}
A little over an hour later, everyone had finished and the dishes cleared away by staff. Most of us sat around relaxing, still waking up, and chatting with one another. Stoick and Valka were playing with Runa and Gobber had gone off to do something.
"So what's the plan today, Hiccup?" Eret asked.
"Well, Astrid has a training session with me, but that won't take too long provided she hasn't forgotten what I taught her yesterday," Hiccup stated as I muttered, but I knew what he was getting at.
"I haven't," I informed.
"Then today should be easy," Hiccup sat back and relaxed. "And I'm gonna kick it off with a morning flight," he pushed away from the table and got up.
"Can we come?" Camicazi wondered.
"If you can keep up," Hiccup grinned a bit. "I'm testing a couple of things; Toothless and I need speed to do it," he added. "Mom, Dad? You in?" he invited.
"I'll pass, son," Valka replied.
"Same. When you say you're testing things; I know it usually involves your daring air moves, and I don't need a stroke before nine in the morning," Stoick chuckled.
"Awe, come on. They aren't that scary…" Hiccup rolled his eyes.
"Oh, no. Not at all, Hiccup. I'm getting anxiety just remembering the day you jumped off Toothless mid-air, and the two of you let yourselves freefall towards the ocean," Valka huffed sarcastically.
"Hey, we were totally fine," Hiccup defended.
"It doesn't make it any less terrifying to see your fifteen-year-old son freefall from cloud level off his Night Fury who can't fly by himself!" Stoick sighed. "You go off and have your fun,"
"Your loss," Hiccup shrugged as he kissed Runa's forehead, then headed out into the backyard to get to the stables.
"Keep an eye on him, dear," Valka looked at me.
"Yes, Ma'am," I gave a short salute then hurried out after Hiccup and our friends followed behind.
=Normal POV=
Astrid and the friends arrived to see Hiccup putting Toothless's rig on him and securing the straps. Quickly, they rounded up their dragons to join Hiccup on his morning flight with Toothless. Hiccup grabbed something out of a cabinet in Toothless's stall; then started putting it on himself.
"What's that?" Ruffnut asked.
"Riding suit," Hiccup answered while making sure everything was on properly. "Toothless and I fly fast, and this help block some of the wind hitting me hard," he added. Hiccup got on Toothless's back and switched his leg to the riding one; then positioning that to clip on the left side of the rig. "Ready, bud?" Toothless gave the nod and slight warbled. Hiccup grabbed a metal helmet out of the saddle bag; it had spikes along the top and only eye holes, but a leather piece so Hiccup could breathe still. Hiccup slid it on his head and flipped the top down to reveal his green eyes.
"That suit is awesome," Snotlout said.
"Thanks," Hiccup responded, though, his voice was much deeper now. "Let's fly, Toothless!" he called. Toothless launched into the sky fast, and soon the others were right behind him. However, Hiccup and Toothless were still ahead. After ten minutes, the rest of the friends were able to see that they were over water now. "Ready, pal?" Hiccup asked. Toothless gave a snort but assured nod to his rider. "Let's do it," he said while adjusting himself to be lying flat on Toothless's back and holding a pair of handles on the saddle.
"What's he doing?" Ragna questioned.
"It's Hiccup; we never know until he does it," Heather sighed.
"Ain't that the truth," Dagur agreed.
"Give me all you got, Toothless!" Hiccup stated. Suddenly, Toothless started climbing higher before diving straight down. Knowing they couldn't keep up but determined to stay as close as they were able; the friends followed the path. While diving, the sound of a whistle was heard and Toothless was nearing the water.
"Damn, he's fast…" Thuggory blinked.
"Notably in a dive, Night Furies have ridiculous speeds," Minden informed.
"How fast is he going right now?" Ragna inquired.
"Hard to say without a reading," Fishlegs said. Nearing the water; Toothless curved and shot forward leaving a weird cone behind them. "No way…" he gasped.
"Wh-What is it?" Astrid asked.
"Didn't you see what formed behind Toothless on the curve?!" Fishlegs asked. "That's a Mach Cone! Only formed when something hits supersonic speed! Hiccup and Toothless just broke the sound barrier!" he cheered excitedly.
"Isn't the speed of sound like seven hundred miles per hour?" Camicazi looked over.
"Seven hundred and sixty-seven miles per hour to be exact!" Fishlegs squealed.
"Wouldn't those speeds kill Hiccup?!" Astrid panicked.
"Not with how Hiccup is sitting; he's laying flat on Toothless's back! It inadvertently means that he's positioned himself to be something attached to Toothless so the speeds won't knock him off. There's no wind resistance when he lies flat," Fishlegs informed. Hiccup and Toothless headed into the water as the rest stopped before Hiccup came back up and hovered over the water now. Hiccup lifted his mask and threw his hands up.
"Yes! I knew we could do it!" Hiccup rubbed the sides of Toothless's face.
"Hiccup! Hiccup, you hit Mach One!" Fishlegs geeked out.
"I know! I heard a rumor that Night Furies could because it was written that way in all the dragon history books for what little is known about Night Furies. Technically; it was theorized over the centuries but never proven because most humans won't survive a flight at that speed without protective covering!" Hiccup replied quickly.
"That's what the suit and lying against Toothless is for, right?" Snotlout asked.
"Something like that. I knew we'd need a good dive level to attempt this to see if it was true, and it is. Night Furies can hit the speed of sound in a dive," Hiccup said.
"So, what can he hit normal level without the dive?" Eret questioned.
"That's the next test. How fast can Toothless fly without the dive behind him to pick up speed," Hiccup smiled.
"Please be careful," Astrid tried.
"You need not worry, Milady," Hiccup replied as Astrid blushed a bit. "I did a lot of research before attempting all this. I took the necessary precautions to ensure I don't get hurt, but these types of tests can be added to the books, and more people can learn about the rare, Strike Class dragons. You may remember in training that it was short lessons because not much is known on them," he added. "It's all for a good cause, I promise,"
"Okay…" Astrid nodded. Hiccup tossed Fishlegs something that looked like a speed gun radar.
"I want you to track Toothless's speed, and tell me what number it stays steady at for a minute and doesn't increase or decrease," Hiccup instructed.
"Got it," Fishlegs gave him a thumbs up.
"Ready, bud?" Hiccup asked as the dragon nodded once to him. Toothless zipped off as Fishlegs turned the machine on watching the numbers climb.
"Wow, he's already hitting over one hundred miles per hour," Dagur grinned. Finally, Hiccup turned around fast and flew by them leaving a trail of water behind.
"Th-That's it! Toothless's constant speed without being in a dive or having any kind of boost is four hundred and thirty-seven miles per hour!" Fishlegs yelled. Hiccup whipped around and back to them. "Four-thirty-seven," he reported.
"Nice, Toothless. Guess that's your normal top speed instead of two-fifty that we got with the old rig. Not bad for a one-tail finned dragon and one-legged human, right?" Hiccup chuckled. The dragon lifted his head back and licked Hiccup's cheek. "Ready for some fun?" the dragon warbled to him.
"What are you doing now?" Nadia wondered.
"Just some air tricks," Hiccup said. Hiccup patted Toothless's neck. "Come on," he said. "If you can keep up, you can watch," he added as Toothless darted off over the water again. The others raced to follow and keep up the best they were able. Hiccup put down his mask once more and laid flat on Toothless.
"This is so cool," Thuggory told the rest. Riding along the surface of the water but not touching it, the trail appeared when Hiccup and Toothless hit top flight speed. Hiccup leaned and turned with Toothless, adjusting the tail for them to do a quick barrel roll under the wing of an adult Thunderdrum that was swimming in the water below them.
"Yeah!" Hiccup cheered as Toothless began to climb higher past the clouds, and the friends struggled to keep up with him. At some point, Hiccup pulled himself up to be sitting on Toothless's back once again; bending forward once his leg was in place. Hiccup and Toothless were fast as they whipped through the clouds doing flips, spins, and letting themselves fall back without staying up, but quickly recovering and taking flight once more. Higher up now, Hiccup sat back as the two glided on the breeze with some Timberjacks with his arms out as if he were flying. Hiccup pushed the handles down and relaxed while looking around them. "What do you think, bud? Wanna give this another shot?"
"Uh, what's he talking about?" Camicazi asked.
Toothless gave a bored look and unamused growl to his friend. "Toothless…It'll be fine," Hiccup said as he pushed a piece on the rig, then another lever to keep the tail open. Hiccup sat up straight and took a breath before casually allowing himself to slip off and free fall down.
"Hiccup!" Astrid called.
"Oh! YEAH!" Hiccup called as Toothless instantly dove to follow his rider. Hiccup and Toothless span in sync while falling. The Night Fury even stuck his tongue out, enjoying this. Hiccup turned so he was headed down again and Toothless stayed above but watching. Hiccup bent himself a bit then extended as two triangular pieces of stitched together leather appeared along the length of his arms going outward and down his sides and legs.
"What the?!" the friends gasped in shock. Hiccup was literally flying alongside Toothless in the air. Hiccup pressed something on his chest as a back fin popped out.
"He has wings?!" the five newest friends gaped. Astrid was only in shock.
"Hiccup and his crazy inventions…" the other friends sighed. Toothless fired three blasts under Hiccup, and Astrid figured out that it was Toothless doing it so Hiccup would catch the updraft and stay in flight longer.
"Oh, this is amazing…" Hiccup cheered.
"Hiccup! Watch out!" Astrid warned. Hiccup looked ahead, seeing some sea stacks.
"No longer amazing. Toothless!" Hiccup yelled. The dragon tried to climb more, but the locked tail wasn't making it easy. However, Toothless blasted the rocks and wrapped his wings around Hiccup as they went into the fire. Astrid darted forward to see Toothless laying on the ground, wings still closed. Stormfly landed quickly.
"Hiccup? Hiccup, are you okay?" Astrid knelt down to check on him. Toothless opened his wings and Hiccup came out.
"Man…Almost had it that time," Hiccup smiled, up as if nothing happened. Toothless snorted at Hiccup while he was putting the wings away into his suit. Toothless used his tail to put Hiccup on his back with a grunt. "We gotta work on your landings, bud. That locked up tail makes for some sloppy rescue maneuvers…" he added.
"Are you alright?" Snotlout asked.
Yeah, I'm good. Was trying something new…" Hiccup replied. Toothless lifted a rock and pegged it at Hiccup's head. "Ow, what?" he asked. Toothless grumbled and turned his head from Hiccup. "Oh, what? You want an apology? Is that why you're pouting big baby boo?" Toothless didn't appear amused. Hiccup tossed down his helmet and charged at Toothless. "Well try this on for size?" Hiccup wasn't doing anything to affect Toothless. "Yeah, you feeling it? Are you picking up on all my heartfelt remorse?" he asked. Toothless got up on his back legs, walking like a human did. "Come on, you wouldn't hurt a-," Hiccup stopped when he glanced down and saw himself being held over the edge of the sea-stack. Hiccup held on tighter, a bit worried. "Woah! Okay. Okay, you win. You win…" he said as Toothless fell back and rolled, so Hiccup was pinned.
"I swear you two…" Astrid sighed with her arms over her chest.
"And he's down; it's ugly," Hiccup said as he and Toothless were wrestling with one another. Toothless pawing at Hiccup's head gently. "Dragons and Humans, enemies again…Locked in combat until the-," at that moment, Toothless dropped all his wait on Hiccup's lower half. "Ow…" he winced. Toothless started licking Hiccup's face. Hiccup rolled away and tried to wipe the dragon spit off. "Ugh, you know that doesn't wash out…" he groaned and flicked the spit back at Toothless who huffed and started to clean himself. The friends all stared in shock, then sighed collectively and shook their heads. Hiccup was probably the biggest kid of them all when it came to his Night Fury.
. . .
{11 am}
(Berk; Haddock Manor)
After a small break on the sea stack; the group of friends returned to Hiccup's house and put their dragons away with some water and fish while they went inside to relax a bit. Runa was sleeping, so Valka and Stoick were relaxing together in the Great Room. Gobber was still off doing Odin only knew so that left Hiccup and Astrid in the weight room to train more in Martial Arts. The friends, like before, found places around the room to watch how Astrid would do today now that she had her inspiration to battle if necessary in another possible attack on her. Hiccup promised that he wasn't teaching her anything advanced; just enough that she could break free and run. And so far; Hiccup was keeping his vow. Currently, Hiccup was just having Astrid work on some kicks and punches that would put a potential attacker at bay or down long enough for her to escape.
"Come on, Ast. Hit it like you mean it," Hiccup ordered. Astrid tried punching again, but there was no force behind it.
"The bag hurts…" Astrid complained. "It just doesn't feel right when I punch…"
"Show me," Hiccup said as he let go of the bag and moved to see things from where she was standing. Astrid brought her hand into a fist. "Who taught you how to punch? That is all wrong; you'll break your thumb like that…" he said. "Position your hand this way," Hiccup instructed while showing her. "And don't be afraid to bring your arm back," he added while putting his hand on hers. "Like this," he moved her arm back with his to give her the feeling of the motions to achieve. "And then strike," Hiccup released her hand, and let his own fist fly into the bag, causing it to swing back. Hiccup put his hand out to stop it.
"Okay…" Astrid nodded as she copied Hiccup's stance and movements. The goal was reached as Astrid jumped up for joy happily. "I did it!" Of course, she forgot to stop the bag as it bumped into her and she fell against Hiccup as both of them went down. Hiccup taking the brunt of the fall on his back with Astrid on top of him. "I, uh, I'm sorry I wasn't paying attention…" she said, pushing herself up with her hands onto her knees, but still over Hiccup.
"I-It's fine…Happened to me a few times too…No biggie," Hiccup replied.
"Right…I guess it'll take some getting used to," Astrid nodded.
"I'll teach you how to hit and kick it without someone holding it still for you," Hiccup offered.
"That, uh…That'd be nice…" Astrid said.
"Cool, we can…Work on that next. I, uh…Just need you to get off me first?" Hiccup stated. Astrid blushed furiously as she quickly got off Hiccup and stood, then offered her hand to help him up. "Thanks…And uh, good work on the punch…" he added.
"I have a good teacher," Astrid smiled. "Thank you for doing all this for me, Hiccup…" she said softly. "Odin knows I'd be kidnapped or dead by now if it weren't for you protecting me, and teaching me all this stuff…I kind of owe you my life…"
"Don't worry about it, Ast. It's what friends do…" Hiccup shrugged. "I'll always be here for you; you know that,"
"I do," Astrid replied. "Just wish there was some way I could repay you,"
"I'll settle for a hug," Hiccup chuckled. Astrid giggled some, hugging Hiccup tightly. However, as they pulled back; Hiccup did something nobody expected. Not even Astrid. Hiccup leaned in and kissed her. Everyone's eyes widened as their mouths dropped open in shock. Stoick and Valka had come downstairs to check on things and saw the sight, surprising them as well. Gobber showed up last.
"What's with all the sil-," Gobber began. "Oh! Oh, I see now," he added, eyes widened a bit. At the sound of Gobber's voice, Hiccup broke the kiss, which Astrid had returned. Hiccup let her go fast, looking almost afraid.
"Hiccup? What's wrong?" Astrid asked.
"I-I gotta go. I-I'm sorry…" Hiccup managed, then briskly walked out of the room leaving everyone confused and an awkward silence around them.
