=Astrid's POV=

{Saturday, May 7, 2022- 11 am}

(Berk; Haddock Manor)

Hiccup kissed me. That's all that was running through my mind right now. Hiccup had kissed me of his own free will. Hiccup kissed me, and after a second or two; I kissed him back. As soon as Gobber's voice broke the silence; Hiccup snapped out of it and retreated from the room after saying he had to go and was sorry. The shakiness of his voice tells me that Hiccup is shocked by what he did, and probably mad at himself too. Those reasons, though; I don't know. I wasn't upset; just confused. Either way; it looked like Hiccup wanted to be alone, so I wasn't sure what to do now.

"I'll speak with him," Valka went to leave, but Stoick stopped her.

"Give Hiccup some time, and then I will talk to him," Stoick said.

"B-But," Valka started.

"Val…Trust me when I tell you this; Hiccup is not going to open up about his feelings to a woman when it involves a female and a situation such as this. Let Stoick handle this one," Gobber interjected.

"Okay," Valka nodded. "What do we do now?" she asked.

"Best if we all just go about our own thing; there's nothing we can do involving Hiccup until he returns," Dagur offered.

"That is likely a good course of action," Gobber nodded. I knew there was nothing I could do for right now except wait it out and hope to Odin that Hiccup didn't hate me. The last thing I wanted was to lose my chance with him, but I think what would be worse is losing my best friend.

. . .

{7:00 pm}

Hiccup was gone all day, but he must have taken Runa with him at some point because one of the staff members who usually took care of her if not Valka, Stoick, Gobber, or Olivia's family when Hiccup wasn't around said that Hiccup was taking Runa for a Daddy and Daughter Day a little after 12:35 pm. Hiccup missed lunch and dinner. Also, he didn't take calls or answer text messages. I truly feared that Hiccup's and mine's friendship was going to change over this. I knew I liked Hiccup and wanted to tell him, but I was aware Hiccup was still mourning Olivia and probably didn't like me as more than his best friend. Of course, that doesn't make sense if Hiccup kissed me this time. I guess I'd never know unless we talked. And the longer Hiccup was away from the house; the more I felt that talk would never happen.

Currently; we're all outside now sitting around and enjoying how cool it was now that the sun was beginning to drop below the horizon.

"Stoick, either you get on Skullcrusher and go find him, or I'm taking Cloudjumper to do it myself…He's been gone all day," Valka insisted.

Stoick sighed as he prepared to get up, but no sooner than he had; Toothless was seen coming in for a landing. Valka stood as Stoick put a hand up to stop her. "Val…" he warned, Valka bit her bottom lip but remained still as Hiccup dismounted from Toothless then rubbed the top of his head.

"Thanks for today, bud," Hiccup said as he pressed his forehead to his Night Fury's. Toothless crooned and licked Hiccup's cheek. "Yeah, yeah; I love you too," he added. Toothless trotted off to the stables as Hiccup made his way to the back patio.

"Hi, son. Where's the lil lass?" Stoick asked.

"Maeva asked if she could take Runa for tonight, so I took her over after Runa and I spent the day at the park," Hiccup replied.

"Ah. Well, welcome home. Would ya like to join us?" Gobber tried.

Hiccup's eyes landed on me for a moment; then he looked away. "Maybe later…I'm…Starting to develop a migraine, so I'm gonna take one of my pills and lay down for a bit,"

"A-Aren't you hungry?" Valka inquired.

"No, thank you," Hiccup stated as he headed inside the house.

"Who else didn't buy that excuse?" Dagur looked at Stoick, Valka, and Gobber.

"No appetite and complaining of a migraine after being gone all day? Classic Hiccup has a lot on his mind and wants to figure things out," Heather remarked. Stoick began moving towards the house now.

"And that makes it my queue to step in, so he doesn't actually give himself a migraine," Stoick said as he disappeared behind the doors next.

. . .

=Normal POV=

(Hiccup's Room)

Stoick made his way up the stairs and got in front of Hiccup's bedroom. The man raised his knuckle and knocked a few times. Inside, Hiccup was on his window seat of the room. His back was against one of the sturdy beams of the wall. The left leg was on the cushion, and the right dangled off the edge. Hiccup put his head down and sighed.

"Son? It's Dad. Can I come in?" Stoick asked. Hiccup really didn't want to talk to anyone about all this, but then again, maybe it would help.

"Yeah," Hiccup responded after a minute. The door opened as Stoick revealed himself and moved towards Hiccup. "What's up?" he asked his father.

"I think I'm the one supposed to be asking you that," Stoick said as Hiccup just stared out the window. "Come on, son. You know that I saw what happened earlier this morning; everyone did. And we know something about it has to be bothering you, so talk to me,"

"Before Olivia…I had the biggest crush on Astrid for the longest time. Yeah, we were best friends, but one day I just saw her, and everything was different. I knew I liked her more than a friend, and I never had the courage to tell her because I didn't want to ruin things between us in case she didn't like me back," Hiccup began.

"So what happened over the years. You and Astrid lost touch for a while; I remember that happening," Stoick inquired.

"When Colden was elected Mayor in our 5th-grade year; Astrid started hanging out with Cami, Thug, Ragna, Nadia, and Gruffnut. Over the years; she let the attention she got as the Mayor's daughter get to her, and she became one of them. Popular, mean, a bully like they were…Then towards the end of 8th, basically 9th; she met Eret and started dating him. I was sure I'd lost my chance with her, as well as our friendship," Hiccup explained.

"And now you're not so sure?" Stoick questioned.

"I'm conflicted…While she was with Eret; I had my own relationship with Olivia for two years. Astrid couldn't remember our friendship like she actually forgot we had been friends up until 8th grade. By 9th, she was gone entirely," Hiccup shrugged.

"What I'm asking, son is if now that Astrid is back in your life; the feelings for her are coming back?" Stoick repeated.

"I mean…I guess?" Hiccup replied questioningly as if he were unsure. Now, he sighed. "I just don't know, Dad. And that's what has me all messed up right now. Hell, I've been trying to figure things out since she kissed me…"

"Woah, wait…When did this happen?" Stoick wondered.

"Night of Astrid's birthday party. I restored her phone and put all her things on it from the old one that got destroyed. I even got back the text messages from the night her parents died. I guess she was so thankful and excited to get those messages that she kissed me out of the blue," Hiccup explained.

"That's how long you've been trying to figure things out?" Stoick asked.

"Yeah…I talked to the guys about it the same night it happened. And they reminded me about my crush on Astrid, saying that it's probably because I like her still and everything is coming back now that she's back in my life," Hiccup looked at him.

"What is making things confusing? It clear you like Astrid, son. You kissed her today, and she returned it from my angle…Then you just darted off," Stoick reminded.

"The night Astrid kissed me back in March…It sparked something that I thought was gone between her and me. The chance I had wanted before she became popular was back. And yet…I just can't bring myself to say anything about liking her. And the kiss today…I don't know why I took off. It just…I don't know, felt wrong. Not in a sense I didn't feel something for Astrid because I do, but allowing myself to kiss her…" Hiccup looked down, then out the window. "And now you see my problem; I don't even know how to explain it because I don't get it,"

"Hiccup, I understand," Stoick put his hand on Hiccup's shoulder. Hiccup looked over at him. "Listen, I can't tell you how to feel or what to do. Odin knows that even before you were eighteen; I couldn't. You've always done your own thing by following your heart and what felt right to do. And in this; I'm not sure what I can offer that would give you your answer. So I'm just gonna give you the best advice I can, okay?" he said.

"Alright…I'm all ears…" Hiccup said.

"You know that your mother is my first and last lover. And much like you liked Astrid from a younger age into adulthood; I developed a crush on your mom when I was about thirteen, and it became a full like by fifteen. Your mom and I were best friends too. I was always afraid to ruin that if I confessed my feelings to her, and that fear almost lost me her once through High School. It was Junior Year, and the prom was coming up; I was too stubborn to ask your mother to go with me. Another guy stepped up and asked; she accepted. At prom; I watched them dance and almost kiss. That kick in the ass was all I needed to get up and stop it. I marched right up to them and kissed her myself; I told her I loved her and always would no matter what. Your mom laughed at me but said it's about time. The rest of our night was great. We got together, engaged a few years after high school, then married before finally having you. And here we are now, still happy as ever," Stoick told his tale.

"You telling me that I should stop being scared and tell Astrid that I like her?" Hiccup asked.

"I'm suggesting that yes. Hiccup, you know you like her. And she kissed you back, so she must feel something for you. Also, she kissed you first. You already made my mistake once, by not telling her years ago before she got interested in Eret," Stoick reminded.

"Yeah, but my feelings changed, Dad. I fell in love with Olivia…We have a daughter together; we were married…Liv is my first love," Hiccup looked away now.

"No, son. Astrid is your first love. You admitted that to me when you said that her kissing you reignited a spark for her that you thought was gone. Astrid to you is Valka to me," Hiccup looked at his father, pain behind his eyes. "Now, I know you love Olivia, Hiccup, but she is no longer with us. And I know it hurts to hear, but if things were meant to be with her; she would still be here. I know it wasn't in her control, but she still passed," Stoick comforted.

"I know it's been six months, Dad, I just…Can't get past it…And letting myself feel more for Astrid, I feel like I'm betraying my wife…" Hiccup confessed.

"Hiccup, the vows are binding only until death do you part. And death has, unfortunately, parted you already," Hiccup looked down, playing with the rings that dangled from his neck. "Olivia will always be part of you, son. You had two amazing, loving, fun years together, and you have that beautiful little girl as the product of your love for one another. And it's okay to be upset and miss her. There will be days where it hurts you more, and you can take those days to remember. Share them with Runa, and always remember the time you had with her. But…You know as well as I do that she is gone and wouldn't want you to mourn her forever," Stoick rubbed his back a little.

"Would you be able to get over mom if you lost her…" Hiccup asked.

"It would be hard, and at my age; I probably wouldn't move on with anyone else. It would be hard; I can't deny that, son, but with time…Yes. Yes, I would accept things and keep going in life, always carrying her memory with me. And I'd have you too. Your mother, if she passed, would tell me to move forward and be happy knowing that she loves me and would always be around even if I can't see her," Stoick said. "But you're only eighteen, son. You became a father and husband at seventeen all before you've graduated, but it's not the end of your life. Hiccup, if you feel something for Astrid…Take it as the sign to move on," Stoick stared at him.

"My friends said that too; that Olivia would want me to be happy…" Hiccup said. "I know I like Astrid; it's more than a crush. I realized that when I learned of the accident and she was apologizing for my Jeep being ruined. I confessed then that the Jeep was replaceable, and she was not. And the day she jumped off the roof; I told her I refused to lose her again…"

"Do you love her?" Stoick questioned.

"I-I don't know. Maybe…?" Hiccup shrugged.

"It's okay if you haven't figured that much out yet. More time may reveal some deeper feelings, for now…What do you plan to do with what you do know? Are you going to tell her? Ask her out?" Stoick tried.

Hiccup thought about it for a moment. "Regardless of my feelings for Astrid…I'm not," Hiccup sighed. "I'm not ready to move on. I know it's been six months, but I'm just…Not there yet, Dad. Runa's birthday is coming up, and-," Stoick smiled and shook his head.

"And that is okay, Hiccup. You don't have to jump into another relationship if you're not ready. But you should still tell Astrid how you feel, and explain that you aren't ready to move on fully yet," Stoick advised. "Don't lose your chance, Hiccup…This is your second chance to tell her what you couldn't before everything happened. Don't waste this; it won't happen again,"

Hiccup nodded. "I won't…I just gotta figure out how I'm gonna do this,"

"I'll leave you to that then. And you know, Hiccup, if you ever have a problem you can't figure out; you can come to me or your mother. We'll help however we can. You don't have to do things by yourself either," Stoick got up as he kissed the top of Hiccup's head now.

"I'll remember that…Thanks, Dad," Hiccup closed his eyes and smiled a bit.

"Ready to join us?" Stoick inquired.

"You go ahead. I'll catch up," Hiccup informed. Stoick nodded as he exited the room leaving Hiccup to think about his next move.

. . .

{7:35 pm}

Hiccup knew he couldn't put it off any longer; his father was right. Hiccup had his second chance to tell Astrid, so he was going to do it. Hiccup took a deep breath as he finally exited his room and began making his way downstairs and outside where everyone was sitting around a small fire that had been made since it was such a nice night.

"He's coming," Dagur mentioned quietly. Hiccup moved behind Astrid's chair and stood there.

"Astrid," Hiccup got her attention. Astrid composed herself and hid the nervousness as she stood up and faced Hiccup slowly. "I think you and I should talk about a few things," he told her.

"S-Sure. I'm all ears," Astrid smiled a bit.

"Not here," Hiccup informed firmly; then he put his fingers to the corners of his mouth and gave a whistle. Moments later; Toothless came out and to Hiccup's side. Astrid watched as Hiccup got on Toothless's back and connected his left leg in place, opening the tail with a swift movement forward on the piece that controlled the opening and closing. Hiccup offered his hand to her as she stared at him. "Come on," Astrid took his hand as she climbed on behind Hiccup. "Hold tight," he said as Astrid wrapped her arms around his waist. "Toothless, sky!" the Night fury shot upward as Astrid buried her face in Hiccup's back, holding on to him.

Hovering over the area, but out of hearing distance from the others; Hiccup took a breath. "Okay, that was terrifying…" Astrid said once Toothless leveled out.

"You get used it after a while," Hiccup chuckled. "But…Now that we're away from prying eyes and eavesdroppers…I wanted to ask you something," he began.

"That would be?" Astrid wondered.

"The night of your birthday…Did you kiss me because you like me? As more than a friend?" Hiccup inquired.

Astrid knew she couldn't lie to him. "At the time…I wasn't sure. I knew I was happy, overjoyed…But it wasn't until the next morning that I realized I skipped a friendly-thank you hug and went right in for a kiss,"

"So you do like me?" Hiccup asked.

"I do," Astrid nodded, still holding on to him. Toothless took them a bit higher.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Hiccup wondered.

"I guess I was afraid you wouldn't like me back. I-I know that you love Olivia. I mean; you were married to her…And I felt regardless of my feelings for you; I couldn't compete with that, and I didn't want to ruin our friendship consider we were just getting back to how things were before I turned into a bitch by joining the others…" Astrid looked off to the side. Hiccup glanced back at her, but then looked forward. "I liked you before too,"

"Come again?" Hiccup asked, a little surprised.

"Before I became popular and stuff…I had a huge crush on you in Elementary School into Middle School. But we started getting distant, so I never got to tell you. And then I met Eret, thinking you and I weren't friends anymore…When he asked me out; I said yes because I thought I lost you. That song…True Love; I wrote it over my feelings for you," Astrid explained softly.

"That was…For me?" Hiccup asked.

"We were the best of friends, Hiccup. We did everything together, were closer than any of our other friends. Hell, my parents used to tease that they saw you and me being high school sweethearts like they were. That we'd get together, end up married…I hated it when they said all that stuff, but being around you…How I felt before Freshman Year. Maybe they were onto something after all; I didn't just like you…I was in love with you," Astrid lowered her head a bit.

"Being Eret was interesting, but I…I didn't get the feeling with him that I had being around you. I used to say I hated you…Just to stop feeling the love part. Never worked. I guess my feelings for you never really stopped; I buried them knowing that how things were between you and me. I know now that it's my fault, of course. But all that aside…I wrote True Love to express how I had everything with you, and then it was just gone. But secretly, I always hoped I could get it back…" Astrid finished.

"The day I heard you sing it; I was hurt because it explained how I felt about losing the girl I like, and my best friend…" Hiccup said. Astrid's eyes widened a bit as she caught Hiccup peering back at her a bit.

"Y-You liked me too?" Astrid asked.

Hiccup nodded as the two were above the clouds now and Astrid looked around at the dark sky above. "But like you thought…I had lost you, and my chance because I never spoke up. You were with Eret, and I had met Olivia. You know that whole story…" Hiccup trailed off. "I guess we both assumed things about the other when maybe what happened between us wouldn't have happened if we just talked,"

"Right…" Astrid agreed. "Can I ask you something?" Hiccup nodded. "Were you going to kiss me the other day, when we sang True Love together?"

"I was," Hiccup admitted.

"Why didn't you?" Astrid wondered.

"Because I was conflicted about things. Old feelings for you resurfacing, still mourning Liv…I just…I don't know how to explain it. I didn't want to do anything until I figured out what was happening to me," Hiccup informed.

"And kissing me today?" Astrid pushed.

"Astrid, since the day you kissed me…I've been trying to figure things out. I figured it was overexcitement, but still…Something hooked me, and I couldn't ignore it. Something sparked my feelings for you from before we temporarily broke up as friends. The more time we spent together; the more it continued to grow. The day we sang; Olivia flashed into my mind before I would have kissed you. It made me pull back and ask myself what the hell I was doing. And today; I just couldn't fight it anymore. I had to see how I'd feel if I kissed you. And the results…Scared me,"

"What do you mean?" Astrid questioned.

"I was scared because that spark I'd been feeling since March turned into a flame that hasn't stopped burning. I understood that my feelings for you have always been around; they never stopped, just lessened because of the hurt I felt losing you. I guess…Secretly; I always hoped I'd get another chance to tell you what I couldn't before," Hiccup kept his eyes forward. "The rest of what made things conflicting is that I do still love Olivia…And part of me felt like I was betraying her…"

"Because she's your wife, and mother of your child…" Astrid said gently. "Hiccup, it's okay. I understand what she means to you. I told myself that no matter what; I would never take her place. I'm good as long as I get to be your best friend and in your life as that is enough for me," she smiled. Hiccup didn't say anything at first, a bit surprised at what she said. The two of them stayed on Toothless, then before their eyes were the Northern Lights. Astrid gasped in delight seeing them, snuggling into Hiccup more and admiring the flight. "This is beautiful…I can't believe I've never seen this before…"

"Gotta come up at the right time, just above the clouds," Hiccup finally spoke. Then he sighed as he turned more to face Astrid. "Listen…I will always have a place in my heart for Olivia, Astrid, but she isn't my first love," Astrid looked at him now. "You are. If…Liv and I were meant to be; she would still be here. They say if people are meant to be; they come back…Liv didn't, but you did. No matter what occurred for it to take place…Here you are back in my life. Astrid; I like you a lot. I really do. I can't deny that, and I won't fight it. I'd like to see where things go for us…"

"I do too if…You'll have me?" Astrid said.

"That's…The other thing," Hiccup trailed off a bit. "And I really hope you won't hate me…"

"I don't think that's possible," Astrid stated.

"While I do like you, Astrid, and I want to be with you…I'm just not ready yet. You know, for another relationship. I'm still mourning Liv, Runa's birthday is coming up, we got this Drago thing to deal with…I just…" Hiccup sighed.

"Hiccup," Astrid cupped his cheek with a smile. "First of all, land…Because I'm actually getting cold up here," she giggled as Hiccup flipped Toothless around and the two landed back in the yard. Astrid got off Toothless then Hiccup right after her as she held his hand lightly. "And secondly; I've waited for you all this time, even with all the bumps along the road. I think I can wait a little longer. After all, I'm not going anywhere. You forget we're attached at the hip for the time being. So relax; you take all the time you need, and I will still be here when you're ready," she added with a smile.

Hiccup smiled a bit, then leaned in and kissed her cheek. "Thank you, Asty," he hugged her.

"You're welcome, Hic," Astrid hugged him back. "Now, come to join us. We're having a campfire…" Astrid held his hand, pulling him over towards the group. Astrid knew Hiccup wasn't ready yet, and that was okay with her. The confessions were all she needed, now things would be okay; she had faith in that.