One week since Astrid and Hiccup moved in to the in law unit, everything was set up and they even had their own Christmas tree which Hiccup and Astrid decorated themselves. Hiccup started working from home on small projects for Gobber. They'd be brought by, Hiccup would work on them and then Gobber would pick them up afterwards. Hiccup's phone was always active now, being blown up with texts and calls from Heather and Ruffnut checking in on Astrid, or from Fishlegs, Tuffnut, Snotlout, and Dagur wanting to hang out. His father hadn't returned yet and Hiccup was beginning to worry but Astrid kept him calm and distracted. Astrid's parents were still unconscious in the coma, not much changed in their conditions. Today though, he warned everyone to leave him alone. It was Christmas Eve and Hiccup had been preparing all day for the quiet night with Astrid.
They were still friends living together, Hiccup took care of her the best he could but still weighing on his mind was that they hadn't talked about the night of the concert when she kissed him. He was nervous to bring it up incase she got mad and started avoiding him again. Or worse, push her close to Eret again. Also he didn't want to fight with her on Christmas Eve, that was never fun. But still, it had to be talked about so he was going to take his chances with her. He sat down on the couch now with a sigh trying to figure out how to begin. Astrid noticed his concerned face and frowned a bit. "Hiccup? Something bothering you?" Astrid asked gently.
It was maybe 11pm, everything was quiet except for the TV in the background playing the quieter Fire Storm songs. Hiccup, Fishlegs, and Tuffnut had agreed to make an announcement to their fans that due to the holidays and family emergencies they wouldn't be preforming live again until after the first of the year. No one minded of course. As for Hiccup's dragon racing, as Fury he said his dragon had been hurt and needed to recover before another race. He took care of his other lives so they wouldn't interfere with him taking care of Astrid until he figured something else out. Hiccup looked at her now, 'How do I start this...Ease in to it? Talk about the concert, she never told you about how the night went...' His plan set, he smiled at her. "I'm fine, I was just thinking that you never told me how the concert went that night. I know it was like a month ago but, you did promise to tell me all about it?" Hiccup asked her calmly.
Astrid seemed to freeze a bit hearing the concert, she remembered everything that happened. Maybe Hiccup didn't remember the kiss they shared, he had been asleep? Astrid shook it off, if she didn't make it obvious maybe he would continue to forget. Astrid smiled now, "I did, didn't I? It was amazing, Hiccup. The whole first half were their older songs, then during the break the Eret thing happened. Did I tell you that Strike, of all people came to help me!?" Astrid exclaimed.
"No way, the lead singer? I don't believe it." Hiccup said sarcastically, of course he knew it was true. He was there after all, as Strike.
"No, dead serious! He came with his security guys and made Eret leave the show. Then he made sure I got inside safe! Oh and the second half was new songs! It was so awesome. They played the song you showed me, it sounded amazing live! But I'd never been more scared in my life when Strike pulled me on stage with him! I thought I was gonna pass out, Hiccup." Astrid said happily.
Hiccup acted shocked now, "Oh come on, you're making that up Astrid! I've never heard of Fire Storm letting a fan on stage with them during a show." Hiccup remarked to her sitting back with a cocky smile.
"I'm telling the truth! After Strike helped me with Eret, he led me inside and told me that he was going to dedicate a song to me since we just became friends. I was shocked but entered the show anyway. The last song of the night was Play It Again, and before it started he came down and pulled me up with him. He made me sing it with him, Hiccup! No joke! Get my laptop for me, I'll show you. Another one of my friends was there, she got the whole thing on camera!" Astrid said pointing to her laptop sitting in the desk. Hiccup got up and handed it to her as she opened it up and started clicking on the keyboard to pull up the video.
Hiccup was making a mental note to make sure from now on the guards checked bags for cameras. He knew cell phone videos were almost impossible to stop. A room filled with over 3,000 people there was no way the security guards could stop it all. Hiccup watched the video, not that he needed the reminder of that night. He watched with a shocked face as the video played. When it stopped he sat back smiling, "Alright I believe ya. That's pretty amazing. You have a great voice, Astrid." Hiccup complimented. She blushed now.
"I–I do not...My voice is terrible!" Astrid stated quickly now shutting her computer.
"No it's not, Astrid! That was incredible and hey it helped that you knew the words already right?" Hiccup laughed.
"Only because you showed me the song a week before the debut. The head piece I was wearing had the song lyrics I was supposed to sing out." Astrid looked down embarrassed.
"It was still amazing, Astrid. Bet you can't do it again?" Hiccup challenged her with a grin.
"I–I could if I wanted too..." Astrid said to him, she watched Hiccup get up and turn on the CD player. He put in a random CD and clicked the button to an one he was sure she'd know. The music started.
"Show me then, prove it." Hiccup said sitting back down.
"Only if you do it too." Astrid said to him, his eyes widened a bit. He'd have to throw his voice slightly so she wouldn't figure it out.
"Fine. I'll sing the boy parts if you do the girl's?" Hiccup suggested to her. Astrid nodded smiling. Hiccup took a breath preparing himself as he looked at her gently.
[Hiccup:]We didn't care if people stared. We'd make out in a crowd somewhere. Somebody'd tell us to get a room...It's hard to believe that was me and you. Now we keep saying that we're okay, but I don't want to settle for good not great. I miss the way that it felt back then I wanna feel that way again...
[Hiccup:] Been so long that you'd forget the way I used to kiss your neck.
[Astrid:] Remind me, remind me...
[Hiccup:] So on fire so in love. Way back when we couldn't get enough.
[Astrid:] Remind me, remind me...
[Astrid:]Remember the airport dropping me off? We were kissing goodbye and we couldn't stop.
[Hiccup:] I felt bad cause you missed your flight...
[Astrid and Hiccup:] But that meant we had one more night!
[Astrid:]Do you remember how it used to be? We'd turn out the lights and we didn't just sleep!
[Hiccup:] Remind me, baby, remind me...
[Astrid:]Oh, so on fire so in love...That look in your eyes that I miss so much!
[Hiccup:] Remind me, baby, remind me.
[Hiccup:] I wanna feel that way.
[Astrid:] Yeah, I wanna hold you close.
[Hiccup and Astrid:]Oh, if you still love me...Don't just assume I know!...
[Astrid:] Baby, remind me, remind me!
[Astrid:] Do you remember the way it felt?
[Hiccup:] You mean back when we couldn't control ourselves?
[Astrid:] Remind me!
[Hiccup:] Yeah, remind me!
[Astrid:] All those things that you used to do, that made me fall in love with you! Remind me, oh, baby, remind me.
[Hiccup:] Yeah, you'd wake up in my old t-shirt. All those mornings I was late for work...Remind me!
[Hiccup and Astrid:] Oh, baby, remind me!
[Astrid:] Oh, baby, remind me, baby, remind me!
[Hiccup:] Yeah, you'd wake up in my old t-shirt...
[Astrid:] Remind me, yeah, oh!
[Hiccup:] Baby, remind me!
They finished singing together with big smiles on their faces. They were panting a bit staring in to one another's eyes. Hiccup didn't care anymore, this was his chance and he wasn't missing it. Hiccup leaned in and pressed his lips to hers softly. Astrid's eyes widened with shock but yet she couldn't find the strength to fight him off, she soon melted in to it and started kissing him back fully. Hiccup leaned in more deepening it, Astrid gasped a bit and Hiccup took his chance to slip his tongue inside her mouth and run it along hers passionately. Astrid couldn't stop him, and she didn't want to. The kiss was so passionate, deep, and loving. However, they did have to break apart for air. Both still panting, his green eyes never left her blue ones. Hiccup smiled at her, "You gonna run away this time?" Hiccup asked her.
Astrid blinked wondering what he meant, then she remembered. The night of the concert, after they kissed she ran away upstairs. The next morning she went back to her house and started avoiding him because she had to figure out why she felt the way she did, and now she understood it. "No...I understand now...And I owe you an explanation about that night..." Astrid said softly. Hiccup put his hand up to her lips now and shook his head.
"No you don't. I understand, Astrid." Hiccup began softly, staring in to her eyes now.
"Yes I do, Hiccup...Please...I have to say this." Astrid pleaded him gently. Hiccup nodded to her. "It was everything. Ever since that first time you saved me, beat up Eret for what he did to me, letting me stay with you for two weeks, the concert, even the accident...I've felt differently around you. I didn't understand why it was happening. That night I saw you sleeping on the couch, I just felt the urge to kiss you. So I did...I didn't expect you to kiss me back and when you did, it scared me." Astrid explained.
"Why did it scare you?" Hiccup asked gently.
"I don't know. You'd always been there for me, no matter the time of day or night. I-I felt safe with you but I was still scared. Did I ever tell you that driving home from the concert, I realized it was my last night in your house before having to back to my parents and I didn't want to leave?" Astrid asked him. This was something Hiccup didn't know actually.
"No, I never knew that. You kissed me and ran off..." Hiccup stated.
"I guess it was because of everything happening so fast. And when I realized what was happening, I got scared and ran away from it." Astrid told him sadly.
"What was happening so fast? Our friendship?" Hiccup questioned her. He didn't quite understand, then again he had wanted this. An actual explanation of that night and he was getting it whether he cared or not anymore. It mattered at the start of this night, but now all he cared about was that they kissed and both of them loved it.
"Everything. You saving me from the bad part of town, leaving Eret, you kicking his butt for what he did, letting me stay with you for my own safety. You making sure I was safe at the concert with the pepper spray, giving me all the money just so I'd have a good time. Saving me from Heather and Ruffnut's house when they harassed me. Just everything...After I kissed you that night, and feeling you kiss me back...That's when I understood it. I was falling in love with you slowly but it scared me because I had left you so confused that night that I figured you'd want nothing to do with me. I was planning to call you the night of the accident so we could talk about it...then everything happened. And now after all this, I'm just...not scared anymore. I'm not scared when I'm with you. I feel safe with you and I know you'd never let anyone or anything hurt me. You've proven that so many times, Hiccup. I'm not scared to say I love you to you." Astrid told him. Hiccup only smiled as he kissed her deeply again, taking her by surprise.
"Does it make you feel better to know that I've only dreamed about something like that happening between you and me?" Hiccup smiled seeing her shocked face.
"Y–you...Hiccup, what are you saying...?" Astrid asked him, her heart was racing in her chest.
"Astrid...What I'm saying is I love you too. I've loved you since I met you in Jr. High." Hiccup said in a serious but loving tone. Astrid soon found herself smiling.
"I love you too, Hiccup." Astrid replied gently to him. Hiccup leaned in and kissed her again, she kissed him back before breaking apart again. "Now what?..." Astrid asked him with a giggle.
"Now I ask you if you'll accept being my girlfriend." Hiccup asked in a hopeful voice. Astrid laughed lightly.
"I will accept such a title with great happiness." Astrid replied to him. Another kiss between them as Hiccup looked at the clock. 12:00am, December 25th.
"Guess what?" Hiccup asked looking at her.
"What is it?" Astrid responded looking up at him.
"We just got in to an official relationship on Christmas morning. Feel like putting it on Facespace? And waiting for the flood of texts and calls to come through?" Hiccup asked with a grin. Astrid moved a bit so she was laying against him in his lap.
"Oh come on, no one is up at this hour babe. It's Christmas. Beside if we don't go to sleep, Santa won't come." Astrid winked at him.
"Then we'll be hearing it in the morning." Hiccup announced as he reached for his phone and logged on. He did see Fishlegs and Tuffnut awake, and Snotlout too. Hiccup filed through the settings to relationship status. He switched it to In A Relationship. When it asked who with, he scrolled to Astrid's name, pressing it. He hit save and done as he looked down to Astrid who just accepted it from her laptop. Hiccup set up his phone to take a picture of them with the front camera, he held it out as he lifted Astrid's face to his and kissed her deeply. Astrid kissed him back as he snapped the picture and put the phone down still holding the kiss with her.
Astrid giggled now breaking it. "Well we're official. And I'm very tired, mind taking me to bed?" Astrid asked him softly. Hiccup just finished posting the picture of them kissing on the relationship status. He put his phone down and sat up, then picked her up in his arms and carried her to the bathroom, he waited outside like always and when she was done he went back in and picked her up, carrying her to her bedroom and laying her in the bed. Hiccup covered her and kissed her softly. "I love you, Hiccup." Astrid said looking up at him after the kiss.
"I love you too. Sweet dreams mi'lady!" Hiccup replied as he pulled back and exited her room. Sighing out happily he shut off the lights except for the tree and went to bed himself. This time, he didn't lock the main door. He knew someone would be coming that night. Around 2am, someone walked in and placed a bunch of presents under the tree with the letters H or A on them. The figure flipped the lock and left. It was quiet the rest of the night.
In the morning, Hiccup awoke happier than he had in years. He slipped on his slippers and left the room. "Hiccup, are you awake out there?" Astrid called from her room.
"Just woke up, Astrid. Need me to come get you?" Hiccup called back.
"Please?" Astrid asked him. Hiccup came in and saw her trying to get out of bed. He chuckled going over to help her.
"I told you to call me if you needed me." Hiccup said to her now.
"You won't always be around babe. Besides, I just wanted to get my crutches so I could meet you out here. Tradition in my house on Christmas morning is that we all meet in the living room, make hot chocolate and once the first cup is gone, then we're allowed to open presents." Astrid giggled as Hiccup carried her to the couch again.
"Well today, you get to relax and I'll handle it. Us Haddocks have our own traditions too." Hiccup chuckled as he walked over to start the hot chocolate for her.
"Really? What's yours?" Astrid asked watching him from the couch.
"Well when dad, mom and I get up we make coffee, mine was always decaf until maybe 3 years ago. Then we'd set around the tree and tell stories of the dreams we had no matter how crazy they were. Then dad would give each of us one present, then we could open them all." Hiccup smiled then looked down a bit, Astrid understood why. His mom wasn't around anymore. "But...with mom gone, its just us sitting quietly until 8am. We'd look at a few pictures of us as a family, and prays she's sitting with us like always. Then we'd start opening gifts." Hiccup said gently walking over with Astrid's hot chocolate for her. She kissed his cheek.
"It must be hard this time of year for you, especially that your dad isn't here either..." Astrid told him gently. Hiccup smiled softly.
"He'll be here. Dad never goes back on his word, and neither do I." Hiccup replied.
"I can believe it." Astrid said smiling at him, as she sipped her hot chocolate and Hiccup drank his coffee slowly. "So...what did you dream about last night?" Astrid asked suddenly. Hiccup glanced at her curiously. "What? I figured we'd mix the traditions...So...What did you dream about?" Astrid repeated herself.
"You. A life with you forever." Hiccup said. It took Astrid by surprise. "What did you dream about?" Hiccup asked her.
"Flying actually. I loved the feeling from the day I rode on Fury's dragon, Toothless...I'd love to do it again sometime. And I uh...dreamed of you as well, Hiccup. I think in my dream we were going on our first date." Astrid blushed softly.
"Once the holiday is over, I plan to take you on one." Hiccup chuckled.
"Oh, where are we going?" Astrid asked him.
"That my dear is a surprise." Hiccup winked kissing her softly.
"Really, you're not gonna tell me?" Astrid whined with puppy dog eyes.
"No way." Hiccup laughed. Astrid huffed at him looking away, she glanced seeing him smile at her and she turned her head to kiss him again. Astrid looked around the room, she saw a picture of a woman sitting on the small table by the tree. The woman in the photo had long brown hair, and green eyes like Hiccup's. That was his mother. Astrid had never seen it out before, had Hiccup put it out last night after she went to bed?
"Hiccup?" Astrid asked softly.
"Yeah, Astrid?" Hiccup replied now.
"Is that picture over there of your mom?" Astrid pointed to it, Hiccup looked and smiled as he walked over to it.
"Yeah, it is..." Hiccup said bringing the picture over to her so she could see better. Astrid took it and smiled looking over it.
"She's beautiful...I see where you get the dark brown hair and green eyes from." Astrid said gently. "When did this get put out?" Astrid asked him.
"Last night before I went to sleep. Its how dad and I celebrate Christmas with her..." Hiccup said gently as he crouched down looking at the picture now, he closed his eyes with a sigh before he looked up.
"You really miss her, don't you?" Astrid asked as she put her arm over him and laid her head on his shoulder.
"More than anyone will ever know." Hiccup replied.
"I know the feeling well son." Came a strong voice. They both whipped their heads around to see Stoick standing in the door way now with a smile on his face.
