In between HTTYD 2 and 3. My take on how Astrid got her outfit in the third film.
A/N: So I had a headcanon between 2 and 3 that Astrid's the first one to change outfits out of everyone and this is also the time that Hiccup's making the dragon scaled armor for himself.
After a dragon hunter raiding party, the Dragon Riders were caught in a fierce storm, hindering them from returning to Berk safely. Luckily, they come across an island, an outpost that they called home for 2 years. For Hiccup and Astrid, this meant some much needed alone time.
Return to the Edge
Another day, another fleet of dragon hunters to raid. In this run, the Berk dragon riders have rescued over 60 dragons ranging from Nadders to Rumblehorns. However, there was a problem - the influx of dragons returning to Berk would put a strain in their land space, as they needed to build more stables. Unsurprisingly, Snotlout was the first person to point this out to their chief Hiccup Haddock, and he's not too thrilled on the land issue either.
"Let's face it Hiccup." Snotlout started, guiding Hookfang onto Hiccup's right-hand side. "We're running out of space back home and now we rescue some more space eating dragons?! How can you possibly fit them all there!" Hiccup glared at his stocky cousin before replying.
"He's got a point guys." He turned to the rest of the riders, namely Astrid, Ruffnut, Tuffnut, Fishlegs, and Eret. "We couldn't afford to bring them all back home."
"And where is that solution, chief?" Astrid asked teasingly; she loved it when Hiccup groans at the title. He gave the blonde general a glare before explaining his plan.
"We take them somewhere safe, somewhere where no dragon hunters would be lurking about." he explained.
"Majority of our raids have been on the north and east. West side is still uncharted territory while down here it's quite of a mixed bag." Eret chimed in.
"So basically, anywhere in this general area where there's no settlement." Fishlegs concluded.
A couple of hours into their journey and it started to rain hard. Visibility went from unlimited to less than 1km due to the presence of fog, so the riders flew above the clouds. Hiccup was focused on looking for a place to land and rest both their dragons and themselves.
"Guys, you wouldn't believe what I'm spotting up ahead." He commented at the sight of a rather large island with what appeared to be a volcano in the background. He looked at his telescope, and there straight ahead was Dragon's Edge. From what Hiccup could see through his telescope, the base was pretty much disheveled, but all the buildings still stand. They haven't been as far as this in nearly 2 years and its quite the nostalgic feeling for the riders, minus Eret.
"I see the Edge, straight ahead!" Hiccup announced.
"Oh my Thor! We're returning to the Edge!" Tuffnut chimed in from behind. Ruffnut was shedding tears of remembrance of all the crazy antics they've done during their time on the Edge.
Once they let the rescued dragons roam free in the forests, the riders return to their clubhouse for dinner, courtesy of Astrid. While the others gagged at the thought of the female Hofferson's cooking (thanks to her yaknog), Hiccup reassured everyone that his fiancée's cooking has greatly improved. Eret, being the newbie in everything, went along with what his chief said. After a long story-telling session to fill the former dragon trapper in about the Edge, the gang rounded up their dragons to the stables, except Stormfly and Toothless, who would be sleeping in their rider's huts.
"Alright gang, settle for your huts. When the storm eases, we make a break for it hopefully by tomorrow." Hiccup announced as the twins, Fishlegs, and Snotlout retired to their respective huts.
He turned to Eret and Astrid and stared at the latter. "You wanna stay in with me, milady?"
Astrid giggled in reply, to which Hiccup took as a yes.
"I guess that leaves me to the clubhouse huh." Eret shrugged.
"You can stay in my hut." Astrid offered, directing the raven haired man towards her ballista fortified hut. When he settled in Astrid's hut, she and Hiccup flew towards the latter's hut. From Hiccup's observation, the Edge seems to be maintained; the buildings only suffered minor weathering due to the combination of salty wind and the volcano's past eruptions.
"I wonder what the inside looks like after two years?" he wondered as he unlocked the lever that opens the door. When the door opened upwards, a flock of wild Terrible Terrors suddenly flew out of the hut, prompting Hiccup to squeal; Astrid burst out into laughter at her boyfriend's reaction.
"Well babe, that answers it!" she teased. Hiccup shook his head in annoyance as they went inside his hut.
Toothless and Stormfly found refuge at the ground floor, while their riders made their way to the second floor, where Hiccup's bed was. Hiccup dusted off his bed which revealed another flock of Terrible Terrors hiding underneath. Astrid removed her spiked skirt, shoulder pads, hoodie, and boots while Hiccup also did the same thing with his armor and prosthetic. Being betrothed meant that undressing in front of each other wasn't an issue anymore. Hiccup had been the insecure one when it comes to his body but Astrid didn't care, saying that she still loves him no matter what he looks like.
As they cuddled in bed, he and Astrid reminisced all the memories Dragon's Edge had. It was, without a doubt, a part of their lives and they wouldn't have reached this point if it weren't for all the adventures, misadventures, and experiences that happened on this island. Astrid stuffed her face at the crook of Hiccup's neck as she started to make a couple of braids.
"I was thinking, if we should leave the dragons here." Hiccup started, "Since it's getting crowded back on Berk, I thought the Edge is the next best place to keep these guys."
"And what about the hunters?" Astrid asked, finishing off the braid.
"Eret's right. Most of our raids are in the north anyway thanks to Drago. This is the first time since Viggo that we've got hunters again in this area." the young chief sighed tiredly.
The blonde Viking pecked his cheek in reassurance. "But we rescued a new batch, so that's a mission accomplished to me." she whispered.
The following day, the storm was still going on strong, making flying impossible. Hiccup, being a heavy sleeper during storms, didn't stir at the sound of cracking thunder in the distance. That wasn't the case for Astrid, as the sight of lightning sent shivers through her spine, remembering the time she got blind. The reason which brought Hiccup and I together, forever. she thought dreamily. Rather than sulk at the inclement weather, Astrid thought of surprising Hiccup with a new getup.
She hauled her extra chest (she left this on purpose) towards Hiccup's workbench downstairs and found a blue off-shoulder top that had a decent neckline. For 20 years, Astrid always wore a turtleneck shirt that proved to be uncomfortable as she got older. Digging deeper in the chest, she found a short red vest with a button clasp in between. She took her shirt off, exposing her bare skin to the cold stormy air, before putting on the blue shirt. Looking herself at the mirror by the workbench, she was satisfied with how the top hugged her curves just right.
Next up is the red vest, but as she tried closing the buckle, it wouldn't fit. Returning to the chest, she dug further and found a head pin that looked like Stormfly's head. She placed it on one side of the buckle and the two ends meet perfectly. Perfect fit, now how am I gonna fit my shoulder pads without the strap getting in the way? she wondered. She first removed the strap and decided it would look better using the skull pins to hold it in place with the vest. Using some of the fur from her hoodie, Astrid used this as a liner for her shoulder pads, matching her already furred arm bracers and boots. She found the hoodie annoying when flying at high altitudes, causing it to flap around. After another look in the mirror, Astrid was pleased with her outfit and couldn't wait to see Hiccup's reaction.
"I hope he will say I'm hot." she muttered to herself.
After a nice warm bath, Astrid wore the new getup that she had been experimenting for the past hour. She also changed out her hairstyle - instead of the usual double braid, she only braided a single one that ran down to her waist. This was almost as close to having free flowing hair, but Astrid also combed a different style on her bangs, now swept left and right. The new hairstyle exposed her forehead and the new design of her headband - a series of gold spikes with metal studs on the sides. By this point, Hiccup had already been awake and Astrid heard him pacing up and about the second floor, looking for her.
"Down here!" she called out. Hiccup clambered down the stairs and froze at the sight of his girlfriend. Yep. He's still head over heels for me, thank Thor. she made a mental note.
"So babe," she said seductively, one hand on her hip and the other brushing her bangs. "Do I look hot enough for you?"
Hiccup could feel the sensation inside his pants as he struggled finding words to describe Astrid's new look. Fortunately for him, Astrid was too distracted gazing at his emerald eyes.
"W...Wow." Hiccup stuttered. He gave her a long passionate kiss to which Astrid succumbed to. She can feel his hands run across her sides before stopping at her waist, while being pinned against the wall. This awoke both their dragons as they made all kinds of warbles, growls, and squawks to get the couple to pull out. Once they did, both were blushing fiercely.
"I take it you dig my new hairstyle?" Astrid continued.
"Yeah." he smiled, "But you know I love all of you milady."
"I love you too and I want to keep it that way babe." Suddenly, a flash of lightning appeared from their window followed by a loud crackle of thunder. Instinctively, Astrid hugged Hiccup and buried her head against his chest. Ever since her blinding incident, she became fearful of torrential storms and lightning. It was a soft spot she hated herself with, but Hiccup kept telling her that she can act soft around him.
"Looks like fearless Astrid Hofferson is afraid of a little storm." he teased, earning him a nudge to the stomach. "Ouch!"
"That's for assuming I'm not fearless." Astrid hissed, but softened her expression immediately. "I'm both fearless and fearful because of you Hiccup."
"It's nice to know I have that effect on you."
"That's what love does to a person, no matter how boneheaded they may be."
Luckily for them, the storm wouldn't go away anytime soon, enabling them to relive their life on the Edge. And while the others were already aware of the chief's relationship with Berk's general, they still pretended to act like they're still just friends - the exact same way they did when Hiccup and Astrid only just begun dating.