RTTE-canon-verse

Part 4 of my Hiccstrid Week 2020.

This one… I'm not really sure how to feel about it. ^^" When I wrote it, it made sense. Now, I'm not so sure anymore. Anyway, I hope someone likes it.

. o O o .

Drawing Each Other

Astrid's eyes were wide as she stared down at the piece of paper in her hands. This picture shouldn't faze me so much, she thought absentmindedly, her fingertips hovering over the charcoal lines. And really, it shouldn't. It was an image she saw every day, after all. Every time she walked past a reflective surface.

And yet, there was something strange about this picture that she'd found lying on the ground after Hiccup had left the clubhouse in a hast just a minute ago. Sure, the lines were smudged from how quickly he'd apparently folded the paper to tug it away, but that wasn't why this drawn version of her face looked so… different.

It took her several minutes of inspection and even then she couldn't really pin it down. As far as she was concerned, the image was flawless, just like all of Hiccup's drawings. There was her usual round face with the pointy chin, the small nose, the slightly too-big eyes hidden by her fringes, and the small braid running down one side of her head. It all looked just like she was used to.

And yet, it was different somehow. Deeper. There was an unfamiliar softness in the way her likeness looked somewhere into the distance, in the way she smiled, in all her features. Something warm and glowing. It wasn't really tangible, more as if there was something beneath the surface. As if he hadn't just captured her likeness but also her self.

Astrid swallowed and gazed at where Hiccup had disappeared. She felt weird. On the one hand, she was flattered by the way he apparently saw her, not just the fierce warrior but something… more. But on the other hand… He knew her so well. Of course, they knew each other for all their lives, but this…

Gazing down at the picture again, a strange sensation blossomed in her chest and she made a decision.

. o O o .

"I think my idiot brother is in loooooove," Ruff sing-songed over dinner a few days later, giggling at the surprised looks everyone else threw her.

"I am?" Tuff asked, puzzled.

"He is?" came from Snotlout. "With who?"

Ruff grinned. "Well, with Hiccup, obviously."

There was a heartbeat or three of silence as everyone looked at Hiccup. He blinked, then looked from Ruff to Tuff, then to Astrid and back to Ruff again. "Excuse me?"

Still grinning, Ruff nodded. "He's been staring at you all night. And I just want to say that I approve of his choice, you've really developed well over the years. You have my blessing."

Astrid's lips twitched. None of their friends knew about how Hiccup had kissed her after she'd regained her sight a couple of weeks ago, nor did they know about the tender minutes they shared every now and then since that day. But even without that knowledge, it was clear what both Hiccup and Tuff thought about this idea. Hiccup buried his face in his hands, groaning, while Tuff shook his head at his sister.

"You're quite mistaken, sister," he said in his usual slightly over-dramatic tone. "It is not me who's in love. In fact, I'm not sure anyone will ever fall in love with such a malnourished runt with bad hair, strange teeth, and a twig for a neck."

Ruff rolled her eyes. "But you were staring at him!"

"Of course, I was!" Tuff exclaimed. "But only to see whether I can understand what's so special about him or whether he had something funny on his face or whatever. Because Astrid has been staring at him all evening."

Now, all eyes wandered to her, surprise – and, in Hiccup's case, the hint of a smile – on everyone's faces.

"I… I wasn't," she tried to avert attention, though admittedly rather poorly and Fishlegs ruined her effort anyway.

"Actually, you were," he said. "I noticed it too, just…" he trailed off, shrugging.

Trying – and failing miserably – to play it cool, Astrid stood up and pushed away her nearly empty bowl. "You're all daft. I'm going to bed. See you tomorrow." Then she left the clubhouse in too much of a haste to look unperturbed, cursing herself but unable to help it. It wasn't even that she didn't want her friends to know she'd been looking at Hiccup. Sure, she'd rather they didn't know about them just yet, but she also didn't want to outright deny what was between them. No, what bothered her more was that Hiccup might be able to guess why she'd been studying his face so intently.

As soon as she was back in her hut, she lit the candle at her tiny desk and pulled out a piece of charcoal and a fresh paper. With how annoying this incident just now had been, she didn't want it to have been for nothing. Quickly, as long as the memories were fresh in her mind, she made some sketches of the details she'd studied just now, the exact outline of his chin and chiselled jaw.

Once she was satisfied, she pulled out another paper, one she'd worked on a lot lately. There were thin lines outlining a head and face to get the proportions right but also some more detailed areas, those she'd practised before. Hiccup's unruly hair, his bushy eyebrows, his nose, his lips, so quick to pull into a smile. And her favourite part: his eyes, always so alive and gleaming with passion for whatever he was up to at that moment. With sure hands, she added the cheekbones and chin then leaned back to inspect her work. The image still looked a little off, but she hadn't expected anything else. For the final version, she would draw it all in one go anyway so it fit better.

Smiling to herself, Astrid took a minute or three to look at her drawing. It wasn't how she wanted it to be, not yet. It wasn't like the drawing of herself she'd found, the one where Hiccup had captured so much more of her than just her looks. But she was getting there. And once the picture was as she wanted it to be, depicting Hiccup's soul, the way she saw him, when she knew his face as well as he knew hers…

… then she would give it to him and tell him that she didn't just like him.

She would tell him that she loved him.

. o O o .

One thing I learned about myself during all these shorts is… that I have way too much fun writing the twins.