WriterFreak001:

I'm glad several people have enjoyed the story so far on and AO3! Some readers asked me if I could write a happier story after this one is finished, and my reply to that is, YES! :) I'll definitely be writing happier Hiccstrid fics. For some reason, this plot bunny wouldn't leave me alone, so it just happens to be my first story for HTTYD.

I still hope you stick with this story even though it circles around a dark theme.

And please know that I will include a trigger warning at the top of the chapter (not sure which one it'll be yet) that features the darkest part of the story. For now, other than for the first chapter, I'm going to remove the trigger warning so that people know which chapter they want to skip if they should choose to skip it.

"Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength while loving someone deeply gives you courage."
― Lao Tzu

Prepare for the Storm

Chapter Two

Hiccup and Toothless landed softly in the sand after spotting Astrid sitting on one of the larger boulders as Stormfly tried catching fish. The Acting Chief stroked Toothless's head before the dragon rushed off to play with Stormfly while he slowly approached his fair maiden.

"And how was your ride, milady?" Hiccup grinned as he climbed on top of the rock and took a seat next to her. She automatically leaned towards him and enfolded their hands together.

"It was thrilling," Astrid beamed as she turned towards Stormfly who was smacking her tail against Toothless' head, probably for doing something stupid. The couple chuckled and turned their attention back to the ocean. "We didn't fly far, but we sure flew fast; it was absolutely exhilarating! Sometimes it's nice to fly without the others; I don't know why, but… it just makes me feel more…"

"Free?"

Astrid nodded with a smile. "Yes, exactly."

"I totally get it," Hiccup agreed as he leaned over to kiss her temple. "When I'm with Toothless, and there's no other distractions, we like to fly as fast as we can without holding back. While yes, it is very exhilarating, it's also a nice escape from the real world."

"I know right?!" Astrid exclaimed enthusiastically. "The first time I flew on a dragon… it was magical; being able to see the clouds, the sunset and Berk from the sky? It was so surreal."

Hiccup smirked, recalling the memory. "And if it wasn't for Toothless, I'd probably still be the village loser, and we more than likely wouldn't be together."

"What makes you say that?" Astrid asked as she pressed her cheek to his shoulder. "I mean, sure, without Toothless, you might have still been a total loser, but that doesn't mean anything regarding our relationship."

"Doesn't it, though?" Hiccup asked absentmindedly as he watched a few of the island's dragons fly towards the horizon, "I don't know if I ever told you this, but I've had a crush on you years before Toothless, but it took flying a dragon for you to even notice I existed."

"Sometimes, Hiccup," Astrid poked firmly at her boyfriend's chest, "it's the little things you do that get noticed the most." She leaned upward and kissed his cheek. "Sure, I didn't avidly talk to you when we were younger, and I admit, I picked on you a lot, but… truth is," she smiled as she curled a strand of hair behind her ear, "contrary to what you might think, I secretly liked you way before Toothless too."

Hiccup's eyes grew wide, completely shocked. "Whaaa? Really? I mean, how did I not see it?"

Astrid let out a laugh. "Because I purposely pretended I didn't." Her cheeks flushed deeply. "I mean… I was… I don't know, intrigued by you. You were different than the others, and, well… you stood out to me."

"So all that time…," Hiccup mumbled as he processed Astrid's confession, "when you shoved me out of the way or tackled me to the ground for saying or doing something stupid, it was out of adoration?"

Astrid shrugged and turned towards the ocean but spotted a bird on the shore and stared at it for a moment before replying. "I was born a warrior, Hiccup. My family trained me to fight so that when the time came, I would be able to battle dragons when I was old enough. My parents taught me to be strong-willed and never to quit. I admit, the first time we met, I thought you were the weirdest human being alive. And… I was also a bit jealous."

"Jealous of me? Really?" Hiccup never knew any of this. "Why?"

"Because I could tell, underneath your father's hard exterior, he cared very much about you even though you were small and weaker than the other kids. Don't get me wrong, I love my parents very much and wouldn't trade them for the world, but… there were times when I was younger that I wished just once they would see me as their daughter and not their should-have-been son." Astrid noticed a small pebble beside her and picked it up, tossed it in the air and caught it. "So yeah, I was a bit jealous of you at first."

"Then what changed your mind about how you originally felt about me?" Hiccup asked, curiously. He gently placed the palm of his hand on top of Astrid's head and patted her before pulling her closer to him.

Astrid slowly wrapped her arms around Hiccup and closed her eyes as she pressed her temple to his chest while inhaling his earthy scent. "Remember when you found me hiding out on that cliff during that terrible storm?"

"Yeah," Hiccup nodded with a smile, "We were six or seven, I think… I overheard your parents telling my father that you had been missing for many hours past the time you were supposed to be home. My father's greatest fear was that a dragon stole you away just like what happened to my mom. He organized a search party, and everyone was looking in the most obvious places in case you were hiding somewhere. But even back then, I knew that if you were hiding, it was because you didn't want to be found. So the most logical place to look was high ground. It wasn't long before I found you sitting on the edge of the cliff, alone, and soaked to the bone from the rain. Seeing you like that worried the yak out of me."

Astrid smiled at the comforting thought, not realizing just how deep Hiccup's feelings were for her even back then. "Yeah, I could tell."

Hiccup nodded as he recalled the memory. "I asked you what you were doing up there, and you told me to go away – that it was none of my business."

"And if I recall correctly," Astrid grinned at him, "you refused to leave and sat down right beside me and said you were going to stay there for as long as I was."

Hiccup awkwardly scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, I was a stubborn little guy back then."

"You still are," Astrid smirked while taking his hand in hers and squeezing it gently. "Do you remember what happened next?"

Hiccup slowly nodded. "I asked you if you were going to jump off the cliff. And you said," he cleared his throat, attempted to make his voice sound just like Astrid's. "'I'm not going to jump, you muttonhead! I'm running away!'"

"I do not sound like that," Astrid giggled as she punched him lightly on the shoulder.

"Yes, you do," he chuckled as he moved to tickle his girlfriend's sides. She squirmed under his light, feathery touch and twisted side to side to evade his tickle attack. In the midst of the playful assault, Astrid somehow wound up sitting between Hiccup's legs with her back flush against his stomach. When she was right where he wanted her, Hiccup stopped tickling her and enveloped her in his tight embrace. Astrid's arms rested on top of his as she tilted her head back far enough to see his face.

"You planned that," Astrid squinted her eyes at him, and he shrugged innocently.

"Maybe I did. Maybe I didn't." He grinned before dropping his mouth to hers and kissing her slowly and deeply.

When they gently departed, Astrid gave him a crooked smile. "You totally did." She brought her head back up and closed her eyes again as she leaned into his embrace. "Anyway," she continued her trip down memory lane, "what you said to me next, well, I never forgot it, and I never will."

Hiccup pretended not to remember. "I say a lot of things. Remind me what it was I said again?"

She lightly elbowed him in the ribs, causing an audible 'Oomph!' from him before she responded. "You know what you said."

"I know," he was quick to reply. "I remember."

Astrid wanted to be sure as she crossed her arms in front of her. "Prove it."

Hiccup leaned forward, tightened his arms around her and leaned forward, bringing his lips to her ear. When his voice spoke, she shivered from the warmth and closeness of his breath. "If you're running away," he lightly kissed the spot behind her ear for an added effect, "then I'm coming with you," he paused briefly. "And then you punched me."

Astrid giggled. "That's right! I did! I punched you and told you to go back home and leave me alone. And yet… you still didn't leave."

"No. I didn't, and I'm glad I didn't. Because if I did, we may not be where we are today," Hiccup stated proudly. "

"No… we probably wouldn't be…" Astrid agreed as she brought his palm to her lips. "But what you said next," she continued, "is what really touched me."

Hiccup kissed the back of her head and closed his eyes as he mumbled words he once said against the back of her neck. "No one – no matter how tough they are – should be alone. So you can stay out here all you want or run away, but either way, you won't be alone anymore because I'll be right beside you."

His words to this day gave her goosebumps. "I never forgot those words you said to me that day, and it made me realize that even though you were smaller than everyone else, you had the biggest heart in all of Berk. For the first time in my life, I felt like someone actually cared for me as me and not as someone I was supposed to be. And even today, that hasn't changed."

"I respect you, Astrid. You know that," Hiccup laced their fingers together. "I always have, and I always will." The Acting Chief smiled as she turned to look up at him. "But if I recall correctly, even after I said all that to you, you still shoved me back down to the ground and stormed away angrily as you stomped back home."

"What did you expect?" Astrid laughed out loud, "A kiss?"

"Wouldn't have been a bad thing," Hiccup mumbled more to himself than to her, causing her to elbow him in the ribs again. "Kidding."

Astrid rolled her eyes dramatically. "Anyway," she replied mindlessly, "when I came back home, my parents were so happy and grateful that I wasn't hurt or eaten by dragons. And since then, though they still trained me to fight, they treated me with more respect and love then I was ever used to. I almost regretted ever thinking about running away, but if I didn't have the courage to possibly leave, my parents and I wouldn't have the strong bond we have today. Which proves that everything is the way it's supposed to be, Hiccup."

Astrid turned over, tucked her legs behind her knees and straddled her boyfriend's hips as she moved her hands to caress his face. Hiccup closed his eyes at the simple touch and kissed her thumb when it touched his lips.

"There's no sense in thinking about the what-ifs, Hiccup," Astrid pressed her lips to his cheek. "We're here today because of everything that's connected to our past. So… yes, maybe certain parts of our relationship are the way they are today because of Toothless, but so what? The important thing is what's happening now."

She leaned in and kissed him fully on the lips as her arms strung around him until her fingers threaded with his thick locks. "This is what's important, Hiccup. Us. You. Me. The Edge. Toothless and Stormfly. Our friends and our families. Berk. All of it. We could sit here talking about possible scenarios all day, but what really counts is what's right in front of us."

Hiccup nodded silently and then smiled a soft grin. "You're right, Astrid. Completely right."

"And don't you forget it," she smirked as she climbed off of him and walked over to Stormfly to stroke her neck. Hiccup slid off of the boulder and made his way to Toothless who was rolling around in the sand. At the sight of his rider, the Night Fury flipped back over onto his feet and gave Hiccup his famous toothless smile. Hiccup rubbed his dragon's head and watched Astrid press a light kiss against Stormfly's cheek, and he couldn't help but smile at the sentiment.

"You know," he and Toothless slowly approached the other two, "you two make quite the pair."

"So do you and Toothless," Astrid noted with a colorful smile as she tickled Toothless's chin, to which he purred lowly, causing the couple to laugh.

"You and I…" Hiccup moved closer to Astrid and took one of her hands in his as he caressed her cheek with the other. "… make quite the team too," he said with a smirk before leaning in to kiss her softly. "in more ways than one." Hiccup paused for a moment. "Okay, that sounded a lot better in my head than it did out loud… too weird?"

Though Astrid's cheeks were blushing a ddep shade of pink, she giggled. "You did sound a little too much like Snotlout with that last line."

"Bleh," Hiccup feigned a gag, causing Astrid to laugh even more. "I really need to stop hanging around him too often."

"As uncharacteristic as it was coming from you, it was still sweet," Astrid cupped his cheeks gently. "But I agree, you do spend way too much time with that weirdo." Astrid pecked a kiss on his lips before taking his hand and leading him back to the boulder. They climbed up and took a seat next to one another with their arms touching. "It is really beautiful out there, isn't it?"

"Yeah…" but Hiccup wasn't looking at the horizon.

Astrid turned towards him and flushed a deep shade of pink when she realized his eyes were only focused on her. Hiccup quietly took her hands in his and pulled her closer before moving in to kiss her again.

There was so much electricity within that one kiss that as she moved to lay against the rock, Hiccup followed and boldly climbed on top of her, never breaking the kiss. Their bodies were flush against the other, and Hiccup's desire to continue what they were doing her and more was very evident, causing her to abruptly tear away.

"Hiccup-" she started but her boyfriend shushed her with another hard kiss as he linked their fingers together. His tongue sought refuge with hers inside her mouth, causing her to moan like she did earlier in Hiccup's hut.

When he finally pulled away, she thought she was seeing stars.

"Please come back to Berk with me," Hiccup quietly pleaded as he rested his forehead against hers, his words bringing her out of her reverie. He paused for a moment, but he gripped her shoulders gently and continued. "You're my greatest strength, Astrid; I don't know if I can stand in for my father without you by my side."

The blonde beauty shook her head slowly, but her eyes never left his. "I need to stay here," she spoke softly while he closed his eyes in defeat. Her lashes closed for a moment as she collected her thoughts before saying them. She slid her fingers from his loose grip and caressed his cheek, causing him to look at her once again.

"In more ways than one, you are your father's son, Hiccup. You might not have the same stature as Stoick, but you're strong at heart. You are a brilliant strategist, and you care about the people of Berk very much. You have everything you need to govern over Berk while your father's away. Don't sell yourself short, Hiccup, because you're anything but…"

She smiled slowly and kissed his chin before continuing.

"I've said this before, and I'll say it again." Astrid combed her fingers through his thick, brown locks and briefly kissed him. "I have faith in you, Hiccup Haddock. If anyone is capable of leading Berk while your father is gone, it's you. And," she lightly shook her head, "even though I've decided to stay at the Edge, I'll be thinking about you every day you're gone. You don't need me by your to tell you that you are qualified as a leader – because you already are.

"I have seen you time and time again put the people of Berk first before yourself, and if that's not worthy of being a leader, then I don't know what is." She placed her right hand over his heart. "You're brave, loyal, trustworthy and friend to all. You know your limits, but you don't let them stop you from achieving your goals and dreams. Because of you, Berk has changed for the better. We all have."

Hiccup nuzzled Astrid's cheek, and she closed her eyes as she felt his lips tickle her skin.

"You always know just what I need to hear," he whispered into her ear, his breath hot on her neck.

Astrid giggled. "You always say that. In fact, you said it this morning."

"I know, but it's true." Hiccup lifted his head and grinned at her. "You have always been my council when I'm struggling with something, and one day," he gently kissed her nose, "whenever I become chief after my father, I hope it'll continue to be that way."

Astrid blushed a light shade of crimson as a smile colored her rosy lips. "Whether I'm near or far, I'll always be by your side, Hiccup. For as long as you want me to be." Astrid slipped her hand underneath the neck of her shirt and pulled out the medallion he had given her and clasped her hands over it. "I wouldn't have accepted this gift if I wasn't planning on spending the rest of my days with you, Hiccup. So, when you become chief of Berk, and even before then, I'll stand by you as your confidante, lover and, one day, wife."

Hiccup grinned ear to ear at the thought of Astrid as someday being his wife. He couldn't help himself and kissed her lips, hard. Their lips eventually separated with an audible pop before he muttered, "You'll make a lovely chieftess."

Astrid caressed Hiccup's face, "And you will be one of the best chiefs Berk will ever know."

"Aye, milady," Hiccup, humbled by her response, kissed her deeply once more. He latched their fingers together once again and pinned her palms above her head with his own with no intention of letting her go anytime soon. The young Viking woman's legs naturally fell apart, allowing the Acting Chief to lie more comfortably against her. To her surprise, however, he physically reacted and moved his hips towards hers. A wonderful feeling she could definitely get used to.

When his mouth fluttered down her jawline and pressed tiny kisses along her collarbone, she bit her lip at the euphoria she was feeling, and her body went on autopilot, wrapping her legs around his hips to keep them anchored right where she wanted them.

Crazy sensations built up between both of them, and neither wanted to stop anything they were doing but knew they had to.

Hiccup lifted his mouth off of hers and dropped his head between her neck and shoulder. Astrid brought her hand to his head and threaded her fingers through his unruly mane as she let out a slow breath the moment Hiccup ceased all movement against her.

"We should probably head back," Hiccup whispered into her ear, causing shivers down her spine. Astrid shook her head slowly.

"I don't want to just yet."

"Eventually, they will start looking for us." Hiccup reminded her as he slowly lifted off of her and slid off the rock. He extended his hand. "Milady?"

Astrid thought for a moment, and her face grew hot. Going back was the last thing she had on her mind right now. "Let them look; I'm not read y to go back yet."

Hiccup's hand dropped. "Oh…. Then… what do you want?"

Astrid looked around and then pointed to the cave behind them, near where Stormfly and Toothless were playing. "You and me. In there."

Hiccup's mouth grew instantly dry. "I-in there? Y-you and me as in m-me and you?" He awkwardly scratched his neck and cleared his throat. "D-Doing what exactly?"

Astrid took his hand and began leading him away from the rock and towards the cave. "Oh, a little bit of what we were just doing and possibly more." She answered confidently, but even he could see the blush evident on her face.

"M-More?"

"More." Astrid confirmed, holding Hiccup's hand tightly. When they were standing in front of the cave's interest, Astrid surprised Hiccup by pinning him against the rock with a determined smile across her lips. "You're about to leave for an undetermined amount of time, Hiccup. And I want to spend as much as the time we currently have together with you, wherever that'll lead."

Oh boy. He audibly gulped. He was in trouble.

WriterFreak001

For some reason, this chapter was hard to write. When editing it, I just about doubled the content and still feel a little unsatisfied with it, but this chapter is necessary to move the story along. Hiccup and the gang actually won't leave for Berk until the fourth installment so there's still some setting up to do in Chapter 3.

Hopefully, you like this chapter all the same. I still feel like the cahracters are a bit OOC, but I tried not to make it too apparent. Please let me know your thoughts about this chapter! :)