Astrid was running down a busy street which was hugged by tall 'huts' made of some kind of stone. She could feel the stares of people she passed by but didn't to stop until her legs gave out.
These houses were so high up in the sky it was hard to see anything from the ground. While she waited to catch her breath by a dark, secluded corner, a guy clad in strange, womanly clothing walked up to her.
"Let me guess," he said, gesturing over her outfit. "Some watered down version of female Thor?"
Astrid blinked at him, genuinely confused.
"Your cosplay, sweetie," the guy clarified. "Although I would lose the axe if were you and replace it with a hammer."
Astrid scowled, hugging her mother's axe closer to her chest and then ventured past the obnoxious stranger.
She didn't have any clear route in mind but halted her movements once she arrived by a tall block decorated in metal bars. An idea sprung to her mind suddenly and she fastened her axe to her belt-buckle before making a high enough leap that would let her grab onto the railing.
She almost lost her balance as she pulled up her weight but managed to steady herself once she began climbing upwards.
-,-
Hiccup and Frankie had been searching for over an hour when they heard from bypassers that were was an unusual crowd forming downtown.
"It has to be her. We should hurry up!"
In a matter minutes they arrived their destination which was cramped with a small gathering of onlookers, some even holding out their cellphones.
"Hiccup, look!" Frankie exclaimed, pointing at a metal-studded building.
"Oh Thor," Hiccup cursed as he watched the Astrid somersault her way up another floor, landing in one of the small balconies and then climbing over the railing again to repeat the process.
"Oh yeah, she definitely is a Viking," Frankie said with a grin which died upon the glare he received from Hiccup.
"We need to get her down, Frankie. She is going to hurt herself. Come on!"
They ran over to the fire-stairs which looked more decorative than practical as they were incredibly narrow and rusty. Hiccup had to stand on top of Frankie's shoulders to even be able to reach the first step.
-,-
Astrid had almost reached over the upper facade when she heard someone call her name. Confused, she carefully turned about to see Hiccup gripping onto some sort of fence, his knuckles almost turning white.
"Astrid!" he shouted again. "You are going to get yourself killed if you keep this up!"
Astrid cast her eyes downwards to see how far she had made it and then shook her head.
"Astrid, please listen to me," Hiccup pleaded, barely holding himself up against the frictionless surface while attempting to move closer to her.
"What does it matter?" she shouted back, voice strained with bitterness. "I don't belong here, Hiccup. I just don't."
With as much effort as he could muster, Hiccup tiptoed onto a window sill and then jumped into the balcony Astrid was standing outside of. He earned gasps from the crowd below for his foolish heroics but was too high on the adrenaline rushing through him to pay it any mind.
"Are you crazy? You could have fallen down!" Astrid shouted as he approached her.
"Still not as crazy as the girl that decided to climb up eleven floors," he reminded her with narrow eyes. "Astrid, take my hand. I promised you I would get you home and I will. You have to trust me."
"But Frankie said.."
"It doesn't matter what Frankie said. I never back down on my word, okay?"
She sighed and then turned to face him, looking bashful and apologetic.
"I'm sorry," she muttered and let him help her climb over. She slipped straight into his arms and this erupted a wave of applause from their unwanted audience.
"Good job dispersing the crowd, Frankie," Hiccup muttered sarcastically.
-,-
"What an insane day!" Frankie exclaimed excitedly. "Just wait until Heather hears about this-"
"No," Hiccup cut him off. "You are not going to tell anyone about this, Frankie," he stated firmly. "It stays between the two of us."
Frankie felt his shoulders drop in disappointment but nodded nevertheless.
Astrid descended down the stairs, wrapped in nothing but a towel barely reaching her knees. This made both of the teenage boys turn scarlet.
Hiccup scratched his head nervously. "Uh, is everything alright?"
Astrid shyly peered down on the floor. "I don't know how to turn the water on," she mumbled.
Hiccup's eyes widened in realization. "Oh.. Of course. I'll.. I'll show you," he stammered, ignoring Frankie's snickering as he followed her up to the bathroom adjoined to his bedroom.
"If you twist the handle this way, the water turns cold and.." he demonstrated as he explained. "And now it's warm. The tap on the sink runs the same way and the.. um.."
"I figured out the rest out, don't worry," she cut him off with a blush. "Thank you for your help."
Hiccup shot her a genuine smile. "Don't mention it. Just go to my room when you are done, I have laid out some of my mom's clothes for you to wear."
Astrid nodded again.
-,-
To no one's surprise, Frankie quickly became enamoured with Viking culture and history, almost hanging on to every word Astrid uttered of her homelife.
"So you guys fight actual dragons? That's so cool!"
Astrid's mouth turned into a grim-line. "It's not cool. This war has been going on for centuries and they have killed hundred of us. Just getting through everyday is a fight and a struggle."
Hiccup shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "But haven't you guys killed dozens of them? What if these dragons are just.. I don't know.. misunderstood?"
Astrid narrowed her eyes. "A dragon killed my uncle right before my eyes! They are vicious creatures only out for blood and destruction, Hiccup."
Hiccup thought back to his encounters with Toothless and how Astrid's description of the winged reptiles didn't seem to ring true when it came to him. But he chose to remain tight-lipped about it in that moment, not wanting agitate the shieldmaiden.
"For someone so small, you really eat a lot," Frankie commented as Astrid picked up another slice of cheese pizza.
Astrid narrowed her eyes at him while Hiccup coughed back a chuckle.
They continued to reminisce on past events until Frankie at last stood up to make his leave.
"My mom just texted me so I really should be heading home now," he announced with a sigh. "Don't get up to anything fun without me, you two. I'm warning you."
"We won't," Hiccup promised.
After Frankie's departure, Hiccup began clearing away the leftovers while Astrid finished up her last slice. His mother's clothes had really overwhelmed her so she ended up in one of his t-shirts and an old pair of shorts instead. Nevertheless, it was strange seeing her dressed so casually.
"So what did you think of the pizza?" he asked, breaking the sudden stillness again.
Astrid shrugged, pulling her knees up to her chest. "Food is food. I'm not that picky."
"Oh, is the food on Berk that bad?" he joked.
"It's pretty tasteless, the people even more so," she said with a fading smile. "But it's home. My home."
-,-
It was far past midnight when Hiccup felt someone shake him on the shoulders. He bolted upright and flickered the light on only to see Astrid standing next to his bedside. It was eerily similar to their first encounter except she didn't seem half as threatening this time around. Instead, she looked rather vulnerable and almost fearful.
"Astrid.." he whispered her name. "Is everything okay?"
She curled her arms around herself in response.
"Can I.. stay here?"
Hiccup felt his cheeks grow hot. He had never slept next to someone before, let alone a beautiful Viking girl. He cleared his throat and nodded, making room for her to occupy. Fortunately his bed was big enough for two people.
Astrid drifted off almost immediately but Hiccup found himself unable to sleep now. The fact that she was here still astounded him and he couldn't help but wonder if there was an ulterior reason behind all of this.
AN: A big thank you to everyone who left a review, it means a lot. I honestly didn't expect anyone to enjoy this silliness.