HAPPY NEW YEAR everybody!

Here now, the last chapter of this silly little rom-com-story. Have fun :)

. o O o .

Just as Hiccup had hoped, the dance was still in full swing when they arrived at his grandfather's old barn. Sure, they were late to the party, but they weren't too late. Actually, he considered their arrival to be perfectly timed. Not so late that their appearance would be overly noticeable in an already mostly empty barn, but also not so early that everyone was sober and paying attention to the rather unexpected combination.

Because, surely, they made an odd pair. He looked just like his usual lanky self, too long and thin, limping slightly, his hair in its usual mess, and with clothes that had looked fine earlier, but were dusty and, after repeatedly riding his bike, wind-blown and quite untidy-looking. And then there was Astrid, beautiful as ever in that deep blue dress that hugged her curves perfectly, her golden hair in a simple yet elegant braid that was hanging over her shoulder and hadn't really suffered from wearing a helmet. And with his bracelet on her arm.

Sure, probably nobody but him really noticed that one, but it still meant a lot to him. Yeah, maybe getting her such a piece of jewellery as a birthday present had been a little too much considering that they'd been just friends this morning and he didn't know how or where they would end up, relationship-vice. But he'd still bought it. Or rather, composed it. It was a simple gold chain with a couple of charms that weren't dangling off the sides but were linked into the chain directly. One was a minuscule guitar, the other a stylised bow and arrow, and the third a blue crystal, surely no valuable stone but matching Astrid's eye colour perfectly. And she'd liked it. Had even thrown her arms around his neck to hug him and kiss his cheek in her joy.

His skin where her lips had touched them was still tingling.

As was his hand that was holding hers as they entered the main dance room and looked around for their friends. Eret and Dagur were the first to notice them, nearly identical grins spreading across their faces as they spotted them. Eret was handing Dagur a note as they came over, and a small part of Hiccup worried what exactly had been the wording of their bet this time.

"So, you made it after all," Eret greeted them with a smirk. "Didn't think you'd still show up here."

"Oh, shut up, Eret," Astrid rolled her eyes good-humouredly. They were still slightly red Hiccup knew, but in the dim light in here that was barely noticeable.

He looked around the room as Astrid swatted off more teasing comments by Eret and Dagur, knowing that she was well able to handle those. He spotted Tuff at one table at the side of the room, dancing the chicken dance on top of it with a cheering crowd around him, and he also saw Ruff pulling Scott into their direction. But those were all of their friends he spotted. Sure, he hadn't expected to see Justin here — but where were Heather and Cami? He owed them both hugely.

"So, you made it after all," Ruff cheered as she reached them, using the exact same words Eret had used too. "We were taking bets, you know? I said you'd still come here and not directly jump into bed with each other."

Oh, so that had been their bet? Hiccup inwardly applauded their confidence, even as his ears turned a burning red. Not… that he hadn't thought in that direction… But that definitely wasn't his goal tonight. He wanted to be with Astrid, and not simply get laid.

"You guys are horrible," Astrid snorted. If this topic affected her in any way, she didn't let it show. Instead, she now looked around too, and frowned. "Where's Heather? I need to punch her. And then thank her."

Eret and Dagur shared another grin, just as Ruff began to cackle. "Oh, that was another bet," she snickered. "As cute as you two are and as glad as we are that you finally made it, you weren't the only ones pining mutually. Although, I don't think Cami was actually pining for that long. Subtlety isn't really her thing..."

Astrid seemed genuinely baffled as she looked from one to the other. "Cami and… and Heather? Really?" Her eyes met Hiccup's, but he just shrugged. That didn't come as that much of a surprise for him. Ruff was right, after all; by no means could anyone call Cami subtle.

"Yep, really," Dagur chirped, clearly approving of his sister's choice. "After Hic bolted out of here like a madman, Cami didn't really waste much time."

"No, certainly not," Ruff agreed. "They left not much later, after Scott here—" she indicated toward a very drunk Scott who didn't seem to register much of his surroundings anymore, "—commented on how their behaviour wasn't very public-friendly and that he quite liked the show."

"I…" Astrid began, obviously still a little stunned by this revelation. She peeked up at Hiccup, cheeks burning. "That makes my incorrect assumption all the more stupid, right?" She asked sheepishly. Judging by the looks they got from everyone around, they had no idea what she was talking about, but Hiccup thought it best not to dwell on it anyway.

"Doesn't really matter anymore," he said, shrugging, which earned him a grateful smile from the blond Valkyrie who still held his hand. Even now, he still could hardly grasp how that had happened.

"Okay… how about we see what's left of the food? Because I'm pretty hungry, and I don't think I want to stop dancing once we started."

Hiccup nodded at her suggestion. It sounded like an excellent plan.

. o O o .

Hours later, Hiccup still could hardly comprehend how he'd ended up here, holding Astrid in his arms and swaying with her in time with the last chords of the music. They had danced properly earlier in the night, so Cami's lessons and the whole misunderstanding hadn't been for nothing. But by now, her head rested comfortably on his shoulder, his cheek on her hair, and their arms were wrapped around each other's bodies as they simply enjoyed their closeness.

His leg was aching after being up and about nearly all day, but he couldn't bring himself to say anything, didn't care, accepted the pain gladly as stopping to dance would properly mean to leave and say goodbye. Because no matter how many insinuating comments their friends had made over the course of the night, he didn't intend to spend the night with her. What he wanted was a proper relationship with the girl of his dreams, and he wouldn't rush and ruin it.

But eventually, the night had to come to an end. Eret and Dagur were long gone already, and Ruff and Tuff had dragged a pretty much knocked out Scott toward a taxi, discussing what weird story they were going to tell him in the morning or whether simply drawing stuff onto his face with a permanent marker was enough fun already. Both he and Astrid chuckled at their ideas, then she threw him a regretful smile.

"I think we ought to leave too," she said, eyes cast to her other hand resting on his chest. "Will you drive me back home, or should I see whether I can catch a taxi? It's… not exactly on your way."

Hiccup took her comment as the subtle hint that it was, driving her home, but not staying. He nodded. "Of course I'll drive you home."

Once back at her uncle's house, he stowed away the spare helmet back into its compartment, then simply placed his own on the seat as he escorted her to the door. She definitely noticed it, threw him a smile, then once again took his hand and leaned against him for the short walk toward the entrance door. When they reached it, she hesitated for a second, then quickly stretched and placed a peck on his cheek. "Thank you."

Slightly stunned by the renewed and very welcome contact, Hiccup could barely do anything but grin like a lunatic. "What for?" he asked. If anything, he was the one who ought to thank her, after all. For making this dream come true.

"For not giving up, even when I was such an idiot and didn't even bother to call our date off. For explaining, for putting up with me, for making this day so wonderful after all, for…" she trailed off, biting her lip as she glanced up at him. All of a sudden, her gaze was weirdly intense. There was a fire in them that made Hiccup's breath hitch. But before he could react in any way, she reached for the collar of his shirt and hauled him down to kiss him once more.

On the lips.

With her hands buried in his hair.

With a low groan, he gave in to her demanding mouth, her tongue stroking his before he could even comprehend what was happening. His hands curled around her waist and back on reflex, pulling her closer as their kiss intensified. Her low moan could more be felt than heard, rumbling through both their bodies, the screech of an owl in one of the nearby trees the only noise as they thoroughly explored each other's mouths.

When they parted, Hiccup was dizzy with lack of oxygen and his head filled with her. Slowly, he opened his eyes again to look at her, the gleam in her eyes even visible in the near darkness of the night.

"And that was for everything else," she murmured, oddly shyly smiling up at him.

"I… I could get used to that," he muttered stupidly, but she didn't seem to mind, her smile growing a few shades brighter.

"Good night, Hiccup," she whispered, and stepped away from him, slowly yet far too soon.

"Good night, Astrid," he replied. "See you soon."

Once again, she flashed him a brilliant smile before the door eventually closed behind her. Hiccup took a moment to gaze at where she'd disappeared, then return to his bike.

On his way back home, he felt lighter than ever before, and once he lay in his bed, he contemplated for a moment to text his friends, to thank them. Cami for her incredible help, and Justin for convincing him to ask for that help in the first place. But Justin would be long asleep, and Cami… Well, Cami surely was otherwise occupied too.

Chuckling quietly to himself, he let himself drift off into slumber, looking forward to seeing Astrid again soon, as more than just a friend now, and dreaming about a future with her at his side.

. o O o .

There, it's done. :) I hope you enjoyed this silly little story, I certainly enjoyed writing it.

But now, here's a question: There's one epilogue to this story, but it's not completely written yet. The question is now: Should I leave it a T-rated epilogue? Or should I post the epilogue separately in 'The Missing Scenes', my collection of smut outtakes? Or do two versions and do both? What would you prefer?

Anyway, I'd be very grateful for feedback ;)