I'm still not continuing this story, but someone asked for this and I figured it couldn't hurt.
Henrik's first birthday!
-HTTYD-
"Stop flailing would you? He has no idea what today is."
Astrid glared at her boyfriend, who was holding their son and stroking his pale blonde hair, wide green eyes peering up at her. It was Henrik's first birthday and Hiccup was perfectly relaxed. Astrid was a little tightly wound, but that might have been because birthday celebrations happened to be taking place during her coursework and so time and mental energy were limited.
"You are not helpful."
"Astrid, just... come here."
She went at the insistence of his puppy-eyes, let Hiccup fold her into a cuddle with their son who looked up at Astrid with a beaming, toothy smile.
"All that matters today is that we're together. He won't remember today, whether the cake looks perfect or the wrapping paper is askew. All Henrik will remember is that he has a family who adores him. The pictures mom is gearing up to take will show how much he can't stop smiling because everyone is here and he loves us too. So just breathe, ok?"
Hiccup leant over and kissed her, chuckled when Henrik protested they weren't putting all their attentions on him instead. He was so good at calming Astrid down, no matter how wound up she got.
"Ok."
"Good. Now I want you to take him to the nursery, he's hungry and I think you could do with a quiet minute. We'll finish setting up while you're gone."
Astrid tried to protest, but a hungry infant would not be denied and Henrik preferred being nursed where it was quiet. So she picked him up from Hiccup's arms, carrying the sturdy little Viking up to the nursery so she could sit in the rocking chair with him. She no longer wore maternity bras, but comfy t-shirt bras came down easy enough to allow Henrik to latch on.
Watching him suckle, Astrid stroked his hair and felt that rush of love, unaware before he was born just how fiercely she could feel. Falling pregnant at seventeen had never been part of the plan, and initially Astrid had been petrified. But now she was looking at her one year old son, who forgave her for not being home all the time and sometimes being grumpy and tired, who rewarded her every effort with smiles and cuddles and kisses, with the way her heart soared when he called out "mama!" to get her attention.
So entranced she was by watching her son, Astrid didn't even hear Hiccup come in, only realised when Henrik was done and she looked up, saw him watching them with pure love writ across his features.
"Hey."
"Hey yourself."
Hiccup lifted Henrik so Astrid could right her clothes, then pulled mama into their cuddle.
"I love you. Both of you."
"Love you too. My boys."
He chuckled, pressing his lips against her forehead before giving the same affection to Henrik. Hiccup was an amazing father, working hard all day fixing engines but somehow always finding the energy to play with Henrik when he got home. And most nights, still having the energy to play with Astrid too...
"Mom wanted to know if you were ready to rejoin, I said I would check because you were having quiet time with Hen."
The twenty minutes peace and bonding with her son had done Astrid wonders, and she nodded completely happily at going down to the party.
They had made great leaps of progress in that short time - everything was ready. Cake sat in its box with a big '1' candle in the middle, little stacks of brightly wrapped gifts waiting for eager little hands to tear them open. Valka was already armed with a camera, and Henrik's great-grandparents Rama and Cain were waiting patiently to coo at the boy. In their mid-seventies, they weren't spring chickens anymore but Astrid could see the resemblance running through Rama, Valka and Hiccup with ease still. There was even something of Cain in the way Henrik's ears stuck out from his head.
It wasn't a massive celebration, but then... it didn't need to be. The Haddock family had certainly taught her that a few small parts could form a tight bond with huge amounts of love. Valka and Stoick had taken her in and treated her like their own from day one.
"Uncle Spite couldn't make it, but he sent a gift and politely demanded we take Henrik to visit them soon."
"That was sweet of him. This little guy likes car rides so that will be ok."
Henrik had already had a Christmas, and so he sort of understood tearing wrapping paper meant excited coos and squeals from the adults. Of course, at his age there was every chance he would be more excited about the box than the thing inside it.
"I thought Vikings didn't have horns on their helmets."
Astrid peered at the cake box, and Hiccup chuckled as he slid his arms around her waist from behind.
"They didn't. But the horns meant more cake."
"Ah. Makes sense."
There were a dozen cupcakes around the helmet-cake, with little sugar paper stickies with dragons, axes and swords on. Astrid had her eye on a particularly heavily-iced dragon one. Hiccup kissed the side of her jaw, nuzzled her gently and Astrid felt the first signs of coarse stubble peppering its way across his still-fresh face. She turned, kissed him properly and felt him smile against her lips.
"I love you."
"I love you too."
Valka had surreptitiously crept up to photograph them standing there, capturing Hiccup's hands on her waist and hers around his neck, the expression of love shared between genuine smiles and bright eyes.
"You two are so sweet together."
With the power of his puppy eyes, Hiccup bribed Astrid into having more pictures taken with him, pulling silly faces or kissing each others cheeks like lovestruck teenagers. Then when little Henrik toddled over, showing off how he could already walk, that prompted even more pictures of them and their gorgeous little boy. Henrik reveled in the attention, used to being doted on by loving parents and excitable grandparents.
"Can we do cake now? I'm hungry."
Hiccup laughed at Astrid's pout, kissed her quickly and nodded. They carried the cake over to where Rama and Cain said rather than have them crowd around in the kitchen, fighting for space with Stoick's bulk.
Like any other person on the planet, Henrik had no idea what to do with himself when everyone sang 'Happy Birthday' to him, but he smiled and clapped when Hiccup leant down to help him blow out the candle.
"Did you make a wish?"
Astrid quizzed as they ate cake, watching Valka tickle a squealing, giggling Henrik's belly.
"Why would I? I have everything I need right here."
Gods, he could still make her melt. Astrid felt her throat get thick with emotion, hid it by burying her face in Hiccup's chest for a cuddle. He ran a hand over her braid before curling his arm around her back, holding her close.
"Stoick! You didn't!"
"What? It's traditional!"
Bemused, Astrid turned to see what the commotion was behind them. Her answer was found quite quickly when she spied Henrik waving around a little toy axe. Hiccup placed a hand over his face and groaned, shaking his head.
"When I told dad he had to wait until Hen was a year old, I was hoping he would forget, not take me literally."
"Well... he seems to like it. It had better be a toy though."
"If it was real mom woulda killed dad with it by now."
Hiccup had a point. Valka was shaking her head and rolling her eyes, but Stoick remained un-murdered. Their marriage was clearly one of devotion, love and patience. All traits they had passed on to Hiccup, who tolerated even Astrid's worst moods and learned how to calm her down. She wasn't passive in their relationship though; Hiccup was prone to self-doubt, overthinking and bouts of unsurety especially when it came to raising their son. But Astrid always knew how to build him back up and remind him he was a brilliant father and a wonderful boyfriend.
Henrik drifted off for a nap, exhausted by all the food and excitement and axe waving. Hiccup took Astrid by the hand, led her outside to the back garden where evening was beginning to fall and the sky was a palette of purples and blues, flashes of pink where the sun had yet to dip below the horizon.
Hiccup wasn't looking up at the sky though, beautiful as it was. He only had eyes for her.
"You're missing the sunset."
He shrugged, kept looking at her with that intense green stare.
"Sunset, sunrise. Doesn't matter. None of it compares to you."
He was such a sap. Astrid tried to deny that she loved that fact greatly. She looked away to hide her blushing cheeks, and when she turned back Hiccup was no longer stood next to her.
He was down on one knee.
"Hiccup?"
He took a deep breath, holding her hand in his while the other held something else, something that sparkled in the last remnants of sunshine.
"This was the ring my father gave my mother when he proposed. And she very kindly gave it to me, as tradition dictates it goes to her daughter and you are as good as. Astrid, will you marry me?"
-HTTYD-
Guess you could call this an epilogue, but it was just meant to be a birthday.