Thunderstorm

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Sorry I've been away so long! I've been super busy. But here's a little bit of fluff for you guys. This chapter is dedicated to . She's a HTTYD fanfic writer who recently had to leave the site due to a terminal illness. I didn't know her well, but I thought it would be nice to dedicate a chapter to her:)

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Astrid sighed as she lifted her wailing infant into her arms. Smoothing the baby's blonde hair - the hair that matched her own - she pressed her lips to his forehead. "Shh, Mama's here. Mama has you."

Little Finn's cries slowly diminished into whimpers.

"See? It's okay. It's only a little thunderstorm. It'll be over soon." She gently bounced the child. "I just hope Daddy's okay out there."

"Mama! Mama!"

The blonde opened the bedroom door to see her eldest toddling across the hall, tears streaming down his lightly freckled cheeks. "Come here, Stoick. Come to Mama."

Stoick hurried over to his mother and hugged her leg. "Mama! Mama!"

"It'll be done soon," she promised. Scooping the toddler up with one arm while keeping a grip on Finn with the other, Astrid carried her boys over to the double bed that stood in the middle of the room.

"Mama!" cried Stoick. He reached out a tiny hand to pull the covers to his chin, then snuggled into Astrid's side.

"You'll be okay," she promised, placing a kiss onto his head.

Ever since Astrid had found out that she was pregnant with Stoick, her world had turned upside-down. She'd transformed from a tough warrior always ready to fight in battle to a gentle mother whose days consisted of changing diapers, cutting fish into bite-sized pieces, and wiping away tears. Some women would call her unlucky, and try to insist that her children were preventing her from living life to the fullest. Five years ago, she would've agreed. But now, she considered herself blessed to have two babies - especially since they were his.

Becoming a wife was also something she never thought she'd do. And she'd surely never dreamt that she would become a wife to dorky, awkward Hiccup Haddock. Though as it so happened, they became friends. Friends eventually turned into best friends and best friends quickly developed into crushes. It took him a while to sum up enough courage to ask to be his girlfriend, but when he finally did, she readily accepted the offer. They only dated for ten months before he proposed. The marriage was supposed to take place three months later, but his father's sudden death pushed it back another two months.

They lost their virginity to one another on their wedding night. Now, Vikings weren't exactly moral people. Many brides were six months pregnant when they said their vows. Some already had a child or two toddling down the aisle behind them. But Hiccup and Astrid saw intimacy as something special, and decided that they wanted to wait until marriage to enjoy it.

Four months into their new journey as husband and wife, Astrid's cycles stopped. She began to feel bloated and slightly nauseous, and suddenly developed a strange craving for cod drowned in honey. Her breasts grew heavier, her hair became greasy, and acne broke out onto her face. She was most definitely expecting a little Haddock.

Only six months after baby Stoick - who was named after Hiccup's father - was born, Astrid found herself pregnant a second time. This pregnancy was rougher than the first. She often found herself too nauseous to eat even the mildest foods, and headaches were a regular occurrence. Her mother-in-law, Valka, came over daily to help with Stoick while Hiccup was working. Needless to say, it was a sigh of relief when tiny Finn finally entered the world.

Astrid smiled at her children. Finn was still fussing a bit, but he looked as if he'd drift off at any moment. Stoick was curled into her side, his little body bundled in covers and his thumb in his mouth. Satisfied, her mind wandered to Hiccup. Was he okay? Had he and his trusty Night Fury found shelter? Or was he lying unconscious somewhere?

As if on cue, the sound of the front door creaking open reached her ears. A few seconds later, he walked into the bedroom. "Stay out there, Toothless," he said to his dragon. "I'll be back in a few minutes."

The Night Fury let out a small grunt as his rider closed the door.

"What's this, a slumber party?" Hiccup chuckled at the sight of his wife and two sons cuddled up in bed.

"They were scared of the storm," explained Astrid. "And I was scared for you."

"Hey, I've been through worse than a thunderstorm." Grinning, he leaned in to kiss her lips.

"You're soaking wet, babe." She sighed. "And cold, too," she added as he hugged her waist. "Go get a warm bath. There's water heating by the fire. And if you're hungry, leftovers are on the kitchen table."

He hesitated.

"I'll still be here when you're done," she assured, her voice dropping to a whisper as she noticed that both her children had fallen asleep. "Go."

...

Hiccup returned with a full stomach, dripping hair, and a towel around his waist. The blonde's eyes quickly darted to his slender - yet toned - upper body. Winking, he cast her a smirk before pulling on a pair of leggings and climbing atop the mattress. After unfastening his metal leg, he settled beneath the covers.

"Can I see him?" he asked, nodding towards Finn.

Astrid nodded and passed the snoozing infant off to his father. A smile spread across her face while she watched her husband cuddle him against his chest.

"And how's my other son?" questioned Hiccup.

The blonde gestured to the sleeping form beside her. "I'm sorry, babe," she apologized softly.

"For what?"

"I would've jumped into the bath with you if the boys weren't with me. And we both know where that would've gone."

"Of course." He bent down to kiss her lips. "But it's okay. We'll have more chances."

"Mmm-hmm. Especially when the little ones are older."

"Are you implying that these guys are all you wanna have? Because I was hoping for at least one daughter."

"Not at all, babe. I'd love more. But I think we should try to wait a couple years."

Chuckling, Hiccup wound an arm around her waist. "And you used to call yourself a shield maiden."

"Hey, I'd still be one if it weren't for you. I think I like being a mom better, though."

"Excuse me?"

"And a wife, of course," she quickly added.

The room grew silent. The only noise that could be heard was the pitter-patter of raindrops hitting the roof. Astrid carefully leaned over Stoick to extinguish the bedside candle before curling back into her husband's side. It wasn't long before she sensed his breathing grow even as he fell asleep, baby Finn still snuggled against his chest.

A clap of thunder sounded, but no one stirred.