Broken

...

Part II of the previous story. Rated T for mild references.

...

Sighing, Hiccup lifted a fussy Erika into his arms and motioned to the older children. "Come on, kids. You're gonna go to Grandma's while I do some chiefing." It was times like these that he wished he could still talk to his father. It wasn't that Valka wouldn't be able to give him advice, it was that he wanted to hear the perspective of Stoick, who had found himself in the same situation when Hiccup was a baby and Valka had left on Cloudjumper.

"Hey, Hiccup!" Fishlegs' voice sounded almost as soon as the chief stepped out the door.

"Good morning, Fishlegs." Hiccup forced a smile.

"What's wrong?" The plump Viking frowned.

"Mama left us this morning," Ingrid blurted out. "She and Daddy don't love each other anymore."

Fishlegs gasped. "Oh, Hiccup, that must be terrible!"

"It's...it's not gonna be easy," the chief admitted.

"Well, let me know if you need anything, like a babysitter, or a dragonsitter, or..."

"I will," Hiccup said. "Right now, though, I'm gonna take these guys to my mom's, and then we'll start working on getting some wood stocked up for winter."

"I'll get Meatlug and head over to the forest awhile. I'll also let Snotlout and Tuffnut know what's happening. Ruff is gonna stay home with the kids today. The baby has a fever."

"Okay, great. See you soon, then." After casting his friend a grateful smile, Hiccup continued to lead the little Haddocks on the walk to his mother's house.

"What brings you here, son?" Valka asked as she opened the door.

Hiccup sighed. "I'm sorry this is last minute, Mom, but can the kids stay with you today? Astrid...Astrid left this morning." His voice grew quiet. "And I don't know if she's coming back."

"What? She just...she just left?"

"Well, there were...there were things leading up to it." He placed Erika on the ground.

"I'm so sorry." Shaking her head, Valka wrapped her son in a tight embrace.

A tear slipped down Hiccup's cheek. "I just...I just wish Dad was here."

"Me, too, love."

"Dad," Stoick began when his father backed away from Valka. "Can me and Finn go hang out with Lars?" Lars was Tuffnut and his wife Brenna's son.

"Ask Grandma."

"Just so long as you don't create chaos around the village," responsed Valka. "I'm too old to chase after crazy preteens."

"Gramma!" Erika toddled up to Valka and stretched out her arms.

"Come here, tiny one." Valka lifted the child off the floor.

"Alright, I gotta go. Anyone want a hug before I leave?" asked Hiccup.

Ingrid ran over and flung her arms around her father's waist. "I love you, Daddy."

"I love you, too, princess. Now, you behave. All of you behave. You hear?"

"I'm sure they'll be angels," assured Valka. "Have a good day at work, son."

"Thanks, Mom. I'll try."

...

Astrid woke up to the sound of a gentle knock on her bedroom door. A month had passed since she'd left Hiccup, most of which had been spent either crying, visiting with her children, or helping her mother with household tasks. She'd been avoiding going outside because she didn't want people to ask her about her situation. She'd probably punch them in the nose if they did.

"Who's here?" she asked groggily.

"Me." That was Hiccup's voice. "I'm dropping the kids off."

"Come in."

The chief appeared in the doorway, a bouquet of flowers in his hand and no children in sight.

She narrowed her eyes. "Where are the kids?"

"Downstairs with your parents. I just...I know I'm not exactly your favorite person now, but I uh...I thought you could use some cheering up. I haven't seen you outside in days, and figured it must be...erm...hard for you." He handed her the bouquet.

Astrid buried her nose in the flowers. "Roses...my favorite. Thanks, Hiccup." She looked up with a weak smile.

He grinned back. "And uh...while I'm on your good side, I erm...I was wondering if I could take you out for a sunset flight this evening. I mean, as long as you aren't occupied with another Viking."

"That sounds amazing."

"Great. I'll pick you up at seven."

...

Hiccup arrived at the Hofferson house with Toothless, who was saddled and ready for a flight. Before the chief could even knock on the door, Astrid walked outside. She wasn't wearing her usual attire, but had on a pale blue dress, underneath which she wore a pair of navy leggings. Her feet were covered in her typical brown boots, and her hair was in its usual braid.

"Good evening, milady," Hiccup greeted. "You look beautiful."

"Thanks. I tried." The blonde smiled. This was the first time in forever that her husband had complemented her on her appearance.

"You don't have to try. You're always beautiful." He took her hand in his, and immediately noticed that she was wearing her wedding ring. He wondered if she'd kept it on the whole time they'd been separated.

Toothless nudged his rider, then turned so that the couple could easily climb onto his back.

"So, where are we going?" asked Astrid.

"You'll see." Hiccup urged Toothless into the sky, which was pink from the setting sun. As he did so, he felt his wife's arms wrap around his waist. At least she wasn't punching him...yet. He had a feeling she'd be slightly upset when she realized his complete plan.

...

Yawning, Astrid leaned against Hiccup's shoulder. They'd been flying for a couple hours, and only seemed to be getting further and further away from Berk. By this time, the sun had set and the sky was dark. The moon hung high in the sky, and a number of stars were visible.

"You getting sleepy?" the chief asked.

She nodded against him.

"Well, lucky for you, we're almost there."

"Almost where?"

"You'll see."

The blonde simply mumbled something inaudible and closed her eyes. The next thing she knew, she was on the ground and Hiccup was nudging her awake.

"We're here," he said.

Astrid sat up and took in her surroundings. She quickly realized that Hiccup had taken her to Itchy Armpit. "What? Why are we here? The kids -"

"Relax. The kids are safe with my mom. She knows that we might be gone for a day or two. And Gobber's running the village."

"A day or two?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Yeah. We need time to ourselves." He opened Toothless' saddle bag and pulled out supplies to build a tent. "You know, a getaway. A vacation. A trip."

"You're crazy." Astrid shook her head before walking over to assist her husband. Once they finished, she helped him make a bed out of pillow and thick furs.

The chief smiled. "Let's get some rest. We can talk more in the morning."

...

Hiccup awoke to find his wife curled against him, something that he hadn't awoken to in a long time. They'd both slept in their underclothes, and so he could feel her warm skin against his. Her golden hair was loose and draped over one of the pillows, and the covers were pulled up to her freckled nose.

"Good morning, Ast," he greeted as he saw her eyelids crack open.

The blonde yawned. "Mmm."

"I'm gonna go start a fire and make us some breakfast. You sleep a little longer."

"No, stay," she mumbled, gripping his arm.

"I suppose that can be arranged." He grinned and leaned down to kiss her lips. To his delight, she kissed back passionately, and her tongue slipped into his mouth.

The kiss soon turned into a sloppy make-out session, which caused touching, which led to the few pieces of clothing they were wearing to be shed. Before they knew it, they were collapsing in each other's arms after finally ending their months of abstinence.

"Oh gods, that was good," he eventually grinned. He was lying on her chest, his nose buried in her soft breasts.

"Really good," Astrid echoed, giggling as her husband slid down to kiss her tummy.

Hiccup smirked before rolling off of her and pulling her on top of him. "So...now that we're both in a good mood, why don't we talk?"

"I'm...I'm sorry," the blonde began after a long spell of silence. "I...I shouldn't have left."

"I'm sorry, too," he said. "I shouldn't have neglected you like I did."

She sighed. "It wasn't all you. I kinda ignored you, also."

The chief ran his fingers through her hair. "Do you really think the spark between us is gone?" he asked, referring to what she had said right before she'd left.

"Well, considering that I just had amazing sex with you, no."

"But you know, our relationship was never only based on sex. Although it is nice."

"Yeah, but we need this sometimes. I...I was worried that maybe you weren't making any moves on me because my body isn't what it used to be. I mean, you'd walk in the washroom while I was naked and barely even glance at me."

"Oh, Ast, I was always in a hurry whenever I saw you taking your baths. And I assumed you were, too." He paused. "I love your body. I love how you got curvier, and how your breasts grew, and even how you gained some weight - because you gained that weight carrying my children. I love all your stretch marks and how your thighs got a little thicker, and how your bum got rounder. But mostly, I love your body because it belongs to you, and as cheesy as it sounds, you're beautiful inside and out." He leaned down to kiss her lips, which were swollen from their earlier activities.

Astrid let out a happy sigh and snuggled deeper into her husband's chest.

"I love you," Hiccup whispered, his breath warm on her ear. He hugged her as he spoke, his right hand traveling down to touch her bum. "I know I haven't really been acting like it lately, but I love you more than anything in this world."

At that moment, Toothless stuck his head through the opening of the tent.

"I know, bud. You're hungry," the chief said. "I'll feed you in a minute."

...

Astrid was sitting atop one of the furs that she and Hiccup had used as bedding the previous night. She had dressed in her underwear and his tunic, something she'd not been able to do often since they'd started having babies. A plate of eggs and oatmeal sat in front of her, and her husband was settled beside her with his platter of food.

"You know, we should do stuff like this sometimes," she suggested. "Maybe we could try to get up before the kids every so often and eat together. I think that if we did that, we wouldn't feel so...however we felt about our marriage before."

"And I should kidnap you for the weekend on occasion." He nudged her arm before leaning over to press a sloppy kiss onto her cheek.

She giggled.

The two finished their breakfast, then hurried to the nearby stream, undressed, and sank into the warm water. They were as giddy as they had been when they'd first married and started making love - smiling, blushing, and softly laughing while they took turns washing each other's bodies. Once they finished, they climbed out and, shivering at the feeling of cool air hitting their skin, cocooned themselves in blankets and walked to the tent to dress.

When they were both clothed, Astrid climbed into Hiccup's lap. Sitting sideways, she wrapped her arms around his neck. "I missed you," she murmured.

"I missed you, too," he responded, hugging her waist. "And I'd love for you to come home with me when we go back to Berk." He paused. "What do you say? We could be a family again."

"Yes," she responsed, nodding against him. "But only if you promise that things won't fall apart between us a second time."

"I promise I'll do everything I can to prevent that. I'll love you, cherish you, and keep you in sickness and health until the day one of us gets called to Valhalla. Can you promise the same to me?"

"I promise. And I'm sorry again for the way I acted."

"I'm sorry, too." He kissed her nose, causing her to smile and cuddle deeper into him.

"I love you, babe."

"I love you, too, milady. Forever and always."

"Forever and always," she repeated, leaning in for a kiss.