A Little Family

...

Astrid's eyes cracked open at the sound of a newborn's cries. At first, she thought she was hallucinating. Then, she wondered what muttonhead had brought their screaming baby outside in the middle of the night. It took a gentle nudge from her husband to bring her into reality, to realize that the cries were coming from her own child.

As the blonde stood up, Hiccup's tunic falling off her shoulder, she first became aware that she needed to change her rags. She then felt a sharp pain between her stiff legs. It was all coming back to her. Eight hours of labor and four stitches in a place she didn't even know stitches could exist, followed by heavy bleeding and fatigue.

But she'd worry about herself later. Walking over to the cradle, the wooden floor cold on her bare feet, she could see her son's face in the moonlight. Little Stoick Haddock II. She smiled at the sight of him, and suddenly forgot her pain. Carefully lifting his fragile body into her arms, she unsuccessfully shushed him as she made her way to the rocking chair Gobber had made for her and Hiccup.

"Hey, it's okay. Mama's here." Astrid struggled to undo the drawstrings on the tunic with one hand while supporting the baby's head with the other. Eventually, the garment fell to her stomach, allowing her to cradle the newborn against her breast.

Baby Stoick struggled to latch onto a nipple, and, with his mother's help, finally managed to begin suckling, his wails dying down as he did so.

"Well, look at my family."

Astrid lifted her eyes to see Hiccup standing shirtless in front of her, a candle in one hand and a blanket in the other. Nudging the blonde over, he squeezed onto the rocker beside her and tucked the furs around them.

"You okay, Ast?" he asked, watching as she massaged the baby's tiny feet.

"I think he needs socks. His little toes are freezing," she murmured, half to herself.

In an instant, Hiccup was out of the chair and scrambling to find the socks Valka had knitted for her grandson. Upon catching sight of the desired items, he grabbed them and hurried back to Astrid.

"Thanks, babe." Astrid slipped the socks onto Stoick's feet. Once finished, she leaned against her husband's shoulder, enjoying the feeling of his warm, bare shoulder on her chilly face.

It wasn't long before the newborn was finished eating. Hiccup offered to take him so his wife could re-fasten the tunic, and continued to hold him while she went to the outhouse to clean herself up.

Grinning, Hiccup gently kissed his son's head. He felt sorry for Astrid, but at the same time, was tremendously relieved that she'd been the one to give birth and not him. People often wondered who was stronger, and as much as he wanted to sound like a "real" man, he had to let Astrid win on that one. He'd seen her hide how uncomfortable she was when she bled each month, then heard her get sick every morning for the first trimester of her pregnancy. He'd noticed her become stiffer as she'd gotten larger, and witnessed her pain while giving life to his child. Their child.

Yes, Astrid was definitely stronger than him.

Stoick began to fuss. Hiccup guessed he needed a diaper change, and he was right. After struggling to clean him up and pin a new diaper onto him, the Chief cautiously lifted him and carried him to the bed. Lying down, he placed the baby on his chest.

Astrid returned to the sound of her husband's soft snoring, mixed with the quiet breathing of her son. Holding up the candle, she admired the sight before her for a few minutes before taking Stoick and placing him back in his cradle. As cute as the scene had been, she was scared Hiccup would drop the little one in his sleep.

Once she kissed the newborn and tucked him in, Astrid crawled into bed beside Hiccup. Pressing her lips to his shoulder, she spooned him from behind, nuzzled into his neck, and let out a sigh before drifting into slumber.

It wouldn't be long before she'd be awoken by Baby Stoick's cries again.