All I Want for Snoggletog (Is You): Set before the first movie. Spending Snoggletog Eve snowed in the forge with Astrid definitely isn't the holiday Hiccup was expecting, but maybe this could be an opportunity to connect with his crush. Maybe. A Merry Christmas present from the author to her awesome readers!

All I Want for Snoggletog (Is You)

"Alright, laddie, I think I'm gonna call it a night and head home. It's nine o'clock, and the sky's lookin' pretty threatenin'. I want teh get teh my fireplace and kick my feet up 'fore the sky opens up. Yeh might think teh do the same. My peg leg's achin somethin' fierce—snow's on the way."

"I will, Gobber. I'm just going to finish up in here first. I'm almost done with Dad's present." Hiccup gestured to the gift he was messing around with. Though he hadn't been working in the forge for very long, he was quite talented in crafting from the start. Though he wasn't strong enough to do the heavy-lifting a real blacksmith had to do, Gobber had remarked several times that he was getting there. And so he'd had the idea to make something special for his father for Snoggletog. "I'll head out soon. I don't want to get caught here on Snoggletog Eve if it does snow…"

The one-legged Viking shook his head. "Not, if. When. From the looks of things out there—and the feeling in my leg—I think some bad weather's right around the corner."

Hiccup nodded absent-mindedly, having returned to his work. "Mhm… okay, see you later, Gobber…"

"Night, Hiccup. And happy Snoggletog to yeh!"

Hiccup mumbled something similar in reply, though his focus had completely left his mentor by now. Where was that rag… he needed to wipe the metal down a bit…

Before he knew it, an entire hour and a half had passed, and he was only just finishing up. Wincing as he realized the time, he knew he should head back or Stoick would start to notice his absence. There was another worry nagging at the back of his mind, but for the life of him, he couldn't remember what else there was to fret about. Had Gobber mentioned something? Asked him to do some important task? That seemed to ring a bell, though he still came up blank upon thought. He shrugged it off, though was still left with the feeling of discontentment. He shook his head. It was probably nothing.

...However, when his things were packed, the candles were blown out, and he started to leave the forge, he all too quickly remembered Gobber's warning.

Not if. When. From the looks of things out there—and the feeling in my leg—I think snow's right around the corner.

And indeed it was. Except it wasn't right around the corner. It was right there. Fat fluffy flakes drifted down from a looming white-grey sky, settling on the ground where they began to pile up. Though it couldn't have been snowing for more than an hour, an impressive amount had gathered.

"Woah," Hiccup whispered to himself, watching in wonder. Like every kid his age, he was delighted by the newest round of snow. Especially on Snoggletog Eve. But it would be a long walk home in the cold… He wondered if he'd even make it in this dreary weather, especially in the dark. The storm wasn't letting up—in fact, if it was possible, the snow seemed to be falling harder each second. Soon, there'd be a real blizzard roaring outside.

He knew he'd better get going before he got snowed in the forge—or worse, caught in the storm while walking. Bracing himself for the onslaught of cold, he exited the forge and stepped outside. The force of the gales shocked him, nearly knocking him over in his surprise. He steadied himself and was just barely able to get moving. The wind moaned and howled, blowing snow all over the place. His hands and face were instantly numbed, which was almost fortunate for him because he didn't have to feel the sting of the cold any longer.

He had only been walking for a minute or two (and had only made it a few yards) when he heard something behind him. A shout. Crunching of the snow. It sounded like someone was walking behind him. But… that couldn't be true. No one was stupid enough to go out in this weather, even if they were weather-hardened Vikings. It was Snoggletog Eve, and most people just wanted to stay warm and cozy this holiday night.

"—ey—!"

Hiccup froze, but not from the cold. That was definitely a shout. Someone was behind him. For a moment, he feared it was a dangerous creature, like a dragon (wouldn't that be his luck) but he quickly tossed the thought from his mind. During this time of year, the dragons usually disappeared. No one knew where they went, but the villagers were just glad they could spend their days without dragon raids to worry about, even if it was only for a little while. As for any other creature, most of the more dangerous animals went into hibernation before the snow hit.

"—lo? Is—omeone up the—"

He turned around, squinting into the wind. "Hello?" he called. "Is someone there?"

And then, out from the blizzard of snow walked a girl that Hiccup couldn't stop gaping at for… multiple reasons.

"A-A-Astrid?"

She shielded her eyes. "Oh. Hiccup. It's you." The words didn't sound happy. She gave a sigh, rolling her eyes as if she had better things to do than talk to him. Which she probably did. "What are you doing out here?"

Hiccup was still trying to process the fact that his long-time crush Astrid Hofferson had run into him in this storm. What were the odds? After a few seconds of blank staring, he finally found the sense to close his gaping mouth and try to say something a little more intelligent.

"I, uh," he began, trying to think of a cool reason explaining why he was walking around blindly in a stirring blizzard. "I… wanted to get some fresh air."

Stupid! He could've smacked himself.

Astrid looked dubious. Hiccup couldn't stop noticing how pretty she looked with all those snowflakes in her golden braid and the way her eyes stood out in stark contrast to the whiteness. "And so you went out into this to do so?"

Yeah, that was a pretty stupid thing to say.

"W-well, y-yeah. I'm tough enough to brave the c-cold!"

Stop stuttering, mutton-head!

She rubbed her arms. For once, she had a coat on, not her usual short-sleeved blue-grey shirt and skirt. Still, the jacket was fairly thin and didn't do much to keep the cold out. "So am I, but no sane person would go out in this mess."

Hiccup ducked his head down. Nice work, Useless.

"I was training in the woods when the storm caught me," said Astrid. "Took me by surprise. Starting snowing like crazy since. I'm trying to get home now. I guess you are too now—or do you still need that fresh air?"

He gave a slight grin. "I think I'm g-good now."

She walked the rest of the distance to him but didn't look his way. Instead, she squinted ahead. Hiccup followed her gaze. They could barely see two feet in front of them, only able to catch flashes of houses on the street. The rest was a dreary white.

Astrid gave Hiccup a slight glance. "My house is pretty far from here. I'd better get going before I freeze. I think you might want to do the same."

"W-will do. You s-sure you'll be a-able to get back a-alright? It's getting p-pretty rough…"

"I'll manage. I'm a Viking, after all." She waved an axe Hiccup hadn't realized she was holding beside her. "See you around, Hiccup…"

She began to walk away, but then a wind so fierce they both were almost knocked down rushed against them, and she stopped, slightly hunched over so as to be able to stand. Hiccup trembled uncontrollably in the cold. He was slowly losing feeling in all body parts now… Hands and face were gone… his toes were next…

Astrid took a long moment to say something. "We need to find shelter," she said, as businesslike as ever. "Nobody's getting through this tonight."

Hiccup nodded earnestly. "T-that's what I was going to say… safety f-f-first. Not that I couldn't g-get through this, of course, I could..."

Anndddddd she had stopped listening.

"Know any place we could stay in till the storm lets up a bit?" Astrid shouted over the wind.

For once, Hiccup had an answer. "Yeah, the f-forge! It's just b-back there a l-little bit… follow me!"

He turned away from Astrid and began to make his way back to the forge. It was hard-going, and for a few solid minutes he was afraid they wouldn't get there, or Astrid would decide he didn't know what he was doing and turn back. Neither happened, though, and the fourteen-year-olds arrived at the forge only half-frozen. Living on Berk was tough—it snowed nonstop for three months and wasn't much better the rest of the year. However, even when it was this dreary out, the Vikings managed.

But they usually managed inside. A blizzard such as this didn't happen but once a year, and usually took place in January or February—not December.

"Come inside!" Hiccup called back to Astrid, who hadn't quite reached the forge yet. He saw her nod, and they both rushed indoors. The candles had been out long enough to cool the room, but it was still immensely warmer in here than out.

"Good thinking," said Astrid, taking off her jacket already. Meanwhile, Hiccup was hugging himself to try and keep warmth in. "With the forge, we'll be able to light a nice fire."

"H-huh? Oh, yeah… fire… exactly what I was thinking when I was trying to choose a p-place. Exactly. That's cool, we think the same way…"

She ignored his rambling and went to get a fire started. Meanwhile, Hiccup slowly took his coat off and began lighting some candles to try and warm up the place. Though he would rather be at home with Stoick celebrating a nice Snoggletog Eve (even if Astrid Hofferson was with him), he found the sight of candles burning softly and snow falling outside almost comforting. It felt like Snoggletog, for sure.

"We'll have to wait here till the snow lets up."

Hiccup whirled around to face Astrid, who looked about ten times calmer than he felt inside.

"T-t-together?" he stammered, even though the cold no longer made his teeth chatter. The thought of being stuck in a room with Astrid for Odin knew how long gave him several confusing feelings.

"Um… yeah. Or were you planning on going somewhere?"

"I mean, no… I just…"

Astrid pulled a blanket from the corner of the forge—wait, how did she know that Gobber always kept one there? Though she never stayed around too long when she visited to get her axe cleaned, she seemed to know her way around the forge just fine. Hiccup didn't even start wondering why. Astrid was a natural at everything. It was just one of those things you couldn't question.

She sat down in front of the furnace she had lit and pulled the blanket across her shoulders so it wrapped around her body. When Hiccup stayed where he was, she turned her head around and said, "It's warmer over here, you know."

Taking the hint and realizing it was odd to not be by the fire, he scrambled over, sitting as close as he dared to his crush. Which was around four feet away. Her axe was nearby, and he didn't want to provoke her into using it or anything. For a long, long time, the two just stared into the flames, de-thawing from their venture outside. Hiccup kept sneaking glances at the girl beside him, hardly daring to believe this was happening.

"I think the storm might settle down in an hour or so," Astrid finally told him, her eyes still fixated on the flames.

"Good," Hiccup chirped, nodding a few too many times in return.

Say something! You have a chance to talk with her without the danger of being killed!

But as hard as he tried, he couldn't find the right words and ended up only managing a few open mouths and slight breaths.

Astrid said, "It's nice here. I can see why you work in this place. There's just about every weapon to choose from." At last, she took her eyes from the fire and put them on Hiccup as if daring him to answer.

He took up the challenge. "Yeah… it really is… Gobber has a lot of sass, but he's great. I like working with him." He'd said a whole sentence without stuttering! That… well, that was a start.

"You're an apprentice, right?" she asked, shifting underneath her blanket.

"Mhm. Been here for seven or eight years now. Dad wanted me to start working as soon as possible, and since he and Gobber are old friends, and Gobber needed some extra help, I got the job…" The mention of his father made him a little sad and a little worried. Stoick was sure to be confused by his failure to return home. He wondered if he'd even worry about him. He was always grumbling about how Hiccup could have done this better, or why he should've done that instead of this…

Astrid seemed to notice his sadness. "The chief… he must be wondering where you are. It's Snoggletog Eve, after all. You guys must have a nice dinner or something."

Hiccup crossed his legs and rested his head on a hand, shrugging. "Your parents must be worried too. It's… well, it's pretty awful out there." He smirked, looking out the window. A dirty white was all he saw now. It was lucky he and Astrid had found each other when they had—they would've been lost otherwise. Well, at least him. She could probably survive a snowstorm. She could survive anything.

"My parents know I'll be okay," she said. "Can't say the same about you and Stoick."

He wasn't sure whether to be offended by this or not, so just gave a slight chuckle. "Yeah, I… I guess. So… you've been… have you been training very long?"

"All my life. Life is pain. Life is war. I want to be prepared."

"...totally. Same here. T-that's why I work here… in the forge. To, uh… be prepared."

Astrid tilted her head. "Okay..." She was quiet for a minute. Then, "Well, if we're going to be stuck together for a while, I'd rather not make this awkward. So, I have to ask: why do you stutter so much when you talk to me?"

His face went from red to white in a matter of seconds. "...stutter? Me? Uh… I, uh… I just… well…" She continued staring at him, waiting for an answer. What was he supposed to tell her? That every time he saw her, his throat closed up and his heart pounded twice as fast as normal? "It's just… my thing, I guess," he said, rubbing the back of his head convulsively. He tried to change the subject. "And yeah, I don't want to make this awkward either… so… do you… uh, not like me? You just kind of seem distant s-sometimes…" He couldn't believe he was actually saying this, but he couldn't stop himself now.

She seemed just as surprised by his words, but recovered quicker than he had. "I don't not like you, Hiccup. I just don't like getting close to most people. And plus, boys are annoying."

Again not sure how to react, he laughed again. "Maybe we are. I can't speak for everyone else, though. As Dad always says, I'm not like other pe…" He cut himself off before he finished, horrified at what he had almost said. If Astrid knew that even the chief thought he was different, what chances did he have at ever making a place in the world?

"Not like most people? Well, you're not."

He froze. "Actually… I can be realllyyy normal if I—"

"That's not a bad thing, Hiccup. I'm not like the other kids either."

Hiccup blinked. "I… I guess not. But my dad… well, you know, he wants a… a meatier son… a stronger son… someone—"

"More like him. I get it." There was something different in her eyes that took him aback. Was it… a sort of softness? Was that even possible? "You know, Hiccup, I'll tell you something. But it didn't come from me, you hear?"

He nodded vigorously. "Of course."

"Alright." She scooted a little closer to him, giving him something close to a heart attack. "I don't think appearances are everything. Sure, strength and size are handy in battle, but I've studied these kinds of things. It's often the smarter people of the lot that win the war. Not every battle… but they win in the end. I'm not as big as the other kids, but I'm twice as strong and I don't know how many times smart. That's why I always win."

"That… that means a lot. Especially coming from—"

"Not me, remember? Someone else."

"Yeah, yeah. Sure… someone else… Well, thanks, anyways…"

She waved a hand. "Well, if I'm going to be stuck with a person as jittery as you for the rest of the night, I think you need some consolation that I'm not going to kill you."

But then she laughed, and he was soon laughing along, even if it was a little nervously.

A few minutes later, Astrid yawned loudly and Hiccup soon followed. They both were surprised. They hadn't realized they were that tired. Hiccup wondered how late it was, and glanced outside. Seeing nothing but darkness, he grimaced, knowing it had to be pretty late into the night. Probably past midnight already.

"Maybe we should get some sleep," Astrid suggested. "It's clear the storm isn't going to let up anytime soon. We'll just go home in the morning. Better be safe than sorry, right?" Smiling, she laid down right there on the floor and tucked her blanket around her. "Oh, and by the way… if you ever tell anyone about us having to spend tonight in here together… I seriously will murder you."

"...noted."

For a long time, Hiccup stared at her still figure, then realized it was even weird for him to watch his crush sleeping. He too rolled over on the floor and closed his eyes, but he knew that he wouldn't be able to doze. The fire in the nearby furnace was already dying out, chilling him. He only wore his everyday brown fur vest, green shirt, and pants. Not enough to keep the cold out. And since Astrid had the only blanket, he couldn't get any warmer. He began to shiver and curled up to try and preserve some heat, rubbing his arms.

He must've made some sound of distress because it wasn't five minutes before Astrid flatly said, "Do you want the blanket?"

"Er—no. That's fine. I'm fine." He made an effort to stop his shivering. He could survive one night without a blanket. He was a Viking, after all.

However, a moment later, he felt part of a blanket being thrown over him. Startled, he sat up and was about to protest that Astrid needed it more than him, but the determined look on her face made him falter.

"We're both cold and we both need a blanket," she said. "We'll just have to share. For survival. It's big enough for the both of us"

Hiccup gaped. Was she suggesting… "A-Astrid, I don't think—"

She rolled her eyes, cutting him off. "Don't make it weird."

With that, she grabbed her end of the blanket and turned over, facing the opposite way of Hiccup. Swallowing, Hiccup had no choice but to take the end leftover and roll over the other way. He lay there for a long time, eyes wide open and heart pounding against his chest. There was no way he'd be able to sleep tonight, with Astrid so close, oh gods, she was only a foot away from him—

"Goodnight, Hiccup." Astrid's voice startled him from his thoughts. "And Happy Snoggletog."

"Goodnight," he echoed, breathless. "Happy Snoggletog, Astrid."

As he drifted off, he couldn't fight the smile creeping up his face.

Special thanks to…

Antox, PsychicWonderKitty, aaquater, Smoe05, katurdi, thepurplewriter333, (Guest #1), Guest (#2), Guest (#3), Guest (#4), scrooge (Guest #5), PeridotsandRubies, aaannndddddd httydfan1. Your support really encourages me to write, and I thank you guys for that! Being an author isn't easy but you guys make me manage. And thank you to the silent readers as well! I hope you're all enjoying this series!

Have an AWESOME Christmas, or Snoggletog, or Hanukkah, or Chanukah, or whatever holiday you celebrate. I for one am so looking forward to this break from school, however brief it may be. :D I finally get some time to write (I know, I know, I've been gone forever, but my teachers are trying to kill us with a homework overload before we get a break)!

Happy holidays, everyone! See ya next time!