A worrying burning smell filled Astrid's hut, and smoke was coming out of the pot over the fire. She yelled at it as she would have a rogue Berserker before putting out the flames. Hiccup tried to suppress a grin, and gave Toothless yet another non-verbal warning about manners. The Night Fury scoffed quietly and helped himself to a barrel of raw fish Astrid kept near the door.

While Astrid put out bowls and poured the stew, Hiccup removed his armor. He'd been wearing it for more hours in a row then he liked to, and it felt stiff and heavy. In the time they'd been dating, the young couple had gotten quite close, and he now felt very much at home in Astrid's hut. Even Toothless had claimed a spot, near the hearth in the corner. A Viking was rarely without his armor, but Hiccup had never felt it was his second skin the way his cousin or even Astrid did. He had continued to wear plainclothes well past the age at which most of his peers donned their leather and metal, and even now he was more eager to remove it than they were. The only armor that felt natural to him was his flightsuit, and he tended not to wear that around Astrid, lest she yell at him about valuing his life, or whatever.

They sat down, and Hiccup got his first chance to talk to the shieldmaiden that wasn't interrupted by the chaos of the other riders or a small firestorm. He put his hand on Astrid's chin, turning her to face him. "It's good to see you."

She smiled and kissed him firmly. "It's good to see you, too."

Hiccup was hungry, but more interested in Astrid than food. He also wasn't sure how much of the burnt stew hey was going to be able to stomach. Astrid, however, seemed all-to-eager to dig in. She reached for her bowl, and took a bite. Her face froze. "Um, Hiccup."

"Yes?" He was fiddling with his spoon, trying to find a way to avoid bringing the stew to his mouth.
"I think I may have burned it." Hiccup had a dry joke forming on his tongue as he saw his girlfriend's face fall, and managed to bite it back. He quickly shoved a large spoonful of stew into his mouth. Before he could violate all Viking morals about lying (although praising your girlfriend's non-existent cooking abilities probably wasn't a Hel-worthy offense?), he was choking.
"I…I think you might be right," he offered, trying to keep the corners of his mouth from creeping up too far.

She slammed her fists on the table. "I don't know what I did wrong! This never works for me!"

Hiccup put his hand on her shoulder gently. "It tastes like you prepared the ingredients a week ago, maybe left them out, threw them all in about the time a certain scouting crew was getting back, and them spent too much time greeting the scouting crew, and it burned. Am I on the right track?"

She glowered, "Apparently all that time with Snotlout wasn't enough for him to totally rub off on you."
"Yep, I actually vetoed that idea specifically when he proposed it," Hiccup responded with a wicked grin, unable to let her turn of phrase pass. Astrid groaned and gave him a shove.

Hiccup looked into her eyes and softened his tone. "Thank you for cooking for me," he offered sincerely. "Now let me return the favor?"

With a defeated expression, Astrid gestured to the hearth. "Have at it."

Within 20 minutes, Hiccup had whipped together a dinner that, while less ambitious than the previous one, had the advantage of being much more edible. Noticing Astrid's disappointment as he sat down. Hiccup stroked her hair. "You know, I've been cooking for the Chief of Berk ever since my mom left. Stoick's not exactly the 'home and hearth' type. Took me years to get yak stew right."

The two dug in, and a comfortable silence fell as they both realized how hungry they were. The hearty meal did much to assuage Astrid's gloom at her own unsuccessful attempt. After a few minutes, she paused, "Mmm, you're grounded, Mr. Dragon Rider. Your new job is Cooking Viking."

"I'd take that over Chief, most days." Hiccup passed the wistful comment off with a smile, but Astrid could see a shadow pass behind his eyes.

After they'd finished, Hiccup took her hand, and absent-mindedly began unraveling her arm-guards. She let him undo the intricate knots to expose her pale skin. "Tell me about the trip," she nudged.

Hiccup didn't look up from where he was delicately handling the guards. "A week is a long time to be gone. We scanned the eastern third of the Archipelago. It was…. almost eerie how deserted it was. I mean, not even any traders." Sensing the concern in Astrid's eyes, he met her gaze and smiled. "I learned a lot about Snotlout, though. Did you know he sucks his thumb and says your name in his sleep?"

Astrid used her free hand to thwack Hiccup's arm. "You made that up!"

"I swear to you, Milady, I did not." He grinned, "he also seemed very curious about, you know, girl stuff."
"You mean like how to talk to them?" Astrid joked.
"Oh, he wasn't thinking about the talking part," Hiccup gave smirked.
Astrid raised her eyebrows threateningly, "I'm sure you were just a picture of discretion."
Hiccup kissed along her bare arm up to her shoulder, and brought his face close to hers. "Some things are just between us." She kissed him, and he pulled her into his lap. "Not a hard call to make. I like this a lot better than being punched," he grinned, and she put her arms around his neck.

"Well, if you get any more chances to give him advice about girl stuff, maybe remind him that this girl is very happy with what she has, and that he can back off."
"I'll keep that in mind."

This is a pretty new outlet for me - very much appreciate reviews!