Hey, guys! So I did get this typed up thanks to the giant antibiotic pill I have to take now, but it's making me feel better, so that's good news for you! :) Unfortunately, this is my least favorite chapter so far since I mostly threw it together and ran with it, but I hope you like it, at least.
I listened to Tseitsi by The Middle East while typing most of this, the longest song on their EP (13 minutes!), but you can listen to the first half, but it is a really nice song, so you should listen to all of it, though the lyrics don't make much sense in accordance to the story... haha. And sorry for the late update, I was at school, then at an after school meeting, and then work until about 20 minutes ago.
Anyway.
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Hands on Sunshine
Chapter Eleven
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Astrid went to Hallbera's after a couple of hours of sleep and scarfing down half of the Hofferson's supply of fruit reserves and a full loaf of freshly baked bread and butter, and despite her lack of sleep, she felt wide awake and refreshed. She finished the emerald dress within twenty minutes of her arrival, and at the completion, she jumped up so suddenly and shouted so loud the three other women nearly shrieked in surprise. But once setting eyes on the dress all their hearts melted and they crowded around it as Astrid held it up with a giant, boasting grin, their fingers stroking the tiny flowers, the knots at the hem, the delicate folds, the wide scooping neckline of the dress, and altogether praising Astrid for her work.
"Seriously, Hallbera, this dress," Stinkeye said with a laugh, but one could tell she meant every word. "We need her. Don't even think twice."
Astrid blinked in shock; she never thought Stinkeye would want her to be included in Hallbera's repertoire of employees. This whole time she though Stinkeye absolutely hated her and never wanted her to be an apprentice, or even just to be here to make dresses. Astrid watched as Hallbera shook her head in amazement, brushing her reddish bangs out of her eyes, and she felt a huge bubble of pride build up to the point where she felt like she was noticeably fatter. "Where did you larn to make these kinds of cuts, Astrid. I have never in all my travels seen something as… as…,"
"Beautiful?" Ranka offered.
"Yes," Hallbera swallowed and nodded. Astrid's smile fell in realizing how serious she was being. Really? She has never seen this before? Does she like it as much as Stink's or Ranka's work? Does it look too gaudy? I hope the white and gold look okay, I really thought about using a light pink to not look too bright. Ugh, what am I saying? "Astrid?" she didn't even realize Hallbera had said something.
"What? Sorry," she shrugged unhelpfully, feeling her cheeks heat up a bit.
"Has Auda warn the dress you've given her yeat?" Hallbera asked again, holding the end of the skirt.
"No," Astrid shook her head, furrowing her brows.
"Good. We'll make another dress like this one farr the midsummer festival next week and you'll wear that new one. We'll sell this one farr eighty penningar," Hallbera said with finality, her bright green eyes wild. She turned to walk to the closet full of cloth bolts, but Astrid had to stop her. Something didn't feel right in the pit of her stomach.
"Wait, Hallbera," Astrid stepped after her, and lowering the dress, she nervously fingered the shoulders, looking Hallbera straight in the eye fearlessly.
"What? Eighty penningar not enough farr your dress?" Hallbera turned quickly, her words sharp. Astrid felt offended but she didn't want to create a rift between them when she really wanted to work here. Instead, she bit her lip and shook her head, trying to find the right words to say without getting angry at her.
"No, that's fine. Just I don't really… want to… teach you how I made it. I'm not sure if I can, and…," Hallbera raised her brows to urge her like she was an insolent child. "I want the design to be exclusive to me since I did make it up. No offense to you or anything," Astrid looked her hard in the eye just as Hallbera did. Hallbera was a big and tall woman and Astrid had seen her temper when Ranka said something wrong or Stinkeye messed up on a shirt by accident, and she was frightening. In general, Hallbera was a very kind woman but she liked to show it in tough love and not really any other form, but this last week or two, she's been very touchy, and Astrid has not failed to notice. She didn't know what was happening with her husband or her children or other things in her life, but Astrid felt like Hallbera was dealing with something that she was included in, and it frustrated her to not know what it was that she did. Was Hallbera jealous of her dress? Was it something to do with her mother? Astrid didn't know, but she showed that she wouldn't stand for it by looking at Hallbera as intently as she was. She respected her and would never do a thing to betray her, but she wasn't going to be a lame apprentice and not stand up for herself.
Hallbera looked at her for a second longer and said, "Fine. I'll help you finish in a week's time. Come and pick out what color you want," she said coldly and turned again to go to the side closet.
Astrid mentally sighed a relief and looked over her shoulder at Ranka and Stinkeye for any signs of anything. Stinkeye raised her eyebrows like she was surprised too and didn't know what to do. Ranka nodded her head in the direction of the closet, so Astrid handed them the dress she was holding and they took it eagerly to inspect so she could go to the closet with Hallbera. She bit her lip and walked to the dark closet where Hallbera was rifling through the hundreds of bolts on the five shelves. There was a stepping stool in the small closet with barely enough room to fit two people because it was stuffed with so much cloth. It was messy to the point that some bolts were unraveled and spilled over the shelves, piles of cloth pushed up against the perimeter of the shelves on the floor to not step on them, cloth just tossed willy-nilly over stacks of bolts, and it all just made Astrid more frustrated.
Hallbera was already shuffling through bolts and fabric when Astrid stepped inside, and already she could feel a different vibe from her master. She was subdued and quiet, her eyes intent on finding a suitable color and not looking at Astrid. Astrid was a little put-off, but went searching anyway for a color and fabric she had in mind.
"Green looks good on you," Hallbera said quietly to the stack of bolts, and pulled out a section from an unraveled bit and showed it to Astrid. She looked over her shoulder and shrugged.
"I've already made a green dress," Astrid said. "I'm thinking a blue-ish color."
"You always warr blue."
"Because it looks good on me."
Hallbera smiled lightly and said, "Don't ye want to catch Hiccup's eye?"
Astrid turned, doubting she heard what she actually heard. She furrowed her brows and set her mouth in a straight line, looking at Hallbera with questioning eyes. It took a moment for the gears to start spinning in her head for her to reply. "He's already seen me in green. Besides, that's pretty much the only color he wears," Astrid said like she was his mother with a scoff. Hallbera let out a huff of laughter in agreement.
"How aboot a color you haven't warn yeat?" She looked at Astrid hard, an inquiring brow rising. By looking at her, Astrid knew instantly.
"No. No pink," she said quickly, turning sharply in finality to the stacks, searching with new-found fervor.
"No, it don't have to be pink, Astrid. A hue of pink would look pretty, like a red."
"Red doesn't fit the festival. That's more winter. Yellow?"
"You did your sister's yellow."
"True. A light green? I'm sick of seeing green, though," Astrid groaned and hit her head on the shelf, her hands falling from the midst of bolts and fabric. "I hate colors," she mumbled and sighed.
Hallbera raised a brow, ignoring Astrid's comment and pulled out a sheet of shimmery white fabric. She remembered buying this forever ago. She haggled it from an English merchant and paid a huge sum of money for a thin bolt of it, probably only about fifty yards worth. Hallbera was going to use it to make a birthing gown for her cousin's son some eighteen years ago, but after a fight she was asked to not make it, so the cloth never had a further purpose so she hid it away for Stinkeye and Ranka to never use. But, now thinking about it, her cousin's son does have an awful attraction to Astrid, so maybe it does have some use after all.
"We're using this white," Hallbera said and started shuffling sticks and cloth around with determination to get the whole thing out.
"Wait! It's my dress, isn't it? Let me see it, for Odin's sake," Astrid nearly snapped, turning and trying to peek over Hallbera's tall and wide shoulder to see what she was pulling out. After some harsh tugs and a few falling and unraveling bolts, Hallbera managed to pull out the bolt of white now mostly unrolled. Immediately, Astrid's mouth dropped, looking at the fabric in awe at how it shimmered like freshly-fallen snow. With tentative fingers, she reached out and stroked what Hallbera was holding, her breath catching at the softness of it. "What… is this? It's not linen, clearly… where on Midgard did you get this?" she asked incredulously.
Hallbera smiled a bit and said, "It's silk. I bought it from an Englishman who bartered it from a French merchant. Cost me a fortune," she let out a humorless huff of laughter when Astrid's eyes widened. "It's bin lost forever, but I haven't bothered looking farr it farr years. It seemed to come out to me today."
Astrid blinked, then withdrew her hands as if she were forbidden to touch it, holding her hands low. "Are you sure? I mean, if it was so expensive, I really don't need it."
"No," Hallbera said without question. "You may use it. Beside't, I'm not sure what other use I'll have farr it. Too expensive to sell in thee shop," she stepped around Astrid with the fabric in her arms into the backroom. Astrid immediately followed, still bewildered.
"What's 'silk'?" she asked, walking behind Hallbera to her table against the farthest wall from the closet.
"Oh, it's not all silk. It's part cotton o'carse. She shimmery parts you see are the silk," Hallbera replied, clearing off her desk space with one arm, then set the fabric down carefully. "It's made from caterpillar's webs or something."
"What?" Stinkeye nearly yelled. "Caterpillar's? Nuh-uh!"
"Yes-huh," Hallbera replied haughtily and Astrid sniggered. "I don't knoow, I'm not an expart, girl," Hallbera waved Astrid over and she dutifully did so. "Alright. So we begin."
Astrid went over her meticulous process with Hallbera for the next two days, showing her master what she does to make dresses without actually telling her how, allowing Hallbera to use her own techniques. Because she was a professional seamstress, Hallbera caught on quickly and well enough so the dress looked like Astrid's with a bit of Hallbera's popular flair thrown in. With Hallbera's quicker hand and superior sewing capabilities, the two were nearly done with the sleeves and bodice within two days. Because of the quality of the fabric, Astrid chose not to add too many extra details like swirls or knots, but around the bottom hem of the skirt and around the wide scooping neckline, she added a thin strip of embroidery that was a very pale buttery yellow. Hallbera complimented her on her choice when asked to see it, saying," You should like colors because you're quite good with them."
The skirt posed a bit of a problem once they got to it, however. Previously, Astrid made the skirt just long enough to reach the floor, but because of the scarcity of the fabric, they were forced to reduce it to her ankles. This threw Astrid off a bit because she had all processes pretty much memorized. Hallbera took it from there and showed Astrid a couple new techniques that she only taught official apprentices, so Astrid was privileged and grateful and ever-attentive to every word she spoke. Within the week, they were totally done with the dress, and Astrid wasted no time in trying it on.
It fit absolutely perfect in all the right places; it showed off her hips just right, the neckline looked fantastic, and even the bodice made her small breasts look a little bigger and Astrid couldn't complain. She knew Hiccup would love it. She didn't mind the length because she knew she would be skipping around and dancing and twirling the majority of the time anyway (though she would never tell anybody, of course). Stepping out of the storage closet, she did a full twirl holding out the skirt so it swished around her, and in doing so, Stinkeye squealed and Ranka clapped, both with big grins on their faces. Astrid looked to Hallbera and saw she was smiling approvingly, but knew it was all Astrid's work.
"It's so beautiful. I'm so jealous," Stinkeye said excitedly. "Too bad I'm fat with this baby," she laughed at herself, admiring Astrid's dress with sparkling brown eyes.
"It's a perfect summer dress, especially for the festival," Ranka said, pointing out the quarter sleeves and the yellow trim.
"Thank you," Astrid said, unable to keep the smile from her voice or off her face.
"It's truly lovely," Hallbera added, looking Astrid up and down. "Alright, now get outta it. I'm growing more envious every second I look at ye," she waved her off with a laugh and turned around, going back to her desk to clean up and start another project. Astrid laughed with her and went back into the closet to change.
She found a cloth bag to put her dress in so nobody would see it, saying she was taking the two days off before the festival. She went home with a prideful smile and had a little lunch before taking her axe leaning up against the side of her dresser and going out to maul her Favorite Tree. "Too much dress-making," she told Spike while dropping off a few special-treat halibut. Astrid decided to take the long way to her Favorite Tree because she wanted to see if Hiccup was back at work in the forge or if he was slacking off with Toothless. She saw a faint plume of smoke from the crooked chimney and the unmistakable sound of metal clings, so she went into the forest with a smile and threw her axe all day.
Though it wasn't only Astrid who was busy this whole week, Hiccup did a few other things without stepping into the forge at all until today. His father came home on mandag so he and Stoick along with the council formed up new treaties and new acts and Hiccup showed off his designs for bola launchers and catapults, all day long at Mead Hall. Hiccup was mostly there because Stoick decided he needed more involvement now as he was getting older to prepare for his role as future chief, so he mainly sat quietly and listened while Stoick deliberated with Spitelout and the council. Snotlout even showed up at a few meetings, also to prepare as second-in-command after his own father, though Hiccup did catch him starting to doze off a few times.
On most nights, Hiccup went home by himself and later he would hear his father clunk in and retire to his room upstairs next to his own. But, on one special night, Stoick decided to leave the Hall early and return home with his son. The walk was quiet if not awkward, and it was a relief to Hiccup to get home and be able to eat because he was starving. Just as he was beginning to raid the cupboards, Stoick stopped him.
"No, you're not going to eat half tha cupboard again. Sit daown. I'm going to make supper," Stoick said in his deep voice, effectively catching Hiccup on surprise.
He paused opening a jar and turned his head to his father just as he was pulling out a large cauldron, perfect for two men with the combined amount of eight stomachs. "What? Since when can you cook?" Never in all his years had he seen his father willingly decide to make any sort of meal.
"Oh, don't act so surprised," Stoick said as he threw a couple more logs on the fire. "I can't. I've alweys bin terrible at cookin' and your mother knew it. I tried cooking farr her once and it nearly killed her," Stoick replied, and just when he realized what he said, he stuttered. "U-uh—," but Hiccup cut him off with a light chuckle, closing the cupboard and going around the counter to pick up an apple. "Well… ya know what I mean."
"Yeah, I get it," Hiccup said with a smile. Stoick shifted his eyes away from his son's and turned to continue preparing. "Since you can't cook, what are you going to make?" Hiccup asked, really hoping it was something quick because he was seriously considering eating a chair. He was genuinely surprised to this day he could eat so much but still retain his skinniness and he used to resent it, but now he was grateful so he can maintain his 'Viking essence'.
"A stew your mother taught me to make. She said if I can't cook anything, I might as well larn one thing," he said with a light chuckle, but behind it, it was quite obvious how nostalgic he became simply by the sound of his voice and how it trailed off. "You'll know what stew I'm talking aboot. It's tha one with the apples."
"Oh! Yeah, that one. That one's my favorite; strange ingredients," Hiccup said between chewing, starting to slowly walk toward the stairs.
"She tended to make up her own," Stoick said, and Hiccup could see the soft smile through his thick mustache and the crinkles form on the outer corners of his aging blue eyes. Watching him, Hiccup was suddenly thrust into the same nostalgia his mother left him with, quietly leaving the kitchen to be in his room. He pushed the thoughts away like he usually did when concerning his mother and buried himself in adjusting designs and sketching new ones, adding some to his sketchbook.
He came across some pages of Astrid that he sketched of her while she wasn't looking or paying attention and he found himself missing her too. He hadn't seen or talked to her in a good four days since the night they found each other up on that peak, and he couldn't help but wonder how she was doing and he wanted to ask her how her day had been. Ever since she opened him into her life, he's always wanting to know everything, not in a nagging or clingy sense, but because he was genuinely curious. He loved listening to her talk and how she said things in a way he never could, watching her face change from expression to expression, sometimes flailing her arms around (he knew he was responsible for that). He missed how her eyes sparkled every time she looked at him and how she knew what he was thinking about without having to talk, and just how it was so easy to not feel like he has to constantly run his mouth and look like a fool. She was so easy and effortless to be with, and now that she was his 'official' girlfriend, it made it even better.
Hiccup could hear downstairs when Stoick swore and a couple of clatters followed, chuckling to himself, shuffling through some more papers until he heard his name called for supper. Coming down the steps, he nearly slipped and fell on his rear at the sight of his giant father wearing a much too small apron. Hiccup stopped himself from bursting out laughing by biting his lip but he couldn't stop from snorting. Stoick whirled around and blushed a furious red darker than his hair, hurriedly taking off the apron and throwing it in a corner.
"I forgot," he said sheepishly, bowing his head while Hiccup really tried not to laugh for the sake of his father's pride, but really, the sight was too precious.
"Nice apron," Hiccup snorted and Stoick gave him an icey glare as he served up two heaping bowls.
"Shut it, boy."
"I'm not going to forget that," Hiccup said and picked up his steaming wooden bowl and brought it to the table along with half a loaf of nearly stale bread.
"Hiccup."
"Okay, okay, I'll really try not to forget it," When Stoick narrowed his eyes into deathly slits, Hiccup immediately bowed his head and shut his mouth.
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Astrid felt incredibly refreshed and quite revived after her hard session at hacking away her Favorite Tree. She was disappointed at first from her lack of rigorous activity and how terrible her throws were, but by the end of the day she might as well have been in a tournament. Astrid was nothing if not determined and that was exactly what was running through her mind all day. She was sore, sweaty and tired when she left for home well after dusk, and she decided to take the long way back again just pas the forge. She was amazed there was still smoke coming out of the chimney. With an idea sprouting in her head inspired from her rumbling stomach, she smiled and jogged the rest of the way home.
Auda and Brandan were resting by the fire when she burst through the front door, Brandan reading a book and Auda sewing some things. She raised her head when Astrid blew through, saying sarcastically, "Well, hi."
"Hi!" Astrid shouted as she jumped the stairs by two.
She shut the door hurriedly behind her and carefully set her axe where it was before and threw off her sweaty tunic. She pulled a tighter dress over her head, yellowish in color that reached to her calves and made her chest look a bit more appealing. She ruffled her hair and brushed it, then dabbed on some rosewater from a vial on her vanity. "I hope I don't stink," she said with hints of worry in her voice, and added a few more drops for extra measure. She checked her hair one more time in the looking glass before blowing out her candle and racing into the kitchen.
"What are you doing?" Auda called from the living room while Astrid piled together leftovers from Auda's dinner in a cloth-lined basket.
"Bringing Hiccup supper," Astrid replied, flying through the cabinets for more bread.
"Well, isn't that sweet," Brandan said offhandedly to his wife, adjusting his spectacles. "Wish you'd bring me supper."
Auda punched him in the shoulder and he winced. "I made you supper, you ungrateful bastard."
"Hey, naow," Brandan said, setting down his book. Astrid rushed through the living room before he could finish with the basket in the crook of her elbow.
"Don't do anything I wouldn't!" Auda called just before Astrid shut the door behind her.
The village was very quiet as she walked down the dirt road, and to her surprise, even the ocean was quiet; there was hardly a gust of wind or the crashing of the waves against the cliff face. The only noise she could hear was the sound of her own scuffling feet and the occasional squeak of the wicker basket against her hip. She smiled though because she liked the quiet, and that was one of the things she liked about Hiccup; she didn't need to constantly talk with him as silence was enough for them both.
She came up to the forge window and knocked on the closed doors, opening one slightly to peek her head in. She saw Hiccup turn round from the anvil, wearing gloves up to his elbows and a ratty old shirt. He saw her and she noticed how his expression changed from annoyance to intrigue and he smiled at her, nodding his head toward the door. Astrid went around and walked past a couple of barrels into the roof overhang and wrenched open the side door as the front one was currently locked. Stepping inside, it was warmer than the cool air outside but Hiccup at least had the sense to keep the rest of the windows open to let out the hot air.
"You don't have to go to the window anymore to come inside," Hiccup said with a louder voice as he was hammering away at some stubborn red hot thing on the anvil. Astrid set her basket on a counter so Hiccup would see it, but he had his back turned to her so she just waited.
"Well, the first time I did that when you were shirtless, you nearly jumped through the ceiling," Astrid said with a chuckle, striding around the forge, and went into places that were normally closed off to customers with a secretive sweeping glance at Hiccup, who didn't notice, only to find the places uninteresting.
"Well, yeah," Hiccup said like the answer was obvious. "No other woman had seen me shirtless before other than your sister, and that time I was drunk," Hiccup said as he dipped the sword in water with a resounding hiss, going back to the anvil to add a few more whacks to it before he decided it was finished to sharpen tomorrow. Astrid let out a ripple of laughs when she remembered cutting his hair, picking up and inspecting a finished spear head.
"How sad is it that my sister was the first girl to see you shirtless and not me? Well, she didn't cut your hair fantastically," she smiled and set the spear head down and sashayed back over to the large basket with her arms folded behind her back. "I had fun."
"I know you did," Hiccup said and chuckled with a nod, closing the doors to the fire and throwing off his gloves. "What's in the basket?" he asked, raising a curious brow, wondering what on earth she could be carrying at this time of night.
She gave him a sly smile so Hiccup instantly knew it must be good. "I brought you supper," she said and lifted the basket off the counter and brought it to a large crate, the only surface clear of anything in the forge.
"Ohh," Hiccup said with a huge grin, excitement tingeing his voice and he felt his heart physically swell in size. She was so lovely. "Well, I'll go change shirts, then. It must be fancy."
Astrid snorted and laughed, shaking her head when he disappeared into the backroom, pulling up two smaller crates across each other for chairs. She opened the basket next to her on the floor and set the half-eaten blueberry pie that was on top away for desert and pulled out two wooden plates and served up some mutton stew and soda bread and slathered it in butter, adding a few hand-picked strawberries stolen from the Olsson's garden on the way here, and lastly, poured half a cup of mead for him also taken from her mother's 'secret' cabinet. When Hiccup came back, he was wearing a dark red tunic, a color not characteristic to him, but Astrid couldn't help but think he looked nice in the color, though she liked green best on him.
"It's nothing fancy, don't worry," Astrid said and sipped from her own cup as Hiccup sat down, his knees just reaching above the crate, so he sat sideways to be more comfortable.
"Fancy enough for me," he said and smiled, taking a bite of the stew. "Oh, this is delicious," he said after taking a bite. "Did you make it?"
Astrid scrunched up her face as she was chewing, and when she swallowed she laughed. "No, actually, Auda did. Mom's been making her cook every night for 'practice'. She's cooked these last couple of nights because mom's been gone on Meathead Island. She and Arnheim are going to be gone for the midsummer festival because they're spending it with their respective children," Astrid said with a crooked brow and a tiny smirk, hinting at things Hiccup didn't quite pick up on.
"Oh, yeah, the midsummer festival is two days away. Totally forgot," Hiccup chuckled and took a bite of soda bread.
"I made a dress for it I think you'll really like," Astrid smiled and raised a brow and Hiccup's eyebrows quickly did the same.
"Oh, really? I can't wait to see it, then," he smiled even more and took a sip of mead. His brows furrowed when he tasted the sweet alcohol, looking at Astrid questioningly over the rim of the cup.
"My dad doesn't drink, but that doesn't mean my mom can't," she said and Hiccup understood.
"Soo," he said, smacking his lips and setting down the glass.
"Soo?" Astrid played along, taking a bite of bread.
"It's been awhile since I've seen you. How has it been?" he asked, his free right hand touching her free left over the crate-table, his fingers rough but touching light and softly over the top of her hand. His subtle contact made Astrid's heart jump into gear and she got more excited, but she pretended like she didn't even notice though it was hard to think about anything else.
"It's been fine, nothing's really happened. I worked on that dress all week until today. Finally went out and threw my axe after what the gods know how long. It was nice. Did that all day," she said casually, keeping her eyes carefully lowered to avoid giving away what she was thinking because she knew for a fact Hiccup would be able to tell. "What have you been doing?" she tilted her head inquisitively and flicked her eyes up to his for no longer than a second, her fingers slowly turning his hand around to tickle his rough palm.
He sighed, poking his knife in the stew. "I've been hanging around my dad a lot, believe it or not. He's starting to show me what chief duties are and such, but I helped him form up new treaties that needed to be renewed. It's been really boring. From dawn until dusk I was pretty much at Mead Hall all this week," he said like it was the most boring thing ever, but Astrid was really quite interested. "Today, I finally came back here to continue on this stupid weapon pile Gobber left me," he looked over to the considerably depleted pile. "Senile old man."
Astrid laughed, knowing that to be more than true, and Hiccup just smiled; he missed her laugh, too. "Well, sounds like you had the best time of your life," she commented.
Hiccup chuckled, nodding. "Absolutely."
"You got a speck of charcoal or something on your nose," Astrid said after pausing and staring at his nose, reaching up and brushing his nose with her thumb.
"Are you sure it's not a freckle? I've got plenty of them," he said with a scrunched face, laughing and trying to keep his head still as she rubbed it.
"No, your freckles are cute, this one definitely isn't," Astrid said, but when she started rubbing harder Hiccup swatted her head away and rubbed at it himself, figuring he was most likely blushing.
"Thank you, my sweet," he said sarcastically, but Astrid could see the smiling look to his eyes.
"Of course, sweetheart," she replied back with the same tone and hints of a tiny blush, eating more of the stew.
Hiccup dropped his hand and puffed out his chest, tossing his head pompously. "Darling, this supper is truly fantastic. The stew is impeccable," he said in a strange accent that made Astrid giggle like no other, so taking her response, he added. "May I ask what is so funny? I'm being completely serious here, darling. What is it?"
"You fool," Astrid said through delighted giggles, covering her mouth with her hands.
"Excuse me?" Hiccup said and faltered into a laugh but kept up his façade. "I am merely complementing you on this fan-ta-bulous supper you set forth pour moi."
Astrid couldn't help but throw her head back and burst out laughing and Hiccup did the same, covering his face with his hand. Between laughs he drank from his cup, having to purse his lips tightly when he pulled the cup away from his mouth. Astrid still giggled between taking bites, her eyes glistening with tears. After a good five minutes, Hiccup sighed. "Never doing that again, darling," They burst out laughing again but this time it was shorter lived as they both grew hungry again.
"Thor's beard," Astrid said and let out a long breath, finishing up her mead just as Hiccup finished his and poured them another cup.
"What's up with these names? I never thought we'd call each other names," Hiccup said and took another bite of bread.
"You can, I won't ever," Astrid said with an ending chuckle.
Hiccup's eyes narrowed jokingly with a slim smile on his face. "I see how it is now. I have to say all the sickening stuff and you get to sit there and laugh."
Astrid nodded, really trying not to laugh again. "Pretty much."
"Great, that's cool," Hiccup tossed up a hand sarcastically and ate more of his stew until he finished and Astrid served him up another helping. They talked a long time about any and all matters of their supper, downing one cup and then another until the delicious fuzzy feeling filled their stomachs but they were still somewhat coordinated. Hiccup shared his story about finding his father in the apron and they laughed some more together until they were full with supper. After a couple more updating stories, Astrid pulled out the blueberry pie and felt when she could practically see Hiccup's mouth water.
"I made the filling on this one so it's the best," she said and smiled.
"Must be. I haven't had pie in forever," Hiccup said and took a bite when she allowed him and his eyes widened like it was the best possible pie in existence, quickly taking another bite.
Absentmindedly while talking, they finished their pie off and sat with full stomachs while sharing opinions on what treaties Hiccup helped write up and how strange Hallbera was acting, all the way to talking about the festival.
"Are you going to pull me in dancing again?" Astrid asked with a delicious smirk and Hiccup leaned over and kissed her for a fourth time.
"I don't think I have to. You seemed to like it enough last time," he said and Astrid swatted his arm.
"There's going to be a slow dance. There always is. Because we know you're simply the best dancer this side of the sea," Hiccup tossed his mop of bangs the same way again, "do you think you can do it?"
Hiccup furrowed his brows and huffed like it was nothing. "Yes, but the real question here is… can you slow dance?"
Astrid glared up at him as he confidently smiled at her. "Of course I can!" she stated harshly but Hiccup shrugged, flaring her up more.
"I dunno, you kinda stumbled around a bit last time," he teased, taking her hard punch to his arm.
"Are you challenging me?" she demanded with a playful but serious glint in her eyes.
"Maybe," Hiccup said simply, but Astrid stood up and pulled him up with her, bringing him over to a cleared out space in the cluttered forge. "Seems like you're challenging me."
"Lead, because you're the man and you're supposed to," she said, taking his hand and holding it up and out and resting her other hand over his arm and on his shoulder blade.
"Okay, okay, no rush," Hiccup said with a light chuckle, setting his hand purposefully on the small of her back and he began to lead her around. There was a perpetual faint smile on his face as he twirled her around, her dress swishing at his legs and her foot kicking his boot more than once. He looked down at her and saw she was eyeing him as if saying 'shut up', and he said nothing at all but kept smiling. "Stand on my feet. Well, boot and prosthetic, so you know what I'm going to do at the festival."
"I know what you're going to do," she said childishly, her voice admitting that she did not know how to slow dance at all, and in fact, Hiccup didn't either, but he pretended to anyway. She took his advice and stood on his boot and the nook his prosthetic offered, a height difference of about an inch, but Astrid didn't notice as Hiccup pulled her closer and started spinning around again. He held her tightly, flush against his body, and it was an unspoken thing that they would blush simultaneously.
Astrid blinked up at him, taking the unusual smell of smoke coming off him and his perpetual scent of pine, making him smell like a forest fire. She let her eyes wander across his features, unable to keep the smile off her face, and in his glow, she found him inexplicably handsome. He was so gorgeous, with his bright emerald green eyes and deep brown hair and rusty-colored scruff and he was hers. Damn right, he's mine, she thought and she couldn't stop the pride from swelling in her stomach because he was wonderful and every girl ought to be jealous. And, she was also the one privileged enough to know what was beneath his shirt and pants, and with this thought she blushed more as his hand pressed further into her back.
"This is kinda funny," she whispered, and looking at him, she hardly felt like she was dancing, just floating.
"It is, isn't it?" Hiccup whispered back, but continued to waltz around the cleared space.
"But you're awfully good at it, I must say," she laughed quietly, not sure why she was whispering. "and I'm starting to like it."
"Me too," Hiccup smiled, and Astrid raised herself to her tip toes on top of Hiccup's own and kissed him fully, her mouth lovely and plush around his for a good few seconds until he dropped the dancing pose and held her jaw in his hands. He kissed her affectionately back, stroking his thumbs on her cheeks and running his hands over her long and soft blonde hair down her back, pulling her close again when she stepped off his feet. Their kisses became a bit more ravaging when Astrid raked her fingers through his bangs and down his the side of his face to his neck, unintentionally lighting a burning fire in his stomach.
He pushed her up against the nearest counter and Astrid gave a little 'meep!' of surprise at his taking initiative, but in no way could deny she liked it. Hiccup's hand when just about everywhere; down her sides to her hips, over her shoulder blades, and even up her skirt a little bit to drag along her thigh. It didn't go much further than fun re-exploring and making out after a week without seeing each other, and after a bit Hiccup rested his forehead on her shoulder.
"My mouth is tired," he laughed with an embarrassed tone to his voice, but Astrid simply giggled, stroking his hair comfortingly and smoothing it down.
"Mine is, too. We need to get back into kissing a lot again," she said and wrapped her arms around him, enjoying simply just hugging him. He snaked his arms around her waist and nuzzled his nose into her neck, giving her very faint kisses on her warm skin.
"Yes, we do," he murmured adamantly against her neck and she giggled softly when it sent shivers down her spine.
Astrid helped Hiccup close up the forge for the next day and he helped her pack supper back into her basket. Together they walked hand-in-hand to Hiccup's house because it was closer to the forge than Astrid's. She left him at the doorstep with a goodnight kiss and walked home, a couple yawns escaping her notice. The house was quiet when she walked inside, the fire slowly dying and Brandan's light snores filling up what would have been silence.
Astrid crawled tiredly into her bed, wondering what on earth love was.
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Okay, you can't deny that Stoick would totally wear an apron. I want this drawn. OMG