Author's Note: This chapter is a bit shorter than the others, but it is very important to the development of the plot. I promise that it will start to get interesting soon.
4 months and 4 days
Astrid drummed her fingers on her knees and watched the city shoot by in a blur of lights. Her heart raced like a terrified rabbit in her chest, ready to burst free at any moment. She took a deep breath and let it go slowly.
"Are you sure you're alright?" Hiccup asked.
She nodded and rested her head on her hand. "Yeah, of course. I just really overdid it with the furniture shopping today," she said. It was partly true; her back ached every time she bent to grab something or lifted her arms over her head.
Hiccup nodded and turned the car onto a different street. "I just wanted to make sure. My mom tends to get… clingy at times, and I know today hasn't been the greatest day for either of us."
"I think I'll manage," Astrid said.
The city slowly melted away and became a small neighborhood lit by streetlights in the clear blue evening light. Oak trees reached for the clouds as people walked under them, some holding hands and others pushing strollers.
Astrid couldn't help the slight envy she felt at seeing her boyfriend's childhood home. She knew that his family had moved around a lot, but this… it was like something taken from a movie. Her family had lived in a house on the outskirts of town away from others, and she had had few friends other than Ruffnut.
The car came to a stop in front of a white three story house with a colorful flower garden out front. Hiccup led Astrid up the cobblestone path to the front door and knocked, smiling at her. She struggled to return it as a middle-aged woman opened the door and clasped a hand over her mouth, her green eyes, the same shade as Hiccup's Astrid observed, widening.
"Oh, my baby boy… you look so handsome," Mrs. Haddock said as she pulled Hiccup into a hug. He wrapped his arms around her and chuckled, relaxing into her embrace.
"It's only been a few weeks, Mom," he said. "I'm not going anywhere any time soon."
His mother let go of him and took a step back, her stunning green gaze falling on Astrid. "You better not. Oh Hiccup, you told me she was pretty, but… come in, both of you. I'll get Gerard."
Astrid blushed as Hiccup led her inside. "You think I'm pretty?" She teased.
He rolled his eyes and turned around to face her. "No, I was lying to make my mother happy. You are the hideous creature hiding under every kid's bed."
Astrid punched his shoulder, laughing. "You jerk!"
Hiccup held up his hands, grinning. "Hey, you asked."
Hiccup's mother came down the hall, a man following her. She took one of Astrid's hands in hers and smiled. "It is so nice to finally meet you, dear. You are all my son talks about these days," she said.
"It's great meeting you too, Mrs. Haddock," Astrid said.
"Oh, we're practically family now. Call me Valka."
"Alright… Valka," Astrid replied.
The man came to stand beside Valka, his arms crossed over his broad chest. His pale green eyes narrowed at Astrid from above his vivid red beard, then softened when they landed on Hiccup.
"So this must be the Astrid you've been tellin' us about, son?" He bellowed.
Hiccup laughed nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah. The one and only."
An awkward silence passed between the four of them. Astrid crossed her arms and kept her eyes trained on her black heels, not wanting to meet the eyes of Hiccup's parents. She could feel them watching her, waiting for her to do something.
"Alright, well, dinner is on the table. I hope you like smoked salmon, Astrid," Valka said.
"I'm not much of a picky eater." Astrid tucked a lock of curled blonde hair behind her ear as she looked up at the other woman.
"Great!" Valka disappeared into the kitchen, her hands clasped together. Gerard followed his wife after a long moment of silence.
"They seem… nice," Astrid said once they were gone.
Hiccup groaned and rubbed a hand over his face. "No don't say that. My dad hasn't even started to interrogate you yet. Gods, this is why I have never had girls over."
"Well, I like them. I'm sure your dad and I will get along fine." Astrid picked at a loose thread on her royal blue dress, suddenly concerned about her appearance. Was the dress too much? It did show a bit of cleavage, but that was fine, right? And what about the heels? What if they already had an opinion about her based on her outfit?
She followed Hiccup down the hall into the dining room where his parents were already sitting down at the table. Valka smiled at them and gestured to the other two chairs while Gerard remained silent, more concerned about the food on his plate than his son and Astrid.
They sat down at the table and Valka told Hiccup about how badly Toothless had started to miss him over the weeks, and how the cat had slept every night at the foot of Hiccup's bed.
Astrid picked at her food while they talked, not at all hungry but aware of Valka's concerned gaze. She slowly lifted a piece of fish to her mouth and chewed, forcing herself to swallow. It was undercooked and a bit plain with nothing added to it, but she said nothing.
"So Astrid, do you go to Berk also?" Valka asked.
"Oh. Yeah, I have a major in English," Astrid said.
Valka nodded. "And how long have you two been together?"
Astrid opened her mouth to speak but Hiccup beat her to it. "Almost a month," he said.
Valka looked over at her husband with a smile. "Your father and I were together only five months before he asked me to marry him. I thought it was too early at the time, but look at us now. Is marriage in the cards yet?"
Hiccup's eyes widened slightly. He glanced at Astrid, but she remained silent. "Uh, Mom, we-we're not-"
Valka nodded. "I see. It's still too early. I still expect grandchildren someday though, so don't even think about taking the bachelor path. You're the only son I have," she chuckled.
Astrid felt the blood drain from her face. She lifted another piece of salmon to her mouth with a trembling hand and kept her eyes trained on her plate as she chewed.
"Well, actually, Mom. Dad. W-We have something we need to tell you," Hiccup said.
Valka smiled pleasantly at them. "Anything dear."
Hiccup took a deep breath and grabbed one of Astrid's under the table. "First, I want you to know that Astrid and I have agreed that we're going to move in together in a few months."
Valka's calm expression wavered a bit, but she nodded. Gerard also looked up, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"We, uh… A-Astrid's pregnant."
Valka's fork flattered loudly onto her plate. She gaped at them, her green eyes flicking back and forth between Hiccup and Astrid. "Do you… is that… how?" She asked. "Gods, how could you let this happen, Hiccup? I thought you were smarter than this."
"It was an accident, Mom-"
Gerard pushed his chair back and stood up suddenly, startling the three of them. His cold green eyes found Astrid as he walked past. They watched him go, a brief silence falling over the table.
Valka stood up to follow him, her eyes trained on the floor. "This is what happens when you aren't careful, Hiccup. I just… we raised you better than this. I should have known that your father was right about Cara; you wouldn't be in this mess if she hadn't influenced you," she said quietly.
Hiccup's mother walked down the hall and opened the door that Gerard had closed behind him, slipping inside the room and shutting it behind her. Their argument was not at all muffled by the walls or closed door.
Astrid grimaced when she heard her name and glanced at Hiccup. He had his face buried in his hands, clearly distressed by his parents' reaction.
"I'm sorry. I knew it would be bad, but…" He trailed off, shaking his head.
She frowned and rested a hand on his arm. "It's not your fault, Hiccup. You know that."
Hiccup threw his hand up in the air before letting it fall back to the table. "No. No I don't, Astrid. I never should have brought you here. I should have known-"
"Hey, don't say that. There's no way you could have known what was going to happen, and I don't want to see you beat yourself up for it," Astrid said. She rubbed Hiccup's arm and gave him a small smile. "Okay?"
He nodded after a long moment, his green eyes refusing to met her anxious blue ones. "Okay," he whispered.
They both looked up when the door opened. Valka stepped through it and closed it behind her wordlessly. She came over and pulled Hiccup into her arms.
"Is he…?"
Valka nodded into his shoulder.
"I'm sorry-"
"I know, baby boy. And we'll be there for you two until the end, I just… I don't want you to make the same mistakes I did. I want you to be happy."
"I am happy, Mom. So, so happy. Things are just going a bit differently than I had thought they would," Hiccup said.
Valka nodded slowly after a moment and pulled away to glance at Astrid. "If you're happy… then I will be happy for you," she said. "How far along are you, Astrid?" Valka asked, reaching over to take one of Astrid's hands in hers with a small smile.
Astrid's head shot up at the sound of her name. She hesitated and glanced at Hiccup before returning her gaze to Valka. "16 and a half weeks," she said.
"Oh, if you think the sickness was bad, just wait 'til he starts kicking," the older woman chuckled.
Astrid gave a half-hearted laugh as she helped Hiccup and his mother carry the dishes and leftovers into the kitchen. While Valka washed dishes and Hiccup put the leftovers into the fridge, she stood awkwardly at the counter.
Mother and son made an attempt at small talk before things grew too uncomfortable and Hiccup started to pull Astrid towards the door. Valka waved to them from the porch, a tight smile on her lips.