Remember how I told you that the titles were important…

Some mentions of physical love.

Berkian Eddur - 2

Winter in Líf's Holt

Chapter 13 - Where we meet

We're fascinated by the words - but where we meet is in the silence behind them.

― Ram Dass

Snotlout almost felt guilty. Almost.

Hiccup was looking dead on his feet, and his hair was slightly singed. The Thing talk had been only an hour long, but only because some of the people from Hopeless and TrollGutts wanted some nice dragon-expert time in the arena. And they got it alright.

Snotlout had been there to help - of course he had; his cousin was never going to be in tight corners again without him helping anymore - and the session had gone well. They didn't have dragons young enough to pair with the tiny Spit boy, and his dad had said he didn't want any Terrors in the house, so the boy would have to return later to be properly bonded, but the men from TrollGuts had both favoured a pair of Timberjacks they'd captured only last week, and had been completely taken by the dragons and their uses in the densely forested island they came from.

Then the yellow gronkle had flown into the village, and it'd all gone to Hel's realm.

Well, it would have, but Hiccup just did an awesome thing with his fingers on its jaw and it went down. Still, a few of the stupid, stupid people around the village were still glaring at him for absolutely no reason (yeah, so he had a public fight with Astrid - two, if you counted Astrid yelling at him the morning after - and apparently there was some wager going, but Snotlout was on the way to fix that, and it was none of their business!), but he'd gotten the wild dragon under control so impressively quickly and with such seemingly little effort that the whole dragon thing had been sold to the other tribes before he could say 'mead'.

And now Hiccup looked really tired. And Astrid did too.

And she was covered in mud from head to toe, and Hiccup was giving her these looks … yeah, tired or not, it was going to happen, now. At least Astrid had left her laundry basket with her mum. She'd kill Snotlout if that got dirty, he just knew it.

"Are you sure it's in there?" Hiccup asked once they arrived at the designated hut. Astrid peered inside at the darkness, when Snotlout pretended to edge the door open.

"Yeah, I herded it in here, but it bit me and I couldn't get it out," he lied.

"And why did you want us both?" Hiccup asked, nonplussed. "Me and you could have done it."

"Are you kidding?" he moaned. "Dragons don't like me, man. This one's a baby zippleback, and it almost took my hand off. You two are good at this. You deal with it."

"Ok, ok, fine… and you call ME a wuss," Hiccup said, addressing the last part to Astrid. Snotlout took offense at that, and decided he'd make Hiccup get him a new flail for the trouble, later; ungrateful git.

"Well, you're mine," she replied. Huh. This was looking better already, and he hadn't even locked them in yet. He was a genius, he came up with the best ideas.

No need to give the stupid dragon credit in his head.

"Are you sure you left all your weapons out?" he asked. Astrid glared at him.

"Now you know more than us?" she said huffily.

"It's just, it's tiny, Astrid." He was going to pay for this, sooo hard. But she'd been making her weakness for tiny things pretty obvious lately. "I think it's probably already scared to hear us talking in there. So best to drop all the weapons."

He had no idea it would work so well, especially when Hiccup put his endorsement on it. And then they were stepping into the dark, dark hut, and Snotlout shut the door and bolted it right away.

"Snotlout?"

"What the- Snotlout!"

"You're staying in there until you make up!" he yelled at them boldly, folding his arms at the door. Toothless came up beside him, carrying rabbits in his mouth, and grinned around them at the yelling voices coming from the hut.

"- boil you alive, you stupid son of a-"

"Loki's balls! Ow!"

"Hiccup!"

Snotlout snickered. It WAS dark in there.

"Let's leave them to it," Snotlout whispered. The dragon nodded, prizes still in his jaw. "We need to go tell Thuggory anyway. Say, any chance one of those…" A growl. "Never mind…"

=0=

"Well, that's great. Ow…"

"Hiccup, where…"

"Ow! That's my foot." There was a bumping sound. "Astrid, are you alright?"

"I don't know. My hip's not enjoying itself… wait, maybe I found a shelf." A rattling of falling objects followed, and some cursing.

"Hmm, wait, keep talking so I'll know where you are."

"Give me a moment, I think I found an - Aha!"

There was a flare, and Astrid blinked at the sudden light in her fingers. With watering eyes, she held the candle stump up and looked at her surroundings; luckily for them both, she always carried some flint in her hip pouch.

They were in a tiny one-room shed, and the only light was coming from the cracks in the door and planking. Astrid quickly found a dish that looked like it had been a pot-plate before, and put the candle into it before the wax could burn her. There was precious little candle left to hold it by, anyway.

"You think there is any dragon in here?"

"I think we've been duped," Hiccup said with a tired pout. He was blinking owlishly, that perennial stain of fatigue under his eyes looking even more pronounced in the stark contrast between the candlelight and the dark surroundings. "If there was a baby dragon in here…" He seemed to consider it for a moment, his eyes flicking about before they narrowed in concentration. He reached for the nearest wall and knocked. First once, gently, and twice, and kept increasing the taps in number and strength until he huffed a sigh and folded his arms in annoyance. "No. No baby dragons."

"And if it answered, you'd have told it to come in?" she said with some humour. He gave her a look under his lashes, and she couldn't stop the giggle.

"I'm glad you find it amusing, mi'lady," he said, and she tried her hardest to contain more mirth, though it was a losing battle. He began looking around, and she obligingly held the candle higher. "Now, we'd better start trying to see if there's any other opening in this hut, because banging on that door got us nowhere. Can you see any - Whoa!"

Astrid stared for a second, as one moment Hiccup was standing right in front of her, and the next he had sort-of collapsed backwards. The next second she was rushing forward, horror imagines of a collapsed floor and injured Hiccup almost making her topple over a chair lying on its side.

There wasn't any collapsed floor - just a collapsed Hiccup.

"Did you just … fall over while standing still?" she asked, staring down at him. He'd landed half against the wall he'd been knocking against, shoulder blades resting against the bottom corner as the rest sprawled on the ground, his arms up and his chin against his chest. He looked…

His hair and the shadows hid his now-defined jaw, and from this angle, his face looked just as long as the one he'd warn as a child, hair going every which way and framing those large green eyes that were looking up at her sheepishly.

He looked like Hiccup. Her Hiccup. The one she'd known all her life, who fell over his own feet, dropped things and tried very hard not to stumble over his words. The Hiccup she'd thought about and remembered for five years; prayed for, cursed, hated and longed for. The gentle, kind boy who she'd been friends with as a child and cast away for a stupid reason.

Not that she minded the tall, strapping man who'd come back but … sometimes, when he had all that … Cattongue attitude on, with the steely determination and the no-nonsense voice, it was hard to see the boy she'd waited for there. And she knew it was only normal for him to change, to grow up and be a man, but for everyone else it had happened before her eyes, a day at a time, while Hiccup had left a boy and in a blink come back a person the village looked at for guidance.

Of course, no sane woman would complain about this man. The new unyielding quality of his voice had actually always been there - no one had taken any notice of it unless he was insulting them - and who wouldn't like looking up at that jaw? Not to mention, her mother just had to pass next to the Arena earlier to see how her 'dear son-in-law' was doing; yeah, right. But she had made the right decision to sew these kid-skin trousers so tight. The man just had to bend down to be on Spit's eye-level too, and Baldr be praised if his arse wasn't a work of art worth gracing the halls of Asgard. Or her bed.

Erk. The only problem with that had been those three hideous, horrid barmaids who had also been looking. Horrid beasts, staring at another woman's arse. Man. Man's arse. Whatever … Lauga, Ginna and Ingrid. She had to remember their names later so she could set their hair on fire. At least Tuff had been glaring hateful daggers at them all too.

But here was her Hiccup, scowling up at her with his arms still raised and that silly expression on his face.

"Er… a little help?" he asked awkwardly when she persisted in just looking at him, and she just burst out laughing. Then he pouted - of course he did - so she set the plate the the candle down on the floor and straddled his thighs. He gave an 'urk', scooting to sit up straighter and looking at her with wide eyes, so she put her wrists on his shoulders.

"You're still Hiccup," she said happily, ignoring how nonsensical it must seem to him.

He didn't disappoint. "Thank you," he said flatly. "I thought my name was Bertha this morning, imagine that?"

She snorted at him. She didn't know if it was his eyes, or the fact that they were alone in a dark hut (oooh, they were alone in a dark hut!) but she scooted slightly forwards and watched his face contort for her in utter delight. He went stiff and - yes, yes, the tight leather trousers certainly needed a brother. Or twelve.

"Astrid?"

She shook her head to get rid of her own wandering thoughts. Ah, this man, so much more dangerous for her sanity than a dragon or an axe-wielding maniac.

"I just meant," she started, then stopped, biting her lip. Was she to tell him this? Was it too much, too soon, or too strange? Well… she wasn't going to be scardy, not anymore. Not her! And … he'd told her he was going to make the obvious more obvious, wasn't he? Well, she could too. "I just meant that, you've changed so much. Sometimes it doesn't feel like you're the same person. But then you do stuff like this and …" she nodded at him.

"Aand the gesturing to all of me. I'd missed that," he said in a wry tone. "Did I really … change that much?"

She nodded. "And don't pretend you don't know," she replied. "Or that you don't notice. I know a story of a certain rafter that hid you from certain Bog cousins."

"Oh Thor," he said, hiding his face in her shoulder and making her insides flutter madly. She was so, so glad she had not worn her armour today. Though honestly, she could have had an excuse to bring it to him later at the forge, with all the mud tarnishing it…

Ah, next time. There was plenty of mud to be had in the Winter.

"I'm never living that down, am I?"

"Well, let me see," she said, pretending to think about it while not getting distracted by his warm breath down her shoulder and his soft hair against her cheek. "You warded off women who were not me, while you were far away, and didn't know you were engaged to me… I'd say that wins you points."

She been expecting an awkwardly flirty remark, but instead he stiffened and moved away. Belatedly, she realised that she had forgotten all about Sepha. And now, she certainly knew that it was a female name - he hadn't confirmed her to be a dead wife or a lover, but …

She pushed it aside; Later. "And …" Remember, Astrid, she told herself. More obvious. "And we're here for who knows how long, and … I want to make one thing clear, Hiccup." He looked at her with slight hesitation as he frowned. "What I said that day - the day before the Red Death came? I still mean it. If you want to … if … Sometimes, Hiccup, I'm really afraid that I'm tying you down."

"What?"

She moved away from him, arms falling into her lap as she scooted backwards, almost but not quite sitting on his knees. She'd admitted it. She was afraid, and she'd admitted it to him. Oh Frigga, let him not think the worse of her. "I know you had a life out there, Hiccup. And I know that you miss it. Don't lie to me." He closed his mouth, his eyes clouded. "I know you had Fishlegs look up ways to break the engagement, and if that's what you want…"

Hiccup stared at her for a moment with wide eyes, then they narrowed in annoyance. "So much for keeping secrets," he muttered, biting his lip. "Those weren't for us…" he sighed, looking at her beseechingly. His face said enough of how suddenly worried he was with an urgent sort of panic. In that moment, she realised that trusting him had been the right thing to do; she'd never felt so happy to be right. "You know Cami's situation."

"Oh!" She blinked, feeling stupid. Of course, that made so much sense; Tuff and Cami's relationship once again intruded upon her mind, making her want to scoot closer to Hiccup. It wasn't worth the pretence of not caring that being a warrior was supposed to bring, somehow, when Hiccup was this close, and when she could see someone else's unhappiness so very starkly. It was a new notion, but she was beginning to realise that she could be a warrior and a woman at once.

She nodded to Hiccup in understanding, and he gave a relieved sigh - but she wasn't quite ready with the topic yet. She wanted the obvious to be so obvious even Snotlout could understand it. So with a caress to his cheek, she forged on.

"Hiccup." He looked up at her, and she held his eyes steadily as she started. "I see you looking up at the sky, and I see the looks you exchange with Toothless. I know you miss being able to … be your own master. I need to know that..."

She swallowed, looking down again. She couldn't quite bring herself to look him in the eye when she said this, because … what if he said yes?

"And I know that -" she sighed, impatient with herself. Why couldn't she be eloquent like him? When had eloquence become more important than a punch and a straight statement? "You left, once. You can do it again. And I'm … I don't want to hold you back if that is what you really want, but at the same time, I…"

"Hey!" His hands came up to her face. She shook them off and refused to look up. "I … this is …" He huffed. His thumbs made circles on her cheeks, flicking dried mud away in a scaly cascade down into their laps. "You think this isn't a little unbelievable for me, too? I go away for five years, thinking Berk is better off for it. And then I have to come back because … because you're all in danger. You think it was easy, to come here? When I'd left like that?"

Astrid felt his tone strike a chord in her heart, almost like a confirmation of what she'd been fearing even though he hadn't voiced it.

"I know. It must have been painful, and difficult, and it's why I'm saying-"

"Astrid," he didn't sound angry, but somehow she felt chastised. Urk, this man… "It was the best decision I ever made. I don't regret it, ok? Just, sometimes, I have to remind myself that it's real, and that it's not going away. And some other times, it just gets so … so … overwhelming, trying to be dad's son and your …" he lowered his voice, "promised."

"It doesn't have to be," she tried to reassure, his eyes flickering in the candlelight telling her she wasn't managing very well. "I don't want you to do any big, impossible thing to prove … I don't want you to prove anything. Just be Hiccup." His eyes went wide. Then disbelieving. So she punched him and ignored his whining. "I'm serious. Hiccup is who I want. Hiccup is enough." He just blinked at her, and she gave him a smile, hoping she hadn't said something stupid. Well, stupid or not, she wanted to say it. He'd better get used to it. When he continued to say nothing, it made her feel utterly jittery and nervous, and she had to stop herself from punching him in the face. "You really weren't - I mean, you meant it, the other night, right?" Astrid asked before she could stop herself. Odin, he'd just bared his soul to her and she couldn't let this go? But he wasn't talking."That you don't mind … this." She waved her hand between them. He gave a crooked, terrified smile.

"I was really hoping to make it work, actually."

"Yeah? Even though …" She looked him properly in the eyes - she wasn't a coward. So what if she was feeling as if her heart was going to drop out of her chest if he said the wrong thing? And so what if he said it was hard to be her promised sometimes, and it hurt like nothing she'd ever heard? That was probably all the punching business. And if her heart did fall out, then she'd pick it up, stuff it back in and deal with it. He was … he was right. This was something worth risking for. Ask about Sepha. Ask. "Even though I'm just a fisherman's daughter, you're ok?" Erk, coward. She could have slapped herself.

"Who told you that!" He looked utterly outraged. A part of her felt vindicated. The other one was groaning at his sudden attempt to get up - which she didn't allow. "Did Madfoot approach you? Did he dare? Because I swear, if he even tried to breathe your way after all the trouble he's caused, I-"

"No, no." That cut him short, but his face was still red with anger and outrage. She felt both cared for and manhandled, somehow. As if he she couldn't throw an axe at him and claim harassment if that dared to insinuate and approach her himself … still, it was admittedly nice to see that look on his face on her account.

Argh, how did people handle being married? How had her mother? It was terribly complicated, it almost felt like you were putting your insides on the line all the time, and then you caught yourself not saying things because you second and triple guessed how they would be received. It was murder.

"Heather told me," she informed him. "She said that I should know what Madfoot'd said about me. That you'd gotten him back at the meeting but that I should know I'd incurred a personal insult." She nudged him. "And that you said you wanted to make it up to me?"

"Is that a not-so-subtle hint that you want another new weapon?"

"Hatchet!"

"Erk. Fine."

When he gave her that wobbly smile again, she couldn't help returning it.

"And for the all the rest…" She leaned forward and kissed him briefly. "I'm not going anywhere, even if you make mistakes or say stupid things. Or go dance with other girls." He looked appropriately chastised, so she kissed his nose. "So don't worry about that."

"I'm still … me." He shrugged. "I'm still Hiccup. I still make messes, say stupid jokes, drop things - usually on people's feet - fall over because I'm standing on the only patch of moss in the room," he gestured towards the scraped off vegetation on his prosthetic.

"And that's a very good thing, Hiccup," she said, scooting forward more and grabbing his tunic.

"It wasn't for a very long time, Astrid," he replied sadly, and her heart felt like it would rip in two. It was her turn to take his face firmly in her hand and stroke his cheeks.

"That was our fault, not yours," she said, making sure her tone left no room for argument. "We didn't see how good you were. Not until you left. And that was our … my fault."

"Astrid, we weren't even friends anymore," Hiccup protested, his sharp brows coming down to cast shadows in the candle light.

"And who's fault was that!" she said angrily, pushing back slightly.

"Mine?"

"No, mine!" she yelled, folding her arms. She hadn't wanted to tell him this, really hadn't. But she was a coward if she didn't. And if she didn't get his forgiveness this time, then she wouldn't deserve it. "Don't you see? I stopped being your friend for such a stupid reason!"

"I don't … look, if you regret because I used to mess up, but I'm ok now, it's fine," he started, and she glared him into silence. Then punched his shoulder. "Ow!"

"Wuss," she said, though her affection was full of trepidation. "That's for thinking I'm some shallow little cunt who only likes Hiccup the Hero."

"Not what I meant; I still mess up! And … S'not my name…" he muttered rebelliously, rubbing his arm.

"Oh, pick one!" she replied, still yelling, and damn it all to Hel's teeth, she hadn't meant to tell him she was afraid of this, either! "Hiccup the Red Death's bane; Hiccup the dragon trainer; Hiccup the Negotiator." She went quiet and swallowed. "I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't afraid you could do better."

"I couldn't," he said strongly, and she shook her head vehemently in order to stop looking at his earnest face and stave off the melty feeling in her chest. This man!

"Hiccup, I may be the best warrior in our generation, but that's Berk. You could have any number of women of much higher standing and wealth among our allies." She swallowed, her throat suddenly thick, and in that moment realised just how much she cared for him. What if he hadn't realised this? What if he liked the idea? "When all is said and done, I'm really just a fisherman's daughter."

"I couldn't," he said again, and his gaze never faltered. "Remind me to tell Heather that if she was going to be a busy body, she may as well go all the way," he scowled and continued. "I said it in the meeting and I'm saying it to you. I don't want anyone else. I really don't, Astrid."

Her throat went dry. Frey forgive her, but she would have given her shield to this man right now if he hadn't had it already.

"I … well … same here," she replied in a thin voice. He gave her a wobbly, uncertain smile, and her eyes followed the movement of his throat as he swallowed nervously.

"And you're at least the daughter of the fisherman king. He's one of my dad's second generals and leads the fishing fleet, Astrid. Madfoot was just being himself. An arsehole."

"Yes, right, ok…" she muttered, fingering her kransen. Her family was moderately wealthy. At least, she thought so. She'd never opened her dowry, so she had no idea. "And you're fine the way you are. So, you do stupid things, and you say silly things. I want it that way. I don't want you to try to be something else because I want … this."

He gave her a shining, crooked smile. This time, when he moved forward and kissed her, there was something else in it, a different sort of heat that moved over her skin through the slow, gentle touches of his lips on hers, and when he fell back against the wall with bright eyes, her heart was beating so fast it almost hurt. Her lips still tasted of him, and the look he was giving her was so, so warm that-

Then he punched her shoulder gently.

"What…?"

"So, you were going to tell me why we stopped being friends? As children, I mean." He ducked his head with a shy smile. "Because wow, I'd never thought you'd look my way after that time, and I could only dream that you would get jealous over me." He gave a laughing 'ow!' when she punched him in the chest, hard. Ooooh, only half his armour was on, and that chest looked like a nice area to explore. He grabbed her wrists in his large hands, and for some reason, the fact that he was able to hold her for a few moments until she calmed made her glad she was sitting already. "The last time you were jealous was when we were children and Ruffnut wanted to play the stepping game with me." His smile turned into a sad one. "And that one time I told you your hair was pretty, and Ruff wanted the compliment too. Then you started not speaking to me very often, and..."

Astrid swallowed, the guilt coming back in droves. They had been friends - just a rag-tag team of young children, all more-or-less the same age, but Hiccup had been Astrid's special friend. They used to go exploring, used to go 'pillaging' and on adventures. Hiccup used to make up games for them to play - it was how she learned to read and count so well, because his games almost always were word or counting games.

And the step game. His arm around her back, her arm around his, their remaining fingers laced together at the front as they skipped through the numbered squares chalked into the ground while chanting a tune her mother had taught her. It had been her favourite game, and she'd never let anyone play it with them.

"You said something else, that day." He gave her a confused look. She sighed. "It was the end of the Spring Harvest. We were all in ribbons and flowers and …" she touched her crusty, muddy hair unconsciously. "I had flowers in my hair, and you said I looked like a bride." He blinked at her, and blushed. She gave him a wry smile, but then looked down again. "It was something my mother said," Astrid admitted in a small voice. Five years of his absence had made the years prior, where he'd been there and she'd ignored him simply because he was Hiccup - and he was sometimes in the way, and she was competitive - seem so stupid, so pointless. The guilt she had not felt during those earlier years somehow made it worse. "We were little, and … mama and your mother were laughing about how you'd marry me someday." She snorted and shook her head, savouring the fond memory before the next part heaped the shame back on. "I said I didn't want to get married. That I wanted to be a shield maiden." She met his eyes after rolling her own. "Shows what I knew."

"I always thought that would happen," he shrugged. "Or maybe hoped?" He gave her a crooked smile when she raised a brow. "Eh, maybe I was hoping you'd be unmarried when I came back, and I could sweep you away with my rugged good looks."

She snorted again, and let him pull her closer, his palms cradling her back.

"Let me finish?" she asked quietly. He nodded, his face going serious again. "Well, your mother laughed, and mine said … mum said that you'd have me if you wanted me. You were the chief's son."

She swallowed.

"Oh…"

"It made me so angry," she ploughed on. "I thought we were friends, and then suddenly I find out you could take away my future just by wanting to marry me." She looked down, feeling the emotion all over again. "I didn't even understand it all back then. All I knew is that I wanted to be a warrior woman, like the Bogs, and the Bogs didn't get married. I thought one excluded the other."

"Astrid…"

"And then I was so horrid to you, in the arena, and I literally drove you off the island. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry." She leaned forward, letting her forehead drop on his armoured shoulder. "I'm so, so sorry." She had so much to make up to him.

"Hey," he simply put his arms around her and gathered her up - and she would never, ever admit it, but in that moment, she felt safe, and cared for. She'd go kill a few trees and elks later to make sure the inner-warrior hadn't turned to mush, but right now, she needed nothing more than this.

And it was ok, wasn't it? If it was Hiccup? Yes, it was.

"I'm sorry, too," he said, holding her closer. "I was afraid of what my father would do to Toothless back then - really afraid - and dragon training, and all that attention I felt I shouldn't get… and it made you so mad." He kissed her temple slowly, maybe to see if he could, and then did it again when she nudged herself closer. "I think, a part of me ran away because I was scared of all that, too. I wanted to make my father proud, and when I thought I never could, and that you would never…"

"Hiccup," she whispered. "Just say it."

"I thought you'd never look at me," he sighed, and the first blow was painful, a rush of emotion that accompanied the sad tone in his voice that spoke of so much loneliness. She had looked. She had - so much that it had been like someone took a piece out of her that had always been there when he left. And ... So he had lied to her, that day, hadn't he? When they had been sharing a glowing moment in the dawn light as they 'met' for the first time in five years. He had left, at least in part, because of her; but he hadn't wanted to tell her then, hadn't wanted to mar that moment. The thought was so bitter-sweet.

The second was a rush of unexpected feeling; could she be - could she, Astrid, be - the most beautiful woman in … she shook herself. Not now.

"I was young. Younger than you, in my head," she admitted. "I just saw axes and dragons and bringing my family glory as their only girl-child. I wanted to be special. I was stupid."

"Just young. So was I," he admitted. "I just - I don't want to dwell on it anymore. We were young, we made mistakes. Everyone does. But we have this now, and I, um, it's important enough to keep." Yup, her insides were made of mush now. She was going to have to go break rocks with her head before she felt like a real warrior again. Still worth the bruise. "So, I … forgiven?" Astrid blinked at him. "For running away like an arse and making you feel so bad."

"Oh, yes. Of course," she said. She moved back enough to look him in the eyes. "But I don't think I'll ever forgive myself for that, Hiccup."

"Then I'll remind you every day that I forgive you, ok?" he replied. Green eyes were the most beautiful thing in the world, she decided.

The candle guttered out, and they both groaned.

"We're idiots. We should have used that light to look for a way out, then had the heart-to-heart after we murdered Snotlout."

"We can always wait for him to let us out," Hiccup sighed.

"Are you sure he'll remember?" she asked, her skeptic tone saying it all. Hiccup groaned.

"At least we're in good company," he intoned, letting his head fall back with a thunk. The sparse light in the shed came through cracks in the wood and the door, and once her eyes adjusted, she could just see the outlines of his body, his shining armour, skin, and twinkling eyes.

Suddenly, there was something altogether lacking in the innocence of their embrace. All the beautiful things he'd said, the slow, heart-racing way in which he'd kissed her earlier coagulated in the dark so that she couldn't take her eyes off him. Watching his throat bob as he sighed and swallowed was simply the last straw.

She was kissing his neck in the same slow, sensuous manner before she knew it, and he stiffened and squeaked underneath her as she scooted forward all the way, seating herself properly straddling his lap. This was the most lascivious, wanton position she had ever been in, and by the gods it felt fantastic and terrifying. She pressed against him harder, kissing up his jaw until she found his mouth and savouring the sudden groan he made when she accidently pressed her hips into his as she shifted.

His hands were suddenly scalding, one ghosting against her thigh and the other in her hair. That chest was begging to be explored and she slipped questing fingers under his leather armour, making him go stiff and gasp, and then his hand was grasping her thigh in a way that made her squeal before she could stop herself.

His lips kissed around her face before they found hers again in the dark, and then all her skin came alive as he licked her lower lip and brought it into his mouth. His thumb brushed her ear as his fingers scraped her scalp, and she couldn't contain the load moan that escaped her. Bringing one hand from beneath his armour, she caught the back of his head and brought him closer, and when his tongue invaded her mouth, she could do nothing but let him, her limbs going almost boneless as the feeling of his tongue on hers spread fire through her insides. She wanted to be close to him. Closer. He had become so very important, so much, that she needed to cancel out any distance between them in that moment.

Her skin felt hot, throbbing like another heart was beating everywhere just below the surface. His breath on her face, the smell of him and the salty taste of his skin drove her on, down a path she did not know, but hoped to travel with him soon. As his hand climbed up her thigh, she pressed herself harder against him, and before she knew it, her body was undulating of its own accord against - mmm, yes, the tight leather pants were definitely a good idea…

"Ast- Asta," he moaned, the hand rising to her hip-bone and pushing her away slightly. "Asta, please…"

"Hiccup," she moaned, frustrated for reasons she could not exactly pinpoint in her rushed and hungry mind. He groaned even more deeply and dove to kiss her neck, leaving tiny bites that made her shudder and press against him harder. She wasn't completely innocent, between her married brothers in the old Hall, and Ruff's none-too-subtle stories, but she could never imagine that someone's touch could turn her skin into living lightning, his every caress feeling like Mjolnir was hammering at her senses. "Oh Hiccup, please…"

"I made you an oath," he moaned, pushing back again, breathing so deeply, literally pleading. "Please, Asta…"

She groaned, tearing herself away from his arms and moving backwards, her skin feeling chilled the moment his hands fell away. Her center was throbbing disconsolately, and she knew even in the dark that he was probably in agony. She'd overheard her brothers' talk enough times to know why his breathing was so rapid, and the little she could see of his face so scrunched up.

Oh, Freya, but if he threw his head back like that, she wouldn't be responsible for…

"Hiccup, you're worried about me getting with-child, right?" The noise of rain suddenly registered in her mind, and she wondered how long it had been coming down, and how long she had been entangled in his arms like that. And how long it would be before she could be there again. "Well, mum offered me herbs. Said they would stop … you know. So if you want, if you…"

"Astrid," he said, curling both hands around her shoulders and keeping her put. The only thing she cared about at that moment was how warm they were, and how much she wished he would move them lower. And on her front.

That thought seemed to break her out of her haze more than his tone, she suddenly flushed, and chuckled in a strange new form of embarrassment. She shifted uncomfortably, her body still hotly alive and her breath short. She knew that if he pulled her in, she would certainly not refuse him, and that thought elated and sobered her.

"Asta, we still have to speak of… a few things." he swallowed, her eyes catching it in the dark, but her mind focussed further.

Sepha. They still had to talk about Sepha.

"And no offense to your mother's remedies, but .. she had eight children, Astrid. I don't think they work very well."

Astrid blinked, then burst out laughing, her emotions still high and violently galing within her.

"They were trying for a girl-child, Hiccup; me." She poked him in the side, and he yelped. She enjoyed the sound of his voice a little bit too much. "That's where the large expectations came from, and all. Couldn't disappoint them after they waited so long."

"Would explain many things… the drive, the mad competitivity, the- ow! Violence!"

"Wuss," she said, and she was kissing him again before she knew it.

"Mmm-mmm," he protested, pushing her firmly away by the shoulders. Their lips separated with a horridly lewd smack, and she was laughing before she could stop herself.

"Sorry," she chuckled, apology a lot more lighthearted than their earlier ones.

"You know, I don't quite think I'll make you that hatchet. Not with all this torture; I don't think you deserve it."

"Hmm," she replied, a laugh held in behind her tight lips. "I see," and then she did laugh, because her mind was blank except for the smell and feel of him. It wasn't quite fair that he was still so eloquent, even now. "Well, one day, I'll leave you speechless. Then I'll consider it torture."

"Gya," he replied, going boneless, and she chuckled. A silence settled on them as their breaths mingled and calmed, her body still warm, but shuddering as it registered how cold the temperature inside the tiny hut had become, and that incessant dripping sound was -

"Drops?" She blinked in Hiccup's direction as he had echoed her, and both of them stood - albeit reluctantly - and moved towards the noise. "Here, hand me that… yeah, that chair." The light inside the room had dimmed, but their eyes had grown used to the blacks of their eyelids. Her lips gave a throb at the memory. The chair found its way into her hands, and she quickly pushed it upwards into the thatch. A fair bit of rotted straw came away, and much more light began to flood the little room, as well as rain and shingle. Hiccup quickly came up beside her to shield her and she elbowed him gently for it, but smiled. "Way out," she said happily.

Dropping the chair, she was about to climb on it when her common sense told her it wasn't a good idea. Hiccup laced his fingers together instead, and she stepped into them, reaching up.

"I don't reach," she hissed, and Hiccup first lowered her, then raised her up once more to stand on his shoulder. She hoped he didn't remember the yelp she made, it was undignified.

She began pushing the half-rotted wood and thatch away as fast as she could, hissing as splinters made their way into her palm. "Are you alright down there?"

"The view's fantastic," he replied in a teasing tone, and then grabbed her ankles more strongly. "And if you kick me, we'll both fall over."

"I'll hurt you for it later," she replied cheerfully.

"Never a doubt, mi'lady … now, there! Great!" Astrid took the boost he gave her, and pulled herself up through the hole she'd made, getting instantly soaked by the rain and almost slipping off. "Be careful!"

"Of course," she chuckled, her mind still in that hut, and then flying to an idea; A quiet spot like this, in the woods, was perfect for two people to meet on the sly. Two people who weren't supposed to meet, especially. "You know," she called down to him through the hole. The light of dusk was fading fast, but she could still see him clearly, hair getting plastered to his face by the rain and making him look like a half-drowned hatchling. Any thoughts of devious plans took a backseat for the moment. "I could totally just leave you there, mister 'refuse-a-lot'."

"Astrid," he said, pouting at her, and she knew she'd lost at once. With a laugh, she gave a sharp whistle, then two others just in case, but Stormfly's answering squaks could be heard from wherever she was. Making her way down the roof slowly, she continued to whistle until she heard the gust of her nadder's wings, and Stormfly carefully helped her the last few yards to the ground with her snout.

She instantly walked round to open the door, and immediately dropped the wooden bar with a hiss; apparently she had more splinters than she thought.

"You alright?" he asked right away. She almost frowned before a thought occurred to her.

"These need seeing to," she said casually.

"I'll medicate them for you," he said as she knew he would.

"Good," she said with a grin. "Then you can wash my hair."

"Huh?!"

She allowed him to hop onto her nadder in front, as she could not steer, and chuckled quietly to herself at his expression. Someday, she was going to tell him it was Thuggory who told her of his weakness for her hair, and then sit back and watch.

=0=

Their second 'talk', a long but necessary one. Hiccup was not the only one who could not reconcile the young person they had known with the adult they are now falling in love with, especially after five years away. And of course, Astrid is more than a little gunge-ho about getting her hands on the goods.

And I also expanded on the mentions of childhood friendship that had been dropped in Becoming too. I hope you enjoyed them. These things, after all, make sense to a young Viking girl's mind.